The Challenge Factory discussion
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What would you like to see in 2017?
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The ones I really like:Foreman Challenge (Theme is usually random thoughts)
What's So Great About...{Insert Month Here}?
TCF Seasonal Challenges (Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer)
Ready, Set, Cover Challenge
Cities of the World -- love this one!
100 Book Genre Challenge
Audiobook challenge
I participated in a lot of the challenges this year and the ones that I enjoyed the most were:Dusty Bookshelf/FWYS - I like challenges where I'm trying to get through a series as it seems I have way too many!
I enjoyed the TCF Seasonal Challenges, Book it to the Finish Line and Cities of the World. I like challenges that give you levels to pick from (I.E. Easy read 3-4 books....). I also like that in some challenges the categories are so specific I have to wait until I've finished a book to see if it fits. It's fun coming back to the challenge to see what I was able to find vs. planning it out in advance.
I also liked the TV Series Showcase and the SS/SSS challenges.
I ended up doing a lot of the TCF Foreman Challenges and I enjoyed them as well - I liked to pick and choose and usually only participated in one per month but it was nice to have a choice.
I did the Really, Really, Really Hard Challenge and if the categories change I would do that one again. I also enjoyed TCF It's Called What - although I'm still trying to finish all those G's!
I tried a couple of buddy reads but there really wasn't much dialogue going on about the book so I stopped - I do participate in group reads in other groups since there is a lot more dialogue.
Hi ladies ~ thanks for all you do to keep the group fun!!So my favorite is FWYS - helps me keep on track with all my series.
SS/SSS Team challenge - I enjoy this challenge but I only sign up for it when I don't have other team challenges going on - too hard to try to find books that fit for all and/or 'add' extra books into my week.
I always do the Seasonal challenges, TCF Monthly/What's so Great About - I like that you are trying to put these together :)
Even if I don't participate in the Employee of the Month challenge - I enjoy each month reading/learning about another member on here ...and I got to be that member this year so that was fun :)
Foreman challenges. I read these each month and usually tend to pick one that will work with what I have planned for the month.
I've just started 'reading' more audio's so I am starting to participate in the monthly audio challenge
I'm notoriously bad about consistently updating the Yearly Challenges - I know this about myself so I rarely sign up for these - doesn't mean they are not cool - this format just doesn't work with me and my life right now. I looked at them to check and noticed I'd signed up for Sweet Sixteen and the Harry Potter one....and yeah I never updated my thread, lol. I'll update with books between now and end of year.
TCF It's called what - I like this concept but if it has a lot of letters that I know will be difficult for me - I usually don't sign up. I will check out the French version and see if I can make it work
Grimm Team Challenge - I did this and had fun but I don't really like fairy tales so I probably wouldn't sign up for this again.
Words with Friends - it's been a while but I enjoyed this team challenge as well.
Forgot to mention - I like the TCF Hangman - I just don't always think to go and post my books when I've completed them :)
I've only recently joined this group but have been testing the waters with the Dusty Shelf and Finish What You Started. I also tried August BOOK it to the finish.Generally speaking I like a mix of the short one month, longer multiple months (quarter) and a good year long mix. Team challenges can be great fun as well.
Looking around a bit the options that look like they would have interested me:
Ready, Set, Cover 2016 Yearly Challenge
The Really, Really, Really, Really, Hard 2016 Challenge!
What's In YOUR Book
Grimm
The SS, while a team game. I generally don't read series out of order, so I wouldn't join as it would be struggle to be forced to read a series # that works for that particular roll.
A Bookworm Reading (Plethora) wrote: "Looking around a bit the options that look like they would have interested me:Ready, Set, Cover 2016 Yearly Challenge
The Really, Really, Really, Really, Hard 2016 Challenge!
What's In YOUR Book
Grimm"
Thank you for your feedback, Plethora! Sadly, "What's In YOUR Book" will probably never see the light of day again. That was a challenge I ran when it was evident last year that we wouldn't be able to run SS/SSS. The feedback I got on it was not favorable, due folks not enjoying it because of my rules, and how strict I was on them. That's my nature, to stick to the rules and allow very little deviation from them, and that nature does not work well in a Team Challenge. As such, I've permanently retired the challenge.
Were there any of the challenges that we specifically listed in this thread that interested you besides "Ready, Set Cover" and "Really Really Really Really Hard"?
I am all for seasonal, yearly, and/or open-ended challenges of any sort.
Shan ~ A ~ wrote: "I am all for seasonal, yearly, and/or open-ended challenges of any sort."Did you have any specific challenges that you liked from our list on the first page? While the top post in this thread says that duration comments are welcome, this month's newsletter stated we wanted specific challenges that you enjoyed listed.
