Jump to content

A Poll! Fotm, Keep It As It Is Or Separate It ?


Phoenixflood

  

76 members have voted

  1. 1. Keep FOTM the same, or separate it to Vertebrate Find of the Month and Non-Vertebrate Find of the Month

    • No, I'd like to keep it as it is, FOTM
      23
    • Yes, I'd like for there to be two separate contests, Vert and Non-Vert
      53


Recommended Posts

The moderators and I have been throwing ideas back and forth about Fossil of the Month. One idea was to split the contest into two groups. We could have a Vertebrate Find of the Month (VFOTM)and Non-Vertebrate Find of the Month (NVFOTM).

But we need to know from the forum what you would like ;) Help us out :D Do you all want to keep it as FOTM or do you want to split it into separate sections?

Lets vote and find out! :D

We also are working on a set of guidelines to help us out in the future :) After the votes are in we'll make the next move.

Thank you all for your input!

The soul of a Fossil Hunter is one that is seeking, always.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd say put the shatk teeth on a seperate poll as there are so many shark people on this forum it kind of hurts the chances for other kinds of fossils to shine.

Be true to the reality you create.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

From what I can see, there isn't a real division in numbers between the two; everything seems to be fairly represented - vertebrate/invertebrate, tooth/bone etc., so I can see no reason to draw this particular distinction.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd say put the shatk teeth on a seperate poll as there are so many shark people on this forum it kind of hurts the chances for other kinds of fossils to shine.

I like this split better than vert / invert. It's hard to compare some of the great finds here with shark teeth etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just so it's clear, the split being polled is vertebrate and NON-vertebrate. Non-Verts would include invertebrates and plants.

:thumbsu: :thumbsd: :thumbsu: :thumbsd: :thumbsu: :thumbsd:

The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true.  -  JJ

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just so it's clear, the split being polled is vertebrate and NON-vertebrate. Non-Verts would include invertebrates and plants.

:thumbsu: :thumbsd: :thumbsu: :thumbsd: :thumbsu: :thumbsd:

John,

That in it self is not an effective split (IMHO). as the forum population isn't split into those two camps.

Be true to the reality you create.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We want the Member of the Month to be about the members; sort of a good citizenship recognition, regardless of their specialty or lack thereof.

The Find of the Month should be all about the fossils, and there has been a lot of folks suggesting that non-vert material is at a distinct disadvantage against the popularity of bones and teeth.

"There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant

“Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley

>Paleontology is an evolving science.

>May your wonders never cease!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I say splitt them because winner will be allways big meg or mammoth tooth or dino bone If they keep together. Now ammonites and trilobites have chance to win. Invertebrates includes over 95% of all fossil species but they never win. :(

"It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of

intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living."

-Sir David Attenborough

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is a vertebrate dominated forum. The inverts have no chance. So why do the inverts get the plants and not the verts?

:) For the same reasons stated before, but basically a fantastic leaf fossil is better matched against a trilo than a meg. :)

I like the idea to have sharks teeth in their own section.

Maybe some day; but for now, shark teeth compete well with their vertebrate compadres. ;)

The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true.  -  JJ

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Because of geographic constraints, some collectors may be forced / restricted to collect only invertebrates / plant and not have the opportunity to collect the fancier vertebrates fossil.... a T.Rex fossil vert. mass appeal will beat out any (trilobite or crinoid or annelid with soft tissue preservation, rare Cooksonia plants)..... spitting the categories into (Vert. , Invert, Plant) may be a potential option for consideration as this will remove regional geographical bias. PL

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:) For the same reasons stated before, but basically a fantastic leaf fossil is better matched against a trilo than a meg. :)

Maybe some day; but for now, shark teeth compete well with their vertebrate compadres. ;)

I just noticed that your a Mod now..... We are all in trouble!!! ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One of the main arguments is that a certain group of fossils is being denied the chance to win. I can see two objections; firstly, you'd have to split it further if an indentifiable group of fossils wasn't winning; animalia always beats out plant fossils etc. What really seems pointless about this is that there is nothing stopping any type from winning; the award simply acknowledges which is thought by fellow members to be the best find; if invertebrates aren't winning, it's because they aren't thought of as the best find. Secondly, it detracts from the award; if it's supposed to be the best fossil of the month, then it's much less meaningful if the fossil is acknowledged as the best within a very specific context, where almost everyone is a winner. The argument that not everybody gets a chance to collect the things with popular-appeal is a little specious; few of us have the opportunity to collect the really spectacular fossils at all, simply as you are unable to find fossils that appeal to other members, doesn't mean that we should lower the bar, or institute a lowered para-bar.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The argument that not everybody gets a chance to collect the things with popular-appeal is a little specious

What do you mean suspicious??? I do not agree with you. Excuse me... explain yourself!!... here in my region there is no dinosaur deposits, no shark teeth just invert and plants to collect.... we are talking about leveling the playing field with regard to eliminating geographic bias which is a function of fossil type distribution. PL

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What do you mean suspicious??? I do not agree with you. Excuse me... explain yourself!!... here in my region there is no dinosaur deposits, no shark teeth just invert and plants to collect.... we are talking about leveling the playing field with regard to eliminating geographic bias which is a function of fossil type distribution. PL

I'm really going to have to suppress the urge to patronise. Addressing your argument, if you can't find impressive fossils then you shouldn't win an award for impressive fossils. Neither should we institute an award for less impressive fossils, making the award less meaningful. I'm amazed at the extent to which people's misguided sense of fairplay takes over; whichever way we split the award, some people will have access to better deposits; the changes would only level the playing for fossil types (eg. vertebrates or invertebrates) and not people, who will always be limited by location (and free-time, capability, finances for that matter; should we find a way of compensating for those?).

"What do you mean suspicious??? I do not agree with you. Excuse me... explain yourself!!..."

A "specious" argument is appealing, but flawed. I was saying that this seems like a good idea, making things "fairer", but would destroy the spirit of the competition - to find the most spectacular fossil.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Winner Of Fotm November 6"+ Megalodon tooth

Winner Of Fotm October! Hadrosaur jaw

Winner For September Fotm! Mastodon upper tooth

Winner of Fotm Aug Mammoth Humerus

"It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of

intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living."

-Sir David Attenborough

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...