digg on dgrin POY and thoughts for next year
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did a quick look at digg on our poty contest-
one comment, in my mind, stood out-
'There were a few good pictures, but the one of the kid could have been taken at Sears.'
I really don't think so-
it's one of the prettiest little portraits I've seen-
and yeah, I really don't think we're the best in the world; a little hyperbole there, but there are some pretty doggone good photos on this sight-
and compared to other forums that I've looked at, some of the most informed, helpful and decent folks you could find (well, I do try to be helpful-I might get around to the other two someday)-
I also want to thank all who voted for my photo; I hope that next year more participate for there were many really great shots that were not entered-
one comment, in my mind, stood out-
'There were a few good pictures, but the one of the kid could have been taken at Sears.'
I really don't think so-
it's one of the prettiest little portraits I've seen-
and yeah, I really don't think we're the best in the world; a little hyperbole there, but there are some pretty doggone good photos on this sight-
and compared to other forums that I've looked at, some of the most informed, helpful and decent folks you could find (well, I do try to be helpful-I might get around to the other two someday)-
I also want to thank all who voted for my photo; I hope that next year more participate for there were many really great shots that were not entered-
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of the foggy trees! But I'm a "tree" person anyway. I rarely go to digg or those sites, probably waste enough time with the ones I do go to. !
It was really difficult for me to choose one to vote on in POTY, really difficult and so many deserving photos...
http://www.twitter.com/deegolden
moderator of: The Flea Market [ guidelines ]
any thought as to whether categories would generate more interest (also with a general poty)?
also, just a thought, let the moderators pick out the photos from the past year (with consent from the photographer)-
moderator of: The Flea Market [ guidelines ]
You mean IN nose, don'tcha?
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Cheers,
why not?-
you're trying to get more to vote-
do something different besides cajoling for votes?-
why did the POY get so overlooked? was it because there's no cash-value prize? (I hope not) over in the challenges, I run the poll for 3 days, and rarely bump it for votes - it still gets over 200 votes, easy. In the POY, we dugg it, had a sitewide announcement, I put up a PSA in the challenge forum, I bumped it at least everyday, and it was open for 7 days! It got less than 200 votes.
As user-observers, was there something different? or is there just a more focused voting group that only hangs out in the challenge forum?
moderator of: The Flea Market [ guidelines ]
Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
moderator of: The Flea Market [ guidelines ]
Maybe a POTY quarter final could be had every quarter, and the winners moved on to the yearly vote.
Anyway, congrats DaveV, I knew I was voting for a winner!:ivar
I voted in both rounds, basically because I really wanted to support the one I liked best. It didn't win but it made the finals and, in the end, got a respectable tally. :ivar That said, I was disappointed at the small number of entries in the first round. I remember some spectacular shots (and photographers) over the year that didn't appear (or weren't represented) and that made it less interesting to me as a voter. Don't get me wrong. The entries were great and any one of them would have been a worthy winner. It's just that we didn't start with a really good sampling of the work posted on dgrin in 2006.
The few people I cajole to vote on the bi-weekly challenges (even if I am not entered and even if they don't vote for me!), weren't terribly interested. Only one voted and that was in the finals only. Why? I'm not sure. Possibly because they aren't regular participants in any of the specific photo forums. Also, there was some impatience with having to look at the pictures in one place and vote in another. I suspect that there is nothing you can do about that in the first round given the large numbers of entries (even this year). I would be amazed if the absence of prizes had a thing to do with the vote turnout.
So, FWIW, here are some suggestions.
1. Have a POTY for each of the five subject catagories under Shots.
2. Have a grand final runoff to chose the grand winner out of the 5 winners. The Smithsonian's annual photo contest works like that, although they don't put it to a vote of subscribers!)
3. Remind members every month or two during the year that photos they post on dgrin will be elegible for the POTY at the end of the year. This might encourage more postings and participation in the forums throughout the year, which would be a good thing.
4. This may be counterintuitive, but it might help to shorten the voting time. Human nature being what it is, people decide that since they have time they'll do it tomorrow. Then tomorrow turns out to be one day too late.
Virginia
"A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you, the less you know." Diane Arbus
Email
easy to check; look at the thread-
but I would think that anyone who had been on dgrin for just a little bit during that time period would have known about it-
some good suggestions-
I like Virginia's idea a lot. I think it would draw in a lot more entries and/or voters. I was amazed at how many really great photographers did not enter. I encouraged one of my favorite entries...don't know if that person would have entered without encouragement or not. I am wondering why the entries had to be e-mailed in instead of direct posting them the way we have in the challenges? I'm sure there's a reason, but in viewing the original thread, it seemed a lot of people had problems with their entries arriving, or arriving fully intact as Andy was quite often trying to match up photos with owners. I know I mailed my entry in late and it never arrived. I wasn't too concerned as I only entered to participate and had no expectactions of winning. Perhaps the timing had an effect. January is a slow month and I know lots of people who take off and go on vacation. Maybe it's just the "after Holiday let-down"!!!!
moderator of: The Flea Market [ guidelines ]
I agree that I thought there should have been more entrees. Throughout the year, I've seen hundreds of photos on this site that would have put my shot at the bottom of the list. Why these people didn't enter, I don't know. Hopefully some of them will join in this thread to answer that question.
