Voting - Week 29 Round 1

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

A few words from clauderainsrmme:

The Final Four.

People thought the task impossible. They proved them wrong.

They not only got in all the entries - got in some incredible entries, they blew the time frame I gave them out of the water. Not for one or two rounds, BUT ALL 4 ROUNDS!!!!

Anyone who thought they weren't up for this challenge clearly wasn't paying attention this season - and they have no idea what they are in for - fortunately for those people, they get a second chance to meet them... because here we have 16 entries a piece from 4 contestants.

*64 entries* for you to read! Which is why I kept stressing for you to keep up with your reading!!!

I was thinking about this on my way home from the dentist and running errands - about how people tend to get out what experiences what they put in. I'm not just talking about Idol, I'm talking about everything... but at this moment in Idol I'm really hoping the Final Four were able to get something out of this last round - not only accomplishing "the impossible" but shattering the idea of deadlines that the outside world might put on them to accomplish it... (ok, getting a little misty eyed about them here...sorry...)

I gave the Final Four a challenge, and now that challenge is coming home to the rest of you.

Each topic has it's own poll. So it's *16 polls of 4 entries each*.

Before anyone asks, yes, you can (AND SHOULD) vote in all 16 polls.

I strongly urge you to sit down and read these entries and vote for your favorites. Because they all have written their hearts out for you, and deserve to be read.

16 polls? What is going to happen????? (*sits and waits for the giggling to die down* *looks over at Charlie, waits some more*)

Well, Final Four - Sixteen SWEET entries (as I've called them), and I asked if [anyone knew how we would handle this]. Yes, that's right - we're doing brackets!!!

Week 29's voting is going to be handled like this:

Vote for your favorites for each topic. Each Topic is marked on the top line.

The top TWO vote getters for each topic will advance to the next round.
(The top two finishers of Topic A.1. will face the top two finishers of Topic A.2...and so on...)
And so it goes until one contestant has been eliminated *COMPLETELY* from the polls.
This could, in theory, last one round of voting. It could last *5*.

The person eliminated will, of course, be the one eliminated this week.

None of these contestants are anything less than kick ass. So I don't envy this decision at all.
The person who leaves us will be going out as *4th out of 155* and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that whatsoever... (sorry, they really do rock don't they???)

So it's really important to get your vote in for the entries you want to see go forward.

The deadline for this Round of Voting is Sunday June 8th at 8am EDT. So you best get reading (if you haven't all ready - NOW!)

[Poll #1200697]

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[Poll #1200706]

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[Poll #1200707]

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Comments

[kathrynrose.livejournal.com]

So, wait. I'm sorry, I don't have a sports background, and I'm pretty sure that's how this is set up, but does that mean that if someone rocked fourteen of the entries, but they didn't happen to rock A1 and A2, that they're out?

Someone tell me I've misunderstood, and then pretty please draw me a picture.

Thanks!

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

Sorry for the confusion. I thought I simplified it, but maybe I only did that for those pesky voices in my head.*g*

Treat each poll as it's own thing. The top two vote getters for each one move on.

So no, as long as you get a Top 2 slot in *any* of the polls, you are still in the running and move on to the next stage.

That make any more sense?

I think it will make *a lot* more sense once you actually see it play than me trying to describe it, but I'll keep trying if I'm still confusing.*g*

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

Heh, I've seen it done with less than 16.

But most of time it's done with teams or 16 individuals.

Week 29 *will end* with someone eliminated. It could happen this round. But I doubt it. (in theory though it's possible). The most this can go is 5 rounds. (I did the drawing out the brackets on paper and mapped out several possibilities - they all end with Round 5 having 4 entries to be voted on. Which means that would be the furthest we could go with all 4 contestants still in contention.

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

Yep. That's it.

[eqfe.livejournal.com]

Can't you have tech support set up some brackets?

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

Tech support's system is down at home and can't get online from her new job.

Which means that *points up at poll* was me. *sighs* Yeah I'm sure she could have done a better job at making it look pretty. But I think I did a *decent* job. Right?

[eqfe.livejournal.com]

Didn't mean better job, just idiot proof for me, The poll is fine the concept is easier for me to understand with visuals thats all.

