KansasFossilHunter Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 I really don't believe this is the case, Kris. The admins/mods can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe they draw from a pool of people who contribute regularly, and often, most especially in the month they are nominated in. That is precisely why they are nominated. Perhaps you have missed their posts, but I know that all of this months nominees have contributed lots to the forum in the past month. In my three years on here, I do not believe I have seen this. You will see the same people cycle through, but I am fairly certain that they all contribute often enough to warrant the Member of the Month nomination. Regards, Of course not all of them. I dunno, it just looked like there were some of the same people- espically as there are many other great members that could be nominated.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 Of course not all of them. I dunno, it just looked like there were some of the same people- espically as there are many other great members that could be nominated.... We're talking about Fossil of the Month; sounds like you are thinking Member of the Month. "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 More sharing options...
PRK Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 Like I've said before, the telephone game happens here alot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 (edited) KansasFossilHunter posted: "Some good points here- with the member of the month, it seems people who haven't even been on in months are cycled through until they "win" " This is the post (#69) that I was replying to. He was talking about member of the month. Regards, Edited February 3, 2013 by Fossildude19 Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowsharks Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 Like I've said before, the telephone game happens here alot. Could you enlighten us on what you are referring to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolmt Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 "telephone game" a message is passed along a chain of people and then the message at the end is compared to the original. Often the ending message bears no resemblance to the originating one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 my opinion: collect the material you enjoy in localities you enjoy in company you enjoy at the pace you enjoy, and when you get that far, you are so invested in personal enjoyment that public opinion won't make or break the experience for you. as for the contest, my entries have lost more often than they have won, and i'm indifferent to that result as i dwell my little fossil parlor. 1 Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossiladdict Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 (edited) my opinion: collect the material you enjoy in localities you enjoy in company you enjoy at the pace you enjoy, and when you get that far, you are so invested in personal enjoyment that public opinion won't make or break the experience for you. as for the contest, my entries have lost more often than they have won, and i'm indifferent to that result as i dwell my little fossil parlor. I couldn't have said it better. To me it is all about enjoying the hobby. I enjoy fossil hunting, the outdoors, exploring, hunting with friends, making new friends, finding cool fossils- some in really great shape, and some not in so great shape. But it's what I like that counts, not what everyone else likes. I'm sure I find a lot of fossils that I think are just the coolest fossils that a lot of you crinkle your nose at thinking it's not much, but to ME, they are cool. Why I never enter in FOTM contests- I see others finds and most of my finds are not even comparable to theirs. I enjoy watching what everyone enters though . Edited February 18, 2013 by fossiladdict Fossils are simply one of the coolest things on earth--discovering them is just marvelous! Makes you all giddy inside! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sward Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 my opinion: collect the material you enjoy in localities you enjoy in company you enjoy at the pace you enjoy, and when you get that far, you are so invested in personal enjoyment that public opinion won't make or break the experience for you. as for the contest, my entries have lost more often than they have won, and i'm indifferent to that result as i dwell my little fossil parlor. I think that's the best way to look at it. However, after reading your reports, I seriously doubt if your fossil parlor is "...little..." SWardSoutheast Missouri (formerly Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX) USA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 matrimony may have a way of condensing fossil parlors... mua ha ha.... but first i see lots of room to expand vertically! Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 also i'm developing an interest in trading big and cool for smaller and cooler... sumpin to think about. Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichW9090 Posted September 23, 2013 Share Posted September 23, 2013 (edited) I would like to propose a change to the rules. As of now, it is required that the fossil have been found during the current contest month. "Your Fossil must have been found during the Month of the Contest, or significant Preparation of your Fossil must have been completed during the Month of the Contest." I would propose that a significant fossil which is added to a bona fide museum or university collection be eligible for the month in which it was donated, regardless of when it was collected, identified or prepared. I think we need to recognize the efforts of our members - collectors who bring a significant specimen into the realm of science by depositing it in a proper collection where it will available to be studied, published and perhaps exhibited. Rich Edited September 23, 2013 by RichW9090 The plural of "anecdote" is not "evidence". