--- On Fri, 16/11/12, brian coyne <g4odv@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
From: brian coyne <g4odv@yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: RE: [CQ-Contest] CQ Contest Certificates.
To: k5zd@charter.net
Date: Friday, 16 November, 2012, 10:18
Hi Randy.
Maybe some guys will get an extra thrill because it is delivered through the
mail but most will be just as pleased with an e-mail 'Congratulations, You have
won ..... in the 2012 CQWW SSB Contest. and the certificate attachment.
I know the feel of the CQ paper is nice compared to our printer paper but after
that first touch we frame them and ones I have from IOTA etc look just as good
behind the glass of
the photo frame. I cannot see many who would 'pass' on the plaques but maybe
some of the perpetual winners become a bit blase'.
Many of the EU contests don't even send an e-mail to tell us the results are
out, nor do they announce it in the public arena, If we won something we
increasingly get electronic certificates and that is the first we know of it.
If we don't win we have to chase through Google to find where they are because,
invariably the old links don't work as they have changed their website! Compare
the care of CQ who go that extra mile with communication on all aspects of your
contests. There really is no need for 'angst' regarding discontinuing hard copy
certificates.
Another factor with mailed certificates is mailbox sizes are generally much
smaller and the mailman folds them. Finding the certificate all creased up does
take the shine off the pleasure.
To conclude, I don't think you would get many objections to electronic
certificates only without the need of a choice or involving cabrillo tags. I
mentioned IOTA who now get over 3k logs, they didn't announce it, they just did
it. If this issue concerns the committee maybe you could ask Don G3XTT, IOTA
Contest Director, how it was received.
You have made a start anyway with the overlay certificares for WPX (thank you
for mine), I doubt it will be long before you determine this is the way to go
with all of your CQ events..
All the best,
Brian 5B4AIZ/C4Z.
--- On Fri, 16/11/12, Randy Thompson K5ZD <k5zd@charter.net> wrote:
From: Randy Thompson K5ZD <k5zd@charter.net>
Subject: RE: [CQ-Contest] CQ Contest Certificates.
To: "'brian coyne'" <g4odv@yahoo.co.uk>, "'CQ CONTEST'"
<cq-contest@contesting.com>
Date: Friday, 16 November, 2012, 5:06
Brian,
You are right that it is expensive to print and mail certificates to
thousands of people per contest. However, it is worth it when we get
excited emails from new contesters happy to have won their first award. I
think we can all remember getting our first few certificates and hanging
them proudly on the wall. Hard for a pdf file to match that!
We have discussed providing a way for contest participants to opt out of
receiving a certificate. Perhaps they have a box of them or just don't want
to cause us the expense.
The logical place to do this is by a new field in the Cabrillo file. So
far, the people who maintain the Cabrillo file "standard" have not been
interested in adding a new tag. Perhaps some more support would encourage
them to change their mind.
Should there be one new tag that says "don't send certificates or plaques or
anything"? Or should be there be two? One for no certificates and another
for no plaques/awards? Or could it be as simple as a convention that says
if there is no address provided then don't send anything?
73
Randy, K5ZD
PS - Hoping for good conditions and lots of certificate/plaque winners in
the CQWW in just 8 days!
> -----Original Message-----
> From: CQ-Contest [mailto:cq-contest-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of
> brian coyne
> Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2012 9:19 PM
> To: CQ CONTEST
> Subject: [CQ-Contest] CQ Contest Certificates.
>
> On the morning of the ssb contest the mailman delivered two certificates
> from CQ, always nice to get them. One was for CQWW CW 2011 the other for
> CQWW SSB 2011.
>
> Looking at that mail got me to thinking about the expense incurred by CQ
> Mag in sending us these for free. Two A4 envelopes two lots of postal
> charges, the logistics of stuffing the envelopes, taking them to the
> mailing centre not to mention the task of hand signing them when there
> must be many hundreds if not into the thousand of these certificates for
> both contests. All businesses benefit from cost reducing measures and CQ
> organisation is no exception to that.
>
> I would venture that the majority of entrants have facilities to print e-
> certificates, perhaps something could be included in the cabrillo header
> or the soabox to the effect that an e-certificate will be acceptable.
>
> Just my thoughts anyway.
>
> 73 Brian 5B4AIZ / C4Z.
> _______________________________________________
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> CQ-Contest@contesting.com
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