  Contests & Activities
This week: When to Comment or Make Suggestions Edited by: Dawn Embers  
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An Elf Contest & Activities Newsletter
Looking at how one might consider commenting or making suggestions in contests and activities. Considering appropriate time and place along with some options that contest/activity owners have in regards to comments. |
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Over the years of both competing and managing contests, I have seen my fair share of situations come up within contest & activity forums. At times, it has been very helpful to receive comments or suggestions on things to do in an activity. Running them and contests takes a lot of time, commitment and let's face it, things come up and we're human so at times a round or two slips through our fingers, so it's good to keep a line of contact open with others on the site.
However, there are instances where I have questioned the decisions for public communication in a contest or activity. Which is why I've decided to talk about it here. So, let's look at commenting from both angles: the contestant/participant and the owner/judge.
Contestant/Participant
There are times when you might want to comment during an activity or contest. Maybe you have a question on the rules, how to do one of the activities or don't quite understand the prompt. First, I want to encourage communication. It's good to ask questions and get points clarified. As someone who runs a writing group and has a couple contests, I want people to feel they can ask me questions or let me know when something needs done. However, there are a few things that might need considered before you post right in a forum with questions or suggestions on things you think needs done.
1. Are you using the right venue? By this I mean, is posting direct to the forum the best option? Sometimes, this is a find option but there might be questions and situations where a more private exchange is better. Make sure the rules don't discourage forum posts if going that route. Consider if the topic would be better suited in private email instead of on the public forums, which can be both for compliments or complaints. When in doubt, I recommend email over forum post.
2. Are you responding to a comment or response made to your suggestion/question? I ask this because, at times, it might be a good idea to consider how to respond if replying back to something. This is particularly true if you didn't like or felt discouraged by certain results. Remember to always follow the forum rules (many of which have rating requirements that will dictate language that can be used within posts), take a deep breath or small break if feathers get too ruffled and make sure to remember if posting in a forum that the responses are public. There will be times when responding can be acceptable but other situations may call for either a private discussion or just stepping away.
3. Don't be afraid to give criticism, but consider the above topics when doing so. Contests and activities aren't infallible. We like to make sure everyone feels encouraged to enter contests/activities but if problems exist, it's difficult if someone doesn't feel comfortable enough to make a suggestion on how to make something work better. But like with reviews, how you word things can have a big effect.
4. Remember that we are all human and most of us have lives off WDC. Things happen, whether it's family, friends, work or health/personal, there are going to be times where results or reviews get stalled. Sometimes this site might end up on the back burner in someone's life and every now and then, people leave causing the activity or contest to end at random. Communication helps but sometimes you may just have to take the situation as an experience, enjoy what you accomplished/wrote and simply move on to something else.
Contest/Activity Managers
It's not easy running any activity or contest and even more so if done on a regular basis. There is a lot to manage, at times situations occur and not everyone is going to like/agree with how things are handled. Much like the contestants, we have some things to consider when it comes to communication.
1. Make sure to put in the rules if you don't want comments or non-entry posts in the contest/activity forum. Be open to comments/suggestions but it doesn't have to be in the forum if you feel it will distract from the activity at hand. For ones that don't get a lot of posting, in forum is okay most of the time. However, a highly active group/activity/contest will get a little confusing and hard to follow for some if there is a lot of commenting that gets added to the forums.
2. Have some method of communication available. Either list who to email, especially if it's not the one who owns the forum, or have an option for people to ask questions or make suggestions. Other options include the review/comment at the bottom of the forum or creating a survey item for people to use. In the weekly contest that I manage, I have rule dictating what is allowed in the forums but also have survey item for comments, am open to emails and always list the judge per round so they know who to contact. It's helpful to have some line open so people can communicate when issues/questions arise.
3. Don't be afraid to suspend or delete posts that don't follow the rules. It's difficult at times to restrain when a situation gets out of hand, but if posts go against the contest/activity rules, then it is often better to suspend the post while giving the reason and essentially moving any communication to more private options if issues remain. This includes language usage along with going off topic and other rules. I don't recommend editing or changing what the person posted, even if it's language issue. It is better to just suspend and if problems continue, you can contact moderators in order to find a way to resolve things.
4. If something comes up, communicate the delay with those involved in the group/activity/contest. Even if it has been weeks and you couldn't get to the internet, communicate. Apologies can be hard and I know how guilt can be when you get behind but trust me, even months later is better than nothing at all. We all know things come up and there is life outside WDC. But let people know because you and them have both made commitment. Communication is important for having a successful activity/contest.
Summary: it's good to communicate if there are questions or issues with a contest/activity. However, there are factors to consider for everyone involved. If we all take a little time, consider options and remember that respect goes both ways, then we can continue to have great interactions here on WDC.
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When do you feel is a good time to comment in a contest/activity and should it be in the public forums?
Wow. It has been a little over a year since I last did a Contest & Activities newsletter. Way back then, I discussed genre. I had received a fair number of comments on that particular topic. Here are a couple of them:
Comment by Kate - Writing & Reading 
Genre, I believe is on par with the prompt and form requirements to define the contest. When I've had a question re genre or style, I've found hosts to be responsive, making it easy to understand the style requirements. As a contestant I write to the genre if it's specified; as a guest judge in contests, I've considered adherence to both the genre and and prompt or style requirements in my ranking and note it to the host.
Write On 
Kate
- Thanks Kate for the comment. I do agree that if it's listed in a contest then it's up there with the rules and prompt for how it should be judged.
Comment by Teerich - 2019 
I think that if genre is as set as part of the requirements, then it should be regarded as just as important as any other parameter set, otherwise why have it there in the first place.
If the genre is not adhered to and the writer wins an award, it is not fair to the other entrants who have taken the trouble to followed the rules.
- Thanks for the comment and you make a good point in how it affects others, though results can vary based on personal opinion. Very true that if it's listed then it should be an important factor.
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Contests & Activities: July 01, 2015 Issue [#7076]
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