Hm, it would be interesting to see the rankings updated. I also find it amusing that this thread itself has as many 'likes' as the bottom few listed on the first post. XD

why were the number of likes made public..? It just feels like a disadvantage to the top competitors..

Was the point of this contest to get people to post more in threads and create interesting threads that people will like?? Eh, I guess it just seems a lot of people are upset/confused/uncaring about the whole thing...which doesn't seem like much fun.

Yes the point was to try and stimulate activity and to reward the person who did the best. As usual things often end up going sideways though :lol:

Technically though, it has boosted activity. I mean I know that I for one am active in both Vixen's and Logan's threads. So they have basically become little hangouts...bribery aside, it has worked.

Also I think it's easy to get the impression that people are upset with me and Logan's threads based on a few vocal individuals, but you have to bear in mind we have a LOT of support. So we must be doing something right, eh?

Originally Posted by Vexatious~Venom

Technically though, it has boosted activity. I mean I know that I for one am active in both Vixen's and Logan's threads. So they have basically become little hangouts...bribery aside, it has worked.

I can vouch for this as well, I think I went from a few posts in the exchange weekly to a little over 300 posts in a month (which is way over the norm for me lol). With the friends I've made I can see myself continuing this kind of activity. I'm not usually this talkative at any site. ^^; I suppose the giveaway aspect was what made me go to the threads in the first place but in the end, I feel I gained a lot more than items/gold, which is worth way more to me. :'D

In general when there's a subject and a bunch of people then there'll always be a small amount who will complain about it, and they will always do it pretty loudly, the vociferous minority and all that. That's just life basically :) In general the people who are happy with or indifferent about something don't feel the need to say anything, it's usually only those who are unhappy who are moved to make their feelings known.

ehh, I feel like this is all just one big mess. I feel like all this activity, which was the goal, is only temporary. Like an event, anyone with the time or dedication will post as much as they need to get the free gold/stuff. however, the opportunity to get $200(?) itunes credit is great.

I think there is a bit more public outrage than to classify it as a "few", and as to support for the threads, well you give someone a chunk of gold that depending on their activity, is a months worth of work and i think they would kiss your butt and call it ice cream, people are easily swayed by monetary gain.

Originally Posted by Gary Stargazer

I think there is a bit more public outrage than to classify it as a "few", and as to support for the threads, well you give someone a chunk of gold that depending on their activity, is a months worth of work and i think they would kiss your butt and call it ice cream, people are easily swayed by monetary gain.

Can I ask you something with the hopes of you not getting upset at me? Do you consider all of those who support those threads "butt kissers" and only after the "payment" or bribe they receive? Or, is this directed at certain people? I'll be honest. Yes, the gold I got from liking Vixen's thread was nice to receive and the random prizes from Logan's thread were greatly appreciated. But I liked their threads for other reasons. For one, both have been really kind and nice to me. Also, I made a point to also like the other threads in the contests. And they didn't offer anything in return other than the fact that I liked those threads and I actually would love to see anyone win the iPod.

It saddens, and agitates, me so much that there had to be an issue like this. Because I get the feeling that other contests such as this will either never see the light of day or that the rules will be so strict that people will complain about that as well.

And this actually reminds me of a comment that Inso had made about not being able to please everyone. Though that comment was said regarding a different incident, it proves true in this case. The contest was designed to simulate activity and reward those who were creative enough to gather the most likes. Sure, there is a gray area regarding what should and should not be allowed. But if you look at it one way, a giveaway or raffle is a creative way to do things. Is it fair to those who don't have the items or gold to use as an incentive? Not really.

Sorry for the long post but as much as I really want to not say anything as I am neutral towards it since I can understand both sides, I do feel as if any comments concerning receiving gold or items from these people are somewhat uncalled for.

Liz when i make comments like that, it's more of a generalized remark about the masses, it's not a focus fire at one particular user.

People can make all the excuses they want but in the end if you give someone a wad of cash, it's going to improve their disposition towards you, this is just the way of the world and how things operate.

Also please understand that the reason I've so zealously protested this has nothing to do with friends or my own participation in the contest. Let it be known now, and Insom I'm sure will vouch for me on this, my thread (which isn't even close to the top) was conceived and planned over a week before the contest was announced since I was hashing out ideas about the paper with boss man before I even knew about the contest.

So you see I have no personal investment in this contest, none of my friends are leaders in it and I could care less about how well my thread is doing. The reason I protest the actions so adamantly is for the sake of fairness. This contest was about making an interesting thread, not just throwing money at people. I feel that "giving people money is interesting" is not a fair argument.

