UPGRADE AIDE CONTEST

Not to beat a dead horse, but I stand by Em on this, and everything she said.

Yes, I've interracted with some of the contestants before this contest - writing.com is a community and I wouldn't still be here if I didn't feel a part of that community. But to make strangers jump through hoops, for what, so I can spend extra hours working just to pick people I already know, instead? I get enough uneccessary work at my paying job, and am not interested in doing it for free when I'm 'off the clock'.

I help judge this contest, and I contribute to this contest because I think it's a fantastic way to:
1) help people get to know each other
2) help people get to know writing.com and all of it's facets, including those they may not normally see
3) help people earn upgrades who can't otherwise afford them.

I don't need excuses or contests to hand out awards, gp, or anything else to people I know, that's something that's done outside of those realms. And if I were only allowed to give one of any of those to any person I encoutered, I'd probably go insane with misery. Whenever I can afford to, I support anyone or anything I encounter that I agree with on this site, and spend a lot of real world money on GP to make that happen because I enjoy it. To have my integrity questioned because someone else has a different opinion is offensive.

Everyone who has participated in this contest is extraordinary. No, I'm not just saying that to be nice, false hope is a horrible thing, I truly mean it. I don't begrudge anyone the hours that I spend here, I enjoy doing this and will continue to for as long as I'm allowed. But it's a contest and choices have to be made. I would love to give an upgrade to everyone I meet who needs one, but I have a budget, too. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, not everyone can win, but we do try our very best to ensure that we pick fairly. It's why the contest isn't based solely on any one thing, it's why it lasts for so long, it's why we make tweaks and improvements at every step along the way based on people's input, and it's why we ask so much of our contestants.

My mailbox is always open discussion, concern, conversation, or observation. But unfounded accuasations with no option for self-defense are a pet-peeve. If you wouldn't want someone to do it to you, don't do it to me. A two-way line is a requirement in any communication.