Posted by: inkblotcreative
Posted on: 2008-04-09 12:18:00
Good to know you don't actually have to WIN DHSOTM to WIN DHSOTM...
So, I guess Josh really decides for himself... And I do agree, css mania is more worthy of the win...
However - I'll never submit another site.
Posted by: pgp_protector
Posted on: 2008-04-09 16:22:00
What's the lie ?
In reply to:
The DreamHost Site of the Month (DHSOTM) contest was created in November of 1998 (same time as the newsletter) to honor those sites among the ones we host that stand out. We honor them by mentioning them in the newsletter and allowing them to put this swanky award on their site:
The Date ?
That they honor the sites that they host that stand out ?
That there mentioned in the newsletter ?
That they can put an image on there site ?
Edited by pgp_protector on 04/09/08 04:22 PM (server time).
Posted by: sXi
Posted on: 2008-04-09 21:58:00
Could be in reference to the votes.
In reply to:The winner each month is the site with the highest average vote with at least 10 votes when the newsletter is written. They will get the honor of being declared the new DreamHost Site of the Month!
The winner had just over half the votes of a contending site.
Maybe the vote winner didn't win because it's a Wiki.
Or maybe it's a conspiracy!
Posted by: Lensman
Posted on: 2008-04-09 22:21:00
Where do we find the votes from previous months?
BTW, it's not simply the number of votes, but the average rating that determines the winner, right?
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Posted by: sXi
Posted on: 2008-04-09 23:27:00
In reply to:Where do we find the votes from previous months?
In the Panel: Home > DHSOTM
The sites I linked are on about page 3 at present (submitted March 4th and 5th).
Just noticed the OP's site got heaps of votes too. Good job man!
Posted by: rlparker
Posted on: 2008-04-10 00:22:00
In reply to:Could be in reference to the votes... The winner had just over half the votes of a contending site.... Maybe the vote winner didn't win because it's a Wiki....Or maybe it's a conspiracy!
Or maybe it just didn't "win" according to how you interpret the meaning of the stated judging criteria:
In reply to:"The winner each month is the site with the highest average vote with at least 10 votes when the newsletter is written. They will get the honor of being declared the new DreamHost Site of the Month!"
They both had "at least 10 votes", but the "winner" had a "higher average vote" (rating?) than the "contender"? 
They probably could have worded that better to decrease confusion and remove ambiguity ... maybe something like "the highest average rating with at least 10 votes" or something similar.
--rlparker
Posted by: sXi
Posted on: 2008-04-10 01:57:00
Yeah, you can vote saying it's the worst site. Huh?
They should use this system in the next US election
Posted by: Lensman
Posted on: 2008-04-10 09:04:00
Wait, so the vote is cumulative across all time? If so, then there's some argument for saying that the OP's site should have won, based on what I'm seeing in the panel (unless things have changed a lot since the newsletter was written).
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Posted by: inkblotcreative
Posted on: 2008-04-15 12:21:00
Sorry.. The REAL reason I wrote this, was because at the time the newsletter was written, I had way more than 10 votes AND a higher rating than CSS Mania..
I love CSS mania, they even featured my site.. but they had 'more' votes then me.. yet a lower score. they posted a few days earlier than me in March, so, Im not sure if that matters or not.
My apologies for whining.
~inkblot
Posted by: Lensman
Posted on: 2008-04-15 15:57:00
Don't feel bad, inkblot. It's a mystery to me why your site didn't win last month either. Are you allowed to win next month? I think you're in the #2 position right now.
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Posted by: inkblotcreative
Posted on: 2008-04-16 18:51:00
I dont think so.. im sure that other site will win for April.
Its funny, I would be embarrassed if I voted for my own site, but everyone seems to give themselves a 10.
Go figure.
~inkblot
Posted by: Lensman
Posted on: 2008-04-16 18:54:00
In reply to:I would be embarrassed if I voted for my own site
Don't be. You should be proud of your work. Self-critical in private is fine, but you should be proud of your work and give yourself a 10!
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Posted by: sXi
Posted on: 2008-04-17 01:43:00
In reply to:I would be embarrassed if I voted for my own site
Yeah it's tantamount to stat-stacking.
Posted by: inkblotcreative
Posted on: 2008-04-17 14:51:00
Yea I know... I wont do it. I feel like I post it to get OTHERS opinions, not to skew the vote.
Plus I pretty much loathe anything I do about 2 weeks after its done. heh...
Curse of a designer I suppose. ;)
~inkblot
Posted by: Lensman
Posted on: 2008-04-17 20:09:00
In reply to:Plus I pretty much loathe anything I do about 2 weeks after its done. heh...
