Member of the Month - Community Feedback

Hello everybody!

For September, the Community Development team held Member of the Month for the first time and we believe it was a reasonable success. However, it's time for the community to have their say on how they feel the event is. This thread is going to be used for suggestions on how we can make the next edition better.

So how do you guys feel? How can we improve? We had a suggestion to include a Graphics Member of the Month section which we feel would be a nice edition. Just let us know how you all feel.

 

Let us know what you think everyone!

 

Well Brendan, I think it's a nice idea over-all. But the thing is, it'll be the same few people being voted for. I saw you posted something along the lines of "This is why we are planning to do something like exempting people from winning the month after they won." Then, it will just be the next popular guy. I could spend hours into the community daily, but I'm not known, people won't read my posts, I won't be voted for, they'll all just end up being like "Yeah Brendan!".
I know this is a way you guys are trying to have people get more community-involved, but it's more like it's rigged "competition" compared to anything.
It's 5 am so I'm not gonna add a lot more, but yeah.

 

its a well thought idea that many users came to appreciate because when they post and they get voted for they feel more accepted and people generally read their posts, good work and a nice idea.

 

Yup, this.

For example, I have never. EVER received a single vote in any of the MOTM's, yet I'm online nearly every day and quite active.
It's not so much a "Who's doing the best" but rather a popularity contest, as stated time after time before.

 

I can see where you're coming at. The event isn't designed to be a popularity contest and it is more or less designed to recognise members who are helping and contributing actively. Unfortunately, at times people do vote for their friends or go along with the crowd and I do find it unfortunate.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how this issue could be removed?

 

I myself voted for Brendan, why? He's been the MOST HELPFUL and active non staff member and is online every day, is very friendly, thats why i voted for him, not because he is popular, i'm sure most of the other people here did to, but thats on a user basis.

 

I beleive personally that you, brendan, should be ineligble to run for Member of the month, and possibly everyone else on the mysterious "Community Development Team" we've never heard anything about. It seems a little rigged that your the run holding hosting and bumping the Member of the Month thread just for you to get it in the end seems like a waste of everybodys time.

 

Lol Death, Brendan is allot better than most of us including Staff based on activity and friendliness, i'm glad he won it and he deserved it.

 

I think that on a community as big as this, it is hard to run this sort of thing. The most outspoken, or the people who post the most usually win, not the most helpful.

 

Be glad to see GFX'er of the month, as GFX is actually a talent, the rest is all popularity. I think it'd be good to say if you won the last MotM, you can't win the following month. It's not fair, no, but it gives other people a chance. People will stop voting if the same person wins every time. There's nothing stopping the same person winning the month after.

 

GUISEE let's find a solution to this problem instead of squabbling about it, okay?

This may be included. I originally came up with that idea as a possible solution and if no better ways are suggested, it will likely go ahead.

 

Maybe the CDT could nominate 5 or 6 members for each award, based on genuine forum and site contribution and community spirit. Evidence and/or a reason for each selected member would be given, and of course the same people wouldn't be selected each month. This could include Newcomers, who've proven to be a new asset to the community, etc etc, not just because you're friends with the people - I'm pretty sure that would encourage new members to be more active and defeat the problem we seem to have with a less active community. Just a suggestion. Can't really think of any other ways around it.

 

It's really nothing but a popularity contest, and nothing will ever change if you continue to have these competitions.

 

Anonymous voting

 

This. And secret voting, to stop the popularity-biased voting.

 

lol do you think it will ever change? I have a hard time believing that

 

Yup, this would probably help quite a bit.

 

I think if it's anonymous like FireZ suggested, more people will speak their mind instead of just going with what the "popular" vote is.

 

Personally, one of my favourite elements of the voting is to see who voted for whom, if that was removed it'd be pretty boring imo. But if that's what works best, then so be it.