The 7 Day Contest: Day 2

Perhaps it will make us better poets...

Yes, there are some harsh judging but sometimes thats exactly what we need to grow. I bet some of our very best poets are judging- if so they will naturally be harder to impress

It's hard to write a poem really well with 24 hours notice anyway.

If this is to help us grow then comments need to be sent anyways....you don't go giving 1 digit scores with no explanation. How does one grow that way? All its done is make my poets feel like they really let us down and they have no clue what they did wrong...

Just reading this and I agree with Tony and Chelsey...I don't see the point of giving a 0 when it's out of 20 points too? Because a zero shows to me the person didn't submit anything....but we all tried. I know it would be insane to give comments, I understand it's just votes...I just was wondering why the judge had to give that. Oh well. I like the strictness too because it's what probably has to be done with such a massive number of poems but I don't agree with a zero. Congrats everyone though for making it to Day 5!!!

Potp
I didn't know a judge scored a zero. I missed that.

Chels.. Yes i believe comments would be posted at least inside each club or whatever...

We got some low scores too like that...

But hey it's almost over!!

Perhaps the 0 came in an individual score?

Well I'll be the first to admit one of my club members got a 1.....

That's pathetic..."here's a 1 for trying, now give me your poem so I can shit on it"....that's what I feel judge 1 is saying.

One of our members got one too.

Can't wait for the "unveiling of the judges" lol

Hmm... I want to see what our club got... even if it was a 0 or a 1.

I'm also excited to know who the judges are, they are tough, ah but motivation. I want to get at least a 5 in the last round! XD

This is supposed to be a fun challenge. People are taking extra time in a small amount of time to write some beautiful poetry... staying up late ...because of time difference... and for what? to have a low score tossed at them with NO explanation? no thats not fun... Our club will continue this challenge, but I can honestly say its not fun anymore.

its fun for the group/team effort and to read some beautiful poetry... but if this judge is going to continue with harsh scoring, then please explain why, and dont give me the excuse there is too many poems and not enough time.. these writers are staying up late and giving extra time to write, you can give the extra time to explain your 1 vote!

EDIT: I stand corrected by Nicko. He is right that this is neither the forum to attack a judge nor is it fair to Colm.

It's just a contest, not a competition for scholarships or promotions or free grave-sites.

_ no comment, staying silent for the duration of the challenge.

Our club received some 0's because we didnt stick to the rules
at the end of the day thats fair.. the rules are the rules, no good sugar coating things just to make people feel better

I think this sort of judging needs to happen more often. harsh criticism makes you want to improve,

Its no good sticking it to the poet, look to the poems

And perhaps those 0's were necessary...however, when you have poems whose rules were followed, whose structure seems flawless, whose form was spot on.....they get a 3?....you should get a 5 simply for the poem form being spot on....then additional points for whatever the judge base their votes on. A 1 is 1 point away from a 0 which means your poem totally sucked or you failed to follow rules. These poems with low scores did not suck at all, and followed rules....1 point? Give me a f'ing break.

Just seems a bit off to me. I'd like to see J1 bust out that many poems, that difficult of forms under that time pressure...let's see how "amazing" it turns out. Let's see how flawless and completely perfect it turns out....please.

Judge 1 is hilarious

How can you say it's need more often,
Getting. A 1 for a small syllable mistake.
How is that fair ??? Rules are rules yes
But surely for one mistake to following the rest
Of the rules bringing out a well write piece is
Worth more then a 1.

A 0 is basically saying you failed in ever aspect
Of the challenge and I don't see that what so
Ever not one person has, it's a joke

I'm sorry all of this is distracting from the contest. It's not what I wanted to wake up to. I'd like any bitterness or contraversy settled before the final few days of the contest so this is my take on it.

I'm going to primarily defend my judge, for a few reasons. Mainly, they are consistent with each club. Poems that scored so low had errors in them that usually clashed with the rules of a form. If you were entering a more professional formed poetry contest your entry would be disregarded if it didn't conform to the rules of the form. Secondly, everybody has tastes, and the good thing about this judges system is that better poems get rewarded. If you get a 15 for example, you know you earned it.