Trea wrote: "Shan ~ A ~ wrote: "I am all for seasonal, yearly, and/or open-ended challenges of any sort."Did you have any specific challenges that you liked from our list on the first page? While the top post..."
TV Series Showcase
TCF Seasonal Challenges (Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer)
Ready, Set, Cover Challenge
The Really, Really, Really, Really Hard Challenge
TCF Monopoly
It's Called What?
2016 is Sweet Sixteen
Alphabet Challenge
100 Book Genre Challenge
Shan ~ A ~ wrote: "TV Series ShowcaseTCF Seasonal Challenges (Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer)..."
Thanks, Shan! This gives us something to work with!
I don't think I ever fully answered this question.I adore spell it outs.
On task challenges, I like finding things in page numbers or publishing dates or title or author names. I don't like finding things within the book or on the cover.
I enjoy challenges to make me read books off my TBR.
Sometimes I like reading books off lists, but it depends on the list. I read a lot of fantasy (high fantasy/urban fantasy/paranormal) and some lists are light on these choices.
I don't like having other people choose which books I will read next. Even with the challenges, it is my choice which book I choose to fill in which slot, not someone else's choice.
New to the group so are any of your challenges Team Challenges? I like to work with other people on things, it is fun to get to know them as well as reading books for a goal. Thanks!
Caly wrote: "New to the group so are any of your challenges Team Challenges? I like to work with other people on things, it is fun to get to know them as well as reading books for a goal. Thanks!"
Yes, we have team challenges. Super Series and Super Speedy Series (SS/SSS) are the two main ones we do, but there has been the Grimm Readers challenge, Words with Friends, and the What's In YOUR Book? challenges in the past. SS/SSS will make a return next year, and Grimm has a possibility of returning again, but What's In YOUR Book? has been permanently retired.
Trea wrote: "Caly wrote: "New to the group so are any of your challenges Team Challenges? I like to work with other people on things, it is fun to get to know them as well as reading books for a goal. Thanks!..."
Cool! Thanks for letting me know. I will keep my eye out. 8-)
comment 1: Put the foreman challenges and the monthly challenges in the same topic--I'm not sure that all the Factory Employees know to look in multiple spots for month-long challenges.comment 2: I personally avoid challenges with no deadline because if feels like you end up on a stage in front of an empty auditorium or you're singing world class opera in the car alone or wishing you could share a terrific sunset with anyone so what's the point and how is an open-ended challenge different from me simply updating my READ list? I want to see other people's selections at the same time that I'm making my choices (go TBR!!)
comment 3- Y'all don't do it, but other groups (surprise, I have a life when I clock out of the factory) rerun challenges from previous years and use the same thread. Participating in a resurrected four-year-old thread several screens after after the posts of people who left a group years before I joined is akin to sleeping in soiled hotel sheets. I'm hoping y'all won't consider adopting this practice (was that a bedbug?)
working on iffy public wifi, so continuing in next post
continuedcomment 4- Now that Erin L and I have treed that squirrel, I agree that I don't have the attention span to complete a year-long challenge and scrolling past all those abandoned posts is like visiting a dead mall--depressing and deflating.
That said, I love the Really, R,R Hard challenge because there is so much variety and we have the choice of substituting a personal category if we simply can't stomach one of the choices. This challenges has occasional for-lease signs, but a much lower abandonment rate than many other yearly challenges.
comment 5 I enjoyed the one from column A one from column B choices offered by summer camp
comment 6 however, three months is usually my limit, 6 months is too long for me
comment 7 I love book it to the finish line because the diversity of options makes it just challenging enough and once you get to the finish line you can sign off until next month
comment 8- each of the mods offers a nice variety of options in each task, I rarely have to seek out a book specifically to complete the final task, and when I do need to go searching for a book my response is "that's what makes it challenge" rather than "list 6 books you choose to read that are exactly like the last 60 books you read."comment 9 I also like learning about the employee of the month and tend to do that challenge at the end of the month, matching books I already read to their answers. I think this is another challenge that gets overlooked because it's listed in a different location that the other monthly challenges
comment 10- I like trivia, so the what's so great and cities/states/etc. challenges must be time consuming for the Mods, but I like reading the facts. I also enjoy matching my books to the tasks. Unlike many of my fellow Factory Employees, I rarely list my books at the start of the challenge, but tend to read what suits my mood and then chortle when one of the tasks matches up with one of my books (and I've noticed that we tend to read many similar books in the Factory break room so I rarely have to track down a book about an Amish woman trekking through the Himalayas to locate a signal being sent from Alpha Centauri in Esperanto.