Now granted I was a bit harsh on Logan earlier and I do apologize for coming off as such an ass hat, his methods are questionable but he is giving away stuff regardless if people like his thread or not.

That being said Vixen's tactics are straight up underhanded and full of misgivings. She claims she is giving away gold to people to like her thread, guess what... that would hold water if she was giving it away but she isn't. She is demanding a screen shot for proof. It's not a give away it's a payment for services rendered. She is not "giving" at all.

In fact I understand this issue is a touchy subject with a lot of people and I'm going to beseech the staff right now on behalf of all users that are both for and against this tactic. Since the bribery issue is such a heated debate then let there be a thread made with a poll! Let the masses decide if it IS an unfair tactic or not!

The way I see it, if Vixen was planning to give away her stuff as she continues to claim, then she has lost nothing if the contest adopts the rule and she is disqualified. On the other hand if majority rules that it's a fair tactic then nay sayers such as myself will be forced to eat humble pie and agree that it is indeed a fair tactic.

How about it? I find it's a completely reasonable thing to request from the staff to create a peaceful and final solution to the dilemma.

Oh grow up. Enough.

Obviously I ask for a screenshot because I couldn't count how many people would try to take advantage of it otherwise. It doesn't take two brain cells to figure that out. It's just a screen shot, hardly a "service" at all. besides, most giveaways involve some sort of "service" as you put it, whether it's from participation through posting, a contest, trivia, etc.

Now putting the idea of those kind of threads to a vote for FUTURE contests would be plausible. However, this contest is ending in less than a week. That would look poorer on the staff to give into the demands on one vocal individual a week before the end of the contest, in comparison to taking constructive feedback for future contests.

Funny because I find the idea to be completely reasonable and the staff would have NO involvement if the population made that decision.

Also as I recall you only just made your thread a few days ago so obviously you have proven that a big change can take place in a short period of time. So the time line of the poll would not really be an issue in the grand scheme of things.

I don't see how requesting a peaceful democratic solution to a problem is such a big thing to ask.

Well that's great, that's your opinion, not the staff or the entire population. So have fun with that.
The thing is you are the only one trying to make this a "problem".

Gary...gary..gary. You are the only loud and obnoxious person on this issue. You certainly don't speak on my behalf. If anything from your posts you're just stirring up shit. Someone already asked about giving gold and a staff member replied.

Originally Posted by Insomniac

The Liztress: Given that there are seven days left on the contest, I really do think changing the rules at this point would reflect more poorly on the staff. With that said, I did not expect people to be paying for likes, but I can respect the resourcefulness of it. On the other hand, I can see how it would seem unfair to some people. In the end though, anyone doing that did work hard for their gold in the first place, so if want to give it away in a novel way, who am I to stop them? If you can't tell, I'm pretty conflicted about this.

I can also see the pros and cons of a gold giveaway. The whole..."I'm going to publish a rant" is a load of cock and bull. It just looks like you have a personal vendetta and you're creating drama in the forums. I'm not feeling any sort of "justice for the people" in anything you've posted. Even the silly newspaper threat sends the message of this is what's going to happen if you don't do what I think needs to be done and kiss my ass. You should laser point the exact position, too. I think you would have an issue with placement. :roll:

Bottom line is the fat lady hasn't sung, yet. No one is entitled to anything. Someone could make a bitchin' thread tonight and blow everyone out of the water. Then what? If you truly cared about people you would have posted about a poll in feedback without snarky comments and silly threats.

First of all, Vixen was forced to make a second thread because her first was created two days BEFORE the contest would have made her thread valid, and would therefore make her unable to win, so she was forced to make a second in order to qualify.

Secondly, it was never mentioned that giving away ones own hard earned gold in exchange for a like was against the rules, so its all fair.

Finally, what does it really matter anyway? Its a contest, and one that you (gary) aren't even attempting to win yourself, so why are you so concerned with it anyway? If Inso doesn't have a problem with it, then neither should you, and I am sick of all of the stress that seems to be arising from the issue.

Nobody cares how they (Vixen and Logan) are going about the contest, because they are making people happy, as they have done for a long time on this site.

I never once heard any complaints about fairness when Vixen was selling her inventory for 75% off, and wouldn't that seem unfair to other people selling things? Its a community, and the people here get along with each other, respect each other, and enjoy our time spent here BECAUSE of people like Vixen and Logan, the generosity.

In my opinion, they BOTH deserve an Ipod because of their commitment to making people on this site happy.

