Discussion: How to improve contests

**angele803** · 10-29-2006, 12:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Critizin

2. Mandatory Closing Date - Does this mean a contest holder cant just close a contest when they find one they like? even if they do have a closing day for example what if i was to post another contest and. i say the contest will end oh how bout oct 31st

lol... but if find one i abosolutly like on oct 28th... can they end the contest then?

What if we require the contest holder to announce at least 24 hours in advance if he/she plans to close it early. If the contest holder finds a design that is perfect, I am all for letting him/her pick it early. HOWEVER, if I was in the middle of designing a piece for that contest and came back an hour or two later to find the contest had been closed all of the sudden, I would feel like I wasted my time. What do you think?

**Neonimage** · 10-29-2006, 06:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by angele803

What if we require the contest holder to announce at least 24 hours in advance if he/she plans to close it early. If the contest holder finds a design that is perfect, I am all for letting him/her pick it early. HOWEVER, if I was in the middle of designing a piece for that contest and came back an hour or two later to find the contest had been closed all of the sudden, I would feel like I wasted my time. What do you think?

yea but if he/she found a graphic that they LOVED it's not like there going to pick you if they already have got somthing they have set there eyes on. But you can tell who's winning and whos most likley to win.

**chrislong** · 10-29-2006, 08:44 AM

Hey guys i am hoping to improve contests @ www.digitalnotion.co.uk/forum i am going to make the layout and format of contests more strict e.g. other sites with same contest MUST BE listed, set start and finish dates and various other info.

Hopefully this will help fight the scammers!

**Neonimage** · 10-29-2006, 02:01 PM

Whats this to do with this site??

**chrislong** · 10-29-2006, 04:29 PM

Neoimage, the link is posted to show forum owners here some of my ideas for improving contests

**Neonimage** · 10-30-2006, 11:23 AM

You could have just copied and pasted them becuase that looked like advertising your site but hey thats probably just me xD

**Critizin** · 10-30-2006, 11:48 AM

Lol..... THE CONTESTS ARE BACK!!!

**Neonimage** · 10-30-2006, 12:11 PM

yea xD finally

**Juice Daddy** · 10-30-2006, 04:33 PM

yea!! awsome, groovy, outstanding

to bad I don't have any time...

**Neonimage** · 10-30-2006, 05:50 PM

lol unlucky

**woosh** · 11-01-2006, 06:40 PM

Angele could you please add a sticky regarding copyright issues please, I think it needs to be addressed i have pm'd you

**angele803** · 12:47 AM

Woosh broght up some good points about copyright issues. With her permission, I would like to post the PM she sent to me here. Then I would like to add a copyright rule to our rule change proposal. Copyrights get kind of fuzzy, but I think we all should be ethical in our designs. Inspiration is a necessarry thing for design, but copying is just plain wrong.

**EDIT**

Here is the PM I received:

Quote:

Copyright ethics

Subject: Copyright ethics

John Bryan, manager of the STC Ethics Committee, passed along his
thoughts on our recent discussion about copyright ethics. I've
attached them below. He adds a valuable insight: As we debate
what's LEGAL, we mustn't neglect our duty to do what's RIGHT.

Larry Kunz
STC Assistant to the President for Professional Development
ldkunz -at- vnet -dot- ibm -dot- com

------------------------ Attached message --------------------------

I agree that the use as described does violate copyright,
not coming under the provisions of the fair use doctrine.
Missing in the discussion though is the ethical issue.
When we get bogged down in arguing the law, we often forget
the moral side of the issue. Natural enough in a secular
society, but it's helpful to remember the moral side. If
you think the following is appropriate, go ahead and post
it to the list.

Copyright law evolved as a social response to the need to
encourage and promote artistic and intellectual inquiry
and the dissemination of knowledge, just as patent law
evolved in response to the need to encourage and promote
technology. Even before those laws, though, the guilds of
medieval Europe recognized the concept of intellectual
property and marked their products with symbols that
identified the artisan, both notifying users that the
design belonged to the artisan and announcing that the
artisan was responsible for the quality of the product.
Western culture seems to have long recognized a moral
dimension to intellectual property, an element that tends
to get lost in the lawyer-speak we all resort to when such
questions arise. In the case cited, the company president
expropriated another person's design for his own
use--presumably because he liked the design and thought
his readers would also, but he seems oblivious to the
moral context: that some other person depends upon
selling such designs in order to make a living. Would he
be so sanguine about intellectual property theft if it
were his property being expropriated? Suppose, for
example, that his technical writing business developed a
set of distinctive, custom icons for use in on-line help
systems. And suppose that I published a book about
iconography and that in that book I reproduce--without
permission--his company's icons (along with others),
showing them as especially effective--and easy to
reproduce. The fair use doctrine may protect me,
depending upon the extent of my use of his designs, but
wouldn't he feel morally indignant that I have not only
reproduced his work (for which he probably paid employees)
but also suggested that the designs were up for grabs by
any reader?

