Goosemoose Pet Portal

This is the place to ask questions about the calendar, voting, etc.

General Info:

- Voting ends October 15, 2003. I expect to have it available a week or two after that.

- The Calendar will be available for purchase from our CafePress Store (http://www.cafeshops.com/ratforum1,ratforum2,ratforum3) for $16.99.

- CafePress handles the money, printing, and shipping.

- Proceeds ($2 per calendar) will be sent directly to Goosemoose to help pay for our administrative costs. Keep in mind, there is a "volume bonus," so if we sell enough of them, they give us extra money. ;)

Any other questions? Fire away!

Will any changes be made to the images before they go into the calendar, or do they go in exactly as we see them now? That is to say, will you be editing out date stamps, doing color correction, etc?

I'm curious....After the selections are made and the calendar goes to press and all of that good stuff, will we be told who the rats belong to?  I mean, a few are pretty obvious, but some of those pictures are of rats that I'd never seen before.  Will credit be given where credit is due?

Yes, editing will take place before the photos get uploaded to the calendar.  Some photos aren't exactly the right size, so they may need to have a border added, date stamps need to be taken out, etc.  

I assume the photographer will get credit for his/her work, but to keep the voting from becoming a popularity contest, Suebee is keeping names off of the photos now.  In fact, she won't even tell the other Mods who the photos belong to!  Even when I poke her with my pointy stick....  

If the sales are good, will we be doing this next year?

Are we allowed more than one vote per household?  I asked because my daughter wants to vote, too, (but I'm not giving up my vote if we only get one!)

Thanks, kmw, for fielding the first few. Yep, I didn't work all my "magic" on the photos yet (though I have for some). Date stamps will be removed, colors corrected, etc.

Credit will be given to the photographers on each photo on the printed calendar, including the rats' names, the name of their guardian, and where they live.

kmw is right... I am keeping the identities of the photographers and names of rats secret for now, for a reason -- I want people to pick their favorite photo, not their favorite rat or board member. ;)

If sales are good or bad, we will probably do it again next year. ;D

One vote per username. If another member of the household wants to vote, they need to register for the forum themselves.

If I find people creating extra usernames, though, so they themselves can vote more than once, they will not only lose ALL their votes, but they may also lose access to the forum permanently. We don't allow multiple usernames per person.

Darn! :huh:

I wanted to vote for them all!!

These photos are all fantastic :shocked2:  What a talented bunch and what cute models :cheeky:

(Kinda hard to keep Ace anonymous though - huh? :yelcutelaugh: )

Aileen

I really want to use the picture september/october #5 on my website and a couple others. Who can I ask for permission??  :rattysmiley:

I don't think Suebee's telling anyone until after voting is ended...    ;)  Course, that pic isn't exactly anonymous either.   lol

Bingo. I am the only person in the community (other than the photographer) who knows who took it, and it's going to stay that way until October 15th.

Thanks.

I have been lurking around this forum for a while, but just joined today.
I wanted to say that I dont think its fair that some of Suebee's pix get to be included in the ones we are voting for in this calender. I mean of course she thinks that they are cute. She took them!! I think she should have saved places for other peoples rat pix instead of putting her own in there. but, thats just my opinion and like i said, i really dont think its fair.

Uh, who said some of Suebee's rats are pictured?  :huh: I don't even know what her rats look like.

I am a member of this community as well, and I am actually NOT voting, while the rest of the people who's images are included are voting. Why should I not be allowed to participate?

Sorry if you feel that is unfair.

And thank you for breaking the guidelines I set asking people to not reveal ANY of the photographers, period, so as not to skew any of the voting. Some people were not actually NOT aware that any of my photos were included, and there was no need to reveal that, regardless of my status on this forum.

This is supposed to be fun. It's not the California recall.

And for crying out loud, Suebee is putting this all together for us!! How dare you say it's not fair for her rats to be included. For all the time and effort she's put into this I'd say she deserves her rats on the front of the calendar! Geez, some people...

SADCAT--That's exactly what I think too. She's put so much hard work in to the calendar, that if she wanted to reserve a couple spots in there for her rats, then there would be no problem with that. Or, like you said, the front cover!!!

I could have easily just filled it all with my own rats, and not even bother with asking for entries and having a contest. Would have been FAR less stressful on my part.

For crying out loud. you can look at her site(ratsrule.com) and see one of the pics in the corner of every page. also one of the pics is right here on this site (http://www.ratsrule.com/photos.html)

Yes, this is true. But it was admitted to me by someone on my own staff that they did not know any of the pics were mine.

I still don't understand why this is even an issue. Who honestly cares?

If you don't like it, don't vote for me, or don't buy one. Honestly, I don't care. I want the  best pictures to win, and want to raise money to support forum costs. My meager contributions are only TWO of 48 entries -- and MANY MANY of them are far superior to mine. Let the best photos win. Period.

