Contest Solicitations

You have to allow solicitation in non member voting contests. That's the whole point of them.

I agree, we should be able to solicit non member voting.

I absolutely agree

How do you solicit for these contests? Email? Facebook? Twitter? Normally I will do FB, but would like to hear how others do it.

I would say that soliciting for views and comments on one's artwork is OK. The probability of obtaining a vote is as dependent on its appeal as is on its location, considering the fact that more often than not, it's the last few pages of uploads which get the more number of views and thus maybe soliciting would be a way of directing a person to the source. However, I for one would not solicit a vote.

I totally agree with allowing non members to vote. isn't the point of a contest to gain attention to our work?

I agree that we should allow non members to vote. It allows more exposure to our work.

With general public voting, your contest will probably receive a lot of attention and a lot of votes because certain participants will actively solicit votes from their friends and family. This will make for a lively, active contest, and all of the participants in the contest will be rewarded with the sheer volume of visitors that stop by to vote. However, the final vote tally will most likely reward those participants who actively solicited votes... not those with the best artwork.

With FAA only voting, your contest will probably receive less attention because only FAA members are allowed to vote, and it will be impossible for participants to solicit votes from non-members. In order to prevent members from encouraging their friends and family to create fake accounts just for the purpose of voting, votes will only be accepted from members who have belonged to the site for more than 30 days prior to the start of the contest and have at least 10 images uploaded to their portfolios. FAA only contests will probably receive fewer visitors and fewer votes, but hopefully, the winning pieces will be rewarded based on quality versus popularity.

With juried voting, you and your jury of voters have complete control over the outcome of the contest. Your contest will probably receive less attention because only the jury can vote. However, the results will be exactly what you want them to be!

I don't solicit at all. Although, I think we should get as many nonmembers to come here as possible,aren't they the ones who would buy?

I enter a lot of contests but I don't enter to win solely. I enter because it's fun and I want to show my face.

I encourage it in all my contests. The more visibity the better and your work looks great when mixed with others of the same theme.

If all participants shared the contest on Facebook, G +, tumbler, twitter, instagram, etc. It would make the contest more fun and more fair and would spread the visibity of their work 100 fold.

Several art pieces in contests that I have run have sold shortly after the contest. The racehorse contest I did recently had a huge turnout on voting, twitter shares, Facebook shares (as FAA contests go. Most contests don't have any shares) and one image sold shortly after the contest was voted on. Saw it on the sales page. Also saw other racehorse images that weren't in the contest on the sales page. Could be attributed. Wish there was a way to tell better.

Racehorse contest: http://fineartamerica.com/contests/racehorses--paintings-and-drawings.html?tab=overview

I know you can't make contest admin run contests a certain way, Abbie, but perhaps a better sample twitter, facebook, and add a G+ post option.
The current twitter and facebook ones are too general, imo, and there isn't a G+ one. I have been writing one for each (including hashtags) and sharing it with the contestants encouraging them to copy/paste them and have noticed more participation in the contests since then.
I mean, how many contest get 177 facebook shares? None usually get even one share. Most aren't shared at all.
I post to my G+ communities that like a particular subject and get a good response. A button along side the twitter and FB button would encourage an even better response from there.

On the build contests this is a great idea. I will see what we can do....not on the others obviously

Abbie nailed it. FAA only contests will probably receive fewer visitors and fewer votes, but hopefully, the winning pieces will be rewarded based on quality versus popularity.
This is what I aim for in the contests that I host. I want to honestly see the best work win, not the person who has the most friends on social media.
I guess you may want to read the rules and guidelines of each contest before you consider entering. I know I do.
I just may have to run two contests together and experiment.

There is another aspect of member voting that is never talked about but is alive and well in the background when there is member only voting. There are pools of groups who vote for each others art in order to raise their visibility by placing in the contest. It is unfortunate that it happens in that manner as it gives those with less social media connections within FAA a definite disadvantage even if they have an outstanding piece of artwork.

I enter as many contests as I can for one reason and one reason only.......exposure!!

