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Taf huge huggles!!! Dashes & hyphens are not words & never should be, so such a thing would have me fuming too.
Sorry to hear that, Taffeta, they should disclose what counts as a "word" (dashes, etc) at the onset, it would make things clear and save on the heartache especially as it takes a certain amount of effort to write the essay/story in the first place! Ugh, these things should be fun, it's such a bummer that the judges are being so snooty about it. Could you ask them to allow your entry if you remove a few "token" words just to satisfy their fussy word-count app? I guess you are probably too upset to take this further anyway
This is a really trivial complaint but I need somewhere unconnected to vent about it where people might actually care.SpoilerI entered a writing event on a non-MLP website.The event had a max of 1000 words.My entry, according to MSWord, was 997 words.I entered. I was disqualified for too many words.I asked the organiser about it. Organiser told me they had used a website and google docs to count the words.When I checked these sites, both added words that were not words (one counted dashes, the other just didn't add up words properly). I was able to show that (you guys know me, I'm datacentric. And I have screen captures that prove it). I asked them to check it and got a really rude PM in response telling me basically to get over it. Also that if I am going to use MSword in future, I should make sure I'm 'under the word limit'. This is in spite of the fact I have a MSWord screen grab that shows 997 words. Apparently MSWord is less accurate than a website that counts dashes as words. So anyway.I went back and manually counted the words in my post on the actual entry on the site. I still make it under 1000 words. So as you guys know, I have autism. I am fundamentally terrified of contacting moderators on websites about anything and absolutely would not have pursued this if I was not sure that I was correct. Confrontation of this nature makes me physically ill so I have to choose my battles, but I was pretty sure of my ground this time and I assumed they would listen to me at the very least.I am also very careful about following rules. I checked and doublechecked before I posted it originally, and I checked and doublechecked before contacting them about it as well. I am also not a liar, but I feel like I'm being made out to be a sore loser. I haven't asked for a prize and don't expect one. I just want acknowledgement of the mistake - either theirs or mine - after all avenues have been cleared.I asked them to count my words manually but I don't think this has happened. As far as I can tell they have just continued to use the same sites despite my proving one of them counts dashes as words.My autism is not disclosed on this site and I have no intention of trying to use it as a pity card. So probably they don't understand why I am being so pedantic about it and think I'm just trying to be difficult. But anyone here on the spectrum will know and understand that if something is not right then it's NOT RIGHT...and it not being right is unresolved and so preys on you until you know it has been put right. I have no way of coherently explaining this to people who just think I'm being a nuisance because I don't want to be banned or sanctioned for perseverence.I am certain that I met the rules of the event, but I don't have anyone objective to ask to check it for me to make sure it's not my mistake, and so there's nothing I can do. I KNOW THAT it really genuinely is a nothing situation that I shouldn't even care about. But it has been such a horrible year, and I have been juggling so much emotionally and practically, and I really just am sitting here right now feeling like crying. It's just the last straw. I have been using this site and its events a lot to offset some of the hard realities of 2020, not least an eight month lockdown and the fact my family cannot see each other and probably won't at Christmas either. This has just pushed my limits.Especially because it's a WRITING event, and writing is also my stress escape.Sorry for the long post. Thanks for listening to me rant.
Quote from: Taffeta on November 20, 2020, 07:44:47 AMThis is a really trivial complaint but I need somewhere unconnected to vent about it where people might actually care.SpoilerI entered a writing event on a non-MLP website.The event had a max of 1000 words.My entry, according to MSWord, was 997 words.I entered. I was disqualified for too many words.I asked the organiser about it. Organiser told me they had used a website and google docs to count the words.When I checked these sites, both added words that were not words (one counted dashes, the other just didn't add up words properly). I was able to show that (you guys know me, I'm datacentric. And I have screen captures that prove it). I asked them to check it and got a really rude PM in response telling me basically to get over it. Also that if I am going to use MSword in future, I should make sure I'm 'under the word limit'. This is in spite of the fact I have a MSWord screen grab that shows 997 words. Apparently MSWord is less accurate than a website that counts dashes as words. So anyway.I went back and manually counted the words in my post on the actual entry on the site. I still make it under 1000 words. So as you guys know, I have autism. I am fundamentally terrified of contacting moderators on websites about anything and absolutely would not have pursued this if I was not sure that I was correct. Confrontation of this nature makes me physically ill so I have to choose my battles, but I was pretty sure of my ground this time and I assumed they would listen to me at the very least.I am also very careful about following rules. I checked and doublechecked before I posted it originally, and I checked and doublechecked before contacting them about it as well. I am also not a liar, but I feel like I'm being made out to be a sore loser. I haven't asked for a prize and don't expect one. I just want acknowledgement of the mistake - either theirs or mine - after all avenues have been cleared.I asked them to count my words manually but I don't think this has happened. As far as I can tell they have just continued to use the same sites despite my proving one of them counts dashes as words.My autism is not disclosed on this site and I have no intention of trying to use it as a pity card. So probably they don't understand why I am being so pedantic about it and think I'm just trying to be difficult. But anyone here on the spectrum will know and understand that if something is not right then it's NOT RIGHT...and it not being right is unresolved and so preys on you until you know it has been put right. I have no way of coherently explaining this to people who just think I'm being a nuisance because I don't want to be banned or sanctioned for perseverence.I am certain that I met the rules of the event, but I don't have anyone objective to ask to check it for me to make sure it's not my mistake, and so there's nothing I can do. I KNOW THAT it really genuinely is a nothing situation that I shouldn't even care about. But it has been such a horrible year, and I have been juggling so much emotionally and practically, and I really just am sitting here right now feeling like crying. It's just the last straw. I have been using this site and its events a lot to offset some of the hard realities of 2020, not least an eight month lockdown and the fact my family cannot see each other and probably won't at Christmas either. This has just pushed my limits.Especially because it's a WRITING event, and writing is also my stress escape.Sorry for the long post. Thanks for listening to me rant. That would probably bring me to tears of frustration as well. I can relate to this situation so much; I am the same way about contacting/confronting people to dispute something, I'm often paralyzed from taking the steps to make things right because I'm often wordy and wordy people tend to get dismissed a lot, because no one wants to take the time to read/hear out what they have to say. Yet it takes me forever to carefully plan out what I want to say, and it just seems like I need more words than most people do to convey the thoughts that are in my head, and to have my carefully thought-out complaint about an injustice just dismissed like that is so infuriating. Then like you said, it is left Not Right in my head, and I can't let it go. But my husband and mother are both 90% certain that I'm on the spectrum, so maybe that is why I'm like this, who knows. Can they let you reduce the number of words in your essay and then re-submit it? I'm guessing not, or they would have suggested that, but either way, they didn't need to be so rude. I'm sorry that happened to you.