[CQ-Contest] Top Ten scores & 3830 postings?

[James Duffey]

Tom and Steve (and anyone else out there who has an opinion) - Can you  
take some time to explain succinctly to someone who is relatively new  
to serious contesting why it is important to post promptly to the 3830  
list, why it is good contest etiquette to do so, and what negative  
behavior the difference in scores between claimed and actual scores  
indicates? I can guess at these, but I can't make a whole rational  
picture out of the discussion here.

I must confess that I have never posted to the 3830 list. As someone  
whose current abilities are far from top ten material in the big  
contests, I must confess it is a bit intimindating and embarassing to  
post a score that is a half, a third, or even a tenth or worse that of  
the copntenders. To have the actual score further scrutinized in  
comparision with the claimed score by someone who thinks that large  
differences mean something unethical or ill mannered is going on,  
rather than simple mistakes, is really intimidating.

On the other hand, if I do post promptly, I can see several ways that  
someone can use that information in a nefarious manner. Is that what  
is trying to be avoided?

Isn't the real problem the long lead time between the time the contest  
is conducted, the time logs are due, and the time results are made  
public? - Duffey
--
KK6MC
James Duffey
Cedar Crest NM