Harry Pristis Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 As it is organized, the FOTM contest is irrelevant to me because I am not fossil hunting anymore. It may be irrelevant to others here for a variety of reasons, snow being a significant factor. Frankly, I would prefer to see this contest be changed to (or augmented by) a FOSSIL OF THE MONTH contest in which everyone could participate. Here are the reasons that a FOSSIL OTM would be more beneficial to the Forum: 1. Instead of encouraging "friendly competition" (?) to find a spectacular fossil, the participation in a Fossil OTM would encourage real skills among subscribers. Finding a spectacular fossil is a bit like playing the slots, no skill required. But, research, photography, and presentation of useful information about even an average fossil could make a winner in a FOSSIL OTM contest. 2. Vert, plant, or invert would be immaterial distinctions. Everyone who was interested could participate. Regional or seasonal distinctions would not be an issue. If someone in Indiana can identify, provide interesting context, and make an impressive image of an invertebrate fossil from Poland, the Hoosier could get my vote. 3. Everyone wins! Skills improve! The general knowledge of all participants increases! No one need be left out. The emphasis is on the fossil and on presenting it, not on who got lucky. -------Harry Pristis http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Placoderms Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Harry, interesting thoughts... I'd love to see a forum where people would explain what formations are found in their area, what fossils are found in them and how they relate to other formations. If the Fossil of the Month stays the way it is now maybe we could encourage people to "earn the vote" through educating the rest of us in some way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Harry, interesting thoughts... I'd love to see a forum where people would explain what formations are found in their area, what fossils are found in them and how they relate to other formations. If the Fossil of the Month stays the way it is now maybe we could encourage people to "earn the vote" through educating the rest of us in some way. New guidelines for entry are being finalized for just this end "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 December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I've learned a few things while reading some of the well reasoned positions people have posted. If you have changed your mind during the course of this poll, you have the option to delete your vote and vote the other choice. The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frozen_turkey Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 What are we actually basing this on? Why do we think that members won't acknowledge an invertebrate find? Im just saying verts draw more atention then inverts to most people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatorman Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Yes they do but that is mostly because inverts are not represented as much on this forum. Most of us vert people do appreciate the extraordinary invert fossils. It is only because these extraordinary fossils are so rare that they aren't being properly represented in the competition. If the split is made the vert competition will be about the same but the invert competition will likely be represented by less than spectacular fossils, unless we allow for prepping then perhaps it would be a fairer and more productive competition. What if it does get split then at the conclusion of the competition we have a vert versus invert competition in which the winner wins an actual prize that is donated by a member? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleecan Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Lets keep it simple... the prize is the recognition .... a title for that month.... any thing more would add/require another layer of complexity to administor. PL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Have that many members NOT posted a great Non-vertebrate find (trilobite, plant, shell, etc.) because they didn't think it could win against the Vertebrate fossils entered? The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THobern Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Have that many members NOT posted a great Non-vertebrate find (trilobite, plant, shell, etc.) because they didn't think it could win against the Vertebrate fossils entered? The same should be asked of plants and any non-vertebrate group of fossils. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Menser Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 Frankly, a lot has to do with education. To be honest I couldn't tell a rare echinoid from a common one; so for me to vote for a fossil like that is the same thing as many folk who vote for a president knowing little except what the candidates look like. By that standard it really becomes unfair, because based on looks alone a fossil that is commoner and impressive looking will always beat out that one in a lifetime find that doesn't look as good on a stand. So for that reason I agree with Harry. background information certainly could help to level the playing field at least a bit. Also, some of us might want to enter but because of physical limitations or geography we are not able to field hunt. Which makes me wonder about a commercial catagory. Be true to the reality you create. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megateeth Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 I am for the vert/invert split but I would hate to see shark teeth on their own. I would vote for a t-rex tooth over a shark tooth all the time and a really nice mastodon tooth like Nate had last month over most shark teeth. I will add that it will be hard to beat Tracer jr's invert find this month. Megateeth Fossils - Megalodon Teeth, Other Shark Teeth and Info about Megalodon shark tooth collecting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worthy 55 Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 Try it, sounds like an idea. It's my bone!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Sharks Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 I have voted, but don't really care about whichever way it goes. The best fossil is the BEST fossil. I do like Anson's argument that fossils prepped should be allowed in the month prepping is completed. I also like Harry's post about us northerners pretty much being excluded from the contest 4-5 months of the year due to snow. Whatever is decided, there is no real prize, so all this commotion seems pretty much overkill to me. There's no limit to what you can accomplish when you're supposed to be doing something else Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 I think its fine as it is..... but I can see why people are thinking this way.... maybe something complete may get more votes than a vert even though the vert is rare .... is there enough vert material posted to warrant its own category?... Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracer Jr. Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 i agree with keeping the poll as it is. i vote for the most spectacular fossil, whether it be invert or vert. there are many people who are more drawn to one of the two, but it seems to sort of even out in my opinion. i do not understand why this has caused so much commotion as it is only for fun. i truly enjoy entering just to show other people some of the cool things i am sometimes lucky enough to find. i also enjoy seeing inverts and verts together and hearing descriptions as it is somewhat of a representative of all types of fossils. if the contest were seperated, i would probably be less interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaleoPutz Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 I voted but I have no problem with it staying the same or changing. I think it is impossible to remove personal bias from a subject area that is very personal to most members. I can see why many people would vote for mastodon/mammoth fossils (for example only) if that is what they work with every day, and work so hard to collect. I, on the other hand, would almost always vote for a trilobite simply because I appreciate them more. I thought ebrocklds trilobite would win hands down in September because the preservation, and specimen sample, were fascinating. I was surprised to see a mammoth tooth win for that month, but that is just my bias talking. It was a fantastic tooth, don't get me wrong. If I found something like that I would fall over dead right next to it, like I always say. However, I have seen sooooooo many fossils of the type that they have lost a bit of a spark for me. However, I would collect/buy 100 of the same, boring Kainops trilobite from Oklahoma because that is my bias. "Best" is so relative anyway that it may be silly changing... I do enjoy the Fossil of the Month, and have enjoyed reading the opinions from everyone. No disrespect is intended towards PrehistoricFlorida.. His finds are "soil my britches" awesome. I just used that particular month for illustration. Anyway, I hope you all keep finding great stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 Hmmmmmmm..."The Soiled Britches Award"..... Dramatic impact, but...no. "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...
