New contest in the works! "Mod of the month"

[MetroMPG]

Was talking to Ben & Tim today, and decided EM is going to start a "Mod of the Month" contest to recognize & reward the best stuff that members are posting.

(Not to be confused with "Moderator of the Month". They're already recognized with that photo plaque in the lunch room.)

Still mulling over specifics, but we were thinking that throughout the month, members can nominate threads that document projects or tests, and we'll vote on it at the end of each month. "We" could be the mods, or the members at large via a poll (with mod or admin veto, haha ).

Prizes!

Yes, prizes too. Or prize (singular). Haven't decided, but something decent, like a *duino kit, EM t-shirt, tire pressure gauge...

Acceptance speeches! Red carpets! Awards galas!

OK, maybe not that complicated.

While we're noodling the details (meaning Ben ignores my ideas, so I make some decisions and then he complains about them later), your input is welcome.

[mobilerik]

I nominate Pete Townsend for "Mod of the Month"!

Are you a Mod or a Rocker? "I'm a Mocker." -- Ringo

[Lazarus]

I guess my question would be what constitues a MOD? Also there are only so many that can be done. I think it would be hard to keep giving the award.

How about best improved for the month over EPA?

[MetroMPG]

Nah, I want to see people's projects.

You're right. We're not likely to see a flood of brand new ideas that nobody's thought up before.

We wouldn't be judging on novelty (though if anyone can think of more ideas that aren't in the 60+ Efficiency Mods list, that would be great too).

They could just be particularly slick implementations of well known mods, or kick a$$ tests that haven't been done yet.

[MetroMPG]

akashik: OK, OK, or they could be British musicians. But they have to be members to win anything.

[TestDrive]

Eco-mode/Eco-project of the month.

I like the idea.

One vote per person?
X votes per person?
Vote as often as we like?

[trebuchet03]

Weighted Voting - Prior winners have more weight than "normal" voters, maybe?

- voting can be a function of:
* Quality
* Elegance/implementation
* Attention to testing practices
* Documentation
* Novel?

Personally, I rank implementation and quality over novelness. I'd rather see a "B" idea implemented well than an "A" idea implemented like crap. And of course, documentation documentation documentation

Oh, is mod of the month too much? Maybe a quarterly thing? Setting longer deadlines may result in striving for higher quality. I'd rather see completed mods entered than in-progress prototypes.

Yes, I know all of our mods are prototypes...

[Sean T.]

I'm guessing that we would be voting on mods that are new for that month? Or our favorite mod of all time?

[tasdrouille]

That's a great idea!

[SuperTrooper]

How about choosing a specific type of mod and have the members submit their efforts? Something like "Best Rear Wheel Fairings". Announce the featured mod in advance and give a final submission date for pics + narrative, with voting to follow. This gives the members time to finalize their efforts and avoids trying to weigh relative complexity of different mods, thus simplifying comparison.