Matt: My thoughts are simple but divergent: (1) If you're doing the work then you can set the rules to whatever works for you. (2) However, if you want those results to be directly comparable to the polls from previous years, you might want to consult Mike Bennett's guidelines from last year. I'm including those below. In particular his method of assigning scores is definitely more sensitive to relative ranking. (3) If Mike isn't continuing perhaps he'd make the spreadsheets he used to organize rankings received and compile results available? Not that you'd need to do it just the way Mike did, but you wouldn't have to reinvent the wheel. (4) all of the above probably should be digested with a couple of caveats: (a) by profession I'm a data analyst so I tend to be really picky about these sorts of issues; (b) I've never submitted a year-end best-of even after 11+ years on Audities. The big value for me has always been hearing folks actually talk about the CDs they really loved each year. Many, many folks have widened my world with their lists, and some of them so well annotated. I can deal with the economic crisis, but if David Bash doesn't post a year-end list, it will give real meaning to deflationary recession. thanks for taking this on Matt, and feel free to file this wherever you think it really belongs :) -craig Mike's criteria from last year: BASICS Rank your top 20 album releases from 1 to 20 and send it to me at MrHonorama@hotmail.com, or post it on the Audities list, or post it on the list AND send it to me. If you don't have 20, send me your top 3, or 7 or 12 or 18 …if you are unsure about eligibility, send me more – I'll count the top 20 eligible records. Records will get points based on the ranking – first place votes get a 5-point bonus, so points go like this (25 for first, 19 for second, 18 for third…1 for twentieth). Please try to list the title of the record. WHAT'S ELIGIBLE? Original 2007 LP/CD releases (not EPs...). Of course, in this day and age, release dates can be tricky, so, for the most part, I will rely on the honor system. If you are unsure about a record's eligibility, feel free to add an extra selection to your "ballot". If a record is clearly ineligible, then I can move all the other records on a list up a notch. As the years have gone on, I tend to go easier on records that came out late in the previous year, particularly if they were not available in the United States in that year. This isn't because of some pro-America bias, but just in recognition that the Audities list, though international and loving every minute of it, is primarily composed of Yanks. Certain records are ineligible – Compilations of single or various artists (Examples – A Night At The Ritz by Office, which is compiles tracks from two prior albums, with just a few new cuts or a tribute album). Reissues – just because a record is reissued with bonus cuts added, this does not make it a 2007 release. However, original albums that just happened not to see release until 2007 do count; so when the album was recorded was immaterial. And finally, albums that have made the past Audities list top 20's are ineligible. Sloan's Never Hear The End Of It was # 15 in the 2006 poll. If you want to list it in your Top 20, add an extra selection for balloting purposes (that's what I'm doing). On Mon, Dec 8, 2008 at 11:23 PM, Matt Whitby wrote: > Rules: > 1. Must have been released in 2008. > 2. No re-releases. > 3. No compilations. > 4. No entries will be accepted after 5th Jan 2009. > > Metholodology: > > 5 points each for the top 5. > 3 points each for positions 6-10. > 1 point each for anything in position 11 or greater. > > > Is everyone happy with those rules? > > If so then i'll keep a spreadsheet with the figures in and the results be > will released on Friday 16th January 2009. > > > Regards, Matt. >