Contest Judge Survey

Hello PnQers.

This is a little survey I'd appreciate if you thought about for a few spare minutes if you have been a judge in the past. Just to give us some info on the whole judging process and to get some feedback on it. Feel free to answer it here or if you want anonymity pm it to us!

- Did you enjoy being a judge?

- What was the most challenging aspect of judging?

- If you had the power to, what would you change about the weekly contest, in particular how it is judged?

- Would you be more inclined to judge if you were part of a rotation system whereby you didn't judge every single week, but were given some weeks off?

- Did you struggle to give quality comments or feel pressure to leave lengthy comments on your winning poems?

- On average, how long did it take you to judge each week?

- Should a mod/mods be allowed to be judges?

- In general, did you think the list of poems nominated was short, just right or too long?

- When did you usually do your judging (Friday, Saturday, Sunday?)

- Was the process of sending comments and votes to mods and the host confusing, annoying and/or time consuming?

- Any other general points, observations or experiences you want to share about judging, especially your judging term, share them here

Thanks in advance

- Did you enjoy being a judge? -- Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Some terms have been better than others.

- What was the most challenging aspect of judging? -- Dealing with not seeming biased. A lot of the same people are nominated every single week, and with being a judge and having your own personal preferences in poetry, you start to pick the same people over and over.

- If you had the power to, what would you change about the weekly contest, in particular how it is judged? -- Obviously more involvement would make it better, but now it just seems like an obligation that no one cares about anymore. All my ideas end up with it being a Janis fix. :/

- Would you be more inclined to judge if you were part of a rotation system whereby you didn't judge every single week, but were given some weeks off? -- Not with the way our system is currently set up. When I was a judge the communication with hosts/mods weren't the greatest to say the least, and so I think having a calendar where you said X judges on Week 1 and 5 would get reallllly confusing, UNLESS there is good communication well in advance.

- Did you struggle to give quality comments or feel pressure to leave lengthy comments on your winning poems? - I felt pressure to leave really, really in depth comments that I ended up leaving mediocre ones.

- On average, how long did it take you to judge each week? -- 30 mins MAX. I read throughout the week and quickly weeded out the poems I didn't like.

- Should a mod/mods be allowed to be judges? - YES. 100x YES.

- In general, did you think the list of poems nominated was short, just right or too long? -- It's different each week. Lately it's been shorter, which would be nice, but it also means you may have a hard time finding poems you really like.

- When did you usually do your judging (Friday, Saturday, Sunday?) -- Friday. I was told to have it in by Saturday each week, and Saturday didn't always work for me, so always Friday.

- Was the process of sending comments and votes to mods and the host confusing, annoying and/or time consuming? -- I don't like having to send it two places. It's not difficult, but at the same time you don't know if it's ever received. I never got a "got it, thanks!" or any sort of response really. A few times from the mod account over the past two years. I very much feel like hosts and mods alike don't care for the contest so why should we?

- Any other general points, observations or experiences you want to share about judging, especially your judging term, share them here

I think the lack of communication was the most frustrating part. When I was gone for my wedding and honeymoon I got some PM's from a few asking why I wasn't judging... when I had let other mods know well ahead of time I would need two weeks off. That happened again for my anniversary and while I was out of town with no access to a computer. It gives me the idea of 'whats the point in trying'. It's not hard to take a PM back to the mod room, or even share PM's amongst each other. Maybe I put too much thought into it, but I figure if we're going to do something, then we need to do it. Not just.. kind of.

Not a judge but I know the most disappointing part of judging is the lack of members' interest . So often the winners do not even acknowledge their win. If there is no interest why bother with all this?? A GOOD judge needs some feed back. If I were a judge to be honest, I needed at least 10 hours to deliver and then if I heard zip, how could I pomp up again??

- "Did you enjoy being a judge?"
No

- What was the most challenging aspect of judging?
There were too many really good poems

"- If you had the power to, what would you change about the weekly contest, in particular how it is judged?"
I would ask the people that complain about the judging to be judges

- Would you be more inclined to judge if you were part of a rotation system whereby you didn't judge every single week, but were given some weeks off?
I don't feel like I am qualified to judge from an academic point to judge

"- Did you struggle to give quality comments or feel pressure to leave lengthy comments on your winning poems?"
It was a struggle

"- On average, how long did it take you to judge each week?" About two hours

"- Should a mod/mods be allowed to be judges?"
yes

- In general, did you think the list of poems nominated was short, just right or too long?
Too long

- "When did you usually do your judging (Friday, Saturday, Sunday?)" Saturday and Sunday

- "Was the process of sending comments and votes to mods and the host confusing, annoying and/or time consuming?" That was not the most time consuming part

"- Any other general points, observations or experiences you want to share about judging, especially your judging term, share them here"

The people that nominate do a great job

- Did you enjoy being a judge?

I actually loved judging. Due to my busy schedule I dont get to read and comment on poems like I use to, but knowing I was a judge, it forced me to read every week.

- What was the most challenging aspect of judging?

Hmm..for me I'd say the amount of poems. I notice we have a shorter list now, but thats because the site is dieing down, but when people were heavily voting, yeah the reading didnt take to long, but it was deciding which poems deserved my 10, 7, and 4 that made it time consuming.

