Comments on: December best post contest is a go!

December best post contest is a go!

mathowie — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:56:15 -0800

It's time again for our annual December Awesome Post Contest!

We've done this several times in the past, 2006 (results), 2008 (results), 2010 (results), and this year will run much like last year's. There will be four big categories:

Best Post Overall (winning an iPad)
Best Single Link Post ($100 gift certificate or charity donation)
Best Multi-link Post ($100 gift certificate or charity donation)
Best Megalink (10 or more) Post ($100 gift certificate or charity donation)
Mod's choice (we each pick a favorite and come up with a prize for it)

About the only other rules are you had to have joined MeFi on or before 11/30/11 (no late bloomers) and any post made between midnight tonight (pacific time) and midnight on December 31st (pacific time) is eligible. We'll mostly be picking the winners based on our gut reactions though we will often use posts with high numbers of favorites as a guide to choosing, so feel free to use favorites to help us sort and filter out the best posts of the month. Thanks and get ready for some awesome posts!

By: Alvy Ampersand

Alvy Ampersand — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:26:22 -0800

"... And just to make it interesting, we're banning Rhaomi for the month!"

By: oneswellfoop

oneswellfoop — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:29:17 -0800

For a small fee, I will kidnap filthy light thief and lock him up in the storage shed behind my apartment for the month (but the fee must be enough to feed him).

By: mannequito

mannequito — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 22:02:21 -0800

Do comments count? If so, this is my entry.

By: infini

infini — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 01:16:53 -0800

Er, can I ask for a time machine to roll back 24 hours?

By: Rhaomi

Rhaomi — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 02:27:20 -0800

"... And just to make it interesting, we're banning Rhaomi for the month!"

Hah! I was actually going to ask if I should get a bye this time or something -- it feels kind of tacky to be in the running after just having won last year (and back in 2008), but I'd still like to make some good posts this month when the frigid weather and holidays leave plenty of indoors time for writing.

(I'm typing this at 4 a.m. because a relatively small FPP I was collecting links for lead me to a trove of material that's likely to blossom into something really wonderful. It even has a relevant anniversary later this month! I'm just stupidly happy about it. Stay tuned...)

By: solotoro

solotoro — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 02:30:05 -0800

Favorited Alvy because it was funny, not because I want less Rhaomi posts.

By: Brandon Blatcher

Brandon Blatcher — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 03:25:36 -0800

Begun this link war has.

By: The Deej

The Deej — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 06:16:34 -0800

I hope someone famous dies this month. Cuz I'm gonna make the BEST OBIT-FILTER POST EVER!!!!!!

By: Curious Artificer

Curious Artificer — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 06:35:40 -0800

It's not too late to do Andrea True. Porn star turned disco queen? It practically writes itself, PLUS you get to do the "more, more, [more inside]" trick!

By: DevilsAdvocate

DevilsAdvocate — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 06:58:50 -0800

If Rhaomi posts and sets a very high bar for everyone else, that's a good thing.

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 06:59:29 -0800

(opens Potential Awesome Post Idea Folder)

(No really there is a literal folder)

By: Phire

Phire — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 06:59:38 -0800

I'm excited about this. Last year Matt gave one of my posts a special mention, which was rockin' even without having won anything. (But yeah, zarq needs to be distracted somehow...)

By: zarq

zarq — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 07:07:49 -0800

Alvy Ampersand: ""... And just to make it interesting, we're banning Rhaomi for the month!""

Seconding DevilsAdvocate. Rhaomi makes fantastic posts and should continue to do so! :)

No pressure, dude. No pressure.

By: cortex

cortex — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 07:12:32 -0800

We actually talked a little about the idea of having a like Retired Jersey sort of thing, yeah. Wall of famer's disqualified from winning the big prizes as a rule to just avoid having it feel like a weird situation. I don't know if we came up with any firm plan there or not, I suppose we'll keep talking about it the next couple days.

By: zarq

zarq — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 07:26:26 -0800

Phire: " (But yeah, zarq needs to be distracted somehow...)"

Ha! Thanks. :)

But fwiw, I don't participate. I mean, I'll continue to post as usual and cheer people on and stuff, but I'm not planning to put any extra effort in and haven't for the last few contests. I'd obsess, and would drive myself nuts.