Edit: For the record, ratsrule.com and goosemoose.com/rfc are not the same. ratsrule.com is my own site, that I run myself. This site is run by Goosemoose.

Yeah, if you go looking for everybody's photos I'm sure you'll find them. Fact is, not everybody does that, and you're just continuing to break the rules after Suebee clearly laid them out for you.

Well, I guess that debate is over.

Alright. I'll ask a question just to clarify something. Once the calendar is printed it'll go on the Zazzle.com RatsRule store that you made right? Also, do you know when that will be?

Sorry if this was answered somewhere else and I didn't see it.

I think it's going on the Cafepress store, right?

Grace is correct... it'll go on Cafepress. Zazzle only does apparel, cards and prints... they do not offer calendars. Cafepress does. :)

Edit: For the record, that is stated in my original post, with a link to the store, but that's ok. ;)

Thanks. Silly me, now I see it.

I can't wait for the calendars to be ready.  I know what I'm getting everyone for Christmas.  :cheeky:

What happened to the concerns about Cafepress quality and copyright issues? I thought that the RFC Forum store there was closing.

I think an exception was made because the alternatives were all hella expensive.

...and cafe press offers some items such as baby stuff that Zazzle doesn't ;)

That, and after Cafepress saw how much business they'd lose by changing their rules the way they did, the changed a lot of it back...

Will there be an Aussie outlet, for those of us who do not have American dollars?

Hope so!!!!

You can still get it if your aussie, I will certainly be getting one.
Open a paypal account and pay that way. That is how I pay anyone that is O/S.
Paypal is free to open and I only get charged $1 for using it per transaction.

 ;D

I was going to close the CafePress store because of changes they had made to their terms of service and payment structure, but apparently, a LOT of other people were even MORE upset than I was, and they made some major changes to appease us. :)

As a result, I decided to keep the CafePress store open. As was also mentioned, they offer a few items that Zazzle does not (mugs, mousepads, baby items, stickers). So, for now, BOTH stores are open. :)

I am a newbie to this forum, as this is my fifth post.  :shocked2:I would like to let everyone know that had THIS been the FIRST thread I had read I never would have stayed/joined/learned.  :confused:

All this bickering among you is inexcusable and it is a put off to the new people you wish to impress your views upon. This calendar thread is your for-runner and ALL of you should be on your best behavior thus setting the mood for your entire board.

If anyone had a problem with the calendar Suebee has worked so hard on, DON'T buy one... Just about everyone here owns a computer so if you want different PICS on YOUR calendar MAKE YOUR OWN just QUIT bickering about someone else's hard work!  

My ratties sit in full view of my monitor and I feel guilty to have exposed them to all this bickering! :sad2:

... all this bickering?  :huh:

This thread has been quite civil. I'm certainly not ashamed of anything I've said here.

Um... ok.

The only "issue" in this thread was resolved last week. There's been no other bickering that I'm aware of... and it's my job to be aware. ;)

Ok I didn't research the authors of the posts in question and it appears the skuttelbut was all caused by a "guest".

BTW my 4 rats (proofreaders) missed that too...

Well, they weren't a guest when they posted them, but yes. ;D

(when someone's account is deleted, either by the staff or by the member, they become a guest, and can't post anymore)

Aww... it would cost me around $50 to get it, with postage. :sad2: Darn... oh well I can enjoy the pretty pictures online instead!

Okay now that the voting is over who do the photos belong to? :BlueDumboSmile:

Yeah, um, gimme time! LOL!

When I narrowed everything down, I removed from my brain whose pics were whose... now I have to go through every single folder (one for each contributor) and match up. It could take me a couple hours.

I will try to do it Monday.

Stupid question, not that it really matters now, but I thought the cover poll was going to consist of all the 3rd place photos from each month?

Since Niveus is going to be on the cover, that means Ace will be on either March or April instead?

1. No. I never said that in the breakdown of voting. The cover should be a shining star, not a runner up. The way it went was the way I described it from the very beginning.

2. Yes. April, because Easter is on April 11. ;D

Ok then, I was just confused by the whole thing with alternates.   Do you know abouts when they will be available for purchase yet, or no?

I *hope* to have it up on Halloween. ;D

I have most of the photos that won already sized... I have to do Ace, and LSR is going to send me a better version of the cover so I have more pic to work with. Then, I have to add any text. :)

Yes, and said pic is on my laptop.. which is is my car, under the back seat, covered in several hundred pounds of food and bedding ;)

I should get it this weekend though :P

Edit: fixed it, e-mailed it to Suebee.. now I'm not holding anything up :)

Do ;you have any idea when the calendar will be available for purchase? Or at least preordering?

Suebee already answered. She hopes to have it up by Halloween.

I got the image from LSR today. ;D One step closer...

I was wondering if it was possible to do some of the runner up pictures on teashirts. I particularly liked the July/august runner up and If it was on a teeshirt or a poster I would deffinately buy it.

