Free Members competition

[Tinopener]

Well done to Loke for winning the December competition a nice shot of a mushroom . But I must admit I felt very disappointed not for getting a single vote but for the turn out three people entered and only eight people voted ... Eight how many people use this forum never mind I'll be thinking twice about entering again .. Once again congratulations to Loke you seem like a fun guy (fungi) Christmas cracker joke .... Anyway I wish every one a Happy new year ......... Gary

 

[spudhead]

Well done to Loke for winning the December competition a nice shot of a mushroom . But I must admit I felt very disappointed not for getting a single vote but for the turn out three people entered and only eight people voted ... Eight how many people use this forum never mind I'll be thinking twice about entering again .. Once again congratulations to Loke you seem like a fun guy (fungi) Christmas cracker joke .... Anyway I wish every one a Happy new year ......... Gary

Sorry Gary about that but we have issues with the Competitions on this site, Tim mayo is looking into this at the moment , the votes or lack of should not stop you entering Gary, the only way this site moves forward is by people getting involved. I have not looked at the pro Competition results but for sure the out come for me will be pretty much the same mate, we have people enter the pro competition that do not visit the site at any other time, or add to the site in any way during the month. We have had people enter and win that have only ever posted on the site a handful times during years of membership, and even won with pictures without metadata included, the rules were changed a couple of times during this year to help with confirming shots were from Sony cameras and from this year only, although some of that Tim may change going forward. Gary please stay here and keep posting mate , in fact thanks to all the loyal Sony Alpha Members for this Years content and efforts

 

[Clix Pix]

I think that having a specific theme each time could bring out more participants, as then viewers are able to compare images against one another on a more level playing ground. With the current no-theme scenario, viewers are looking at a variety of images and subjects, and although outstanding images still quickly become apparent, it's rather like comparing oranges to pickles..... No definitive point from which to measure and compare.

As for getting votes, that is always problematic; people often look quickly at an image and choose immediately whether or not to vote. before moving on to the next image. Different people have different criteria which they consciously or unconsciously keep in mind when viewing others' images, such as choice of subject matter, composition, effective use of light, contrast, color or B&W, use of good overall photographic and editing techniques, etc. etc. An interesting and unique subject or a common everyday subject presented in an uncommon, compelling way will frequently capture viewers' attention. Some people tend to seek an instinctive emotional or other response to an image, feeling drawn to the photo, sometimes for reasons they can't really define or explain. Some people tend to prefer images presented in the same genre they themselves tend to shoot in. There are all kinds of reasons people view images in these competitions and then either vote or don't vote for the entries....

 

[Unframed Dave]

Where to begin?

All fora are similar, I'm a moderator on a shooting forum (something I would never volunteer to do again). We had at one time, tens of thousands of members but only a couple of hundred regularly participate. It's even fewer now as more and more have migrated to more user friendly formats.

The competition is disappointingly supported, but one of It's limiting factors from this viewpoint is that the number of eligible entrants reduces each month, ie when I won last month I was immediately excluded from entering. Inevitably, it will continue in this way until it withers.

The number of voters is also disappointing and, I apologise if I didn't vote, I haven't in the past as I've been an entrant, so it would have felt wrong. Anyway, is a good point and I will ensure I vote next time, provided Tim is good enough to have another go.

Regarding your number of votes, try again. I look at this forum as a tool to help me improve my photography. At the end of the day, when you take a photograph for your own reasons it may well resonate with you, but perhaps ask yourself if it will resonate with others when entering a competition. I attach a picture of one of my dogs which gained a fair amount of attention when I posted it on here previously. I cannot tell you how many thousands of pictures of my dogs I have taken over the last twenty years, but this I consider my best.

Sometimes, everything just slips into place.

Keep trying.

 

[Deleted Member 5003]

I do not know of many such sites which have internal member competitions wherein landscape, wildlife, cityscapes and other such genres are compared against each other....with no declared theme.

A declared theme at least goes some way toward conditioning members submissions bound at least, by a common theme but not necessarily the same genre.

