Writing Contest - New Formula.

Writing Contest - New Formula Needed.

The Writing Contest introduced here is a very nice and warmly welcomed concept, may be so far it has not got the correct responce which it deserve but this happen often in real life.
But in my opinion there is something missing out here and I have some suggestions to make some further improvements in this system, but let us first find out the current problems with an example.
Suppose Mr. X has started a thread titled:
“The Great Nities of the Great Chanakya”
and also suppose Mr. Y has started a thread titled:
“Sallu and Kait - What Next?”

Now we try to imagine what is going to happen in both cases.

1. The Great Nities of the Great Chanakya.
   
   • Almost every user will try to view this thread.
   • Most of the people will also get benefited with some extraordinary knowledge contained in it.
   • But most/every thread reader will not post any reply, because his status is too small to write anything either in favor or in against of any of the Great Nities of Shri Chanakya.
2. Sallu and Kait - What Next?
   
   • Lot of people will view this thread but probably lesser than Mr. X’s thread.
   • No one will get any real benefit as in the case above.
   • Almost everyone have something to say either in favor of Sallu or in against. So this thread will get too many replies also.

(Most of the replies or views are due to the involvement of the names of celebrities of current era)

So the summary is “What will happen to the Quality of Article” with the current formula.

As a Solution to the problem of “Quality of Article”, I am presenting a new formula.
In the new system use points to calculate a winner, where
1 Post = 1 Point.
10 Views = 1 Point (or may be 15/20 Views for one Point, based on the recent contests data)
Total Points = (No. Post) * 1 + (No. Views / 10) * 1 Points.
Winner = Person Having Maximum Points.

I hope this formula will slice some of the demerits of the earlier one and it looks capable of identifying the issue of “Quality of Articles” as well, also this formula is flexible enough to accomodate some "now unseen" more advanced features as well..

May be the “Example Titles” presented above are not the best examples to elucidate the concept, but they indeed are good enough to explain the main idea.

@muku

consider this, all the contestants know this fact so its upto them to choose an appropriate title, so if they are wise they can win.

And in second example you gave (sallu n kat), ur saying it may have lower views and more replies ! Dude you can't reply without viewing the article.

That said its nice to see a newcomer interested in the contest. keep it up !

Originally Posted by newprouser

@muku

consider this, all the contestants know this fact so its upto them to choose an appropriate title, so if they are wise they can win.

And in second example you gave (sallu n kat), ur saying it may have lower views and more replies ! Dude you can't reply without viewing the article.

That said its nice to see a newcomer interested in the contest. keep it up !

Yes, 'most' people don't reply to anything reading almost 'nothing'.

Yes. It's really nice to see your interest.

Originally Posted by newprouser

consider this, all the contestants know this fact so its upto them to choose an appropriate title, so if they are wise they can win.

So you want to say that if a contestant has done a Phd in say "Microprocessor Design" then instead of writing an article in his own subject he should choose a subject from Bollywood/Hollywood just because the rules favour this kind of topics?:lol: and be called WISE.:clap:

Originally Posted by newprouser

And in second example you gave (sallu n kat), ur saying it may have lower views and more replies ! Dude you can't reply without viewing the article.

Dude "Nities of Chanakya" is a topic of interest for even a 7 yr old child or a 70 yr old person, whearas "Sallu and Kait" would be an interesting topic for the age group of 15-25 only:6:.

Also you can expect a Read(view) from any age group but a reply from the age group 15-30 only(Am I correct?:3.
:scooter:

Originally Posted by muku

So you want to say that if a contestant has done a Phd in say "Microprocessor Design" then instead of writing an article in his own subject he should choose a subject from Bollywood/Hollywood just because the rules favour this kind of topics? and be called WISE.

Well i'd say its responsiblity of the author to make his article understandable to the "all people from different fields" , jus bcoz he's brilliant in "Microprocessor Design" does'nt mean he can post the data sheet of a chip and expect peolple to reply too.