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 07:34:35 -0800

It may not be a post but I did just post my biggest long shot AskMe ever. I feel pride, a little shame. Shride.

By: shothotbot

shothotbot — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 08:34:45 -0800

(No really there is a literal folder)

An actual paper folder or a mere piece of organizational sugar supplied by your operating system?

By: filthy light thief

filthy light thief — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 08:56:25 -0800

oneswellfoop: For a small fee, I will kidnap filthy light thief and lock him up in the storage shed behind my apartment for the month (but the fee must be enough to feed him).

You'll have to increase that fee to cover child care. My wife would not be happy as a single mother for a month. And anyway, that little bugger has really put a damper on my ability to hunker down and make ridiculously complex posts. Now they'll only be absurdly detailed.

By: griphus

griphus — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 12:51:50 -0800

A REQUEST:

Can we have a "best by popular vote" winner? As it'll clearly be a popularity contest (and more than likely overlap with another winning post,) there oughtn't be a prize outside of bragging rights, but I think it'd be pretty fun to find out who the unwashed masses think made the best post.

By: zarq

zarq — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 12:58:35 -0800

I love this idea. There are so many fantastic posts that never make the podcast, for example.

How would you judge?

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:14:38 -0800

THUNDERDOME

By: griphus

griphus — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:16:21 -0800

Harshly and without mercy.

(A week of write-in voting by post ID on a webform?)

By: lazaruslong

lazaruslong — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:44:43 -0800

I think the Retired Jersey thing is a fantastic idea. Not only from an arbitrary "fairness" perspective, but that would also be a super cool honor for that person and would be a really simple way to point new folks towards some good posting models.

By: lazaruslong

lazaruslong — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:45:30 -0800

And a fairly diverse set of models, at that.

By: Elmore

Elmore — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:51:05 -0800

Very clever lure to bring back Dobbs, Artw, LiB, and some more besides. I wasn't necessariy a fan of any of them personally, but they were all outstanding contributers as FPP posters and the site needs more like them.

By: Trurl

Trurl — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:08:17 -0800

There are so many fantastic posts that never make the podcast, for example.

Streets of Fire is ruined for me now.

Ruined!

By: arcticseal

arcticseal — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 00:56:27 -0800

(No really there is a literal folder)

Call me Tolkein obsessed, but I parsed this mithril, which should be in the retired legends shirts.

By: Hello, I'm David McGahan

Hello, I'm David McGahan — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 06:13:41 -0800

Er, can I ask for a time machine to roll back 24 hours?
posted by infini at 1:16 AM on December 1 [!]

Erm, I don't have a time machine, but this should at least get a special mention.

By: Miko

Miko — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 07:47:40 -0800

We actually talked a little about the idea of having a like Retired Jersey sort of thing, yeah. Wall of famer's disqualified from winning the big prizes as a rule to just avoid having it feel like a weird situation.

As much as I would love to take part in the challenge again I think this is more than fair. It's the Peter Sagal rule, "sit on your hands and let someone else have a chance." If the Wall of Famers sit back it will give more people a chance to do some maybe new and surprising things and strengthen the community overall. I may make some posts this month depending on my available time but not in the spirit of competing, so maybe there should be a formal decision to opt former winners out.

By: elizardbits

elizardbits — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 08:19:22 -0800

How would you judge?

monkey knife fights

By: vanar sena

vanar sena — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:39:31 -0800

I can't wait to find out what the monkey will eat this year!

By: zarq

zarq — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:39:42 -0800

Unless pb and vacapinta are also being given a chance to choose their favorites, there are nine chances to win this month.

By: Trurl

Trurl — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 11:12:57 -0800

We're only two days in and people are already conspicuously throwing down. It's going to be savage.

I just finished a post for tonight that, under normal circumstances, I would consider fairly brawny. But no way I can hope to remain competitive with four more weeks of the kinds of posts coming in now.

By: SpacemanStix

SpacemanStix — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 11:56:29 -0800

Just wanted to say thanks, Matt! MetaTalk can sometimes be about the tension that exists on metafilter, but I find this to be very seasonal and fun, and reminds me why it's such a great community here.