Perhaps... I was thinking notecards and prints, if people wanted them. With photographer's permission, of course. We'll see.

Notecards would be a little small for me. I'd be more interested in the pictures being blown up a little as I'm partially sighted and note cards are a little too small.

I may be able to do small prints on zazzle. It all comes down to the quality/size of the photos as they were submitted to me.

I'm afraid I'm only really interested in Poster sized pictures or teeshirts.

Well, the best I will be able to do is small posters, based on the image quailty I have to start with.

As for T-shirts, we'll see.

Either way, I have no time to devote to it until after the holidays.

I know this is a bit off topic, but I think that another fundraising idea would be a coffee table book of Ace pictures, if anyone felt that ambitious.  I would buy one!

CafePress does do books. With RI's permission, I will look into it... but I can't really devote any time to it until the new year. :(

How do you resize photos? The pics I take with my digital camera are HUGE! I tried to resize them on publisher, then I saved it, and downloaded it onto cyberpawz. They came out like this:(http://www.cyberpawz.com/Coppermine/albums/userpics/10051/normal_pic15.JPG)
They're ok if I just download them onto cyberpawz's site, without resizing them, though. (http://www.cyberpawz.com/Coppermine/albums/userpics/10051/normal_ratty%20pics%21%20004.jpg) Are these pics ok? Can I just give you the links to my pics if I want to submit them?

Actually, I -want- them huge.

I really would prefer to be sent the digital image right off the camera, with no editing on your end. I'd prefer to do the editing myself. :)

My e-mail can handle it. :)

I have a couple of photos of the same rat - one when she's a baby, and another older.   If both photos were good enough to be in the final selection, would they both be eligible since they're of the same rat?

Don't want to submit any redundent pics. :)

It really depends on how many submissions I get in the end.

When I narrow down the pictures, I print them all out (about 2" x 3") and choose based on photo quality. I don't have anyone's names attached to them when I select them... so, theoretically, if both pictures are good enough, yeah, it's certainly possible they could both end up being in contention.

Then, they'd have to get past the voters. ;D

Phew!

When do we get to start the voting?   :D

When I get my sorry butt in gear and start narrowing them down.

Work has been very stressful lately, and when I'm home, I just haven't been in the mood. :-\

I'll try to get started this week. Hopefully I'll have it together by the end of the month...

Wow! Fantastic photos this year - voting has been SO SO hard. Can't wait to see which ones win.

Suebee - thanks for all your hard work. I just have one question which isn't even really a question. I just wondered what the copyright laws are regarding that picture with the Ben & Jerry's in it? If that pic wins, are we allowed to publish it for sale? Might be worth checking out?

Rach

You know, that did cross my mind...  :P

drat...  ah well, guess I've got a head start this year in taking pics... too bad Beautiful Steven didn't make it  :'(

Ok, more a suggestion than a question...since the forum has been down for a few days, plus not everybody is even aware the calendar voting has begun, how about posting about the calendar in Rat Tails?  Hopefully it'll generate more votes, especially knowing voting has begun. :)

Sorry, I like to keep all the calendar information together in one place, instead of lumped with everything else.

Honestly, if people miss out on voting, it's their own fault for not paying attention.

At the risk our sounding rude... hee hee... I spend a lot of time creating a lot of stuff on the forum that gets completely ignored on a regular basis, and it's extremely frustrating... so, well... I 've had to make the decision, for my own sanity, to not cater to those who don't pay attention. If ya want in on the fun, ya gotta keep your eyes open. ;D

ok... question... when is too early to start submitting for NEXT year? lol...

Too early would be -before- I ask for them. ;)

Start collecting, though... it's coming. ;D

I've had a super-busy April, between Jo-Ann stuff (Class Preview Day is this weekend!) and my one and only major design client (launching a new record label is exhausting!), so I haven't even had time to think about the 2006 calendar... but once things settle a little, I'll post a call for entries. ;D

When are the polls going to be up for voting?

At this point, the way my August is going, not until September.

Thanks for your patience.

Ok, I'm still waiting patiently, and I understand when life calls . . . but it's September now  . . . any idea when voting will start?

I was out of town all last week, and am working on getting settled back into the "real world."

I sorted the images last night, and -should- have the polls up by the end of the week, unless this month does a repeat of August on me.

Please be patient.

Sorry if I sounded pushy before. I didn't mean to. I can see why it was really tough to decide which to include. They are all totally adorable. I don't know how I'll choose! Thanks so much for doing all this Suebee!

What if all digi media of my rats are smaller then you want?  Does that mean that I will just have to take new pics?

Depends on how small... I can play a little bit, but not a lot. I'm not a miracle worker. ;)

This is why I prefer to have the original file from the camera, vs a file edited and tweaked to be posted online. However, I know not all digital cameras are created equal.

