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  • IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!! About the Google Adsense ads being displayed

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    Want to get rid of them? Simple. Just become a Contributor level member or above and they will be gone. -> Please click HERE."

    Is that too much for me to ask of you to keep this site running? Well, sorry about that. I too wish I could get everything for free. But alas.....

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    Google Adsense ad revenue for December, 2025 was just $30 over the cost of the lease for the server running this site. So, in effect, the money providing the incentive for me to continue running this site is coming SOLELY from the paid memberships and sponsorships here. Which honestly ain't much....

POLL: contests on Fauna

Contests on Fauna

  • It is a great idea.

    Votes: 38 57.6%

  • It is not a good idea.

    Votes: 6 9.1%

  • I have concerns (please state these concerns)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Maybe, depends on how it is done.

    Votes: 22 33.3%
  • Total voters
    66
S

Stardust

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I am wondering if perhaps having contests would help to generate more activity on Fauna.
If you think it is a good idea and want to at some time donate a prize to the contest or have suggestions as to going about it or types of contests and judging, please by all means give them.
Thank you for responding.
 
:D Possible categories:

Most snakes

Biggest jerk

Most postings

Highest number of points

Longest burm (snicker)

or a multitude of contests on snake identification, husbandry trivia, etc.

Depending on the category, it would be interesting to think up appropriate prizes, which might be donated by the many fine companies who advertise here; or perhaps the Mayor of Hell could donate prizes in the jerk categories......
 
I thnk what lucille pretty much sums it up for me too! I think it wuould be fun....
-Matt Graybeal
 
Sounds like a great idea, I know the site I am affiliated with does them on occasion, and many others do, it absolutely would help boost traffic and interest in the site.
 
I would like to suggest to those who voted "depends" to please help me understand why it depends and what would make it worthwhile??? I am looking for some feedback here as well :)
as Webslave said this could be on the BOI so I can gather more votes from the people here.
I am hoping with this to boost the discussion forums.
Thanks again.
 
Warning: I'm in a sort of rotten mood, so if I sound like that... I am. :)

I REALLY liked the photo contests on Kingsnake.com for a little while. Some of them were very good. But I think I might have gotten a bit known as one who doesn't care for the way the current establishment runs things. I entered a photo contest, and was the only entrant for 90% of the contest.... then finally a few others entered (just as many as another contest) and then they decided to judge it differently, and I felt that I was denied the right to see who if anyone would vote on my admittedly not wonderful picture, but I thought it was cute. I just didn't like things starting one way, and turning another way.

I do think that it would be very nice to have something like that on the discussion forums. Photo contests are nice... even subcategories might be nice so as to make judgeing easier and harder.... for example a "cornsnake" contest might not be as easy to judge if you just LOVE striped corns and only three out of twenty entrants were striped corns. Hard to be impartial... but a "Striped Corn" or an "Amel+ Corn" contest could be nice.

I think it's important to keep it all fun loving, and it might also be interesting to have a few contests that actually have some monetary value too. But then who puts up the money or the thing of value?

Ah Jeepers, I'm just not in a very eloquent mood. Take my post for what it's worth.
 
Rozann, how about if we (as Nike says) ***just do it?*** I have proposed 5 categories, above, that I think would be fun to start with. Ask the mods to open a Paypal site so that some of us could donate toward the contest into a Fauna account. No one person needs to put in a huge amount, but if it is for the good of the Fauna website I am sure we can all do our part and Paypal in five or ten bucks. After, let's say, ten days, count up the donations, split it five ways, and open the contest. Keep it open for a week and then have the votes tallied. I think it will be very entertaining, especially when some post 'fish stories' about the size of their burms.
 
Thanks Sasheena, I am trying to figure out a good fair method of voting. I know it won't be just one person and I won't change it in the middle ;). This is, I think, the hardest for me to come up with as I thought of all people here being able to vote, but then I run the risk of people double voting with different names and friends voting soley on bases of being friends, ect. So this is a very hard one to decide on.
Thank you for your input.
 
