Yahoo Forum Archive

This year, the conversion from character count to points was:

Characters Points
1-20 1
21-80 2
81-250 3
251-500 5
501-750 7
751-1100 9
1101+ 10

As a vote counter, I noticed that the vast majority of votes I counted
scored a 3 or 5. Hardly anyone wrote little enough to be counted as a
1 or 2, and 9 or 10 votes were also fairly rare.

I think it's fine that the upper end of the scale was seldom used, but
there for those who felt very strongly about a story. But the lower
end I think could use some tweaking. The range for three and five
points seemed awfully wide to me. For instance, both this comment:

I enjoyed this story. I first read it two years ago, and reread it
for the awards. I'm glad I did! Thanks! (85 characters)

and this comment:

I enjoyed this story. I first read it two years ago, and reread it
for the awards. I'm glad I did! I particularly enjoyed the profound
reflection on the Smeagol/Gollum split viewed through a modern
understanding of multiple personality disorder. When the psychologist
was transported to ME – wow! (248 characters)

count as 3 points. I think there is a significant difference between
them.

I'd like to see a more even split between character counts for the
various point values, including using every value. (Was there any
particular reason for skipping 4, 6, and 8? I don't think it would
have made things any more difficult for me when counting to include
them all. And when Anthony gets the web site going, it won't be an
issue at all).

So here's a suggested conversion chart:

Characters Points
1-100 1
101-200 2
201-300 3
301-400 4
401-500 5
501-650 6
651-800 7
801-950 8
951-1100 9
1101+ 10

Or some variation of this. The particular points aren't all that
important, as long as all votes within a point range are fairly
comparable.

Elana

I thought about that too, that a more equitable point spread might be useful...


--- angelabrooks@yahoo.com wrote:

>
> I'd like to see a more even split between character counts for the
> various point values, including using every value. (Was there any
> particular reason for skipping 4, 6, and 8? I don't think it would
> have made things any more difficult for me when counting to include
> them all. And when Anthony gets the web site going, it won't be an
> issue at all).
>
> So here's a suggested conversion chart:
>
> Characters Points
> 1-100 1
> 101-200 2
> 201-300 3
> 301-400 4
> 401-500 5
> 501-650 6
> 651-800 7
> 801-950 8
> 951-1100 9
> 1101+ 10
>
> Or some variation of this. The particular points aren't all that
> important, as long as all votes within a point range are fairly
> comparable.
>
> Elana
>
>
>
>
>
>

I don't mind changing it. Why was it like it was? Borrowed, point for
point, from Alt.StarTrek.Creative. Borrowing so heavily from them made it
possible to put this together so fast.

--Ainaechoiriel
MEFA Admin and Founder

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://gabrielle.sytes.net/mefa The Middle-Earth Fanfiction Awards
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com



-----Original Message-----
From: angelabrooks@yahoo.com [mailto:angelabrooks@yahoo.com]
Sent: Friday, December 31, 2004 1:42 AM
To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [MEFAwards] Adjust character counts/point values?



This year, the conversion from character count to points was:

Characters Points
1-20 1
21-80 2
81-250 3
251-500 5
501-750 7
751-1100 9
1101+ 10

As a vote counter, I noticed that the vast majority of votes I counted
scored a 3 or 5. Hardly anyone wrote little enough to be counted as a
1 or 2, and 9 or 10 votes were also fairly rare.

I think it's fine that the upper end of the scale was seldom used, but there
for those who felt very strongly about a story. But the lower end I think
could use some tweaking. The range for three and five points seemed awfully
wide to me. For instance, both this comment:

I enjoyed this story. I first read it two years ago, and reread it for the
awards. I'm glad I did! Thanks! (85 characters)

and this comment:

I enjoyed this story. I first read it two years ago, and reread it for the
awards. I'm glad I did! I particularly enjoyed the profound reflection on
the Smeagol/Gollum split viewed through a modern understanding of multiple
personality disorder. When the psychologist was transported to ME - wow!
(248 characters)

count as 3 points. I think there is a significant difference between them.

I'd like to see a more even split between character counts for the various
point values, including using every value. (Was there any particular reason
for skipping 4, 6, and 8? I don't think it would have made things any more
difficult for me when counting to include them all. And when Anthony gets
the web site going, it won't be an issue at all).

