Hi Everyone,
This is just a general query to see if there is a binding requirement re the starting dates for new Challenges.
Many of the main challenges have no changing theme and suitable images for them can be encountered at any time or place - some good examples of this would be the eotb, scenesoftheroad, sixws, etsooi, landscape and abstract challenges.
However, often these challenges are in limbo for a week, or maybe more, while voting happens and the winner then has time to start the new challenge. During this time you may have taken a wonderful photo that is a perfect entry.
Would it be feasible to make it an option that the winner could set up the new challenge with a starting date which is the day after the old challenge closed? This could also help increase the number of entries in some of the challenges.
I’d be up for it... it’s less about serendipity and more about being in rather desperate need of inspiration... it’s making me no end of crazy just now with all the challenges in sync and therefore in limbo during the voting!
I hate to be the nay-sayer in this discussion but I strongly disagree.
I think one of the most important ingredients of challenges is getting out there to fulfill the requirements of the challenge - not go through your archives to find a photo that perfectly fits the challenge.
And though, most times it will be a photo that has been taken recently, I am afraid this rule may slide to those who go through their archives and grab the award-winning photo.
If you have a picture that perfectly fits the challenge, perhaps try to replicate it if possible in the proper time frame and even improve on it if you can.
But, the beauty of 365 is that it is a democracy and I will go with whatever the community decides.
What about setting up firm opening and closing dates, voting periods on a rotational basis similar to the weekly get-pushed (but longer than a week, of course).
I would be willing to organize this so that there are no lag periods with challenges. I would just add it to the Weekly SH*T list chore since I do notice how many challenges seem to end at the same time.
I've had this happen to me for the landscape topic. It is hard to go back and replicate a photo that I took while on a trip. It's not really going through archives when I took the photo two days before the beginning date. It is nice of you, Wendy, to come up with a solution.
@farmreporter
I agree about the purpose of the challenges being to get out and fulfill the requirements - I have had many times when I have had images outside the times because themes like EOTB Abstract etc are always in the back of my mind...I just try and keep an eye on the starts for the next time. Backdating to the end of last just means the comps are always running - which isn't good.
I do think your idea of firm open and close dates or something similar might work.
Like you Wendy I'm happy to go with the flow 😊
I don't think any of us were asking for the dates to be wide open, were we? The original post asked if the winner could " could set up the new challenge with a starting date which is the day after the old challenge closed? " which is pretty much the same thing as "firm opening and closing dates" isn't it? I don't quite understand why it is a bad thing for comps to always be open...
I think it's a great idea.
I'm currently hosting the street-59 challenge, and one of the photos was taken before the starting date of the challenge, but in the "limbo" period between challenges. According to the rules, it can't be among the finalists, but I find it's unfair. It's not an old photo someone found in their archives, it was taken after the previous challenge had finished. Also, being "street" photograph, it can't really be replicated - you depend on serendipity, here.
@30pics4jackiesdiamond Maybe it isn't that often that so many are in limbo at once, but it does seem to happen to me quite often, possibly because I'm only 'out and about' one day of the week with any regularity - and being Tuesday it is often the day that many challenges are in limbo :) I can see there being a break for challenges with specific themes (mundane, pet, others) but not so much for things like street, scenes of the road, eotb etc. More than once I've taken what I think is a great "street" picture when I'm downtown on a Tuesday, only to realise that one challenge closed Monday and the next doesn't open until Thursday. It's upsetting when it happens more than once.
I've been thinking .... which is always a dangerous thing according to my Hubby ...
Besides, thinking always hurts my head - lol!
It is the host of the challenge who decides when the challenge starts and ends so if the host decides to back-date the start of the challenge to the ending date of the previous challenge that is when it starts.
If enough hosts take up the initiative to back date the challenges, then that will become the new norm and things will change on their own.
That is one of the perks of being a host, I guess!
Never thought of going back through my archives for a challenge! Always assumed it needed to be taken after it was set.
Just a thought - you could run a challenge for a calendar month so it always had a clear start and finish date. The next one could begin on alternate months with the one in between to vote and for the winner to work out the theme for the next one? That may be too long a gap but it is just a thought........