You can send what you have, and I can take a look at it and see if it will work. I have to say, I -do- eliminate photos from the running in the preliminary stage if I can't get them big enough for hi-res printing. :(

How many entries are we allowed? I must be brain dead tonight, I can't find where it states it.

I think it's 3 per person.  I remember seeing it somewhere in the call for entries post anyway.

Now I just gotta get off my butt and see what I have for good pics this year!

From the call for entries:

Thanks! I don't know why I didn't see that.  :confused:

You're not the only one who didn't see it, apparently. I got quite a few submissions that contained a lot more than three images.

If you send me more than three, I will simply reply and ask you to select three before your submissions will be accepted. They simply sit in e-mail limbo until you narrow down your selections to three. If you don't reply with your selections, none of your images will go into the running at all, mostly because I will probably forget they are sitting in limbo in my in-box. That may sound a little unfair, but submitting more than three images in the first place is unfair to the other members submitting one, two, or three photos. This project is enough work that I don't have the time to PRE-narrow things down on an individual basis before I do the real thing.

Some people are also submitting without their screen name, location, and rats' names. Please also be sure to include this information when you submit... by the time we get down to the final votes and it's time to get it all together to upload to cafepress, the submission e-mails are LONG gone, and I have no information to go on, including no one to contact. If you submit the information with your photos, as requested, everything goes a lot more smoothly.

So, please help make this project easier for me, and fair for everyone else, by making sure to follow the guidelines.

Thank you.

whoops sorry suebee i totaly did not see that  ;D oopps well now i know

I just totally messed up my submission email... I don't think I sent the right form of the pic (URL just a copy of it) and I forgot to put the name and stuff. Can I send two other pics if I take them? ???

I replied to your e-mail.

People, please address specific issues like the last two with me privately, either via e-mail or PM. This thread is intended for generic questions that benefit everyone, not for specific issues related to your entries.

Thanks!

When you have recieved the entries do you send some sort of validation e-mail to the sender?  :BlueDumboSmile:

No, I do not. :)

I only respond if there is an issue with the submission (too many photos submitted, no contact information, etc.)

Some days, I get 5 or 6 submissions, so it's all I can do to get them sorted and saved. ;)

I've sent in my pics. Wow it was difficult. I wanted so much to send in one of Mab, but she was soo nervous about being outside that she shouldn't calm down. And by the time she had calmed enough, it was time to take her in because of the heat  :doh: I can't wait to see this year's submissions. I am looking forward to seeing if any of my photos made it. I worked my tush off so I figure I'll at least make the list for votes. If not there is always next year hehe

Thank you Suebee for doing all of this. As a web designer and photograph restoration geek (I love restoring old blk&wht with creases or missing corners :D ) I know how difficult it can be to tackle all of this.

Can't wait to buy my 2007 calendar!

Wow... we've gotten almost 200 submissions this year!!!!!!!! Thanks everyone!!!

Since we've gotten SUCH a great response, I've gotta close the submission pipeline. Unless I have -personally- asked you to try submitting your photos again for technical reasons via a reply to your submission e-mail this morning (there's two or three of you), I won't be accepting any more submissions.

Thanks to everyone who participated!

Having to narrow it down from almost 200 images (I haven't done an exact count yet... I'll know when I start sorting), I've decided to increase the pool a little bit from last year. In years past, because of the limits on how many items could go into a poll, I made it 48... 6 polls, 8 images in each poll. This time, I'm going to up it to 10 choices per poll, because we have the technology. ;D

So... instead of just 48 images making it in out of 200... it'll be 60. ;D Still a rough task ahead of me, let me tell you! We've got some tremendous submissions this year!

Thanks again!!

I can hardley wait to see hte pics!!! Shaz

ooo i can't wait either :D

WOW! I really hope my Ches and Ol make it to the final cut  :BlueDumboSmile:

I'd like it if people would not discuss their submissions on the board, to try to keep the contest as anonymous and fair as possible. ;)

Thank you.

Hi all I am new, just found the forum today and signed up right away!!  I notice the deadline for the calendar was the 31st of July, I am 4 days late.  :doh: Is it possible to still submit my photo's??  I know its asking alot but I just found the site.  (fingers crossed)  I'll forever be greatful if I can!!!   :bow:

 :BlueDumboBigEyes:

probably not since the deadline is up...however ratsahoy will be doing a photo contest soon... Suebee when is hte picture voting going to start roughly? Shaz

Took the words out of my mouth.

when is the voting (http://home.tiscali.nl/~rattengekte/smilies/diversen/bloos1.gif)

Keep in mind that first Suebee has to narrow down the 200 photos to 60 - in her free time!  It can take anywhere from two weeks to a month, depending on her schedule.  So, be patient :) 

Trying, but I have to see all the cute ratties in their cute little poses soon!

 :poke:

have patience!