Build as in restructure and adding better sample twitter, FB, G+ posts?

You can''t control the rogues who push their own work harder than pushing the contest, but I have found that the best pieces usually win in my contests. I also monitor them closely (delete all that don't comply to the rules including printability problems). Pieces that should be on the front page are put there by me first off and that alone encourages votes on them because let's face it, people are lazy and don't always flip through every page of images. So, as the contest goes on and I see images not showing up on the voted for page that should be there, I add them (I never vote for my own in my own contests. Someone else usually votes for them.) and sure enough they get more votes and better exposure too.

One thing I'd like to see is a built in link that links back to the contests when messaging contestants. Many admin don't add the link. So, Abbie, when your building please add a built in link, if possible. As it is now, I have to add it to my messages.
You have one built in for the groups. Love that.
The admins who don't add a link are assuming people they are messaging through FAA will go seek out that contest and they won't.

I agree with Abbie. She clearly described what seems to happen. More traffic sounds good for those hoping to sell an image. I post them for fun, but it's sometimes disappointing to see images that don't seem so great (being subjective here) getting dozens of votes. I would say if you don't like solicitation just enter the members only contests. I haven't been active here very long, but it seems that many of the themes reoccur. Just pick the ones that fit your preference. I appreciate those that run the contests for our fun. You can't please all of the people all of the time.

Outside solicitation is one thing but FAA Groups that exist for the purpose of tit-for-tat voting is another. I have learned to stay away from contests given by certain hosts, because I see the same members winning over and over. Not that I take it all too seriously, but entering one of those contests is an exercise in futility and a waste of time.

None of the contests should be about winning. They should all be about exposure and finding buyers.
People are more likely to vote or view the contests that aren't all inclusive, but are themed and relatively small. Easy to flip through all the images.
I'm a research fanatic and in my research that is what I've found. Besides, it's just simple logic. People have a short attention span these days. If the contests are cluttered with poorly photographed images, poorly presented art and art that doesn't fit the theme or rules the contest will be dismissed for the most part; which makes your entry into them a waste of your time and effort. Besides all that, if they aren't solicited by the contestants, they are virtually invisible.

I have entered many many contests since I have been on FAA and have actually won first place maybe 5 or 6 times. I find that usually in the contests I host, I am in the top three always but I am sure to delete my work in the final hours just before the contest ends. I have often wondered if my work is voted for just because I have hosted the contest...hmmm
I do like Jani's idea about deleting submissions with print ability issues. I see that so much and they are never voted for.
I suppose that I create contest just for fun and have never actually thought of them as a marketing tool. hmmmmmmmmmmm!

Yes, Phyllis, they can be if handled correctly. Rather than deleting the image, tell people not to vote for yours as you don't want to win your own contest. You will still get votes, but not enough to win. Enough to be on the leaderboard though. Most of my contest winners win with 20 or more votes because of social media not because of votes from contestants so, lately, I haven't had to tell people not to vote for mine, but if I see too many votes on mine, I would say don't vote for mine in one of my emails to the contestants. That usually solves the problem.

I have strict rules for my contests because I share them on my social media. It is my reputation on the line if the quality isn't up to my high standards.

Jani, are you hosting one now so that I can have a peek at your guidelines?

I am less likely to enter a contest that is a popularity contest. But everyone is right about exposure and allowing non-FAA folk to vote. FAA provided a good platform for artists' private PR but it seem most members are other artists who are not necessarily in the market for buying.

No. See the link I provided above for the racehorse one. My rules and statements are usually the same as in that contest. Only the subject changes.

I also encourage it in all my contests to bring in potential buyers!

What a great discussion - hitting a lot of hot buttons for me! I think if an admin wants to make their contest open for public voting, that's great - I have to admit that I sometimes don't remember to share on FB and Twitter, but I try to. I don't provide a link to my own image, but just to the contest page and tell people I have an image (or several) in the contest and that there are lots of great images to enjoy - to me, that would be the point as a member of the public - an opportunity to look at images of a subject I find interesting.

