Only 4 Days Left in the Spring 2011 Challenge!

[Kristina Simon]

We’re heading into the home stretch now – the last couple days of the spring challenge is upon us. There are a couple things you should do now.

First, check the readerboard to make sure that the totals agree with your records. If they don’t, check the problems thread to make sure that there aren’t unresolved problems with any of your posts. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE END OF THE CHALLENGE TO DO THIS. Of course, if problems first come up at the end, that’s when we have to resolve them – but there is no reason at all to wait until then to resolve any problems that exist right now.

Second, DO NOT HOLD YOUR POSTS UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE! There is no need for this – if you look at the completed task threads, people do move books around if the need arises, so there is no need to wait until the last day of the challenge to decide how you’re going to arrange your books.

One problem with putting off your posting is that the moderators are volunteers, with jobs and families and lives outside of Goodreads and the SRC. We cannot devote all of our time to entering lots of last minute information – so if you wait until the last minute, that means that it will take that much longer for us to process all the information and get the 20 and 25 point tasks in the works. You know how eager you are to see the new tasks, so let's all try to make this happen as smoothly and quickly as possible!

Another problem is that you run the risk of having problems, either with your own computer or with getting onto the internet or Goodreads. All tasks must be posted in the completed task threads by midnight eastern time on May 31. If you wait until the very last minute, you take your chances that there will be problems posting and that you won't get credit for the books you've read.

Finally, if you wait until the last minute, and one of your books doesn’t work for the task for which you post it, you’re not going to have time to move it to another task and read something else.

Of course, if you’re finishing up that last book at 11:30 PM on the 31st, you need to wait until then to post it. But, out of courtesy to the moderators and out of self preservation, you should not hold any completed task posts until then – just post as you go.