PaleoPutz Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 A nice piece of coprolite could be the trophy... It does have some allure to it, doesn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 A nice piece of coprolite could be the trophy... It does have some allure to it, doesn't it? You Go, PaleoPutz! (Figuratively speaking, that is...) "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...
Crinoid Queen Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 (edited) split 'em. Then again, I'm biased. Here Here! i say split um tooI even desigened a logo for the IVFOTM. ! Edited January 2, 2010 by Crinoid Queen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palaeopix Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 I am for splitting the FOTM. It is difficult competing against those in the vertebrate camp. Not that we are spineless in the invertebrate camp. But the plants should have their own category too. That is my two cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Bob Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 Frankly, a lot has to do with education. To be honest I couldn't tell a rare echinoid from a common one; so for me to vote for a fossil like that is the same thing as many folk who vote for a president knowing little except what the candidates look like. By that standard it really becomes unfair, because based on looks alone a fossil that is commoner and impressive looking will always beat out that one in a lifetime find that doesn't look as good on a stand. So for that reason I agree with Harry. background information certainly could help to level the playing field at least a bit. Also, some of us might want to enter but because of physical limitations or geography we are not able to field hunt. Which makes me wonder about a commercial catagory. Thats funny Frank, because that is exactly what happen to me to the tee. I found a rare echinoid for the location that i was hunting. The curator of nature history of our state museum told me that he could only remember 4 or 5 ever coming out of that location and one donated to the museum was a different species then the one i found. But i didn't bother to enter it because it was very unimpressive looking, heck i wouldn't have voted for it. "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it." Upton Sinclair Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 Thats funny Frank, because that is exactly what happen to me to the tee. I found a rare echinoid for the location that i was hunting. The curator of nature history of our state museum told me that he could only remember 4 or 5 ever coming out of that location and one donated to the museum was a different species then the one i found. But i didn't bother to enter it because it was very unimpressive looking, heck i wouldn't have voted for it. If the contest were about the specimen rather than about who got lucky this month, a rare echinoid well-presented with good information could compete with a mastodon tooth (or whatever). http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jilson Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 As of now, I am undecided. The reason I love the "FOTM" is being able to see a wide range of fossils that are time relevant... as opposed to someone picking up an awesome fossil found 10 years ago and posting a picture. For those of us that actively hunt, it's fun to see what someone found yesterday or last week and there are some snarge good fossils being found in the here and now. Some months will be better than others due to climate, weather, and other reasons. Some months will allow more fossils other than sharks teeth to be posted for the same reason. I also metal detect and tried applying the same idea there. Would a penny win over a civil war button? Depends on the button, what state, what state it was found, what year the penny is etc... so would you rather have a "find of the month" or split between coin shooters and relics? All I know is that if it were split, you would have more entries and I would love to see that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrehistoricFlorida Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 (edited) All I know is that if it were split, you would have more entries and I would love to see that! I disagree with this wholeheartedly. I, for one, would be much less likely to enter into a competition with split categories. In a split competition there may only be 2 or 3 entries on each side some months, this would make for very little competition. In the vertebrate side you may see a Texas boy post a sloth tooth and a Florida boy post an elephant tooth, well that's not really any competition is it? And in the same sense for an invertebrate category, you may see a gastropod pitted against a killer trilobite. The people who entered the trilobite and elephant tooth would each easily win, but there would be no bragging rights involved as there would no competition against them. Edited January 5, 2010 by PrehistoricFlorida www.PrehistoricFlorida.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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