2008 News & Views: Discussion and Announcements for the Survivorphile

[KarennaC]

I thought that as long as the story was submitted by midnight tonight and you put "SURVIVOR CONTEST" in the notes field that it counts, whether it posts in time or not. I submitted a story a few days ago with "SURVIVOR CONTEST" in the notes section. It says it will post tomorrow. I assume it still counts.. you know, since I followed the rule.

The rules say that as long as the story posts on or before January 1, 2009, it counts for this year's contest. It also said that it has to be submitted by midnight tonight, but I think both conditions have to be true in order for it to count... not sure. I'm gonna go check.

Edited to add: Rule #4 from the official rules: Only stories and poems with posting dates on or between 1/2/2008 and 1/1/2009 are eligible for the contest.

So it doesn't mention dates of submission, just says the date posted has to be within that range.

 

[BOSTONFICTIONWRITER]

Why are you assuming that you didn't win?

Was the winner announced yet?

Assuming that I didn't win? That's an understatement.

What Literotica is proposing to do is to remove all of my multi-chapter stories claiming that they do not conform to their "phantom rule" their rule that appears no where in the Official Survivor Contest rules for 2008 that stories, even multi-chapter stories, must be "stand alone" stories.

They want to lower my score by 400 points, my score and no one else's score.

Their definition of a stand alone story is as arbitrary and suggestive as what flavor ice cream do you think is best.

I am, apparently, the only survivor contestant in violation of a rule that does not even appear on their Official Survivor Contest rules for 2008. Everyone else who has posted multi-chapter stories have miraculously posted stand alone stories that conform to a "new" rule that was never posted to the rule list but that was posted somewhere in the Survivor Discussion thread, not even in the Offical Survivor Contest thread.

My contention is that you can't follow all the rules if all the rules aren't posted on the Official Survivor Contest thread.

Everyone else, especially Starrkers, is claiming that I should have been reading every post in the Survivor thread and I should have incorporated whatever the moderators wrote as "official Survivor rule changes", even if those rule changes do not appear on the Official Survivor rule list and the official Survivor rule thread.

I'm getting a headache (lol). I'm starting to feel like a lawyer in court.

"Your Honor, rules are rules. For rules to be followed in a contest, they must be posted. My client proports that he was cheated out of the Survivor Contest because Literotica referred he violated a rule that was not posted to the Official Rule list and was not made public, other than being posted to a thread that had thousands of other postings. My client's lawsuit is for damages of libel, slander, and false advertising in advertising their contest rules."

 

[starrkers]

Why are you assuming that you didn't win?

Was the winner announced yet?

Because he cheated and expects now to get caught out. He thinks if he shouts loud enough, he can convince everyone he's a victim of a conspriacy rather than a plain and ordinary cheat.

 

[BOSTONFICTIONWRITER]

The rules say that as long as the story posts on or before January 1, 2009, it counts for this year's contest. It also said that it has to be submitted by midnight tonight, but I think both conditions have to be true in order for it to count... not sure. I'm gonna go check.

Edited to add: Rule #4 from the official rules: Only stories and poems with posting dates on or between 1/2/2008 and 1/1/2009 are eligible for the contest.

So it doesn't mention dates of submission, just says the date posted has to be within that range.

Rules? You aren't seriously going by the rules are you? You need to read all the threads to see if there was a change in the time when stories posts. I think I read a rule change in Scouries thread on in the poetry thread somewhere. If you spend a few days reading all the posts in all the threads, you should find the new rule for story submissions.

Gees, it'd be easier if they posted all the rules, including the new rules in one place, in the Official Survivor rule list and in the official Survivor rule thread.

 

[BOSTONFICTIONWRITER]

Either there are rules or their is no rules. Which is it? Are their "Official Survivor Contest Rules for 2008" or are there not?

You can't have a contest without rules.

I wrote my stories based on the rules, the same rules that were posted in 2007, when I was cheated out of winning that contest, then.

Now, you claim there is one more "special" rule, a rule change that I should have been aware of and a rule change that I should have duly noted, even if it did not appear on the Official Survivor rules for 2008.

I dare say, if I took it upon myself to follow this new "special" phantom rule about "stand alone stories," you'd be reciting back to me, the "Official Survivor Contest rules for 2008." You'd be telling me that these are the only rules that I should have read.