 

[Tinopener]

Sorry Gary about that but we have issues with the Competitions on this site, Tim mayo is looking into this at the moment , the votes or lack of should not stop you entering Gary, the only way this site moves forward is by people getting involved. I have not looked at the pro Competition results but for sure the out come for me will be pretty much the same mate, we have people enter the pro competition that do not visit the site at any other time, or add to the site in any way during the month. We have had people enter and win that have only ever posted on the site a handful times during years of membership, and even won with pictures without metadata included, the rules were changed a couple of times during this year to help with confirming shots were from Sony cameras and from this year only, although some of that Tim may change going forward. Gary please stay here and keep posting mate , in fact thanks to all the loyal Sony Alpha Members for this Years content and efforts

No I wasn't going to leave the forum I think its great and for a novice like me its full of great advice … Was hoping my little penny worth might push people into entering or voting .. PS waiting for the January competition to start …..

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

Many reasons come into play here. It is what it is mate. Looking forward to see what you present next. ️

 

[Loke]

Well done to Loke for winning the December competition a nice shot of a mushroom . But I must admit I felt very disappointed not for getting a single vote but for the turn out three people entered and only eight people voted ... Eight how many people use this forum never mind I'll be thinking twice about entering again .. Once again congratulations to Loke you seem like a fun guy (fungi) Christmas cracker joke .... Anyway I wish every one a Happy new year ......... Gary

I feel kinda bad now. If its any comfort, i've posted many pictures in the competition Tinopener, and this is the first time i've gotten votes aswell. Hoping too see you post more! But i agree with you, that both entries and votes could be higher!

 

[spudhead]

Just to let you know I have been talking to Tim on this issue for sometime now for both competitions, and it can only be helpful if you all have a say here maybe Gary can re -title the thread site monthly competitions and we might get more feedback for Tim M to consider

 

[Landshark99]

I agree that a themed competition would be the better way to go, even it is always the same for a particular month, like street shots for March, BIF for April. Comparing like subject matter just seems like the best way. As to what people base their votes on, i do not have a clue, some months it is an obvious choice and others we all see different things.

 

[Tim Mayo]

I belong to several forums that host competitions. The rules vary somewhat, but are generally similar. The set below is one of my favorites. It's easy and it takes the load off of @Timothy Mayo for managing it. No need to set up voting, etc. We would need a one more emoticon for voting but we need that anyway!

In this setup, the winner from the previous month hosts the competition and is responsible to track the winner. In the event the winner can't do it or disappears, the runner-up handles it:

The subject for the month of XXXXXX is XXXXX!

THE RULES

1. The image must be taken within the contest month; the date the photo was taken must be stated in the post.
2. The image must resemble the theme, although a liberal and creative interpretation is encouraged.
3. A maximum of two (2) entries per participant, in separate posts

Rules for Participants:

• Please read and follow the rules below to make it easier for everyone.
• The contest period is the current month. Entries can be made until approximately midnight on the last day of the month local time (for the purpose of this contest GMT will be used). You can Vote for any picture or multiple pictures you like during the month and voting will extend until the third day of the following month. The winner will then be announced and be responsible for posting the new contest. If the new contest is not announced by the 7th of the month, responsibility for posting falls to the second place finisher. Keep it simple and post/vote early so we don't have to obsess over deadlines and time zones.
• Post a maximum of two entries, each in a separate post. (The host may also enter.)
• As the purpose of this contest is to get people out and shooting, photos must be taken in the contest period.
• PLEASE NOTE THE DATE THE PHOTO WAS TAKEN IN YOUR POST!
• Metadata must be included with the photo.
• Photos receive one point for each "like" (thumbs up), "funny" (happy face), "appreciate" (heart icon), or "agree" (green check mark) and two points for each "winner" (trophy) or "Wow" (surprised face) clicked on the post. The photo with the most points wins the contest. A tie is resolved by the post with the larger number of "winner" and "wow" votes. Submitting a photo to the contest is not required to be able to vote.

