Flux Vision Images wrote:
What happened to the Photographer of the Week contest?

Will there still be a photographer of the year competition?

That contest ended last October when the Host left MM.

There will be no 'of the year' for that contest.

John Carrasco wrote:
An observation .. Some of the forum contests are looking Jankie .. All forums should have the quality as the models, photogs, and artists produce and nothing less then that.

Well said, I couldn't agree more!

John Carrasco wrote:
An observation .. Some of the forum contests are looking Jankie .. All forums should have the quality as the models, photogs, and artists produce and nothing less then that.

John.. send me a CAM with the details and we'll get things working properly.

John Carrasco wrote:
An observation .. Some of the forum contests are looking Jankie .. All forums should have the quality as the models, photogs, and artists produce and nothing less then that.

Agreed, and the number of them is out of control. What is next, "Best glamour black and white with fuzzy blanket of the day image?" When a contest can't get more than 3-5 images a day submitted, maybe it is time to end it.

P O T T S wrote:

Agreed, and the number of them is out of control. What is next, "Best glamour black and white with fuzzy blanket of the day image?" When a contest can't get more than 3-5 images a day submitted, maybe it is time to end it.

:-)

P O T T S wrote:

Agreed, and the number of them is out of control. What is next, "Best glamour black and white with fuzzy blanket of the day image?" When a contest can't get more than 3-5 images a day submitted, maybe it is time to end it.

What about model of the day that normally gets only 3 to 5 images a day .do we end that ? because of a lack of participants , we try our best but only the photographers seem to be interested in entering contest and about 6 models regulary enter .

SJH photography wrote:

What about model of the day that normally gets only 3 to 5 images a day .do we end that ? because of a lack of participants , we try our best but only the photographers seem to be interested in entering contest and about 6 models regulary enter .

I'm agreeing with all that's been said so far. I entered the POTD18+ a couple of years ago and won. First photo contest I had ever entered. I thought it was a really cool thing until I realized that there were only a handful of entries and the entries were usually by the same people.

The same happened with the Animal POTD... I entered a couple of times and won a couple of times. It kinda takes all the fun out of it.

I used to think that profiles I ran across with gazillions of POTD stickers all over the place was a big deal until I saw how easy it was to win. Of course winning Photographer of the Year would be the ultimate honor and a whole different ball game, requiring MUCH more than a great shot or two.

I still think it's a great thing for newbies tho. It's some what of a moral booster, if you will. So for that reason, I think it's a great idea to keep something like that around.

That's my take on all of this. I hope it makes some sense. Now... I'm off to enjoy my 1st cup of coffee for the day

SJH photography wrote:

What about model of the day that normally gets only 3 to 5 images a day .do we end that ? because of a lack of participants , we try our best but only the photographers seem to be interested in entering contest and about 6 models regulary enter .

Yes. If there are half a million profiles and 5 enter the model of the day contest, perhaps the contest does not carry with it the gravitas to make people want to enter.

It is far more "special" to win a contest when there are fewer with greater depth of talent.

Erin Koski wrote:
I think even the "easy to win" contests are fun, but I am someone who is also confused by the number of contests recently that seem very disorganized, confusing and frustrating.

It is so confusing right now and so many of them. Most have the same start and stop times, voting times. Some of the new ones claim to cater to "late night west coast artists" so they have later voting times. It is simply too much to keep straight any more.

Make a set of rules for all contests to follow. Give them a 90 day period to get established. If they cant attract at least 10 entries a day, end them.

Personally, the one contest nobody has started, that I would like to see is one where no compositing can be done. They all have a rule "no multiple images" that is only enforced selectively. That or get rid of the rule and allow it.

Erin Koski wrote:
I think even the "easy to win" contests are fun, but I am someone who is also confused by the number of contests recently that seem very disorganized, confusing and frustrating.

Honest question... what would you have us do to make the forum-based contests less confusing and less disorganized?

We need input on how to fix the problem(s)

- SMASHphotos - wrote:
If it was possible to standardize on the voting times across all contests I think that would be useful. The majority of the well trafficked contests all use a common midnight eastern end-of-day/start-of-day, along with entries being received/voting beginning at Noon pacific. This is simple to follow along even if the winner isn't announced until the next day.

Extending some of the daily contests into multiple days to try and attract more participants would be an indicator of contests that don't have enough interest or participation.

I agree that there should be a new contest probation period of 90 days to get it established. However if there were a few common rules across all of them, I think it would increase, rather than decrease participation as it would eliminate many folks wondering where in the day the entry/voting cycle is, and reduce the most common barrier to entry.

