SA Book & Challenge Lovers discussion
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I Propose a change - Opinions please
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Mod
I go for option D. I don't nominate for the month challenges but I like to participate but don't go out of my way to find books for them so if I don't have anything I don't participate.
I do like the idea but there are a lot of ideas I like. For example the challenge that you have to read a book published in every year you are alive challenge is something I still want to do sometime even though the thread has been retired. I think people are too busy right now with TDRC to change the minichallenges. But if the rest wants to change it I will comply. As we Trekkies say Resistance is Futile.
One one side I think we should try this for a couple of months and see how it goes. It might get a little bit more attention than WOTM, but then again we have so many challenges running that it might not make a difference. On the other side I like WOTM because it's not at all specific. If it gets any more specific (like in the example M - Manlicious) I might just skip it, because we already have many challenges where specific books are needed.
In conclusion, my vote falls somewhere between A and D. :\
Mod
Barbara if you want to do the read a book for every year you are alive, then by all means make the thread :)
I'm sure some of us will participate, I sure will :)
Mod
Mod
Then just make the start date today or something :)
Only in our group will we start discussing scrapping a challenge, and then end up with two or three new ones. =)
I love us, but we're nuts :) The crazy part of my mind is going "ooh, shiny new challenges!"The critical part is reminding me that I'm nowhere near completing any of our current challenges and I've given up doing WOTM even though it's relatively easy and this will be a lot harder.
Then there's the practical part:
- the nominating/voting process sounds like an admin nightmare (but then again, that's your baby Lu, and you don't seem to mind :) But how about: one nomination each, and that nomination is what we use. It's first come, first serve per nomination so no one needs to vote. Voting for multiple things is complicated, takes longer, and might lead to fewer votes if you can't use the polls.
- 'May' is a short word. 'September' isn't. Except for a few members, no one is going to finish that, which isn't much motivation to try.
- what if you don't get enough tasks for the whole word? Actually, that might solve the above problem...
Mod
Okay I'm changing my vote to C. I forgot about the long lettered months, haha.
Lu wrote: "We could always save it till a later date when everyone wants a new challenge?"Yeah, perhaps. But the long months are always going to make it difficult.
We could do something else month-themed though, to replace the WOTM. Hmmm...
How about:
May
Birthstone: Emerald
Flower: Lily of the Valley
Month named after Maia (Greek goddess of fertility)
To finish the challenge, you need to read 3 books, each on corresponding to the above month-related themes. So for example:
Birthstone: Emerald - Read the Wizard of Oz (where the characters travel to the Emerald City)
Flower: Lily of the Valley - read Deadlands by Lily Herne
Month named after Maia (Greek goddess of fertility) - Read Maia by Jostein Gaarder
You're free to read whatever you want, as long as the books stick to the themes. It's limited to three books, but that's ok since this is a harder challenge than the WOTM. We can also change one of the categories to include something South African - perhaps a public holiday celebrated here, the birthday of a South African celebrity or public figure, an endangered animal in SA, an indigenous plant, etc. An SA-themed task will have to change each month so we have something suitable. Group mods can choose something each time, or we can have nominations and a vote.
Mod
Its easy enough to do each month, and nobody needs to vote.
I'm willing to try this, anyone else?
Mod
Barbara makes a good point. A few people still do the word of the month and it's very simple, but the author of the month doesn't get much attention. It could be really great if there was a discussion about the author, but that doesn't happen.Of course we could chuck both. But I'm the wrong person to comment here. I read the monthly group read if it interests me, but I've given up on the monthly challenges; it's too complicated to work them into the others.
Mod
So maybe the author of the month is a option
What do you guys think?
It's fine to change the WOTM challenge to something else. BUT in light of how easy the WOTM is, the new challenge should also be really easy. Lauren, your suggestion sounds fun, but they are very specific and might not be easy to finish.
Author of the month does seem less popular. Perhaps we should reconsider on that one?
I don't think there will be much discussion either way; at best people will ask for recommendations. No one really talks about the books they read for the word of the month anyway.The problem with the author challenge is that it needs discussion to be interesting, but no one bothers.
Word of the month and this new monthly challenge don't need discussion to be interesting.
Mod
You see I do all the big challenges, but I never know which book to read first, so I base my readings on the WOTM, but sometimes it doesn't work out all to well. So basically I'm looking for another little monthly fun challenge I can base my order of reading on.
But I won't mind if we don't get a new challenge either.
But you never know maybe we can get a fun new challenge.
Or we select 3-4 things about May. I like that idea.
We can do stuff like this as well:
* Read a book that is 5th in the series, has a five in the title
* May can also be "elders"...
* May 5 is the Children's Day in Japan and Korea - Read a children's/YA book
* May 5 is Europe Day in Europe (uncommon usage, largely replaced by May 9) - Read a book written by a European
* May 12 is International Nurses Day - Read a book where a character is a nurse
* National Smile Month in the United Kingdom - Read a book where someone is smiling on the cover
Maybe we can select 10, and then we try and read 5 to finish? Or whatever number each person wants. Like a personal goal?
Something like that
Ok good night :)
Mod
But I am drifting off.
I get your point, but it should be easier, I think. The nominations always take some trouble. So I suggest that we find a couple of items that we can use any month like indeed what Lauren suggested like birthstone which change every month and which we can use.
Or why not just use the month as inspiration and see what people come up with like what you suggested but not give tasks at the beginning. Let people make the connections for themselves and of course they should explain the connection.
Oh I like that idea, Barbara - using only the month as inspiration. Then everyone can add several things connected to May (for those like me who aren't heavily into any kind of research ;]) and you can also make your own connections. In that kind of challenge there can also be a winner. Extra points for being extra creative, haha.
Mod
Mod
I'm have an idea. We have the word of the month, but I feel its become a bit "boring". I propose a new mini monthly challenge.
Each month we take the month's name
Example:
MAY
We then nominate different tasks starting with each letter of the word. I want it to be fun a creative and be able to accommodate at least a biggish collection of books.
Like so:
M - Manliscious, Read a book all about Men :P
A - Against the government/authorities
Y - Yesterday's News, Read a book that was popular years ago, but you have never read.
Then each person can nominate a task for the Letters and when I send out the polls everyone can just hit reply, and say which task they want in which letter. The popular choice wins.
This will obviously just be a fun little on the side challenge, like the word of the month, that changes each month :)
All I need to know is:
A Yes this sounds fun, lets swap this challenge with the word of the month
B Hell lets keep the word of the month and add this anyway
C Lets stay with the word of the month, there are already too many contests.
D Either way i'm happy, if I participate I do, If I don't, I don't.
E Lu you think too much, go to bed (I take this as a "yes lets do it" tho :P)