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When someone enters a contest, stamping or otherwise, shouldn't they win based on merit, and not the number of votes they can get by repeatedly going on the internet and asking for folks to vote?
I don't have a problem if someone uses his or her OWN website to do anything, but more and more bulletin boards and forums contain pleas for votes -- for themselves, their kids, etc.
I'm posting this here because I see pleas for votes in papercraft contests.
Maybe I am too old fashioned??
__________________ Dear Paperlicious is my blog...with a series on how I'm learning to improve my cardmaking by studying others.
I agree Joan. Previously the moderators had been moving them all to Everyday Chit Chat to keep them from cluttering up the other forums. But we are now deleting such posts entirely because they actually are referrals which are not allowed by our TOS. They result only in personal gain to the poster and do not contribute to the community. You can report such posts by clicking on the asterisk at the bottom left of the post. Thanks!
I admit I had been voting for people who asked, but then when I started seeing different people request votes for the same contest I gave up. And now I find it annoying since it's occurring so often.
__________________ Heather Hawkins - Stampin' Up! Demo and new mom. I have the two best jobs ever! stampinheather.blogspot.com
Merit is best , followed by a name out of a hat...but calling every Tom, Dick and Harry to vote for you is just not right!
Michelle
Quote:
Originally Posted by craftdoc
I agree Joan. Previously the moderators had been moving them all to Everyday Chit Chat to keep them from cluttering up the other forums. But we are now deleting such posts entirely because they actually are referrals which are not allowed by our TOS. They result only in personal gain to the poster and do not contribute to the community. You can report such posts by clicking on the asterisk at the bottom left of the post. Thanks!
The reason you see so many of these around the internet is the contestants are asked to link company sites to forums in exchange for "points" toward whatever prize they are offering. Referral posts like these are not allowed here. So if you see one of these posts please report it to a Mod.
__________________ Jeanne S - Inky Paws SCS Moderator
I have clicked on the requested contests, but I don't always vote for the one beggin to be voted for. Actually, more often than not I vote for someone else.
Personally speaking I'm with Joan. I always ignore these, as I think competitions should be merit and not popularity. I know it's the real world, and there will always be a certain element of who knows whom, but I'm all for challenge entries where there are prizes and votes involved being anonymous .
Don't like them either, someone actually posted a request to vote into a challenge blog's comment section. No card was made for the challenge, just a request to vote. :mad:
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Thank-you for posting! Those threads always made me uncomfortable. First as you say the vote should be for merit and not for popularity. Second too much like free advertising for the site that they are asking you to visit.
Thanks to the mods for putting an end to this.
The few times I've clicked on those links on a whim because it sounded like an interesting contest to me, I've picked someone else to vote for because I thought their work was better than the original requestor. Most of those requests I just skip over because of time, or it's got nothing to do with arts and crafts, so why would I bother.
Ann
__________________ There are 10 kinds of people in the world, those who understand binary code and those who don't.
The few times I've clicked on those links on a whim because it sounded like an interesting contest to me, I've picked someone else to vote for because I thought their work was better than the original requestor. Most of those requests I just skip over because of time, or it's got nothing to do with arts and crafts, so why would I bother.
Ann
I was just about to type this same reply...regardless of how I get to the contest, I always vote for the one I like the most!
Nancy
__________________ Visit my GALLERY...you know you want to...or at least I WANT you to!
Glad to know that now the policy is to delete these sorts of threads -- they're obnoxious. Funny, I just saw one a few minutes before finding this discussion! :rolleyes:
__________________ Rachel Proud SU! demo and Sci-Fi Geek!
My Stampin' Up! blog "I'm a time traveler -- I point and laugh at archaeologists." 10th Doctor, "Silence in the Library"
When someone enters a contest, stamping or otherwise, shouldn't they win based on merit, and not the number of votes they can get by repeatedly going on the internet and asking for folks to vote [for themselves]?
I don't have a problem if someone uses his or her OWN website to do anything, but more and more bulletin boards and forums contain pleas for votes -- for themselves, their kids, etc.
I'm posting this here because I see pleas for votes in papercraft contests.
Maybe I am too old fashioned??
I personally abhor "competitive" art contests and don't vote for anyone in 'em, nor do I enter 'em. But, I do agree competitions should be won by merit, not popularity votes or internet pleas.
So, I guess you can count me among the old fashioned, as well. ;)
__________________ Julie Ebersole (JulieHRR once upon a time . . . )julieebersole.com"So shines a good deed in a weary world." -Willy Wonka
Joan,
I am on your side. I won't vote in these contests because someone is "begging" for votes. If I did, I would vote for someone other than the person asking just for the principle of it.
I kinda go both ways.
Bugs me that some are popularity contests, but I also understand that someone's art may merit a vote and they aren't getting it just because people don't frequent the site sponsoring it or maybe people just aren't aware that there was a contest. But I don't necessarily vote for the person asking for it either, I check out the entries then decide.
I agree they are annoying. Maybe once, just to mention that the individual is involved in a contest, but to post multiple times, and then to bump their posts all the time, irritates me to no end!
If I do happen to follow the link, more often then not I end up voting for someone else, anyway.
I always found these very distasteful....mind you I am not perfect either. I just skip over those threads and dont even read them. It seems pretty sad to beg for votes.
blessings.
Well, I guess I've been living in a hole, because I've never seen these requests online. But, I have to agree with Joan as well.
I think it's the whole American Idol philosophy of winning. (I don't watch that either.)