Then, on the subject of entries, I have learned to totally avoid what I mentally have termed the "free-for-all" contests to "submit 10 images" with no theme - just whatever you want to promote, with perhaps a loosely defined theme of "post your least viewed images". Yikes! Those contests are a PITA to vote in because it is sooooo eclectic. And, I try very hard to vote in the contests I have entered, and I vote for what I like, not just the first few pages or what's showing on the leaderboard - takes forever to go through a contest with 1500 - 2500 images entered in it. I like focused contest in which people are looking at images of some similar things and judging them, you have fewer entries as a rule, so you have a fighting chance of having people look at your image(s) even if they're on the later pages in the contest entries.

I agree with Jani that a contest with a focus and fewer entries that actually stick to the rules are much more useful both for exposure and for viewing what other people like through the voting process. The results on your racehorse contest, Jani, were very impressive!

I also love the request to Abbie to make a link to the contest in the emails to contestants happen automatically. I see these emails with no link and not even a reference to the subject and it doesn't help to be reminded to vote. I of course check my Contests tab when I can, but sometimes the email with a link right in it would make sure I get there before the voting period ends. I have missed voting in several contests over time because I simply didn't have the time to check in on whether it was in voting or not, and sometimes the voting period is quite short. I feel vaguely guilty about that, but not so much that I would slit my wrists over it :-).

I also have learned to avoid contests by admins who don't make entries follow the rules - it is highly annoying to be in a contest for "paintings of animals", for example, and see photos of animals high up on the voting/leaderboard, or simply littering the image pages. Even if the admin removes an offender who is getting votes so they don't win, their image has created a certain level of "non-focus" on the part of anyone going through the pages of images. I find myself jumping back to the rules page just to remind myself "is this just for photos?" "paintings?", wild animals" "any animals"? And then, even if I really like an image that shouldn't have been in the contest, I won't vote for it, but I might click through to the artist's page and comment on it.

I enter contests for exposure, and hoping always that exposure will turn into sales. So, FAA-only voting contests are limited in that regard, BUT if fellow FAA members like, fave, or comment on one of my images, that can turn into additional views, too, as I believe (hope?) the algorithms for searches really do take into account how many people have already reacted favorably to something. The message you see when you click "like" or "fave" indicates that it helps the search function.

Thanks, Valenteana, for starting a great discussion - looks like we all have opinions and issues on this topic!

I agree with travel pics:
poor pics with hardly any artistic merits or totally off the theme I delete even if they win through solicitation - as simple as that

I am still new to FAA and all of the rules. I like to think if I would win a contest it would be on the piece of art works own merit. However, if others are NOT following the rules than there is a problem. Which makes me think soliciting has to be allowed or how do you police those who do not follow the rules???

Here is a perfect example of voting members only. If you notice the leaderboard, the work is all exceptional. If you really want to be nice, you could go vote and break up the 6 or 7 in 3rd place . (do not vote for mine. White pelicans) http://fineartamerica.com/contests/your-own-personal-favorite-paintings.html?tab=leaderboard

i enter contests for fun. i probably would never solicit because my friends know my work and I dont want to overload facebook. i like one image per contest and also FAA members or juried vote. To me if I win and I havent yet, I would feel its on my own ability not my salesmanship. it does make me realize I am ot a good marketer!!

Anne, all you have to do is say, "Hey, I'm in a just for fun contest. Come see if you can find my work (or share the image). Vote and share the images you like. Vote through Facebook." (so they know they don't have to join FAA to vote)

Part of marketing is networking. People you know will support you and add word of mouth to the mix.

Great point thanks Jani

I currently have 6 [the limit] contests in progress, none of which allow vote solicitation! I always choose the 'members only' option when hosting. Even so, there are ALWAYS members who will solicit votes, even when/if we hosts plainly say 'NO vote solicitation'! Lol. Par for the course. They just ask other members to vote for them, not solicit the public!

