Green Room - Week 11 - Day 1

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

After seeing a couple people mention votes vanishing, I took a screen shot of the actual votes (not the numbers, but the votes themselves.) to see if I could see a pattern.

Obviously, I missed the ones that had already happened, but at least I could take a look at the ones that were to come… and some did. The two “big ones” (by my standards) were someone who had voted for 5 people, who changed their vote to vote for 2. What is the “tell” in this particular case is that those two *weren’t* originally on their list.

Which means that they either decided “Heck with those guys!!” and deleted votes from 5 entries that they had previously enjoyed, OR they found two more that they liked, and went to edit their vote – forgetting that LJ makes you “recheck” everything. Which meant that several folks lost votes.

This is one of LJ’s “improvements”. Honestly, in your average poll, it makes sense. You want to a cast a vote for which Harry Potter extended universe character is your favorite, and a day or so into it, you change your mind – then you should be able to go in and change it to reflect that. When it comes to retaining previous votes, so that people can read along, and cast votes as they go – that’s when it becomes annoying.

So – again, I implore you, and your favorite writers echo me on this, if you DO “vote as you go”, please remember to check to make sure that your votes are ALL THERE. I’d hate to see someone eliminated over one vote that someone cast, and then forgot to re-check!

The second case was a vote for 3 entries that became a vote for 2. Two of those votes (including the one lost) were for folks “in the bottom”. My theory is that they felt they had to make a decision over who they wanted to keep (otherwise the votes might “cancel each other out”, or help create a tie, under some circumstances.

I can’t say for sure that this was their motivation. I simply can’t know that – any more than I know the motivation for any one, casting a ballot, ever. But it seems to be the most logical explanation.

We tend to have a *lot* more of the former situation than the latter. Both are legit. (the first is a shame, because it’s a technical glitch, but part of the playing field of LJ that we have to remember and take note to avoid)

The latter is more of a “strategic” reason. We’ve seen more strategy in the past than we have in recent history. I’m of mixed reaction to that sort of thing. I love strategy, but on the other hand, there’s a reason why I made it so that people are voting *to support* their favorites rather than “cast a vote for who you want to see eliminated”.

I certainly don’t see any inherent malice in changing your mind – and again, LJ allows for it. Just be careful when you cast those votes in the first place. No one likes to see their numbers go down.

***

In some “better” news: Everyone still alive in the game at this point, is eligible to receive something from THE COMMUNITY CHEST! http://therealljidol.livejournal.com/676576.html

So, take a look over there and start thinking about what you want!

***

Oh, and of course there were eliminations: http://therealljidol.livejournal.com/680358.html
And new topics: http://therealljidol.livejournal.com/680460.html

Comments

[lrig-rorrim.livejournal.com]

Just a quick note: kathrynrose is without internet again. Argh. She called me, and I read the topic list off to her, and I posted her topic claims for her. I PROMISE I'm not keen to write ever more posts. Heh.

[meepalicious.livejournal.com]

This "claiming prompts in advance" thing is terrible. Terrible, I tell you. I never go with the first prompt(s) I think I'll use, but this didn't leave me a lot of time to screw around. My roommate/beta reader, Anna, says that I am going to really regret choosing "prom," but everything she suggested was already taken… and damn, am I glad I got up in the middle of the night to check the results!

[michikatinski.livejournal.com]

So, Gary, does the Exhibit B Idol get first pick at the Community chest offerings, followed by the runner-up, followed up by third place, etc?

[lrig-rorrim.livejournal.com]

Also, I think porn_this_way is on a plane right now. She is going to have words when she lands, I expect... most of them will rhyme with "pluck".

[roina-arwen.livejournal.com]

if you DO “vote as you go”, please remember to check to make sure that your votes are ALL THERE.

This is why I use a paper spreadsheet, that I re-print after each poll / elimination. I write down on that list while I'm reading whom I want to vote for, then when I'm done reading I go vote.

If I have to do an interim vote, then come back later, I know whom I intended to vote for (ie: Person 1, 3, 4, and 7) and can then make sure those boxes are checked when I go and vote for the remainder of the poll. It makes my life SO MUCH easier!!

Woo, community chest!!

[x-disturbed-x.livejournal.com]

In the beginning I know I did that when I went to edit my votes!

I'm a little wary with the claiming topics. I change my mind often so I hope it doesn't bite me in the ass. :P

[porn-this-way.livejournal.com]

Gary - If you have to change the end time of any future polls, PLEASE post the topics at the regular, pre-planned time, especially if it's some shit like this where we're fucked if we're not sitting at our computers hitting refresh when the topic drops. I understand that shit comes up, but shit comes up for us too, and when it gets to the point where quite literally revolving our schedules around Idol still isn't enough because the Idol schedule keeps changing, it's too damn much.

[xo-kizzy-xo.livejournal.com]

Right now I'm trying to help kathrynrose get back online. I just sent her into the call-customer-service gauntlet :shudder:

[agirlnamedluna.livejournal.com]

I fucking misread the poll time and thought I had another hour, and therefore missed the &%*^&%$&%^^&$&^topics going up as well :(

[ashgaelsonaria.livejournal.com]

For those who are wondering
Budgerigar is aborigine and translates out as "pritty bird".
You have all seen them at pet stores and they are commonly called budgies.
They have about six sounds of their own and will mimic just about every bird song they hear as well as some non bird sounds. Many will even mimic human speach.