Procedures for Winners/Contest Hosts:

• As a contest winner, you are responsible for posting/hosting the contest for the next month. This is easy and just requires several steps as outlined below.
• Select the theme for the next month. The theme should be accessible and relevant for everyone. Obscure and difficult themes limit participation and are thus discouraged. Avoid themes related to specific holidays, seasons, geography, etc. Suggested themes include: B&W, Portrait, OOC jpeg, Close Up, Self Portrait, Transportation, Minimalist, Architecture, Long Exposure, Art Filter, Motion, Specific Focal Length, Shutter Speed, Liquid, Reflections, Color, Calm, After Dark, Windows. Pick one of these or you may pick a theme of your own choosing. Themes may be used multiple times.
• After you select a theme, post a new thread in "Contests and Challenges" section of the forum. Copy and paste these rules and post. Also please add the contest theme that you just won to the list. You should include a sample photo or two to demonstrate the theme, which will not count as an entry.
• On the last day of the month, post that entries are closed, and voting will continue and be accepted until the 3rd.
• At the conclusion of voting on the 3rd or shortly after, tally the points.
• Photos receive one point for each "like" (thumbs up), "funny" (happy face), "appreciate" (heart icon), or "agree" (green check mark) and two points for each "winner" (medal) or "Wow" (surprised face) clicked on the post. The photo with the most points wins the contest. A tie is resolved by the post with the larger number of "winner" and "wow" vote
• announce the winner and runner-up, being sure to tag them in the post by using an @ in front of their name
• also send a PM to the winner.
• Most important thing is HAVE FUN!

I'm sure there will be people who wonder about this or that, or aren't sure about some of the rules, but trust me when I tell you this works and has been functioning in much the same manner on a forum for well over a decade.

I did do something similar in the past here where the winner selected the theme for the next months competition. The problem we had with the themed competitions is that so few people entered, I think some months not even 5! Which is why I went back to not having a theme and the entries increased again. I don't think we have the numbers here to run a different themed competition each month unfortunately. Also relying on someone else to manage the competition actually creates more work for me as if it takes a few days to get a reply from someone then I have to reach out to the next runner-up, plus I need to contact the winner to send the voucher anyway. Clearly the competitions here don't get a lot of engagement and something needs to change or I just bin them altogether. The voting works better than likes because it's possible to sort posts by the number of votes where this is not possible with likes, it's not a big deal with the number of entries that we have now but if these increase it becomes more tedious. I can also enable the voting when entries are closed which makes it fairer. I'll set a theme for this months Site Supporters competition that I'll get going later and see how it goes, but from past experience I'm not too optimistic. I'll also try limiting entries to shots taken in the previous and current month, that will hopefully make it a little easier for those with less time on their hands to shoot.

 

[Tim Mayo]

Well done to Loke for winning the December competition a nice shot of a mushroom . But I must admit I felt very disappointed not for getting a single vote but for the turn out three people entered and only eight people voted ... Eight how many people use this forum never mind I'll be thinking twice about entering again .. Once again congratulations to Loke you seem like a fun guy (fungi) Christmas cracker joke .... Anyway I wish every one a Happy new year ......... Gary

The entries into the free members competition last month were extremely poor. I will be trying a few tricks this month to bump this up but if it doesn't come to anything then I might ditch the free members competition and go back to running only the site supporters comp. Bailey definitely deserved some votes and a tasty bone!

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

December is an outlier, since the voting only opens up a few days before Christmas, casual visitors to the site might have missed it. @Tinopener don't give up on the competition if you have a worthy shot up your proverbial sleeve. We need more people to participate in the forum, and these comps were intended to drive more traffic but not to drive them away. Cheers.

 

[Deleted Member 5003]

Hi Tim M,
Don't disagree with the general principles in your todays launch of the modified supporter competition rules, despite the limited consultation after recent US proposals, but do think the submitted images should have 3 months prior validity to provide for member/guest portfolio convenience and avoiding a limiting 2 months during seasonal and/or national holiday trends etc which may limit member/guest shoot opportunity.

On the matter of the theme, I feel the first declared theme is already likely to limit engagement, landscape is very specific to geography and from the last reading there is a very high number of wildlife shooters as well as other specific groups (guests/supporters) in the forum member/visitor engagement who may be resistant to expanding their genre reach....nor everyone aspires to be a general photographer.

