of the months [suggestion]

[MORGAN JANE FARREN]

hey hey. I know Of the Month voting and nomination and etcera were suspended a while ago due to nobody voting. Perhaps it's just me, but I've always loved the tradition. I find it fun - sort of something to work for you know? The more people you thread with, the more developed your character, you get some recognition. Perhaps we could try and get it up again? I don't know about anyone else, but I'd love to vote and get a chance to acknowledge some of the best threads and characters.

[STARK FROM JOISEY]

Thanks for the suggestion! However, there are a few reasons we indefinitely suspended them. We ran OTMs for over a year and they never got quite the reception needed. When the votes were public, it turned into "follow the leader" voting and quite a few people did not follow the rules, making it a chore for admins. When we attempted to make the votes private, no one at all voted. OTMs tend to be too much of a chore than anything and it breeds competitiveness. All of the characters on the Academy are wonderful, but since no one reads every single thread or plots with every single character, there is no way to choose the "best" without bias. And really, popularity contests aren't very fun. That being said, we don't plan on bringing OTMs back any time soon.

[MORGAN JANE FARREN]

Alright, well thanks for the feedback. And honestly, all of those reasons make total sense. I didn't realize there were issues beyond a lack of voting. But I see how popularity contests and ignorance of very simple rules can get trying. Thanks for looking at my suggestion though!