Quiet around here!!

[TanksNStuff]

A couple other suggestions for the contest itself, based on my opinion:

1. Make sure you come up with a complete list of rules before it starts. Maybe post a list here and get feedback from those who will participate before finalizing?
2. Try to be as clear as possible on each rule so that there can be no disagreement on interpretations. (This one can be hard, but do your best.)
3. I'd exclude any post under 5 words long (and that doesn't mean adding 3 irrelevant words to "Nice pic John" to make the cut ).
4. All sales/buys related posts and maybe even posts in vendor forums should be excluded.
5. Put a disclaimer that all post counts will be subject to the counter(s) discretion.
6. I think you should give a bonus (+1 point) for any conservation or education related topics. This would be for things like Mark mentioned (the endangered species list) or if someone provides feedback to a help question with a good resource article link or something included.

I'm sure you have more/other ideas but figured I'd get you started with that.

 

[JRWOHLER]

Thanks Ed....I just spit water all over my computer screen!!

I both found this funny but think the thread is a good one.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Kevin, I think this is an excellent idea.


Also, Ed's comment was bringing up a major issue before you became a member. The open "For Sale" forum was a nightmare and impossible to moderate. Having lived through it as a moderator, I immediately saw the humor he was trying to add, but still didn't stop me from considering driving over to his house and slapping him silly.


Does anyone know how R2R comes up with their "Excellence" award? It's simply an added "Excellence" avitar, but it also gives you a warm fuzzy feeling for being recognized. It recognizes those who have added value to the forum.

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

Kevin, I think this is an excellent idea.


Also, Ed's comment was bringing up a major issue before you became a member. The open "For Sale" forum was a nightmare and impossible to moderate. Having lived through it as a moderator, I immediately saw the humor he was trying to add, but still didn't stop me from considering driving over to his house and slapping him silly.


Does anyone know how R2R comes up with their "Excellence" award? It's simply an added "Excellence" avitar, but it also gives you a warm fuzzy feeling for being recognized. It recognizes those who have added value to the forum.

I know exactly how R2R comes up with the excellence award. Members and the mod staff nominate members that are overall helpful to the community. It could be welcoming other members. It could also be consistently posting information that is helpful to other members. It can also be someone that has been helpful to other reefers or the reefing community. Once a member is nominated, the mod team weighs in and decides whether the member is deserving.


I think that bringing something like the "Excellence Award" could be a good idea for us. It could help to encourage members to be more active. Maybe something along the lines of a reefer of the month? Maybe they could get some sort of badge under their user name. Not sure if that could work.

 

[kschweer]

OK here is a rough idea for rules:
- I will start a thread for the contest. All who wish to participate will let me know in that thread. I will set a deadline to enter and once that deadline is reached I will compile a list of the participants and their current post count.
- To help keep track I think asking participants to post a link of a newly started thread in the contest thread.
- to keep it a little simpler I dont want to make too many different point designations. I was thinking 1 point per new meaningful post (excluding D/S and open water), 3 points for each new thread started, 5 points for updating an existing tale of the tank thread and 8 points for starting a new tale of the tank thread (I came up with 8 from 3pts for starting a new thread and 5pts for a tale of the tank update) A new tale of the tank thread is only eligible to those who do not have one or have a newer tank they havent started one for.

Let me know what you think. I just want something simple to boost up that activity on the site.

 

[Sobo's Reef]

I'm down for this Kev. I'm always posting stuff n updating my TOTT thread. I think it's a great idea

 

[TanksNStuff]

I know exactly how R2R comes up with the excellence award. Members and the mod staff nominate members that are overall helpful to the community. It could be welcoming other members. It could also be consistently posting information that is helpful to other members. It can also be someone that has been helpful to other reefers or the reefing community. Once a member is nominated, the mod team weighs in and decides whether the member is deserving.


I think that bringing something like the "Excellence Award" could be a good idea for us. It could help to encourage members to be more active. Maybe something along the lines of a reefer of the month? Maybe they could get some sort of badge under their user name. Not sure if that could work.

We can easily do this. There is an option in the control panel that lets a mod designate a custom title to any member. It is a manual change to the profile, so if it's a temporary thing it will also have to be reverted back at the specified time... but it is definitely doable! Krista, perhaps you could elaborate more on the nomination/selection process based on your mod experience on R2R? It could help us get something like that going for sure. What are some other typicaly reasons why people get nominated?

OK here is a rough idea for rules:
- I will start a thread for the contest. All who wish to participate will let me know in that thread. I will set a deadline to enter and once that deadline is reached I will compile a list of the participants and their current post count.
- To help keep track I think asking participants to post a link of a newly started thread in the contest thread.
- to keep it a little simpler I dont want to make too many different point designations. I was thinking 1 point per new meaningful post (excluding D/S and open water), 3 points for each new thread started, 5 points for updating an existing tale of the tank thread and 8 points for starting a new tale of the tank thread (I came up with 8 from 3pts for starting a new thread and 5pts for a tale of the tank update) A new tale of the tank thread is only eligible to those who do not have one or have a newer tank they havent started one for.

Let me know what you think. I just want something simple to boost up that activity on the site.

Kevin, this is your baby and I don't want to tell you how to run it. I do think giving the highest point award to new ToTT threads is a bit unfair to all the old timers that already have one and can't start a new one. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying a new ToTT isn't deserving of a higher point award. But there should be other alternatives to get a high point post for those who don't have that opportunity (because they have a ToTT thread already going.) Updating yours for the 3 point bonus is a good start to even that out, but it might be a good idea to come up with at least one other way to get a 5-8 pt post. Maybe it should be something that's a 1-time only bonus though. Perhaps it could be for something like offering a member help with their tank or something like that?

