Yakezie.com - Topic: Blogging Scholarship Update

Forest Parks on Blogging Scholarship Update

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 13:04:38 +0000

I'm sorry about that, it's one thing to ask everyone you know to vote and another to spam the voting :(

Marissa on Blogging Scholarship Update

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 06:58:47 +0000

Sustainable PF said:

numbers still seem skewed.

if you want me to look into how they're gaming this, again, drop me an email. I'll see what I can do to break their system.

Being online since 1988, i've learned my share of ways around "controls".

Greatest reply ever! Also kind sounds James Bond-ish

Sustainable PF on Blogging Scholarship Update

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 19:20:53 +0000

numbers still seem skewed.

if you want me to look into how they're gaming this, again, drop me an email. I'll see what I can do to break their system.

Being online since 1988, i've learned my share of ways around "controls".

Hunter @financiallyc on Blogging Scholarship Update

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 19:12:18 +0000

I despise this blatant fraud. I would immediately report it to the Federal Trade Commission or your states Attorney Generals office. They will investigate and may be able to force procedural safeguards that reduce gaming. Worth a shot.

Jeff @ Sustainable Life Blog on Blogging Scholarship Update

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 06:54:24 +0000

I was going to suggest you see how the voting goes this time around, but now that they are not displaying votes you cant do that. I have a feeling that their "changes" wont amount to much, and this may be a lost cause. On the other hand, 10k is nothing to scoff at.

Shannyn @FrugalBeautiful.com on Blogging Scholarship Update

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 06:43:41 +0000

So, if you happened to read my posts in the other thread, I'm a finalist for a $10k scholarship that allows for online voting with no captcha or email regsitration. The voting started on Wednesday and within 72 hours bloggers with horrible stats had 35,000 or more votes. I had emailed Scholarships.org in the first 24 hours when several people (1 with 9 RSS readers) had thousands of votes, it was totally cheating, and as some clever Yakezians proved, all you had to do was develop a bot or clear out your cache to vote multiple times.

The site emailed last night to say they had more votes than traffic, and stated there was cheating going on but didn't disqualify anyone that obviously stuffed the ballot (I know it may be hard to prove, but when you have 9 readers and 35k votes in 72 hours? COME ON)

They have re-opened the polls and wiped the ballot clean but now don't show overall votes, while the site says they've recoded, I think it's still far too easy to cheat.

I'm not sure what to do, should I even try? The voting is here and can be done once daily: http://www.collegescholarships.....holarship/

and my article about it is here: http://frugalbeautiful.com/blo.....ip-rigged/

I just sent the website owner an email calling for the most obvious of cheaters to be disqualified...I know another guy who is too. I doubt they'll listen.

This is undoubtedly the weirdest situation I've found myself on the net thus far. Your thoughts are appreciated.