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 ...I think we need to recognize the efforts of our members - collectors who bring a significant specimen into the realm of science by depositing it in a proper collection where it will available to be studied, published and perhaps exhibited. I agree wholeheartedly that we should single out the donors of significant specimens for recognition, and I'll see what we can engineer to make the accolades more formal. The FOTM contest may not be the best way to do it. "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 More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 ....I think we need to recognize the efforts of our members - collectors who bring a significant specimen into the realm of science by depositing it in a proper collection where it will available to be studied, published and perhaps exhibited. Rich I also agree that we should recognize the efforts of members which contribute to science with the donation of their finds to recognized collection repositories. The accolades offered to those that let us know are numerous within topics on The Forum, and those topics certainly serve as a tribute to member efforts. On the other hand, the rules for the FOTM contests have a narrower scope. Their focus is to recognize what our members have recently discovered. The rules regarding prep are in place due to the complexity and time involved in making some finds recognizable. (Chas types faster than I do... ) The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 There could be a 'Hall of Fame' for donated specimens. Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 There could be a 'Hall of Fame' for donated specimens. Another idea worthy of consideration. However, the resources needed to monitor and manage such an endeavor are engaged otherwise, at this time. The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichW9090 Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 I surely would like to see some way to formally recognize these folks. To my way of thinking, such an event is an order of magnitude more important than the FOTM, however neat and cool it might be. To paraphrase Judge Judy, Beauty Fades, Science is Forever. The plural of "anecdote" is not "evidence". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 I surely would like to see some way to formally recognize these folks. To my way of thinking, such an event is an order of magnitude more important than the FOTM, however neat and cool it might be. To paraphrase Judge Judy, Beauty Fades, Science is Forever. It is true that donation of significant fossils to science has great importance. I have been fortunate to participate in that process, as have many other members. However, recognition of that event and the FOTM are not in competition on TFF. Fostering greater cooperation between the scientific community and amateurs has been a personal objective of mine since joining the staff. We have worked hard to encourage that cooperation and enthusiastically recognize it when it occurs. The results are dozens of topics on our Forum where members receive much more than an icon for their collaboration with researchers or fossil repositories. As you have pointed out, they deserve our thanks and acknowledgement for moving the paleo sciences forward. We all eventually benefit from someone who offers their finds to research, and I hope we continue to show them our appreciation. In the meantime, I'm working on a potential idea to further this mission. The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichW9090 Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Thanks, John. I did not see it as a competition, in the sense that you had chosen one over the other to recognize - I was suggesting that both categories be recognized in some way. Glad to hear that you are working on something. If I can help in any way, please let me know. Rich The plural of "anecdote" is not "evidence". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Thanks, John. I did not see it as a competition, in the sense that you had chosen one over the other to recognize - I was suggesting that both categories be recognized in some way. Glad to hear that you are working on something. If I can help in any way, please let me know. Rich No problem at all, Rich. Hopefully, we can implement something soon. The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssuntok Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 I'm throwing in my two cents with those who say leave it as it is (or even go back to a single award that lumps vert and invert together). We could create many different categories, but that only dilutes the "value" of the award. we'd also have less entries in each category, with some having only a single entry or garnering only a handful of votes. At the end of the day, I say a single category (or two categories as is now the case) is best. You put your "best" fossil forward for consideration if you want, and if it's a really rare fossil that you think others won't appreciate, you can tell them just how rare it is in your area of sub-specialization - that'll have the effect of helping us all learn a little something. I for one always read what's been written by those who submit before casting a vote. If winning is that important to you, then it's up to you to make a compelling argument for why your entry should win. At the end of the day though, it's not like there's a $10,000 prize that goes along with the award, and "winning" isn't everything. Bottom line, I personally don't see a problem that needs fixing here. Just my two cents. I'll keep watching the monthly entries with interest no matter how you organize it. Cheers 4 Steve Suntok Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raggedy Man Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 Ssuntok, it should known this thread is 2 years old. Best regards ...I'm back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssuntok Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 Ssuntok, it should known this thread is 2 years old. Best regards oh dear. don't i feel the fool now. sorry Steve Suntok Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 oh dear. don't i feel the fool now. sorry Please don't! All opinions (especially well-voiced ones) are more than welcome It's good to have the old stuff brought to surface periodically. "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 More sharing options...
ssuntok Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 Please don't! All opinions (especially well-voiced ones) are more than welcome It's good to have the old stuff brought to surface periodically. thx Auspex. i'm still feeling a little "blond" though Steve Steve Suntok Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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