- If you had the power to, what would you change about the weekly contest, in particular how it is judged?

I can't really answer this. What I'd want is for people to enjoy it like they use to and participate like they use to, but unfortunately there is no changing how busy people are. I think the system we have actually works well when we have numbers on our side....we've lost our participation numbers and that makes people think our system is flawed, when in reality, its not, its we have no volunteers, no care about it.

- Would you be more inclined to judge if you were part of a rotation system whereby you didn't judge every single week, but were given some weeks off?

Absolutely not. Heck some people who have judged for 4 months forget some weeks that they have to judge, I can't imagine what'd happen if they had to remember what week was their week to judge. I say stick to it being weekly, keeps it smoother.

- Did you struggle to give quality comments or feel pressure to leave lengthy comments on your winning poems?

Actually not really. I remember out of my 6 month term there were only a few weekends where 1. The poems were pure perfection I just couldnt go in depth because I found it to be too beautiful for words...and 2. I was really busy.. But most of the time I could easily go on and on about why I chose the poem.

- On average, how long did it take you to judge each week?

Not long at all. People need to understand, when you're a judge you need to be reading the poems throughout the week. That way when Friday comes you already know which ones you'd like to revisit and leave your comment...it took me mayve 20 minutes to type my comments.

- Should a mod/mods be allowed to be judges?

YES! If there is ever a weekend, like this last one, where we had ONE judge, or there are no sub volunteers, it'd be great for mods to jump in and read and vote..again it keeps the normalcy and stays running smoothly.

- In general, did you think the list of poems nominated was short, just right or too long?

Hard to say. Lately its too short and I find myself disappointed in that, but then when its too long its like dannngggg. I just think when you judge there should be no complaints. Know what you're gettnig yourself into. Whether long or shorts, the poems need read and rated. I'd rather see long, shows more participation!

- When did you usually do your judging (Friday, Saturday, Sunday?)

Not gonna lie I did mine Saturday night.

- Was the process of sending comments and votes to mods and the host confusing, annoying and/or time consuming?

Not at all. Copy and paste is very simple and easy. If you don't have that copy and pasting down by now, you do not belong in this century lol

- Any other general points, observations or experiences you want to share about judging, especially your judging term, share them here.

I just think these surveys MAY be a waste of time..Not saying they are, but they could be. Just because we ask questions like these every few months and see no change. We ask and sometimes beg for volunteers, and mess ups still happen, or no mods are on when theres an error, or judges last minute drop out or dont send things.. in the year of 2013 the contest has been dieing and I've seen no improvement, just chatter about it...I'm just wondering when we will decide to fold it? Or when we will swap out mods? When will we see ANY type of change to get the old pnq back? Surveys are a good idea to get opinions, but I feel opinions arent valued, or theyre wasted rather when no changes are made.

We don't need Janis for this. That needs to stop being an excuse. For other things, absolutely he has the power. But this system is fine. 5 judges, 3 months, a reliable host,.....we just need the participation......

As far as Britts comment about mods and judges not caring, on my behalf its not really about me not caring, because actually I care TOO much. Breaks my heart to see the quiet around here. I remember being a teen and dieing to get home to get on PnQ and write and read and chat with people all over the world. But now everyone texts and facebooks each other and are too busy to even write poetry that its so dead here.....I'd love nothing more than to have a full staff of active mods, dependable judges, and I'll keep hosting...but I have been frustrated and wanted to quit the last few months because I see that OTHER people dont care :( ....hard to put your heart into something and organize the comments and scores for an ENTIRE site, when only about 10-15 of you actually enjoy this.

Truly my advice to those out there who still love the site and contest, and this goes for myself and I'll be doing this, scope out some new talent, some new members, PM them...WElcome them here, explain how this works...The crazy thing is, the site is still growing, but I don't think people know EXACTLY what to do aside from post poems. The same people cant keep judging, its exhausting. We need some new people in here, but perhaps they don't know how it all goes down.

- Yes, actually I did enjoy it..

- Very difficult to narrow down my top 3 .. tons of talented and creative poems were nominated during all of my terms.

- I honestly don't have any ideas or suggestions at this time.

- Either way is fine with me.

- I'm older and set in my ways. I commented the way I wanted to. To be honest, my comments were honest and the way I felt and critiqued the poem. What you see and read from me is what you get. I tried to touch on all areas and aspects of the poem and felt my comments were just fine, regardless of weather it was a mile long comment or a paragraph. So to answer the question: No pressure at all.

- 2 hours to put my judging selections and comments together, and I read all poems daily, and many I read many, many times.

- Yes Mods should be allowed to judge.

- The nominations list was just fine.

- First 6 months was on Friday.. and then my second term I did on Saturday mornings.

- Not a problem

- I really enjoyed it and would do it again if asked.

- Did you enjoy being a judge? For the most part, yes I did.

- What was the most challenging aspect of judging? Me being indecisive as which poems to rate a 10,7,4.

- If you had the power to, what would you change about the weekly contest, in particular how it is judged?