The only problem with my previous suggestion is that some members would have a 'head-start' on those who do not realize that the challenge starts immediately upon ending.
But then, I don't think that would be a big deal. @tdaug80 also suggested this.
Thanks for all of your responses - it's interesting to see so many sides to the issue.
I wasn't imagining that people would scroll back through their archived images - I was just trying to allow for the situation whereby a wonderful image eg an eotb image, which was discovered after the last challenge closed but before the next challenge opened could be entered into the new one when it did open. I know I like to enter many of the various challenges and automatically keep an eye out for fitting photos.
I think several people have summed up the situation well but I feel Wendy ( @farmreporter ) has summarized it perfectly:
"It is the host of the challenge who decides when the challenge starts and ends so if the host decides to back-date the start of the challenge to the ending date of the previous challenge that is when it starts.
If enough hosts take up the initiative to back date the challenges, then that will become the new norm and things will change on their own.
That is one of the perks of being a host, I guess!"
As we know, Wendy does a wonderful job keeping us all informed about what is happening with the challenges so it seems that her opinion should be carefully considered. We would not want to do anything which would make her job harder. Her suggestion would allow her job to remain the same as she tells us the finishing date - not the starting date. It would also allow individuals to attack the challenges as either an ongoing interest or as a focused search which starts for them when they see the announcement appear. And, of course, it would be at the whim of each individual host.
If nobody is dreadfully opposed to this would it be OK if we accept Wendy's suggestion and see how things pan out?
Many thanks for all of your input.
Cheers Rob
not sure if this one has already been beaten to death, but what i was thinking is what if some of the challenges were run along the lines of Get Pushed... so the challenge is automatically open for one week, or two weeks, or from the 1st to the 15th... and the winner of the previous challenge picks 5 for voting on the 16th while at the same time the next round of the challenge kicks off... and i totally agree that we should not be combing thru archives to see if we have something that meets the challenge, and i'm not even thinking about "what if i see something today but the challenge isn't running"... i'm just thinking that i get inspiration from the challenges, and when there aren't a lot of challenges up and running i miss 'em 😎
anyhoo... i don't feel strongly about this one way or the other...
@northy That would also be a good idea - it works well for the Get Pushed Challenge. This could work for the themed challenges if people wanted to try it on one or another. On the 16th the winner of the previous one (which ran from the 1st to the 15th) would set the theme, commence the next one and set up the voting for the last one. The only snag may be that it could be a bit confusing for any new people who win for the first time?
It will be interesting to see what anybody else thinks?
Cheers Rob
Some, like Get Pushed, are strictly regulated because it's run by the same person all the time. But when the winner has to set up the next challenge and may live in a different time zone or be on vacation, that gets a little difficult sometimes.
Thank you for your confidence and compliment on my suggestion, Rob!! So nice to see.
Let me know if there is anything I can do to get the ball rolling for making the transition. I do like the idea of having structured time limits such as the get-pushed challenge does.
Will high-light this thread in the Weekly SH*T list.
@farmreporter Thanks Wendy - I'm pleased we had so many suggestions and it will be great if the end result is some format which meets most of these concerns. Thanks for mentioning it on your weekly list - that is such a "go-to" page for so many people. :)
@homeschoolmom@brigette Hi Lisa and Brigette. Thanks for your responses. Time differences are such a pain and it sure is annoying when they aren't considered. I know some people put up exact times for closing and quote a time zone in their given time. I'm afraid that means nothing to me - I have no idea how they all work. How much time would be needed to allow for all entries to be included - no matter where in the world they were being posted from? 24 hours would be sure to catch everybody.... Would it be possible to somehow let people know to wait 24 hours after the stated time before judging? :)
When and if I win a challenge I like having the ability to set my own dates. Sometimes I've been able to do it right away and at other times I've needed a week in between. That's one of the perks of winning I guess. Recently I knew I wouldn't be able to fulfill my own time limit so I asked another 365er to fill my shoes. There is always the option to pass your winning spot on to #2 if you can't get to the challenge in a timely fashion. I've seen that happen too. Part of the "challenge" here is just that- getting or finding the shot within the time frame. So I'm not really for regulating challenges or competitions that aren't already regulated. mho
@robz I think my recollection is that it was closed 12 hours early and I’m in NZ which means it would have been almost a day early in other places.
