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January 2010 theme challenge - 'Anything Goes' (1 Viewer)

IanF

IanF

Moderator
The theme for January 2010 is 'Anything Goes'. It proved to be quite popular last year.

A more general theme to start off the New Year and proving quite popular the last couple of years.

The 'anything' refers to any wild living bird, animal or insect or any combination.

Rules -

1. Entry to have been taken in the last twelve months.
2. Date taken to be included in the entry - must at least include month and year.
3. Entry to be uploaded between now and the 21st midnight (GMT).
4. Entries must contain a wild living creature.
5. Location taken to be included and must include county/state and country.
6. One entry per member.
7. Only minor image adjustment is permitted, such as cropping, sharpening, contrast, and levels. The photo must not be otherwise greatly manipulated ie. objects should not be added / removed in order to enhance the shot - no composite images.
8. Once uploaded a photo is classed as an entry and cannot be replaced by another shot. However you have until the closing date / time of this competition to ensure that your photo meets the criteria.
9. The entry must be your own work and not previously submitted in a competition on this site.
10. The subject's common name must be given - though please add the scientific too!
11. Entries to be uploaded directly by entrants to the Monthly Photo Competitions Gallery.

The rules must be adhered to in order to avoid disqualification. The Moderators decision is final.

A voting booth will be posted after the 21st.

Please note 30 entries will be selected for addition to the voting booth for members to vote upon.


Entries not selected for inclusion in the voting booth will be moved to their respective Geographical Gallery forum after the 21st.

Comments on entries are permitted.

Any queries about this months competition - please post below.
 
icassell said:
Is there a way for me to move a photo from my gallery to the competition gallery?
Click to expand...

Provided it's one that was uploaded since the competition start date - which I'd imagine it is ;)

If you let me know which one then I'll move it for you else you can upload another copy just for the competition.
 
I don't understand. I entered a photo "Fight or Flight" in January's Competition 'Anything Goes' and it was moved to Birds of Britain and Europe Section. I submitted the photo before the deadline and provided all the information required, but it was moved. I don't understand why. Can someone enlighten me please?
 
Dylan999 said:
I don't understand. I entered a photo "Fight or Flight" in January's Competition 'Anything Goes' and it was moved to Birds of Britain and Europe Section. I submitted the photo before the deadline and provided all the information required, but it was moved. I don't understand why. Can someone enlighten me please?
Click to expand...

As posted in the rules above from the entries submitted just 30 photos were to be selected for inclusion in the voting booth. The remainder to be moved to their appropriate gallery forum.

We had 70 qualifying entries this month so in the end 40 didn't make it to the voting booth and were moved to the appropriate gallery forum. Unfortunately yours included. Moving a photo creates and auto-generated notification to the member concerned as to where the photo has moved.

A good while back we used to include all entries for voting but apart from the time involved to present a high number of entries we found that there was seldom a clear winner. The winning entry may just attract 3-4 votes.
 
It also seems like a way of making sure the photgraph you want to win is shortlisted.

I'm not sure I like this technique. On what basis do you decide what pictures go through?

I have my own group on Yahoo and we have monthly competitions. We vote for two pictures. The first picture scoring 2 points and the second scoring 1 point. Very rarely do we have a tie for first place. You could lessen the chances even further by voting for 3 pictures.

Even though I am the founder of my group I very rarely win the competitions. I wouldn't have it any other way. I like my group to be beyond reproach.
 
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We used to have members voting on all entries but it was becoming a little pointless in the end. There were several issues such as most entries attracting a vote and the winners attracting just a few votes so ties were commonpalce. Plus the number of votes were dropping possibly because the time it took to view them all as there were so many entries to view.

It would be nice if each member could cast more than one vote but the software for the polling booth only allows a choice of either one vote or limitless votes. Using the voting booth means that voting is transparent.

Usually the voting booth is restricted to 30 entries but occasionally all entries are included if the total number isn't too high.

As regards selection for the voting booth I'd say that's pretty obvious. Those that are deemed to be the best entries are selected. Taking into account rules compliance, best representing the theme, technical quality and aesthetic appeal.

I agree the system isn't ideal but I think it's far better than the previous system.

We're always open to suggestions as to how the competitions could be improved as we'd like to attract more entries and more votes.
 
This is the Sister web site to my Yahoo Group. We keep both running, becuse it gives us more room. http://www.peterfinch.name/dpe/

If you click on Vote on the left hand side, you'll see that we can vote for more than one photo.

It can be changed if we want it to to record 3 votes, but because our numbers are so small (about 400 members) then 2 is sufficiant at the moment.

You will see how we display the entries as well. You can stop the display and forward it one picture at a time, just by clicking on a photo then clicking on the left or right arrow.

Peter Finch is my partner in the group. He's also very clever at web design.
That's not a plug, but he will help you if you want him to.

As for deciding which pictures go through. I still don't agree. I don't decide which pictures go through on my site because I leave it to the members to decide which one they like best. It's not up to me to decide. My tastes might be different to theirs.

Also they might have been saving that particular photo for just this occassion and by displaying it, before it was rejected, it might render that photo useless for further entries, because their secret picture has been revealed.

If you're going to limit it to 30 entries then no more images should be accepted or displayed once you reach that figure.
 
Dylan999 said:
If you're going to limit it to 30 entries then no more images should be accepted or displayed once you reach that figure.
Click to expand...


There is no way that could work as you could have 30 people upload photos in the first few days and then no one could enter after that. I think it is a perfectly fair way we have of doing the voting....as Ian says that if we have low numbers they can on most occasions all get through but when it becomes from 50 entries and above [we have even had about 120 entries in the past for some] I think all of us would get fed up with looking through all the entries and give up on them before halfway.