So here's a suggested conversion chart:

Characters Points
1-100 1
101-200 2
201-300 3
301-400 4
401-500 5
501-650 6
651-800 7
801-950 8
951-1100 9
1101+ 10

Or some variation of this. The particular points aren't all that important,
as long as all votes within a point range are fairly comparable.

Elana







------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Make
a clean sweep of pop-up ads. Yahoo! Companion Toolbar.
Now with Pop-Up Blocker. Get it for free!
http://us.click.yahoo.com/L5YrjA/eSIIAA/yQLSAA/wx3olB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->


Yahoo! Groups Links

Hmmm... I do think that this conversion chart is definately fairer - although I'm sure the ASC had good reasons for doing it that way. But Marta does raise a good point - why not just do a literal thing? One character equals one point. Might help in breaking some of those ties!

Resha



Marta <MartaL0712@netscape.net> wrote:

--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, angelabrooks@y... wrote:
<snip>
> So here's a suggested conversion chart:
>
> Characters Points
> 1-100 1
> 101-200 2
> 201-300 3
> 301-400 4
> 401-500 5
> 501-650 6
> 651-800 7
> 801-950 8
> 951-1100 9
> 1101+ 10
>

This seeems a much more equitable point distribution. Question,
though: why use points at all? Why not just use straight character
counts. One character = one point, up to some maximum. So if I write
a 351-character comment it's five points under the old point, four
under the new -- why not award the story 351 points and be done with
it?

Marta


~To forgive calls upon our love, to forget calls upon our strength~

AIM: Naresha21 MSN: candyman_gypsy@hotmail.com
ICQ: 142117881 Yahoo: fruitcake5m1
Personal LJ: http://www.livejournal.com/users/nareshaninya/
Writing LJ: http://www.livejournal.com/users/writingsofresha/

My Website! Slash Me Happy
http://www.websamba.com/SlashMeHappy

http://quiz.ravenblack.net/blood.pl?biter=Resha


---------------------------------
Find local movie times and trailers on Yahoo! Movies.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

-----Original Message-----
From: Naresha [mailto:north_shore_fruitcake@yahoo.com.au]
Sent: Saturday, January 01, 2005 6:20 AM
To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [MEFAwards] Re: Adjust character counts/point values?

>Hmmm... I do think that this conversion chart is definately fairer -

although I'm sure the ASC had good reasons for doing it that way. But Marta
does raise a good point - why not just do a literal thing? One character
equals one point. Might help in breaking some of those ties!

I can't really put my finger on it yet, but I don't think the literal thing
is a good thing. And it would actually make ties worse. How would you
break them? There's nothing left beyond seeing which had the most votes.
And how many ties were able to break at that point this year? One, I think.
All the others came down to characters. Yes we didn't have any that matched
character-for-character this year, but it *could* happen.

I think the points also makes it more equitable. Like I said, I can't put
my finger on why, but I'm sensing trouble if we go for actual characters.
I'll switch it to the this point scale this year and we'll see how it goes.

And since it's January, except for open polls, all that suggestions and
changes are closed now.

Now we look at categories. I'll make a separate post in a bit.

--Ainaechoiriel
MEFA Admin and Founder

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://gabrielle.sytes.net/mefa The Middle-Earth Fanfiction Awards
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Well the only thing I can say in favour of going point-for-point is that there would be very few comments that would have identical numbers of characters. But I can see your point!

Resha


Ainaechoiriel <mefaadmin@earthlink.net> wrote:


I can't really put my finger on it yet, but I don't think the literal thing is a good thing. And it would actually make ties worse. How would you break them? There's nothing left beyond seeing which had the most votes. And how many ties were able to break at that point this year? One, I think. All the others came down to characters. Yes we didn't have any that matched
character-for-character this year, but it *could* happen.


~To forgive calls upon our love, to forget calls upon our strength~

AIM: Naresha21 MSN: candyman_gypsy@hotmail.com
ICQ: 142117881 Yahoo: fruitcake5m1
Personal LJ: http://www.livejournal.com/users/nareshaninya/
Writing LJ: http://www.livejournal.com/users/writingsofresha/

My Website! Slash Me Happy
http://www.websamba.com/SlashMeHappy

http://quiz.ravenblack.net/blood.pl?biter=Resha

---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail - 250MB free storage. Do more. Manage less.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]