The Gauntlet: 2011

2010 turned out to be our most successful year yet, with 161 posts. I think the gauntlet I threw down was the turning point. So I'm throwing it down AGAIN, slightly with slightly different rules to encourage participation on different fronts:

THE REWARDS:
$60: To Matt if he makes SIX posts a month. It turns out he can pull off 5 a month so I'm boosting the requirements, but also the reward.
$1 per post (up to $15): To Tom, Steve, or Umi - Whoever has the MOST posts out of the three.
$1 per post (up to $10): To Tom, Steve, or Umi - Whoever has the SECOND MOST posts out of the three.
$0: Third place
$10: Whoever posts the most comments.
$5: Rule Czar

Total amount Evan MAY be out: $100 dollars.

THE RULES FOR POSTS:
1) Blog posts must have content. As a bizarre humor blog which at times has a large emphasis on pictures or linking to other sites, the bar for "content" is very low. If a good faith effort is put forth to make a post, I'll almost certainly pass it. Posts with the "adsjfhpiouczvn;alerth" meme will probably count, but similar gibberish will probably fail. However, as I said, I'm incredibly lax, so as long as you're not trying to post gibberish to take my money, you should be fine.
1a) For Matt to receive the maximum of 60 dollars, he must create 6 posts that adhere to these rules. If he posts less than 6, his initial 60 dollars will be docked 2 dollars for every missed post. For example, if he only posts 2 times this month, he is short 4 posts. 4 posts short times 2 dollars = 8 dollar penalty, and the maximum Matt can earn is now 52 dollars.

2) Blog posts should be (somewhat) spread out throughout the month. I don't want the last day of the month to have a bunch of "oh crap" posts. Likewise, I don't want a bunch of posts on day 1 and the rest of the month nothing. Ideally there would be a somewhat steady stream of content coming out of here. But seeing as nobody is perfect, here's the rule: No more than 2 posts a day will count toward the required number for the month. You can post more than 2 per day if you want, go right ahead, but only two of them will count towards getting paid.

3) Be funny. I know a lot of the stuff we put here would not be considered funny by a great many people. That's not the point of this rule. Basically, YNTE is not your journal. People come here to be entertained, so keep it entertaining. It doesn't have to universally be the funniest thing in the world, but "I am eatin' a sandwich" or "I'm sad because nobody loves me" don't qualify. "I'm sad because my sandwich doesn't love me" MIGHT. Should you desire, you can totally have a livejournal elsewhere with said content, and I have no problem with that. Just keep it off here. Again, I'm pretty lax on this, so as long as the effort to produce comedy is set forward, it'll probably pass.

THE RULES FOR COMMENTS:
1) The comments money is up for grabs by ANYBODY (almost). Whoever posts the most comments this year gets it. This means writers and readers alike can snag this money. Don't have an account to post content here? Post comments instead! You could still earn some green.
1a) If a writer has the most comments, I will pay them. I know how to get in touch with them all.
1b) If a reader has the most comments, A post will be made glorifying them in January of next year. They will have one month from that post going up to get me their paypal information.
1c) If I (Evan) have the most comments, I have won. Nobody gets paid. I win the opportunity to not have to give you mooks my money.
1d) To maintain impartiality, the Rule Czar is ineligible to win this money. But this year, Rule Czaring is a paid position! The Rule Czar is encouraged to post comments anyway, though.

2) The rules for comments are pretty much the same as the rules for blogs.
2a) Comments must have content. No gibberish here either!
2b) Comments must be spaced out. You can't have two consecutive comments on the same post. If someone replies to your comment, you can comment again. Authors may not have the first comment on their own post, however replies to other comments on that post WILL count. If this is unclear, let me know and I will elaborate further
2c) Comments should be funny/relevant. Comments should relate to the original post.

3) Only comments on posts made in 2011 will count. No sneaking comments onto really old posts.

GENERAL RULES:
1) These rules can be expanded or clarified at any point. This is mainly to prevent unanticipated shenanigans. I won't use this just to be a dick.

2) Any disputes will be resolved by the Rule Czar. The Rule Czar has the final say on any rule infractions. It is the Rule Czar's job to be an impartial 3rd party in these procedings.

3) Don't be a dick. Sure, there's probably loopholes in these rules. Don't exploit them.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank our 2010 Rule Czar, Rena McNeal, for the excellent job she did being prepared to mediate our nonexistent disputes. Thanks for your service, now clean out your office, because it's 2011 now and we need a new rule czar.

Now I'd like to introduce the 2011 Rule Czar: Rena McNeal! She comes to this postition with 1 years experience Rule Czaring for a VERY successful blog, 26 years experience being a rational person, and 23 years experience calling me on my bullshit. Welcome!

All that out of the way, here's to 2011: the best year the blog will have ever had!