[AGA-Contest] update

[Erik Olson <erik@thekrib.com>]

I know it's mostly me and Carlos here at the moment, but others might be 
interested, and I want this stuff to go in the e-mail archive for 
reference...

I added a little counter on my admin page, so I can track how many people 
have "sort-of-completed" entries to date ("sort-of-completed" = filled out 
an aquascape form and created at least one photo).

Before Labor Day weekend started, I gave Carlos a manual estimate in the 
high 40's.  Yesterday the counter was 52 by the automated counter, and 
this morning it's 55.

I would say this number's only off by maybe 2-3 "lookie-loos" who aren't 
going to complete the form, but took the time to upload one picture.

For comparison purposes, in 2000 there were about 30 entries in this 
state, as everyone entered last minute.

So, looks real good.  Carlos' advertising is definitely pushing up the 
participation.  And what's also very intriguing is that I would say half 
or more of the entries are from outside the US, so even cooler!  I suspect 
there will be a big surge in the last-minute US entries this week (and as 
I've said so many times... there will probably be those nine individual 
next-day-UPS packages, each with CD-ROMs, sitting on my door from the 
Senskes on the 16th -- dunno why they never enter online).

The biggest problem we're having with this last twist is that folks are 
entering from countries that aren't on PayPal's "approved" list, and with 
the AGA dropping its old Visa account earlier this year (the fees were 
more expensive than the money we took in through it!), the only option for 
these folks was to have then stick a $5 bill in their photo release form.
I proposed to the AGA board that we offer an "angel" program for people to 
donate entry fees to help the "spurned-by-PayPal", and immediately someone 
stepped forward and covered the first ten entries.  So we're now offering 
free entry fees to people who live in non-Paypal countries.

  - Erik

--
Erik Olson
erik at thekrib dot com
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