By: filthy light thief

filthy light thief — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:13:40 -0800

I think that former winners can still play, but can't win again. I'm fine with that, but I have a few big posts I've been working on. I think more interesting posts will make December a lively place.

I could postpone them until January, but I want to rid my head of at least one of them. I find myself mulling over how to format the post in my head, what sources to look for, what I already have collected. This continues until I hit Post, then I have some lingering doubts, and I'll check the post for comments about what I've missed, but I try to stand back. After a few days, my head is clear of the topic. It's an obsession, but I love it.

Anyway, there are some people beyond the "typical" mega-posters who have shared some GREAT posts so far, so I don't think having more competitors is a bad thing, but I understand it's annoying when the same people win. And honestly, the only person who has one more than once in the last 3 contests is Rhaomi, who won the top honors the last two years.

By: cortex

cortex — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:42:16 -0800

Oh heck yeah, if we do the Retired Jersey thing that'll just mean no throwing the big awards at those people, not that they're supposed to not post for a month. Go crazy, post what you like and post it good.

By: Alvy Ampersand

Alvy Ampersand — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 07:56:38 -0800

I actually think uber-posters should still be eligible.

By: Miko

Miko — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 08:31:32 -0800

I didn't realize we'd already had a multi-winner.

By: el io

el io — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 09:29:58 -0800

Here's a thought: if a veteran winner wins instead of giving them the reward, they get a 'lifetime achievement' award instead of the award they would have gotten, leaving a newcomer the chance to win the category reward.

That way veterans would still be inspired to give their great posts and newcomers won't be intimidated by post ninja's easily winning.

By: Think_Long

Think_Long — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 14:09:11 -0800

A repeat winner gets a badge of their choice next to their username for 1 year, a la jessamyn's gone-but-not-forgotten gold star.

By: JHarris

JHarris — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 08:16:46 -0800

Don't forget everyone... December 26th... ZELDA DAY

By: JHarris

JHarris — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 09:51:28 -0800

I don't have the time or stamina to put lots of effort into MetaFilter posts the year around, but the best post contest sort of localizes my post-making efforts and gives me a convenient 31-day window which is just the right amount of time to get a serious obsession going.

By: pwally

pwally — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 06:08:17 -0800

I'm curious to see what the Retired Jersey would actually look like.

By: Miko

Miko — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 06:21:11 -0800

I'm picturing a cool late 70s era NFL thing, with some lurid colors like blue and ochre.

By: Panjandrum

Panjandrum — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 07:30:28 -0800

Former winners should still be eligible, but the bar should be set higher for them. So Rhaomi, for instance, can submit a post for judging, but must do so via interpretive dance.

By: pwally

pwally — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 07:36:34 -0800

Annndd I made a Retired Jersey.

By: Miko

Miko — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 07:47:27 -0800

Beautiful, pwally!

Former winners should still be eligible, but the bar should be set higher for them. So Rhaomi, for instance, can submit a post for judging, but must do so via interpretive dance.

My next FPP will be in the form of a toothpick sculpture.

By: dios

dios — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:55:25 -0800

An iPad? Things are going good at MefiCorp.

When I won Metafilter the first time you had a best post contest, it was like $30. Now there are iPads? Inflation!?!

Such an incentive makes me want to post something. However, since I haven't been reading closely over the last few years, I'm pretty sure I'd make a double-post.

Oh, and I gave the prize to charity, and I'm glad to see that option in this prize list... I hope I maybe have something to do with that established precdent.

Also, I never did get my mefipro account...

By: lukemeister

lukemeister — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:28:03 -0800

Repeat winners get laurel wreaths and a display case in the MeFi Hall of Fame (admission price: same as in town).

By: arcticseal

arcticseal — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 23:15:14 -0800

pwally: "Annndd I made a Retired Jersey."

Needs more unicorn.

By: infini

infini — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 23:37:38 -0800

And bacon bits.

By: pwally

pwally — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 12:56:51 -0800

Okay, fixed the Jersey.

By: arcticseal

arcticseal — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:04:57 -0800

Now that's a Jersey.

Breaking news, pwally is pb.