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

I'll talk to a couple people who are more graphic inclined and see if they can come up with something.

Heck, I'm sure someone is reading this who's good at it!!

[kathrynrose.livejournal.com]

dabhug drew me this

(http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y110/kathrynroselj/?action=view&current=ljidolbracket.jpg)

[kenakeri.livejournal.com]

If I hadn't watched World Cup Soccer, this would have totally confused me. Whaddaya know the sport actually taught me something.

[kathrynrose.livejournal.com]

just to prove that I'm trying to understand this, I found this image

http://www.g-sports.net/images/2004Bracket.gif

This makes sense to me if one person from each topic moved forward.

I am still trying to wrap my brain around what you are saying.

I am also not used to being the dense person in the room, and I don't like it.

[eqfe.livejournal.com]

I've had quite enough of you trying to steal my role in this community. I am officially the denses person in the room.

[kathrynrose.livejournal.com]

Perhaps we could go head to head over it and have some brackets and things, and just see about that!

[eqfe.livejournal.com]

thanks I needed the laugh. see I don't even know how to spell densest.

[kathrynrose.livejournal.com]

I thought you did it on purpose. :)

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

That example has a head to head with two teams.

Our case has a head to head with four.

So take what you are looking at and double it and you've got it.

[kathrynrose.livejournal.com]

Perhaps if I visit with my friend Captain Morgan a while, the doubling it will come easier. :P

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

Heh, well I *am* on pain killers at the moment... just noticed that I said "a task OF impossible" in the poll... heh. that task was so of impossible.*G*

I should just go to sleep...*g*

[firesign10.livejournal.com]

ROTFL!!

[desert-rose.livejournal.com]

I hope it does, as I'm still very very lost! :-)

What happens to the bottom two contestants?

[spydielives.livejournal.com]

I *think* nothing, if they are in the top two of any of the other 15 polls in this round.

[kathrynrose.livejournal.com]

Now that (I think) I finally understand it, lemme see if I can 'splain.

We vote. At the end of voting, the top two entries in each topic go forward. As long as a contestant has a surviving entry in ANY of the topics, she is still in the game.

If all four contestants are still in the game (have one of the top two entries in any of the sixteen topics), we vote again.

On the second vote, the top two entries for "Home" are grouped with the top two entries for "My Greatest Achievement." The top two entries for "Fire" are grouped with the top two entries for "Memorial," etc. The second vote will have eight polls instead of sixteen, and in each poll (four entries) the top two will advance.

As long as a contestant still has at least one surviving post, that contestant is still in the game. If all four contestants are still with us after the second vote, we vote again. This time there will be four polls ( see the graphic (http://community.livejournal.com/therealljidol/168086.html?thread=12731542#t12731542) dabhug made that I posted last night.

It's possible for someone to be eliminated on this first vote. The longest it will go is five votes, because the polls will go from 16 to 8 to 4 to 2 to 1. Eventually someone will not have a surviving entry, and that person will be eliminated.

Did that help?

[whisker-biscuit.livejournal.com]

This is a ridiculous way of having a contest. I've been one of judges in real contests, and the process of voting at this level, in my less-than humble opinion, was crap.

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

It was set up this way following suggestions of the Final Four, who wanted a system where all the entries would be considered on equal footing and when placed side by side with other entries on the same topic.

Sorry that you did not like it.

[spydielives.livejournal.com]

I am **so** glad I set up that 4x4x4 spreadsheet now!

Read / Voted / Done.

Good Luck Everyone!

[unsold-capacity.livejournal.com]

4x4x4? You have a cube? :p

[spydielives.livejournal.com]

a sliced representation of one, yup.

[skreidle.livejournal.com]

Would've been easier for you, and the voters, to make one 16-question poll with four options per question, methinks. :) (And is it supposed to be only one selection per question, or as many as you think make the grade? i.e., check boxes or radio buttons?)

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

It's supposed to be check boxes. Vote for as many of them as you want.

I did consider doing that method but ultimately decided the benefits of this system outweighed the liabilities. (mainly because of all the requests I received from contestants and voters over the past week or so asking that they be allowed to vote for each entry, with a focus on each topic.)

