contests and voting

**Lpspider** · 11-15-2007, 01:14 AM

Say you hold regular contests, but you don't want users to recommend a much of friends to vote for them. What precautions do you take, or would you take?

**Moelman** · 11-15-2007, 01:34 AM

If I understand you right, maybe you could put a limit on who can vote, such as being registered for x days or having x amount of posts.

**Toucan42** · 11-15-2007, 04:02 AM

Most of my contests are either run by a volunteer organizer who then assembles a panel of judges (typically three) OR they are based on numbers only which are not subjective OR they are voted on only by staff. We have yet to run anything that involves a "winner" with open voting.

We do have open voting in the Book of The Month Club - all members of the usergroup are free to suggest books and to vote on the one we read.

**Lpspider** · 11-15-2007, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moelman

If I understand you right, maybe you could put a limit on who can vote, such as being registered for x days or having x amount of posts.

That's what I've considering.... but I don't think I can do both, which would be ideal.

The users are voting on who should receive a cash prize, so there's potential for cheating. I'm trying to safeguard it but also keep the users involved in the voting process.

**Ryan** · 11-16-2007, 03:08 PM

We combat this here at AF with FoTM by doing as Toucan suggested. Only staff (panel of judges) vote on a winner - members do not. If you let members vote, it just becomes a popularity contest, and the best person doesn't necessarily win.

**Flashgear** · 11-22-2007, 01:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moelman

If I understand you right, maybe you could put a limit on who can vote, such as being registered for x days or having x amount of posts.

I was just going to say this, Best-Board had this system for its forum of the month - that's where my idea came from.

**CultZero** · 11-23-2007, 11:50 PM

Not much you can do to prevent existing members voting for their friends rather than the most deserved entrant.

Other things you can do coding wise to help at least slow down cheats is limiting number of votes from a single IP, put a registration date requirement on voting equal or less than the date of the contest or minimum post requirement.

11-15-2007, 01:14 AM	#1
Lpspider Forum Addict Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Illinois Posts: 1,338	contests and voting Say you hold regular contests, but you don't want users to recommend a much of friends to vote for them. What precautions do you take, or would you take? __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. \| To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

11-15-2007, 01:34 AM	#2
Moelman The Webmaster Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Michigan, USA Posts: 3,328	If I understand you right, maybe you could put a limit on who can vote, such as being registered for x days or having x amount of posts. __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. - The Largest LucasArts Gaming Community on the Internet To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. - tell me your comments! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. - Your #1 place to discuss all things World of Warcraft.

11-15-2007, 04:02 AM	#3
Toucan42 Veteran Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: www.NewOniTunes.com Posts: 700	Most of my contests are either run by a volunteer organizer who then assembles a panel of judges (typically three) OR they are based on numbers only which are not subjective OR they are voted on only by staff. We have yet to run anything that involves a "winner" with open voting. We do have open voting in the Book of The Month Club - all members of the usergroup are free to suggest books and to vote on the one we read. __________________ Where's Waldo?, Book Club, Scavenger Hunt, Role Playing, Travel Guide, Photos, Videos and more. *To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.*

11-16-2007, 03:08 PM	#5
Ryan Forum Guru Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Athens, GA Posts: 10,256	We combat this here at AF with FoTM by doing as Toucan suggested. Only staff (panel of judges) vote on a winner - members do not. If you let members vote, it just becomes a popularity contest, and the best person doesn't necessarily win. __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. - Professional vBulletin Skins

11-23-2007, 11:50 PM	#7
CultZero Apprentice Join Date: May 2006 Location: UK Posts: 213	Not much you can do to prevent existing members voting for their friends rather than the most deserved entrant. Other things you can do coding wise to help at least slow down cheats is limiting number of votes from a single IP, put a registration date requirement on voting equal or less than the date of the contest or minimum post requirement. __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. - Probably the best MMORPG list in the world. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Guru.com News - Digg for MMORPGs. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Database.

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