The judging process is fine. I mean giving the 10,7,4 works really well. Having to write 3 comments isn't much to be ask. The hard challenge is to narrow down the winners specially when all the entries are at the same level. Though its a relief that there are 5 judges and that the winners are picked based on what the five picked not just on one.

- Would you be more inclined to judge if you were part of a rotation system whereby you didn't judge every single week, but were given some weeks off? I actually wouldn't. I would be under too much pressure by trying to remember which week is my turn and which week isn't.

- Did you struggle to give quality comments or feel pressure to leave lengthy comments on your winning poems?
Not really. What I felt pressured though, was that it was until I wrote the comment, that I found out how great the poem was and that in fact it deserved a 10 rather than a 4 per se. I felt guilty afterwards. However, I just wrote what came to me.

- On average, how long did it take you to judge each week?
Well, it took me a whole lot of time. I read the poems during the week, and then on Friday, I read all of them in one go. On Saturday, I re-read my top choices, and on Sunday I gave the points. Then Sunday Night, I wrote the comments which took me a long time to write. So at times, I ended up sending my comments and my votes around 1 am on Monday. ( Depending on the week and on the poems, I may have sent the comments earlier). It was mainly my indecisive and amateur self.

- Should a mod/mods be allowed to be judges?

Yes, definitely, but I don't think the mods need to. They are already volunteering for other things. Like finding plagiarize poems on the site and deleting them, or approving the praise comments. I think the site has many members who are hiding or feel left out. There should be a way to involve them or they should involve themselves in the whole process :D

- In general, did you think the list of poems nominated was short, just right or too long? When I was judging the list seemed Okay.

- When did you usually do your judging (Friday, Saturday, Sunday?) hmm... the entire Week? or Saturday and Sunday.

- Was the process of sending comments and votes to mods and the host confusing, annoying and/or time consuming?

At first it was confusing for me. But mainly because, I kept forgetting to send them to the mods.

- Any other general points, observations or experiences you want to share about judging, especially your judging term, share them here. Yes, People need to nominate more poems. and overall, Participate. Also they need to state their opinions on the Weekly winners threads. Or the very least give a sign of existence.

On a side note, I have to admit that judging was a great exercise to put my English into Practice.

We are already discussing making some key changes to the site contest in the mod room. I feel confident that they will reduce screw ups.
I'm sorry if you feel your input isn't important, or that nothing proactive results from it, but that tends to be when the site is torn in half and no compromise can be found. When that happens, we can't go forward. We like to have majority opinion, and to get majority, we need members to be flexible :)
It's easy to blame mods (or anyone really) for the "death of PnQ," but is it a surprise that a site like this, with rare updates and near complete absence of administration, is falling into the shadows of other social networking sites? We need Janis. We need updates.
I miss old PnQ too, but shouldn't we appreciate that there are enough members here that keep it alive no matter what happens?

Anyway, from what I gather:
-Mods need to be more available during the weekends when judges are submitting votes/comments.
-It's cool for mods to judge.
-Judging takes ~2 hours.
-We should stick to monthly rotations to avoid confusion.
-We should consider having all votes/comments sent to one location to avoid confusion, instead of two.

-Mods need to be more available during the weekends when judges are submitting votes/comments

^^^^

Mods need to be more available period! The only mod I see signed in on a regular basis is Larry and...please don't say this is a time difference issue...I have checked all your accounts and most go for days without dropping by...not good enough. I asked a question of the mods in last weeks winning thread and it still hasn't been answered...just an example.

Sibs Account...

sibyllene

Gender :

Female

Age :

24

Country :

USA

Registered :

2006-07-21

Last visit :

2013-09-12

Poems :

200

Rating :

4.9 / 585

Forum posts :

7101

Awards :

( F P C D )

Profile :

I like the smells of mint and
gunpowder.

Poetry club :

THE CLUB (The Pirate Ship)

Contact :

Send private

I was asked to judge for this current session but was out of the country for the beginning of it and, with little internet access so had to decline. I did offer to act as a stand in judge on my return...supplied dates of my movements etc to a mod but..I have not once been approached to step in this term although, it appears to me that this has been the worst 3 months...very seldom have all 5 judges presented in any given week so...I have to wonder why I wasn't called upon?

I'm not sure why you weren't called upon, Hellon. As long as 3 judges a week can do their jobs, we don't interfere. We have 5 judges to create a safety net. I thought everyone was aware of this? If not, there it is! 5 judges are asked to comment/judge, but we don't step in unless less than 3 are able to complete the tasks in any given week.
If there is ever a time in which less than 3 judges can complete their jobs, it is because they wait until the last minute and there's nothing we can do... It would be great if judges could get their votes and comments in by Friday night, but that's asking a lot from volunteers. I would hesitate to put more pressure on judges than they already receive, especially since the amount of people stepping forth to offer their services is dwindling.
Also, Larry came up with a strategy that rotates which mod is responsible for keeping track of the weekly contest every week. It's become more refined and I think it'll assist in reducing last minute screw ups :)

As for not being around every single day- to be honest, nothing happens on PnQ for days on end. If it were busier, I would be more present! I will try to be more present anyway. I've been thinking about it a lot these past few days, and I'm sorry for sucking so much for awhile. I'll be better.

