Ideas for Member of the Month Contests - Feedback Please??

[Fergal]

I've been considering some ideas for improving our Member of the Month contest and I'd love to get feedback from our members. The updated contest could be something like this;


Each month I would pick one or two Members of the Month. These would be the people who were the most helpful to other members on the forum.
Each member could only become a Member of the Month once - in other words if you were chosen as a Member of the Month in Sept you could not become a Member of the Month in Oct, or any other month.
Anyone chosen as a Member of the Month would be given a cash prize.
Only people who were members of the forum for at least one month and who had made a certain amount posts, would be considered for winning the Member of the Month award.
At the end of the year, I would pick a Forum Member of the Year, from everyone who was previously a Member of the Month. To be named as the Business Advice Forum Member of the Year would be a very prestigious award and the winner would also receive a large cash prize.

So what do you think, is it a good idea? Would it encourage members to be loyal and contribute positively to the forum?

Have you any suggestions for improving it?

Thanks!

[50Cent]

1 - How about giving the Member of the Month member a different type of title under his avatar or put him in a different usergroup? Maybe you can create MOTM Group or something.
2 - Allow the Member of the Month member to place a link(If he/she have a website/forum/blog) in the footer or in the sidebar till the next member of the month member is chosen?
3 - Or giving the member of the month member either a 20posts for forums and 10 comments for blogs/websites?

[GekiDan]

Those are good improvements Fergal. And I also like 50Cent's suggestions.


3 - Or giving the member of the month member either a 20posts for forums and 10 comments for blogs/websites?
But what do you mean by this?

[50Cent]

Those are good improvements Fergal. And I also like 50Cent's suggestions.


But what do you mean by this?

Either one of the staff join the member's website or forums. If it is forum the staff will do 20 posts if website, then the staff do 10 comments.

[Fergal]

Thanks for the suggestions 50Cent, they are great ideas and I will definitely use some of them in the contest.

Anyone else?

[PaulPinnacle]

I think the 'driving factor' for most to try and achieve it would be the cash prize. However having a 'bump' in user group (e.g. rather than 'senior member' a move to 'valued member' or the likes) as a result of it might appeal to some members.


3 - Or giving the member of the month member either a 20posts for forums and 10 comments for blogs/websites?Due to the number of members who may not have a blog (I'd imagine it's a relatively small percentage that would have a forum), perhaps this could be expanded to include options for a testimonial for use on a website (commenting on the persons knowledge) or perhaps a recommendation on LinkedIn (should the person wish to have one).

[agentmanningctu]

I think the cash prize is enough. Posts/comments are just extra and cause more work for staff. If nothing else, you can use the cash to purchase posts/comments.

[Kay]

I've been considering some ideas for improving our Member of the Month contest and I'd love to get feedback from our members. The updated contest could be something like this;


Each month I would pick one or two Members of the Month. These would be the people who were the most helpful to other members on the forum.
Each member could only become a Member of the Month once - in other words if you were chosen as a Member of the Month in Sept you could not become a Member of the Month in Oct, or any other month.
Anyone chosen as a Member of the Month would be given a cash prize.
Only people who were members of the forum for at least one month and who had made a certain amount posts, would be considered for winning the Member of the Month award.
At the end of the year, I would pick a Forum Member of the Year, from everyone who was previously a Member of the Month. To be named as the Business Advice Forum Member of the Year would be a very prestigious award and the winner would also receive a large cash prize.

So what do you think, is it a good idea? Would it encourage members to be loyal and contribute positively to the forum?

Have you any suggestions for improving it?

Thanks!

Sounds good, Fergal. The only one I'd suggest you change slightly is "Each member could only become a Member of the Month once." How about making it once within six months instead. If the idea is to encourage quality posts, and say a member wins it in January, what's their incentive to keep making good ones for the rest of the year? A year's a very long time.


1 - How about giving the Member of the Month member a different type of title under his avatar or put him in a different usergroup? Maybe you can create MOTM Group or something.
2 - Allow the Member of the Month member to place a link(If he/she have a website/forum/blog) in the footer or in the sidebar till the next member of the month member is chosen?
3 - Or giving the member of the month member either a 20posts for forums and 10 comments for blogs/websites?