comment 11 I always do the scavenger hunt. Due to the way I read, I usually finish 48/50 items in under five weeks and then spend two months searching for the final item (hockey goalie) selecting a likely-to-have-it book in the final weeks just so I can stop thinking about it. Therefore, this quarterly challenge is basically a monthly challenge for me.
comment 12 I am a major Introvert, so I rarely participate in choose it for me and buddy read challenges because I don't like calling that much attention to myself. We have a lot of speed readers here at the factory, so I rarely get comments from fellow factory employees about "how can you possibly read that many books" Being a nerd/geek all my life has been exhausting enough, I want to thank my fellow Factory Friends for not making me feel self conscious about something that I love to do ( my singing, driving and sports abilities are fair game, however, so watch out in the parking lot and the women's locker room).
comment 13 I liked Ezi's genre challenges and Lanelle's poem-of-the-month because most of my books fit there somehow.
comment 14 I enjoy the seasonal challenge, but if I overlook it the first month I totally space until I trip over it again 6 or nine months later --I was squirrel chasing when the latest one was posted, so I'm off to do that now.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, to each of the Mods. TCF is where I did my first ever goodreads challenge and you made me feel welcomed and safe. As time has passed I feel as though I've grown to know your online personas (and giggle at your monthly job titles). Thanks for providing a warm and stimulating place to play, I don't express my gratitude to y'all often enough. Thanks!!
Jonquil wrote: "comment 1: Put the foreman challenges and the monthly challenges in the same topic--I'm not sure that all the Factory Employees know to look in multiple spots for month-long challenges."My thought on this one is that breaking the Foreman challenges out and away from the Monthly Folder is due to the fact that these challenges change from month to month. Different Mods can pop in and out from participation, and the topic is never the same. The monthly challenges are more "template challenges" as I like to call them, meaning that they are mostly the same from month to month, with minor changes to keep things interesting. Personally, I think keeping them separate is a good thing, since they only share a duration time and no other similarities.
Jonquil wrote: "comment 9 I also like learning about the employee of the month and tend to do that challenge at the end of the month, matching books I already read to their answers. I think this is another challenge that gets overlooked because it's listed in a different location that the other monthly challenges"
I set this one up monthly nowadays, so I am going to address it directly. The purpose of the Employee of the Month challenge is to showcase one member of the Factory and let us all get to know them. It puts that member in the spotlight, as I am sure you remember from your own time as EotM back in April of last year. That's why it gets mentioned in the newsletter every month, with a link to the challenge itself. Moving the EotM challenge into the Monthly folder, to my way of thinking, takes that specific spotlight away from the member and makes it less special, makes it just another challenge to participate in. We mods did a discussion on this a few months ago, and my argument was the same then as it is now: Moving it to the Monthly Folder is a detraction from the special nature of the challenge and I don't agree with lumping it in with the Monthly Challenges. However, if the group wants to do away with it entirely, that is another story.
Jonquil wrote: "comment 10- I like trivia, so the what's so great and cities/states/etc. challenges must be time consuming for the Mods, but I like reading the facts. ..."
As author of the What's So Great...? challenge, thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it! You're right, it is time consuming to create, but to me, so worth it!
I tend to like the annual challenges . . . and I especially love the 100 book genre challenge. Reading 100 books a year is a stretch goal for me, but I've accomplished it a few times. The problem is, I would tend to read 100 mysteries! I like the genre challenge because it gets me expanding my horizons a bit and reading other types of books. I really hope this challenge will be repeated in 2017!
Mod
No worries, Karol - the 100 Book Genre Challenge will definitely be back in 2017! :)
Denise wrote: "No worries, Karol - the 100 Book Genre Challenge will definitely be back in 2017!"Great!
Denise wrote: "Karol wrote: "I tend to like the annual challenges . . . and I especially love the 100 book genre challenge. Reading 100 books a year is a stretch goal for me, but I've accomplished it a few times...."I think I missed that challenge when I was looking at all I missed since i joined group late. But I agree that I like being forced to read outside my comfort zone. So I will be looking for this one.
I think you all do a great job!! I love all the variety of challenges including the monthly and seasonal ones because you can jump in and do them as time allows.
My favorites are the yearly challenges I like the Alphabet Challenge, Supporting Character was great this year. Love the Really Really Really Really Hard Challenge, It's Called What Challenge and Sweet Sixteen
Thanks
All the mods do a great job with this group! TCF has been my favorite group for a few years. I haven't participated as much as usual this year because of personal things going on in my life but I do love this group.My favorite challenges are the monthly's, the seasonal challenges and anything with spell outs. I find it easy to read a variety of books with spell out challenges. I also am enjoying the around the world spell out.....I may never finish but it's fun never the less!