The themes already suggested from the USA such as B&W, Portrait, OOC jpeg, Close Up, Self Portrait, Transportation, Minimalist, Architecture, Long Exposure, Art Filter, Motion, Specific Focal Length, Shutter Speed, Liquid, Reflections, Color, Calm, After Dark, Windows are appropriate as well as other more general themes calling for interpretation of expressions, emotions and/or attitudes, work processes and or other such broad requirements.

The theme should, in my view, be more broad allowing for interpretation through a range of shooting genres and leaving voting open to consider both theme interpretation as well submitted image quality.....this will encourage image quality improvement as well as creative interpretation and composition. Voting as you indicate, and I agree, is well covered by the same single or multiple vote process already in place for the current competitions....if only for administrator convenience.

I also do not think leaving member/guests to provide direct management engagement/follow up, other than through image submission and/or voting, to make the process a success, will provide for a smooth competition roll over month after month and hence see limited value in modifying the current level of administrator management .

 

[spudhead]

And no one want my opinion, so I keep to myself sure will not be making an effort to waste my time on deaf ears anymore

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

I've given up bothering with the competition. It's become a farce with the random occasional posters winning and only coming on to post a photo for it, because they might win a voucher. The themed thing is fine though, if not always achievable.
I will also say that, for whatever reason, the regular posters, the ones that basically keep this place alive, don't get votes, it's blatently obvious, and for no reason that I can fathom.

 

[spudhead]

Ok so I have messaged @Timothy Mayo on this over the last few months and hence some of the changers that were made last year. metadata, files from that year. We had last month the biggest entry to site supporters competition I think for a good while, and still he is not happy! We have as Kev has stated the members who drop in once in a blue moon for the competition and add nothing to the site day to day or for that matter week to week, and members who enter and do not get votes because they post all the time here and maybe rock the boat when things are not right. For me it not about the voucher I still have one unused from 2022! but it just seems from what @Timothy Mayo says above it is just too much effort! and themed is ok but JEEZ landscape just won last month some thought would help. May be the winner each month should be asked to set the theme and not enter to allow someone else a chance to win. I think last years site supporters competition had some 2-3 time winners but that is just from memory. Ok could go on but Rant done

 

[Deleted Member 5003]

The reason may be any or all of the following :-

1. The competition rightily reflects clear equal opportubity for all, irrespective of member grade, tenure or level of forum
contributory activty.

2. Submission subject/interest level and/or compositional/photographic quaity.

3. Local individual/group politics

in my opinion all are highly valid competative traits that are present to varying degrees in most , if not all other similar competitions.

You have to be in the game to win.........irrespective of the rules.

Ok so I have messaged @Timothy Mayo on this over the last few months and hence some of the changers that were made last year. metadata, files from that year. We had last month the biggest entry to site supporters competition I think for a good while, and still he is not happy! We have as Kev has stated the members who drop in once in a blue moon for the competition and add nothing to the site day to day or for that matter week to week, and members who enter and do not get votes because they post all the time here and maybe rock the boat when things are not right. For me it not about the voucher I still have one unused from 2022! but it just seems from what @Timothy Mayo says above it is just too much effort! and themed is ok but JEEZ landscape just won last month some thought would help. May be the winner each month should be asked to set the theme and not enter to allow someone else a chance to win. I think last years site supporters competition had some 2-3 time winners but that is just from memory. Ok could go on but Rant done

Agree that not only did a landscape win last month, in my mind landscapes is a genre and not theme in the context of what the competition are trying to achieve.......

 

[Tim Mayo]

I suggest that the supporting/non supporting member competitions be combined to increase participation. Not sure how to address the prize issue but I'm sure something could be employed that would accommodate both.

I'll have a think about combining the competitions for next month. Running just a single competition would be easier and hopefully help to drive more entries.

 

[Tim Mayo]

The answer is quite simple: 1-year membership extension or new membership for the winner, regardless of contributor status, and a six-month for the runner up. By my math that's less money total ($45) than you're spending now for the one contest ($50).