I don't know what to believe, your posted rules or the rules that aren't posted.

Tell me, are there other rules that I should know about that aren't posted?

Is there a secret rule that a man cannot win any contest here?

Must I weigh over 200 pounds and be under 5'5" to win a contest?

Must I have people here, people with dozens of different identities, who like me to win a contest?

So...are you telling me that the contests are Literotica have nothing to do with stories? Are you telling me to win a contest here, you must be a short, fat, popular woman?

Well, that sucks. Damn, if only my mother was still alive, I'd write stories under her name. (Sorry, Ma.)

What if I pulled a short, fat woman from the neighborhood and had her endorse my stories, would that help me to win? No?

What other rules aren't you telling me about? I'm curious now.

Gees, all this time I thought I was reading the right rules, but there is another secret rule list that eveyone apparently knows.

By the way...where is PrincessAirHead?

Suddenly, she deleted everyone of her posts on 11/17/08. Don't you think that's weird? I do.

Then, I checked her bio card, it's like she doesn't exist.

Strange things are happening around Literotica. First MungoPark, MP3 magically appears with hundreds of stories the last 6 weeks of the contest and now someone has abducted PrincessAirHead. She's gone. Her posts are gone. Her identity is gone. She (gasp) never existed.

No way! No, I can't believe it! Don't tell me that PrincessAirHead was someone's sock puppet.

Is this how contests are run at Literotica? Is this how Literotica gets away without paying contestants prize money? C'mon, it's a lousy 500 bucks for more than 300 stories. That's not even two bucks a story.

Is Literotica that cheap and that underhanded to make up rules that punishes one contestant and favors another, a phantom contestant, at that, one who never even existed.

Hey, I have one identity. I post all my stories and write all my comments under Bostonfictionwriter. I don't get this other shit. I don't play games by having a dozen identities and talking to myself through my identities. I just write stories.

Now that I know there is fiction, non-fiction, and stand alone stories, I need to modify what I write. Only, I've been looking and I have found thousands of publishers who accept fiction and thousands more who accept non-fiction. I even found thousands of publishers who accept both fiction and non-fiction. I've yet to find a publisher who accepts "stand alone stories".

Maybe, there is a need in the market place to establish a "stand alone story" publishing house.

Only, if there isn't one yet, I kind of suspect there is something not write with your assessment of stand alone stories. Hey, did you read my story appropriately titled, Stand Alone Story?

I thought it was funny. I thought it was good.

Anyway, I guess this "new" phantom rule has nothing to do with stand alone stories. It has more to do with making sure that I don't win a contest.

 

[starrkers]

The rules say that as long as the story posts on or before January 1, 2009, it counts for this year's contest. It also said that it has to be submitted by midnight tonight, but I think both conditions have to be true in order for it to count... not sure. I'm gonna go check.

Edited to add: Rule #4 from the official rules: Only stories and poems with posting dates on or between 1/2/2008 and 1/1/2009 are eligible for the contest.

So it doesn't mention dates of submission, just says the date posted has to be within that range.

Did you happen to notice what timezone that applies to?
I know it's one of the US timezones, but can't recall which one. Wish they'd give these cutoffs in terms of GMT, or at least state the offset from GMT when naming the zone.

It's been 1/1/09 here for an hour already.

 

[KarennaC]

Starrkers, I didn't see a time zone, no, though I wasn't really looking for one. I agree, using GMT would be easier for people to keep track of, I think. I'll go back again and see if I can find something...

BFW, the rules changes that weren't posted in the rules thread were posted in this one, the Discussion and Announcements thread. All the rules changes that were posted in this thread were posted by either Lauren or Crim, since they're the moderators of the contest and are therefore the only ones with the ability to alter the rules. There's nothing in this thread that I've found altering the rule about the time frame during which stories must be posted, and yes, I did look.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

I would think it would be the same as the "Special" contest - if you put the note in the notes field, she'll post it by the last day. Which would be tomorrow, I'm guessing.

let's hope, huh?

 

[KarennaC]

Okay, went back and checked about the time zone thingie.