I think the site's voting system and previous contests have made people accustomed to getting high scores. In the last contest for example, I got something like 91/100 for a poem I knew wasn't much good, I see people with a 5.0 rating out of thousands of votes. I appointed the judge to judge this contest, they have higher standards (equally for every club) and have put in a lot of time already reading through well over 100 poems. It has seemed to become automatically expected for high scores to be awarded on here, I think harsher judging is more realistic, and yes, more helpful in the long run.

All that being said, I do feel 1/20 is too low a score for poems that conform to the form rules. I appreciate poets are putting in a big effort and 1/20 is disheartening to say the least. Ill talk to the judge (and relay messages if needed as they can't defend themselves on here due to anonymous judging). I hope every club will keep up the good effort, to try and up the scores, whatever happens in the judging situation. If possible I don't want this bad-feeling to continue for the rest of the contest.

Judge 1 has given there time freely to be harassed and sworn at

Well get a grip folks maybe you're not the wonderful poets you think you are

Chelsey you're very quick to defend the weekly judges if their judging criteria is called to question, but have no problem blasting hell out of this judge???

Larry you were also very quick to jump on me about penalties for embarrassing a member, well what's been said here is a lot worse, you even joined in ...?

To judge 1 you have my 100% support and backing

Okay, its judging at it's worst, maybe and personal preferences are taken into account, yes...But Colm, you just said that you think a 1 can be harsh but you must be prepared to score low if you made mistakes in the form, and if you get a 15, you know you earned it.

the 1's and 3's aren't what annoyed us, in a piece there was a mistake but it's the contrast in the two judges scores... a 1 from this judge 1 but a 15 from judge 2...

so what is it, did that poem earn the 15 and the 1 was ridiculous or the 1 was adequate and judge 2 is blind?

Tara everybody has different tastes, seeing the weekly winners there can be 10-15 poems votes on, winners can come from 1 judge out of 5 giving it a 10 vote. You can't hope for consistency in every poem when two judges are judging anonymously over 100 poems.

I know everyone has different tastes, so they didn't like the poem and it had a mistake...does that justify a 1...out of 20?

and as for the consistency and the site contest you just brought up there...you only vote on three poems, you could love all of them but you have to choose 3...a lot harder...in this, you are judging each poem individually... Relay these comments to your judge if you want, but I don't see it changing in any coming rounds.

No offence Tara but I what makes you or me any more qualified than judge 1, are you an expert ? And qualified to judge a judge ??

No, I'm not claiming to be better than anyone or even a tiny bit good... I'm just a bit frigging annoyed that I was a at work all day running around after little 2 years olds and I came home and have been up till the early hours writing for this contest and all I get to show for it is a poncy score of 1.

So forgive me for being a bit pissed off. I'm freaking tired!

But here is not the forum to bag the hell of this judge, who is getting hung drawn and quartered, who has also given of there time just as you have

And like you is trying to do the best job possible

They should be commended not ridiculed..

I'm not hanging anyone...I'm just given my opinion on the score that they've given, everyone is titled to there own opinion on what they like and don't like...that's not the problem.

I'm not wasting my breath on this any more

Jeezzz...I'm judge one (blushes)....surprise...surprise!!!!

Well maybe I'm not......I cannot see the scores...(why is that? I mean on each poem Colm? are they being sent to individual clubs right now and..not available to spectators?) anyway...I do love what's happening here...it's right up my alley to be honest...maybe you're really not as good as you thought you were and you really were riding on the tailcoats of your precious friends/club mates...whatever...LOL!!!

I once argued about members downvoting without leaving a comment/ favouritism within clubs/friends and I was booed off the stage so to speak...well...I guess if you hang in there long enough...what goes around comes around so....suck it up peps!

Hellon, you would make an awesome judge 1....

I bet that so many members thought it was you!!

Yeah...I bet they did!

Colm, The Kite Runners still didn't have their scores, yet.

