365 Day Journal Challenge

Day 3 - Auctions, Raffles and Merit Badges

"Few days ago, I was able to review about an item
giving a critique about his personal perspective
of our auctions, raffles, and Merit badges."


Auctions-If not done so often, I don't mind.  If its for a group to earn points to then give them out for contests, fine, although maybe only once every 3-6 months.  I'm not so wild about auctions just for a particular person's anniversary though.  Sometimes it gets a bit overwhelming and the gps go up so fast.  You have no control over how detailed a person reviews and I would almost rather just donate some gps than to have to keep checking to up the bid all the time.  I would rather have a shop type set up so if I see something I like, I can just pay gps for it and once the item is bought, it can be taken off the available item list unless a donor offers more than one package.  Just personal opinion, I got on this site to work on my writing, and so I feel reviewing is only right to do in return.  Some join for social reasons only and love these things.  If they want to do auctions, fine, I may donate services to be bid on but I will likely not be bidding on things or will not keep on following it if my bid is overdone.  As long as I'm not fussed at for this, then so be it. 

Raffles-Again, if they raise points and offer something in return, great.  I just feel overwhelmed sometimes from all the different ones and some may slip my mind and then I also forget if I've bought them.  Just too much else going on.  Especially with being a member of several groups.  Those of us here to really work on our writing and produce a regular stream of pieces, I think getting on the raffles and auctions might become a bit of a distraction and take up some time otherwise needed to actually write.  Those who really enjoy these or are especially talented at doing sigs and designing pages (I admire that, by the way) unlike myself will find these and the auctions fun to do.  I have no problem with that.  I'm just more focused on writing and not so much on designing these events. I will admit, though, that with raffles-you pay for your # of tickets and forget about it and someone else notifies you if you won. That is better than having to rebid over and over.  And,we all like to get something or a chance of something if we donate.  It's fun.  Why not.  I have no problem with Angel army doing this b/c they seem to be an umbrella for many different groups.  Its when all the other groups also do one that it gets the emails crowded and I might randomly pick one to do but sometimes I'd rather just donate and move on.  It's kind of like my kids schools doing sales things and if I sell 100.00 worth of stuff the school gets 20.00.  I'm like, here's the 20.  Please don't send me the catalogue so I won't have to hit up my co-workers. 

So-I'm fine with both of the above as long as they are in moderation and not every week or two. Maybe if each group got 1-2 months ( like the telethons that go on tv once every September or whatever month for a specific charity).  Just a thought. 

Re: Merit badges.  Okay, this is the question. What is the honor of MB's when you can buy them for yourself?  I'm find with being given one by someone who likes my work.  I'm fine with being given one for judging a contest.  Those things show either ability or participation and involvement in the site.  I'm fine with the fact that I got a friend in this 8 months ago (I started 8 months before her) and she has almost 3 times the number I have BECAUSE she works her rear end off judging, reviewing, helping monitor several groups, and has made me quite proud to have introduced her to the site.  However, I do wonder if the only way to get MB's is to get with a group that offers them often for reviewing and if that is the only way to increase them.  When I see a high number, I think the person has been on the site a long time.  When I see 2-3 in the parentheses, I think they've been on a week or two. But I was on an entire year and only had about 20.  My port is large b/c I write alot but I work full time, have two little kids and I have about an hour a night really to write and have to sneak and do some writing and reviewing at work.  If I read something and I just don't get it, I don't even rate it or review it.  If I read it and a solution to a small problem pops in my head, I review it but I try to give an example of what I think will help a sticky or awkward spot.  If I read something and it knocks my socks off, I rate it high, tell them where it was great or what it made me feel and try give them what I would want in a review.  I don't do one liners like
Great job, keep on writing and then give a 4 or 3.5 or something.  If I do less than a 4.5, there will be a solution, suggestion, or some constructive comments at least.  Therefore, I can't just knock out ten reviews in a night. 

