Prizes were discussed thoroughly but how about some reward for ribbons? 12, 6 and 3 months free membership for first, second and third place? Or how about a challenge a month where the top ten get membership for half a year?
This could be a way to reward without the need for (big) expenses for DPC.
(desparate about not being able to build a portfolio): Rob
To be honest I dont think thats fair.. especially when theres certain people who just keep on ribboning I mean good on them but its not fair to everyone who hasnt got a ribbon and some may never get one in my view
To be honest I dont think thats fair.. especially when theres certain people who just keep on ribboning I mean good on them but its not fair to everyone who hasnt got a ribbon and some may never get one in my view
That might be true... but isn't it from these people you benefit most? I wouldn't mind a lifelong free membership for regular ribboners.
Of course, someone else must calculate and decide what is justifiable.
Maybe a membership for the ribbon winners that they can donate to a non-member they think deserves it? :) Say something like a 3 or 6 month membership for the ribbons on just the free studies.
Maybe a membership for the ribbon winners that they can donate to a non-member they think deserves it? :) Say something like a 3 or 6 month membership for the ribbons on just the free studies.
an excellent idea.
the site has, in average, about 12-15 winners each week.
ok, ok... :-) NOT every challenge, NOT a full year, NOT for the winner herself/himself but as a membership donation to non-members.
Does anyone else think it a little cheeky to be talking about giving away other peoples' money?
Personally, I think any suggestion on giving away memberships for any reason should come from Drew and Langdon since each membership given is a reduction in memberships paid for and a reduction in the income they get from the site. Since I doubt that the income even covers the cost of running/ hosting the site I think that's an unfair request to make.
Also, in my opinion, one of the strengths of this site is that there are no real prizes, just ribbons. As soon as the prize has a monetary value the nature of the game changes.
Lastly, how about this as a proposal - those who want to make it a money game contribute funds themselves into an account that can be used to pay out the prize money?
Does anyone else think it a little cheeky to be talking about giving away other peoples' money?
Personally, I think any suggestion on giving away memberships for any reason should come from Drew and Langdon since each membership given is a reduction in memberships paid for and a reduction in the income they get from the site. Since I doubt that the income even covers the cost of running/ hosting the site I think that's an unfair request to make.
Also, in my opinion, one of the strengths of this site is that there are no real prizes, just ribbons. As soon as the prize has a monetary value the nature of the game changes.
Lastly, how about this as a proposal - those who want to make it a money game contribute funds themselves into an account that can be used to pay out the prize money?
they hand out free memberships to people who contributes tutorials and help to the site, so i think this wouldnt be too hard to work out.
for each tutorial, you get $5. off your membership or credit on DPC. tutorials are written with the express purpose of helping others, and should thus be rewarded. they take a great deal of time and effort to write. I do not begrudge this recognition, as it is of someone who has worked hard to help improve the knowledge of others on the site.
as far as i'm concerned, part of the draw of dpc is that it is a pure competition - for the glory (;-P) only. this site is about photography, not money, not winning free gear, just trying to excel at our chosen obsession.
People cheat all the time when the prize is a virtual ribbon. Imagine what would happen if you put a "real" prize out there. This idea does more harm to the site then good.
- I DO NOT want to destroy the idealistic character of the site (as if I could!) and I do not plead for prizes in the way they're given away by other sites.
- I am NOT talking about giving anybodies money away. There's a difference between giving away a temporary membership for free and giving away the money it is worth. The intention was to give someone the possibilities of a membership that wouldn't purchase one. It's not lost money if you see it that way. (TO KAVEY)
- To "stay in the game" by "winning" temporary memberships is in my eyes not that much worse a goal than doing it for the glory. (compared to $$$) (TO KAVEY)
- People who cheat don't love the game. If the prize they get by cheating is to play in the game why would you cheat (more)? (TO MattO)
ANYWAY, it was just an idea. Something like giving away books to students that win a writing competition or new running shoes to those that win a race. To encourage.
This thread is dead.. let's go back to taking pictures :-)
Another possibility would be instead of giving away memberships, maybe people with free membership who win an open challenge could get the right to enter one member challenge? Don't know if this would be feasible in terms of coding of the site, but it should be pretty good in terms of a "prize"... this way the site doesn't lose its idealistic part of not offering prizes. Free members get a little reward for doing well, and for the site owners, well offering a "taste" of paid memberships to those who are clearly quite good might tip them over the edge into signing up for a full year...
Problem is, i don't know if giving access to a member challenge is considered a "prize"... One of the reasons I think this site works so well is that there are NO prizes. It promotes a great community like dpchallenge.com currently has, where everyone is so helpful.
one of the strengths of this site is that there are no real prizes
agreed
I second that. I think that's what makes this community such a success as the only thing to be won is bragging rights which makes the challenges a lot more fun IMO. I also agree with MattO where I think the cheating would increase 10 fold if actual prizes were offered even if it was a single week membership.
Personally, I like the OOBIE / YAPPIE award nomination technique for people who think differently or are particularly helpful in critiques. This would reward people that make the site better - not just by getting ribbons but by conributing in a positve way.
This could be incorporated into free memberships somehow but I'm not sure it's going to be done from the top. One scenerio if it was incorporated into the site: There could be an automated nomination system I suppose, which would allow each member to nominate maybe 3 people each month for an award that would result in a benefit of extended or free membership for a period of time.
Another scenerioone that I think would work would be that reputable groups such as Team Suck would be given two free memberships that they could give away along with the YAPPIE / OOBIE ewach month. THe same think could happen for the WPL MVP and other groups that maintain a positive relationship with DPC and generally make the site better.
Originally posted by RobMcGee:
This thread is dead.. let's go back to taking pictures :-)
This subject seems to keep popping up lately. Why? In my opinion the system is fine as it is and needs no further 'rewards.' I think they would change the atmosphere for the worse.
Relax - It think free memberships are not necessarilly a bad idea - it's not like giving away a cash prize. I think it's just needs to be distributed sparingly and for the right reason.
ANY pics of that kitty ???
Originally posted by RobMcGee:
I still think some overdraw the scenario.... but I don't like the defending position I find myself in... so:
I OFFICIALLY WITHDRAW MY PROPOSAL and sell my little baby cat to purchase a membership.
No further comments needed. I was wrong and I know it. :-)