Well...I have to ask what happened this week...only one judge voted and commented so...I have to assume none of you mods were signed in to be made aware of the situation? There are no messages in my inbox to ask for help?

Jane said it, Im on here every day (not going off for days without dropping by) and most days there is little to do.

As Jane said again we agreed not tobhave weekly sub judges, with reasoning that if one couldnt judge there would be enough there still. This week was confusion over the change of judging terms

You've skipped a few...Jane even more...Sibs hasn't signed in in almost two weeks...I don't even consider Sher as a mod anymore and yet...her profile still says she is one...however...

Let me just make this a little more clearer...if you remember last time round members actually voted for judges and, for some reason I seemed to get a lot of votes...to the extend that I was approached by a mod and asked to consider. I replied that I would be overseas when the change over would be happening and was unsure of my internet access so declined but, when I said, and I'm sure this was pretty clear, that I would act as stand in judge on my return...I never meant on a last minute basis (although I would have done so if asked) I meant...if a judge were to find some reason to step down I was willing to take over. As I said, I'm quite sure I made that fact clear but...perhaps not?

We let each other know in the mod room if we are going to be away for any time so that we have cover if somebody is away on holidays etc. We aren't perfect but we are volunteers so I think its too much to expect us to be here 24/7 waiting for something to do or waiting for a problem to pop up.

As I explained in a pm we knew you had volunteered to be judge in the case of somebody stepping down, so I don't see why you are bringing that up here.

As it is, we appreciate you volunteering to be a sub. If you have judged before please fill out the survey and hopefully more will do the same, thanks to those who have replied already

Why do you feel you only have to be present (as a mod) waiting for a problem to occur? I remember most of you prior to you modship days and you were all quite lively? Actually, more than lively...

As I explained in a pm we knew you had volunteered to be judge in the case of somebody stepping down, so I don't see why you are bringing that up here.

^^^

I'm bringing it up because...obviously there was a problem here...week after week...I'm not sure if it was the same judge you had problems with or not but...you state you had more than myself in the reserves so....why not just tell the judge/judges concerned with problems that you had them covered and ask myself and the others you say were available to step in?

PnQ was definitely booming back in the day and it isn't anymore. That isn't the mods doing; it's all members of PnQ. For the site to be how it was all members need to show more interest, not a select few.

Hellon, it wasn't just one judge. Different judges were out at different times for different reasons. That is why we didn't bring you or the others in as reserves. It was definitely noted in the mod room that you were willing to judge.

Before I was a mod I had judged several times. I enjoyed it. I found the term a little long but apart from that I had no issues with anything. All I had to do was PM my votes and comments to Britt and what happened after that I had no clue because it was all taken care of. In saying that I'd love it if mods could judge and I'd definitely be willing to give it a go again.

I respectfully disagree with you Mel...when the mods were participating we, as members knew and felt their presence, it was more community related than it is today and, there were some really great posts going on....not only on the main members threads but in most others. Now, it seems. every thread I open is about people wanting to harm themselves or related topics and they are in threads that they do not belong in so.....mods needs to steer people who wish to talk about such things to the proper threads.

I'm glad you disagree, Hellon. It's the only way we will actually make any changes to the site.

I have never been very visible on the main boards but I was a very active reader on here and I do agree that back in the day a lot of great conversation happened and mods were very much apart of it. In saying that though I do recall a lot more members were active and happily posting and/or beginning threads for mods to jump into.

You are right that mods are not as actively conversing in topics as they once were and if you really do believe that mods absence from these threads are part of the reason why PnQ is not as active as it once was, well that honestly does sadden me. For me I would have thought many people would continue to actively converse without mods presence in the conversation.

As for mods steering members conversation into proper threads, that is part of the job description and something that needs to be seen to.

I agree with Mel in that it's sad that the lack of mod presence in regular conversation has anything to do with how PnQ has died down. Honestly, I believed that the less mods had to do with daily life on PnQ, the better. I thought members would want to feel free in their posts and actions, and would not want to feel us hovering over them, waiting for a rule to be broken. Maybe that's not the case. Maybe we need to be commenting in every thread, voicing our opinions and making members feel our presence.
I'm not sure. I'm willing to try to be more active though, and see if that makes all the difference.

I would like to read the responses from more judges. What we've seen so far has been extremely insightful.

You are right that mods are not as actively conversing in topics as they once were and if you really do believe that mods absence from these threads are part of the reason why PnQ is not as active as it once was, well that honestly does sadden me. For me I would have thought many people would continue to actively converse without mods presence in the conversation.

^^^

Yes I do...absolutely...just because a person is a mod doesn't mean they do not have an opinion and...I would honestly love to hear more of that. I could post numerous post by Jane before she became a mod and...she was right out there giving the mods of the time..what's for....what has changed?

* Sorry Jane..this was obviously posted at the same time as your post but...you used to be a little rebel hun...what happened?

Haha, yes, I was a rebel! As far as I'm concerned, the rebels won. We won our right to express ourselves and have a "fair trial." We won our right to cuss and speak our minds, when appropriate, and to combat the mods when we think they're over-stepping their bounds. I don't recognize any abuse of power these days, but maybe I'm blind to it?

