[AGA-Contest] [121] contest entry autopsy 2006

[Erik Olson <erik@thekrib.com>]

So it's after midnight here, and it's 121 entries possible.
The final number will probably go down as there are 2-3 questionable 
entries, but not too shabby considering the total lack of PR.  I guess 
cash IS a major motivator. :(

Almost nobody using postal mail this year.  Two personal checks, one bank 
draft, and $20 in cash.  I think I scanned in only one entry, and one 
other person sent a CD-ROM.  So that's great.  I prefer not having the 
giant stack of papers of previous contests.

Several entries still without photo releases.  One thing I did different 
this year is I sent no reminders until after the contest closed, i.e., 
just now.  I had no time to track this stuff.  So it will be interesting 
to see how well the stragglers are motivated by the spectre of humiliation 
by the "censor judge" picture [or more appropriately, her 2006 
equivalent].  It worked pretty nicely last year on a few guys who ignored 
the e-mails; about half signed the release once the site went live.  I am 
wondering if it will help reduce the problem to begin with now.

Likewise, there still continue to be folks who don't follow the directions 
on the photo release, sending a Word document with everything printed 
(complete with the original instructions "Do not send a WORD Document" 
included in the document!), or just a signature, or even just the photos 
themselves.  Still others are completionists and send a separate release 
for each photo.  And there's some folks that sent e-mails AND faxes.  I've 
gotten used to sending quick firm replies to the ones lacking, and 
eventually everyone's getting it.  I think NEXT year (if I continue to do 
the technical work on this contest; or if not, for whoever takes this job 
on) it might make sense to modify the program to let them upload the photo 
release directly to the entry as another picture that doesn't show up in 
the contest.  Maybe.  It's working about as well as to be expected.

There are the usual one-off oddities in the entries themselves.  Most 
interesting is that someone has done a topiary swan with bogwood and moss, 
and in one of their photos has actually photoshopped in a real swan to 
show you what they're thinking, just in case you don't get it.  Another 
entry has a picture of the aquarist's wife/daughter/sister changing the 
tank (I removed the name).  A couple of folks have their name burned in & 
we'll have to get them to remove them or photoshop them out.  One person 
didn't upload their photos to the site, but instead to a free 
"photobucket-type" site, and inlined the images in the comments... No big 
deal.  A challenge to the tech geek.  As I say, just one-offs.

But every year there seems to be a recurring "grr" that seems to happen 
systematically across many entries.  Last year it was all these folks 
mailing 10 photos, or a photo collage of 25 tiny images posing as one. 
This year it definitely is UNNECESSARY FRAMES!  I can understand the raw 
photos from the camera being uploaded uncropped, but lots of people are 
uploading photos with large black bars around the photos, or a large black 
bar and a small white bar.  I will be hand-cropping each of these, as they 
just make the final image harder to see.


-- 
Erik Olson
erik at thekrib dot com
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