Only hosts tending their contests will see it happening or, perhaps, hear of it from other members in-the-know and remove the images ASAP. There are some hosts & group administrators who actively encourage members to solicit votes, in any way, shape or form, re contests they offer, which is their right. Some are dead-set against it...and others could care less.

With SO many contests going on at one time, I'm sure folks will find a number that fit their particular needs. In any event, hosts have 3 voting options when creating a contest. Of course, if the public is allowed to vote, that's what it means...any & everyone can vote, so solicit away!

Jani, I don't think I've ever seen any of your contests? Will keep an eye out.

I believe that anytime you solicit votes the ones with the most friends will win. Those friends will not be voting for people they don't know. I do think that advertising a contest is a good idea to draw people in to visit and vote but if you truly want the best pictures to win then take the names out from under the pictures like it used to be. Leave them in and you're soliciting favoritism.

I have entered enough contests to know what I'm talking about. I have seen the ones with hundreds of friends win contests and seen other people in the same contest get 1 or 2 votes compared to 40 or more.

It's time to start making these contests fair. Take out the names.

IMHO

WOW!! Great input and ideas from everyone, The whole reason I asked the question about solicitation was because I often go thru the contest page and I found many of them that have open voting for member and non-member, however, they didn't allow solicitation. Puzzled me why they didn't just go with member only..
Anyway I see a lot more discussion came up about contests, and I guess the one that sticks out the most is that you can't please everyone..However, personally I don't hold contests to please people I have contest to bring the group members publicity, so I encourage them to post the contest to their websites,FB and tweets. The more they advertise the more votes they get, hopefully,. Now another subject was less quality images getting more votes then a better quality image because someone new the right people or did better solicitation then another..My response to that is that the administrator is in charge of the quality of the work being entered so if quality is not good enough to win then it should not be allowed to be submitted as the quality is important to the appearance of the group and or FAA. and you can not control how contestants solicit, so the contestants have the option to not enter if they do not want to work hard at solicitation.
So now to my next question. If the contest is open to member and non-member, but the administrator says no solicitation. Is it wrong to e-mail or put on contest discussion to ask them to either change it to member only or change the solicitation option?

I'm a very strict admin when it comes to following the rules, but anything goes when it comes to soliciting votes. Because I share, and others do, on my social media pages it works out fair in the end. I always allow anyone to vote and to vote for as many as they like.
If I see that someone is pushing their piece harder than others, I post a social media post about the contest again and encourage voters to come make the contest fair and fun. Good art isn't getting the votes they deserve. It seems to always work.
I recall one time a particular artist's work that did not deserve to win, as there were many other way better pieces of art in the contest, and it was getting obvious votes from their fans because all three of their pieces were in 1, 2, 3 place. That makes it obvious and it was one of the biggest contests I ran. I pushed the contest again and again and the pieces fell away from taking the whole show and the right pieces won. I think one of those three got 3rd; which is fine because I allowed solicitation and that person had to work hard for that place.
I know not all admins will do that because it's extra work, but it is also extra publicity and the voting public had fun too.
I need to do a few more contests. I've been busy lately.
They will be for horses, but I think I'll do one for birds again as I've been painting a lot of those lately.

It wouldn't be wrong to email them, but don't count on them changing it. They have full control of how they run their contest.

There are plenty of contests to enter that allow it and you can always run your own.

If I remember correctly, there was a short time here when an attempt was made to make the contests fair by omitting names, but it did not go over well. I still think that could work but perhaps give the hosts a choice of holding a contest without names or one with.

I see so many crazy contest rules. The ones that leaves me scratching my head are the ones that have 5 submissions but you can only vote one time. ???

I mostly enter the open contests because of the visibility. However, I don't solicit with either FAA or General voting. I wouldn't enjoy winning if I had to solicit people to vote but that's just me.

Lil

I agree Lil. It would be useless to cheat other than hoping that buyers are just gullible.