What is the point in posting an article, if all people cannot understand what it means. And if the people do understand something, obviously going to reply something, or atleast clarify sth.

I can understand your concern is the quality of article , but its for people to decide what they like and don't and this's exactly a litrary corner.

Wise here represent , jus being practical about things dude, nothing more.:gunsmilie:

Dude "Nities of Chanakya" is a topic of interest for even a 7 yr old child or a 70 yr old person, whearas "Sallu and Kait" would be an interesting topic for the age group of 15-25 only

What makes you say that ? Half , if not most magazines would be in ruins now, if that were to be true.

Also you can expect a Read(view) from any age group but a reply from the age group 15-30 only(Am I correct?).
:scooter:

Fact is that many people in this forum are youngsters or of medium age. That apart, it can't be conclusively said people outside that age group won't be interested in replying such an article.


----


Ok goin by your analysis

Case 1 gets many views and zero/few posts.
Case 2 gets many views and lots of posts

still your formula does not solve the problem.

Muku's idea deserves a lot of credit.

a) We can judge by numbers only. For example, if I open the article, read it fully, or read it half way or not at all, there is no way to determine the "quality" of views.
b) Replies should be counted only if they evoke a genuine response. If a reply says "Good article" or something like that, it should be counted as a view only. But that will make the judement labourious.
c) Another method could be have a poll with each article - four options: 4 = Excellent, 3 = V. Good, 2 = Good, 1 = Average. Count the points. But this will be effective only if people vote.

Originally Posted by just4kix

b) Replies should be counted only if they evoke a genuine response. If a reply says "Good article" or something like that, it should be counted as a view only. But that will make the judement labourious.

Then "intellectual" or "quality" articles will suffer more coz if ppl don't understand but still want to credit the person for his work , that will most probably be their reply.

c) Another method could be have a poll with each article - four options: 4 = Excellent, 3 = V. Good, 2 = Good, 1 = Average. Count the points. But this will be effective only if people vote.

Yup i agree with this. this's much more easier.

Originally Posted by newprouser

jus bcoz he's brilliant in "Microprocessor Design" does'nt mean he can post the data sheet of a chip and expect peolple to reply too.:

Dude if someone has done a Phd in "Microprocessor Design" then it dosn't mean he will present you the data sheet of a chip, infact after a Phd a person is supposed to explain some funs associated with his subject to any KID like you and me.:13:

I can understand your concern is the quality of article , but its for people to decide what they like and don't..

If it is a open contest, Why let peoples:21: like you and me to decide, why not make the system itself decide:7:.

Wise here represent , jus being practical about things dude, nothing more.

I know we all are WISE:euroPracticle), but i still favour non-wise, transperent, powerful system.

What makes you say that ? Half , if not most magazines would be in ruins now, if that were to be true.

Dude suggest Admin to change his site name from Broadband to Bollywood - he might get some extra profit:wheelchair: like most magazines.

Fact is that many people in this forum are youngsters or of medium age.

There is currently "20 members and 288 guests" logged in this forum.. how came you know:52: the profiles of each user.

Ok goin by your analysis

Case 1 gets many views and zero/few posts.
Case 2 gets many views and lots of posts

still your formula does not solve the problem.

Its because my formula is just like a core kernel of a powerful operating system, we still have to make shells around it:tooth:.

:scooter:

Originally Posted by muku

I know we all(Indian dimag) are WISE:euro:, but i still favour non-wise, transperent, powerful(american type) system.

that was not a very clever comment !!!
Try to be more careful while u speak.

And one more thing, nobody tried to attack ur thoughts here so its best if u stay away from making wise remarks. I hate bollywood more than u can ever do but that doesnt mean I have the right to go on constantly making wise crackin remarks.

Nobody is goin to make changes just coz you alone like it or favour something.

You are welcome to post your comments, but jus don't expect everybody to favor what you say.

As leo said, you better mind your language and attitude.

Originally Posted by Evander Leopold

that was not a very clever comment !!!
Try to be more careful while u speak.