As with most things in life, people are generally lazy. Even with 1/2 Million plus accounts, probably less than 10% are really active , of those, many are just watchers. Look at the daily participation in the MM sponsored POTD contest. Probably only a total daily vote count of 150-250 on about 30-40 entries. Very very low turn out based on the membership numbers.

I would say about 90% of the contests run on the same start/finish time , so it would not be a biggie to standardize all the contests ,but also consider time zones ,some of the contests are run by folks with vastly different time zones so there ability to run a contest could be affected  .
Most of the rules are standardized on the contests eg 15 day rule , winner cant use that image again . The few that are not it would be could possibly be brought into line . As for the 90 day probation i say no , it can take months and months for a contest to get established , look at the MUA its a very very select few who post in that contest , is it not unfair that they are not allowed to showcase there craft here , just cause there is only a few of them dont penalise them ..

P O T T S wrote:
Personally, the one contest nobody has started, that I would like to see is one where no compositing can be done. They all have a rule "no multiple images" that is only enforced selectively. That or get rid of the rule and allow it.

Its only a few of the newer contests that allow this  , the officiall MM contests dont allow it and neither should the foum based contests .But thats my personal opinion

- SMASHphotos - wrote:
Extending some of the daily contests into multiple days to try and attract more participants would be an indicator of contests that don't have enough interest or participation.



As with most things in life, people are generally lazy. Even with 1/2 Million plus accounts, probably less than 10% are really active , of those, many are just watchers. Look at the daily participation in the MM sponsored POTD contest. Probably only a total daily vote count of 150-250 on about 30-40 entries. Very very low turn out based on the membership numbers.

AS you state most are lazy and cant be bothered to enter .So is this not unfair , on the members that do want to particiate on a daily bassis.Albeit that  entries are small in number .

Tara Jayne Mullins wrote:
Why is there always so much whining an disagreeing on anything possible to complain about?  There is simply no way that everyone is going to be happy with all contests and  what time they end or how many participants are in the contest. Someone always complains about something.  Yes there are many contests in different areas of modeling and photography which makes it better for everyone.  Some people only like to enter one contest and some like myself like to enter as many as they feel they can on that day.  Sadly to say I am working on the participants to enter into my All New MUA of the Week Contest.  It takes some time to get the word out to the ones that like to enter.  Its negativity that scares some people away from entering any contest.

I am open to any suggestions or complaints on information that you feel will make this contest and the Model Of the Day contest better.  I am Co-Host of MOTD and there are days that we get many entering and other days few. I've checked and this is happening in some of the other contests as well.

I don't think some of you realize how much time and work goes into running a contest for hosts. We do this because we enjoy it.  All of us have jobs yet we make sure we are awake regardless to close and open the contests.

I totally agree with this you cant please all of the people all of the time .
And been a host or cohost of a contest is a massive step , you always have to be available 7 days a week to start/stop ,announce winners , explain how to post images to some that are not as computer literate as others , expalin how to post winning medals , answer pms from contestants stating why this or that had to be done regarding entries
And dont forget all the hosts do this totally as a volunteer they get no reward whatsoever , they do it for the love of it and to provide a platform for the members to showcase there work .
Myself personally i have been working in the contest forum for 5+ years the only other person who has been here longer than me is JoJo and i have seen so many hosts come and go , the reason we now have many more contests is down to JoJo working bloody hard  trying to get a very quiet forum actually working , yes there might be a few bumps in the road , but cast your mind back to just 12 months ago.
There was as little as 6 or 7 contests 4 of them were weekly only , now you have an whole option of contests to enter .

JoJo wrote:
OK - so we have some suggestions:

1 - standardize the start/finish (and submitting/voting) times

2 - standardize the rules across the board

Can we add to that No links to images , if its 18+ use it in MM.s potd18+ only or for a contest that is totally link based only eg Fetish of the week
This will increase use of those contests hopefully  .
Also a 3 strike rule in posting 18+ images in a forum based contest , you submit 3 images that are 18+ you are out of  all contests for say 1 month .( if your unsure of an image , a simple cam asking for clarification of an image will get a hasty response before the said image is used  )

JoJo and myself are here to assist in any way we can, listen to problems , and find solutions but we do need your input on what changes YOU  would like to see
stevie

P O T T S wrote:
SJH, what is an image? What does multiple mean? Why are some entries with multiple images allowed? It is that simple. Either specifically state what it not allowed or remove the rule. Words mean things. It is the wording or the rule that is the issue. The mods have simply elected to create their own definition of the words multiple and image.