Soliciting votes does not mean that you are asking for votes on your work necessarily.
You can share the contest saying, "I'm in a just - for - fun contest and there is a lot of great works that I'm proud to be seen with. Come cast your vote for all the ones you like. Don't just vote for me." Or "See if you can find my work. Vote for any that you like along the way. There's a lot of great art worthy of a vote."
If it is your contest, tell them not to vote for yours. You will still get votes just not enough to win. If everyone did that there would be no worry that you'd win unfairly. It would, however, make for a great contest. I've held a few that have done just that.

It's marketing/networking, people. It keeps the fact that you do art fresh in people's minds. You know the minds of people. Out of sight out of mind. That's how it works.
Stop the humility. It doesn't belong in this category. Just be fair in how you share the contests. You will look less like you are pushing your art on people and you will be helping other artists along the way; which is far more appealing to your character.
People aren't going to come knocking on your door. You have to go and do the knocking. It doesn't have to be a hard sale. You can be just as, or more, effective using soft sell techniques like sharing fun contests you are in, contests that you've won, special features you've achieved, passing cards out to people you meet while doing errands, etc.

It's all about keeping your name fresh in people's minds.

I always allow member unlimited voting! As a rule, everyone will usually at least turn up to vote for themselves...but, it's my hope that they also take the time to scroll through the pages of thumbnails & vote for others they like as well, which sometimes just happens to be their friends! I find myself attracted to images first, then find that it's someone's whose work I've admired. But, I'm pretty picky!

As host, I always check every image, even when it's a bigger contest. Usually, I try to limit the number of entries to make it easier for everyone's work to be seen & voted on. I rather enjoy the ones allowing just 1 or 2 entries and always unlimited voting. They, generally, have the best voter turnout. However, when the subject is quite popular & more general, larger ones can be entertaining, too, from both the hosting & participating side of things.

Like I said, I host scads of contests [6 currently in-progress], plus I also enter any/all hosted by others that fit my work. Lots of members will just enter and that's it, never to be seen or heard from again, weirdly, enough. As host, I vote as soon as a contest is in voting mode. Sometimes, that's the only vote a member will get...mine! Where they are I don't have a clue? I always send out a group email w/voting link!

I wouldn't like it if artist's names were not available. I do enjoy knowing whose work I'm voting for...and I'm sure potential buyers scanning the contests for images might, too? But, I get what some of you are saying re the issue. Even though there are those who don't act like it, we are supposed to be adults here, though, which means we 'should' be capable of voting for images that are deserving rather than supporting only our friends...unless, like I said earlier, their work is really the best!

Jani - I couldn't agree more with your statement:

None of the contests should be about winning. They should all be about exposure and finding buyers.
People are more likely to vote or view the contests that aren't all inclusive, but are themed and relatively small. Easy to flip through all the images.
I'm a research fanatic and in my research that is what I've found. Besides, it's just simple logic. People have a short attention span these days. If the contests are cluttered with poorly photographed images, poorly presented art and art that doesn't fit the theme or rules the contest will be dismissed for the most part; which makes your entry into them a waste of your time and effort. Besides all that, if they aren't solicited by the contestants, they are virtually invisible.

Lil - I don't get your point at all. I don't want my work to be invisible - I mean, hello - why are we all here at this site to begin with? No, I wouldn't alienate my friends on facebook by hounding them, but they all know my work from way back and most enjoy art as such and will have a look on facebook if I make it easy enough for them. Besides, I wouldn't begrudge someone else the opportunity to be found via my efforts either. People have different tastes and since this is about selling - they may buy someone elses art, because it is just what they were looking for. I consider that a very good thing indeed!

I hear what you all are saying in terms of solicitation, but consider this: a recent contest win was an image I've seen a hundred times and probably won many other contests, because I believe the artist belongs to a "tit-for-tat" group, where members are all voting on each other's images, as well as soliciting outside. I didn't care about my own image so much in this contest, but I saw other amazing works that were being ignored in favor of this tired same-old, same-old. Now I know better than to enter contests hosted by this and other hosts, because the outcome is always the same in terms of which members win. After a while, you get it.

True, artists are probably getting exposure by entering these contests, but how many become discouraged and give up because they have no chance of placing in the winner's circle? It gets a bit much after a while.