OK leo I have ammended my wordings.
but dont you think its better to make a transparent system (if it is in your hands) then to "jus being practical about things" wheather right or wrong.

I hate bollywood more than u can ever do...

I was also trying to convince newprouser that there are peoples who don't like bollywood or their actors.
its just that my style is a little bit diffrent.. anyway i realized my mistake and corrected it.
:scooter:

Its quite all right pal,
by the way, Admin had tried hard to make this contest a success and I think he will be happy to see someone giving this a very serious thought. keep it up. I will be back if I have some ideas to share.


And participate in other threads too dude

No comments.

Like I mentioned in the first post of this thread , its nice to have a newcomer interested in the contests.

Originally Posted by just4kix

Muku's idea deserves a lot of credit.

Thanks dear.

a) We can judge by numbers only. For example, if I open the article, read it fully, or read it half way or not at all, there is no way to determine the "quality" of views.

My suggested formula can give you an approx numerical value for "QUALITY" but to further ensure this issue some more things could be added, like moderators can be assigned the duty to read every articles in the contest and Vote for "Quality". and if a moderator has Voted for an article.. that article could be awarded:

(Mods No of Posts) / 1000 * X Points (X may be 2/3/5...)

I think Moderators will be having no problem at all for this kind of duty...

b) Replies should be counted only if they evoke a genuine response. If a reply says "Good article" or something like that, it should be counted as a view only. But that will make the judement labourious.

Again Moderators/Admin Negative votes could be introduced for this.

c) Another method could be have a poll with each article - four options: 4 = Excellent, 3 = V. Good, 2 = Good, 1 = Average. Count the points. But this will be effective only if people vote.

Good idea but i dont think peoples will vote.. especially guest users can not vote.

:scooter:

Originally Posted by newprouser

No comments.

Like I mentioned in the first post of this thread , its nice to have a newcomer interested in the contests.

Dude see some facts:

newprouser : Join Date: Oct 2008
muku : Join Date: Aug 2008

So who is a newcomer:lol: new prouser?
:stupid:

Originally Posted by dudeuser

Dude see some facts:

newprouser : Join Date: Oct 2008
muku : Join Date: Aug 2008

So who is a newcomer:lol: new prouser?
:stupid:

:lol: i din see that... i oly saw his posts :lol:

Did you sign up jus to mention that ?

@muku
Nice ideas thanks for taking interest.

Where is our dear admin ?

Originally Posted by newprouser

:lol: i din see that... i oly saw his posts :lol:

Did you sign up jus to mention that ?

Dude it looks like you have signed up to increase the no of posts only..

I am not a spammer:11: & dont have too much time:26: either..
signed up just to give:helpsmilie: my openion on this contest..
:5:

Originally Posted by Manish

@muku
Nice ideas thanks for taking interest.

Thanks Manish.

Where is our dear admin ?

I think you know it better as you have already posted over 2000 post here.

:scooter:

Originally Posted by dudeuser

signed up just to give:helpsmilie: my openion on this contest..
:5:

hey dude, plz dont post offtopicfftopic: contents.. if you have any ideas then dont waste any time to share:21: it here.
:rockon:



:scooter:

Originally Posted by muku

I think you know it better as you have already posted over 2000 post here.

Believe me even after 2500 posts, he didn't mail me his address, so don't know where he is

Originally Posted by muku

hey dude, plz dont post offtopicfftopic: contents.. if you have any ideas then dont waste any time to share:21: it here.

Oh yes..
I am still thinking to produce:4: any formula..

But i must congratulate you:angel: for providing some wonderful ideas(with concrete formulas), you may know or not i dont know, but i know that all the forum members including Admin have invested a great amount of time to comeup with a good working formula..

But your formula certainly looks better:clap: then the current one.. as it can easily accomodate some other concepts as well.. like Points for Moderators vote..

Until we deal with Point System we cannot think beyond.. like Mods Vote..