Ha! I thought it was only me who felt that way about my work!
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Posted by: michael
Posted on: 2008-04-18 02:51:00
In reply to:Ha! I thought it was only me who felt that way about my work!
No, I definitely feel that way about your work. =P
Posted by: inkblotcreative
Posted on: 2008-04-20 11:50:00
Just to continue griping...
I don't understand people who vote with a "1" And put "cool site"... I mean - if you really think my site is that crappy - cant you put some semblance of constructive criticism rather than just trying to drive down the score of your competition?
Bleh.. Again, my apologies for whining. heheh.
~inkblot
Posted by: askapache
Posted on: 2008-05-01 23:22:00
Wow that is pretty egregious. Something similar happened to me, except in my case they actually declared me the winner (one of the largest landslide victories with the most votees in the history of DHSOTM) and then they took it back.. It was awful. My advice to you is drop it. If DreamHost wasn't the best host on the internet I might suggest otherwise.
But theres no question of that.
V9.05 May 2007
########################################################################
6. DHSOTM
May's DreamHost Site of the Marmalade is somewhat a departure from our
usual fare of flash portfolio/online radio winners. In fact, it's a bit
of a controversial winner, because it's the first time I've ever seen a
DHSOTM winner who on the front page has a HUGE logo for "Vote AskApache
DreamHost Site of the Marmalade".
Now, that sort of thing is highly frowned upon around here. You would
never catch US stooping to such tactics just for the chance to win the
authorization to put a smarmy gif on OUR web site. I'm THIS close to
disallowing the whole thing, but I guess we'll let it slide this one
time, as there is some pretty useful content over at:
http://www.askapache.com/
and it's nice to go to a DHSOTM winner who's site doesn't make my PII
666Mhz Celeron dump core all over my broiled chicken salad without
croutons. Er wait. I just found out he "won" not just by promoting the
contest at his own site, but by putting direct links to the "vote"
option at our discussion board and the wiki. DISALLOWED!
The new winner is:
http://www.hypercombofinish.com/
A weekly pixel art web comic generally dealing with video games. And I
guess by weekly I mean, last updated December 27th, 2005! But hey, at
least they're not shameless promoters!
As long as you promise not to use cheesy (but delicious) tactics to pump
up YOUR votes, submit your site any time you feel a bit peckish at:
https://panel.dreamhost.com/?tree=home.dhsotm
########################################################################
Your Egg McMuffin Top,
Josh Jones
Posted by: sXi
Posted on: 2008-05-02 01:28:00
In reply to:I just found out he "won" not just by promoting the
contest at his own site, but by putting direct links to the "vote"
option at our discussion board and the wiki.
Some bloke tried that here recently with a link to a Suggestion vote.
Very uncool.
Posted by: askapache
Posted on: 2008-05-02 20:36:00
The way I went about it was wrong in the way I was overly using it. Theres nothing wrong with linking to a page in the panel, just look at almost every newsletter, official sitepage, and email you get from them, thats just the kind of link they provide.
I don't see anything wrong with providing the same kind of link to vote for your site for DHSOTM, its just showing a little DreamHost spirit, I mean there are definatly no other benefits. If you feel like it you can vote for mine.
The misuse/misunderstanding happens when dealing with financial gain.
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Posted by: rlparker
Posted on: 2008-05-02 20:49:00
In reply to:I don't see anything wrong with providing the same kind of link to vote for your site for DHSOTM, its just showing a little DreamHost spirit, I mean there are definatly no other benefits. If you feel like it you can vote for mine.
Oh gawd please no! Are we really gonna have to go through all this again? I think, for me, "askapache" will forever be synonymous with "just doesn't get it".
In reply to::~
True to form ... an "less than obvious" referral link. Are we to take that to mean that your "Rewards privileges permanently revoked" status has been rescinded?
Just sign me "thoroughly disgusted" this time around. 
Edit: Apparently not ... it looks like clicking that link actually sets the record pretty straight:
In reply to:"Account Disabled!
You've found DreamHost by clicking through one of our affiliates' special links!
Actually they're an ex-affiliate and have had their account disabled for violating either our terms of service or the terms of our affiliate program. They will not receive credit for referring you to DreamHost."
--rlparkerEdited by rlparker on 05/02/08 09:05 PM (server time).
Posted by: askapache
Posted on: 2008-05-03 00:01:00
If you don't want to vote for my site you don't have to. Would DH be mad if I linked to my GuestBook that they also provide free to us?
