Contest final stages delayed

[Kratok]

Gotta agree.

Xen was very transparent and public about extending the deadline. To extend a contest that spanned several months by just a week did not give anyone an unfair advantage. It allowed folks who had a large block of time already invested to finish and at least potentially participate. While I made the original deadline (barely), I hold absolutely no issues with any modelers that were able to wrap things up over the last several days.

I stepped away from mod duties on this site largely because of RL issues. I know just how overwhelming they can be. Xen, you have my sympathies for whatever real life problems are going on behind the scenes right now.

I also think it is important that we remember just what Xen gave us here with AST. We have a site that caters exclusively to Trek. Inline images are not only permitted, they are ENCOURAGED. That makes the visit all that much more enjoyable in my eyes. Xen keeps the site ad-free. It costs nothing to join up here, and nothing to enter the contests. Virtually all of the operating costs come out of his pocket, and he donates huge amounts of time to this site. Which is not his job - it is something he chooses to do on top of his RL commitments. And although I certainly do not wish to minimize the contributions of the contest sponsors, or anyone else that lends a hand here, the truth is that he does a lot of this as a one-man show.

His goal was to create a community where all members could participate, irregardless of skill level, and share like interests in a friendly little community. I think for the most part he has achieved that. I can't spend as much time here as I used to, or even as much as I would like to, but it is one of the few places online where I feel "at home".

I try to remember all of that when I am posting here. It is just a common courtesy in return for what we have been given.

So, I think Xen has earned a little leeway in how he chooses to administer the finer points of the site - like the current issues with regard to the contest deadline. All his points and reasons are valid, well thought out, and transparent to the community as a whole.

Keep it up Xen.
I think a lot of us are really grateful for everything you do for the Trek modeling community through this site.

[trekriffic]

I think Kratok said it pretty well. Personally, I don't think fudging a bit on start and end dates has any bearing on who "wins" a contest; heck, a model doesn't have to even be complete for me to vote for it if the modeler exhibits true brilliance and creativity in it's construction up to that point. This site is really cool thanks to Xen and those who choose to contribute in the spirit of friendliness and sharing.

[Silverloc]

I'm completely with Xen here. Extending deadlines is just the nice thing to do and in fact we were all asked if we were ok with them being extended.

I know I appreciated it when Scott over at SMA extended that date, it gave me the time to put the finishing touches on my entry, and in turn allowed me to finish my first contest and was chosen for 2 forum user provided prizes.

To me that whole thing was a passive aggressive "faceless internet" attempt to stir up drama where there wasn't any or any needed, and its not the first forum he has done it in of late.

[slawton]

What others have said .. I only have high praise and gratitude for Xen and his dedicated work here (I actually wonder how he does it all).

That being said, "he that may not be named" had his entry denied into the contest because it did not follow the rules. He likely felt rejected. When he saw rules "bent" (such as contest start/end dates), he probably felt that the rules should also have been "bent" to allow his entry -- it was "unfair" to do otherwise. He had "sour grapes" on this subject and held a simmering grudge regarding the contest, leading to dissenting/sarcastic posts on this topic. This last one hit Xen at a bad time, leading him to be uncharacteristically upset.

From what I remember, outside of this subject this member was a contributor who was usually supportive, encouraging and informative in his posts. It seems extreme to me to remove him as a member. I wouldn't expect to convince this member to change his opinion (I agree with Xen that some rules must be firm and some can be flexible), but I'd have him nix the negativity (turned from the dark side) and/or remove any offensive posts. Maybe this was tried and finally gave up on the effort. I just hate to lose an otherwise valued member.

Note that I'm not encouraging internet-degrading, troll-dom. Xen has to do what he feels is best for the community to keep it the positive place we all know and love.

[Julien]

Same here... I'm with Xen.

I've always seen contests as a friendly group builds, and the most important thing is to have fun, so you have to be a bit flexible to preserve the good spirit of the contest.

It's not easy to organize such a thing and real life always comes first, so I'm just happy Xen does organize contests and group builds.

That being said, I see the point of saiyagohan. When you start making exceptions, you're always walking a fine line.
But, I think banning him for sharing his feelings was a bit much... If he had started insulting people and being disrespectful of other members' builds, all right. But here he was just expressing some concerns...
So, I think banning him was a bit harsh - unless there's another story here that I'm completely missing (it sometimes happens...).

[Mac204]

I'll go ahead and add my $.02...I've seen saiyagohan bash AST and those who run it on other places on the internet. One of the biggest reasons I frequent this site, even though I don't post much and RL has gotten in the way of my Refit build (which IS still coming!!), is how exceptionally friendly everyone is. You've got my support, Xen, on the contest, RL, saiyagohan, and AST!

[RockyD]

I don't post much neither but I love this forum because its drama free and its totally trek based, I am a member of a few other forums that..have a few know it all jerks that will criticize people for little petty things like not painting your tos narcelle caps the correct color or your BOP the wrong color green, I find none of that here so Zen and all the other mods here are ok in my book...nuff said

[Xen]

Time for another update.

Firstly, a big thank you for the kind words and support. It means a lot to me.

The delays will continue and (unfortunately) not just with the contest. I've always managed to run AST despite any knocks due to RL. However, this time I was hit so hard I'm still on my backside seeing stars. To be honest everything is a blur right now, with a big question mark over what I will be able to do in the future. That includes Internet and RL. That's about as much as I feel comfortable revealing. I will do my very best to chip away at things, get the contest done and go from there. AST will carry on regardless.

Those that have contacted me via PM or e-mail -will- get a reply. I'm not giving anyone the cold shoulder. I simply don't have the head to deal with things all in one go.

[trekriffic]

Sorry to hear about all the personal turmoil Xen. Hope things sort themselves out for you soon. We're here for you.

[Moongrim]

I am groot.

No wait.

I'm with Xen. I can understand completely concerning personal issues.

And I concur with Kratok.