Please post your three choices in order of preference. 1. Your top choice. 2. Your next choice. 3. Your third choice. Winner will be announced 12/30/04, and will be choosing the January theme. Good luck!!!

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I think that's an excellent idea. Thank you!

1. eternalwytch 2. cagewench 3. tedz

1.eternalwytch1 2.experimental 3.gurami

I don't see anything wrong with voting for one's self. :)

I was iffy... especially if we take the galleries as an example where others may vote for us but we cannot, so - as you can see - I erred on the side of caution just in case ;> :> cara

It's a matter of personal choice, as far as I'm concern. I would never suggest one should vote for oneself for the sake of getting a vote, but if you've looked at everything that was submitted, and you have the confidence to see your own as the best...why not vote for yourself? For the purpose of this challenge, and because the rules do not exclude the practice, you're fine voting on your own behalf. :)

I think what gets me is that I know everything that was in my mind when I wrote my entry so, it gives it more depth because I have a deeper understanding because it's my own. I think most folks would feel the same. I tell you this though, reading experimental's... I laughed and iced tea came out of my nose because I wasn't prepared for that laugh :> cara

Me? I always wonder who the candidates cast their votes for in elections! I appreciate you sending out a link cagewench. This is my first contest, and I arrived here because of a friend. I'm totally clueless to the process here. Looks like I've got some serious reading/reflecting to do here. I'll cast my vote soon. -j.p.

Personally, I think voting for one's self creates an immediate bias. Of course we like our stuff, and why not? We created it. Does that necessarily make it worthy of a win? no.....But I bet our mom's and dad's would vote for it! LOL. I enjoyed all the postings, I have no favorite, but vote I will for the work and effort applied by all! 1. Tedz 2. jstro 3. Wolfspirt Never met or read their work before, very much enjoyed them, enjoyed all of your work! Dinhi (=

Re: voting for oneself
A great man once said "Writing is the ego dipped in ink".

The same great man says:

1 - nocturnecsh
2 - experimental
3 - dinhi

Calm holidays to all.

My belief is that the people I've met on this forum are honorable people, so I trust your judgment. :) The rules can be changed for the next forum.

1. Dinhi 2. Jstro 3. Experimental Merry Christmas Everyone!

1.nocturnecsh
2.Dinhi
3.cagewench

Merry Christmas Everyone!

And let's all cast an "honorary" vote for dialyn for guiding us over the last year. "Herding cats" is not an inappropriate comparison to make when dealing with writers/artists.

ROTFLMAO!!!!! (I got a visual of trying to herd cats) Kudos to dialyn!!! :> cara

My dog Bella tries to herd cats every day, and she assures me that
you all are much more obliging. >^..^

1.nocturnecsh

1. experimental
2. gurami

Message edited on: 12/24/2004 00:34

1)gurami 2)jstro 3)nocturnecsh

I'll vote 1. Gurami 2. Cagewench Alas, I can't think of anyone for third. ML

No, no, no...you may cast only one set of votes. It makes it too confusing if we have to decide which votes to take. Please let my last week as a faux moderator be an easy one, and post one set of votes, and delete the extraneous ones you may have made.

Next week I get to be a member again and I can do my mischief then. :)

But until then, take pity on a small brain for calculations.

Many thanks.

Message edited on: 12/26/2004 19:05

Okay, which rule stands? Is voting for oneself allowed? Me stands in mental disarray.

;-p

Okay, on further back-reading, I noticed your 12/20/04 10:55 entry which stated it was okay to vote for oneself. I'm going to assume that that is the rule for this particular contest and vote accordingly.

-j.p.

Message edited on: 12/26/2004 19:25

You may vote for yourself if you like for this challenge. I have no problem with that. But each person only gets one set of votes.

Nocturnesch, think about it this way.....voting is for the external part of our being, voting for ones self is selfish and not fair to all those that worked hard to accomplish the right to be voted on. I don't know where in my life, voting for ones self was acceptable. You see.....WE LIKE WHAT WE CREATE, and are purly bias...let others make the determination....you will feel so much better in the end if you win....knowing you didnt cast the winning vote, rather others around you found you worthy...(=

S'okay, s'alright. Sure is fun, ain't it dialyn? ;-) -j.p.

Yeah, I know what you mean Dinhi. I'm actually leaning that direction. I guess I'm just a stickler for consistency and well laid-out instructions. Former military and all.

Okay, here we go:

1. Tedz
2. Gurami
3. cagewench

This was NOT an easy thing to do. You folks are terrific writers! (and I really, really mean it!)

-j.p.