The issue is, the site has died... it would've happened one way or another, no matter the mod regime. Other social networks are taking over :(
We need Janis to give us the power to update PnQ with or without him. I honestly believe that's the only way we can build PnQ up from the ashes. In the meantime, all we can do is hold each others' hands and try to stay afloat.
I'm sorry if that's negative, but that's how I feel.
I do believe that PnQ has the capacity to be a successful, booming social site once again, but we need to be able to compete with other social sites. I have so many ideas, but there's no point mentioning them when there's no one around to implement them.

* Sorry...my response sounded like shit...will get back to you tomorrow..was ranting about the older generation not being up to date with facebook etc then realised Larry was older than me and...yes, as I've claimed in the past, I'm truly prehistoric!

Hellon if you want to start a thread about mods and mod roles, please do. I think it should be discussed there and that this thread should be left for past judges to complete the survey and talk about the issue of judging.

Keep the answers coming past judges, they are helpful to us.

I just realized this, and perhaps I should have asked seeings how Im host, but I didnt even know we had sub judges. I knew the rule if we have less than 3 judges we need a sub, but this is where communication would be nice. Had I known Hellon was told to sub I could have PM'ed her this weekend when I saw no one was judging but one person.

Perhaps this term, if we have select subs, let me know who they are, I'll have a bit more time on my hands coming up and I'll be able to alert that sub so we can keep up with a smooth contest.

also, to Hellons comment about this term the judging just wasnt consistent...I couldn't agree more actually. Since the last question/statement says to state any observations, as a host thats one thing I'd like to point out. I had way too many inconsistent judges not just last term even, since the beginning of the year. Judges truly need to know we understand when things come up, but a heads upby Thursday night or Friday would be nice. I got way too many last minute PM's at 3 a.m and a lot of sub drop outs or changes in between terms. .I'll be sure to type up an accurate sort of 'rule' PM for new judges to refer to because we definitely need better communication than 'last minute'.

- Did you enjoy being a judge?

In the beginning yes, after three months no, I was counting down the days until my term finished.

- What was the most challenging aspect of judging?

Writing decent comments, something I am struggling with at the mo.

- If you had the power to, what would you change about the weekly contest, in particular how it is judged?

I would remove the 10,7 and 4 buttons, I would much prefer to email the host with my scores and comments and let them or a mod assign the scores. Too easy to make a mistake methinks.

- Would you be more inclined to judge if you were part of a rotation system whereby you didn't judge every single week, but were given some weeks off?

No, if you are going to do it then I think it has to be done every week. Plus it is too easy to miss your slot, maybe a better idea is to cut the term from three to two months.

- Did you struggle to give quality comments or feel pressure to leave lengthy comments on your winning poems?

In most part yes, however the reason for this was some weeks there weren't many 'great' poems nominated.

- On average, how long did it take you to judge each week?

2-hours

- Should a mod/mods be allowed to be judges?

yes without a doubt, they already posses skills of impartiality.

- In general, did you think the list of poems nominated was short, just right or too long?

when I did it, too long, now? a piece of cake

- When did you usually do your judging (Friday, Saturday, Sunday?)

Friday night without fail (apart from 1 week when I was away so sent in on Saturday morning) (so not really without fail)

- Was the process of sending comments and votes to mods and the host confusing, annoying and/or time consuming?

no, not once I learnt to copy and paste rather than typing the whole thing out twice....Joking!!

- Any other general points, observations or experiences you want to share about judging, especially your judging term, share them here

Judging is great for those who want to improve as poets because it forces you to read so many different types of poetry. I like the idea of a green 'J',

- Did you enjoy being a judge?

Yes, over time it grew to be more challenging because although I was familiar and comfortable with the procedure, I had to think of new ways to say something or giving valuable perspectives.

- What was the most challenging aspect of judging?

I would say giving advice... I admire those who give honest critique for the poem they nominated the "4", because sometimes I could not think of anything to be improved upon, which is fine, but wisdom would still be appreciated I'm sure. Another hard part was often choosing between the "7" and "10". At times I would have my core group: maybe three or four poems I would have to narrow down. Not until I starting writing my comments did I realize how much more this one poem meant to me, or stood out, or powerfully emphasized this or that.

- If you had the power to, what would you change about the weekly contest, in particular how it is judged?

I've read some answers above as well as the mods' replies, and I can't really add anything original or creative lol. I agree with Darren about making it easier without the use of buttons. I think they're neat and kind of give a contest judge a little change from what we members normally see... but I don't think they're necessary. I know the few times I have had to be on my Kindle Fire because I was away from my house, I had to take extra care to not let my finger slip. It's a simple mistake that could happen. No other suggestions really, I think the ratings are fair as well as who can vote of course.

- Would you be more inclined to judge if you were part of a rotation system whereby you didn't judge every single week, but were given some weeks off?

Probably not, too confusing. I think there needs to be a "universal" and more general guideline for all judges so everyone can be on the same page. I liked the suggestion of making it a monthly rotation instead of the three months, because sometimes you can mix those dates up and I can see how it drags out. We need fresh faces. Hopefully, we'll eventually get there.

