Overhauling the "Mazda of the Month"

[dragonballspeed]

What is the point of overhauling a MOTM thread if you are limiting to only certain Mazda vehicles at one time. It's then no long MOTM but now Mazda such and such for that particular month. MOTM implies all Mazdas at any time.

If you really want to improve the MOTM, then you should restrick commenting on the entries and just let entries post through a controlled method. Then you simply attach a multiple choice type thing at the very top of the thread that allows people to vote. If you want more visibility then place it in Every sub folder. When the winner is announced anybody can then comment as they see fit, and those comments would go to a central location where all winners are stored.

The idea you are proposing is just glorifying post the best pic of your Mazda which has no requirements to post more than 1 photo. My car could look like the &*&% on the outside or inside, but the rest could be complete crap. I personally NEVER look at that thread bc is is just too damn long and offers no real value and typically goes way off topic between pictures. The thread Post the best Pic of your Mazda should be just that, pictures. Any comments could be redirected back to that persons garage and then read be anyone who care to follow a certain car or member.

Just my $0.02, but IMO there are more logical ways.

 

[Antoine]

I realize I should clarify my objectives so we all know what we need to shoot for...Those objectives are...

1. Increase Participation: Attract more entries and more variety. While the Protege still has a strong following on Mazdas247, it is no doubt an aging platform with fewer and fewer people keeping them alive...We need to attract newer Mazdas in order for the MOTM to have a future!

2. Simplify the Entry and Selection Process: I think a lot of potential entries are turned off by the current entry process...Too many rules and requirements? We need to make the entry process easier and quicker somehow...As for the Selection (aka voting) process, as I stated before...It seems people just aren't that interested in using the Vote / Poll function for the MOTM anymore and having to manually filter out unqualified votes (perhaps a 100 post count minimum makes less sense now) isn't practical and frankly I want a new much more efficient way to select a winner.

3. Streamline the Entire MOTM: That means NOT adding ADDITIONAL steps to the MOTM setup process...It already requires quite a bit of preparation and we need to replace, remove or optimize the current steps, not add extra steps...That also means making the most of our existing Forum infrastructure such as the Home Page and Forums, threads, posts, announcements, banners, tabs etc...

 

[CF_KoiFry]

I really love Nemo's idea. Adding "special editions" to the current MotM sounds pretty sweet. Or themes!
Like thanksgiving will be next month. Why not create a Themed MotM. What can the members do to make the car seem fitting of the season. OR country votes. MotM America (North and South), MotM Europe, Motm Asia, MotM Aussie. Granted, showcase on the homepage THE MotM overall, but there needs to be more winners. It's a "lesser" win, so yeah the prizes could be reduced to just a decal or something, but the mazda owners aren't posting for sh*&%s and Giggles...they're doing it for some recognition. Well, let's recognize!

or add a sub category. Somebody could win the Main MotM, but each month has a fun idea. Like every month have the main motm, and a themed motm. Like Strongest Motm, or Fastest MotM where you'd post dyno sheets and track times instead of car pictures.

Seems to me the current MotM is dying due to a geralization leading to a lack of involvement. But I REALLY love the idea of tacking on a second MotM to the current with a theme.

Theme Ideas?
Turbo MotM
Cleanest MotM
Ugliest MotM
Fastest MotM
Audiophile MotM
Stanced MotM
Model Specific MotM
NonMotM
Modification otM

Then Quarterly and Yearly.

MotM needs attention grabbers. Right now it's so generalized, which is good in many respects as it allows so many to enter, but I'd be curious to see what a different limited subcategory each month could turn up.

 

[Novalight]

Theme Ideas?
Turbo MotM - don't qualify
Cleanest MotM - Possible entry
Ugliest MotM - really an ugly Mazda?
Fastest MotM - again don't qualify
Audiophile MotM - not even close
Stanced MotM - again don't qualify
Model Specific MotM - hey when it's MPV month im in
NonMotM - shouldn't even be here
Modification otM - possible

maybe if you had like a slightly better braggin rights "put the winner in the mazda247 banner for a month"

maybe you could put a subcategory for the theme ideas

 

[16vPete]

^I like the idea of the banner for winners!

This is a good idea, pretty sure I understand it...