C’est la vie... all first world problems!!
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I think one of the most important ingredients of challenges is getting out there to fulfill the requirements of the challenge - not go through your archives to find a photo that perfectly fits the challenge.
And though, most times it will be a photo that has been taken recently, I am afraid this rule may slide to those who go through their archives and grab the award-winning photo.
If you have a picture that perfectly fits the challenge, perhaps try to replicate it if possible in the proper time frame and even improve on it if you can.
But, the beauty of 365 is that it is a democracy and I will go with whatever the community decides.
I would be willing to organize this so that there are no lag periods with challenges. I would just add it to the Weekly SH*T list chore since I do notice how many challenges seem to end at the same time.
I agree about the purpose of the challenges being to get out and fulfill the requirements - I have had many times when I have had images outside the times because themes like EOTB Abstract etc are always in the back of my mind...I just try and keep an eye on the starts for the next time. Backdating to the end of last just means the comps are always running - which isn't good.
I do think your idea of firm open and close dates or something similar might work.
Like you Wendy I'm happy to go with the flow 😊
I'm currently hosting the street-59 challenge, and one of the photos was taken before the starting date of the challenge, but in the "limbo" period between challenges. According to the rules, it can't be among the finalists, but I find it's unfair. It's not an old photo someone found in their archives, it was taken after the previous challenge had finished. Also, being "street" photograph, it can't really be replicated - you depend on serendipity, here.
Besides, thinking always hurts my head - lol!
It is the host of the challenge who decides when the challenge starts and ends so if the host decides to back-date the start of the challenge to the ending date of the previous challenge that is when it starts.
If enough hosts take up the initiative to back date the challenges, then that will become the new norm and things will change on their own.
That is one of the perks of being a host, I guess!
Just a thought - you could run a challenge for a calendar month so it always had a clear start and finish date. The next one could begin on alternate months with the one in between to vote and for the winner to work out the theme for the next one? That may be too long a gap but it is just a thought........
But then, I don't think that would be a big deal.
@tdaug80 also suggested this.
I wouldn't want anything completely open ended, certainly no further back than the close of the previous round of a given challeneg.
I wasn't imagining that people would scroll back through their archived images - I was just trying to allow for the situation whereby a wonderful image eg an eotb image, which was discovered after the last challenge closed but before the next challenge opened could be entered into the new one when it did open. I know I like to enter many of the various challenges and automatically keep an eye out for fitting photos.
I think several people have summed up the situation well but I feel Wendy ( @farmreporter ) has summarized it perfectly:
"It is the host of the challenge who decides when the challenge starts and ends so if the host decides to back-date the start of the challenge to the ending date of the previous challenge that is when it starts.
If enough hosts take up the initiative to back date the challenges, then that will become the new norm and things will change on their own.
That is one of the perks of being a host, I guess!"
As we know, Wendy does a wonderful job keeping us all informed about what is happening with the challenges so it seems that her opinion should be carefully considered. We would not want to do anything which would make her job harder. Her suggestion would allow her job to remain the same as she tells us the finishing date - not the starting date. It would also allow individuals to attack the challenges as either an ongoing interest or as a focused search which starts for them when they see the announcement appear. And, of course, it would be at the whim of each individual host.
If nobody is dreadfully opposed to this would it be OK if we accept Wendy's suggestion and see how things pan out?
Many thanks for all of your input.
Cheers Rob
@spanishliz @northy @genealogygenie @etienne @salza @janeandcharlie @annied @monicac @30pics4jackiesdiamond @casablanca @tdaug80 @lsquared @sugarmuser
anyhoo... i don't feel strongly about this one way or the other...
It will be interesting to see what anybody else thinks?
Cheers Rob
Let me know if there is anything I can do to get the ball rolling for making the transition. I do like the idea of having structured time limits such as the get-pushed challenge does.
Will high-light this thread in the Weekly SH*T list.
I gave your idea a try with the Landscape challenge. Will see how it goes. Maybe more people will jump on-board with this great suggestion.
C’est la vie... all first world problems!!