A while back we added medals for the bi-weekly contests. Now, I'm announcing a few additional improvements to our bi-weekly contests and how they are run. There may be some overlap as current contests are completed first, but over the next few weeks the bi-weekly contests should be running smoother. Privacy and Restricted Access Recently, there was some concern over the fact that bi-weekly contest entries are public. This caused us to add a private submissions forum for the flash fiction contest, but rather than continue to implement this approach for all the forums, we improved the software's privacy functionality. You can now choose to make your submissions members-only, even within individual threads. This puts you in control of your submission's privacy and allows you to enter bi-weekly contests without worrying about the public's direct access. All you have to do is select a checkbox to anonymize your post when you’re submitting a thread. Automated Anonymization of Entries Until now, the contests have been run by messaging the contest admins the entries, which were then posted in a thread by the contest admin. This is done to ensure fairness during the public voting. After the contest, a winner was announced. It is now much simpler. You can now reply to contest submissions thread with your entry, rather than submitting via PM. It will automatically be anonymized. Once the contest poll expires, it'll automatically be de-anonymized, leaving each contest entry properly assigned to it's author, as it should be. This new functionality makes it much easier for the contest admins and also has the added benefit of having contestant’s entries in a post under their own name, rather than just posted by the admin. Progress Journal Privacy The progress journals now have added privacy options. You can lock a thread to prevent replies, make your log hidden from guests, or make it visible only by you and the forum staff.
Daniel, Could this be done also for the workshop thread? I know many users, especially new ones, express (on this site and others) they don't like exposing their work. Maybe this way they could retain anonymity from the public eye (except staff of course) and give them that safety to post freely knowing no one will know who posted it so there wouldn't be any judgment?
Please don't do this. When I take the time to read and critique (often this can take an hour or longer) I'd like to at least know who I'm doing it for.
Not to be critical, but I'm not sure what purpose this would serve. Member ID's and handles aren't photo ID's. They don't let even me, a mod, know who the real person is as regards connecting the posted work back to a real live person. It is true that the sentiment you mention is expressed from time to time, but it's a sentiment that has to do with nervousness and stage fright; it doesn't come from a reasoned source. I wouldn't really be in favor of anything that enables (in the psychiatric sense) a precious person to be more precious. Preciousness is a PITA to deal with.
Hm, I see your points. I just figured some people are still shy despite online anonymity and some might not like to post their work if they're on the forum regularly and think they'd be snubbed by others for it. But as you said, Wrey, it's just stage fright. Maybe we shouldn't encourage it as exposing work is part of becoming a real author.
Having been extremely nervous of showing my work to anyone in the beginning, I would have wanted to remain anonymous, but actually doing it was the first real step for me in trouncing my own fear. Laying oneself open to criticism is part and parcel of taking ones writing to another level, and as unpleasant as the thought is to start with, once it's done it's done. There's much to be learned from doing it, and not just about the writing itself.
If anyone wants to put a story in a contest and doesn't want your name revealed even when the contest is over, send me your entry in a PM and I'll enter it explaining the author wishes to remain anonymous. A question for @Daniel: Can a member who posts in the anonymized thread be given the option to stay anonymous when the thread is de-anonymized?
