11 March 2008
I have to say, progressiveu is taking me a while to get used to. My biggest problem is the word limit. I can understand for the scholarship having a word limit but from what I have read about progressiveu’s policy, the post, regardless of if it is for the contest must be 200 words.
Before progressiveu, I used wordpress.com (and I still do). Wordpress has no word limit. This allows me (and other users) to post smaller rants (that are usually not news related) that do not have two hundred words.
Why does the word limit bother me? Because I do not like having to check the number of words I have written to make sure it is long enough and edit my idea so that I can make it longer. If I want to discuss the fact that I am excited a new movie is coming out, I can’t say much about it unless I summarize the plot summary that is in ads. In many cases, I want to make small comments about pop culture things that do not deserve 200 words but in my mind are important enough to call attention to.
Like this post, without this paragraph I would be approximately 20 words short but I am now lengthening the post in order to actually post it. Am I the only person who wants to make some shorter, less important posts who needs to fill up a word limit or are their other people who are bothered by this rule?
It doesn't really bother me. Two hundred words is merely 2 or 3 decent paragraphs. I usually find more difficulty writing scholarship essays that limit how many words you can use.
Maybe I just write too much. ;-)
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/sawaboof
"...There is a crushing guilt that comes with being a Catholic. Whether things are good or bad or you're simply... eating tacos in the park, there is always the crushing guilt."
-30 Rock-
Ditto...I just wrote some college app essays where the added minimum (of three essays) was 1000 words and my total for the three was over 3000. I looove writing. For the ProU blogs, I end up having to cut it short so that people will actually read them. LOL
RESPECT LIFE
http://progressiveu.org/blog/respectlife
"It is poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish."
~Mother Teresa
In life you have to make choices, being on here is a choice, and I know that some of the rules are frustrating. However, it makes total sense for them to have a minimum number of words. It gets rid of people posting blogs with one sentence, or word, and getting points. If you have a movie review that doesn't quite make the minimum, post it anyway. People will still read it, not everything has to be about the contest.
I can understand having a word limit for the contest, that doesn't bother me. But you can't have a post that is not 200 words. That is what frustrates me is like a movie review, that has no significance anyway must be 200 words for progressiveu to put it on the site.
~Jessica Mondillo
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/jmondillo
I wasn't aware of that. Still, it hardly seems unreasonable. This isn't exactly a site for movie reviews or weekend update blogs.
You're right. The forums are just too difficult to click on and post to. There's no word limit there; only on blogs.
Nicholas Aden
Self-Promotion
My Creative Writing
Most people are here for the contest. Thus, we can't differentiate between blogs written for the contest, and blogs not written for the contest. And as we've pointed out several times, we do have forums: www.progressiveu.org/forum.
~C
Check out the latest entry in the Between The Lines column!
Want the highest rated list to change? RATE those blogs, then!
It was 100 words but I pushed a bit (meaning I bitched, whined, and moaned) and got it upped to 200 because of people (who will remain nameless, but only because I'll get in trouble for bitching about these two users) were only posting 100 word posts (and I mean, exactly 100 words) and they rarely had substance.
How hard is it to really write 200 words? I mean, that's only 3-4 paragraphs. That's a statement of purpose, 2 paragraphs of argument, and a conclusion. And since the ENTIRE point of this site is to get users to blog about societal issues (not to mention every post goes towards the scholarship unless the rules change again), we don't really care if you want to rant about how your teacher is a jackass.
We also don't care if your girlfriend cheated on you, we don't care if you woke up late this morning, we don't care if you accidentally kissed the girl you really like. Quite honestly, we don't give a flying fuck. If you feel this minimum (a limit means that you can't have more than x of something) is too constrictive to your creative juices, I strongly advise you ***.
Nicholas Aden
Self-Promotion
My Creative Writing
***Due to problems with the phrase, Nick has been censored. Might I (Nick) also add that the above paragraphs are exactly 200 words.
Nick's right. Personally I'd prefer 180 words, but really, if you can't get down at least 200 words, it's probably not worth posting here as a blog.
180 words?
I can't help but think to myself, "WTF, Katie? Where did she come up with 180 words? Is 20 more words really that hard, or does Kiota just really get off on multiples of 3, 6 and 9?"
...what's wrong with 180? It's a nice, pretty number. :( I find it quite aesthetically pleasing.
(And no, 20 more words isn't really that hard. Generally I'm the one crying as I slice out thousands of important words to meet a stupid maximum.)
The word minimum was put in place because all of the good blogs on the site have at least 200 words. It's really not difficult to achieve. Furthermore, we have forums for anything less than 200 words, and for things that shouldn't be counted towards the contest (such as being excited that a new movie is coming out).
This is not a regular blogging site. We expect you to blog about progressive issues. If you can't do that, we highly suggest you stick to wordpress.
~C
Check out the latest entry in the Between The Lines column!
Want the highest rated list to change? RATE those blogs, then!
Wordpress... *snicker*
It is probably not worh posting a blog that is less than 200 words because it would seem like the blogger was not passionate enough about the subject