Monday, October 25, 2010

Launching UBC Continuous VoterMedia Contest

The University of British Columbia Alma Mater Society seems ready to start funding the Continuous VoterMedia competition hosted at votermedia.org/ubc. Watch for official confirmation from AMS Elections Administrator Erik MacKinnon, hopefully via a comment on this post.

Erik and I have discussed contest plans with AMS council, executives and staff. Like last year, we are aiming to run two contests:
  1. Continuous VoterMedia (CVM): This year with $6,000 of AMS funds, starting at [revised: $20/day] from November 1, with varying amounts through August 31, 2011 -- see [revised] planned award schedule. Continuous voting year-round at votermedia.org/ubc is already underway.
  2. 1-Time VoterMedia (1VM): This year with $2,000 of AMS funds. Voting on the same ballot as the AMS elections in January 2011.
To make it easier for new blogs to get started, we're planning no entry fee for CVM, and free entry into 1VM for the top ten CVM blogs as of January 15, 2011. Enter now -- see CVM entry form and rules. All blogs currently on the ballot must submit a new entry form by this Saturday October 30 if they want to stay in the contest.

Please note that all these plans may evolve and change through time!

Your comments & advice are welcomed.
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3 comments:

taylor. said...

can't wait!

October 25, 2010 at 1:35 PM
Mark Latham said...

Thanks Taylor for this good question: "Will the voting amounts be restarted on November 1?"

Answer: No. There hasn't been much voting while there was no funding, but we want to encourage blogging and voting all year round, even if funding sometimes has a gap. (We hope to eliminate funding gaps.) So it makes sense to count the few votes we have been getting. All votes gradually decay within 2 months, so it's not a big effect. (See Voting FAQ.)

Of course this also means you should promote your blogs now!

October 25, 2010 at 1:53 PM
Erik MacKinnon - AMS Elections Administrator said...

Thanks Mark for your help in getting the 2010/2011 Continuous VoterMedia contest up and running for the UBC Alma Mater Society.

We're excited to see the expansion of coverage that this will bring from current media and new entrants to the game. Our goal is to ensure that UBC's student community is able to access a variety of opinions regarding the AMS and how the society works to benefit students through its many programs, lobbying efforts and more, and funding VoterMedia is a great way to help ensure the word gets out.

To anyone with questions about VoterMedia, feel free to comment here, and with any questions regarding the AMS, our political processes, or how you can get involved with the AMS or with the VoterMedia contest, you can contact us by email at elections [at] ams.ubc.ca.

Thanks again and good luck to all of our VoterMedia participants! Get those votes!!

-Erik MacKinnon
Elections Administrator
UBC Alma Mater Society

October 25, 2010 at 4:43 PM

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