Message edited on: 12/26/2004 19:33

1. nocturnecsh 2. experimental 3. Tedz and, I think, in the future it probably makes more sense if we jsut say that ppl cannot vote for themselves (just like we can't vote for our own stuff in the Hot 20) what threw me originally was that I'd voted for the 3 as I've re-done here, but then someone else voted for themself and I learned it was allowed and I began to think, "Well, if I don't vote for myself, anyone else will think I don't have confidence and pride in my own work" and I got my brain into quite the kerfuffel (sp?) Plus, of course, my work will reach me best becuase I know all the nuances of it :> :> cara

I will say this, and this that the assumption one would always vote for oneself is an erroneous one. Never in the history of any challenge or contest have I ever voted for myself, because I recognized the strength of others, and never saw anything worthy in myself. In truth, humility has gotten me nothing but a kick in the pants and a door shut in my face. It isn't necessarily selfishness to recognize you have pride in your work. ....do, please, vote for the story that you in you heart think is the best, whether or not it is of your own creation. Learn objectivity...learn to compare yourself fairly with others. But do not judge yourself more harshly. If you like what you did the best, then why not say to the world: "I am proud of this that I created, that no one else did." It's just for fun, afterall. Winning is not the point. All of you who entered have already won...you risked showing yourselves to the world. That is the triumph here. The voting is secondary. Really.

Ahh Cara, and nuances it be filled with! ;-) -j.p.

you make a good point, but now I've got it in my head that it would be terribly irresponsible and naughty to vote for myself... ahh the joys of panic and anxiety disorder... i'm not re-thinking this anymore because it's preyed upon my mind too much already and my original instinct was that we should NOT vote for ourselves so I'm sticking to it so I don't get myself all anxious and such... cara

nocturnecsh: thanks :> I really enjoyed writing it and was quite pleased with how it turned out :> I also loved yours (as you can see) :> Though all the entries were good and interesting :> cara

Thanks dialyn. The water was almost clear there for a moment. Thanks for muddying it up again (LOL). Good points. I really relate to your first paragraph. I've been told (and have yet to accept) from many who have read my shtuff (been writing since 1984) that I should try and get published. I never think my shtuff is good enough. Voting for myself is an extremely rare action on my part. To be fair, Dinhi's words o' wisdom ring very true in my mind and heart, therefore I will follow his wisdom. Nice group we got here!! -j.p.

Well, now that we have taken any fun there was in all of this quite out of it, I will say that I promise I will never moderate another challenge or run another contest again. Nor will I argue the point further. We can all be right. We can all be wrong. In the end, it is all the same to me.

You are one hysterical person dialyn. You take a tease well. "Excuse me, may I have a side of "sarcasm" with that burger please?" ROFLMAO

I don't think we took the fun out of it, we just had a good discussion. Because, when it all comes down to it, there are two rules of thumb that are opposite. #1 - vote for yourself if you believe yourself to be the best choice (ie: politicians, ppl running for office etc... would vote for themselves because they believe they are the best) #2 - never vote for yourself because you will have personal bias re: your own work no matter how otherwised unbiased you can be BUT, since on this site artists cannot vote for their own images, I think it would be easiest (not neccessarily correct or incorrect) to adopt this policy in the contests as well :> cara

noc: someone REALLY needs to create "sarcasm font" it would be so handy all over the internet :> cara

Ahh . . . POLICY! NOW yer talkin' me language! And to further eliminate any confusion, if policy states such and such here at Renderosity, such and such will stand. Yep. Great discussion and a lot of laughter this side of the room.

cara: I guess "Wingdings" doesn't qualify for "sarcasm font", eh?

LOL, I still don't get the purpose of wingdings... is it jsut me? pout cara ;>

Makes for great cursing in comic strips! hee hee hee

dialyn, no need to take extreem emotion here! I agree this has been a very good discussion on the in's and out's of voting for ones self. You have done a terrific job in planting your opinion.....just be open to others thoughts, take them in non personally, and let the rest flow! Art for art sake! If an artist were permitted the right to vote for themselves....who would be the true winner? omgosh...we love out stuffs....and compete against others at times...how fair is that competition when we can be the deciding vote? Love all the works posted for this challange....amazing writers out there, let us vote your win!!

1 Tedz 2 eternalwytch1 3 Wolfspirit

For better or worse, this will be my last official (as a moderator) act on this forum (and I'm the one most glad about that), so get those votes in so we can announce our winners. If there is anyone still debating the matter, please post before midnight, or forever hold your peace. I have heard that somewhere before, haven't I? Thank you!!

Now I'm reminded why I don't enter 'contests'. WINK. Great stuff, one and ALL. Picking the three best writers is like trying to pick the three best politicians. WINK 2. Each writer, imho, makes a delicious appearance on every person's plate at the table. Makes for a good balanced lunch, wouldn't you ALL say??? .... Belch. Excuse 'wa'. Please, pass the 'fiber'.

before anyone takes too much credit here; the decision for me not running any more challenges or contestes actually had nothing to do with the debate here. While the coincidence is a nice one, and gives people a lovely excuse to speculate, I submitted my resignation from editor of the Renderosity Interactive Magazine and, therefore, moderator on Renderosity, on December 1. On January 1, I cheerfully embrace being no more, no less than a community member once more, and that is all that there is to that.

Speculate? What? People actually do that? At Renderosity? NO WAY! WINK. Good luck in ALL your endeavors, Dialyn. You've always helped me out here, in spite of myself. WINK 2.

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Congratulations.