Keep up the good work and I look forward to many more challenges in 2017!!!!!
This year I enjoyed the First Impressions, Gilmore Girls Reading Challenge and Dusty Bookshelf. However I don't think i'll be taking part in thr DB next year. I hate the new twist. I use that thread to try and get the books that have been living on my shelves or kindle for months read. I really don't want new suggestions and I hate the thought of my partner wasting time trying to come up with a recommendation that I won't read and the other way around I know nothing about so many genres that my 'recommendations' would be total stabs in the dark.
Will there be a Winter Seasonal Challenge?
Wanda wrote: "Will there be a Winter Seasonal Challenge?"I believe it is on the agenda for the 22nd of December, Wanda. Paris usually runs those, but I do know she has been extremely busy with work lately. Hopefully, she'll be able to get them up soon!
I just put up the winter seasonal challenge. I meant to put it up sooner, but I've got the flu and it totally slipped my mind. sorry.
Paris wrote: "I just put up the winter seasonal challenge. I meant to put it up sooner, but I've got the flu and it totally slipped my mind. sorry."awwww ~ I hope you feel better soon. so sorry this happened the week of the holiday for you :(
Paris wrote: "I just put up the winter seasonal challenge. I meant to put it up sooner, but I've got the flu and it totally slipped my mind. sorry."Feel better, Paris!
Trea wrote: "Wanda wrote: "Will there be a Winter Seasonal Challenge?"I believe it is on the agenda for the 22nd of December, Wanda. Paris usually runs those, but I do know she has been extremely busy with wo..."
Thank You
Trea wrote: "Paris wrote: "I just put up the winter seasonal challenge. I meant to put it up sooner, but I've got the flu and it totally slipped my mind. sorry."Feel better, Paris!"
Thank you Paris, I so enjoy this challenge. My goal is to complete each item and I will keep trying. I so hope that you are feeling better soon. Happy Holidays
Thank you ladies. My fever's broken, so that's been a nice change. I'm glad so many people still enjoy the seasonal challenges.
Glad you're feeling better.Yes, I look forward to the seasonal challenges.
I'm still waiting for the 100 book genre challenge to reset.
Sam wrote: "I'm still waiting for the 100 book genre challenge to reset."Please be patient...we're working on getting them up as we can, amidst dealing with our families and the holidays! Everything should be up by January 1st, so asking for a specific challenge to appear is not necessary!
Mod
Mod
Thanks
Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude and impatient.
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
Employee of the Month is a challenge I do every month now. It's one of my favorites. I had the honor of being awarded the title at some point.
Always do TCF Seasonal Challenges (Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer) and the monthly challenge which in November will be combined with What's so Great About... - jury is out on the combo since a month seems tough to complete the combined challenge
I did Yearly Challenges (January-December)
The Really, Really, Really, Really Hard Challenge for a few years
as well as both the Alphabet Challenge and 100 Book Genre Challenge but decided to switch it up a little this year - would definitely go back to all of them
Same with Character A - Z Spellout
First Impressions tried a few times without success
Cities of the World - love these because I learn something about the highlighted countries and a country I suggested - Agrigento - was actually chosen
Odds and Ends
And the Winner is... - enjoying this one - some people are really quick readers
TCF Summer Camp (June - August) - enjoyable and I would do again
2016 is Sweet Sixteen planning a 2017 version, probably based on highway I-17 - almost finished with Sweet Sixteen - have about 4 categories left and will have to concentrate to find books I want to read that fit the remaining categories - look forward to see the categories for next year
Did Summer Olympics Mini-Challenge - it was okay
SS/SSS challenges were too stressful for me since not all team members touched base regularly
Finish What You Started did help me finish a bunch of series or at least get more up to date - would participate again next year if offered again
I tried the Buddy Read challenge once and didn't like it. While there were others participating there was almost no dialogue or back and forth exchanges. I'm not part of any book groups for that reason.
Page minimums are okay if realistic but I prefer when they are not included since I do read a bunch of novellas throughout the year because I have them to review for the two sites I review for or it's part of a favorite series.
I never pick a challenge because of books I'm going to read. I always decide what challenges I will participate in and then fit what I read to the challenge.
Diversity Challenge sounds like it could be interesting based on the variety of tasks. I would think this would need to be a quarterly or yearly challenge.
I don't know how you come up with all your ideas plus keep it fresh. There's definitely something for everyone. I started out a few years back and only did 2 or 3 challenges in total from here and The Lost Challenges and now I do about 15 throughout the year with monthly, quarterly, open ended, make your own, yearly etc.