Thats all I'm saying man, I've already acknowledged my mistakes, ancient history.
Oh ya, I purposefully enjoy having that frowny face on my sig so that people know that I am not here for referrals. Which obviously some peole "just dont get".
And to show that it can happen to anyone, even someone like me which I still find outrageous in a funny way. ;)
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Posted by: askapache
Posted on: 2008-05-03 00:42:00
And just to clarify for people who see rlparker as a more familiar face around here, anyone is free to check out my contributions to the DreamHost wiki, my participation on the DreamHost forum, and I also welcome you to check out my personal web development blog, which contains many DreamHost articles, tips, and tricks you will probably find useful.
Rlparker, why you are seemingly taking such delight in my misfortune and attacking my character, and why you are so "thoroughly disgusted" by my opinion that linking to the DreamHost panel is OK is something I truly will never understand. But I realize that everyone has their own unique personality, and I rest easy knowing that for everyone else, the facts speak for themselves. The world isn't flat, its just isn't, no matter how much you wish it were.
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Posted by: rlparker
Posted on: 2008-05-03 01:45:00
In reply to:And just to clarify for people who see rlparker as a more familiar face around here, anyone is free to check out my contributions to the DreamHost wiki, my participation on the DreamHost forum, and I also welcome you to check out my personal web development blog, which contains many DreamHost articles, tips, and tricks you will probably find useful.
I have *no* intention of rehashing all of your "participation" on the DreamHost Wiki, or the Forums, yet again. Those of us that have been here a while have been through more than enough of that (the rehashing, that is), thank you very much.
Some of the most unpleasant and divisive threads in this forum, and *huge* amounts of "refactoring" on the wiki, have been the direct result of you "not getting" the social contract of "non-promotional linking" that has worked so well for years on both of these venues (or the DreamHost Anti-spam policy regarding linkspamming forums).
Your "cleaned-up" wiki user page is an improvement, and I'm glad to see it. Readers who are curious as to why I'm so sensitive to your "promotional linking" proclivity can *also* review your archived user talk page on the wiki - it speaks for itself, as does a review of your Forum history. I've been very pleased to see your recent forum activities have been of an increasingly helpful nature, but *still* you seem to be unable to do that without promoting your site - and that sours it for me.
In reply to:Rlparker, why you are seemingly taking such delight in my misfortune and attacking my character, and why you are so "thoroughly disgusted" by my opinion that linking to the DreamHost panel is OK is something I truly will never understand.
I take no delight at all in your "misfortune", even though you worked very hard to bring that "misfortune" on yourself in spite of my, and others, trying to dissuade you from doing that and warning you of the possible consequences.
In fact, I have commented favorably on your *recent* contributions in the wiki and have expressed my complete willingness to accept that you wanted to contribute in a "new" way. I have no problem with your "character", and I don't believe I have attacked your character. I am "thoroughly disgusted" with your complete inability to contribute without self-promotion. Even now, as this unpleasant discussion has the potential to rear it's ugly head *again*, you blatantly link to your own site in other than your sig.
You didn't understand the problem before, and it appears that you still don't. Even after you got spanked, first with the retraction of the DHSOTM award and then much later, after considerable contentious discussion, again with the loss of your rewards account, you *still* persist in using this forum (and even, to a lesser degree than before, the wiki) to link to your site. It may be more subtle than before, but it is *still* linkspam.
While your "rewards" are no longer at stake (as they have been revoked), Link "spamming" to promote your site is no more welcome here than spamming to earn rewards. I suggest that your recent linking in these forums is just as much "spamming" as before, without the obvious financial incentives of the rewards program.
Jeff made it clear in point five of his message to you revoking your rewards account that:
"5. Spamming forums - including our own - in order to lure prospective DreamHost customers to your site in order to obtain Rewards using thinly veiled promotional techniques."
It's at best disingenuous to think you don't see in that statement that "spamming forums" is prohibited simply because Jeff further clarified for you *one* of the prohibited purposes of the spam. Per the DreamHost Anti-Spam policy, linkspamming forums is clearly prohibited *whatever* the "purpose", and you know this, or should know this, as we have been over it at length (as your posting/wiki history reveals).
Hence, my comment that, in view of all that has passed, you just "don't get it".
In reply to:But I realize that everyone has their own unique personality, and I rest easy knowing that for everyone else, the facts speak for themselves. The world isn't flat, its just isn't, no matter how much you wish it were.
I'm glad you rest easy, and that you realize personalities are different. None of that, however, is relevant to why I feel the way I do about your linking practices.
