Each day in January at random time of my choosing, I will copy the list of logged-on members from the bottom of the main Forums page and paste it into a text file.

My January 1st grab shows 244 visitors of which 155 were guests leaving 89 logged in members. (Some of those guests may very well be members, but they are not logged in.)

Members may, in their personal profile, choose not to be shown in this list. So they won't be reflected in my daily grabbed names.

At the end of January, I will count up the number of logged in members on my text file. If you checked in 15 days, your name will appear 15 times on the list. If you checked in 30 days, it will probably appear 30 times, etc.

Note that the list shows visitors for the previous 12 hours only. You could visit and still not show up on the list for a day. Generally, I will grab a day's list in the evening, so if you generally visit from midnight to noon, then you may not appear on the visitor list.

Using a random number program, one number will be selected from the total number of names on my list.

If that person has POSTED a message during the month of January, they will win an Artist's Proof of a recent Harbour Lights release. It might be of a limited edition or of an open edition; I'll choose which AP you get from ones I have available. Shipping is included.

If the first chosen individual has NOT posted, I'll move on to the next randomly selected name and continue to do so until someone who has posted in January is selected.

So I'm giving away one AP in February and to qualify, you'll need to have posted in January 2007. The more days you visit the Collector Forums, the more times you name will be in the pool from which the winner will be selected.

But even if you visit every day and don't post, you can't be a winner.

All it takes is ONE post in the month of January, but the more days you visit the Forums, the more times your name will be in the drawing. You don't gain more entries by having made more posts, you gain by checking the forums more frequently. Posts in the PRIVATE FORUMS do not count.

If this idea goes well (if, in my opinion, it increases participation in the Collector Forum by members), then it will be continued in February, etc. As of January 1, 2007, there are 147,825 posts in 21 Forums (not including PRIVATE FORUMS).

At the end of December 2006, there were 2,317 registered members. Only 1,186 have actually posted at least 1 message. 241 members posted something during 2006 including 99 who posted at least once in the month of December 2006.

For our silent supporters who are not registered members, registering is easy and painless. Now is a good time to join.

Be sure we have your current email address. Check your profile.

Forgotten your username or password? Click on "Log In" and get help emailed to you.

To make things a bit more fun, I've added many new emoticons:

John
This is a great idea
and sounds like lots of fun.

Thanks John. Maybe this will put a little spark into the forums.

I like the new emoticons.

Bravo! Excellent idea to offer such a generous prize just for posting at the CF.

Thank you for your continued leadership at the Collector Forums!

Bob

Since this idea is new, I'll add one rule:
Saints are not eligible to win. I do appreciate their help and contributions, but my goal here is NEW participants and participation by more members each month.

This is a great idea!

Great idea! Hopefully we'll get a few more postings!

BRILLIANT Idea!!! and Stan should not see - it might give him ideas Thanks John for the new way of having fun!
We owe you

I think you may have struck the cord that will have more people posting.

Thanks for adding the emoticons, John! Makes things a little easier ...especially for those who have recently joined.

Brilliant!

Please note that there is a limit of 8 images in a single post. And each emoticon/graemlin counts as one. I think if you have one in your signature, it counts also.

Have fun, but don't hurt anyone!

This is only a "CMA" post. :p

I still think it's a wonderful idea! Anything that brings people in to read and post is great!

Bob

John,

It's a great idea- although I get tired of all those moving emoticons very quickly.

Just a personal preference.

Dennis

Neat Idea! Here's looking toward the end of January!

Cool idea. Sounds like fun.

John,
What a great idea to start the New Year.
Thanks,
Bill B.

Great Idea!

Love the added new emotions John!
Especially (very English)
HCS

Great idea, John!

John, You da man!

I love the new graemlins! Thanks!

Great idea. I have been absent from the forums for awhile and am pleased to see this new idea to the forums upon my return. Thanks John.

Jim

While I do visit the Forums on a regular basis, I guess I will have to change my profile from "guest" to show my log in name. Thanks for the nice incentive John.

Great idea! John your the best

I love it

Excellent Idea!!

Nice idea for a Happy New Year! Cathy

Outstanding idea!

Marvelous Idea john.

Hopefully interest will be renewed!!
Thanks John
Rick

What a great idea!

If it brings in more participants, that'll be great. If not, I hope I get the AP,

John,
Great...Super...Fantastic idea!!!

John & Mary

Congratulations John! I notice alot more posting-especially from those we haven't heard from for awhile. You done good!!!

Great idea, John!

Great idea John.

Now, John, tell them that posting in this thread doesn't count as having posted . . . . they have to go find a discussion to join in on, or maybe even start a new thread.

Well St. Dave, I guess I would certainly HOPE that they participate in or start a new thread.

But for January, I'll count these CYA replies. Maybe make the AP a GLOW if this is the only place they posted and a Limited Edition if they posted elsewhere too. Just pondering here.

It is nice seeing some of our old friends that we haven't seen or heard from coming back. Guess that means they must have been 'guests' in the past. We didn't send out any postcards or emails (yet).
BACK!

Just floating this one back into view.

Great idea,had to post to try the graemlins.

JoAnn

A few more icons to play with:

Count this one JOHN
RIP

Here's an update as of last midnight:

115 Registered Members have been recorded as visiting the Collector Forums over the past 12 days (January 1-12). These 115 members have visited a total of 671 times.

