[Suggestion] Post of the week/month and post Hall of Fame

[TheodoreK]

Here's my suggestion:


Have a sticky thread (or another place) to exhibit, discuss and elevate the best posts made in these forums.


The best post(s) could be picked on a weekly or monthly basis to be featured in a "post of the month/week" sticky and maybe truly extraordinary posts can be immortalized for future generations to behold in a "Hall of Fame" sticky!

Many different conditions could be used to determine whether a post is "epic" enough and the forum is so good that it won't be running out of incredible posts.
Maybe the best posts could be further discussed in some form of behind-the-scenes forum meta-discussion (I know I'd be interested!)


What do you think about that? I am sure I have seen it elsewhere too but I just can't put my finger on it.

[grynge]

I think they already get posted to the Front Page. But it definitely is a good idea.

[KenW3]

Thank you very much for your suggestions. Anything that would help members find great content, or enable them to participate more in the forums, to share and learn, is always welcome. We have some truly great talent in this forum. Surprisingly, there are also some very capable members that do not reply to threads or post helpful articles, even though the threads are in their specific fields. More ideas on how to increase participation is always a great help to everyone.

At the moment, there are several places to display good posts. Moderators can Promote a great post to a different section as an article. When you are in the forum section display, these articles are listed in the left sidebar. The sections for articles on EP are The Front Page, Running A Website, Making Money Online, Selling Websites, and Buying Websites. The Front Page is accessed by clicking on Home in the upper left corner of the forum display. The other sections are available from the Front Page.

These posts can only be promoted by the admin or mods, so if anyone sees something great, please send a PM. Please feel free to nominate posts from others. (I would not feel comfortable promoting my own posts, and I'm sure nobody will try self-promotion ) If you do wish to publish articles directly, EP has a blog section which is available to established members, and this is a great section to demonstrate expertise in a business specialty.

After teaching for a while, you may find there are two benefits for members willing to write instructional material. First, we learn best that which we teach. You will find that you never learn anything so well, as when you assist another in their understanding of the subject. Second, a reputation for expertise in a specific area, in a respected forum away from your business, will generate opportunity and recognition that could never be achieved through your business alone. There is a third, but it's not so much a benefit, as it is a result. All the help you give others seems to make its way back to you multiplied many times over.

[Clinton]

Theo, thanks for starting this thread and for your suggestion.

Ken has done his usual adept summary of the options we have to give posts recognition. It's something I should have put in writing ages ago! In addition to what he's said we mods do also use another feature: if a particular post is a good starting point for a new discussion we split the thread and use that post as the OP for a new thread.

So please, everyone, feel free to PM any mod with a suggestion to promote a post you like to the front page. They all have the decision making powers and tools to make the promotion.

Surprisingly, there are also some very capable members that do not reply to threads or post helpful articles, even though the threads are in their specific fields.

To whoever is reading this: He's talking about YOU (if you haven't posted in the last few days).

I've put this forum together, I've spent a lot of time and effort getting some great people together, but from there on it's up to members. Some of them don't seem to realise that they need to post and interact to gain maximum advantage.... and, in fact, to keep this forum going! As Ken says, "All the help you give others seems to make its way back to you multiplied many times over."

Back to Theo's original suggestion. Organising a post of the week etc., does take some management effort but that doesn't mean it cannot be done.

What do you think about that? I am sure I have seen it elsewhere too but I just can't put my finger on it

Maybe you're talking about the competition we had in the early days...which eventually fizzled out for lack of interest. We even had a prize of $200 for the best posts. I later decided to make it democratic and let members themselves decide winners.

But that was a long time ago when we had a lot fewer members and the members we did have weren't incentivised by a "mere" $200.

I could reinstitute a competition like that complete with prizes - either cash or on-forum recognition of various kinds. What I'd like before I do that is get some feel for how popular it would be.

If there were competition like that
1. Who here would be incentivised to post?
2. Who'd actively vote every month for the best post?
3. What would you like the prize or reward or recognition to be - POTM, Hall of Fame, something else....?

[TheodoreK]

Ken, I think I will be PMing you from now on to nominate some of your posts
I really like how, towards the end of your posts, you add bits of profound wisdom like this one:

All the help you give others seems to make its way back to you multiplied many times over.