And I really do believe everyone would be better served by letting the winner choose the theme. It takes the weight off you and makes the contest far more diverse month to month. A theme doesn't have to be 'landscape', or 'bird'. It can be something like Nostalgia, B&W, Rule of Thirds, Side Light, disposable, etc.

Vouchers are easier to manage than membership extensions because most Site Supporters go with the 12 month recurring payment. That would mean cancelling the recurring payments which then just gets messy. I could just split the $50 into $30 for the winner and $20 for the runner-up, similar to what I was doing before. This is probably a little fairer as well.

I did mention about possibly allowing the winner to choose the theme again in the site supporters comp post for this month. It makes sense to give this a go again and it would be nice to see some more variety in the entries each month even if this means less people enter, but hopefully by combining both competitions this would help to compensate.

 

[Tim Mayo]

Agree that not only did a landscape win last month, in my mind landscapes is a genre and not theme in the context of what the competition are trying to achieve.......

I don't think it's going to kill anyone having a more general landscape theme or genre (whatever you want to call it) for this month. People are free to enter or not. Next month we will try letting this months winner choose the theme from a list decided by the community as in the past but I'm sure that still won't please everyone.

 

[Deleted Member 5003]

I don't think it's going to kill anyone having a more general landscape theme or genre (whatever you want to call it) for this month. People are free to enter or not. Next month we will try letting this months winner choose the theme from a list decided by the community as in the past but I'm sure that still won't please everyone.

It won't kill anyone but it might kill the submission response numbers....as per my original point.

In general you receive what you plan for in this world.....

 

[spudhead]

Its not just number of entries it also number of people bothering to vote, not sure but I think members can vote for as many entries as they like?

 

[iamdlewis]

Its not just number of entries it also number of people bothering to vote, not sure but I think members can vote for as many entries as they like?

You can vote on as many entries as you like except for your own.

 

[spudhead]

You can vote on as many entries as you like except for your own.

Which just shows how few votes are cast overall

 

[iamdlewis]

I try to make an effort to vote every month for both. I think that really the issue is lack of visibility. The forum category is about a 1/3rd of a way down the page and you still need multiple clicks to get to the active competition. The competitions don't appear in the "What's New" first page unless someone has posted to the current thread recently (or is one of the last 10 with activity since your last visit). I think if the active competitions were pinned to the top of the Forums page (above Latest Images) and the "What's New" page it would help drive traffic to them.

Lack of participation is due to:
1. Not knowing about them (posting and voting)
2. Forgetting about them (posting and voting)
3. Not having faith in your work (posting)
4. Not caring (posting and voting)
Pinning the active competitions can help with the first two.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

I try to make an effort to vote every month for both. I think that really the issue is lack of visibility. The forum category is about a 1/3rd of a way down the page and you still need multiple clicks to get to the active competition. The competitions don't appear in the "What's New" first page unless someone has posted to the current thread recently (or is one of the last 10 with activity since your last visit). I think if the active competitions were pinned to the top of the Forums page (above Latest Images) and the "What's New" page it would help drive traffic to them.

Lack of participation is due to:
1. Not knowing about them (posting and voting)
2. Forgetting about them (posting and voting)
3. Not having faith in your work (posting)
4. Not caring (posting and voting)
Pinning the active competitions can help with the first two.

#3 is the reason I don't enter more. I think I've only entered 2 or three times. I try to vote on both comps though.

 

[spudhead]

#3 is the reason I don't enter more. I think I've only entered 2 or three times. I try to vote on both comps though.

Chris just enter mate, that is why we are where we are because people don`t get involved, good or bad shots rarely matter, it is clearly in eye of the viewer some of the results show that.

 

[spudhead]

If I entered, it'd be car, car, car, month after month. These contests are (usually) meany to get people out shooting. I'm hoping to use it as an impetus to get me out and moving.

Well get off the laptop

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

If I entered, it'd be car, car, car, month after month. These contests are (usually) meany to get people out shooting. I'm hoping to use it as an impetus to get me out and moving.

I do have a landscape in mind for this month's submission. Hoping to get out this weekend to shoot.