To me, merit badges are like in Girl Scouts, you were proud when you earned one and they looked cool on your sash.  They showed others that you worked hard and were taking the achievements seriously.  They were "Merit" badges.  You can't buy a scout badge without having earned them.  You don't just give someone a badge b/c they donated money to the scouts.  Where is the merit there unless it is a "charity badge to show generosity".  My son does Upward basketball (about the only place you can play in our town is through this program).  They have this thing where the coach gives a colored star at the end of a game to each child but each color stands for a different trait such as sportsmanship, teamwork, skill, effort, oh, and also most "Christlike" or something like that etc.  Our coach a few years ago made a list and made sure everyone got each color so he wouldn't have to figure it out after each game.  Very democratic of him.  However, my son was very good at teamwork and would pass if he couldn't make the shot, and although he is Episcopalian and not used to "memorizing verses", he eagerly learned the passages b/c he was trying his best.  He wasn't the best at getting the goal, and sometimes he was more interested in the cheerleaders than he was hustling for the ball.  He wasn't agressive about knocking a kid down to get the ball, b/c it wasn't a nice thing to do and wasn't good teamwork to fight your own teammate to get the ball.  My point here was to say that he wanted his star to reflect how he did.  Once he learned it didn't matter, he was going to get a different one each time and it had nothing to do with his effort or teamwork, etc, the stars meant nothing to him.  Then, at the end, they only awarded trophies to the most "Christlike" players (one in each age group), not the ones with the best teamwork, or the most effort, or the most concerned about playing fairly.  Now, I ask you, what do they think is Christlike?  Being concerned with your fellow man, using the gifts God gave you to the best of your ability, sharing the load with your brother, not fighting just for the sake of getting your way (or the ball)?  Sounds Christlike to me.  So, he went home crying b/c he felt the kid that got this shouldnt have been the only one to get a trophy and he was the one that elbowed my son to grab the ball from him when he was trying to dribble (something they don't allow in the kindergarten division).  What kind of message does that show?

So, what does a merit badge mean if it is bought for oneself, passed out for donations given to a group (a MB for donations over 50,000, for example), or given alternately with awardicons depending on the contest when awardicons don't count in the number.  It all seems a bit arbitrary.  Don't get me wrong, I am thankful for each and every one of my 40 that I have now.  Many came from the generosity of a good friend who felt bad about quickly surpassing me after I had more time on this site than she.  She was very sweet to do this (reviewing several and giving a MB based on a certain message I put in the poetry, for instance) and I, in no way, am criticizing her.  The ones she picked were appropriate for what she was awarding and she was able to connect them with something I actually did.  For that, I feel proud of them.  But I would like to see them not necessarily connected with that number next to our name.  It makes them more like money or currency IF the number next to your name allows you access to different levels of responsibility on this site. 

I would like to see some other way of showing months involved, reviews given, contests entered (and/or placed) and items in the port as other ways we can determine how much one is involved.  For instance, if I wanted someone to review my work or were bidding on them to do reviews, I would like to know if this person had been on the site a while and if they did alot of reviews (good ones, preferably).  However, If I wanted to really know what a person thought of my poem, I would like to find someone who wrote alot of poetry.  I can rate and review short stories but am not as confident of my advice b/c I don't write alot of them.  I just got a bidder for a package I offered  and she mainly does short stories.  I was thinking poems when I did the package but wasn't specific (my bad).  However, I have really enjoyed her stories and have said so but I may not have done her justice b/c short stories just aren't my strong suit.  So, more specific info is important, not just a random number that could mean they have alot of gps, alot of friends, or are excellent at reviewing or writing b/c what it does is cheapen the effort of those busy reviewing and writing and demoralize those who can't just fork over the cash to keep their gp level high.  I have 30000 now and am about to renew in January so I'm not planning to add more until I renew.  Therefore, I can't do the 50000 for a merit badge and I'm more well off that many others since I'm married and both of us work.  How can a single mom struggling to pay rent but dedicated to this site justify throwing cash beyond their yearly subscription cost just to get more numbers beside their name.  All in all, though, the actual merit badges are beautiful and there are enough different ones that surely we could find the good in each of us and offer these for true merit for people based on what they show in their writing, reviewing, effort and participation that we shouldn't have to depend on buying them just to increase our numbers.  So, to summarize, yes I like them but no, I don't like that people can "buy" them for themselves or get them just for donating gps and I'm not wild about the number after the handle being only MB's and not awardicons (that actually are awarded to a good piece-thus "merit".  Otherwise, I think they are great looking and if used honorably, I think they are a valuable motivational tool. 


Wow, I didn't know I had so much to fuss about. Sorry guys.  I got  on the soapbox again. 


SWPoet


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