I've been reading, but I missed something here !!!???

["Jim Capelle" <JCapelle@email.msn.com>]

 "I would like people to speak up on the idea I posted regarding the idea of
foregoing  any mailed out awards, be they prizes, certificates or ribbons.
We could post the "winners" names and send PDF format "certificates" to them
to allow them to have something to hang in their fish room if they wish."

If you had said something to the effect that this contest was going to be
happening and no prize or anything was going to be given out to anyone who
placed, I would have hit my delete button and moved on.  Numbers of entries
will not be a problem with that concept.  Every time you ran this event it
will get smaller in size too.  VERY BAD IDEA!!!

"Jose has also suggested memberships in the AGA as another option as
"prizes". This would work with this idea, as the "Contest" would not be
responsibe for sending anything out in the mail to the people who win. It
would require the agreement of the AGA. We could also ask the various
magazines for "gift subscriptions" as well."

I given a lot of time and some effort in getting together the list of clubs
in my area and international (that worked in the English lang..)  I given
Dave V. a list of dealers that would and have donate prizes in the past to
other groups.  Yes membership to AGA and magazines subscriptions are great
and not to hard to deal with. don't let me think I am wasting my time and
resources here.

"Would levying a nominal "entry fee" ($5.00/entry) make this more "serious"
or more or less likely to garner attention and attract entries?"

As to limiting entries, YES!  I know of people who will enter a fish contest
with every fish they own in a class to "Go For The Odds" to win.  This is (I
thought) to  show our/their  "Best",  not to be scanning every tank I own
with plants or Bio-systems, I have 14 that I could enter and feel that I
could place on most.  Now multiply that by 3 or 4 views, Hello that is 50's
or so pictures from me alone to scan. (I have a few systems that I wouldn't
never enter, but another would think that I/they should or could), And I
think handling moneys by snail mail to pay for entries presents many
problems of lost mail or exchanging monies rate internationally.  But would
help in paying for mailing out something to the winners.  Then maybe $5 is
too much?

"Do you think that doing away with mailed out ribbons or certificates would
hurt the event? Would people be less likely to enter if they know that we
are not going to give them a prize, in the traditional sense of the word?
Would notification of their efforts via the Web be enough?"

I think you know where I stand on this point.  I planned to spent more time
on the computer this weekend to change my list of clubs to weed out the ones
that can't work with out E-mail, and to make sure The point of contacts have
E-mail.  Now I wonder if I am making a mistake and wasting my time and
resources on something I wouldn't even enter as a contest.    I hate getting
upset at the start of a long weekend.  JiM C.





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