Home Game - Week 17

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

Love the topics but you're not currently in the game?

That's where the Home Game comes in!

Just pick one (or several!) of the current topics http://therealljidol.livejournal.com/916255.html, write an entry, and post it here!

No polls. No eliminations. Just you posting your work for others to read!

Green Room - Week 17 - Day 1

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

We have new topics: http://therealljidol.livejournal.com/916255.html
and a Work Room: http://therealljidol.livejournal.com/916621.html
We even have a Home Game thread: http://therealljidol.livejournal.com/916769.html

But this morning, I think what is still on a lot of minds is the results from last night: http://therealljidol.livejournal.com/916014.html

It's one thing to know that "only person can win", or that any given week, anyone could be leaving us... it's another to experience it.

There is a conversation that we have at least once a season, but this time it has an interesting wrinkle that's worth talking about.

Not only is this the final week of byes, it is also the final week for "tag outs" - that is, if you are out of byes and think you are going to miss the deadline/it's "about your time to go", you can tag out and let someone else in to take your place. I was reminded of this last night, and how the times when I've introduced a similar power, that it was actually used a couple times. (It's easy to say "You should be here", more difficult to say "take my spot!", although, as I've said, there have been people who have done just that!)

That's the "Gary is messing with your will" part of the conversation - the rest is a lot more straight forward, and I'll actually reveal some "secret" information:

It's been said that it's all about who shows up to vote this mini-season. Which is true. But a far more accurate statement would be that it's about who shows up to vote from week-to-week. I'd say that 75% of the voters are fairly "stable". They have shown up "most" of the weeks and you can pretty much predict the type of stuff they like/which writers they are drawn to in advance.

The other 25% though, those are the ones who have been tipping things ( obviously those numbers are going to vary, but I think it's fair to call it 25% as a general term) one way or the other.

So getting the word out about what is happening here - that there are some great things to read in Idol, that's even more important than it usually is (and it's always *really* important)

Another component to this is - if you want to see someone survive to the next round - Vote for them! I'm not saying this is the case this time around, but I've seen it happen in the past: people will be upset to see someone eliminated, but when I go into the actual votes, they weren't supporting them. 1 vote made the difference this week. It's been making the difference almost every week this mini-season. That 1 vote belongs *to you*. Use it. Support the things you love!