Competitions Discussion Thread Part 6

VelvetGlove

kateab wrote: »

At the risk of going over old ground, can someone tell me *why* it is a problem that if the comps ending list is posted a few hours early? I have looked through this thread and found discussion about the lists but nothing specific about it but katec has just got a slating for doing so. It leaves me feeling a bit

I'm sure by now you have read the links to the absolute confusion & disharmony earlier in the year - it was dreadful.

A slating? I've just popped into the Comp ending thread, which I don't normally bother with, & I hardly call what princess moneysaver said a slating! That is quite unfair & dramatised IMO:

princessmoneysaver wrote: »

Yes sadly they do like they are going to be pulled, the 'rules' of the comp ending threads were that it would be posted NO EARLIER than 8pm but preferably either later or the following morning.

I know newbies (meant in the nicest way before anyone says anything!) might not have known about the hassles we had before with having these on at all & now people have replied I don't think you can delete it.

I don't think the OP katec would see it as that either. Nowhere in her post does pms 'have a go' or 'rip apart' the OP. She just sounds sad that people are blatantly ignoring the rules which she said she posted on previous Comps ending threads.

kateab wrote: »

Also, I came back on yesterday and there were a load of 5/8, 6/8 and 7/8 comps still on the board, some of them marked as game over. Should we be reporting these to get them moved or will the bgs pick them up eventually?
kateab

The Competitions Time forum has 4 volunteer Board Guides. 2 of which are on holiday, the other 2 also have other forums to look after as well as sort out problems, post comps & maybe, just maybe if they are lucky, have a bit of spare time to enable them to enter some comps themselves, that's without real life, work families etc

They do a damn fine job & usually we have a nice clean comps time forum, they are down to half the usual amount of BGs to keep this forum under control Considering we are down to half 'staff' (& I think kips was going on holiday for a week? Leaving just poor heather until dalkirst is back with us again on Sunday), my advice would be to leave them there & they'll be mopped up as soon as they have a moment to call their own.


{Edit: I see kipper can type quicker than me & already replied }

gingerchick

Just to add my two penneth.

I do use the comps ending lists at the moment, but that's only because we are due to move soon and I don't want to enter too many comps that end ages off in advance.
I don't want all my prizes to go to the wrong house.:D

Anyway, bce (before comps ending:rotfl:) I used to just go through the forum page by page and actually didn't mind doing it.
IMO, using the comps ending list is an easy and lazy way of comping, and it does mean that non-members can find an easy way to enter all the comps for the day.
I know they can do that anyway by just going through the forum, but having them sitting there at the top of the page in a lovely long list is kind of handing it to people on a plate.
And out of pure jealousy now, I don't seem to have been winning as many comps now as I did before.;)

I wouldn't mind if they went, as others have said, we do seem to have lost some of the 'community spirit' that was around.
But I suppose we are a victim of our own success.

Waffle over now.
Oh, just to add, I want to thank all involved in the lists, those who compile them, (I know how stressful they are, have done a couple myself) and those who sort out whose doing what each day.
From the hassle this has obviously brought on people, I think it probably is better if they do go.

Right, definately finished now.

isitenough

LOL! You kinda put it better than me gingerchick and yes it is pure jealousy as my July taking was naked (of wins you understand!) compared to the previous months!
I do agree it can be a way of doing comps without the work of looking around the board for them and I hadn't thought of non-MSE'er's entering very easily but yes, that's true. I love it when I see new names who have joined, but that's the word, 'joined'. It's a community and our part of the site forum is way friendlier than some others I could mention and I'd like to keep it that way. We all want one thing - to enter and win comps (or is that 2 things?!). I do want a friendly environment to do it in though.
Nuff said from me.
Night all!

rosegarden

isitenough wrote: »

I've been keeping track of all the comments both here and in the various threads and although I do use the ending lists I don't rely on them. They're a 'checking' system but I wouldn't have a problem if they went, I've found I only miss one or two from my normal comping time. When I went on holiday in May I missed quite a lot that finished, but that was fine, if I didn't enter it wasn't the end of the world. I missed a comp last week I would have loved to win, only because I didn't come back on after 9pm and check to see if any were a 'one day' comp and I missed it! Ce la vie!

I do remember the lists caused a lot of problems when they started and lately I've read comments on the list threads that I haven't liked about some missing etc... and giving the OP a hard time.
I think comping should be a 'hobby' not a 'job'. The threads, IMHO, aren't in the spirit of comping. Just my opinion though and I understand a lot of people like them. Some probably even rely on them - and IMO again - that's wrong.
The OP's compile the lists out of the goodness of their hearts and that's wonderful but they do get a lot of hassle for doing things wrong sometimes and that's rude.
I went through the board myself, last page to front, and checked every comp I was interested in to see if I'd entered, that was enough for me to do and didn't actually take that long. If I can do it then others can. An hour in the evening would be enough and it was something I had to do when I joined if I didn't want to miss any. It meant, due to the time I had, that I entered ones I really wanted not just for the sake of it because they were handed to me on a plate in the form of a list.
Apoligies for my comments but that's my feeling.
Bygones.