This competition should be taken in the way it is meant to be fun, no prizes and just a bit of kudos at the end of the month for coming either being selected or getting in the first 3.
 
Dylan999 said:
This is the Sister web site to my Yahoo Group. We keep both running, becuse it gives us more room. http://www.peterfinch.name/dpe/

If you click on Vote on the left hand side, you'll see that we can vote for more than one photo.

It can be changed if we want it to to record 3 votes, but because our numbers are so small (about 400 members) then 2 is sufficiant at the moment.

You will see how we display the entries as well. You can stop the display and forward it one picture at a time, just by clicking on a photo then clicking on the left or right arrow.

Peter Finch is my partner in the group. He's also very clever at web design.
That's not a plug, but he will help you if you want him to.

As for deciding which pictures go through. I still don't agree. I don't decide which pictures go through on my site because I leave it to the members to decide which one they like best. It's not up to me to decide. My tastes might be different to theirs.

Also they might have been saving that particular photo for just this occassion and by displaying it, before it was rejected, it might render that photo useless for further entries, because their secret picture has been revealed.

If you're going to limit it to 30 entries then no more images should be accepted or displayed once you reach that figure.
Click to expand...

You're certanily free to do whatever you want on your own site which obviously runs on different software.

The rules are clearly posted in our competitions in advance entering so if members don't like them then clearly they don't have to enter.
 
By doing that though, you make yourself Judge, Juror and Executioner...so to speak. I get a bigger thrill by knowing my photo was voted most favourite by the members, not by the administrators even though I am an administrator on DPE. That's probably why I never win. How can it be a fair competition though if you discard the ones you don't like before anyone else has had a chance to vote on them? Sometimes it's not the winning but the taking part that matters. It puts people off entering the competitions if you keep discarding their entries.

Anyway I won't say anymore. I can see it's falling on deaf ears.

Marmot said:
There is no way that could work as you could have 30 people upload photos in the first few days and then no one could enter after that. I think it is a perfectly fair way we have of doing the voting....as Ian says that if we have low numbers they can on most occasions all get through but when it becomes from 50 entries and above [we have even had about 120 entries in the past for some] I think all of us would get fed up with looking through all the entries and give up on them before halfway.

This competition should be taken in the way it is meant to be fun, no prizes and just a bit of kudos at the end of the month for coming either being selected or getting in the first 3.
Click to expand...
 
Dylan999 said:
By doing that though, you make yourself Judge, Juror and Executioner...so to speak. I get a bigger thrill by knowing my photo was voted most favourite by the members, not by the administrators even though I am an administrator on DPE. That's probably why I never win. How can it be a fair competition though if you discard the ones you don't like before anyone else has had a chance to vote on them? Sometimes it's not the winning but the taking part that matters. It puts people off entering the competitions if you keep discarding their entries.

Anyway I won't say anymore. I can see it's falling on deaf ears.
Click to expand...

Hi Dylan

Whilst your idea has merit, and no doubt works well on your own website, I think you are forgetting that birdforum has well over 80,000 members so its operation needs to be somewhat different to that for a membership of 400.
 
MSA said:
Hi Dylan

Whilst your idea has merit, and no doubt works well on your own website, I think you are forgetting that birdforum has well over 80,000 members so its operation needs to be somewhat different to that for a membership of 400.
Click to expand...

I would agree with you Mark if all 80,000 members enterd but as Marmot said they got as many as 120 one month. Common... 120 photos is not that many. I certainly wouldn't get bored looking at 120 photos and voting on my favourites. There's more pictures in a Tabloid paper but we still read them. "Bored" indeed.
Our numbers on DPE might be small but we've had as many entries as that before. Not very often I do admit, it depends on the subject for that month, but we still don't limit the entries.
If the magic figure of 30 is reached on Bird Forum then I think the members should be informed, so that they can decide if they want to upload their picture or not. They might want to save it for another competition. Plus if looking at more than 30 pictures is "boring" then by doing that it will make life easier for you.
I don't weed out the pictures I don't like and just keep the ones I do. If I did my members would soon clear off.
I'm just one opinion. Whose to say my opinion of a picture is more important than any other members. It's what your peers think of your picture that matters the most. Not what the moderators think of it. How can it be "just for fun" if it's not a totally fair process?
Anyway I said I wouldn't say anymore and you've got me going again LOL.

Suffice to say I won't be entering any more competitions.
 
dylan the rules are there for everyone to see, its up to the individual if they enter you know the rules so takes your chance, as ian says there no prizes only abit of fun.
ian spends alot of his precious time on this so does not need hassle from people like you making it harder for him. i know everbody has differant views about photos but this is a free site so you have to keep within the software that this site has.
so as to say i will not be entering anymore competitions it seems is very childish, if it was me and my photo was rejected(which it has often) you just have to get off your backside and take a better shot for next time!!!!!
 
dave123 said:
dylan the rules are there for everyone to see, its up to the individual if they enter you know the rules so takes your chance, as ian says there no prizes only abit of fun.
ian spends alot of his precious time on this so does not need hassle from people like you making it harder for him. i know everbody has differant views about photos but this is a free site so you have to keep within the software that this site has.
so as to say i will not be entering anymore competitions it seems is very childish, if it was me and my photo was rejected(which it has often) you just have to get off your backside and take a better shot for next time!!!!!
Click to expand...

I'm not looking for prizes Dave. That wasn't my point. I don't have prizes on my site either so I know all about having a bit of fun. Talking of which I can feel a Brandy and Coke coming on.B :)
 
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