I recently got an email from a very old friend. We were roommates in another life. She never even replies to my emails any more, and doesn't send Christmas cards any more. (It's been at least 10 years since we've seen each other, 25 years since we were roommates.) Anyway, I got an email from her explaining that her son and his band were in some contest, and would I please go online and listen to them, and vote for them if I like them. What the heck? I sent her a short newsy email in reply, but did not hear back until there was another plea for votes. Sorry. I didn't cast even one vote.
But if everyone is asking for votes but you, you may not have any chance of winning whatever it is.
I'm sorry, I just can't help myself - as soon as I read your post I heard my Mom's voice in my head - "And if everyone else jumped off a cliff...."
I think that the main point here is that we all come to SCS for that sense of community - about what we all love to do. When we see requests like this, it really does feel like the person isn't here for the love of the craft or to offer something to the community as a whole, but just to get something for themselves instead.
You might point out that people do ask for favors and you would be absolutely correct. But if I read a post where someone is asking for a favor like "it would be wonderful if my 80 year old grandmother could get 80 cards for her birthday", I still get the joy of making and sharing a card. Helping someone win a neat toy for their own craftroom that I will never see or get to play with or... just doesn't have the same feel, KWIM?
Of course all of this is just my honest opinion. I still hear my Mom's voice though!:p
I have clicked on the requested contests, but I don't always vote for the one beggin to be voted for. Actually, more often than not I vote for someone else.
I feel vindicated! I posted a complaint in the suggestion forum not even a week ago; tired of all the personal requests.
Joan, thank you for bravely starting a thread about what a lot of us feel. I se the Mods have now eliminated the requests altogether and I feel much better! I hated spotting them, they literally were making me mad. Personal gain seeking riles me up.
Joan, I'm SO glad you brought this up! I HATE these pleas for votes! I usually ignore them, but I'm glad to hear I can "report" them and then the mods can delete them! Back when I first saw them, I'd sometimes go look at what was being voted for, and I'd vote for what I felt was the best. Interestingly enough, it was RARELY the person asking for the vote. So, in a way, the person asking for the vote LOST votes because of their posting! At least with me, because I refuse to vote for someone just because they asked!!
__________________ ~ Susan - Celebrating 19 years as an SU demo! Grammy to Anna 15, Elizabeth 14, Nora 12, Abigail 12, Kendall 10 , Isaac 10, Evan 7, and Hudson 3 with me in my avatar Proud to be SCS Fan Club Member since the beginning!
I find these super annoying and usually make it a point to vote for anyone else but the person asking. I saw one the other day before it was deleted...this person had basically never even been to this site before...now that's ballsy!
But if everyone is asking for votes but you, you may not have any chance of winning whatever it is.
Factually, you are correct.
I don't think these contests as worth winning if all you are really winning is the ability to gin up votes, as opposed to have your design judged/evaluated/appreciated on its merits.
But I understand your point.
__________________ Dear Paperlicious is my blog...with a series on how I'm learning to improve my cardmaking by studying others.
The one time I had been involved in a contest I called attention to the voting process, but I made sure to omit my contest username (which was different from my moniker on the board) and asked people to vote for their favorite. I think the larger the pool of voters the better, but I feel like soliciting votes for one's self is a little icky.
It does get old doesn't it. When I first started seeing these on different forums, I thought, wow isn't that person clever. They know how to tap into the power of the "*** or whoever, but like everything else that gets overplayed, it's now just plain annoying. I did one the other day and just voted for the one I liked best and it wasn't the person who asked,lol. I have found some fun sites this way and I'm sure this is the reason they do these contests, to draw attention to their site but just as soon as I leave the voting area, they are pretty much forgotten...
I've never notice it either but I don't like the idea of it. Personally, I wouldn't tell anyone I was in a contest or ask for votes because I'd never feel I truly deserved to "win." I think the winner should win on merit alone.
__________________ By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest. Confucius
In the rare cases that I've actually participated in a vote like this, I've always voted by merit and not necessarily for the person who has requested my vote.
The one time I had been involved in a contest I called attention to the voting process, but I made sure to omit my contest username (which was different from my moniker on the board) and asked people to vote for their favorite. I think the larger the pool of voters the better, but I feel like soliciting votes for one's self is a little icky.
I agree that contests should be judged on merit, however, art is a difficult thing to judge. Picking a winner is the easy part in any contest... letting everyone else know they didn't win is the hard part.
That being said, I think that contests can be fun and are a useful marketing tool for businesses, especially in this industry.
I think it is best to let the "public" decide who the winners are. Soliciting personal votes through online message boards doesn't really fit the spirit of the contest. However, I agree with CreativeCritter's comment... creating awareness for the contest in general is in my opinion an OK thing to do (as long as it doesn't violate the message boards TOS - which we've heard it does here at SCS). There are also ways for the contest to eliminate multiple votes from the same IP address, resulting in a competition that is more fair.
Do you think Shawn Johnson's mom voted for her in Dancing with the Stars?
I agree Joan. Previously the moderators had been moving them all to Everyday Chit Chat to keep them from cluttering up the other forums. But we are now deleting such posts entirely because they actually are referrals which are not allowed by our TOS. They result only in personal gain to the poster and do not contribute to the community. You can report such posts by clicking on the asterisk at the bottom left of the post. Thanks!
Kim has stated this beautifully!
Thanks for your understanding, everyone. We appreciate it!
I have voted for people when they have asked, however I would not feel right asking people to vote for me, OR knowing that I was in a contest where it was being "rigged"! Thanks for addressing this concern!
About Seeking Votes....