We cannot expect a "Poll Vote" from each article reader but we certainly can expect votes from Moderators..

Really.. Really.. Nice..........
:rockon:

Originally Posted by Manish

Believe me even after 2500 posts, he didn't mail me his address, so don't know where he is

Its OK:40: man.. No One wants to share his address with any stranger:detective:/"forum member".. this is the main reason behind seeing strange:stuart: names like newprouser, dudeuser, just4kix, evander etc..
In this regard Admins decesion about giving up the prize money to users Paypal acc is a wise decesion (otherwise i would have suggested it here).

:scooter:

Originally Posted by Manish

Believe me even after 2500 posts, he didn't mail me his address, so don't know where he is

Looks Interesting.

Originally Posted by Evander Leopold

:thumbup1: :no: :thumbdown:
:29:

Originally Posted by muku

“The Great Nities of the Great Chanakya”
.

On a totally unrelated tangent, just to clarify, are
we talking about Chanakya's sleepwear here?????

-F

Originally Posted by farce

On a totally unrelated tangent, just to clarify, are
we talking about Chanakya's sleepwear here?????
-F

Good Morning:tooth: farce!!!

I think:35: we are discussing about some new formula for our "Writing Contest"!!!

Quote of the Day:
"Doctors always suggest to have a proper sleep:sleep1: during Nights".

Originally Posted by dhaneshv

Yes, 'most' people don't reply to anything reading almost 'nothing'.

I think you have read enough about this article..
if i am not wrong then you are the same person:11: who has posted more than a dozen posts:sweatdrop: in the thread which has won:14: the last "Writing Contest"..
so what happened dude.. why you have suddenly forgotted:001_rolleyes: everything about this topic!!!

Yes. It's really nice to see your interest.

What happened to your interest dude?
We expect some new things in the new formula from you too... dude.

Originally Posted by DalmeKaala

if i am not wrong then you are the same person:11: who has posted more than a dozen posts:sweatdrop: in the thread which has won:14: the last "Writing Contest"..

It was infact 33 posts out of 90, all related to "Improvement in Writing Contest".

Members, please stop accsuing/fighting with each other; else I will be (most unwillingly) forced to close the thread.

Originally Posted by just4kix

Members, please stop accsuing/fighting with each other; else I will be (most unwillingly) forced to close the thread.

OK.. as you wish just4kix(Guardian Angel).

Originally Posted by muku

Its OK:40: man.. No One wants to share his address with any stranger:detective:/"forum member".. this is the main reason behind seeing strange:stuart: names like newprouser, dudeuser, just4kix, evander etc..
In this regard Admins decesion about giving up the prize money to users Paypal acc is a wise decesion (otherwise i would have suggested it here).

:scooter:

Just a clarification

Evander is not a strange name [quiet common place in some countries actually] and is infact his real name

Sorry for the off topic

Gr8 thread ........ rep+ ........ keep it up

Originally Posted by just4kix

Muku's idea deserves a lot of credit.


c) Another method could be have a poll with each article - four options: 4 = Excellent, 3 = V. Good, 2 = Good, 1 = Average. Count the points. But this will be effective only if people vote.

this is the idea exactly, i thought to be executed.
we need to keep a poll above all the articles presented for the contest, so after the view, every person can rate the article according to the usefulness for them.

I hope this would be the best idea.
i support the view of just4kix strongly.

just4kix
Please dont waste all my hard work...

dudeuser,
please be within limits...

DalmeKaala
Please dont blame others.. try to contribute..

Originally Posted by ShAdOwCoN

Gr8 thread ........ rep+ ........ keep it up

Thanks ShAdOwCoN.
Although Off Topic but what is rep+..

Back to Topic :-

So the next suggestion is that, when nothing is certain in this world why we have a fixed format for "Writing Contest", i mean if the no of Articles in a contest is less than a certain mininum expected (say 10/20/30...) then the same contest could be continued in the next week.

