Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Etisalat Prize for Literature Amended and Published the Top 52 #2015FlashFiction
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Zebra Crossing Vote and Share History Deleted by EtisalatPrize
After the public outcry of many of us demanding to know what happened to the highest voted #ZebraCrossing #shortstory in the #2015FlastFiction of #EtisalatPrizeforLiterature, the story was restored. But the issue did not rest there.
The story was restored but in the exchange between #EtisalatPrize and me or through its twitter handle @etisalatreads, no tangible explanation was given on why a popular story on their page disappeared from the final top 50 list!
Something fishy is going on. I am convinced now because before the #ZebraCrossing #DateRape outcry, the top 50 stories have all the numbers of votes and their share aggregates on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. But now, the voting detail is gone!
The story is now 52. Meaning there is one other story affected in this #daterape. Now with no voting detail, how do the judges gauge the public receptions of these stories? Now what is left are details of Facebook, Twitter and Google+ shares. Every other story now has those details except #ZebraCrossing with its 1900+ Facebook, 35+ Twitter and 12+ Google shares as at the time of its disappearance.
This is becoming more interesting because it seems that EtisalatPrize deliberately sabotage #ZebraCrossing. But why?
Why has this continued even in their effort to right this wrong due to our public outcry? I ask EtisalatPrize to please be very transparent and trustworthy by displaying all the voting and share history of all the top 52 stories on the #2015FlashFiction.
The story was restored but in the exchange between #EtisalatPrize and me or through its twitter handle @etisalatreads, no tangible explanation was given on why a popular story on their page disappeared from the final top 50 list!
Something fishy is going on. I am convinced now because before the #ZebraCrossing #DateRape outcry, the top 50 stories have all the numbers of votes and their share aggregates on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. But now, the voting detail is gone!
The story is now 52. Meaning there is one other story affected in this #daterape. Now with no voting detail, how do the judges gauge the public receptions of these stories? Now what is left are details of Facebook, Twitter and Google+ shares. Every other story now has those details except #ZebraCrossing with its 1900+ Facebook, 35+ Twitter and 12+ Google shares as at the time of its disappearance.
This is becoming more interesting because it seems that EtisalatPrize deliberately sabotage #ZebraCrossing. But why?
Why has this continued even in their effort to right this wrong due to our public outcry? I ask EtisalatPrize to please be very transparent and trustworthy by displaying all the voting and share history of all the top 52 stories on the #2015FlashFiction.
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| Recent Display of Voting and Share History |
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| Previous Display of Voting and Share History (second to last screenshot) |
Etisalat Eliminated Zebra Crossing Highest Voted Short Story on Etisalat #2015FlashFiction
Dear
Etisalat Prize for Literature Coordinator,
we are reaching out again to seek clarification and justification for abruptly eliminating Zebra Crossing with the highest numbers of voters from the 2015 Flash Fiction Competition. Thus:
We, the undersigned demand to know from Etisalat Prize for Literature why Zebra Crossing by Ajisafe Michael Oluwafemi #2015FlashFiction short story link was displaying "error 404" and why with its highest votes of 3000+ did not make the 50 top stories just released yesterday! Stories that amassed 2000+ to 200+ votes made it but not Zebra Crossing! What happened?
Ajisafe Michael Oluwafemi is a promising writer who maintains Flexing Essential Random Thoughts (FERT); an online page where his works are posted for his teeming readership.
A number of us, his friends, were excited about his being shortlisted for the Etisalat prize and created a loose and active support team that shared the link to the story via social media, and encouraged friends to read Zebra Crossing and vote for it if they liked it. We were very excited to watch endorsements for Zebra Crossing grow, exceeding our expectations by amassing over 3,000 votes; the highest on the 2015 Flash Fiction Category! You must then understand our confusion when the article's link started responding with 'bytes were exhausted", "error 404" and "this article not found" messages. Now followed by a complete exclusion of this story in the top 50!!!
We've tried to contact Etisalat via emails and no response is received. Neither are we getting any response via Twitter nor Facebook.
The Etisalat Prize for Literature chose to include the online platform in its short stories decision but why disregard the wish of the same online platform by not reckoning with their votes? This is not about winning but about fairness and transparency!
We demand to know what is going on!!!
we are reaching out again to seek clarification and justification for abruptly eliminating Zebra Crossing with the highest numbers of voters from the 2015 Flash Fiction Competition. Thus:
We, the undersigned demand to know from Etisalat Prize for Literature why Zebra Crossing by Ajisafe Michael Oluwafemi #2015FlashFiction short story link was displaying "error 404" and why with its highest votes of 3000+ did not make the 50 top stories just released yesterday! Stories that amassed 2000+ to 200+ votes made it but not Zebra Crossing! What happened?
Ajisafe Michael Oluwafemi is a promising writer who maintains Flexing Essential Random Thoughts (FERT); an online page where his works are posted for his teeming readership.
A number of us, his friends, were excited about his being shortlisted for the Etisalat prize and created a loose and active support team that shared the link to the story via social media, and encouraged friends to read Zebra Crossing and vote for it if they liked it. We were very excited to watch endorsements for Zebra Crossing grow, exceeding our expectations by amassing over 3,000 votes; the highest on the 2015 Flash Fiction Category! You must then understand our confusion when the article's link started responding with 'bytes were exhausted", "error 404" and "this article not found" messages. Now followed by a complete exclusion of this story in the top 50!!!
We've tried to contact Etisalat via emails and no response is received. Neither are we getting any response via Twitter nor Facebook.
The Etisalat Prize for Literature chose to include the online platform in its short stories decision but why disregard the wish of the same online platform by not reckoning with their votes? This is not about winning but about fairness and transparency!
We demand to know what is going on!!!
See screenshots of evidence for more that 3000+ and 1800 FB share.
Yours in solidarity,
Toyin Ajao on behalf of the undersigned.
Olukayode Adegoke
Dupe Kuku
Tunrayo Alabi
Banire Mutalib
Bode Oje
DeMars Binns
Deola Deed
Toyin Ajao
Timothy Adegunle Seye
Maduka Fidorocks Onwukeme
Ewedairo Olaoluwa Oladayo
Toyin Ajao on behalf of the undersigned.
Olukayode Adegoke
Dupe Kuku
Tunrayo Alabi
Banire Mutalib
Bode Oje
DeMars Binns
Deola Deed
Toyin Ajao
Timothy Adegunle Seye
Maduka Fidorocks Onwukeme
Ewedairo Olaoluwa Oladayo