1. I would suggest using a vB hack for an award/medal icon that would be added to their profile. There used to be plenty of them to choose from. Saves messing around with usergroups.
2. Sounds okay.
3. Having seen the explanation of what you meant there, no thanks. I already work a 14-16 hour day. I'm not willing to do that with the little free time I have. I like to see my family and sleep occasionally too. :D


I think the 'driving factor' for most to try and achieve it would be the cash prize. However having a 'bump' in user group (e.g. rather than 'senior member' a move to 'valued member' or the likes) as a result of it might appeal to some members.

Due to the number of members who may not have a blog (I'd imagine it's a relatively small percentage that would have a forum), perhaps this could be expanded to include options for a testimonial for use on a website (commenting on the persons knowledge) or perhaps a recommendation on LinkedIn (should the person wish to have one).

Award/medal icons would serve the same purpose and usergroups could be left alone. With usergroups a problem arises when you have two members currently in different usergroups with different permissions, eg a regular member and a mod. If you move them both into a MOTM usergroup, one of them is going to gain permissions or lose user permissions they previously had.

It could be even simpler. We could just have special signature bars with the date on them of the month it was awarded eg BAF Member of The Month September 2010.

On testimonials etc: I'd not be willing to recommend someone I don't know very very well nor give a testimonial if I hadn't actually used their service. If anyone wanted to do that for another member, they could just do it off their own back. It needn't be part of the MOTM.




I think the cash prize is enough. Posts/comments are just extra and cause more work for staff. If nothing else, you can use the cash to purchase posts/comments.

Thank you agentmanningctu. My thoughts exactly. :) All these extras being suggested above outwith BAF itself are going beyond being recognized as a good member here. Just my two cents.

[Fergal]

Thanks again everyone for the feedback and suggestions, I will take them all on board before launching a new contest. I do like the idea of giving the winners a badge or signature image to use and display on their forum posts.

[PaulPinnacle]

Sounds good, Fergal. The only one I'd suggest you change slightly is "Each member could only become a Member of the Month once." How about making it once within six months instead.I'd even take it a step further and simply remove that restriction entirely. If someone is providing a level of advice that warrants winning it more than once, I can't see any reason not to allow them. Obviously there can be a slightly subjective measure included to limit how often there are 'repeat' winners, but without completely disallowing it.


3. Having seen the explanation of what you meant there, no thanks. I already work a 14-16 hour day. I'm not willing to do that with the little free time I have. I like to see my family and sleep occasionally too. :D
I assume (I'm open to correction here) that 50Cent was looking at this 'add on' in terms of ForumPromotion.net (so no additional work for the BAF admin team, other than Fergal to organise it) and given the prices this can be achieved for through FP, it would 'appear' more beneficial than simply adding the cost of this work to the cash prize.

It comes with the side benefits of free advertising/promotion of the ForumPromotion services, so a side benefit that makes it a potential win-win scenario for Fergal and the MOTM.

This one could appeal to a relatively small section of the users though (I know plenty of users who might not wish to have 'paid comments' appear on their blogs), hence the comments related to a testimonial.


With usergroups a problem arises when you have two members currently in different usergroups with different permissions, eg a regular member and a mod. If you move them both into a MOTM usergroup, one of them is going to gain permissions or lose user permissions they previously had.I was under the impression, perhaps wrongly, that 'staff' members (be it mods or admins) weren't eligible for the 'MOTM' prize (and restricted to the 'Staff MOTM')?

If that is the case, it removes the issue of winners having different permission levels, which could be affected by a new user group, as all of the winners would be moving from a 'normal member' group to a 'MOTM group' (with no change in permission levels between the two).

I'm not familiar with the backend of VB, so if the 'icon hack' is a simpler solution (from the outside, it seems like it is more 'hacky' and would potentially cause more issues than a simple 'extra group') then it serves the same purpose and seems to provide all the same benefits. It's a case of which is easier to implement and poses less risks to the stability of the site.