Jani, I know how busy you are with your own work, but if they ever needed a contest moderator (kind of like what Frank does for groups), you would be a perfect choice! You speak sense, and your suggestions for how to word solicitations outside FAA is very good. I'm not a fan of soliciting, but if I was ever convinced to do it, I would follow your suggestions.

There are just TOO many deserving images in a contest...so, of course, not everyone will be happy, as not everyone can win! Only a few winning slots to fill! Lots of members showing up to vote are also those who will vote for a familiar name and/or image. It just happens. Some of the folks who complain the loudest don't even bother to vote...or only vote for themselves & no one else. And, then, they say it's not about winning! It's not a stretch to see 'why' some of the same people keep winning, as they tend to be active, as in showing up, and, a lot of times, their images are just as worthy as others. Members are adults and can vote for who & what they please!

My contests are popular because everyone entering knows that I tend them well...re voting, result links, making rules & being creative, removing images not following rules, etc. And, isn't that how a host, with a heart & brain, should tend a contest? I mean, we can't police members, only our rules, so we hope that those participating will behave like adults! [And, no, some don't.] I always say every member should host a contest so they will know what it's like from both sides of the contest coin.

Soliciting votes...the big yawn. Some members do it; some don't. Some group administrators encourage it; some don't. Some contest hosts allow it; some don't. The GOOD news is there will always be a contest to fit your needs. The BAD news is you may not win...and not every host tends their contest! So, either host one yourself or only enter the ones you know are well-tended & [somewhat] fair.

There's no way to stop solicitation, completely, other than offering a juried contest, which has its own problems. I see 'juried' contests where the host is the ONLY juror. Not my cup of tea, as their work may not be, in my opinion, all that, so why would I want them judging me or mine? Would much rather have a whole bunch of members from all walks of like & talents to vote. Plus, when there's an actual panel, I've seen a juror win or place. Just as bad or worse than soliciting other members or the public.

So, my best advice is 'enter at your own risk'...and try to enjoy the process! Life is short. In the whole scheme of things, FAA contests are quite trite. They are simply a place to showcase your work. And, if you win, which can be fun, it's a bonus.

Patricia, you'd be doing it now if we were talking in person. I'm much more convincing in person. Btw, are you going to try to come to my show in September? Drive around through Shelton so as to avoid the bridge and you can stay for the weekend in Gig Harbor. Gig Harbor is on the top 10 list of places to visit and if I get that mural job you will be able to see that in person too. :-)

I've been on a Jury here once. It was fun to do. I'd do that on occassion, but am limited on time. I have teenagers and they are keeping me as busy as when they were babies. I'm a stay at home mom and that is my first and most important job. I have found that teens need their moms just as much as toddlers. Just in a different way; which is actually more exhausting than when they were little, but I love being available for them. Speaking of, off to take them to have some much needed fun. Inner tubing at a friends. Chow.

I forgot that I had this already written. Copy/paste and bam here you go:

I share my work a lot on Facebook. I haven't once heard someone say they were sick of seeing my posts. Quite the contrary actually. I'm always hearing how much they enjoy it. Of course, I mix in other posts too to keep things well-rounded.

I really think the real problem is that artists don't believe in themselves enough to share what they do. They don't think their work is good enough.
Be secure in yourself. Know that what you do is good enough and also know that what you do nobody else can do. That's really important. You are fearfully and wonderfully made and given a unique gift that a lot of people wish they had.
If you are an artist that is still learning (all of us are really), use that as an angle. Show your progress and when you achieve a goal, share it.
People like to hear about other people brave enough to go after their dream. They like being a part of the process.
Also, buyers buy from artists they relate to. Artists they like. That may apply to originals more so than prints, but it still applies.
If you feel trepedacious about it still. Take it in baby steps, but always move forward towards your goal. Don't let fear freeze you. Get out of that stupid closet and allow yourself to be free of silly inhibitions.

Sharing an open contest with your friends, fan page, G+ is a great place to start. No real skin in the game.