Categories that I think would be great and bring people from all across the Mazda spectrum:

- Best autocross prep'd Mazda (perhaps for the month of April, since thats when the season starts for most people in the US)

- Best time attack Mazda

- Best Mazda engine swap (if only those touring car teams who swapped rotaries into Mazda 3s were on here...)

- Best track day Mazda

- Best Mazda drag car


As you can see I'm all about our cars' motorsport potential/heritage : )

 

[iracemine]

More visibility. Move the garage and make the header motm (or what ever you will be calling it) with pics of the entry's.

quarterly or monthly's with the then chance to be eligible for the mazda of the year for that class.

This goes completely against your #2, but multiple classes every month or quarter.

msp, mp3, mp5, track, slammed, rx7, rx8. And they have to be a member of one of these online forum thingys.

But it will require a ton of work and participation.

I nominate myself for the active track car category

 

[Justin2129]

stock or nearly stock MOTM? seems like those guys rarely have a chance.
This could be a way of getting people without a bunch of $$ to throw at their cars for rims, turbo, coilovers, etc a way to win too

i didnt like this idea at first, but i really like the theme suggestions being posted.

 

[grumpy]

Brand new member here though I've been a member of other forums for several years. Iother forums are also seeing a decline in voting for the car of the month contrsts , so its not just a m247 thing. In this case I agree with a previous poster, that its not the easiest thing to find, way down at the bottom of the list in a sub forum to boot. Put it at the top of the list, and all the people will see it. If not that, then perhaps put a link to that subforum in each of the model forums. I know when I started going miatanet for example, my link takes me direct to the NC sub forum, so I didnt even see a good portion of the forum, and didn't even realize they were there for a while. Out of sight out of mind so to speak.

 

[Antoine]

Great feedback, everyone...I really like the idea of having a different theme for each month...Here's what I'm thinking...

- No Voting...Featured Mazda selected by me based on theme accuracy and Community feedback

- Add "Mazda of the Month" Sub-Forums to all Model-Specific Forums that link directly to the MOTM Forum

- New Pic Requirement...At least 2 pics of your Mazda (of any kind) with a maximum of 5 pics

- Simplified Description Requirement

- Mazdas247 Gear Prize as before in addition to a "Sponsor the next MOTM" message encouraging Authorized Vendors and AMMs to Sponsor a MOTM (and provide a prize) in exchange for increased exposure on Mazdas247

- Add "Mazda of the Year"

- Monthly Theme ideas...

Jan = High Mileage or Winter Spec
Feb = Audio Setups
Mar = Boosted Mazdas
Apr = Autocrossers
May = Rotary Powered
June = Stance
July = 2 Doors
Aug = Road Trip Pics
Sep = Club Pics
Oct = 4 Doors
Nov = Your Best Shots
Dec = Mazda of the Year!

We'll have to sort out the details of course but I think themes would appeal to a lot more people than the previous MOTM setup...What do you guys think..?

 

[Circuit]

I definitely agree that the MOTM section needs to be moved up and out to the top of the forum for better visibility. Also, having it as a header in the User CP (that's how I always enter the forum) will help too.

I am going to agree with a few others that the "theme" is a bad idea. It stops people from entering every month that they don't win (decreases participation). With my P5, and your current ideas, I would only be able to enter in half of the months out of the year. The variety is what makes the contest great.

Taking out voting is also something that will decrease participation and forum enrollment. There has to be a way to automatically limit people from voting if they have under a certain amount of posts. Other forums I've seen limit people from posting/viewing certain forums by post count. I think decreasing the # of posts required to like 25 is fair. 100 is a lot.

Mazda of the Year is a great idea and should be a separate vote out of all the winners from the previous year.

Entering the contest is not that complicated, but maybe remove the photo type requirement. 2-5 photos (any photos you want to show) should be a good number and lets people show off what they want to show off. Modlist should also stay as a requirement so people can share everything they have done.

As far as increasing visibility and participation - why doesn't M247 have a Facebook page? It would get thousands of likes and you can easily spread the contest thread. The winner can be posted as the cover page for the next month and you can have an album with forum link to each winner. I'd be willing to help run/setup the page if need be.

 

[Mp5Noob]

^+1

 

[JaLMP5]

As far as increasing visibility and participation - why doesn't M247 have a Facebook page? It would get thousands of likes and you can easily spread the contest thread. The winner can be posted as the cover page for the next month and you can have an album with forum link to each winner. I'd be willing to help run/setup the page if need be.