My schedule is EXTREMELY full this month, not by choice. I don't expect to see voting until after Labor Day at this point. *sigh*

And... the more you pester me, the longer it will take...  :cheeky:  :BlueDumboSmileTongue:

 :icon_scratch: when is labour day

Septermber 4th. Yeah, I had to look it up on my calendar. It's an American holiday and even I honestly have no idea what it signifies!

Oops, sorry... I still forget that not everyone is familiar with US holidays... Labor Day is always the first Monday in September... and a quick google of "labor day" gave me this:

http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/laborday.htm

;D

I'm still working on a design job, and still stressed out beyond comprehension at my part time job... I hope to get all the images printed out before Labor Day, and spend part of the holiday (while visting my mom in NJ) going through them. ;D

 :puppy_dog_eyes:  I missed the deadline by nearly a month!  Thats what I get for being so busy and neglecting the forum.  :doh:

How goes the calender entries Suebee? I can't wait for voting time! :hyper: So fun.

*sigh*

I printed them... I BROUGHT them with me to NJ over Labor Day... did I even OPEN the bag they were in? NO!

I'll -try- to get them sorted over the weekend for polls next week... hopefully.

It's been 3 days, aren't you done yet!?  :poke:

Just razzin' ya. I can't wait!

The more you people bug me, the longer it will take...  :cheeky:

I got them narrowed down to 60, but I still have to divide them into individual polls, then edit the photos for the web, upload them, then set up the actual polls... hopefully Thursday. ;)

The longer it takes, the more we bug  :cheeky:  :yelcutelaugh: :BlueDumboSmile:

The more you bug, the greater the chance there will be no calendar at all...  :cheeky:

C'mon people, let the lady do her work! I am *sure* she'll have it done by THURSDAY like she said... otherwise... :boxing:

 :o

The greater the chance there is no calander at all, the greater the chance Suebee will get peed on by a Rat  ;) And the more she gets peed on by a Rat, the less she is on Goosemoose, and Goosemoose will go BUST AND  ::) :eek:

Pfft... I get peed on by rats CONSTANTLY... you don't scare me...

I will send over my pee-machine, Leopold. You will drown in all the pee! Even you cannot comprehend the peeingness of the Mighty Leo! :bow:

I don't scare you?  :( :P :puppy_dog_eyes: *Crawls into corner and sits sulking with Rats peeing on me*

Suebee should be scared, rat pee is the most deadly substence known to man  ;)

Come on sucsessful suebee  :poke: you are already my hero for making your suebee snacks please dont spoil it, Or I may turn to another role model for my young mind in the rat world  :BlueDumboBigEyes:

Ok gang, let's not muck up this thread with a whole bunch of pleading posts.  If you have a question, go ahead and ask it.  If not, don't :)  Thank you! 

Thank you, kmw.

Been a little preoccupied with trying to get Schultz to eat today.

Okay folks... you've been bugging me for a month and a half... now it's time...

On your mark...

Get set...

VOTE!!!!!

 :hyper:

Please review the General Information About Voting thread before asking questions about the voting process... if it's not covered there, then ask here! Thanks!

Um...   Can I vote 10 times per poll, please?  That has got to be even harder than last years voting!  Gah!  How did you narrow this down at all?!?!?!

Tell me about it... I ended up forcing John to pick the last few...

I had about 24 pictures spread out on the table, and said to him, "OK, you pick four of 'em... I can't do it!!!!"

thanks soo much sue :D i just voted

Wow!  Lots of great photos this year!  It was HARD choosing!!

Just wanted to say there is *awesome* talent on this board. I was so overwhelmed by the choices!

aw so many great choices. Don't feel bad if you don't win. I wanted to vote for them all!

Thanks for doing this, Suebee!

It was so hard to choose! I wanted to vote for 3 or 4 in each poll!

I just made my votes. I'd love to see all of the pictures that were submitted. What do you do with the small cards you print them out on? You could use them for crafts or something.

Thanks for all the picture picking. They look great!

As usual, Suebee, you've done an awesome job. Thanks for all your hard work!

Suebee,
      Thanks for putting this together.  Can hardly wait to purchase a calendar for home and office.  I hope it starts some conversations.
      Don't think it is helpful to be pushy about rats.  However, I hope the calendar may inspire some questions and give me a chance to say how rats are a highly under-rated pets.

Actually, I just print them out on regular printer paper on my inkjet... they're not spectacular enough to use for anything more than sorting them... LOL!

Sometimes I do choose a few favorites to keep in my purse and show off to people... ;D

I was sad to see that I didn't make the cut for the voting, BUT all the pictures were so good, that it inspired me to practice practice practice!

I cannot wait until I get my calendar, I am going to hang it up in my cubicle.  ::) Yes, I have a cubicle  :P .

I can see why you had such a hard choice, Sue! There really is a lot of talent on the board.

 :hyper: I have voted

 My pictures didn't make it either. I felt bad at first...but then I saw the pictures and realized mine weren't anywhere near the best! I CAN'T believe the amazing pictures!!!! I had the hardest time choosing. So I'm going to practice and hopefully my pictures next year will be a fraction as good as the ones that made the cut this year!

