Keeping contests fair and fun

[Bix Team]

One of our highest priorities is keeping contests on Bix fair. We have invested in fraud detection technology that helps us spot suspicious activity and we also investigate reports from the community concerning potential fraud (email [e-mail]).

We assure you that we spend a great deal of effort keeping things fair, so please work with us rather than make accusations directly and publicly on the site. It's not fair for anyone to assume another's guilt...

We also want to point out that we encourage people to get out the vote. However, our terms of service clearly state that individuals may only vote once and that no more than two individuals may use a single computer. We do this to protect the integrity of the contests.

Behind the scenes we have take action against fraudulent activity and will continue to work to ensure that contests on Bix are both fun and fair.

[skybolt21]

Good idea. Sometimes when you see a whole string of similar names with no profiles in a voting list, it does make you paranoid. I think it will make the site a lot more legitimate with a anti-fraud system in place.

Maybe an IP checker that only allows 2 votes per IP address on any given song would help. I also have been thinking you could charge a one time fee of a couple of dollars to start an account. You could make it payable by Paypal or credit card. Explain that it is a fraud prevention to discourage multiple accounts and all the money goes toward making the contests fair. I think most people would be willing for that.

JMTC.

Thanks, Sky

[Bolinlamar]

I agree with the strangled rooster on one point about the checking of IP addresses, but I don't agree that a fee be charged for every person that wants to join Bix, just so they can vote on performances. A lot of people wouldn't want to pay a fee just to listen to a bunch of bad songs just to vote on them. The ones of us that want to perform on Bix would probably be willing to pay a reasonable fee of a few dollars as an entry fee just to compete in a contest, I think that would be fair. The method of voting will probably be changed anyway in the future, I think a fairer system will be implemented soon. Also there are a lot of people who don't sing and won't sing because they know that they are too shy or don't think their voice is good enough, but they do love music and these are the ones that will vote for others for free, we shouldn't charge them for their votes.

[skybolt21]

I guess I agree with you Bolinlamar.. was just trying to think of a way to keep people from starting a bunch of multiple accounts and voting. I have probably a hundred friends with computers that I have access to, so what prevents me from going around and starting two accounts from each of them and voting for myself, even if an IP checker is in place.

Or let's say I work at a bar, and I tell everyone that comes in, log on to Bix, vote for me and when I see your name on there I'll give you a beer. I mean, you have tons of people logging on and voting one time for one person. These people are not voting based on what they think of the entry, and probably will never visit Bix again.

I just play around here for fun, so am not that worried about it, but I notice in the $50,000 contest there are a few entries that are not very good that have shot up towards the top. None of the voters have profiles and many of them have similar names. If I was in that contest and had a very good entry, I would hate to be beat by one of those contestants.

[Dunaganredd]

I think one thing that needs to be put in place, is that in order to vote ,you MUST have a profile. I have sat and watched certain entries shoot up over a hundred votes in the matter of a few hours. I think that is a little suspicious.

[cherieamour]

If only the singers with profiles can vote, I'm sure that they want to win, so what you would have is a bunch of phony good lucks and oh I voted for you, and you sound great good luck in the contest and so on. The singers are already begging each other for votes as it is. Maybe a phone number should be required in order to vote. On AI when people call in their phone number is revealed to AI even though they can vote as many times as they wish. Maby there should be one call per phone number or something. I know that people have cell phones and the numbers change often so that's why they shouldn't be allowed to vote from them. Put a good privacy policy in action and require home phone numbers in order for that person to vote.