- Did you struggle to give quality comments or feel pressure to leave lengthy comments on your winning poems?

Yes; I am not the best to give sound comments in a few lines as others might. So I try to explain myself better. I think it was harder to add something to the piece like one's own interpretation- it makes it more thought provoking for the author as well because, again, perspective. I don't think comments have to be paragraphs as well.... I know for some poems I like to comment every line or so, while others I may do more of a summation of my thoughts.

- On average, how long did it take you to judge each week?

A few hours.

- Should a mod/mods be allowed to be judges?

Definitely! Would have no problem with that. I know they are busy and as they've said, reasons for logging in is because there hasn't been anything going on much lately here on PnQ.... but I would greatly respect their opinion. I've read certain mods' poetry but haven't really seen too many comments so it would be interesting to get their take on things.

- In general, did you think the list of poems nominated was short, just right or too long?

I agree it's been very short lately, and that is result of lack of participation. I've been a senior member for a bit and the past few months I have just forgotten to nominate, sure I haven't been reading as much or commenting, but I really should, otherwise, what poems are going to be recognized and able to share unique thoughts with readers? When I first judged about a year ago or so (maybe less, don't remember), it was super long but easy to pick out ones that shined and didn't just have words, but captivating ideas.

- When did you usually do your judging (Friday, Saturday, Sunday?)

I would read every day or so, not the whole list, just added new ones. Then on Friday afternoon/night I would go through the whole list and usually vote Saturday, like a day of fresh air to go through them again. Sometimes if I procrastinated I would tackle all on Sat. or Sun. morning and then it would take me an hour or so. It really varied with me. I'm not the most consistent person in real life but I'm working on it! Comments took some motivation because I would read but not be able to sort my thoughts or think of something worthwhile to say until I was inspired or something struck me.

- Was the process of sending comments and votes to mods and the host confusing, annoying and/or time consuming?

Not really, no. I became used to sending them to Chels then the mod's account.

- Any other general points, observations or experiences you want to share about judging, especially your judging term, share them here

100% agree about the award! It would add something different and fun, not that it makes anyone superior, but shows accomplishment and diversity in trying out/helping out with this site. It does challenge you to kind of go out of your comfort zone and speak up for what catches your heart.

Did you enjoy being a judge?

For the most part yes, though twards the end of the term I started counting down the days until my term was over.

- What was the most challenging aspect of judging?

Finding poems that were front page material. There were some weeks when most of the nominations were terrible (in my opinion) and I struggled finding three decent picks, and other weeks when most if not all were outstanding and I struggled choosing only three.

- If you had the power to, what would you change about the weekly contest, in particular how it is judged?

I think everything has already been mentioned above, though I am impartial to removing the 10, 7 and 4. I don't have/use a phone so never needed to worry about accidentally hitting one, though I can see why it could be a pain for those that do use their phones.

- Would you be more inclined to judge if you were part of a rotation system whereby you didn't judge every single week, but were given some weeks off?

No. As Chels said, some people forget they are judging even after judging consistantly for months. I'm guilty of that (though I can blame the side effects of my medication for my forgetfulness haha!) Seriously though, I think that would be waaaay too confusing.

- Did you struggle to give quality comments or feel pressure to leave lengthy comments on your winning poems?

Not really. The only thing I struggled with sometimes was making sure I interpreted poems correctly, because if I interpreted incorrectly it left my comment pretty pointless.

- On average, how long did it take you to judge each week?

I tried to read daily so that I wasn't swamped come friday. When personal commitments didn't allow that I read as and when I could, so I'd guess about 2 hours of reading as I often re-read poems, and a further 30-60 minutes for my actual comments.

- Should a mod/mods be allowed to be judges?

Yes. Having mod status shouldn't disqualify them from being able to judge as long as they remain impartial. Also, I think it would help when someone is needed to step in urgently, for example this past week when only one judge stayed.

- In general, did you think the list of poems nominated was short, just right or too long?

When I judged, the list was fine for me provided I read consistently.

- When did you usually do your judging (Friday, Saturday, Sunday?)

I tried to read throughout the week and have my comments sent by saturday evening at the latest. There were times when I slipped and sent comments on sunday though. My votes were aways in and sent over friday night except the one or two times I was away from home.

- Was the process of sending comments and votes to mods and the host confusing, annoying and/or time consuming?

It was fine, it isn't difficult to copy and paste. The main thing for me was remembering to send it to the mod account as well.

- Any other general points, observations or experiences you want to share about judging, especially your judging term, share them here

Again I think everything has already been mentioned above The green J idea is cool, as MA said something different and shows you've helped out with the site.

- Did you enjoy being a judge?

For the most part, no. Suggestions below. I felt a sense of virtue after sending off my comments though.

- What was the most challenging aspect of judging?

* Remembering to set some time to do it each weekend, when I am busiest.

* Not finding any poems that particularly made my heart sing, but still finding them much better than others to credit them with a vote... and then trying to articulate the poem's merit in a comment.

- If you had the power to, what would you change about the weekly contest, in particular how it is judged?

