DISCUSSION -- July 2014 300-word Writing Challenge (#14)

[Perpetual Man]

No, it is something a bit different and an idea that could be considered I guess!

 

[Juliana]

I love the idea, Ratsy and Perp. Definitely different.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

It would be a lot of extra work for the moderators, especially if it is a good month in terms of how many stories there are (which, of course, we always hope for). And then we would be unable to vote, because the writers of the stories would not be anonymous to us. And voting is part of the fun.

 

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

Remember, guys, moderators are people too, with thoughts, and feelings, and opinions, just like us regular, common folk.

 

[mosaix]

Now that would be an interesting exercise. We have a month where all stories get posted by the mods, without our names on them. Then we vote for them unanimously. Thoughts?

I've thought about this in the past. But, before I comment further, Ratsy, could you explain 'unanimously'? Did you mean 'anonymously' or maybe 'simultaneously'?

Anyway, whatever you meant, I think the basic idea is a good one.

 

[mosaix]

It would be a lot of extra work for the moderators, especially if it is a good month in terms of how many stories there are (which, of course, we always hope for). And then we would be unable to vote, because the writers of the stories would not be anonymous to us. And voting is part of the fun.

I appreciate that T.E. and wouldn't want it to be onerous for anyone. But maybe it could be done by a (volunteer) mod who didn't usually take part in the challenges?

 

[HareBrain]

Wouldn't that be an opportunity for evil entrants to praise their own stories in the discussion threads without (necessarily) being detected? Not that I'm evil enough for that, of course. It just occurred to me instantly because ... erm ...

 

[Ursa major]

That's why the mod posting the entries would have to be on duty 24 hours a day, from the start of the challenge to the end of the voting (including tie breaks), so that they could immediately bin such posts.

I'm glad I'm not eligible to be this superhuman supermoderator.

 

[Kylara]

I would like to think that people wouldn't be slathering lavish praise on their own story though we are all relatively grown up (most of the time!). I think it might be an interesting exercise, especially if everyone plays by the rules and doesn't ruin it with "wow isn't that story amazing, it is the best story I have ever written read" hehehe

 

[Culhwch]

I'm not trying to shoot this idea down outright (although Teresa and Urse have remarkably valid points) but...

...isn't even proposing it basically saying that currently people aren't voting for the stories they think are best, but for some other reason, like friendship or peer pressure or something?

Perhaps if the goal is to see if members can guess an author by his or her work alone, maybe that could be an exercise in the Workshop. If you're keen on this, @ratsy , perhaps you could start a thread and ask for submissions through conversations or emails, and then post the pieces as they come in, anonymously, and members can then try and guess or speculate as to who is who.

 

[HareBrain]

Thinking about it seriously, surely the fun of Sekrit Santa** is trying to guess whose story is whose? And it's hard enough with only a few (from my limited experience). The only other purpose would be if people thought the anonymousness would somehow change the voting, but I really don't think it would.

** unless I'm misremembering -- there was definitely a guessing thread in the Workshop at some point.

Edit: crossed with Cul's -- and we mods haven't colluded, honest!

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Yeah, we already have a thing similar to this in the sekrit santa. An easy way to set up something like this is to follow that format - set a theme and a word limit, have someone take all the stories, post them up and set up a poll. I think it's a separate thing from the challenges, and good luck finding a volunteer for it with enough time on their hands.

On Cul's point. I try to be above such things as who my chums are and what not (and mostly find my chums are the hardest to elicit votes from in general) but I have to be honest I do carry a perception that eg @HareBrain's (and quite a few others', for that matter) stories are normally very, very good, which does, I'm afraid affect my immediate reaction to them. Of course, I then find a tiny thing to pounce on and rule out on in order to reduce the competition. (I am joking, by the way.) So I think it's impossible to expect no advance knowledge to affect our voting. Not as long as we're humans...

 

[ratsy]

Did I really say unanimously *shakes head slowly in disbelief* and yes I did mean anonymously! Unless everyone wants to unanimously vote for me...or not vote for me.

I wasn't suggesting that people get votes because of who they are at all. It just seemed like it could be a fun thing to try. I hate to try to change something that is working well already. I thought of it as more of a one time fun experiment.

 

[Juliana]

I hadn't realized that the Sekrit Santa works this way. To be honest, I haven't really looked at that particular thread.

I agree with what Ratsy said; nothing to do with impartiality, more for something different. And yes, it might be better as a workshop thing... No one wants to create more work for our very lovely mods!

 

[Remedy]

I think you're allowed to request a favor of the mod boss, on this, the day of their daughter's wedding... However, they might make you a mod-offer you can't refuse...

 

[ratsy]

I just thought it would be fun as one of the monthly challenges. One Moderator would get all the stories sent to them as they come, then they would post them as they come with just the titles and stories. We wouldn't know who wrote what. Then a poll would go at the end of the month with just the story titles. After the fact, we would get a list of the corresponding authors to the story names and we could see whose we voted for and short-listed.

It does sound like a lot of work, so I understand us not doing it. Anyways, backwards and sideways!

 

[HareBrain]

I just thought it would be fun as one of the monthly challenges. One Moderator would get all the stories sent to them as they come, then they would post them as they come with just the titles and stories. We wouldn't know who wrote what. Then a poll would go at the end of the month with just the story titles. After the fact, we would get a list of the corresponding authors to the story names and we could see whose we voted for and short-listed.

I might be about to betray an unmodly ignorance of the extent of my own powers compared to mere mortals, but I don't think any of that requires a mod. Anyone could organise this as a workshop thread and set up a poll.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I might be about to betray an unmodly ignorance of the extent of my own powers compared to mere mortals, but I don't think any of that requires a mod. Anyone could organise this as a workshop thread and set up a poll.

Yes, they can. @alchemist sets a poll each month for the photo challenge. Even I have been known to bumble in and do one.

But
A. Would those who enter the challenge want to go off piste and
B. Would anyone volunteer to do it? ... Ratsy? you up?

 

[TheDustyZebra]

I would be willing to do this as a Workshop thing, with a distinction between it and the regular Challenges. I think we ("We") are in basic agreement in the back room that trying to do it as a regular Challenge creates too many difficulties. It would mess with the record-keeping that some of our lovely people do, and it would tend to discourage new people who didn't quite understand what was going on, as a couple of examples.

However, I wouldn't mind setting it up as, say, a separate 100-word Secret Story Challenge in the Workshop? Stories could be sent to me, and that way everyone else would (1) not have to do the work and (2) be allowed to vote. (I would, of course, be allowed three votes for all my hard work.... No?)

 

[ratsy]

Thanks Dusty, seeing how I have little to no poll vaulting experience. I have to stop making work for people.