We all stand on the shoulders of giants. None of us is
truly original in the purest sense of that word. But
beyond the vagaries of law, surely we recognize that we
cannot simply take and use without compensation or
permission that which others have labored to produce,
whether it's software, manual boilerplate, or cartoons.

**borzoid** · 11-06-2006, 07:41 AM

I have a suggestion for contest entrants. I might be flamed for this but if you give your best designs and a lot of work to $10 and $15 contests, newcomers coming into the forum will see no need to offer more.

I know some of these contests are just plain fun but some seem to expect it no matter how little they are offering. It feels like the work being given is worth so much more than is being paid. Just my opinion.

Connie

**woosh** · 11-06-2006, 09:05 AM

I actually agree there should be a minimum amount for specific things as alot of work goes into most of these designs, especially expectations for very little, in the real market you pay top dollar I am interested in others opinions on this also, cheers borzoid for bringing it up

**Critizin** · 11-06-2006, 09:12 AM

Well im just wondering this is probally off topic what are these iTrader points i have recieved? what exactly do they do?

**angele803** · 11-06-2006, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Critizin

Well im just wondering this is probally off topic what are these iTrader points i have recieved? what exactly do they do?

The iTrader points are a way of building up a public reputation. If you win a contest, and you get paid for it, please, please, PLEASE leave the contest holder positive iTrader points. That way, if that member holds a contest in the future, we know he/she followed through with a previous contest.

**Neonimage** · 11-06-2006, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by borzoid

I have a suggestion for contest entrants. I might be flamed for this but if you give your best designs and a lot of work to $10 and $15 contests, newcomers coming into the forum will see no need to offer more.

I know some of these contests are just plain fun but some seem to expect it no matter how little they are offering. It feels like the work being given is worth so much more than is being paid. Just my opinion.

Connie

Very true.

**Neonimage** · 11-07-2006, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cre8ive 1

Maybe they should have a category for Under $20 Contests...and another for Over $20 Contests. That way everyone can continue to do what they do...and if they elect themselves to work on $20 and under comps. Well they are happy with what they get. To tell you the truth. If there was just a couple (like 3) designated people that would work the Under $20 Contest per day...with that contest ending 24 hours from the time it starts. They could make some good money, because they would know that the contest would end within 24 hours. So everyday would be payday. And an active designer could make some dough being actively involved. Its possible to win 5 contests in a day if there are 20 contests going at any one given time. A student designer can win 5 contests and make $100 a day sitting in his dorm room creating designs. Even if he is a student.

Let me tell you first hand. Everyone has ideas...but everyone doesnt have a load of $$$ like the Corporate Companies do. So it makes sense that there are some designers out there that will work for less. Its not like every single one of these Under $20 designs takes a whole day to create. A good designer already knows his fonts, colors, effects, programs, etc. That he can whip something up within 10 minutes if he chooses to. If it takes him 10 minutes...well I never heard of someone making $20 for 10 minutes, while other designs take longer. As long as their is communication and the openess to work...there are buyers with an openess to buy. Like I said, we dont all have a butt load of cash to spend. We have micro budgets too.

I had the worste experience when I designed a one page mini application site...and then I contacted a web designer to do the same thing. They wanted $5000. I scratched my head for a moment...because it took me 2 hours to do. But they were saying it would take 30 hours like I was retarded or something. All in all, I believe big budgets can pay big bucks...and small budgets are anyone's like you and me...who can afford what we can afford.

This was posted by Cre8ive 1 here
http://www.webmaster-talk.com/305276-post11.html

**angele803** · 11-07-2006, 01:05 PM

We are working on a whole new system for the contests. Im not sure if I am allowed to reveal all the details (muahahaha). Everyone stay tuned. Some cool changes are coming up. Chroder is working hard on adding some stuff. I think we will all be pleased, it will just take a while.

**Captor of Sin** · 11-07-2006, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by angele803

We are working on a whole new system for the contests. Im not sure if I am allowed to reveal all the details (muahahaha). Everyone stay tuned. Some cool changes are coming up. Chroder is working hard on adding some stuff. I think we will all be pleased, it will just take a while.

Oooo nice! Can't wait!