Actually, I DID take on the duties of the POTW as were offered to me by Bogdan, not by you or anyone else.  The photo contest was not part of that offer.  I was originally considered for POTW (Person of the Week) partner in February 2007, before the photo contest was created by the person who did get the partnership then, Pauline Raina. So if I had been named partner 2 years ago, there may not have even been a photo contest created.

Your team quit, also the original person who created the Photo Contest was no longer interested in running it. 

If you quit a job, you don't get the option to go back and tell the new employee how to do that job.  You've been trying to tell me how to do my job, now you're being escorted out of the building.

This photo contest was discontinued in January by Bogdan, before I became part of the Awards Team.  It has nothing to do with me, it never did.

As for votership, your 3 person team and 5 entrants per week could have brought in more than 35 votes, considering all of you added up to 8 votes, so then there were only 27 more votes on a dot-clicking ballot, and not all of them posted, so that's debatable if there really were that many verifiable voters.

I'm GLAD to have the number of people in the write-in POTW, most of them are brought in by ME, it doesn't take 3 people or 8 people to bring in a group who makes an EFFORT to write-in nominations, all of them post, we know who they all are, all valid members.

Now you're banned.

To whom these angry accusations above concern?

Hello everyone,

I must say that as a winner of the photo contest on a number of occasions, I have been upset by some of the comments made here lately.

I was very happy to win the photo contest and even to just participate in the contest. It was FUN. I saw nothing wrong with the voting system. Why would people "cheat" in a friendly photo competition?

Did my photos not merit winning? Did other people's photos not merit my/our  votes?

This was a good fun way to relax and do something away from business. It was friends doing something with friends that they enjoyed. It was a meeting point for people with a common interest. Does it matter how many people voted? Does it matter who voted.

I have to say, that I much prefer "private" voting where I am the only person who knows how I voted. This shouldn't become a chore.

Well, I think I'd better be quiet now.

Sorry but I needed to let out my feelings.

Angel cuddles and I hope for a positive outcome here,

Sarah

Hi Lydia,

My reply was to Jim.

 

Hi Sarah,

It was not my idea to discontinue the photo contest.  This has been discontinued since January.  There's no prize offered here anymore anyway.

There was no accusation of cheating, but always the potential.  Why would anyone cheat?  A $50 prize might be a reason.

The number of voters in an electronic ballot election in a community of over 93,000 hopefully unique members, with over 800 logged in right now, could be much higher if all people have to do is click a dot and not leave a post, to help friends win money. Don't you think?

I'm only running the POTW election, with write-in verified nominators and nominees. 

I'm not in charge of the future of the photo contest.

You don't need to vote in the write-in POTW if making a list of 7 names is a chore, you don't need to have links to profiles.  I haven't heard of any disputes among people about not being in their friends nomination lists, or about the lack of anonymity.  The extra effort gives Nominators a chance of being chosen as one of 2 Nominators of the Week who win a free ad on the Congrats thread of the winner of the POTW.  That's a very high-viewership longterm link. 

I hadn't looked at this forum since I was appointed to the POTW Awards Team because this contest had not been run since the other team quit.  I also entered a photo into it before they quit.  I had no idea they were going to quit, but when they did, I volunteered and was referred to running the Person of the Week election and that's all. 

I don't see any further need for discussion here in a 2-month dormant contest forum that I was never in charge of anyway. 

Any further commentary can be messaged to Bogdan.

Anyone who WANTS to run the photo contest can volunteer themselves to Bogdan, if he wants to restart it and offer a prize.