:scooter:

Creating a good contest formulae is not an issue.. the problem is not many people participate in it like the last on had just a couple of entries if I remember correctly.

How do we get more members to get into the contest?

Originally Posted by muku

just4kix
Please dont waste all my hard work...

dudeuser,
please be within limits...

DalmeKaala
Please dont blame others.. try to contribute..



Thanks ShAdOwCoN.
Although Off Topic but what is rep+..

Back to Topic :-

So the next suggestion is that, when nothing is certain in this world why we have a fixed format for "Writing Contest", i mean if the no of Articles in a contest is less than a certain mininum expected (say 10/20/30...) then the same contest could be continued in the next week.

:scooter:

I meant the Evander part was offtopic

lol .... rep+ is never offtopic in any thread
rep+ = Reputation point added

The rating idea by other members can be easily gamed Any one can register new id's and start rating their own threads

I guess the views thing is the hardest to play around with and those threads which have good titles with good content will rank well in search engines and get more views as they will get traffic directly from search engines.

In that case, I think "Admin's Choice" article is the last option..as you the owner of this site..why don't you judge the article and declare one the winner

Originally Posted by Admin

Creating a good contest formulae is not an issue.. the problem is not many people participate in it like the last on had just a couple of entries if I remember correctly.

How do we get more members to get into the contest?

First of all Thanks for giving a feedback to my ideas.

Now I would like to say first that "Paisa khuda to nahi par khuda se kam bhi nahi" is a very famous and absolutely true statement.. If you have money with you - you automatically get friends, if you dont - your friends dont recognize you. so if you introduce any system which "gives out" money, you will certainly get friends (new users) automatically.

But there is one more fact living with us that is "you can not become a millinior in a single day".. the song "haule haule ho jayega.." just represent this fact. so please dont expect this money formula to be an instant hit.

So you should think about continuing this "Writing Contest" with some modifications which should Attract the contestants (Mods Vote) and at the same time it should not be an Extra Burden on your pocket (like post 34) too.

As far as "geting more members to get into the contest" is concerned, i know some peoples have already suggested some ideas like inserting a flash animation on the home page, etc.. But i have a different idea which i beleive would be more useful.. that is, you can add a Thread as an Announcement to inform about this Contest (I know almost all guest users and most new users never bother to go outside that BSNL section).

I am tired writing...
:scooter:

Originally Posted by Manish

In that case, I think "Admin's Choice" article is the last option..as you the owner of this site..why don't you judge the article and declare one the winner

Yes. I would like to support Manish.
But, only Adminji's rating would do 'him' bad.
Because, it will give rise to bad arguments upon.....you know what....

I saw many guys bouncing up on 'me' in some earlier posts.

Please guys.........
Peace..........

If you were so investigative, then, you could have just checked my profile page.
I had been offline for 3 days.
Just came back now.
Please don't blame others without having a proper reason.

Originally Posted by Manish

In that case, I think "Admin's Choice" article is the last option..as you the owner of this site..why don't you judge the article and declare one the winner

Margin of error would be far greater this way.

Again contest setup is not a problem we can always work something out one way or the other... the issue is how to get people to participate in good numbers?

Originally Posted by Admin

Margin of error would be far greater this way.

Again contest setup is not a problem we can always work something out one way or the other... the issue is how to get people to participate in good numbers?

hey Admin.. "Contest Setup" & "issue of how to get people to participate" are not two different things, infact it is just the two faces of a same coin....
unless a "Open Contest" is transparent and equally justified for all contestent - NO One will want to go in it.

Originally Posted by muku

hey Admin.. "Contest Setup" & "issue of how to get people to participate" are not two different things, infact it is just the two faces of a same coin....
unless a "Open Contest" is transparent and equally justified for all contestent - NO One will want to go in it.

How was the old setup which only saw 2-3 contestants in the last one unfair or not transparent?

Hi friends,
Although I missed it.. but how was the "Highest poster contest"?, it looks like it saw more than 50 contestants.


:scooter: