Something going on with the Caption Comp.

Discuss the site here - suggestions, comments, complaints, etc.
Frankie Chestnuts
Petty officer second class
Petty officer second class
Posts: 24
Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2008 7:09 pm
Location: Connecticut

Something going on with the Caption Comp.

Post by Frankie Chestnuts »

There's something going on with the Capt. Comp. Recently, here seems to be a whole bunch of crap posted. Seemingly random. Description of Oberth Class ships, several large posts in Japanese(?), an entry consisting of other entries, a strange post from a bakery in the former Yugoslav Republic (I can't make this shit up), something to do with a company in Indonesia. Go figure.
alexmann
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Posts: 912
Joined: Fri May 27, 2011 6:52 pm
Location: I'm in your mind!

Re: Something going on with the Caption Comp.

Post by alexmann »

Yeah, It would be nice if this could be cleared up.
ImageImage
User avatar
IanKennedy
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 6155
Joined: Mon Jul 09, 2007 2:28 pm
Location: Oxford, UK
Contact:

Re: Something going on with the Caption Comp.

Post by IanKennedy »

Done...
email, ergo spam
alexmann
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Posts: 912
Joined: Fri May 27, 2011 6:52 pm
Location: I'm in your mind!

Re: Something going on with the Caption Comp.

Post by alexmann »

Thank you.
ImageImage
Mr. President
Crewman
Crewman
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Sep 27, 2009 6:01 pm

Re: Something going on with the Caption Comp.

Post by Mr. President »

Hello.

I wanted to ask if someone could please take a look at the caption competition pages. The aforementioned gibberish problem has returned, and in so doing has wrecked the voting page, which is now so wide that the tick box is off the screen, making it impossible to vote.

In addition, the picture for this month has been up before (http://ditl.org/index.php?daymain=/pagc ... s1.php?170). A few captions have already been posted by some users expressing their discontent and even, in the case of nerd86 and The Geek, two of the most avid and long-standing captioners, announcing their intention to discontinue their participation.

The caption competition is only a bit of fun, I know, but for those of us who don't wish to participate on the the forum, it is a primary reason for coming to this site. We don't wish for it to not be fun anymore, so I ask on behalf of all those who post in and enjoy the caption competition if someone could please take a look at it with a view to resolving these issues.

Thanks.
Frankie Chestnuts
Petty officer second class
Petty officer second class
Posts: 24
Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2008 7:09 pm
Location: Connecticut

Re: Something going on with the Caption Comp.

Post by Frankie Chestnuts »

Please and thank you.

I've been discussing this with Miss Marple and we are both are getting frustrated with the comp also. Back in Feb, before nerd86 and The Geek announced their retirement, I was considering the same. It just isn't as fun as it has been in the past. It was always an important part of my week to sit down on Sunday morning and have a great time with the captions.

Then when this month's pix came up, I've just about lost all interest.

I truly appreciate all the Kennedy's have done, and I'm certain it's has been an enormous commitment in time and effort to keep it running.

Is there anything WE can do to assist... take the burden off of you guys and still have it fun for all?

Thanks again for all your efforts. It is appreciated by my whole family (Frankie Chestnuts, Miss Marple, RedDwarfian and Mr. Bean).
User avatar
Griffin
Commander
Commander
Posts: 1209
Joined: Wed Dec 09, 2009 7:52 pm
Location: Yorkshire!

Re: Something going on with the Caption Comp.

Post by Griffin »

1) I may not be a participant in the caption contest but surely the vote page issue isn't something to quit over. Is it not just a coding and layout issue that I'm sure Ian will fix?

2) Is the gibberish the result of coding errors or douche-bags? In any case I feel it's unfair to just ditch the thing without giving the Kennedys time to fix it. If it's douche-bags I think an easy fix would to extend the voting system of having to have a forum account to the whole contest and then people could be banned for spamming it.

3) Perhaps to try and avoid repetitions but also to avoid running out of caption-able pics perhaps a user-upload system could be introduced? Users uploading screen-caps they think would make good captions. Obviously these would have to checked by someone to both choose one and to make sure nothings being uploaded that shouldn't be. (Ideally this uploading would have the same login restrictions)
Last edited by Griffin on Sat Mar 03, 2012 6:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Bite my shiny metal ass
Mikey
Fleet Admiral
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 35635
Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2007 3:04 am
Commendations: The Daystrom Award
Location: down the shore, New Jersey, USA
Contact:

Re: Something going on with the Caption Comp.

Post by Mikey »

Mr. President wrote:their intention to discontinue their participation.
OK. Don't let the door hit you where the Lord split you.

