should contests be allowed as form of a money spinner?

[greek Wingtips]

I see in SL now more and more contests poping up with reguards to pay to enter and for people to pay to vote, which to me seems to defeat the object of the contest as if you have many friends and they are willing to pay your probally win, but the main issue is the person\s who orgnise this, a money spinning exsice and would you agree or disagree maybe this should not be allowed.???

I know if rules are posted then contestants are warned but still is it acceptable and its morals??

I personally disgree with it,purley on its merits its got nothing to do with content of the winner subject matter but rather who you know LOL.  

[PeterCanessa Oh]

Most "contests" seem to be about whoever has the most friends wins anyway.  No, that isn't fair or ethical.  This is like politics in most (democratic) countries.  In theory they're about principles and policies but hardly anyone thinks about those, they just vote for the same as their friends/family/community.

Changing a "contest" so it is about whoever pays most wins doesn't make things worse.  It's still not ethical - because it's not really a contest - but it's not less ethical.  At least in SL the idiots with money don't get anything out of it though.  This is just like politics in America and other countries where bribery is everything - it pretends to be a contest but is really just an auction.

Neither of those mean that such things shouldn't be allowed in SL though.  Having a count of friends or an auction and calling it a contest may not be ethical but landowners can do whatever they want on their land.

PS:  The nearest thing I've seen to real contests are newbie Show & Tell and Blitz Build contests.  Great way for beginners to learn how to create and earn some starter money.

ETA:  Have to add that I have quite happily paid to take part in and vote in such 'contests' when they were declared fundraisers.

[Rival Destiny]

Personally, I don't have a problem with a club or store, defraying their costs by charging fees for things, like voting etc.

It's expensive in sl to own land so these costs trickle down to tenants etc.  They have these clubs, stores, etc that others can enjoy.  So yeah, I don't think it's wrong at all - morally or otherwise.

[JeanneAnne]

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greek Wingtips wrote:

I see in SL now more and more contests poping up with reguards to pay to enter and for people to pay to vote, which to me seems to defeat the object of the contest as if you have many friends and they are willing to pay your probally win, but the main issue is the person\s who orgnise this, a money spinning exsice and would you agree or disagree maybe this should not be allowed.???

I know if rules are posted then contestants are warned but still is it acceptable and its morals??

I personally disgree with it,purley on its merits its got nothing to do with content of the winner subject matter but rather who you know LOL.  

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Itsa scam but then .. no1 forces you to participate .. so no .. it isnt moral but neither should it be banned .. it should just be ignored

jeanne

[Dilbert Dilweg]

People play them at their own will and own risk

And they come back and play again

If people thought it was unacceptable. They wouldn't play

Most people who play them, know that it is a way for clubs and venues to build revenue, to help pay for tier and services for everyone to enjoy. So, why not make a contest out of the donations and somehow give a little back... It's a give take relationship

Bots and cheaters have made it hard to hold any sort of honest fair contest that doesn't require months of planning and teams of organization

 

I hardly think it deserves an "Outlaw" tag on it

[Amethyst Jetaime]

I don't think anyone is being fooled that voting contests are about anything more than popularity and/or how many alts you have, unless they are naive in RL and new to SL.  As far as paying to vote, mostly its just a modest amount, way less than a penny in RL money, and no one is forced to participate.  Actually charging a modest amount does help control the gamed vote to some degree,  It doesn't eliminate it but does cut back on it because if it were free people would have an easier time getting people to vote for them.  Most of the time the money raised goes to charity or is distributed as prizes, the person running the game makes little or nothing and what they do make goes to providing the venue for your enjoyment.  I have never heard of anyone making a profit on it..  Its more about attracting people to your venue and is no more immoral than a RL lottery is.  People who participate by votiing do it willingly and with a no expection of getting anything out of it .

[JeanneAnne]

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Amethyst Jetaime wrote:

  ..is no more immoral than a RL lottery is...

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RL lotteries are totally immoral. People educated in prob & stats know the odds & refrain from participating. Those who do participate tend to be, in general, poorly educated & often impoverished and among those who can least afford the price of lottery tickets. Hence, lotteries are a form of REgressive taxation that is patently immoral. I agree, tho .. that they shouldn't be banned simply due to their immorality, since ppl are free to refrain from participation.

Jeanne

[Alak Dyrssen]

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PeterCanessa Oh wrote:

Most "contests" seem to be about whoever has the most friends wins anyway.  No, that isn't fair or ethical.  This is like politics in most (democratic) countries.  In theory they're about principles and policies but hardly anyone thinks about those, they just vote for the same as their friends/family/community.

Changing a "contest" so it is about whoever pays most wins doesn't make things worse.  It's still not ethical - because it's not really a contest - but it's not less ethical.  At least in SL the idiots with money don't get anything out of it though.  This is just like politics in America and other countries where bribery is everything - it pretends to be a contest but is really just an auction.

Neither of those mean that such things shouldn't be allowed in SL though.  Having a count of friends or an auction and calling it a contest may not be ethical but landowners can do whatever they want on their land.

PS:  The nearest thing I've seen to real contests are newbie Show & Tell and Blitz Build contests.  Great way for beginners to learn how to create and earn some starter money.

ETA:  Have to add that I have quite happily paid to take part in and vote in such 'contests' when they were declared fundraisers.

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I could add to this but changing the font to a more stylish one would seem elitist.

[161488303349]

all the contests that dont pick me as the winner should be banned. is evol conspiracy when i am not the winner. and they cheated as well

can ask anybody. they will tell you the same

(:

[JeanneAnne]

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16 wrote:

all the contests that dont pick me as the winner should be banned. is evol conspiracy when i am not the winner. and they cheated as well

can ask anybody. they will tell you the same

(:

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)  no kiddin !!

cheatin scammers .. who dont let me win :catmad:

der ebil .. huh?

[jwenting]

RL many sports and other competitions require participants to pay an entrance fee, same for the audience.
In SL, that hardly ever happens (at most a group membership with a one time fee is required in most cases, and often not even that), the cost of hosting events and contests/competitions is therefore exclusively defrayed from affiliate vendor sales, tips, and the occasional sponsorship/advertising drive.

And please remember who pays the money you win in a contest: it is the person hosting it. In most clubs, that means it either comes out of the pockets of the club owner or more frequently out of the personal finances of the club host of the night, a host who may well make less in tips that evening than she has to pay in prize money to the contest winners!

As to bots and other ways of trying to influence contest outcomes: having to pay for voting privileges helps to a large extend deter that.
If there's 500L on the board and each voter has to pay 50L, the cheater bringing in 15 bots is losing out

[Rosen Janus]

Simply stop going to the contests.

I know I stopped going to clubs that wanted to enstate and "everyone wins" policy... I don't go to clubs much anymore.

Lol. I miss one person getting the entire pot, not EVERYONE that got even a single vote getting a portion of the pot. I get the reasoning behind it, though.

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jwenting wrote:

RL many sports and other competitions require participants to pay an entrance fee, 

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Yeah, but this isn't real life.

And this shouldn't become a precedent. It's things like this that deter traffic and in turn deter users from using SL at all.