September 2024 POTM - Vote Now!

[jjohnwm]

Y'all just need to chill.

Absolutely; listen to the bot...

For the record, I apologize for noticing your rule-breaking and duplicity, and for not cooperating more fully by ignoring it...

 

[danotaylor]

There is a very large difference between figuring out who’s fish is who’s from your own memory of prior posts, and an entrant revealing their identity.
One is a voters memory, and the other is an entrants violation of the clearly stated rules, which are in place to establish unbiased voting & fairness

 

[danotaylor]

The fact that no moderators have anything to say or add to truthful content presented in this thread make it pretty clear that this blatant violation is going to overlooked, and that the rules for the contest are a complete joke. MFK has gone woke, pandering to our fragile gen-whatever’s. What a shame
Who would even bother to submit an entry in the future? Total waste of time and energy…

 

[AR1]

The fact that no moderators have anything to say or add to truthful content presented in this thread make it pretty clear that this blatant violation is going to overlooked, and that the rules for the contest are a complete joke. MFK has gone woke, pandering to our fragile gen-whatever’s. What a shame
Who would even bother to submit an entry in the future? Total waste of time and energy…

I don’t mean to be rude, but it’s worth noting that our one and only admin, C Chicxulub , has retired. Things have gotten a bit 'soft' since then. While mods can step in, it’s really the admin who makes and enforces the rules, at least from what I understand. So until a new admin is appointed, things may remain a bit unclear.

EDIT: i am tagging a mod who ran the competition before Deadeye , Gourami Swami . Maybe he can shine some light on things?

 

[Deadeye]

I refrained from posting sooner because I hoped this would fizzle out on its own, but clearly it won’t. Allow me to keep it civil and “moderator-like.”
I take great pride in running POTM, it is one of my favorite parts of being on this forum.
The goal of this contest is, at the end of the day, for fun. Awards stopped being regularly handed out a long time ago. With C Chicxulub retired I don’t know that there will ever be badges handed out to winners in the foreseeable future. It doesn’t mean I’m going to stop running the contest.
Nowhere in the POTM rules does it state that a member can’t say what picture is theirs. It’s more of an unspoken expectation that it will remain anonymous, but I’m not going to stop someone from claiming it’s theirs. Any reasonable voter knows to vote for the image and not the member. Since it’s such a small active community, many of us can venture a guess as to who took a picture based on the subject and framing as is.
If soliciting votes is a concern, I really saw nothing that I would think truly qualifies. Saying “it would be nice if I won” is a far cry from “vote for me and I will give you a 20 pack of neocaridina.”
Most of what goes on in this forum as of recent involves dying animals, stupid questions, and pointless (though entertaining) banter. If a lighthearted photo contest is making members upset, than I’m truly sorry for upsetting any individuals.

 

[jjohnwm]

...vote for me and I will give you a 20 pack of neocaridina...

I'm in! Which pic is yours?

 

[AR1]

and pointless (though entertaining) banter

It’s gotta be those two troublemakers, jjohnwm and esoxlucius , right? And don’t forget that bot, S SilverArowanaBoi ! I agree, we've had plenty of their antics, lol

 

[danotaylor]

Deadeye I appreciate the competition. I appreciate your heart for it to be fun and light-hearted. I admit that I interpreted the “no soliciting votes” rule as a mandate to anonymity. My bad. AR1 certain didn’t exalt his picture or publicly use the platform to solicit votes.

The knowledge of whose pics are whose does give opportunity for friendship voting without apparent solicitation. In my mind, that is what “seems” to be the case here.

I am happy to be wrong about this, but how an out of focus picture with shop shelving in the background somehow has the 2nd most votes over other pics that show the subject clearly & in focus begs the question, doesn’t it?

I guess you could say to me that I’m just bugged cause my pic doesn’t have many votes, and there’s a measure of truth in that thought, but to be honest, my picture and subject is better photographically, even though I’m no photographer and just used my iPhone. That’s annoying.

So how is one to think there is no bias in voting based on the entrant being revealed, or friendship votes? Even the picture w zero votes is more focused and better photographically. My unprofessional assessment.

At the end of the day I guess I just need to shut my face and move on. This is NOT a professional photo comp, and there is nothing gained or lost by winning or losing, or placing anywhere in the field. Stuff like this just gets up my nose and I need to just learn that this is simply the world we live in.

End of rant. End of my involvement in this discussion.

 

[Fishman Dave]

I might be wrong but I personally DO NOT ever vote for friends because they are friends, OR vote for the best CAMERA picture.
In my view anyone can take a fantastic picture with a fantastic camera and that includes me.
Month on month I see people win these competitions with professional photos with nothing in the shot but a fish on a completely black background and I wonder how,. It’s a fantastic looking photo but how is it taken without being manipulated in some way (I honestly don’t know, I’m not that clever), but I probably didn’t vote for it.
I probably voted for the one that is an active fish, constantly moving, taken by someone with an I phone and they have caught a one in a million shot of an in focus common, active fish on a phone - now that’s worth voting for!!!!
Do I know them????? I don’t care !!! Did they take the fish on a black background shot with a studio setup and tell me who they are and ask me to vote for them ………….. I don’t care, sorry, there was one that deserved it more.
Anyone who thinks I would vote for anything other than the photo I wanted to vote for, on merit, is I am afraid deluded!
I could tell you which photo I voted for but it won’t help, it’s not the winner or even close, and it’s not mine either! (I stopped submitting them when I didn’t win, the first, second, third, fourth, fifth time……………….. only joking!)
My one vote probably had no bearing in the result.
And the winner, doesn’t get anything anymore ( I stopped worrying about that many moons ago too), when I realised (thanks esoxlucius ) that I am here to help as many old or new, young or old, fish keepers with any advice I can give, not to be the guy with the greatest awards or biggest scores.

Sorry , slight disclaimer, I am not knocking anyone’s photos , they are all great! Just not all my taste!

 

[Caperguy99]

I’m a simple man. I vote for the photo I like the most.

Unless I have an entry, then I vote for my own no matter the competition