Zachary Houghton resigns as an ENnies judge

[El Mahdi]

Honestly, I wouldn't read to much into it. With a group of people sometimes it is good to suggest ideas that are not going to be liked to get people to talk about them and see if that discussion comes up with a good idea from a bad one. That a bad idea was shot down I would think would be a positive thing.

You're right, that is absolutely a positive thing. It also shows that there are some very good people involved with the ENnies. I would assume that since ENWorld is Moruss's baby, that he's involved in at least some capacity, and I've never seen or read anything that would imply that he was anything less than an honorable man, or not deserving of respect for what he has accomplished here (at ENWorld). And although I haven't been around ENWorld for any substantial time, every post I've ever read by you (Crothian) has always been fair, informative, and even sometimes witty. As long as there are people such as you guys involved, it can't be all bad.

Healthy debate is always good. Playing devils advocate within a group, in order to bring out good ideas from that group, can also be good (not that I've ever done this myself). But bad ideas presented because of questionable motivation, is not good. While the fact that bad ideas are shot down is positive, the fact that bad proposals, possibly based on questionable motivations, are even proposed in the first place, is not positive (I'm not saying that is the case, but Zachs statement seems to imply this). The idea that this might be happening may be seen by some (apparently including Zach) as a cancer within the group. He apparently feels strongly that this is happening. Of course, as you said before, these last thoughts would be things that he would have to answer, or comment on himself.



By the way, what about those other questions? Never Mind, I see you answered in another post while I was typing.

 

[Qualidar]

By the way, what about those other questions?

Playing devil's advocate myself: they were private conversations, so they're none of your business?

 

[justanobody]

No offense, but who even takes the Ennies seriously to begin with?

How seriously you take any awards, Emmys, Oscar, etc is a matter of personal choice. The fact that IF the judges were expecting payment and compensation to allow digital medium users entry is the problem.

A link provides no less than a physical product where digital medium is concerned. Actually for podcasts, or other digital media it shows how well the method of delivery is for such media and should be taken into consideration from a judging standpoint.

If the judges got fre product for judging and just got upset they had to find a link and charge a cost to submit things then there is the problem. Judges should get nothing from individual contestants in anything. That just sounds like buying votes to me.

That is just one part I wanted to mention about this and think the person stepping down as a judge has done the honorable thing and the others advocating for the other way are doing the wrong thing in the nature and spirit of any kind of contest where awards are given out.

So even if the Ennies are a joke event, the judging and application process should be fair to all, and disconnected from each other lest you venture into the area of buying votes.

 

[Qualidar]

How seriously you take any awards, Emmys, Oscar, etc is a matter of personal choice. The fact that IF the judges were expecting payment and compensation to allow digital medium users entry is the problem.

A link provides no less than a physical product where digital medium is concerned. Actually for podcasts, or other digital media it shows how well the method of delivery is for such media and should be taken into consideration from a judging standpoint.

If the judges got fre product for judging and just got upset they had to find a link and charge a cost to submit things then there is the problem. Judges should get nothing from individual contestants in anything. That just sounds like buying votes to me.

That is just one part I wanted to mention about this and think the person stepping down as a judge has done the honorable thing and the others advocating for the other way are doing the wrong thing in the nature and spirit of any kind of contest where awards are given out.

So even if the Ennies are a joke event, the judging and application process should be fair to all, and disconnected from each other lest you venture into the area of buying votes.

Are you posting this before reading the rest of the posts in this thread?

 

[El Mahdi]

Playing devil's advocate myself: they were private conversations, so they're none of your business?

Of which everyone is definitely allowed to play Devils Advocate whenever they want to (or Devils Minnion if you prefer).

However, as to whether it's my business or not, the winners of these awards get to put that little "ENnies Award Winner" tag on there products. That little tag is intended to show that products superiority over other like products, and is intended to show this to customers. Since I am a customer, the validity of that tag does matter to me. So, yes, it is my business.

Now, if those on the ENnies staff don't want to answer, or feel that they don't need to answer, that is completely within their perogative. If I want an answer, it's completely within my perogative to ask the question. At the same time, I'm not stupid enough, or arrogant enough, to expect that the have to, or even will, answer me. Although, I definitely appreciate when they do answer.

 

[roguerouge]

Blogging: Making Burnt Bridges Since 1994.

 

[billd91]

If the judges got fre product for judging and just got upset they had to find a link and charge a cost to submit things then there is the problem. Judges should get nothing from individual contestants in anything. That just sounds like buying votes to me.

The free products the judges get are the entries that the publishers submit. Review copies, in other words, provided so that no judge's ability to participate in the selection has to depend on his or her disposable income.

Now, I can understand that it's easy enough to check out a link online, but the quality of the site or podcast viewing/listening experience could be affected by the quality and speed of the judge's internet connection. So I don't exactly think that asking the submission to be on a cd is off base. The podcasters really should want the judges to be able to review at their own best convenience and in the best conditions they can manage.

As far as thinking of it as requiring every entrant to have put up something of value, whether in the form of the product in question or an entry fee, wherever that fee goes, I don't see any problem with broaching the discussion. Requiring some kind of value from everyone would fit some definitions of fairness, so I don't see it being a discussion to avoid, even if the idea is eventually rejected.

Personally, I'm not sure that resigning and letting a blog post be the primary notification mechanism for it is really a good idea or tactful plan.

 

[El Mahdi]

To clarify something, I do not see the ENnies as a joke. I realize that it's not the equivalent in scope or impact as award presentations in the entertainment industry, and that there is a certain amount of fan participation and lighthearted fun involved in it. However, to a 3pp, that little award tag on their product can make a big difference. In an industry where there is a lot of competition for a relatively small part of the pie (since the 800 pound gorilla owns the majority of that pie), that kind of endorsement can be a huge thing. IMO, based on principal, it always matters whether something is honest or fair, whether it matters in the greater scheme of things or not. Now I'm not saying the ENnies aren't fair and honest, but in this type of thing, even the appearance of unfairness or impropriety can be very damaging. Clarifying questions about this can only help with customer confidence.

 

[roguerouge]

Aren't 100 packs of CD-R and DVD-Rs like, what, 25 bucks? And if you get nominated for your free service, don't you get something back--pride, prestige in the hobby, the remote possibility of ad revenue in the distant future? And, I'm sorry, but I just don't care that there's a grab-bag category or two. If it bothers the podcast community or fan site community, I don't know, perhaps you could podcast or blog about it next year? And encourage each other to submit their shows/pages?

I am failing to get the moral outrage here, absent a really exorbitant fee that pushes the total cost into 3 figures.

Perhaps someone could explain it to me? 'Cause if the judges aren't getting paid there's not even any smoke here and I write this off as one guy failing his wisdom check.

 

[roguerouge]

Now, I can understand that it's easy enough to check out a link online, but the quality of the site or podcast viewing/listening experience could be affected by the quality and speed of the judge's internet connection. So I don't exactly think that asking the submission to be on a cd is off base.

Exactly. Imagine how pissed you'd be if you lost because one judge was using Internet Explorer 6!