 Thanks, Suebee!

Just TWO more days left to vote!!!!!!!!!!

 :hyper: It's the 28th  :hyper:

Ohhhhhhhhh.. I wanna know whos gonna wiiiin!!!  :puppy_dog_eyes: Where's my dang crystal ball? lol  :cheeky: I shall divine the answer muahahaha. I will know before annnnyone else.  :BlueDumboSmile:

.....Ha I wish. I'll definately me making strides to check things before work. Can't wait  :hyper:

Last day, and it's not even a FULL day!!!

The polls will expire at the precise minute that I created them on the 14th... which I believe was early afternoon (eastern), but I don't exactly recall! Ack! So don't wait... if you haven't voted yet, do it NOW!

I created them in reverse order so they would appear in the right order, so November/December will expire FIRST!

Thanks!

1:30 PM EST is when the first poll is going to close!  So, get voting if you haven't yet! 

Thanks, kmw... I probably could have looked, but that's why I have you! LOL!

I, um, just happened to finish voting, so it was right at the front of my mind. 

Procrastination?  I embrace it. 

It looks like it's going ot be a great calendar this year! Ccongratulations to all the winners! Now that the voting is over I can say that one of my pictures made it, but alas, did not win. I can't wait to order my copy!

Okay, the winners are posted, and now it's time to vote for the COVER!!!

I set this poll for SEVEN days... so go vote! ;D

would it ever be possible to sell (on CafePress or whatever) a pack of postcard-sized prints of calendar finalists/winners?  It sure would be fun to have some of them. 

This is something I am considering. The way CafePress is set up, it's somewhat limiting... I'd have to rotate them quarterly, or something like that (they only allow one of each item per store, and I set up 3 stores for us), but I can do unlimited things with Zazzle, so they may end up on Zazzle instead. We'll see, once I survive the calendar creation process. ;D

Last day to vote!!!! The voting will end mid-afternoon-ish (eastern), so if you haven't voted yet, get on it! ;)

i keep hoping to read 2007 calendar now available...

pace... pace... pace...

I'm working on it right now... literally.

I have the cover and the images through August ready to go. Just came here to get the info for September. ;)

Hopefully later this afternoon, there will be a calendar available! ;D

Haha - Mazik's on my birthday month.  Score.   8)

Hey Suebee, will you send out a notice that you recieved the email with our photo submissions? Just wondering how we'll know you got them.

As I have mentioned a few times, I will only send a reply if there is an issue with your submission (missing info, problems downloading the files, etc.). ;D

Oops! Sorry for asking again. Good luck narowing down submissions!

I didn't read through all 6 pages here to see if this has already been asked, so sorry if it's a repeated question...is there any way that perhaps after pictures have been decided perhaps there can be a rat date book calender? I ask b/c I'm more often relying on my date book than the calender pinned up (it's on the month of May right now  ::)) is there any way that perhaps some date books AND calanders can be made?

We use CafePress to do our printing (and money collection, and shipping), so I am only able to offer what they offer. At this time, they only offer 4 different Wall Calendars -- 11" x 8.5" Wall Calendar, a single-image yearly calendar, and two oversized calendars (11x17 horizontal or vertical). The oversized ones would not work for the image sizes that are generally submitted, so we are left with the 11x8.5 variety.

;)

Our Current CafePress Offerings (http://www.cafepress.com/ratforum1,ratforum2,ratforum3)


We also sell some items through Zazzle, but they do not do calendars at all that I am aware of. They do, however, have much better quality t-shirts, which you can actually select your own style and colors, unlike CafePress. This is why our tees are through Zazzle:

Our Current Zazzle Offerings (http://www.ratsrule.com/zazzle/)

Hope that helps!

thanks so much for your quick response...i just submitted a few photos too, maybe i'll get a calander adn b/c it has to do with rats i'll use it more  :)

For entries, is the pixel amount the limit or can digital photos be larger than the number you posted?

How's this year doing as far as entries go?  A lot, or not many?  :P

BIGGER is better!!!! LOL!

Gimme whatcha got! :D


As for entries... 36 people have sent in images. Not everyone sent in the maximum, but for ease of counting, I'll say we have about 100 photos submitted so far.

Not many days left... if you've been procrastinating, the time is now...  :poke:

Sorry if this info is somewhere else, but if there are 100 photos, how many will go on to be voted on?

It's all explained in the General Information thread (sticked and locked).

OMG where have I been I totally missed the voting for the calendar  :'( I just remembered the claendar today when I was looking through my 2007 one and thinking how much I would Love a 2008 one  :BlueDumboBigEyes:

Well, when you get your 2008 Calendar, you can pencil in some general dates, so you don't forget next time!