Sorry to sound harsh; but AFAIK nobody on the caption comp (or the forum, for that matter) is paying rent to the Kennedys. If you want to come on the forum or e-mail one of the brothers Kennedy about an issue, great - that's what either medium is for. If you want to throw your hands up and walk off in a huff, then so be it... nobody's going to cry.
I can't stand nothing dull
I got the high gloss luster
I'll massacre your ass as fast
as Bull offed Custer
Mr. President
Crewman
Crewman
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Sep 27, 2009 6:01 pm

Re: Something going on with the Caption Comp.

Post by Mr. President »

Frankie Chestnuts wrote:I truly appreciate all the Kennedy's have done, and I'm certain it's has been an enormous commitment in time and effort to keep it running.

Is there anything WE can do to assist... take the burden off of you guys and still have it fun for all?

Thanks again for all your efforts. It is appreciated by my whole family (Frankie Chestnuts, Miss Marple, RedDwarfian and Mr. Bean).
Indeed. I, too, am very appreciative of and grateful to the Kennedys for the site that they have built, and I second Frankie Chestnuts's offer of assistance—if additional help is required or requested for the maintenance of the caption competition in the future, I would certainly put my name down for it.
Griffin wrote:1) I may not be a participant in the caption contest but surely the vote page issue isn't something to quit over. Is it not just a coding and layout issue that I'm sure Ian will fix?

2) Is the gibberish the result of coding errors or douche-bags? In any case I feel it's unfair to just ditch the thing without giving the Kennedys time to fix it. If it's douche-bags I think an easy fix would to extend the voting system of having to have a forum account to the whole contest and then people could be banned for spamming it.
To answer your point about layout, it seems as though the problem is douchebaggery and spammery rather than anything else. In fact, I think the problem is actually one specific caption entry that's just a long stream of numbers without any breaks in it, which has ended up ruining the layout. The spam is annoying but I'm content to actually ignore it up until the point at which it actually interferes with the normal operation of the competition, i.e. users are unable to vote. It's easily fixed, I'm sure, but it hadn't been brought to anyone's attention yet—at least as far as I know—so I decided to do it. Your easy fix seems sensible to me, though there is the possibility that a login requirement might disincline the more casual site visitor from participation, which would be a shame.

To answer your point about quitting the caption competition, and also to at least partially answer this—
Mikey wrote:OK. Don't let the door hit you where the Lord split you.

Sorry to sound harsh; but AFAIK nobody on the caption comp (or the forum, for that matter) is paying rent to the Kennedys. If you want to come on the forum or e-mail one of the brothers Kennedy about an issue, great - that's what either medium is for. If you want to throw your hands up and walk off in a huff, then so be it... nobody's going to cry.
—For me, no, it's not worth quitting over. In fact, had nerd86 and The Geek not quit I probably would've kept quiet and not popped my ditl.org forum cherry (OW! by the way...), instead preferring to write this month and last month off and wait until things sorted themselves out before jumping back in.

It is clear that nerd86 and The Geek (or at least nerd86; The Geek's farewell message explains and implies nothing about his/her reasons for leaving, though whatever those reasons were they were clearly important enough for him/her to write a farewell message rather than simply stop posting in the competition) and, as he has admitted upthread, Frankie Chestnuts and family, have felt some measure of dissatisfaction with the caption competition for some time. I can't tell you why they didn't brought their concerns to the Kennedys and the wider ditl.org community via the forum before now, and, to be honest, I don't find it especially useful to speculate about their motives for not doing so or decry their choice in not doing so. But I can tell you my concerns, which are, to recap:

The voting page has been screwed up by spam, which makes it impossible to vote; and this month's picture has been up before, which is frustrating and discouraging for long-time captioners. It is my hope that these issues can be dealt with speedily and with a minimum of fuss, and I would be happy to engage in further discussions with forum staff, Ian and Graham, Frankie Chestnuts, Miss Marple, RedDwarfian, Mr. Bean and anyone else who's interested about the continued long life and prosperity of the ditl.org caption competition.

Finally, I'd just like to say to nerd86 and The Geek, if either of you ever reads this, that I hope you will both someday rejoin us in the caption competition. You have both been worthy, funny, clever opponents and the competition will be all the poorer for your absence.
Mikey
Fleet Admiral
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 35635
Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2007 3:04 am
Commendations: The Daystrom Award
Location: down the shore, New Jersey, USA
Contact:

Re: Something going on with the Caption Comp.

