Awards

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 12:11 pm

How about an annual award for the best UNPAID contribution to MM.

I've been a Gold user of this software for years now, and some of the regular contributors on this forum ( be it scripting; support; skins or otherwise) deserve recognition beyond the genuine thanks of the community.

Without them, this software would probably not have the user base it has.

So, whether by poll or some bespoke voting system, I'd like to see some of the stalwarts recognised for their altruistic efforts.

Anyone else agree?

Comments welcome.

DaledeSilva · Post by **DaledeSilva** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 11:32 pm

I think that's a good idea...

Dale.

Blake · Post by **Blake** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 1:56 am

I couldn't agree more. I think that is a wonderful idea and it would promote the making of skins/scripts. I would prefer it be every quarter of a year though (that would give me a better chance of getting one)

onkel_enno · Post by **onkel_enno** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 3:11 am

But who gets one and who not?
And the main scripters/supporters already have a lifetime licence.

But nevertheless a nice idea.

Blake · Post by **Blake** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 3:16 am

Embarrassment!

I have never had a license because my dad won't let me

. I want to support MM but it seems the only way I can do that is by making skins and posting support. *sigh*. Maybe i'll make a new skin

rovingcowboy · Post by **rovingcowboy** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 5:27 am

blakeloth1 wrote:Embarrassment! I have never had a license because my dad won't let me . I want to support MM but it seems the only way I can do that is by making skins and posting support. *sigh*. Maybe i'll make a new skin

i use the free version also. since i can't buy things online. and there is no snail mail address to send snail mail too.

so i do the same just make skins and other things and try to help the best i can.

thats the only way i been supporting media monkey.

durden999uk · Post by **durden999uk** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 6:15 am

I don't see how what licence you use has to do with anything - if it were to go ahead I think it should simply be a form a recognition, with that being reward enough. Maybe the winners could add it to their sig...

But would it encourage good work, or breed resentment? If someone felt they deserved a best scripter award, but were beaten into 2nd place, would that encourage them to do better or anger them into giving up? I would hope the former, but who knows?

Another problem is what awards are given out?
Best Script
Best Skin
...Outstanding Achievement?
I can't think of any more, unless those two main ones are broken down further...

trixmoto · Post by **trixmoto** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 6:43 am

I like this idea, there are a lot of scripters, skinners, moderators, and other contributers who could be recognised. I agree that quarterly sounds about right, not too often but often enough. I don't think this needs splitting into different categories, just a single "outstanding contribution" award.

I'm not sure how the voting would work. I guess it would work exactly like a forum poll, but you'd need a way of nominating people.

Also, the award itself - what would this be? Maybe a list could be compiled on the mediamonkey homepage listing the award winners (maybe 2nd and 3rd as well?) - maybe a T-shirt or something as well?

Steegy · Post by **Steegy** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 9:27 am

I'm very unsure about this. Like durden999uk I have doubts about this.

Maybe I'm not explaining it very well, but I think it will cause "bad atmosphere" and can give the reverse of encouragement.
In a community where things are done for free, to help others, there shouldn't be a bad, competitive atmosphere.
Also, people that think they deserve a reward but don't get it will be very displeased.

The whole point of making scripts/skins/... (at least for me it is) is to help people, and "help" the developers. It's not to get a higher score (therefore there is school and sometimes work). When that last thing is the motivation, then the quality will probably go down and probably the amount will go up.
Why would scripters make another simple script that's just like an other one? Because it's too much trouble to make a more general script, because specific is better, or because then they can make more of them? Remember that MediaMonkey and it's users are better of with more general scripts. That's why I like MagicNodes, TweakMonkey and other scripts so much.

If you are a longtime forum member or if you read some old posts, you'll see how many useful people there were also in the past, and how much scripts/ideas they made that are still copied by, or the example of, today's scripts.
And the "past" doesn't have to be a long time ago. I feel strong thankfulness for the scripters that made a wonderful script, skin creators that made a wonderful skin, ... but they don't get any credit for what they've done because people forgot about them, because they're not mass-makers or simply because they're not here to say "thank you" to.
I think these people also really deserve some credit for what they've done (a lot of them aren't on the forum anymore). That can be done by putting them in a "group" (e.g. "Excellent Support", to say something about e.g. Lowlander and a lot of others). Sometimes it is forgotten that those people had a lot to do with what MM and its community are today.

So I dislike the idea of "awards", but I very much like the idea of "Groups" (e.g. on http://forum.maxthon.com).
Groups like "Skin Maker", "Skin Expert", "Script Maker", "Script Expert", "Plugin Maker", "Plugin Expert", "Support Pro", ... are much more "productive". I don't know if you have ever visited the Maxthon forum, but if you've not you should do it once. That place is almost completely driven (plugins, skins, website, faq, ...) on people that are appreciated by other people (without getting elected and getting awards) and do it to help others. The place is great!
(obviously the group membership should be shown as a tag/signature/... when the user posts in the forum)

-- I'm so sorry for the long text. It's hard to read, I know, but "if you say a you should say b" and I want to make my concern as understandable as possible.

rovingcowboy · Post by **rovingcowboy** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 10:41 am

i knew someone else could say it better then i could steegy.

which is why i did not say it in my last post but i do agree with you and your thoughts on the awards they are not needed it might make a more war like climit here

trixmoto · Post by **trixmoto** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 10:52 am

I see what you mean, and that's why I didn't suggest a big award like money or something. I didn't think anyone would really try to "fake" being good just to get a mention or t-shirt or something. It's more of a token than an award.

In a sense, your idea of groups is just like adding a list of names to the homepage, except instead of people being "awarded" quarterly they are just presented with the status whenever it is decided (who by?) that they deserve it, and it's shown on the forum.

What about multiple groups though? Some people might fall into more than one category!

judas · Post by **judas** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 6:13 pm

I like the groups idea...allthough the same applies: who choses what, and how?

Steegy · Post by **Steegy** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 6:33 pm

multiple groups ... Some people might fall into more than one category

That's the idea. Multiple tags/buttons/groups should be possible for one user. The "problem" is that the forum would have to be changed (through a phpBB mod).

For example, existing group members could be able to choose new members. They probably know best (because they are "at home" on the subject and have been long enough here to have some experience on who did what. It shouldn't be to difficult to find the first members. It's always difficult to decide if someone fits in category 0, 1 or 2, but some basic objective targets could help (e.g. to get the "skin maker" tag: minimum 2 quality skins... but what is quality).
Maybe the new "add-ons" system will enable us to count the number of downloads per skin and plugin, and so this could be the base of a minimum score you need to get tagged as group member.

rovingcowboy · Post by **rovingcowboy** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 7:33 pm

i am still a little shakey about the groups?

this seems to be a forum killer, every forum i have been in has died that did the groups thing.

trixmoto · Post by **trixmoto** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 5:40 am

I don't think it would kill the forum at all. There are already a few groups: Administrator, Moderator, Registered, Guest.