If someone were to enter a comp-card... that's a multiple image and unacceptable.

If a female model were to pose as a female ballroom dancer, then change wardrobe and pose as a male ballroom dancer - in post, the male dancer and the female dancer would be combined to appear as a dancing couple - this would be acceptable.

Anything in between, well that's at the Hosts' discretion (or in the PotD and PotD18+, my discretion )

If you are able to put the essence of this into a 10 word rule that has no ambiguity, go for it, I would love to see it.

JoJo wrote:

If someone were to enter a comp-card... that's a multiple image and unacceptable.

If a female model were to pose as a female ballroom dancer, then change wardrobe and pose as a male ballroom dancer - in post, the male dancer and the female dancer would be combined to appear as a dancing couple - this would be acceptable.

Anything in between, well that's at the Hosts' discretion (or in the PotD and PotD18+, my discretion )

If you are able to put the essence of this into a 10 word rule that has no ambiguity, go for it, I would love to see it.

Well the current rule number 4, is far more than 10 words, lol. But it contains this:

" Entries must be a single image. Multiple images, even those combined to form a thematic series, are prohibited."

Even the image you described Jojo, the dancers - that violates that rule. It is not a single image, it is multiple images.

If you want to eliminate triptych type images, just say that.  So, I would say something like:

"Entries must be a single concept, composites are allowed, however triptych style collages are not."

P O T T S wrote:
Agreed, and the number of them is out of control. What is next, "Best glamour black and white with fuzzy blanket of the day image?" When a contest can't get more than 3-5 images a day submitted, maybe it is time to end it.

I don't think any contest should end. Every contest is different and attracts different people. Some like a contest than others won't. That's why is good IMO to have different themes contests, it gives more choice to everyone. Even if only a few members enter a contest, why take it away if they enjoy it, its not harming anyone.

JoJo wrote:
1 - standardize the start/finish (and submitting/voting) times

2 - standardize the rules across the board

I agree.

JoJo wrote:
..... what would you have us do to make the forum-based contests less confusing and less disorganized?

We need input on how to fix the problem(s)

There's so many contests that its confusing to look through each thread. I think if we had a more visual impact, if would be much easier to navigate through. What I would suggest is to have something like this:

DAILY CONTESTS


           

Its plain and easy to look at. Just click on the contest you want to enter, simple. The same would apply for the weekly and monthly contests so there would be 3 categories (daily-weekly-monthly) so it would look more organised as well.Then a MOD can name this thread (for example) 'Enter Contests and Vote Here' and pin it to the main board of the forum-based contests. It would also help to have the codes of those linked-badges posted in the main contest page of the site as it will attract more viewers to the forum-based contests. Note that the link to the daily thread contests will go to the main contest page so the viewers still would have to look through each threads to look for the contest. Hosts of the daily thread contests could keep it this way or decide to only use one thread which would be linked to their badge.

Marlene Potfer wrote:

Its plain and easy to look at. Just click on the contest you want to enter, simple. The same would apply for the weekly and monthly contests so there would be 3 categories (daily-weekly-monthly) so it would look more organised as well.Then a MOD can name this thread  (for example) 'Enter Contests and Vote Here' and pin it to the main board of the forum-based contests. It would also help to have the codes of the contest images-links posted in the main contest page of the site as it will attract more viewers to the forum-based contests. Note that the link to the daily thread contests will go to the main contest page so the viewers still would have to look through each threads to look for the contest. Hosts of the daily thread contests could keep it this way or decide to only use one thread which would be linked to their badge.

I really like the idea but its not feasible in the greater scheme of things . While i applaud your work in creating it there is major drawbacks

Who goes on the top row and who gets relegated to the bottom row . As some will think ooooooo the top row contests are the ones to enter so other contests will lose out .
Ok your answer to this is have them continually move about .reasons against this are
1. a techies nightmare to program this to happen
2 what about concept of the day, or any of the other contests that are run daily , or every 3 days . so the link would take them to a days weeks or months old contest



IMHO ,all contests should be name of contest only , none of this silly stars, asterisks, etc and definitely none of this "New" , how can it be new when its 3 months old .

Everyone is asking for standardized rules, starting times etc so why not titles .
the longest running contest Picture of the day oe set a standard many many years ago and photographer/model/concept followed suit , but all of a sudden everyone is adding things to get their contests noticed more .
stevie

SJH photography wrote:
I really like the idea but its not feasible in the greater scheme of things . While i applaud your work in creating it there is major drawbacks.