I believe you, Jani, lol. And yes, if you are participating in the open studio tour in Gig Harbor this season, I am planning to attend along with a friend. We are going to see my cousin's ceramic work on Fox Island. I'm sure she will also love your paintings, too! More later.

You're so right about teens needing you, and you're lucky that you could be home for them during their childhood years. I did kind of an opposite: I was home when my son was little, then when he was about 12, I went off to work. My brother was living with me during that time, and I'm just now finding out about all the mischief they got into that I didn't know about because I wasn't there, LOL.

Sorry for diversion -- back to contests. I like the idea of juries, too. I didn't know until recently that you could see who the jury members are, because there is a tab (duh, I'm a little slow, lol). Sometimes there is only one juror -- the host.

Erica, I get you. You are right re those with the most friends getting the most votes. It does happen. Plus,when you allow solicitation, I always say, the members who do it the best will win! It has NOTHING to do with being talented, as far as your work, just as far as garnering a bunch of votes! Lol.

Like I said above...my best advice is 'enter at your own risk'...and try to enjoy the process. Life is short. In the whole scheme of things, FAA contests are quite trite. They are simply a place to showcase your work. If you win, which can be fun, it's a bonus.

There's no way to stop solicitation, completely, other than offering a juried contest, which has its own problems. There are 'juried' contests where the host is the ONLY juror. Not my cup of tea, as their work may not be, in my opinion, all that, so why would I want them judging me or mine? Would much rather have a whole bunch of members from all walks of like & talents to vote. Plus, when there's an actual panel, I've seen a juror win or place. Just as bad or worse than soliciting other members or the pulbic.

Good to see you, Erica. Have a great day!

Brooks, you are absolutely right! There are contests for everyone and I couldn't care less if people solicit votes... in fact, I've helped people out myself. Jani, you're right too in that posting about the contest is a great idea and I should start doing that on FB. I still don't want to solicit for myself BUT I would definitely solicit to help out the contest!

Lil

Hello again... I know the problems of contests and awhile back I did decide just to enter to have fun. Would be nice to win once in awhile... I did come in 2nd place (tie) with my puppies picture a couple if weeks ago ... yipeeeeeee lol.

I still think NOT putting names would help in keeping the cliques on the straight and narrow. If a buyer likes a certain picture let them vote for it and when the contest is over they can click on the picture and see who did it and buy it.

Thanks for answering my post Patricia and Brooks... nice to be seen. LOL.
Great to see you too...

Have a great day all!

Lil, it's true there is a contest to fit everyone's needs! Some members like soliciting votes and other frown heavily upon it. There are always groups & contests where the practice is encouraged.

Unfortunately, the problem is that folks do it when it's NOT encouraged, lol, which makes extra work for the hosts not allowing it. Btw, that is the majority of hosts. Unfortunately, again, not a lot of them tend their contests or rules very well, so members get away with doing whatever.

Really, in the end, it looks like members will help members, or their friends, however they can, no matter what? Look forward to entering some of your contests!

Well, it is hard to see you, Erica, your avatar is so ghostly looking, lol.

To solicit for the contest as a whole via social media and allowing non-members to vote is the best way to get our work viewed by potential buyers. What's the point otherwise?

The point of a contest is to compete, and hopefully win. The point on FAA is to promote and expose, I guess. I'm done talking about it, lol.

Katherine, let me know when you host a contest! I've never entered one allowing solicitation. Maybe I should try it? Thanks.

Btw, a member just emailed asking how to find out which contests I'm hosting. All you do is go to a member's profile, in this case mine, and click on the 'contests' tab. It will show those I'm hosting & participating in. Applies to all members.

when I solicit a contest I post it to FB and ask people to pick their 3 favorite images and then please share link.
I agree with Mike(travel pics) publicize the contest not just your images. But so many people look at it as winning, and to some winning means coming in 1st place in anything they do. There will always be people like that anyway so we just do what we do and let them do what they going to do..and I have not entered a contest where got more then maybe 3 votes, so I enter a lot just to get noticed. Yes this works, I don't get a winning spot in the contest but I do get a lot more visits then I would if I didn't enter. To me that is a win.
And personally I wont to thank those people who visit my images once and a while. I am a winner if you enjoy them..