[eqfe.livejournal.com]

The more I think about the more I conclude that traditions must be upheld bring on a week of clicky boxes.

[porcelain72.livejournal.com]

Uh...yeah. I can't in good conscience ask my f-list to vote in 16 separate polls. I'm just going to ride it out and see what happens.

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

It's all in one entry, so there's only one place to point them.

[porcelain72.livejournal.com]

Unless I'm doing it wrong, they still have to click and submit sixteen separate times.

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

Yeah, you still do.

The theory is that you have to sit down and actually take a look at the entries instead of me making it easier for people to just click on the names of the people they like.

Put in an extra step and it slows down that sort of thing.
Sure, they can still do it. But there's *nothing* that can stop them from doing it. (Except possibly gaining some sort of common respect, and that's a lot to hope)

[ithinkitisayit.livejournal.com]

To be honest, I fucking hate this round. I haven't had time to enjoy all the entries that run across my flist, and instead have had to go past most of them. You're basically having these people spam my flist, and that's totally not okay. I'll still vote for them, because I know they didn't make up the bullshit rules and because I know they're wicked awesome, but I honestly won't have time to read the entries until later on this month.

These four people may have plenty of time to write out 16 entires, but let's face reality. A lot of people aren't going to read all 64 entries. A lot of us have real life obligations and things higher on our priority list. If anything, having 64 entries will turn this even more into a popularity contest, simply because people will read one or two entries from each author, and then vote for the same author in every poll (at least, that's what I did).

[kittenboo.livejournal.com]

i don't think any of us had plenty of time to write all 16 entries, we made time by not doing other things in our life. I read almost no entries by the other contestants, hardly looked at my friends list, sacrificed my free time and the time i normally spend with my husband.

And i agree, most people will not read all the entries and most people will just vote for the same one or two people for every poll.

I honestly feel like I couldn't write another thing if my life depended on it.

[ithinkitisayit.livejournal.com]

Just because it was in one entry didn't make it any less annoying to do.

I voted in all 16 of them, but it was annoying as hell, since the page kept refreshing itself, and it wouldn't go back to the poll I left off on.

[dabhug.livejournal.com]

Whew! Done!

[faeriegigi.livejournal.com]

wow...done!

[tulip-in-yellow.livejournal.com]

You have got to be kidding me.

[soopageek.livejournal.com]

I had a dream last night where Gary was on a motorcycle attempting to jump a swimming pool filled with sharks. Jayyyysus.

[tulip-in-yellow.livejournal.com]

*laughing*


I had a dream a few nights ago where I was throwing ninja stars at Gary.

[soopageek.livejournal.com]

Yes, but did you hit him with any of them?

[tulip-in-yellow.livejournal.com]

Like a sharpshooter, my dear.

[eqfe.livejournal.com]

agreed

[soopageek.livejournal.com]

I think in any game, there's a fine line between complexity/simplicity and fun. When it gets to the point that you are spending so much time competing against the game itself rather than your competitors, it becomes tedious.

This has become like a really busy pinball table. You're not really playing against anyone, just against the game itself and there's so much on the table that you're just flipping buttons and hoping something happens.

[superhappytime.livejournal.com]

It's comments like this that caused people to take you out in a super-secret alliance. No more sass mouth!

[soopageek.livejournal.com]

It was a pool party and every time I got invited back I kept pissing in it?

Actually, I think some folks were afraid I'd start bringing too many people.

[superhappytime.livejournal.com]

As someone who was probably in high school in the seventies, you should know how it works...your key party just isn't any fun if you invite a few friends, but then the jocks show up, and then all of the sudden the girls are openly scheming to NOT get your keys and complaining if they do, and the next thing you know, Marty McFly is in the closet making out with Boof instead of the hot girl in the play, despite the fact that his uncle runs the company and his step mom is hot for him.

[soopageek.livejournal.com]

Dude, I'm not that old. I graduated high school the year Bush I was elected to office.

Did you hear the Back To The Future set burned in the Universal fire? What a shame; though this was amsuing (http://www.funnyordie.com/jokes/f4c061564b).