 

[Antoine]

First of all...Excellent feedback, thanks!

I definitely agree that the MOTM section needs to be moved up and out to the top of the forum for better visibility. Also, having it as a header in the User CP (that's how I always enter the forum) will help too.

Seriously considering both ideas...

I am going to agree with a few others that the "theme" is a bad idea. It stops people from entering every month that they don't win (decreases participation). With my P5, and your current ideas, I would only be able to enter in half of the months out of the year. The variety is what makes the contest great.

It seems to me part of the problem is the fact the MOTM has been so general...It appears the majority of Members these days are not heavily modifying their Mazdas nor are the interested in hardcore modification...Having an MOTM that appeals to a variety of Mazda owners is what we need...Not an MOTM that now struggles to attract even a handful of Mazdas. Variety is great but we can no longer "hope" it happens, we need to set up the MOTM so that we can assure variety and that may mean you can't enter every month...Who enters EVERY month anyway? That's not variety if the same Mazdas enter every month...Right?

Taking out voting is also something that will decrease participation and forum enrollment. There has to be a way to automatically limit people from voting if they have under a certain amount of posts. Other forums I've seen limit people from posting/viewing certain forums by post count. I think decreasing the # of posts required to like 25 is fair. 100 is a lot.

Thinking about it now...The current lack of entries could be influencing the lack of votes...Perhaps people are just not that motivated to vote because there are so few entries..? I wish there was an automatic way to filter out non-qualified votes...I definitely agree that the 100 post count limit is too high and should be lowered if we keep the voting element...

Mazda of the Year is a great idea and should be a separate vote out of all the winners from the previous year.

Agreed...

Entering the contest is not that complicated, but maybe remove the photo type requirement. 2-5 photos (any photos you want to show) should be a good number and lets people show off what they want to show off. Modlist should also stay as a requirement so people can share everything they have done.

Yeah...The current requirements seem quite "strict" to me now...They could definitely be softened up a bit including a simplified modlist allowing for as little or as much detail from the owner.

As far as increasing visibility and participation - why doesn't M247 have a Facebook page? It would get thousands of likes and you can easily spread the contest thread. The winner can be posted as the cover page for the next month and you can have an album with forum link to each winner. I'd be willing to help run/setup the page if need be.

Up until a couple years ago or so, I was on FB and I did promote the MOTM on FB but I personally lost interest in FB and I no longer have an account...That said, any positive promotion of Mazdas247 and The MOTM by other people on FB would no doubt at least help attract more views...Ultimately though, the goal is to have the MOTM generate its own interest and not depend on sites like FB to attract potential entries.

 

[NemosMP5]

I disagree with circuit on "themed idea is a bad idea" maybe some of the more specific themes were bad but the others seem good to me. Theme should be a little more generalized like I said before have a certain color car month or style like I saw you had "2 door" that's a good one not too specific yet still exclusive. We as members cannot expect to be able to attempt every month but unlike the first themes brought up of having certain models per month these themes do seem to allow us the opportunity to enter in various months. But any who good luck with theme ideas

 

[Circuit]

It seems to me part of the problem is the fact the MOTM has been so general...It appears the majority of Members these days are not heavily modifying their Mazdas nor are the interested in hardcore modification...Having an MOTM that appeals to a variety of Mazda owners is what we need...Not an MOTM that now struggles to attract even a handful of Mazdas. Variety is great but we can no longer "hope" it happens, we need to set up the MOTM so that we can assure variety and that may mean you can't enter every month...Who enters EVERY month anyway? That's not variety if the same Mazdas enter every month...Right?

There are tons of people still modifying their mazdas, and especially since they are getting cheaper, people are going more hardcore.

I entered my car every month that I could up until I started winning, which stopped me from entering for a whole year (which is perfectly fine). Also, because of the seasons, different people enter different times of the year. During the winter months, most of the east coast and north are inactive because of the snow/rebuilding.

Thinking about it now...The current lack of entries could be influencing the lack of votes...Perhaps people are just not that motivated to vote because there are so few entries..? I wish there was an automatic way to filter out non-qualified votes...I definitely agree that the 100 post count limit is too high and should be lowered if we keep the voting element...

Can you limit section view by post count? Why not have the voting thread in its own section and limit that to what ever post count you want. The entry and winner threads can still be visible to all.

