Voting

[Nora]

Mmmh. If people want to vote yet make things go fast there are ways of course.
Might sound a bit heretical but it suffices to crank your judgement way high and skim the stories:
As soon as the style displeases you, the story fails to hook you or whatever, put the story aside.
Read through only the ones that genuinely works in all aspects, the ones you really want to read till the end, and note those.
Harsh criticism will help put the number of 1500 words shorts you have to read trough... Even if it'll let some on the side. One can always come back to discarded stories later.
If you have too many catching stories to read till the end I guess you're screwed, you're just on a too good forum :p

[Elfy]

I like to enter and I like to vote. I try to read all the stories each month and vote accordingly. I vote on merit. I don't really take into account who wrote the story. If I like the story, it was well written and it fitted the brief, then I'll vote for it, irrespective of who wrote it. I, like @xiagan, would like to see more people reading and voting, and maybe even entering. It can be a definite challenge fitting the concept into 1500 words and it can only improve your writing skills to try it, also being forced to move outside your comfort zone in terms of concept is another good thing about it.

[ScarletBea]

I'll say this, for all that's worth (prob not much): I really hate spelling and grammar errors. So unless the plot/idea is top notch, stories with errors go straight down in my scale

[Raptori]

I'll say this, for all that's worth (prob not much): I really hate spelling and grammar errors. So unless the plot/idea is top notch, stories with errors go straight down in my scale

Yeah I agree with that. Since the stories are so short it shouldn't take too long to make sure everything's correct, especially since you can edit the post right until the deadline. 

[JMack]

I'll say this, for all that's worth (prob not much): I really hate spelling and grammar errors. So unless the plot/idea is top notch, stories with errors go straight down in my scale

Yeah I agree with that. Since the stories are so short it shouldn't take too long to make sure everything's correct, especially since you can edit the post right until the deadline. 

Cr*p. I'd better fix some things soon 

[Raptori]

I'll say this, for all that's worth (prob not much): I really hate spelling and grammar errors. So unless the plot/idea is top notch, stories with errors go straight down in my scale

Yeah I agree with that. Since the stories are so short it shouldn't take too long to make sure everything's correct, especially since you can edit the post right until the deadline. 

Cr*p. I'd better fix some things soon 

Don't worry, you've got almost two weeks 

[eclipse]

I just realised I can vote for last month competition, off to do some reading 

[ScarletBea]

Yes, we always have a full month to read through the previous month's stories and then vote
And Jmacy, correct at length (if needed - I can't say I noticed bad ones in your stories), I never read anything before the month has been frozen, hehe

[Raptori]

I just realised I can vote for last month competition, off to do some reading 

Hope you enjoy them! (Particularly the one called "Choices")

[Hedin]

I'll say this, for all that's worth (prob not much): I really hate spelling and grammar errors. So unless the plot/idea is top notch, stories with errors go straight down in my scale

You mean I can't lick myself anymore?

[JMack]

I'll say this, for all that's worth (prob not much): I really hate spelling and grammar errors. So unless the plot/idea is top notch, stories with errors go straight down in my scale

You mean I can't lick myself anymore?

This is a very open and accepting community.
You can lick yourself.
But we won't ask; don't you tell 

[Elfy]

I don't let anything other than my personal feelings about the story influence my vote. If someone I happen to know writes a great story that ticks my boxes then I'll vote for it, but if someone I have no knowledge of writes a great story then I'll vote for them. One way to get over that, and I don't how much work this would take, is to make the stories blind. That way you have no idea who wrote what, and you have to vote on what you think is the best story, rather than being influenced by knowledge of the author.

[Lady Ty]

Just voted with comment in discussion thread, and I haven't voted regularly but will try to do so from now on because it's great and I love short stories.  I always vote on the merit of the story so it's purely a personal preference for style, content, characters etc. More than twenty in one month would be hard, but  perhaps requests for extension of voting closing date could be allowed if necessary.

 

[ScarletBea]

I'm currently reading through the March Rogues submissions, and at the moment what's bugging me are the 'likes'.
We have the vote results hidden throughout the month, so that people voting don't know what the current status is, yet now with the 'likes' I can see stories with 1, or 3, or 6 likes, and even if I try to ignore it, I can't help but notice that in my brain
I'd prefer if people didn't use 'like' for the submissions... is it possible?

[JMack]

I'm currently reading through the March Rogues submissions, and at the moment what's bugging me are the 'likes'.
We have the vote results hidden throughout the month, so that people voting don't know what the current status is, yet now with the 'likes' I can see stories with 1, or 3, or 6 likes, and even if I try to ignore it, I can't help but notice that in my brain
I'd prefer if people didn't use 'like' for the submissions... is it possible?

I was noticing that too. We do need to fix that. Either refrain in good spirit, or have them turned off via forum mechanics. @Arry, @xiagan, possible?