Who goes on the top row and who gets relegated to the bottom row . As some will think ooooooo the top row contests are the ones to enter so other contests will lose out.

Stevie I think that no matter what suggestions are made, we just can't please everybody all of the time. There's always going to be someone who's not happy with something. I still think that doing it this way, it would look a lot tidier than it currently does (which is what many are complaining about). As for the order, I really didn't think this would cause a major problem to any Hosts. Its not like we have to go through pages and pages of badges, there's just 13 (at the moment) and its all there, on the same page, we don't even need to scroll down, we see them all at once! So if a Host has a problem having their contest at the 'bottom' I would happily put my contests at the 'bottom' row! I really don't see what the big deal is.. Its not a case of 'my contest is better that yours, its on the top', but its about finding a way to make the contest forum less cluttered, and I would think that every Hosts would understand that too. IMHO, it would be a lot easier to navigate through the contests and it would work better than it currently does.

Ok your answer to this is have them continually move about. reasons against this are
1. a techies nightmare to program this to happen
2.what about concept of the day, or any of the other contests that are run daily , or every 3 days . so the link would take them to a days weeks or months old contest

1. It was mentioned a little while back that something like this would be possible. And if not possible anymore, then as I've mentioned above, I really don't see the big deal having all the badges constantly in the same order. We still see all of the badges at once and it still looks more organised and easier to nagivate through.

2. Please see note from my previous post:

"Note that the link to the daily thread contests will go to the main contest page so the viewers still would have to look through each threads to look for the contest. Hosts of the daily thread contests could keep it this way or decide to only use one thread which would be linked to their badge."

.

IMHO ,all contests should be name of contest only , none of this silly stars, asterisks, etc and definitely none of this "New" , how can it be new when its 3 months old .

I agree with this.

P O T T S wrote:
I was going to suggest alphabetical order, but then someone would want to start the AAA Absolute Amazing Image of the Day.

P O T T S wrote:
What if the contests where pinned in place, in the order the contest was started, in the contest forum. Plain text, no stars, bolds, "new and improved". Just "Image of the Day, Original", "Model of the Day", etc?

Why not pin them in age so it would be potd oe first , it was the original and even though it has changed host several times , it still was the original , even pre dates MM very own potd and potd 18=
Then it would be animal , etc
Sadly as long as its run Concept of the day changes its place daily so it would be impossible to place second
Then it would be animal , etc when all the dailys are in there
Then we would have to go to weekly contests, then onto monthly contests

P O T T S wrote:
I was going to suggest alphabetical order, but then someone would want to start the AAA Absolute Amazing Image of the Day.

Never a truer word spoken in jest .Just of to write a cam lol 

Marlene Potfer wrote:
Stevie I think that no matter what suggestions are made, we just can't please everybody all of the time.

How so very true some arent happy unless they are having a moan

JoJo wrote:
Just thinking...

Along with standardizing the contest names...

Would this add a little brand recognition to the individual contests?


I don't know if this is possible or if MM/IB will permit but I have asked in the MOD room.

That's a great idea, I like it

JoJo wrote:
Just thinking...

Along with standardizing the contest names...

Would this add a little brand recognition to the individual contests?


I don't know if this is possible or if MM/IB will permit but I have asked in the MOD room.

Marlene Potfer wrote:
That's a great idea, I like it

Just received a response from MM/IB...
only if the badge were this big
otherwise it would throw the entire forum out of kilter

It was worth a shot

Erin Koski wrote:
I would happily have Dark Image of the Day at the bottom if it helps.

There does need to be some sort of provision for contests that start a new thread every day. We have two, and I think both of them work best with this style.

Would it work better for you if we had a directory for each of your previous contests?
Every couple of days we could move the older contests into the directories.

JoJo wrote:
Just received a response from MM/IB...
only if the badge were this big
otherwise it would throw the entire forum out of kilter

It was worth a shot

Ah that's a shame, it was a really good idea!

Patreshas Editing wrote:
I have no problem with the 18+ rule however my Fetish of the week is strictly a url contest and most of the entries are 18+  and it is going very well so in saying that maybe we could figure something out to put it as a 18+ contest

if you look here Patresha
https://www.modelmayhem.com/po.php?thre … st18725484
especially here
Can we add to that No links to images , if its 18+ use it in MM.s potd18+ only or for a contest that is totally link based only eg Fetish of the week
This will increase use of those contests hopefully  .
I  was not refering to your contest i was refering to contests with links and images , do either 1 or the other only as you have done .
stevie