Call For Entries: Usually announced in May or June, ending around July 31.
Voting: Usually in late August, into early September
Cover Voting: Late September
New Calendar Available for Sale: October

;D

When can we expect the voting to start for the 2009 calendar?

I believe it will be a few more weeks.  She extended the deadline so that in turn extends how long it will take to process.  I'm sure she'll let us know soon enough!!
Thanks Suebee for all the hard work!!  Everyone who comes in my kitchen loves the Rats Rules Calendar!

Yep, it'll be a few more weeks. I have had the single most crazy summer this year, and aside from just collecting entries in a folder, I haven't even had timem to ponder them, much less start sorting them. Now that summer's sort-of over, I hope to have more time. :D

Just keep watching this section of the forum for the polls... :)

 :poke:I know you said "few weeks" but is there an actual day (or estimate) you can give us? The anticipation is KILLING me lol :hyper: :hyper: :hyper:

Sorry. The crazy summer continues. I guess it's following the calendar, and not the "Memorial Day to Labor Day" rule.

Maybe some photo therapy will help console me this week (see Rat Tails & Mug Shots).

It's a Christmas Miracle! I started sorting the photos today...  :icon_rr:

How soon can we expect to vote?  This is the first year I submitted pics so I'm excited!!

We will have it available long before Christmas right?  I just worry since its much later this year than other years.

I hope to have the whole thing done and up on CafePress by November 1, so, I hope to have voting ready next week. :)

Of course... my printer decides to have a world-class freakout today, with two pages of entries left to print... anyone have a baseball bat, an open field, and some gangsta rap? Because I'm ready to go "Office Space" on it. ;)

Edit: ...and it's dead. Lovely. Best Buy is on the agenda for this evening. *sigh*

Ooh boy....

*crosses fingers, knocks on wood, hangs up a horse shoe, pets a faux rabbit's foot, and eats some lucky charms to wish Suebee luck*

Guess who got a new HP Photosmart tonight?

Did you guess me?

You guessed right!

All pages are printed, and ready to be cut up into little bits for the agonizing sorting!  :BlueDumboBigEyes:

  :shocked2: :shocked2::D :D :D!!!!!
I TOTALLY almost had a heart attack when I saw that there was a reply to this thread! I can't wait!
BTW Just out of curiosity...do you have more pic submissions this year than you did for last year?

LOL! No idea...

I go through the submissions, open each one in photoshop, and eliminate the ones that don't meet the size guidelines (I don't often have time to do that as they come in during the submission period... I leave that up to the submitters). After I got done with that yesterday, I had 62 photos. I had to bring it down to 48 from there.

I do think a lot more got eliminated this year because of size issues -- and some of them were really good.  :-\

When I say I need them to be BIG, I mean it. 3" x 4" at 72 dpi will FLAT OUT not work for print. No even a chance. I really, truly mean that I want raw camera files... which are generally 16" x 22" (or bigger) at 72 dpi. So, during the year, if you take a picture that you think you might want to submit, toss a copy of the untouched file into a special folder. For me?  :BlueDumboBigEyes:  :help:  :puppy_dog_eyes:  :poke:

This has been a public service announcement from the Calendar Committee.  ;D

So that means we should be able to vote soon...right?! I am dying from anticipation.  :shocked2:

Sweet!  I'm WICKED excited for this calender! :)

I am hoping to have the polls up on Wednesday. ;D

(it was going to be tomorrow, but my hubby took the day off, so he's cutting into my normal "sitting on my butt in front of the computer" time. LOL!)

WHOOO! Can't wait! I can't even BEGIN to explain how much I've been lurking here to see what's going on lol

Oh, and I'm sorry if this is already in one of the many 6 pages of this thread that I missed, but do we get to see the statistics of the votes WHILE the pictures are being voted for or do we not get to see that until AFTER the polls have closed?

To prevent any shenanigans, the results will only be visible AFTER the polls have closed.

It's a contest for the best photos, NOT a popularity contest, so the results are hidden until it's all over. ;)

VOTE AWAY!!!!

I set the polls to close in 14 days... so it'll be over on Wednesday October 15th. They'll close based on when they were created, so November/December will close FIRST... I'd recommend voting before 11 am EST on that day!

Good luck to all the entries!

We need to add a few more months to the year!  I had such a hard time choosing only 2!!

LOL!

Who do we write to get that in motion? ;)

I am so excited to be able to vote!!!  And Suebee how hard it must have been for you to narrow down your selections.  Holy cow there are some really GREAT pictures of some really CUTE ratties!!!!!!!!!

*dies*

SO cute! Too bad we can't see the ones who are winning after we vote.

Not until after all voting has ended.  :)

I am so excited about this calendar!  Can't wait to see the winners.  ;D

Just one week left to vote!!!!

OMG just two more days!!!!!

VOTE VOTE VOTE!