On testimonials etc: I'd not be willing to recommend someone I don't know very very well nor give a testimonial if I hadn't actually used their service.If the testimonial related to the level of advice provided in a particular niche via BAF, I wouldn't consider this as any type of risk to Fergal's or BAF's reputation. If anything, it's providing BAF with an extra means of advertising while also giving the 'winner' a nice pat on the back (e.g. "Kay, as a member of Business Advice Forum, has provided excellent advice relating to x, y and z. She has shown great knowledge, and ability to explain complex issues in a clear and understandable manner, that really make her stand out from the crowd as an expert in her field.").

It's not something all users would want or use (personally, I'd probably not include it on a corporate site), but it would be of interest to some users hoping to build on their reputation. It's also very subjective, so I do appreciate that you/Fergal/others might not like the idea. I'm normally VERY restrictive on who I'm willing to vouch for and how (reputation management is vital in the online community), but in this scenario I believe that the positives outweigh the negatives.

[Kay]

I'd even take it a step further and simply remove that restriction entirely. If someone is providing a level of advice that warrants winning it more than once, I can't see any reason not to allow them. Obviously there can be a slightly subjective measure included to limit how often there are 'repeat' winners, but without completely disallowing it.

I'd have no objection to that myself.



I assume (I'm open to correction here) that 50Cent was looking at this 'add on' in terms of ForumPromotion.net (so no additional work for the BAF admin team, other than Fergal to organise it) and given the prices this can be achieved for through FP, it would 'appear' more beneficial than simply adding the cost of this work to the cash prize.

It comes with the side benefits of free advertising/promotion of the ForumPromotion services, so a side benefit that makes it a potential win-win scenario for Fergal and the MOTM.

This one could appeal to a relatively small section of the users though (I know plenty of users who might not wish to have 'paid comments' appear on their blogs), hence the comments related to a testimonial.

Sorry, you lost me completely there. The way I understood it was that BAF staff would make posts on the MOTM's blog/forum or whatever. I'll await 50cent's clarification. :)


I was under the impression, perhaps wrongly, that 'staff' members (be it mods or admins) weren't eligible for the 'MOTM' prize (and restricted to the 'Staff MOTM')?

If that is the case, it removes the issue of winners having different permission levels, which could be affected by a new user group, as all of the winners would be moving from a 'normal member' group to a 'MOTM group' (with no change in permission levels between the two).

I'm not familiar with the backend of VB, so if the 'icon hack' is a simpler solution (from the outside, it seems like it is more 'hacky' and would potentially cause more issues than a simple 'extra group') then it serves the same purpose and seems to provide all the same benefits. It's a case of which is easier to implement and poses less risks to the stability of the site.

I'll await clarification on that from Fergal because I don't know for sure if mods are excluded. They probably are. I'm a pretty new mod myself and in all honesty I forgot there was a Staff MOTM award. :) I chose a bad example there, sorry: those were just the first two different usergroups that came into my head. Let's say then one member was a regular member and one a Premium member. The same issue arises over having different user permissions.

VB hacks are actually legitimate add-ons. I don't know what possessed them to call their official extensions "hacks" because the word has negative connotations. They are downloaded from the vBulletin site. There should be no risk involved apart from the normal risk you take of incompatibility when you add any kind of plugin to your site.


If the testimonial related to the level of advice provided in a particular niche via BAF, I wouldn't consider this as any type of risk to Fergal's or BAF's reputation. If anything, it's providing BAF with an extra means of advertising while also giving the 'winner' a nice pat on the back (e.g. "Kay, as a member of Business Advice Forum, has provided excellent advice relating to x, y and z. She has shown great knowledge, and ability to explain complex issues in a clear and understandable manner, that really make her stand out from the crowd as an expert in her field.").

It's not something all users would want or use (personally, I'd probably not include it on a corporate site), but it would be of interest to some users hoping to build on their reputation. It's also very subjective, so I do appreciate that you/Fergal/others might not like the idea. I'm normally VERY restrictive on who I'm willing to vouch for and how (reputation management is vital in the online community), but in this scenario I believe that the positives outweigh the negatives.