I'm going to be in San Antonio on Tuesday morning, which I know is nowhere near you, but who knows which way I will go after that. Could be in your neck of the woods that evening or Wednesday if for some reason I head east. If it ever does happen that I'm through there some time, it'd be great to meetup or something.

[superhappytime.livejournal.com]

Yeah...let me know if you end up having to make the trek up I-35 and pass through DFW on either side...

[soopageek.livejournal.com]

Shit that's right, you're in DFW. For some reason I was thinking you were in Houston. I'll actually be going through Ft. Worth tonight, though very late. Maybe on the return trip, if not, I'm sure I'll be through DFW many, many more times.

[superhappytime.livejournal.com]

I think I'd kill myself before living in Houston...I've lived in some pretty humid places...but not humid and ugly and fake all at the same time...

[mme-furiosa.livejournal.com]

Wait, you are somehow kidding yourself into believing that DFW is better than Houston?

It's sort of like comparing two turds. No matter which is better, they're still turds, after all.

[superhappytime.livejournal.com]

Wait...aren't you writing from the midwest or something...shouldn't you be out burning crosses and telling us how Mr. Obama doesn't care about the oppressed white folks who've had it so tough?

As an outsider who has spent time living and working around this state, my opinion of the two big cities and 2 little ones is that they are all very different...but still basically the same fruit...they're all ugly and seem to celebrate urban sprawl, subtly concealed racism, and general fake-ness...

Dallas: We are so urbane...don't confuse us with the hicks in the rest of this state!

Houston: We've got money!! And more strip malls per sq. mile than any city in America!!!!

Austin: We're "weird" and green--look at my mountain bike! It's in the garage of my overpriced home, between the BMW and the Lexus SUV national chain organic food store.

San Antonio: We have all the charm of a small town...plus out of control crime and pollution!!

[mme-furiosa.livejournal.com]

You crack me up. Really, you do.

Because you are actually so fucking right.

[superhappytime.livejournal.com]

Don't even get me started on the other places...is there an episode of COPS that's not shot in Corpus?

Dallas people also think they don't have accents...that cracks me up. (In that way it's not much different from people who grew up in Atlanta, including myself...but my pristine way of speaking has been ruined by 8 years in SC and TX).

[bretzysdude.livejournal.com]

CRAP! Got a lot of reading to do. Busy with kids and work, believe me.

Oh well, I've got tomorrow afternoon and evening.

[creature-girl08.livejournal.com]

Holy crap! That's all I have to say.

No wait, crazy too.

[superhappytime.livejournal.com]

Not only did I read every entry, but I also made a list...and I checked it twice...and then I through that shit out the window, remembered who was naughty and nice and voted accordingly.

[sparkybish.livejournal.com]

So they wrote 16 entries possible for nothing?

[kittenboo.livejournal.com]

what do you mean?

[sparkybish.livejournal.com]

It could be that no one is eliminated this week. Which seems pointless after writing 16 entries in one week.

[kittenboo.livejournal.com]

Someone will be eliminated though. If no one is eliminated in this vote the top two finishers for each entry will move on to the next round of voting, and it will keep going like that until someone is eliminated. It could be up to 5 rounds of voting. Annoying yes, but someone will be eliminated.

[kathrynrose.livejournal.com]

Wait. Does each bracket require another poll? Or are the numbers from this one poll just compared at each bracket?

Because making a second poll for the same entries seems silly.

But I have a history of not understanding. I suppose I may still not.

[kittenboo.livejournal.com]

lol maybe i'm the one that is not understanding, I thought it was several rounds of voting. maybe it's not

edit:
from the poll info: "This could, in theory, last one round of voting. It could last *5*."

So I am assuming it will be full voting for each round

[kathrynrose.livejournal.com]

Ah. Apparently, on top of confusion, I cannot read.

Thanks.

[sparkybish.livejournal.com]

That IS annoying. I would be so ticked off if I were you guys. I don't know if voters will have the attention span for an extended vota-a-thon. It will be interesting to see the numbers as this progresses.

[kathrynrose.livejournal.com]

Done! OMG.