I think the judging system is pretty fair. Five judges is a great number. They are hopefully a diverse, reliable and intelligent bunch, selected with care from a nominated pool by mods. They are anonymous and don't know each other, good. They have 3 votes and they can no longer see how other judges have placed their votes, also good. It would be even fairer if the judges were unable to view the poem's author, rating and nominators, but this would mean the judges be external to PnQ. Hopefully this doesn't cause too much bias, and does much more good than harm for gaining involvement in the contest.

Suggestions:

* Leave the random shuffling display of the nomination list as is - I like it, it gives all poems a fair chance at being noticed by everyone. Instead, have a judge's personal 'Hide' button to instantly weed out any poems the judge doesn't feel are worthy of the front page, allowing the judge to view their private shortlist of the poems by the time to vote. It saves a lot of unnecessary double-reading and the task would seem a lot less daunting at the end of the week.

* Make judging more fun. Have a host with great PR skills that really knows how to boost the judges' egos, develops a good rapport with each one, lets them know that their comments are received and appreciated each week, and gives them a friendly reminder to submit votes as needed. Mods should do the same. Judging is a long and lonely job. Show them you care. It is nice to have someone available to chat with about the contest.

* Change it to a monthly contest if necessary (only if the shortlist tool idea can also be utilised - otherwise there would be too many nominated poems to read at the end of the month). Easier to get judges, and builds more anticipation.

* Have a more responsive backup system. For example, on the instance I'd given the host 5-6 days' notice of the week I couldn't judge, I received no response, and no-one stepped in to take my place. Communication with judges and between host/mods need to be improved.

* Make the contest a big deal. I think a J award is a great idea - pink to platinum, depending on how many times you've judged a full term. Heck, chuck in an N award for nominating 3-30 (pink to platinum) poems that end up winning the contest. Anything to make the contest and judging more glamourous may increase participation - if there were some way to track members' activities, then have monthly threads highlighting the most active nominators, quirky commenters, judges alumni, contest winner tallies...

- Would you be more inclined to judge if you were part of a rotation system whereby you didn't judge every single week, but were given some weeks off?

I'd be happy to judge for a single week with a week's reminder notice from the host. It is highly unlikely I'd remember by myself. But it would be a lot of hard work for the host to remind five different people each week.

- Did you struggle to give quality comments or feel pressure to leave lengthy comments on your winning poems?

I know most people would disagree, but I think leaving comments should be optional...and I think, even then, you'd find most judges would still leave at least a small comment on most poems, especially ones that particularly impact them...I know I would.
While I think that judges' comments are the highlight of the contest and I'm a huge advocate for giving feedback (in fact, my site contest, the Masterpoet Tournament, pioneered to have judges leave comments for contest poems), I don't think the contest will be compromised without them (when I first judged, I didn't have to leave comments- though I wanted to!- and it all worked fine). You would probably have more judges sign up if they didn't feel they had to write a thesis per poem.

I didn't exactly struggle to write comments, but the prospect of reading, remembering, ranking, as well as writing long comments, wasn't an inviting one. Sometimes it is difficult to articulate what you like about an artwork. It is good of the host to simply encourage judges to write comments and any will be most appreciated. But don't force the issue. Some weeks judges just don't have the time or headspace for writing, and they shouldn't feel guilty about this when they have already taken the time to read and vote.

- On average, how long did it take you to judge each week?

One average sitting: 30 min to select poems, 20 min to write comments. Sometimes much longer when I had to push myself, and kept getting distracted. It doesn't take me long to dismiss the crap poems within a couple of lines of reading, and stick to the poems that have immediate impact. It's choosing between several middling poems that takes time.

- Should a mod/mods be allowed to be judges?

Of course! Whoever said they shouldn't? Excuses!

- In general, did you think the list of poems nominated was short, just right or too long?

I don't think there should be any limit to the list, and members should be encouraged to use the nominations they have. The list isn't a problem for me as I can quickly filter out the worthier poems - I have to judge in one sitting for this reason. With a shortlist tool, judging would be a LOT easier for judges who take a longer time reading each poem completely.

- When did you usually do your judging (Friday, Saturday, Sunday?)

Saturday or Sunday arvo/evening, Australian time.

- Was the process of sending comments and votes to mods and the host confusing, annoying and/or time consuming?

Not at all (though I forgot the first time!).

- Any other general points, observations or experiences you want to share about judging, especially your judging term, share them here.

Not really, you asked some great questions. I think I've written enough!

Now that's the kind of feedback I'm talking about! Cheeez-itz!
Reading your post got me excited and jittery, Abs. You never disappoint.

All of the feedback from judges has been incredibly helpful. Thank you. I didn't expect so many judges to get back to us, but this thread has churned out a solid bunch!