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I only wrote one haiku in this contest. And I am seeing now this fuss over Judge One. Well, I support people against 'his/her judging' because 1/20 or 0/20 is an illogical mark one could get. At least, there should be 5 points for the idea. And if there are 15 points for the form/rules, then one mistake doesn't justify getting none of those 15 points.

0/20 means an empty poem.
1/20 means a 3 years old scribbling random words.
.... etc...

And I don't think there are 'dumb' poems being submitted.

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And Darren, no, Hellon doesn't fit as a judge if this is how she says to other members:

"maybe you're really not as good as you thought you were and you really were riding on the tailcoats of your precious friends/club mates...whatever...LOL!!!"

Total agree with abed a low mark would deffinently be accepted, but 1 or a 0 you mays well of just sent in the
Title , I'm not just saying for my club I'm saying for others aswell people giving a 0 is total bull crap , it's so disrespectful
Wether they you guys say maybe they weren't as good as they thought they were, maybe they didn't show full potential
Because of how fast they have to write , bit NO WAY do they deserve a pathetic score like a a 0 or 1.

LP I sent the scores to the Kite Runners like to every other club: I sent them to Jenni I believe.

I defend weekly contest judges because they judge fair. Because they can only judge a 10, 7, or 4....if I had some judge consistently only voting 4's, I'd definitely be just as mad...

I'm all for harshness or tough critiques. Weekly judges have left some tough critiques before and people value that, as well as I do, but that's because they go in to detail and explain their reasoning and make suggestions, and uplift the poet still. Which is why I say, perhaps receiving comments would make us "feel better".

Even the host of this challenge said a 1 and a 3 is disheartening... and it is.

I don't find humor in this. I'm glad you all do. Writing means a lot to me, as well as my group, and I feel as if they've been incredibly discouraged.

Again, nothing wrong with a low score, I know all people have different tastes. But a low score is a 9 or 10.

I am wondering if the judges know which poems are coming from which clubs..in other words they should not know who club number 1...only that it is club number 1...

I thought i read somewhere someone was asking WHO each club was.

The judges should not know anything more than the club #. NOT WHICH CLUB IT IS.

If they know who is who...then judging can be swayed sometimes, if the judge isn't completely fair

It's not possible due to the amount of poems and workload the judges already have to expect them to leave comments too.

A 1 is disheartening, who wouldn't be disappointed if they got a 1? But at least the judging is honest and fair for all and when you get a higher score you know you will have earned it, and not just gotten a 9 or 10 to make you feel satisfied with an average or sub-par poem. That's my thinking on it anyway, everybody is different.

Besides, its only one persons opinion either way. No matter if you get a 20 or a 0, it doesn't change the poem. Any writing/art form is so subjective, criticism/setbacks are part of the game. J.K Rowling got turned down by 11 publishers for Harry Potter at first, look what happened afterwards.

Connie, judges do not know what clubs are which. They judge by poem numbers only, that's why when somebody asked what club was which I said I wanted to keep in anonymous, which is the best way I think

Thank you Colm

I don't have a problem with gettin a 0 or a 1. Rather it makes me want to write better.

For sure Colm, it is... I was glad you did not reveal it at that time.

Thanks!

Whatever. I still think its pathetic and my club has EARNED more than a 1 or 3 if that's the word you wanna use. Staying up all hours of the night , some til 2 a.m, digging deep....that "earns" a 1?....interesting....wonder what earns a 5?...

I'll agree to disagree.

I rest my case. Good luck all.

I stand corrected by Nicko. He is right that this is neither the forum to attack a judge nor is it fair to Colm.

It's just a contest, not a competition for scholarships or promotions or free grave-sites.

Accordingly I edited my previous post.

I also stand corrected,

Apologies to judge 1 for a perceived personal attack.

^^^^ Hellon: "Jeezzz...I'm judge one (blushes)....surprise...surprise!!!!"

I have a picture of hundreds of battle-worn rebels/poets each standing up & declaring "I am Judge 1!" as Spartacus/Judge 1 tears up in gratitude.

I won't retracted my statement but u said to colm I
Didn't mean to bring a personal attack or make it difficult
For him or judge one , I still don't think it's right
But I could of delt with it better

Good luck to all :)