[ScottRNelson]

There was a lot of enthusiasm in the past about doing a third Monster calendar. As I've stated before, I won't have time this year to deal with gathering the photos and handling the voting.

Since you need good high resolution shots (1600 x 1200 or better) for a quality calendar, it won't do to just grab a dozen photos from the Photo Gallery.

We need one or more volunteers who are willing to do the work this year. Unlike in previous years, it shouldn't be too hard to find space to show the photos, since I'm sure either ducatimonster.org or sfbmha.com should have enough space to handle it.

I'll be glad to provide whatever other technical assistance is needed, but we really need to be gathering photos for the next two months so we can vote on them by November and have the calendar all done by December.

So who is going to volunteer for the calendar this year?

 

[DaffeDuc]

Re: It's August and still no Calendar is happening

I think Duc Term wanted to lead the charge but he hasn't been seen on the boards lately.

when's the deadline Scott? (to get it all done?)

 

[Race_Day_Dennis]

Re: It's August and still no Calendar is happening

I have some real high quality images to offer from my track shoots if needed. Some of my pictures are posted in the galleries.

 

[Michael_Gannon]

Re: It's August and still no Calendar is happening

I'm a graphic designer with a specialty in photoshop. Once the images are selected I can help clean them up if you want. You know get the color to look good, take out any bad spots, that sort of thing.

 

[ducman851]

Re: It's August and still no Calendar is happening

I have no skills in the graphics dept whatsoever, but I look purty on my Monster at the track. Im pretty good at moral support too.

 

[ScottRNelson]

Re: It's August and still no Calendar is happening

The hard part of putting the calendar together is getting all the photos, putting them where everyone can examine them carefully, and holding a vote, all without offending anyone. The mechanics of the precess were discussed in an earlier thread.

Here's what needs to be done:

1. Come up with the rules that we'll all abide by this year, publish them and get a majority to agree with them.

2. Accept candidate photos and put them somewhere that it's easy for everyone to look at and discuss, rejecting those that are not up to the quality standards.

3. Hold voting for a week, keeping track of all voting and handling things like last day attempts to stuff the ballot box using friends and relatives.

4. Count the votes, notify the winners, gather additional information and supporting photos.

5. Put the calendar together.

6. Make the calendar available to everyone else.

Step 5 is what everyone always offers to do and that's probably the most satisfying part of it all. I would even be willing to do that part this time, just not all the rest of it.

The issue is that you need more than two weeks of photo submissions to get enough good ones in. I found that 6 weeks is about right, with a hard deadline, because someone always wants to turn theirs in a day or a week late. You want the whole thing to be done before the Christmas holidays start so that everyone can actually have a physical calendar in their possession before January 1.

As for the time involved, I would expect two weeks to get the rules sorted out and agreed to, and to get space on a web site to host the photos for voting. Four to six weeks of photo submissions. One week of voting. One week of counting votes, notifying winners, and gathering additional information and photos. One week of putting the calendar together, proofreading, and conversion to PDF. Thats a total of 10 weeks, give or take a week. If we haven't started on this within the next month there won't be time to pull it off.

I'm not going to keep pushing this issue if nobody else wants to make it happen. I have enough leftover high-resolution images from the past two calendars that didn't make it that I could use to make my own calendar for 2004 if we can't get the group to do it properly. 8)

So, who is willing to step up and make sure everything happens, not just step 5?

 

[ducman851]

Re: It's August and still no Calendar is happening

I can help out with stuff that I can do and that doesnt interfere with the BIG move in Nov.

 

[ScottRNelson]

Re: It's August and still no Calendar is happening

-vote tabulator has NO entries for the calendar.
-vote tabulator has NO votes for the calendar.

These would discourage someone like me, who always has something worth submitting, from getting involved as the vote tabulator. You just need someone who is honest and unbiased.

 

[dj]

Re: It's August and still no Calendar is happening

If web site bandwidth/drive space is needed shoot me a line. I run a domain service with a ton of space on my co-lo box.