Someone who has visited on each of the 12 days has odds of winning an AP of 1 in 56 vs. odds of 1 in 671 if a member has been recorded only once in the past 12 days. (Odds based on total # of visits divided by # of times one person has visited)

But you must have posted at least once in the month to actually win. Of the 115 members recorded at least once as a visitor, only 87 have posted.

Keep visiting each day to improve your odds of winning, but be sure to have posted at least once in the month of January.

Note that multiple visits on the same day do NOT improve odds; you are only recorded with one visit. And because of a software shortcoming, it's possible that a visit made, for example, shortly after midnight, might not get credited when I grab the names of visitors at 10:00 PM, for example.

The list shown at the bottom of the main page listing all the forums reflects visitors for approximately the preceeding 16.5 hours. I usually grab the list in the evening. Occassionally varying the time.

Also note that you may choose in your profile NOT to have your username shown on the list. In which case, of course, you are not getting credits and cannot win, even if you posted.

A poll is now underway to help choose the top 10 news stories about Harbour Lights for 2006.

We welcome your participation in this poll, but please note that participation in a poll does NOT count as a post for the purposes of the contest described in this thread.

Just to clarify...

Does a post in the poll THREAD count towards the contest, and a vote doesn't? So (theoretically), if I were to vote but not post, I'd be ineligible, while if I were to vote and post in the poll thread, I'd be eligible?

Just to clear that possible "loophole..."

No names attached to votes in the poll so how could that count? Have to make an actual post to count as a post. A legit post is a legit post.

Yes, Grasshopper, you understand correctly. And the reason is as St. Dave has taught you.

Of course, in your personal case, your question you posted above (as if all the previous posts this month didn't count St. John of the Internet

Great idea John and I'll drink to that. I have been absent for quite awhile but hopefully I'll have more time to get back to the forums soon. BTW I love the new toys.

Time is running out. If you are an infrequent visitor or a silent unregistered visitor or you have the ability to display your name on the visitor list, you need to go to the top of this thread and read the rules.

The winner will be able to choose one from a list of four APs of recent GLOWs.

St. John of the Internet, what is the news on the draw? Or am I too impatient?

Congratulations Grover! You are the winner!

During the month of January 2007, we counted up 6,732 day-visits. 75% of these were "guests" -- non-members or members not logged in during their visit. a 'day-visit' doesn't necessarily mean different individuals, just the total of unique individuals each day added up.

1,651 day-visits by members were recorded from 151 registered members. Deleting out the "Saint Visits" (not eligible) leaves 1,502 day-visits by 147 registered members. (Those 4 Saints accounted for 149 day-visits.)

The total number of registered members (2,437 as of 1-31-07) includes a lot of rejected potential spammers in the last year or so, the number of new members joining and posting at least once in January was just 3-4.

Grover has his choice of an Artists Proof of:

Chatham MA GLOW
Cockspur GA GLOW
Amelia Island FL GLOW
Charlotte Genesee NY GLOW

Grover, send me your full name and shipping address and which one you'd like and I'll ship it off to you by Priority Mail.

Congratulations and thanks to all. I'll be doing a bit more number-crunching to see if the idea will continue or not.

... hope the crunch of the numbers will result in more chances to win

Congrats to GROVER ... we are green with envy

Congratulations, Barry!!!!!!!!!!

Good for you Barry!

Congratulations !!!

Good going Barry.

And John, this concept of yours was a great idea. One of your best.

bobo

Congratulations Barry Grover
Which one are you going to pick?
I bet you will pick the Charlotte Genesee NY

Congrats, Barry! Which one did you pick? I hope JC continues to do this; it's a terrific idea and, hopefully, will inspire more participation - of old and new members - the longer it runs!

Congratulations goes out to Barry, aka "Grover", on his luck and winning an Artist Proof. All this for just visiting and posting at the CF. You can't beat that with a stick!

Special thanks to John Chidester for his generosity in making this all possible.

Bob

Congratulations Barry.

Congrats Barry! And Thank You to John for offering up this to us!!!

Congratulations, Grover!
Thank you, John for a great idea and a great opportunity to get an AP!! Hope the numbers crunch for another opportunity!

Congrats Barry on winning the AP! Let us know which one you have choosen.

Thanks John for the opportunity to win an AP.
Hopefully there will be more in the future.

Still waiting to hear from Barry. Should we add a rule that a prize unclaimed after 7 days of posting is forfeited and a new winner selected?

We'll proceed with this kind of participation prize program for at least the next two months. Whichever APs Barry doesn't pick will be in the choice pool for the next winner.

Certain posts will NOT count for the purpose of this program:

1. Posts in the Welcome Mat Forum EXCEPT by the new member themself responding.
2. Posts in this thread (or continuations of it.)
3. Voting in a poll is not counted, but posts to a thread about voting is counted.

Saints still ineligible.

John
Grover is on the list of visitors on the forums for the past 12 hours.

John,

Sorry for the delay ... two days off in a row.

As Yogi once sid ... "I want to thank you for making this presentation necessary."

Chatham would be my choice and I'll send you the requested information.

... and thank you all for your very kind words ...

Yipeeeeeee .... great ! Glad to see that the crunching of the numbers has resulted in more chances for us to win! Thank you Saint John

John, That's great news !!!

Grover, Where exactly is 20 miles south of the twin lights?

Barry...congratulations on your WIN!!

Chatham, Ma. is a beauty!

Congratulations Barry!

Thank you all again for your kind thoughts ...

Hey Loon ... 20 miles south of Twin Lights is the approximate distance to Ocean Grove, or as the locals refer to it, "God's Square Mile."