Post by Mikey »

Please, let me clarify: I in no way meant that I want anyone to leave. I do mean, however, that if someone feels that they are entitled to anything from this site, they are sorely mistaken. If they chose to leave because they felt that this site wasn't giving them what they "deserve," then good riddance. Ian and Graham have spent Baphomet-knows how much of their time and money getting this entire thing running and continuing purely for the sake of our enjoyment, and they owe nothing to any of us. Further, Ian and Graham have been nothing short of attentive to all and sundry issues with the site that have been addressed to them. If someone like Mr. President and Frankie take the time to bring up an issue, I know fully well that a Kennedy or two will certainly take the time to look into the matter. If someone, OTOH, decides to throw and tantrum and run home, I know that I am not alone in shedding exactly zero tears.
I can't stand nothing dull
I got the high gloss luster
I'll massacre your ass as fast
as Bull offed Custer
Mark
4 Star Admiral
4 Star Admiral
Posts: 17671
Joined: Fri Jul 18, 2008 12:49 am
Location: Honolulu, Hawaii

Re: Something going on with the Caption Comp.

Post by Mark »

Keep in mind this site is FULLY supported by Graham and Ian. Notice the lack of advertisements for making a million dollars from home, and penile enhancement. That's because this site is privately paid for by those fine gents for their and our enjoyment. Nor is anyone asking for your debit card number to charge you a monthly membership, it's FREE!!! They are not getting paid to run this site, and are two of the most attentive webmasters I've ever seen. But they do have lives beyond this site. Give them a break, and a chance to work they're magic. Good god, show some fucking gratitude.
They say that in the Army,
the women are mighty fine.
They look like Phyllis Diller,
and walk like Frankenstein.
Frankie Chestnuts
Petty officer second class
Petty officer second class
Posts: 24
Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2008 7:09 pm
Location: Connecticut

Re: Something going on with the Caption Comp.

Post by Frankie Chestnuts »

Penile enhancement!?

How do I get more information about this? Can I contact the Kennedy's directly?

This thread may turn out to be more fun than the Caption Comp.
Mikey
Fleet Admiral
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 35635
Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2007 3:04 am
Commendations: The Daystrom Award
Location: down the shore, New Jersey, USA
Contact:

Re: Something going on with the Caption Comp.

Post by Mikey »

Frankie Chestnuts wrote:Penile enhancement!?

How do I get more information about this? Can I contact the Kennedy's directly?

This thread may turn out to be more fun than the Caption Comp.
If you think this is fun, try some of the rest of the forum. As far as penile enhancement, just send me a check for $5,000 US. I guarantee that once I cash it, you'll feel like a HUGE dick.
I can't stand nothing dull
I got the high gloss luster
I'll massacre your ass as fast
as Bull offed Custer
Miss Marple
Crewman
Crewman
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Sep 10, 2011 10:12 pm

Re: Something going on with the Caption Comp.

Post by Miss Marple »

Perhaps we could all calm down and get some perspective.

Consider that some of us are very grateful for the energy that is put into maintaining this site and have expressed it, via private email, to G. Kennedy. (It was not "fucking gratitude" because there is only so much one can convey in an email, and I am very monogamous.)

I did not offer to be of help at that time because I was a very new participant, and did not want to seem presumptuous.

To clarify "frustration":
For the past few years I have spent my Sunday mornings (usually after coming home fried from working as a NICU nurse) having breakfast in bed with my husband and unwinding as we laughed at the winning captions and enjoyed the new picture.
This has been the highlight of our week. We really enjoy it. It's been a delightful respite from the soul-sucking "thread" of the last 5 years.

-I work in an alien world where females care about pocketbooks!

Getting to indulge our Star Trek nerdliness with other like minded people, from weekly to ONLY monthly, is a frustrating transition for us. That's the only frustrating thing I can see.

I do feel embarrassed about putting captions on previously used pictures, because those pix have already been judged, so it feels unfair and not creative.

I plan to continue, as always, to play as nicely as I can and have as much fun as possible, Sincerely, Miss Marple
Mikey
Fleet Admiral
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 35635
Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2007 3:04 am
Commendations: The Daystrom Award
Location: down the shore, New Jersey, USA
Contact:

Re: Something going on with the Caption Comp.

Post by Mikey »

Miss Marple wrote:Consider that some of us are very grateful for the energy that is put into maintaining this site and have expressed it, via private email, to G. Kennedy.
Fantastic! Exactly what I was talking about - a constructive use for a perceived issue is to communicate with the people who can fix it in a polite and gracious manner.
Miss Marple wrote:Getting to indulge our Star Trek nerdliness with other like minded people, from weekly to ONLY monthly, is a frustrating transition for us. That's the only frustrating thing I can see.
I can certainly understand your viewpoint here, but letting Graham and Ian catch their breath once in a while is not, IMHO, an "issue" which needs to be rectified.
Miss Marple wrote:I plan to continue, as always, to play as nicely as I can and have as much fun as possible, Sincerely, Miss Marple
Perhaps you and your husband would like to contribute further on the forum?
I can't stand nothing dull
I got the high gloss luster
I'll massacre your ass as fast
as Bull offed Custer
Post Reply