I agree 100% . If you look at the number of views for each of the comps ending threads, then the number of thanks that have been given, there's such a big difference ie. a couple of hundred thanks compared to 3000+ views.

Kipper - Have a great holiday and thanks for all your hard work, it really is appreciated xxxx

kateab

kipper wrote: »

Terribly sorry for being the only board guide on at the moment, I can't do everything and make the board nice and shiney 24hrs a day, I have had a tough enough job as it is this week with merging, posting and keeping up with discussions


All game overs are done now up until today, sorry for not coming up to standards.



Just to remind you that I am away for a week from tomorrow, so I will not be doing merge requests, they need to go to Heather or Dalkirst as divadee is away still next week.



kips

I was NOT having a go, I was just asking because they were so noticeable as there are rarely threads that go missing. To me, it doesn't make any difference whether they are around or not but I know it's a big issue with some.

Please don't think I would ever have a go at a board guide, I realise it is a voluntary job and that you take a whole load of sh!te. As VG knows, I have been a host/head host on another discussion board for about 4 years, so I know how tough it can be. Some of our best hosts have occasionally been hounded out of the job and even from posting, something I find abhorrent and would never do to anyone else. I asked the questions as a relative newbie. I'm not going to apologise because I asked a genuine question so I'm disappointed that it was taken in the wrong spirit.

VG, I used the word "slating" cos I couldn't think of any other word for it (and I was about to shoot out to Asda!) . OK, if you want, pulled up for doing it. I just think it's disappointing that someone who is clearly trying to help gets any negative sort of response from anyone.

OK, so something obviously happened earlier in the year that I'm not privy to but everyone seems to have a disproportionate reaction to this, at least from where I'm typing. Obviously, you had to be there to understand it. Hence why I asked.

As for views being much higher than numbers of thanks, remember that if you have problems with your browser, you may have to close it and start again and the software may register this as a separate view. At work, my laptop freezes on this board regularly so my only choice is to close ALL my browser windows and start again, which if I'm working through the comps ending, then I could view it 10 or even 20 times but only issue one thanks. Also, you may accidentally close the window, plus they may be viewing second or subsequent pages and this too is registered as a view. I accept that not everyone will thank the OP, some people may forget (I have done on occasion on threads on the main board) or again, your dodgy browser doesn't register the thanks even tho the button has been pressed. 2000 views on a thread doesn't necessarily mean that 2000 different users have viewed the thread.

kateab

hopeful17_2

i read with interest re the comp ending discussion and i have read the links and FAQS (which doesnt mention post deadlines etc or at least i couldnt find it).
if one person is allocated to that day alone then what difference does it make what time it is posted (we all have lives away from here but people give up precious time to do this and loads of us appreciate it even if we forget to hit thanks every time) .
i could understand if it were a free for all but as i understand it people are put down for certain days and no one else touches it.so it is only one comp ending post which the BG would look for surely???
this is my opinion only before anyone wishes to shoot me down for posting(finding this more often as well unfortuntely not in the spirit of MSE)

VelvetGlove

kateab wrote: »

As VG knows, I have been a host/head host on another discussion board for about 4 years, so I know how tough it can be.

Er I know you? Wouldn't change my response to you but I'm sorry if I've forgotten something? Do I know you?

*wanders away to a comp thinking she may be suffering early onset Alzheimers or something*

VelvetGlove

hopeful17 wrote: »

i read with interest re the comp ending discussion and i have read the links and FAQS (which doesnt mention post deadlines etc or at least i couldnt find it).

I think you missed some....

Try taking a look at post 1533 in this thread & then my post under it 1534 where I've quote diva's rules post which defines the 'rules' which the comp ending threads were allowed to continue

The Comping Guide doesn't mention the Comps Ending threads rules - my fault as it isn't something I even think about until they are discussed as I don't use them. If the threads are to continue then I'll liaise with diva & the other BGs as to what they need in there.

rosegarden

kateab wrote: »

As for views being much higher than numbers of thanks, remember that if you have problems with your browser, you may have to close it and start again and the software may register this as a separate view. At work, my laptop freezes on this board regularly so my only choice is to close ALL my browser windows and start again, which if I'm working through the comps ending, then I could view it 10 or even 20 times but only issue one thanks. Also, you may accidentally close the window, plus they may be viewing second or subsequent pages and this too is registered as a view. I accept that not everyone will thank the OP, some people may forget (I have done on occasion on threads on the main board) or again, your dodgy browser doesn't register the thanks even tho the button has been pressed. 2000 views on a thread doesn't necessarily mean that 2000 different users have viewed the thread.

kateab

I appreciate what you are saying, apart from some of the big daily comps ie Lucozade or Glamour Giveaways where people are viewing daily but only need to thank the op once, the difference between the amount of thanks and views is generally a lot smaller than comps ending.

hopeful17_2

yes thank you i did read this thread before i posted my response but i couldnt find them anywhere else in the rules part of the comps or FAQS (which is where new people would look) . it seems people dont want to help new people . ie "dont worry katec but have a look at the comps rules here so you know next time" would have probably been a nicer response and again in the spirit of MSE?? after all she did give up her time to do it and had other plans outside MSE .. again IMO only