Most Creative Photomorph...

A lot of people on the BOI have demonstrated their talent with photo programs... perhaps it would be nice if we had a contest that was the most creative photomorph within a specific boundary.... Lizard based, snake based, amphibian based... and the person posting the completed picture will have to submit the unaltered photo(s) used in the creation of this marvel-piece. :)

Of course this is one of my favorite things to play with, photomanipulations, so perhaps I'm biased in my desire for this as a contest.

Anyway, just thought I'd show I'm not TOO grumpy
 
Hmmmm Lucille, I am getting the impression you have a very LARGE burm?? LOL
I have the first prize to be given already in mind as it is mine. ;)
The problems I have is will others donate as well and the voting process. The latter being a primary concern.
Thanks
 
Rozann, there will be no perfect solution to the voting dilemma. This is much the same problem I have faced since day 1 on the BOI trying to determine which people posting are real or clones of someone else.

I would suggest a panel of judges, giving each one exactly one vote in a poll. I could set it up so that the judges would be the only ones who could vote in the polls in whatever areas are designated as entries for the contest(s).

I think the first step is determining the prizes. That will determine the number of contests you can run. I have a few corn snakes I could donate, as needed. Or a year free web hosting, free banner ad, whatever..... The prizes need to be things people would want to strive to win, of course.

A photo contest for each discussion forum would be a logical thing to consider, or even something that included artwork as well. I would like a new logo for this site, so that would possibly be interesting and entertaining for people to participate in.
 
Webslave and Rozann, did you like my idea of cash prizes, possibly even to be made into certificates to be spent on reptiles/products on this site?
 
Lucille,

I would lean more towards the actual companies donating the goods for the contests. There is the obvious benefit on their part by the implicit advertising such donations would provide for them. This is a direct return for their generosity. Asking the general public to donate money may not generate as much prize material, I would imagine. Then there becomes the problem of someone having to decide WHICH companies those certificates would apply to, how to redeem them, etc. Simpler will be better.
 
Ok, how about a panel of five, (anyone care to be a judge?) Or a panel of three changed monthly.
I also purpose that if someone wants to donate an animal or tee shirt or whatever can pick what sort of contest they want to do, this way it would not always be the same contest and keep things interesting.
Lucille if you would like to help me start to put this together it would be most appreciated :)
How does that sound???
 
Stardust said:
Ok, how about a panel of five, (anyone care to be a judge?) Or a panel of three changed monthly.
Click to expand...

Rozann,

Check the thread in the steering commitee forum.
 
I would love to be a judge in contests I would not want to enter, but not in contests I might actually enter. I like the idea of a limited number of judges that change from time to time, or from contest to contest.

Just a thought. And I agree, I'm sure there are plenty of companies that would want to donate goods/critters to the cause, as it would be free advertising, and it would take the burden off the members.... as I'm sure those that always give, would give again, and the ones that never give, would not bother to give this time either.
 
Rozann: I would love to help Fauna and you. I would not enter any contests.
My strengths: I am an incredibly good organizer, I work hard, have a sense of humor and most important I really like Fauna. My weaknesses: I am essentially computer illiterate, a failing I am slowly trying to deal with.
Use me as you will, I can judge, put together ideas, whatever suits you. Email me and we will get it done, and Fauna will be better because of our efforts:D
 
Hmmm being as i am a SUCKER for giving things away...

Let me do some pondering on this and i might can come up with a reasonable obejct of of donation .First thought i am having would be a JHC-24 cage for a contest. this would be a cage that could house an adult BP , geckos or colubrid in possibly. It would be a "standard cage with plexi sliding doors and a lock no heat or lights ( i dont think ) roz ill IM you with details of my idea for a contest to keep it a fair thing.
 
Thanks Alan, will talk to you.

Thank you all who voted, I think its time for a contest, hopefully I can get it started on a monthly basis starting July.
Sasheena and Lucille will be getting in touch with you both soon, thank you both so much for your suggestions.
 
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