I have not said a word in recent weeks as you have slowly, but surely, began to once again litter your forum posts / wiki contributions with links to your site, but when you *yet again* not only drag up your DHSOTM "win that wasn't", and link to your own site repeatedly, I decided to speak up. You should have taken your own advice earlier in the thread when you advised the OP, "My advice to you is drop it".
This was a post I told myself I wouldn't write, but you asked "why", so you deserve *one* answer (which is alway a risk when you ask a "loaded" question!) I consider the balance of your activities in these forums, and on the wiki, to be less "contributory" than "contentious" in nature.
I'm glad to see you help others; it's a shame you can't seem to do it without promoting yourself or your site. The facts *do* speak for themselves. I'm just disappointed that what genuinely looked like a "new leaf" turned out to be so short-lived.
--rlparker
Posted by: askapache
Posted on: 2008-05-11 06:23:00
Wow I let it go but today as I was trying to update a page on the wiki, I found out my account had been banned by Rlparker.
Rlparker, you can point to archived talk pages, and you can point to past discussions, but the fact remains and has always stayed the same.. You never point to any violations or actual spam because they only exist in your imagination.
Thats why I rest easy, because where I point to actual substantive content, you can only point to opinions about opinions about accusations.
How can you call any of the links to my blog on this forum in the past year link spamming? Its just beyond my understanding apparently how linking to an article on my blog with php curl examples, examples that are in fact Official examples on the official curl website, and only linking to them as a response to a forum user who sent me a private message asking for my help (his whole question was based on an experiment based on one of my curl articles).. And here are all these other people with links in their signatures to promo codes and what not.
My site helps people, especially dreamhosters, and if someone solicits my advice or opinion about an article on my site, that I wrote and freely published to help others, than I am going to link to it.
In reply to:In the Panel: Home > DHSOTM
The sites I linked are on about page 3 at present (submitted March 4th and 5th).
Just noticed the OP's site got heaps of votes too. Good job man!
If I wouldve posted this you would have called it spam, promoting my site, etc.. I don't know if you are still mad about the DHSOTM from May 2007, or if you are just jealous of my success. Whatever it is, its not reality. You need to stop being a bully.
EDIT: By the way, my site is currently winning this months DHSOTM contest. Pretty good for such a crummy promotional spammers site huh!
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Posted by: norm1037
Posted on: 2008-05-11 06:58:00
In reply to:
EDIT: By the way, my site is currently winning this months DHSOTM contest. Pretty good for such a crummy promotional spammers site huh!
Am I looking at the right DHSOTM page? I cannot see your site in the lead.
--
Norm
Opinions are my own views, not DreamHosts'.
I am NOT a DreamHost employee OK! 
Act on my advice at your own risk!
Posted by: askapache
Posted on: 2008-05-11 07:07:00
Its organized by date of submission *i think*, so to figure out who is winning, you have to start at the 1st of the month and see who has the highest score with the most votes.
Technically I am not in lead because I only have 7 votes, but then again, no one has 10 yet *i think*.
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Posted by: rlparker
Posted on: 2008-05-11 08:44:00
In reply to:How can you call any of the links to my blog on this forum in the past year link spamming? Its just beyond my understanding ...
Yeah ... I know it is beyond your understanding. And for the record, I referred to your final stunt on the wiki as "self promotion" rather than "spamming" (though you have done plenty of that in the past). Neither are allowed on the DreamHost wiki, as you have been told repeatedly.
How can you call posting a "screenshot" that purports to illustrate the output of an example command "figlet -f smslant DreamHost" (see http://wiki.dreamhost.com/Environment_Setup) yet presents an "askapache" banner anything other than "self promotion?
Anyone who wants to see the "askapache" version of that image before I corrected it to more accurately reflect the *actual* output of the figlet example can see it in the image history (I'd link to it here but I don't want to further "promote" you ). *That* is why I banned you *this time*. You might also note that I took that action only after discussion with DreamHost staff about the matter.
If you can persuade DreamHost that you were banned unfairly, and they wish to remove the ban, that is their prerogative - so far, all but one of the comments I have received about your banning (other than from you!) have been supportive of that action.
Well, there *is* that latest addition to your talk page where a first time "contributor" claims others have done the same with images, but I can't find any of the "similar" contributions he refers to (and, it seems, he posted that minutes before your post here ... hmmmm). That was the "one" comment I have received that was supportive of your actions.