-dies-

I can't wait to see the results! *pokes everyone who hasn't voted yet* In fact, I was just thinking about the calendar yesterday and counting down the days.  :heart:

hey will we know the results of the votes the DAY OF the 15th? Or will we have to wait a day or two after the polls close?

As soon as they close, automatically, the results will show.

From there, I will set up a final poll to determine the cover. :)

YAY!!!

-dances-

One more day!

gah! only a few more hours! I'm 13 hours ahead of you guys all the way over here in korea, so it's been the 15th ALL DAY and it's KILLING me! I won't get to check the results until way after they're posted as I am going out after work either :(
Oh well, it'll be that much more awseome when I get to finally see the results then I suppose...Is it a sad thing that the rat calendar result day is prbably one of my top 10 or 15 most exciting days of the year?  :yelcutelaugh:

It's on my list too, Bug.  :yelcutelaugh:

Is there a set time for them to close, or start closing? I've got to go to class from 12-9pm (crazy, I know) and was hoping to sneak back within that time and see the results.

ETA:

Nevermind, I found the times.  :heart:

Yeah, I can't set a time for all of them... I just set each one for 14 days, and they start shutting down on their own, in the order that I created them. Since I created them so that they would appear in chronological order, I had to do November/December first. So they're going to start winding down starting just about now...

This afternoon, I'll go through each one to officially post the winners, then create the cover poll. The voting for that will be exactly one week.

How and when can I buy/reserve this calander!!!!!!

When it's available, you will know.  :thumbsup2:

After the cover poll is over, I then have to finish preparing the images for print (adding text, making sure they're the right dimensions, etc.). Then, I have to upload them all to CafePress, and "create" the calendar in the store. I hope to have it up by October 30th. If not, then November 4th (I'm off on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I have time to devote to it).

I guess there are advantages of living in Alaska, and being behind everyone else!

Pink

Thanx Suebee for your efforts in getting this together for us!!!!  I know you have taken a lot of your time (a labor of love I'm sure) and it must be soooo hard picking pics, as far as I'm concerned, all little rattie faces are the best.  I'm sure you'll do a great job and we will all be waiting on pins and needles for the results!!!! :bow:

Just a few questions.. I hope these weren't already asked and answered:

Will holidays appear in the calender and if so what ones?

Also, moon phases?

Major holidays do appear on the calendar (Halloween, Yom Kipur, Columbus Day, things like that).  Moon phases do not.

I can only go by the one currently on my wall...

- no moon phases
- holidays listed for October are: Yom Kippur, Columbus Day, Halloween

As CafePress is a US-based company, I see no international holidays (like Thanksgiving in Canada, which was... this past Monday, I believe...).

Hope that helps!

OMG!!!! Voting for the cover ends TOMORROW!!!!  :shocked2:
 :poke:

OMG voting ends TODAY!! Just a few short hours!  :help:

(I have to go into work early today because I have plans this evening, so I won't be around when it ends to "announce" the winner. Sorry!)

Congrats to Nikkiburr, whose photo of Dune and Fenn was chosen to be the cover of the 2009 Calendar! I have to admit, I am VERY glad it won, because the way it's composed is perfect for adding a title to the left side. LOL! Well done, peeps!  :yelcutelaugh:

Now... for the "bad" news. I put it in quotes because it's good for me, but "bad" for all of you. LOL!

I was just hired on a trial basis for a new job in the design field, and I start Wednesday. If it works out, I'll be able to put in my notice at Jo-Ann's, but until that's done, I'm going to be working more the next three weeks, as I will be doing both jobs. I am still aiming for a Nov 4 launch of the calendar... and to help that along, I am actually going to get started NOW! Right now!

Maybe if I get it together, I can get it up by the 28th, before I start the new job, eh?  :cheeky:

So now taht voting is all over, are we allowed to know who the photographers of the other pictures were? Chosen for the calender or not. I love the one with the candy canes and would really like the full size picture if it isn't any trouble. (for personal use only). Thank you.  :BlueDumboSmile:

I haven't gotten that far yet... LOL!

When I sort them, I remove them entirely from the names, to keep ME from being biased. LOL! So... now I need to go match them back up. Which I just started to do since I posted.

Was it one of the ones that won? Like I said, haven't gotten that far yet.

Edit: I am sending you a PM. ;)

No, not a winner. It was runner up for Nov/Dec. #7.

this is probably on one of the preveious pages, but i couldn't find it...how long will it be now until the calendar is in stores?

Man you guys are impatient. LOL!

Voting ended Wednesday, and I work Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays. I was busy Thursday working on the images after I got home from a second job interview... and gave everyone who made it in the weekend to verify their text.

I am hoping to get it up today (Since I will be working TWO jobs for the next few weeks). But... I might wait a week to watch you squirm. LOL!

 :BlueDumboBigEyes:
Sorry. I was just curious is all

 :BlueDumboSmile:

It's up now!

Rats Rule 2009 Calendar (http://www.cafepress.com/ratsrule.175245729)