Up until a couple years ago or so, I was on FB and I did promote the MOTM on FB but I personally lost interest in FB and I no longer have an account...That said, any positive promotion of Mazdas247 and The MOTM by other people on FB would no doubt at least help attract more views...Ultimately though, the goal is to have the MOTM generate its own interest and not depend on sites like FB to attract potential entries.

You really can't deny the size of Facebook, and especially when there are tons of "groups" that allow people to interact without being "friends" are kind of replacing forums. I do not think FB groups will replace forums, as they are terribly organized and impossible to search. I think any way MOTM and M247 can get traffic is good and Facebook is probably the easiest way. Having an official FB page that thousands of people follow with MOTM updates and other "features" will get people back to M247 and increase membership, IMO. I really think this will help out the forum as a whole. I'll PM you to talk about details. I'd really like to help out.

 

[dragonballspeed]

I am going to agree with a few others that the "theme" is a bad idea. It stops people from entering every month that they don't win (decreases participation). With my P5, and your current ideas, I would only be able to enter in half of the months out of the year. The variety is what makes the contest great.

Mazda of the Year is a great idea and should be a separate vote out of all the winners from the previous year.

I still have to agree with Circuit. In my current configuration, I would be able to enter 3 maybe 4 times a year. That is certainly not enough to generate interest on my part. Exposure is the key to getting more participation. Not everyone is into heavily modified cars, or cars that have next to no modifications. For me, it’s about how well the vehicle has been put together. If you go to big auto shows, it’s about the overall attention to detail and how well you have followed through with your own theme to the car.

Take for instance someone who puts together a race car. There are many different ways of putting one together, but if it looks like crap due to parts chosen, presentation, or a combination of the two thrown into a gutted out car, have you really accomplished an overall quality to your build? It's all inherent in what and how you do that should determine MOTM when viewed by the piers of this forum.

 

[Antoine]

Thanks for the responses, I really appreciate it...I've added and revised a few things...Here goes...

*Revised | Keep Voting...This time though, votes only count from those Members that joined Mazdas247 during the previous month or before...This would allow for a lot more qualified votes and it would streamline the verification process (takes less time to verify join date than post count via the poll)

*Revised | Monthly Theme ideas...

Jan = Newer Mazdas (2010 and newer)
Jan2 = "Mazda of the Year" Voting
Feb = Audio Setups
Feb2 = MOTY Announced
Mar = Boosted Mazdas
Apr = Autocrossers
May = Rotary Powered
June = Stance
July = 2 Doors
Aug = 4 Doors
Sep = 5 Doors
Oct = Club Pics
Nov = Your Best Shots
Dec = Older Mazdas (2009 and older)

*New | Move the MOTM Forum to the Top Forum section

*New | Add a Main Nav Bar Tab which would direct to the MOTM Forum

*Contemplating | Mazdas247 FB Page to promote MOTM & M247 (managed by Members)

- Add "Mazda of the Month" Sub-Forums to all Model-Specific Forums that link directly to the MOTM Forum

- New Pic Requirement...At least 2 pics of your Mazda (of any kind) with a maximum of 5 pics

- Simplified Description Requirement

- Add "Mazda of the Year"

- Mazdas247 Gear Prize as before in addition to a "Sponsor the next MOTM" message encouraging Authorized Vendors and AMMs to Sponsor a MOTM (and provide a prize) in exchange for increased exposure on Mazdas247

Thoughts? Please let me know, thanks again!

 

[Circuit]

I like where this is going!! Some suggestions on a couple categories:

Audio Setups - Change to Audio/Interior to make it more general - someone may have a badass fully recovered Alcantara interior but no audio, and I think that would increase entries

What's the difference between 4 doors and 5 doors? My Protege5 qualifies for both LOL. Maybe change the names to Sedan, Hatch/Wagon/SUV, and Coupe/Convertible?

Autocrossers - Change to Motorsports Competition (or something along those lines) to include any type of automotive competition, be it AutoCross/Track/Drift/etc

 

[NemosMP5]

^i like these small yet importand name changes (2thumbs)

 

[daonly1around]

I foresee one problem. Who is going to decide whether or not a car is "stanced"? Or do we let anyone enter, and the voting will decided the best Stanced car. I would hope no one will vote for a car that is not "stanced" properly in a month that is dedicated to "stanced" cars.