I had pre-read, and that was still a chore.

Not as hard as actually writing them was, I'm sure.

[rightnow.livejournal.com]

Agreed.

But I do have to say, there were some entries that made me want to vote a whole bunch of times for that one entry because it was...er...OMG totes awesome. *gags self with entire place setting*

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

I don't like this format... because I have nowhere near enough time to read all those entries. :-/

[kenakeri.livejournal.com]

Thank goodness I've been reading and making notes as I went along. If I had to read all of these now, it would take me the rest of the month.

[xo-kizzy-xo.livejournal.com]

I think that was the point in determining this particular voting arrangement. In a perfect world with so many entries, what you did is what you're "supposed" to be doing.

But there's also truth in the "not reading but voting" discussion upthread.

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

I wish I could personally visit everyone's net connection of choice residence with a cattle prod and make sure that they are reading every single entry. As much as it sucks, it really does come down to them and how they feel about it.

I'm relatively sure that ALL of the final four are doing what they can to discourage "blind voting" (voting without looking, not "voting by the blind".*G*)because seriously *Who Wants to Win That Way?*

Ultimately personal responsibility for your own standards and ethics have to come into play and be your guide as to what you will and will not do. After all, I can't know who did and did not read the entries and make the decision that their friend WAS the best entry for the topic. But you have to live with your own actions, and I have heard that karma can be a bitch.

I know it's getting some people upset, but I do wonder how many people remember what was said just last round by the Final Five? They didn't like just picking one entry. They wanted people to vote on all of them. In this round, they wanted to make sure that we *would* vote on all of them, and the #1 comment I heard from vocal members of the community about it was that they wanted it to be evenly matched based on topic. And so. . . that is what they ended up getting.

[firesign10.livejournal.com]

Done!

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

Polls are now closed. I'll take a look at the votes/totals and announce the next set of brackets!!

Thank you everyone for taking the time to show your support!

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

OK. I'm checking over the votes, because... grap...whoa...

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

I have already figured out who is out this week.

It's simple math.

To the 4th place finisher, you are a magnificent writer and I look forward to our continued interacting on LJ.

*Applauded their efforts*

[kittenboo.livejournal.com]

thank you

I was in the top 2 in like 7 polls last night, guess overnight people took their chance to get rid of me. So it goes.

Except for this last round I have greatly enjoyed my time in idol

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

I need to VERIFY it.

I always do, but I've got to admit that it is a little personal this time. (trying not to let that cloud my judgment. But I want to make *sure* the accounts involved are valid... as usual so far it seems that the people trying to mess with the polls - because that's what happens when you put up a poll) are fairly evenly distributed in their support.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Ah. I forgot about that or rather had not thought about it hoping that that sort of shenanigans weren't going on.

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

It's the same two people. Seems to be pretty evenly distributed so far.

[superhappytime.livejournal.com]

Wait...so it wasn't personal the last time 60 mystery votes hit in the middle of the night! Oh, I see, Mr. Clauderainsrm!!!

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

Or the time that various other voting blocks came out to support someone, which caused someone else to go home... that's the byproduct of people supporting one person, it usually means they don't support someone else by default.*g*

Let's face it - she's cuter than you!*g*

[kathrynrose.livejournal.com]

::plays jeopardy music::

I sure am glad I went ahead and had breakfast while I was waiting.

Cold pizza, anyone?

[kittenboo.livejournal.com]

I'm starting to wonder if gary is ok, this is either taking a long time or something has happened to gary.

[kathrynrose.livejournal.com]

I was wondering the same thing.

Of course, if he's validating all 4756 votes individually, well, that could take a while.

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

I was actually. Fortunately I got to skip some of them because I knew who they were in advance.

I twisted and turned with the votes as much as I could, but in the end even throwing out the non-valid votes (you deal with the public and you're going to get asshats as well as gems) the results remained.

I don't like it on a personal or professional level, but I have to accept it. I'm actually quite happy with this forum now, because it *did* make it harder for said asshats to have as much of a say as they might have...

That said, I have a change in mind for Season 5. Can't put it into place next round - but it will be there for the future.