Amen re being a winner, no matter what, Valenteana! With you on that. The contests here are more for those who enjoy a little lighthearted competition...as well as to simply showcase one's work. Some take it way more seriously than others, it's true! And, that's fine, whatever floats their boat. I know I like a little friendly competition; always have, which is probably one of the reasons 'why' I host so many contests? Lol. It's great to see others enjoying my work enough to vote me in a top slot in others that I enter, as well.

No problem re publicizing the contests, but not very many members seem to do it, at least as far as I can tell?

Promote your work any way you can, I say. However, the majority of members hosting contests here on FAA do not allow solicitation, preferring an in-house contest w/members only voting. It's more about a whole bunch of your peers [not one member or a small jury] deciding who they think has the best work, not who is the best at soliciting votes. Unfortunately, it can turn into a popularity contest, sometimes.

One more thing...you can be sure your image[s] will not get many, if any, views or votes, unless YOU pay attention to the contests you enter...and vote EARLY [for yourself], as in as soon as voting begins! That's most likely the only way you'll get on the leaderboard, which is simply the page where, unfortunately, the majority of members go to vote.
I always scroll through every page, myself, but some don't, nor do they vote early, if at all, so their images are usually never seen, as in making it to the board or, at some point, the winner's 'circle'.

Over & out. Good luck!

I'm glad this thread was started! I'm going to post yours on FB, Brooks! lol Of course, not my image but the whole contest. That's something I did learn from this!

Lol, Lil! I look forward to it!

Nice conversation and good ideas I think this has opened a few doors for us all. well opened our minds anyway. So I guess it I have learned that even thou I am more of a solicitation person, it would be wise to do all three of the types of contests once and a while, because some people stick strictly to the types of contests they are comfortable with. such as jury voting, or member only. I have been hosting just contests for my group. but now I think I will host other contest as well. So look for me on the contest page. than thank you everyone.
I hope that this also broadened your image of contests also.

Lil did one of my contests proud yesterday by posting it on fb for more potential buyers to see! It just might help get folks to actually take a LOOK at the entries! Not that they will be able to vote, but, if they click on the contest link & check out the entries, maybe they will buy!?

Thanks, Lil...and to Valenteana for posting this thread. I agree, some good conversation & ideas.

I have two 4th-of-July themed contests still accepting entries, btw!

I have started a new contest Wildlife Paintings. I am always on top of the rules that I set in place. The grainy, blurry images that I know will never print, not even on a greeting card have always been a problem for me but up until now, have allowed them to slide by. This time, I decided to remove them and there were many. Two people have added their images back 3 times after I removed them! There work is so blurry that it is almost a joke. Anyhow,enough venting!!! The next contest that I host, I will venture out and make it public. Just put my toe in the water and see how it feels. If it is overwhelming to me, I will just simply not go that way again- leave that to you experts and go back to FAA members only.
This post has really opened my eyes. Thanks

Here's one of my contests accepting submissions. I am asking folks, per the description, to share the contest link, but not individual images. Only members can enter or vote, but we are inviting the public to take a look-see...and, hopefully, buy a few!

Join, if you have an image that fits.
http://fineartamerica.com/contests/roses--yellow-or-gold.html?tab=overview&saved=true

I am hoping to start another contest on the 5th of July for jury vote only, and I will post id to the discussion page also as it will be open to everyone. You see I am sure that there are a lot of people who do not look or even realize that there is a page that shows all the contests..anyway thanks everyone and if you have anything else to add to discussion feel free to do so.

I started a new contest. Editing as images are submitted. Will edit more strictly right before voting starts.
http://fineartamerica.com/contests/horse-power--impressionism-expressionism-and-abstract.html?tab=overview

Brooks, they can vote through Facebook. Make sure you tell them to vote that way and not to join the site.