Praise to others in the award votes?

Malte279 · **on:** June 27, 2011, 06:11:46 AM

I've got a question. Recently a friend told me in an MSN chat that perhaps it is a bad habbit of me to give praise to GOF members in my award votes even when in the end my vote goes to a different member.
My intention when giving praise to others as well is of course to recognize their work / performance on the GOF and acknowledge that if it wasn't for the fact that one can vote for one member only and therefore often has to make very tough decisions they would be on my mental "list of people to be praised and recognized" for the award in question too (by the way, quotes from the votes may also be a good thing to add to ones signature if one wants to).
However, the friend I was talking to made a good point saying that to many thus praised but not voted for this may come across as more of a disappointment rather than recognition.
Therefore I'm asking everyone, do you think that award votes should focus exclusively on the member who does get the vote in the end?

Pangaea · **Reply #1 on:** June 27, 2011, 06:48:47 AM

Personally, I don't have a problem with being cited as a candidate or an honorable mention for an award without actually being nominated. (In fact, I did this myself in at least one category during the 2010 voting. ) I appreciate and enjoy the recognition; it's my favorite thing about the awards. However, I can understand how other people might find it disappointing to be mentioned but not nominated, and since upsetting people is something I desperately try to avoid, I'm not so sure about this now. :unsure: So although the first option (in favor of honorable mentions) represents my personal view, I'd rather not risk causing hard feelings in my efforts to show appreciation, so I haven't voted in either category.

jansenov · **Reply #2 on:** June 27, 2011, 07:23:11 AM

Well, putting the nominee's name at the end of the post does raise tension, which makes it a better read for the members who are not mentioned but a worse read for the members who are. That's why I highlight the nominee's name at the beginning. Then one can read through the honorable mentions relieved.

But this is my opinion. I haven't received feedback on this relief theory. I'm walking in the dark here.

Mumbling · **Reply #3 on:** June 27, 2011, 08:10:49 AM

Option one. I enjoy being recognized even though I might not be the ultimate person in that category.

The Friendly Sharptooth · **Reply #4 on:** June 27, 2011, 10:15:48 AM

Huh. That’s an intriguing point. Well, I can’t speak for others for certain. I for one I’m fine with seeing my name in a post but not voted for. However, I have unusual tolerance in a lot of areas. What does not bother me in the slightest, I have learned can really upset other people. So then, I will try to do my best to assume how others might take this.

Have you ever been to a school where, during recess, the kids decide to play a sport, so they nominate team captains, and they taken turns picking the kids they want on their team? I feel that the topic of this thread is like when there is only one other left to choose from. When you’re there, standing with the other kid, seeing a captain’s eyes shift between you can be a little nerve-wracking. You realize that the captain is thinking long and hard about which one of you two is better, or in more accurate terminology, who is superior in that field. Now, if you realize that you’re not very skilled in this area, you likely won’t really care or be bothered if you are picked last, when someone else has been dubbed superior to you, in a sense. But if you have some pride in yourself, if you really believe in your own abilities, seeing someone picked when you know you’ve been considered might hurt, even if that person won’t admit it to anyone. Who would, really? Expressing personal feelings about someone being proven to be better than you at something can be an extremely difficult thing to do. Even if a captain picks the other right away, which is my allegory to Jansenov’s view, the fact that you and another have been carefully considered, and you’ve been found lacking in comparison, can still be a problem for some.

So my personal response to this is not minding being mentioned in such posts but not being picked. But with the often numb reaction center of my brain, I wouldn’t take how I would feel as any sort of reasonable grounds on which to base how others might take it. I try to put myself in others’ shoes, but without actually being able to be in them, I can’t really say for certain how others will take things.

Campion1 · **Reply #5 on:** June 27, 2011, 10:49:24 AM

I wasn't mentioned once at all besides Malte's single sentence statement. It would be good for this kind of thing.

oogaboo · **Reply #6 on:** June 27, 2011, 11:17:10 AM

First option. As long as I'm mentioned for something I don't mind at all.

Cancerian Tiger · **Reply #7 on:** June 27, 2011, 11:35:33 AM

I think it's a good thing for others to hear how members may appreciate them or praise them. I think it leads to a stronger sense of friendship and belonging on the GOF. That said, I voted for Option I

.

Blitz · **Reply #8 on:** June 27, 2011, 12:45:57 PM

I've only been acknowledged to a rather small degree, but not on a very large scale as of yet. With that in mind, I'll go with the first option.

vonboy · **Reply #9 on:** June 27, 2011, 06:57:23 PM

I wouldn't mind getting recognized. I don't think I'm going to get a vote for anything, so It'd be good if someone actually said I was their second choose for something, or gave me an honorable mention or something.

StarfallRaptor · **Reply #10 on:** June 27, 2011, 07:39:21 PM

I think that it's a good idea to acknowledge other people.
May be the only form of recognition that some people on here will get.

The Chronicler · **Reply #11 on:** June 27, 2011, 08:50:36 PM

Quote from: jansenov,Jun 27 2011 on 07:23 AM

Well, putting the nominee's name at the end of the post does raise tension, which makes it a better read for the members who are not mentioned but a worse read for the members who are. That's why I highlight the nominee's name at the beginning. Then one can read through the honorable mentions relieved.

But this is my opinion. I haven't received feedback on this relief theory. I'm walking in the dark here.

I agree with you.

This is why I've formatted my votes in the way that you see in the voting topic. I state the award and the member who gets my vote for that award, then I explain the reason for my vote and give honorable mentions to other members.

Littlefoot1616 · **Reply #12 on:** June 30, 2011, 05:08:40 AM

I think it's a nicer idea to at least get some recognition for an award even if you didn't quite get the grand prize. Still gives that person a sense of elation (even if it is a little bit) and I think it's a noble deed for a person to not just praise the (potential) winner but to congratulate the people for their contributions towards the same goal.

WeirdRaptor · **Reply #13 on:** July 01, 2011, 05:27:02 AM

At least on the thread you vote on, I think it would keep things simple to just talk about the user who got your vote.