I think one of the mistakes was to have it in the "The Big Picture" forum. The regulars that vote in the challenges either didn't find it in the sticky, (which I hardly ever look at after I've already read them) or they don't check out the forum by looking at the "New Stuff" menu. In over a year here, I've clicked new stuff twice.
Thinking that categories will bring in more folks may or may not work. It may just divide the vote more so there's only 50 votes in a category. But that said, it may be worth a try.
My proposal would be to suspend the regular challenge while this is going on. Make it the only game in town, and run it in the challenge area. The total time would be 2 weeks. The first week for entering shots, 4 days to narrow it down, 3 days for the final vote. This way there wouldn't be any over lap with any of the challenges. And like the regular challenges, just put the shots into a thread. That way there's no trouble with emails, and the participants can change their mind and change the photo that they entered.
Even if it was a down year for entries and voting, It's still good to be king.
A big thanks again to everyone involved.
Basking in the shadows of yesterday's triumphs'.
hah!-
just kiddin', dave!-
I always or mostly browse via New Stuff... And then mostly get to the second or third page, not much further then this...
I don't know if I would enter that one, as I so far never won a weekly challenge, so what would make me a winner in the yearly one?
Maybe it should be between the weekly challenge winners???
http://photocatseyes.net
http://www.zazzle.com/photocatseyes
P.S. The shot of mine didn't win a challenge either. Came in second.
Basking in the shadows of yesterday's triumphs'.
Do favor the idea of categories as a 1st round and no other challenges occuring. That might help get the missing folks out of the woodwork.
Very stunned by the few voter-turnout. But wasn't about to "stuff the ballot box" by contacting friends to vote, as that's unfair. Sad to say the prize idea for voting must be a powerful motivator.
Galleries here Upcoming Ranch/Horse Workshop
I agree that having POTY take a two-week challenge spot at the beginning of the year (unapposed by other challenges) sounds like a good idea. I also like the idea of categories and then an overall winner. Many people lamented the fact that we could choose only ONE picture, even in the early rounds. Having categories would at least allow you to choose more than one picture at the beginning. How do you compare a stunning landscape to a moving portrait?!
I entered a shot that I knew had no chance of winning, but it was MY best picture of the year, so I threw it in the ring because I was able and it was fun to see my shot on the same page as so many greats! The idea of allowing nominations as well as self submissions may help improve the number of pictures included at the beginning, which may boost voter turnout in the end, even if that means an extra round at first to distill the group down to the primo shots.
Elaine
Comments and constructive critique always welcome!
Elaine Heasley Photography
Dgrin FAQ | Me | Workshops
I also really like the idea of having separate polls for each of the main categories.
But one thing I'm not sure how to address is the idea of forgetting over time. There are likely lots of good pictures early in the year that dgrinners have liked that may have kind of been forgotten by the end of the year. So what if we had a POTM (for each category?) with the winners automatically entered in the POTY. Or if there was a sticky in each category titled "favorites" that could have photos added to over time... But also encourgage submission of other photos that are self-entered/nominated.
just my $0.02.
C.
***********************************
check out my (sports) pics: ColleenBonney.smugmug.com
*Thanks to Boolsacho for the avatar photo (from the dgrin portrait project)
So far, I think the strongest suggestion is to suspend the regular photo challenge at the end/beginning of the year and have an uber-challenge. I like it - as this is one of the few suggestions that gives the mods less to worry about at once! But that's not entirely selfish, it allows a better focus.
We've had some backroom discussions about more than one vote in the early rounds, and I think that will most certainly be the case next year. So let me ask a question on that:
What's better/easier for voters:
1) a polling thread for each "category", one vote in each thread
or
2) an all inclusive list (could be quite large) w/multiple votes???
moderator of: The Flea Market [ guidelines ]
However, can you imagine if we tried to keep track of all the good shots? Nevermind there would be hundreds, but if we "stuck" favorites somehow, who gets to decide? I think the current submission format (nevermind the technicality of email entry or whatever, for the moment) which is based on each user submitting the photo they think was their best, is the way to go.
The dgrin POY shouldn't be a contest you have to qualify for. I would like to see POY stay prize-free, but as with most other things on dgrin, be a challenge to your own photography.
I envision it as being advertised beter, more widely known, and having submissions start at least one month before, but I maintain that submissions should remain user-generated. From there, the selection is up for debate.
moderator of: The Flea Market [ guidelines ]
yeah, me too
I think with a polling thread for each, it would allow a person to enter a shot into each of the categories. If we throw them all into one huge thread, the lines may be blurred on what category a shot belongs in.
For instance, someone could enter a shot of a person walking down the street. Does it belong in the street category, or the people category? And if it wins, how many people will complain that it didn't belong or represent the theme of that category. You know this is going to happen. You've seen it in the past with the regular challenges.
If this changes into multiple categories, I think you need to run a vote for each one. Then maybe a runoff of the 5 or 6 winners to make up the King/Queen and their Court.
Basking in the shadows of yesterday's triumphs'.
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