 

[mmoore]

Re: It's August and still no Calendar is happening

I am willing to do whatever the powers that be think I can do.
Seems to me the voting should be easier this year if we just set it up as a poll. We do need to set a cut-off date for registration though. Something like you must have been a member by August 1st for your vote to apply to the tally.

If it is too cumbersome to have the votes done through a poll I am willing to volunteer to handle that part. Some thoughts if i do do that would be:

-DML/DMB members only. I don't really care which photo Aunt Jenny likes. It's OUR Calendar.
-same thing i mentioned above about a cut off date for voting eligibility. This should cut down/stop the ballot stuffing.
-one set of votes per member.
-vote tabulator has NO entries for the calendar.
-vote tabulator has NO votes for the calendar.
-vote report submitted to Jeff, Fillmore, etc. for review. No reason to post it (that's sounds like a reason NOT to do a web poll vote) since it may just hurt some feelings about the lack of votes for their bike. :'(

I can set up the poller software so that all results are private.

As for being anointed by the "powers that be" I'd say go for it, with my blessing (if that counts for anything). Volunteers are always welcome here. Mainly we need someone to organize the effort, pull the resources together, and deputize others as needed. With the benefit of Scott's experience it should be pretty smooth going.

If you like I can set up a separate section of the board, or the site to display the candidate photos.

We just need someone to be on top of things and make sure they happen. So, are you putting your hand up?

 

[AllyCat]

Re: It's August and still no Calendar is happening

Michael~

I volunteered to help months ago, I will still help if needed.

 

[Stu Pedaso]

Re: It's August and still no Calendar is happening

I dont live in Florida, so you can always count on me for adding up the ballots!

Ya know, Its not like we are deciding on whether or not we are going to launch a full scale nuclear war on Nepal or something. Its just a calendar. If the counters want to submit a vote, I think that is fine. But if my entry loses by one vote, I am sending Retro after all of you!!!!!

 

[Retro]

Re: It's August and still no Calendar is happening

But if my entry loses by one vote, I am sending Retro after all of you!!!!!

 

[AllyCat]

Re: It's August and still no Calendar is happening

DucTerm is a Photog, as well.... But, he is MIA on the BB. Hope fully he will come back, soon.

 

[midwest]

Re: It's August and still no Calendar is happening

Okay, if anyone decides to manage this thing count me in as a helper of some sort. Point me in a direction and I'll go to work. So... who's gonna be our fearless leader?

 

[ScottRNelson]

Re: It's August and still no Calendar is happening

Last chance if anybody wants to make the 2004 Monster Calendar happen. I'm here as a consultant, but I can't do all of the work this year. I'll be making my own personal version with leftover photos if there is no official version.

 

[ScottRNelson]

Re: It's August and still no Calendar is happening

The subject of the 2004 Monster Calendar has come up once again on the e-mail Monster List. I say it's already too late, but if a few of you are really ambitious, it may still be possible to do a calendar.

 

[Race_Day_Dennis]

Re: It's November: May be too late for 2004 Calend

Count me in. Race Day Photo will supply the web space needed for the voting. I will also have a few images to submit. Say the word and I will do what is needed of me. My race season will end in 3 weeks. So I have nothing but time and web space. I can help......Dennis

 

[dj]

Re: It's November: May be too late for 2004 Calend

I'm here to help as needed as well. Shoot me a line if there's anything I can do.

-dj

 

[ScottRNelson]

Re: It's November: May be too late for 2004 Calend

If you people really want to try to make this happen at the last minute, set up the web site, start putting photos there, and work out the details for voting, then have the vote.


I already have the basic calendar ready to pop 12 photos into.

I've already committed to making my own personal calendar and I will share that with those who are interested. A few people will be sending me photos directly that I may use in there.

If you want to help, take over and start doing something. I don't want to have to supervise any of it. Don't ask what you can do, tell us what part you're doing and start doing it.

If those of you who want to do something can come up with 12 quality photos before December 15, I'll use them in the Monster calendar. Otherwise, I'll do my own from a combination of submissions from the previous two years and photos submitted directly to me during the next month. (And anyone who complains about it will be told to just keep their mouth shut, because they had their chance.)