I didn't find anything about the time for submissions to be posted (i.e. before such-and-such a time on January 1, 2009). However, the deadlines for entering and for updating scorecards are both midnight, Pacific Standard Time, on the given dates. Assuming my math is correct, Pacific Standard Time is GMT - 8 hours. (I'm Eastern Standard Time, and I know I'm GMT-5, and I think Pacific's 3 hours behind me.)

So I'm guessing- note the word *guessing* that as long as the stories are posted on January 1, 2009, before midnight Pacific Time, we're good?

 

[KarennaC]

Selena, I hope so!

 

[Selena_Kitt]

So I'm guessing- note the word *guessing* that as long as the stories are posted on January 1, 2009, before midnight Pacific Time, we're good?

Right, I think so. Seems logical.

The question is... will they be posted on Jan 1, 2009 if they have the required "SURVIVOR CONTEST 2008" in the notes field and if they were submitted before midnight (pacific time?) on December 31, 2008?

 

[CrimsonMaiden]

I thought that as long as the story was submitted by midnight tonight and you put "SURVIVOR CONTEST" in the notes field that it counts, whether it posts in time or not. I submitted a story a few days ago with "SURVIVOR CONTEST" in the notes section. It says it will post tomorrow. I assume it still counts.. you know, since I followed the rule.

It must have a posting day of no later than January 1, 2009 in order to count for points. Laurel has final say on whether or not a story gets posted. As long as you put the tag in the notes field it should post on time, but that's totally up to Laurel. In previous years, I have submitted stories on December 31 for Survivor, and they posted the next day.

And yes, it's PST time because that's the time zone Laurel's in.

 

[KarennaC]

Crim, thanks for clarifying

I submitted my story yesterday, with "Survivor Contest 2008" in the notes, so hopefully it'll be up by tomorrow.

 

[MagicaPractica]

Right, I think so. Seems logical.

The question is... will they be posted on Jan 1, 2009 if they have the required "SURVIVOR CONTEST 2008" in the notes field and if they were submitted before midnight (pacific time?) on December 31, 2008?

Mine did last year. However, you also have to remember that if you submit multiple parts in a serialized story that Lit rules say they only put up one story a day. So, I submitted Master of the House, chapters 5 through 10, or something, a few days before the end of last year and they put up one a day, with chapter 10 going up January 2nd. So the last one didn't count for Survivor 2007, but the ones up to that point counted.

 

[sr71plt]

I'll have to say that not updating the official posted rules when there's a rule change as well as changing rules after a contest has started are both more than a little strange for a reputable writing contest.

 

[KarennaC]

It might have been easier if the addendum to the rule had been posted in the Rules thread. It wasn't. However, it says in the rules that rules are subject to change without notice, and the participants in the contest were told to keep an eye on this Announcements thread for changes and additions. It is admittedly confusing, but since the participants were told upfront that things might be changed, clarified, or added to, and told where to look for additional information, I don't think it was deceptive on the part of the organizers. Just my opinion.

 

[BOSTONFICTIONWRITER]

I'll have to say that not updating the official posted rules when there's a rule change as well as changing rules after a contest has started are both more than a little strange for a reputable writing contest.

The mystery is over. I found the rule. It was clearly posted in the Official 2009 Survivor Contest rules.

I feel better now. Gees, I thought I was going crazy. I was looking all over for that rule.

"Multi-chaptered stories will not be allowed. Each submission needs to be completely original and completely independent. Stories can feature recurring characters, they can contain references to each other, but they must be entirely, unequivocally, standalone. "

...and there is was plainly posted (only not posted until just now) in the 2009 Official Survivor Rules. No wonder why everyone was confused. They, for some strange reason, thought that this new rule was retroactive and applied to the 2008 contest.

"MungoPark, you don't have to return your check. This new rule only applies to the 2009 contest."

All this shit for nothing. Okay, there's nothing else to see here. Everyone can go home.

 

[BOSTONFICTIONWRITER]

It might have been easier if the addendum to the rule had been posted in the Rules thread. It wasn't. However, it says in the rules that rules are subject to change without notice, and the participants in the contest were told to keep an eye on this Announcements thread for changes and additions. It is admittedly confusing, but since the participants were told upfront that things might be changed, clarified, or added to, and told where to look for additional information, I don't think it was deceptive on the part of the organizers. Just my opinion.

C'mon, rules are rules. If you have rules, you post the rules. If you change the rules, you post new rules.

