Contest system

[tnblueswirl]

So, I was debating removing the pairing system all together (decided against it, but want to know what you think)

Without the pairing system, great poets who get paired against another great poet won't get bumped out of the contest too early on. You will be left with the entry that is truly the best.

But part of the excitement of the contests is just that, getting paired up against a great contender early on.

If you think about it, either way you end up with the best entry winning in the end.

What do you all think?
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[captainrad88]

I like it how it is, but you could revise it to make it "fairer", I suppose.

I just don't think I could handle Afro, Softserve and Vukcic winning every contest :p
Some of my favourite entries in a contest aren't necessarily the best critically, but they are the ones that speak to me personally - ones I connect with.


It's a toughie, I'd see what more people think.
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[Lucian Adonis]

I don't understand how we can go without the pairing system.

Like, define a different plan of action.
Preferably in a simple manner.
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Lunatus Cor Hodiernus

[tnblueswirl]

the current system is:
8 people enter.
they are paired up into 4 groups.
users can vote for one person in each group
the winner of each group moves on.


the possibly proposed new system is:
8 people enter.
users can vote for 4 poems each.
the top 4 entries move on.
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[Will]

Here's what I think of the old system



And here's why. Many, many people have come through here and signed up for an account. Many people have entered 'a' contest. Most do not enter a second contest. The reason? We're making them feel bad. They're told that they lose and that's it. Some don't get any feedback and it hurts peoples' egos.

Here's what I propose. New system. Ratings. Highest rated poem wins the contest. It's simple, everyone gets an ego boost, people get to rate poems, no losers.

[captainrad88]

Oh, I suppose I misunderstood.

When explained like that, then yes, the new system sounds like a go.
And with Will's suggestions about ratings, the possibilities for growth seem infinite Need to somehow make feedback compulsory, so it's less a selfish man's game. Rating stars would help, and maybe every vote must contain a brief comment or something.

I don't know, I'm not the idea's man but I like where this is headed.
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[tnblueswirl]

I could definitely switch it to a rating system. I'm a bit hesitant to force feedback, as it may either result in the user opting not to vote at all in order to avoid spending that much time, or to resort to posting useless feedback in order to get through it.

I'm generally against trying to force the users to do anything...
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[poetanonymous]

Agreed. No sense in forcing me to type out "I liked this poem" when that's really all I have to say. I just voted for it, so that should imply that "I liked this poem."
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[tnblueswirl]

This would also allow comments to apply to a specific poem, which would allow users to go back through and view all the comments specific to their poem through every contest, and allow comments to follow a poem through the contest.

I'm definitely feeling this one.


EDIT:

New question, should any entries be eliminated at any point, or should the contest just run for a month, getting ratings, and at the end of the month the highest rated entry wins?
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[Rowan]

I like the month one, because it takes forever to get a contest going, and then I happen to not sign on for a few days and then its all over!
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[tnblueswirl]

How would you guys feel about a prompt coming up for users who haven't voted in a current contest, suggesting that they do so?

If you haven't voted, when you log in you will be met by a little pop-up informing you that there is a contest running and that you should vote in it. once you close that pop-up, if you still fail to vote, that same message will be at the top of the page (mostly unobtrusive).

That way I'm not forcing a user to do anything, but strongly suggesting that they do so.
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[Will]

No reason we can't try it. If it doesn't work, you can always go back. It doesn't sound like too much programming time. Nothing wrong with experimenting. This is how we learn

[captainrad88]

I wholeheartedly endorse everything suggested since my last post. I'm really really liking this
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[Lucian Adonis]

Very good stuff here!
=D
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