--rlparker
Posted by: askapache
Posted on: 2008-05-11 09:29:00
First of all, my contributions to the Environment Setup page alone are enough to change a DreamHost users life forever. In addition to adding all the power prompts, I added a bunch of other code snippets to totally change the way a user views shell access. Pardon me for forgetting to remove my username from the screenshot illustrating all the features I had just added to the page. As I explained succintly in my email to you and all other wiki administrators...
In reply to:Dear wiki admins,
I am writing to you in regards to my wiki account which was blocked by Rlparker for the following image that I uploaded to http://wiki.dreamhost.com/Environment_Setup which is an example showing a bash environment after applying the dozen or so tips I added to the page.
http://wiki.dreamhost.com/images/archive/f/f7/20080509065911!Bash_profile.png
Consider this a plea for an independent admin to take a serious look at the "special" attention and treatment doggedly shown to me by Rlparker, a sysop whom I respect and admire. My only request is that my account be unblocked, and Rlparker to be asked to let other sysops moderate my contributions, if there ever is an actual need to.
http://wiki.dreamhost.com/User_talk:Cduke250
Posted by: rlparker
Posted on: 2008-05-11 10:02:00
As the discussion in this thread has moved considerably "off-topic", no longer having much, if anything, to do with "Web Design" or the DHSOTM, I've created another thread in "Off Topic" as a home for any further discussion of recent posts to this thread.
Please continue this discussion in *that* thread, if you must. Thanks!
--rlparker
Posted by: Lensman
Posted on: 2008-06-03 19:11:00
Just thought I'd bump this thread and predict that it will get interesting. Maybe we should start a new thread for the inevitable discussion.
At any rate, congratulations inkblot!
Use the 3DOM50 promo code for 3 extra lifetime domains and $50 off
More Dreamhost coupons here!
Posted by: justcus
Posted on: 2008-06-03 21:28:00
Didn't you hear? One of the owners of DreamHost has banned AskApache from the forum as well, with the threat that his account will be terminated! So much for a webhost given an award for being "democratic"
In reply to:You are free to think whatever you like, but just take note that you have been asked directly by one of the owners of DreamHost (me) to leave the forums and wiki. The DreamHost community will survive if you only post the minutia of your day on your blog and not on our wiki with links back to your website. (See: Google) If you continue to ignore my pleas I will be forced to terminate your account with us. Your tireless whining has been giving me a headache for over a year now. Please, Please, Go!
IF this is still not getting through to you please consult the immortal words of Dr. Seuss:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_K._Mooney_Will_You_Please_Go_Now!
If you respond to one customers plea for help by threatening to terminate his account.. God help us all. The kid was just trying to get his wiki account unbanned, throughout all his posts he never fails to mention how much he loves DreamHost and the support staff, he only wanted to contribute. You people are monsters.
I became a customer of DreamHost solely on the recommendation by askapache on his blog, and have been very happy with it, but what you all have publicly done to this man is absolutely shameful, and I will be closing my account and finding a company that is a real business, not one run by a bunch of people intent on stifling any debate or discussion with threats *against their own customers!!*. That is so unprofessional and the abuse of this person is so sensational that it maybe newsworthy enough to land on the frontpage of slashdot.
At least the poor guy won the DHSOTM contest which he has earned 1000x over for all the helpful articles about YOU guys on his blog. The very same guys who have revoked his rewards account, banned him from the wiki, and now setting a new precedent, banning him from the forum. So until he moves to a new host I seriously doubt he will come here when his whole account will be terminated if he does. You should all be ashamed and frightened about what this young man may decide to do when he moves hosts, he obviously has some skills, and who can blame him if he decides to fight back after what looks like a full years worth of abuse from you people. Until michael chimed in with his hate-filled nursery rhyme, DreamHost was not a part of the equation, it was askapache vs several non-DreamHost people.. Now its obvious that DreamHost never deserved askapache's praise and admiration, I just hope he can see that too.
Posted by: Sabrejack
Posted on: 2008-06-03 21:45:00
If you only knew what this guy has put the wiki staff through.. trust me, this owner speaks for us employees as well. You know, in a democratic manner.. or would representation be more of a republic?
Posted by: inkblotcreative
Posted on: 2008-06-04 08:31:00
Now i feel really bad for whining ;)
{Not for that guy - but for the fact that now EVERYONE has read it}
Thank you all SO much for your votes and for your support...
PS: Congratz to rlparker on his new gig! (go find it in off-topic forum)
Kindly,
~ inkblot.
Posted by: michael
Posted on: 2008-06-04 21:59:00
Smart move Bob! It was not hard to track this one back to you.
http://bob.dreamhosters.com/