About my original suggestion, I made it because I thought that some great posts do not get the exposure they deserve.
Seeing that many excellent posts are being made each week maybe instead of a post of the week/month competition that picks one out of many we could just promote more good posts to the front page.
Maybe it would be better to have a Hall of Fame for the truly great posts so they endure in time.


Clinton, I like the idea of a competition. I think this is one of the few forums where 200 bucks can't be an incentive to post and people will appreciate more intangible rewards (such as recognition).
However many people see competitions as zero-sum games (your win my loss) so many members, especially new ones, might be reluctant to participate!

[Clinton]

Have a sticky thread (or another place) to exhibit, discuss and elevate the best posts made in these forums.

Click on the home button in the nav bar to go to this site's frontpage. You'll find the best posts elevated to "frontpage articles". That's been going on since the start of this forum.

The best post(s) could be picked on a weekly or monthly basis to be featured in a "post of the month/week" sticky and maybe truly extraordinary posts can be immortalized for future generations to behold in a "Hall of Fame" sticky!

Based on suggestions, there's now a thread for TOTW bulletins

Ken, I think I will be PMing you from now on to nominate some of your posts

He's probably too modest to promote his own posts to the frontpage. You'd be better off sending that PM to one of the other mods

[KenW3]

Maybe it would be better to have a Hall of Fame for the truly great posts so they endure in time.

Clinton, I like the idea of a competition. I think this is one of the few forums where 200 bucks can't be an incentive to post and people will appreciate more intangible rewards (such as recognition).
However many people see competitions as zero-sum games (your win my loss) so many members, especially new ones, might be reluctant to participate!

@TheodoreK, Thank you for your compliment. I don't know why I didn't see this before (or maybe I had, but ran out of Thanks for the day )?

The incentive to post here is the opportunity to learn from others. What continues to amaze me is the new members who take the time to make a first post to the Welcome, Please Introduce Yourself section, and never post another thing. Participation on a forum is dialog, so while some posts may be more helpful to some and not applicable to others, the only reason to be here is to participate. The reason to continue to post is the ability to become a full member here. New people may not realise, but they cannot buy knowledge received here for free. Also, what can be gained by giving to others cannot be measured, but the rewards are tangible.

People here respond to posts where the new person wanted to learn and work with others, but was/is unable or unwilling to communicate. Nobody can possibly work with or help people like that, so the single post intro fades into oblivion, to become just another lost opportunity they have left in the past. Doing that is very much like getting on an expressway (by signing up), getting up to speed (by reading the rules), driving down the road (by making your first post), then taking your hands off the wheel and waiting to see where you end up. Those poor souls who can't or won't help themselves... Theodore Sir, I just don't know.

Click on the home button in the nav bar to go to this site's frontpage. You'll find the best posts elevated to "frontpage articles". That's been going on since the start of this forum.

Based on suggestions, there's now a thread for TOTW bulletins

He's probably too modest to promote his own posts to the frontpage. You'd be better off sending that PM to one of the other mods

These new bulletins are great. There are sections on the Front Page that contain the best of the best of EP, in sections titled Running A Website, Making Money Online, Selling Websites, and Buying Websites. Under this section list is a Categories View that allows members to find specific areas of interest. There is amazing knowledge linked from this Front Page.

As for nominations or promotion to this Front Page, I don't believe it's appropriate for a mod to promote themselves, nor attempt to gain advantage over others based on the mod tools available. A mod is here to make the forum a more pleasant place for the members, by making sure rules are followed that are in the best interest of everyone here. I see it as an opportunity to say thank you to others from behind the scenes.

[Clinton]

Theo, I told you he won't promote his own posts and you have to contact someone else!

[TheodoreK]

Alright, I will have to conspire with Kay to promote Ken's posts then!

[KenW3]

Alright, I will have to conspire with Kay to promote Ken's posts then!

That's very flattering, but ultimately not in your best interest. I will always help when possible, but it is best to have a variety of input from which to assess future direction. Learning several approaches to the same goal allows you to mix and match to your personal preferences. One book is never enough. Two is a coin flip. A dozen is a good start.

From my experience, students signing up to learn a process cannot have the same background experiences as a teacher. This means they are often approaching the acquisition of knowledge without the requisite personal trial and error. This still has to occur in the learning process, so that the same abilities exist to recognise events and situations that have become instinctual to an educator. This lack of analytical perspective is a disadvantage that can only be overcome by multiple resources to the same results, providing a background and experience from which to accurately assess events.