What do you think?

 

[Edwardw771]

Maybe we could get some speaker type friends of the club to come do reef chats on the site. What topics are folks interested in.

 

[JRWOHLER]

Maybe we could get some speaker type friends of the club to come do reef chats on the site. What topics are folks interested in.

That is a great idea...we could use something like Skype or Lync to do a chat. First thing that came to mind is the new Maxspect powerhead, since you have been leading the charge.

 

[Edwardw771]

The swap will be the place to see those. If anyone wants to see it sooner let me know.

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

More on the nomination and selection process for the "Excellence Award":

There are 2 mods on R2R that have info about the excellence award in their signatures. Members will send them a PM using the link in their signature. Members will nominate someone that they feel has helped them out or they see helping other members in the threads. Typically, these nominations are rare.

The rest of the mods help to nominate other members. I nominate people that are consistent in welcoming new members to the forum. I check the meet and greet forum for members that welcome newer members with open arms. I think this is important because this gives members the first impression of the forum.

In my posting of the forum, I look at other members' posts in threads. I look for posts that are helpful, informative or supportive. I also try to look at how they post. Is the member posting with an attitude like my way is the best way? If so, that member is not deserving. I also look as to how they handle disagreements. Do they handle it with aggression or do they handle it properly?

Another reason for a member to be nominated is for helping the reefing community. There was one member that received the award for the work that they do at a local school. The member set up the tank and maintains it all with their own money. They also teach the students about the tank. Other members can get nominated for helping a reefer in crisis. For example, helping their tank when it has an epic failure.

Once a member is nominated, the mod team discusses it behind the scenes. Typically, the post for the member is flagged so the mod team can discuss.

George, I hope that answers your question.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Here's my two cents......unless the points system is expanded, I think I'd prefer the more subjective way R2R does it. Here is my reasoning: With the current suggested point system, I could see a couple members racking up the points with wishy-washy responses. (I appologize, but I'm not sure how to classify the posts from a few that are plentiful, but to me, mostly nonsensical.) While other posts, like this one started by Kevin, that in my mind's eye, would be worthy of a tremendous amount of points. I realize the points would be more analytical, and easily added up, but I believe the subjective judgement of a few moderators would more clearly see the benefit some members bring to the site with very meaningful posts.


So I would suggest a small group of either current moderators or a newly created commitee that identifies members with beneficial posts. Because of our small community, maybe one a quarter....or not even a number on it, but when someone is idendified as beneficial to the community.

 

[kschweer]

Agreed Paul. I think that this "contest" I'm trying to throw together and an "excellence" award would be 2 separate things.

 

[TanksNStuff]

Ed, I think that's a great idea too. Having a speaker to interview or even if we could have a chat session or something (we have the chatroom module already working on our forum) would be really cool and would surely generate some interest around here.

Krista, thank you for the extra info. That does answer a lot of my questions. I think after the Swap we'll have some time to really look into some kind of member recognition program that we can do here. Would you be interested in helping get that going and/or helping run it once it goes into effect? I think your experience would help us at least get it planned out properly and we would appreciate your input.

Paul, I think you make some really good points. I think Kevin's original idea of a points system based on post count / participation had great intentions (and I also believe that coming up with it and suggesting it is worthy of "a tremendous amount of points")... but perhaps another system might be more fair, easier to implement, etc.

On the other hand, Kevin was putting this thing together and offering his own prize(s) for his "contest" and perhaps he should give his plan a try just to see how it works out? It may generate some excitement and buzz right now, which is always a good thing right before the Swap anyway. But, as Paul suggests, perhaps future "contests" should be coordinated differently (more like what Krista was suggesting)?

 

[kschweer]

Thinking about this a little more and I really just want this to be a simple way to stir up some discussion.
-1 point for new posts (again meaningful posts outside of d/s and open water)
-2 points for a new topic (must be linked in contest thread and again not in d/s or open water.

 

[Edwardw771]

here is what DVRC does

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=23064127#post23064127

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

Krista, thank you for the extra info. That does answer a lot of my questions. I think after the Swap we'll have some time to really look into some kind of member recognition program that we can do here. Would you be interested in helping get that going and/or helping run it once it goes into effect? I think your experience would help us at least get it planned out properly and we would appreciate your input.

I definitely be willing to help out with it.

Thinking about this a little more and I really just want this to be a simple way to stir up some discussion.
-1 point for new posts (again meaningful posts outside of d/s and open water)
-2 points for a new topic (must be linked in contest thread and again not in d/s or open water.

I think that is a better way to go about it. Maybe instead of points do "entries" for a random draw for the prize. My reasoning for this is say you have a handful of members that go post crazy. Other members may see this and get discouraged because they know that with their schedule they can't keep up and will never win. The up side would be that everyone would feel as though they have a small chance. They may be more encouraged to get more entries by posting more and starting more threads.

 

[kschweer]

Good call krista. Like I said I want this as simple as possible. Just a quick idea I had that we can maybe elaborate on for future use. For this quick "contest" to stir up discussion I think kristas idea is easiest. Sorry I'm all over the place with this I should have had this though out better before starting this thread. Not sure if anyone is familiar with how they do some contests on r2r but this is how it would work. Member starts a new topic and links to this topic in the contest thread, a end date is selected and on that date a random number is drawn. This number corresponds to the winning post # in the contest thread. Does this work for everyone.


Again sorry I didn't have this planned out better before starting this thread.

 

[JRWOHLER]

Don't be sorry was a great idea, needed to be discussed anyway so a full plan was not needed just the idea.