As you say, it wouldn't be for everyone. Personally I wouldn't do it. I can see where you're coming from though. Thanks for taking the time to make such a thoughtful reply to my comments. :)

[PaulPinnacle]

Sorry, you lost me completely there. The way I understood it was that BAF staff would make posts on the MOTM's blog/forum or whatever. I'll await 50cent's clarification. :)I could be wrong on my interpretation of it, but if it was to be used (and if I was in Fergal's shoes) I'd certainly look to tie it in with the ForumPromotion activities. It makes the offer on BAF look more attractive (yet it's a small additional cost in financial terms) and might appeal to some users. It also highlights the services available through FP, so a handy marketing boost for the site.


I'll await clarification on that from Fergal because I don't know for sure if mods are excluded. They probably are.Looking back at the thread, there's no explicit mention that they are excluded, so perhaps I'm wrong there. If they're not, I'd suggest that it might be an idea to help encourage beneficial activity among the 'non staff members'. I can see more pro's than con's to it being the case.


Let's say then one member was a regular member and one a Premium member. The same issue arises over having different user permissions.:o I wasn't aware there were different permissions outside of the 'staff' roles. If that's the case, it does rule out a new user group as a viable option. Well spotted.


VB hacks are actually legitimate add-ons. I don't know what possessed them to call their official extensions "hacks" because the word has negative connotations. They are downloaded from the vBulletin site.Agreed. It would be more logical to refer to them as 'applications'/'plugins' (as is now common place for other softare such as WP) rather than hacks.


There should be no risk involved apart from the normal risk you take of incompatibility when you add any kind of plugin to your site.If there are issues with the permission levels (as does appear to be the case due to 'premium membership'), then this would appear to be the ideal solution. It's all about what provides the end result (an icon is just as rewarding as a new user group in my own opinion, six of one half a dozen of the other) with as little work and impact on the BAF team.


Thanks for taking the time to make such a thoughtful reply to my comments. :)Not at all, thank you for making such thought provoking comments. Talking through various options like this is a great way to get multiple opinions and provides far greater potential to catch the issues in advance of them being issues.

[Fergal]

Thanks everyone for the detailed feedback, it is helpful for defining how the contest will run.

I haven't made up my mind yet in relation to whether or not Moderators would be eligible for the new Member of the Month contest. I have been considering merging the Staff Member of The Month and the MOTM contests, to form a single monthly contest.

Please keep the ideas coming.

[Kay]

Merging sounds fine to me. Especially since I forgot the Staff one existed. :D


I do like the idea of giving the winners a badge or signature image to use and display on their forum posts.

Fergal if you do decide to just go with the userbar sig, there's a very small program called AmitySource UserBar Generator (http://download.cnet.com/AmitySource-UserBar-Generator/3000-6675_4-10562945.html) that's available for download from CNet that's really easy to use even if you're not a graphics person.

Members could contribute a version or versions for consideration, and you could choose from them. That program's simple. You can also use a picture in the userbar background, which would help make them really unique. Just thinking it would be another way for members to interact.

(For anyone who's unsure what a userbar is, see the ones I made before for the "Help to promote BAF" thread here (http://www.businessadviceforum.com/showpost.php?p=14852&postcount=3) and here (http://www.businessadviceforum.com/showpost.php?p=17425&postcount=4). They are very simple. If you want to make one from scratch for yourself in a graphics program, the size is 350px x 20px.)

Of course you may want something bigger or completely different. :)

[50Cent]

I think the cash prize is enough. Posts/comments are just extra and cause more work for staff. If nothing else, you can use the cash to purchase posts/comments.
Some members might one extra apart from using the cash to buy comments or posting. Maybe they need the money to purchase something.. you might not know. :)


Having seen the explanation of what you meant there, no thanks. I already work a 14-16 hour day. I'm not willing to do that with the little free time I have. I like to see my family and sleep occasionally too.
It can be done by other people. Fergal can like hiring a 2 - 3 person just in posting on people's blog or forum. But staff can help out too for sure.

@Fergal, If you are going to use the userbar signature ideas.. i can help you create userbar and of course in different sizes if you want. Just Shoot me a PM will do. :)