Did you see the new rules posted for 2009? They are all there, including the new rule regarding multi-chapter stories and stand alone stories.

Actually, they should name that rule after me...The Bostonfictionwriter Rule. Yeah, I like that.

You must understand Karenna that all of this garbage was done to keep me from winning the contest. Wait for a day to see what my scorecard looks like after the moderators are done tearing it to shreds and deleting most of my stories.

Yes, I agree with you that rules are subject to change at any time. So...post the new rule. Why keep it a secret?

 

[KarennaC]

If you feel you've followed the rules, why would they delete your stories and tear your scorecard to shreds?

I have some chapter stories in this year's contest that may not, in others' opinions, stand alone, which would bring my score down. So be it, if that's the case; it's a contest on a website, and if nothing else I got a hell of a lot of stories written in 2008. I'll just try again in 2009. Of course, my score isn't as high as yours and I'm not a contender for the win, but if they dis-count any of my stories it could be the difference as to whether I finish in the top 5. If I do, I do. If I don't, I don't. I'm not going to complain about it; it is what it is.

 

[Lauren Hynde]

Hello! Hope that merry Christmases were had by everyone and that happy New Years are on the way.

I'm back home, finally. I'm still going through all the posts I missed, trying to catch up, but let me just say this. Literotica is based on San Diego, which I assume is why PST has been the timezone of reference for the rules from times immemorial, but the actual servers that host the Literotica main site are somewhere on the East Coast. Posting is done automatically shortly after midnight, so the cut-off time for posting should be midnight EST. Don't count on any submissions made after then to be posted on time, and it's the posting date that counts, unless Laurel is able to confirm that the submission was made before midnight EST.

 

[KarennaC]

Welcome back, Lauren! Hope all is well Thanks for the time zone clarification.

 

[BOSTONFICTIONWRITER]

If you feel you've followed the rules, why would they delete your stories and tear your scorecard to shreds?

I have some chapter stories in this year's contest that may not, in others' opinions, stand alone, which would bring my score down. So be it, if that's the case; it's a contest on a website, and if nothing else I got a hell of a lot of stories written in 2008. I'll just try again in 2009. Of course, my score isn't as high as yours and I'm not a contender for the win, but if they dis-count any of my stories it could be the difference as to whether I finish in the top 5. If I do, I do. If I don't, I don't. I'm not going to complain about it; it is what it is.

...because like last year's fiasco, they can't bear me to win.

 

[Boxlicker101]

Freddie, I just plowed through another of your continued stories. This was "America's Playboy" and it was five chapters of nothing but a dull conversation among a bunch of gangsters. There was nothing the least bit erotic about it.

 

[michchick98]

Secondly, have you taken the time to read the "Official Rules of the Survivor Contest for 2008?"

Have you?

Entrants and winners retain copyright to all works submitted.
Sections 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 of Official Monthly Contest Rules apply.
Plagiarism or cheating will result in expulsion from the Contest and potentially other actions taken by Literotica.
Rules are subject to change without notice.
Questions should be directed to the moderators. You may privately contact the moderators at any time by pressing the PM button at any of their posts.
Questions may be directed to the webmaster at contests@literotica.com. Questions may be referred to the moderators.
This contest is sponsored by Literotica.com. Literotica.com claims no liability in the administration of this contest.

See it now? The only altering of your posting of the official rules I did was to highlight the line you needed to see.

 

[sr71plt]

Have you?




See it now? The only altering of your posting of the official rules I did was to highlight the line you needed to see.

Yes, I see that. But that isn't the type of rule you put in a legitimate contest. The rules should be set as soon as the contest starts. If you find rules need to change, you change them for the next running (or you stop the contest dead and start all over again)--but you don't start changing what can be submitted midstream after it has been legitimately submitted under rules existing at the time it was submitted--and you certainly don't make changes and only list them somewhere on the side rather than recasting the official rule document. Sorry, but this is really screwy and has, I think, helped lead (there are other contributing factors) to this contest being much more of a debit than a benefit for the Web site and its authors. Which is only made worse by connecting money--and therefore greed and rampant screwing around with the quality of what is posted to this story site and bickering--to it.

I suggest ditching this and starting fresh with some other approach. We are at the beginning of a year, where this could be done.