By: midmarch snowman

midmarch snowman — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:57:03 -0800

The dramatic up-tick in quality posts is really torpedoing my productivity. Damn. You. All.

By: infini

infini — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 23:50:15 -0800

*hunches over hands rubbing with glee*

By: yesster

yesster — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 20:36:43 -0800

Damn. This is a really, really tough field to beat.

I am so, so torn. I have two ideas I'd like to develop --- links I've beeen personally curating for years ---- but I could also delve into what has been submitted. Seriouxly,, dec 7 alone was somewhere around 40 hours of material if consumed serially (which I haven't).

So being torn - - - no. I'll probably sink back under the surface into metafilter obscurity.

Like a shark.

Yeah.

By: filthy light thief

filthy light thief — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:53:42 -0800

There will be four big categories:

1. Best Post Overall (winning an iPad)
2. Best Single Link Post ($100 gift certificate or charity donation)
3. Best Multi-link Post ($100 gift certificate or charity donation)
4. Best Megalink (10 or more) Post ($100 gift certificate or charity donation)
bonus: Mod's choice (we each pick a favorite and come up with a prize for it)

In light of the Mobile Suit Gundam megapost, perhaps there should be an UltraPost category, to separate those posts with 10+ links and 100+ links? Or is that pushing MetaFilter from a Community Blog site into Community Internet Magazine territory?

By: infini

infini — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 10:44:10 -0800

the Treaty of Westphalia FPP version right?

By: griphus

griphus — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 10:49:23 -0800

Or is that pushing MetaFilter from a Community Blog site into Community Internet Magazine territory?

Special Advertising Section

I think this contest could benefit from a Charles Schwab Retirement Fund.

Special Advertising Section

By: zarq

zarq — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 11:30:39 -0800

filthy light thief: " In light of the Mobile Suit Gundam megapost, perhaps there should be an UltraPost category, to separate those posts with 10+ links and 100+ links? Or is that pushing MetaFilter from a Community Blog site into Community Internet Magazine territory?"

How many $100 gift certificates do you think mathowie is going to be willing to give away?

By: filthy light thief

filthy light thief — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 15:15:15 -0800

No more money needed, just more gold stars.

By: DoctorFedora

DoctorFedora — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 04:31:10 -0800

So far as I can tell, Rhaomi hasn't posted anything yet this year...

Is cautious optimism warranted?

By: DoctorFedora

DoctorFedora — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 04:34:29 -0800

oh wait right there it is

looks like he felt like going easy on us (though it's still a fantastic post)

By: Rhaomi

Rhaomi — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 02:16:09 -0800

I've been très busy (more than I thought I'd be this month), but I am hoping to get some more stuff done. I was aiming for an assortment of posts similar to last year -- a good solid post about a fascinating media phenomenon with lots of source material (à la Starship Titanic), plus a shorter one about a collection of science fiction writing (like the Ted Chiang stuff), plus a short life-related one on New Year's, plus some odds and ends (the Transmet post being the first on that list). And maybe, maybe a round-up link-dump of animation stuff on a theme, like Cartoon Network remixed, but that will be difficult to get done anytime soon, even with the useful guide I've found. But I will try!

By: DoctorFedora

DoctorFedora — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:21:51 -0800

Good grief, you are the reason people pay $5 to join MetaFilter.

By: arcticseal

arcticseal — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:33:03 -0800

We need a tip jar.

By: The Deej

The Deej — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 19:45:04 -0800

We need a tip jar.

So did the rabbi.

By: DoctorFedora

DoctorFedora — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 03:18:25 -0800

Rhaomi how are you so consistently incredible

I need to rent O Brother now and it's ALL YOUR FAULT

By: Brandon Blatcher

Brandon Blatcher — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 07:53:22 -0800

Last call!

By: infini

infini — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 07:55:01 -0800

Waits three full minutes for 2012 then plans last post

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:04:48 -0800

Somewhere in an island in the middle of the pacific, the Lone Poster sits and waits to unleash the Best Last Post of 2011

By: infini

infini — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:11:16 -0800

Actually the island in the middle of the Pacific is already in Tuesday

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:13:27 -0800

Okay right before that island, pedant.

By: infini

infini — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:26:40 -0800

That's Easter, past Christmas