Just because I'm the only one being vocal doesn't mean I'm the only one upset by it. I'm just doing what I think is right, and Insom didn't say he was happy about the decision just that he felt it was too late to deal with a rule change, I simply present an option he may not of thought of in case he is worried about it.

As to the paper, actually I'm thankful to have such a news worthy story to write on to be honest. Regardless I've said my piece on this issue so we can just see if anyone else chips in or what not.

Maybe a mod will pop on and tell me to stfu, maybe they will agree with my idea. Either way I'm done posting about it. So at least you won't have to see my "obnoxious posts" any further. >:3

Choosing to stop posting about this is probably the smartest decision you made and I believe I speak for many people who hope that you stick to that decision.

I agree, I've been reading this crap for two days, and seen too many people getting upset because of these ridiculous arguments.

Gary~ It's how you presented your case. You could have easily posted a poll in site feedback, heck you could have used your newspaper to advertise the poll. I saw your posts the first time around. I have to be honest and say it irritated the hell out of me to see the same kinds of posts again. Regardless of what happens, this is a first for the community! I'm annoyed because instead of going one on one with the people in question. I know you aren't the only user who is upset. I did see the wallflowers topic. I think it's a wonderful topic for people who are shy and it's amazing how much it has grown/it's growing. But, that was tainted by the "we're not paying you" remark. Even if it's a great thread no one owes them anything, either.

I do want to say that the thread I would love to see pull ahead and win is the We Love Mene thread. They want to donate the money back to the site. c: Now even though that would be really sweet, I'm not going to pick arguments with people. If I was as deeply concerned as you claim you are, I would have opened a poll myself without dropping names.

Originally Posted by The Whitewolf Shaman

In my opinion, they BOTH deserve an Ipod because of their commitment to making people on this site happy.

I agree. I barely knew Logan and Vixen, but they been very kind to me. Given me items and such. Shoot I scored some rare items because of Vixen's 75% off sale and her give aways. I also scored some other items because of the kindness of Logan.

Also a couple of charities helped me out as well. :)

---

Why do we need drama on this site? I mean come on, I came here to escape from drama and now I am witnessing it. This is so ridiculous. Keep the drama away from Menewsha please.

@Snowflower: You are absolutely 100% correct, I should of just started the poll myself instead of asking the staff to get involved, I figured doing it myself would be a bit too pushy but hey, everyone already thinks I'm an ass hat for standing up for what i believe in anyways.

Soooo one non-opinionated poll in feed back coming right up! Xd

Originally Posted by Gary Stargazer

@Snowflower: You are absolutely 100% correct, I should of just started the poll myself instead of asking the staff to get involved, I figured doing it myself would be a bit too pushy but hey, everyone already thinks I'm an ass hat for standing up for what i believe in anyways.

I definitely cannot have any sympathy for you after how you asserted your opinion.

If I entered a contest like this (which I didn't), I definitely wouldn't try to raise likes in this manner. However, since the issue of contention wasn't clearly mentioned in the rules, we should at least respect how some people choose to generate interest and so forth.

You know it took a few friends pointing things out to me to realize something about this whole incident. I guess it's one of those cases of not seeing the forest because of all the trees kind of thing.

I'm a very proud person and when I see something that i feel is unjust i tend to latch onto it like a dog and not let go until the issue is resolved, that being said... After taking the time to step back and examine everything I can honestly say that I have no regrets on how I feel over the subject but my way of going about it has not be something I would normally do.

I've been rude and opinionated and that would be one thing, but I've pointed fingers and called people names, that is not something a man of honor would do. I stand by my opinion on the situation but i should not of openly attacked other members of the site directly like I have done. No mod has scolded me or told me to say these things either, I'm saying them of my own will.

I suppose when all is said and done, after i took a step back and looked around I realized just how much of a jerk I've been being over this incident, especially to Vixen.

So this is a formal apology to her, I don't expect her to forgive me after being such a jack ass and i still find what she is doing to be very disagreeable. However humility is something that must be accepted at times and this is one of those times.

I also apologize to the community in general for pushing this issue so much, I was just doing what I thought was right for Mene and all those people that came up with such wonderful thread ideas, but I went about it in the wrong way completely, so for that I'm very sorry to have stirred up such a huge drama storm and upset many of you.

Oh I will also throw out an apology to Logan, i apologized to him in minor on another thread but it was also with a snotty attitude so I feel he is owed a more proper one now.

Ok then, now that I've finished publicly humiliating myself I'm gonna go hide under a rock for a few weeks. ><

@Zweres: Oh and I didn't ask for your sympathy or anyone else's for that matter.