Alright, down to business.
This is my point of view, gathered from the point of views of all of you who participated:

-A hide button for judges to use after they've read a poem would be handy, possibly with the idea to hide poems they have ruled out as candidates and to thin down the list... also, to keep which ones they've read and which they haven't in an orderly fashion.
--Another idea is to create a way to not only make the poems that have been read appear in a different color (red?), but to have them sent to the bottom of the page while the rest of the poems continue to shuffle.
---It seems there is some disagreement as to whether the automatic shuffling of the nominations page is a good thing or a bad thing. Is there a solution both parties can be happy with?
----At this time, we have decided to eliminate the position of HOST. Moderators will be in charge of the weekly contest with alternating shifts. This should hopefully decrease chances of miscommunication. It will also make it easier to send in votes/comments. They need only be sent to the joint moderator account from now on.
-----Communication between mods and judges needs to be enhanced. We should consider not only responding to let judges know they're being heard, but responding and instigating conversation to increase excitement about the contest by making judges feel less "alone." Abby makes a good point that judging can be a long and lonely job.
------We can make the contest more glamourous by including more awards that have to do with the site contest directly. Judges can either receive a single lime green J award that denotes they've judged, or even more awesome, we could have a J award that changes in color like the rest of the awards, depending on how often a member has judged. For example, a bronze for judging once, silver for judging twice, gold for judging thrice, and platinum for having judged 4 or more times.
-------We can consider making the weekly contest a monthly contest. It would lower the amount of work that needs to go into the process, but there are flaws to this idea as well. Less poets would get a chance at site-wide recognition due to less opportunity to be on the front page. Also, judges have a hard time remembering their weekly position/job- make it monthly, and it's even harder to remember. I'm still not opposed to the idea! In fact, I think it's worth trying out.
--------We have to discuss if leaving comments on elected poems should be required. I think this is a tough topic and we're probably split down the middle in our opinions. Can we compromise? Maybe only comment on the poems we give 10's to? Or only be required to write 1-2 sentences per poem elected?
---------Last but not least, mods are now allowed to be judges! Believe it or not, there was once strong opposition to the idea, but like all things, opinions (and this site) have evolved.

*Though Janis is not here, it would be nice to have whatever we want to change already decided upon... in case he ever comes back, haha :) Cross your fingers!

- Did you enjoy being a judge?

* During my term, absolutely!
* When my term ended, some people accused me of voting only to Arabs or Kite Runners. It was until then that I decided I won't ever be a judge again :)

- What was the most challenging aspect of judging?

*Being fair of course
*Giving detailed/insightful comments

- If you had the power to, what would you change about the weekly contest, in particular how it is judged?

*I think it's more than perfect now, except that there should always be omnipresent substitute judges to fill in when needed.

- Would you be more inclined to judge if you were part of a rotation system whereby you didn't judge every single week, but were given some weeks off?

*That's a great idea. I'd like to see how it would work. Guess it'd be good!

- Did you struggle to give quality comments or feel pressure to leave lengthy comments on your winning poems?

*Absolutely. But it's not about length afterall. It was always about being insightful.

- On average, how long did it take you to judge each week?

* I used to read poems everyday from Monday till Friday, and in parallel, I would eliminate in my mind those that didn't entice me. Then on Saturday (or let's say Friday night), I'd choose the 3 poems I liked the most. So it was like 6 days of work :)

- Should a mod/mods be allowed to be judges?

* Of course. Since all mods now are amazing writers.

- In general, did you think the list of poems nominated was short, just right or too long?

* When I was a judge, so many poems were nominated. However, I didn't find it too long. Nowadays, I'm seeing that the list getting shorter.

- When did you usually do your judging (Friday, Saturday, Sunday?)

* Friday night till Saturday morning

- Was the process of sending comments and votes to mods and the host confusing, annoying and/or time consuming?

* Not at all. It's just a click ;p

- Any other general points, observations or experiences you want to share about judging, especially your judging term, share them here

* During my term, I have read some pure beauty poems... And I even still remember many of them...

Glad to see you actually read and support my exhausting list, Jane! You sure are made of strong stuff.

I've now read the other judges' comments and they sure don't seem to have as much to complain about!

Abby I'm glad you had all that.. I felt like I was being nitpicky in mine, hah

Leave it to Abby to have the Pulitzer response!

That J button is fantastic.

I was totally joking in the other thread about the J award, but since you all like it, yayyyyyy!! I'll patent that :)

Abby abby abby abby I am sick and tired of everyone is so fond of abby including myself. I hope it wouldn't go to her head(( how could it not she even write poetry for her own fart)) But I hope she knows that the only genuine liking is mine. Like Siby, she wrote almost a love letter for her birthday but still she did not know smallest thing about her, including the fact that she do not like "birth days" and she is her close friend.
I hope abby could get over herself and see beyond my being sick and tired of her is the only unfeigned affinity around here. And hahahaha also study the story of intonation a notch farther= farter

I believe what you're describing is resentment, and that's not fondness, friend ;)

Sometimes I get sick of how much I adore Abby too (and how much everyone adores her), then I remind myself that I'm stupid. Ha.

Haha Silvershoes your gauge jerks from the fond to resentment; you for sure have to work on your intonation reads, show it to Abby she knows.

Its only because of her skirt :P

Hahaha, ddavidd...I'm sure the irony of you drawing more attention to the fact I am getting some attention has not been missed. How flattering. I must set my head-deflater to turbo drive tonight.

Also, the poem wasn't about my farts, it was written from my husband's perspective. He is quite sweet and funny and...windy.

Chelsey's gauge works fine

Haha abby it makes it much better if the wind comes from your husband part. At least you are not like the rest of of us so enchanted with Abby.