Can we Celebrate 24th Jan as Merit Sources Appreciation Day with a contest?.

[Juggy777]

I’m requesting @Theymos to approve the idea of celebrating 24th January as Merit Sources Appreciation Day, and we will celebrate it in a form of a contest among the merit sources.

Appreciation Day is where the company appreciates it’s employees for their hard work, and in this case Merit Sources have put in lots of hard work to weed out spammy posts, evaluate and merit deserving posts.

I am choosing 24th January because it was the day when Merits system was born on Bitcointalk, and the forum has immensely benefited from it. However this system got a boost thanks to the tireless efforts of the merit sources, who have helped numerous people with merits, and because of that this forum has become a better place.

It’s an open secret for all their hard work they are yet constantly dealing with merit requests, and despite their warnings they yet keep getting pestered for merits.

Hence I felt the community owes them an appreciation day, and what better way to celebrate it by holding a contest among the merit sources.

I propose a contest where each merit sources creates one new post which he/she feels is informative, and helpful to the community and puts it up for a vote. The post which gets the highest merits will earn a new badge (subject to @Theymos approval). We can also include more conditions if the community feels fit, as this is rough contest idea.

The key reason I’m focusing on holding a contest is because many times Merit Sources often gives incentives to people in the form of contests, and then they evaluate and give out the merits.

This time the key difference will be is that we will get a chance to evaluate their posts, and appreciate it in the form of giving merits on their posts.  

It goes without saying that Merit Sources do not require our merits, or our approval on their posts quality because they’re in a different league but I sincerely hope they’ll take part if this competition is approved.

Now I’m looking forward to hearing what the community has to say about this, and all I request is avoid writing your favourite merit source person name, or why you would like to thank a particular merit source in the anticipation of receiving a merit, believe me it won’t work.

Sources:

1) https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2818350.msg28856522#msg28856522

2) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employee_Appreciation_Day

[Rengga Jati]

A good idea, it can motivate lower ranks like me. Then, not only to commemorate the history of when the merit system officially was born, but it also indicates a new phase of forum improvement. Well, Look forward to see a positive response from theymos and staff.  I hope your idea will be accepted.

[Pmalek]

If merit sources want to take part in the contest why not. But maybe some prefer to keep the info that they are a merit source private.
There is no official thread by theymos with a list of merit sources so they don't get bothered and asked for merits. I've seen a list created by someone a while ago with an unofficial list I believe.

If they are up for it, an appreciation day can be organized. Maybe a special golden color for their username or golden stars next to their name on January 24.   

[hd49728]

Based on theymos' core opinions on merit source information, there will be no contest definitely. Because if there is a contest, all merit source name will be published, that is what I have never seen theymos wanted to do so far.

The art contest ended recently, and merit system is only one of the forum's systems, trust flag are the others. So if there is a contest for merit system, there should be other contests for the others. So far, I have not seen any contest as celebration for any forum's systems.

Merit sources are free to reveal their source amounts, though I think it may be a bit unwise. While it will eventually become obvious roughly what the source amounts are from the stats, there's a huge difference between showing up in a "list of probable merit sources" and having a quote out there of you basically saying "I'm a merit source, come beg me for merit, complain about every merit I send, and accuse me of being part of the anti-X/pro-Y conspiracy."

[crwth]

Maybe there could be holidays as well in the forum? Then there could be an announcement in the banners telling that "it's that day." Just kidding. Anyways, I don't think it's necessary, though, but I think being given a chance to be a merit source is already appreciation enough. Maybe messaging the people who you appreciate is even better.

[TMAN]

"anonymous"

I am an anonymous sauce, even TOAA can work out that I give out 10x what I get!

[Welsh]

As for the badge idea I'm hoping badges will be limited to avoid a rainbow commando like badge display under each users avatar. I would like badges to be reserved for the reporting badges, and courses in the future. Of course, keeping the existing 10th anniversary art badges, and the Bitcoin expert badges.

[The Sceptical Chymist]

I would like badges to be reserved for the reporting badges, and courses in the future.

Ditto.  I definitely don't think merit sources ought to have badges, because that would just be an incentive for merit-seeking members to follow them around everywhere or who knows what else would happen if they were easily identified.

I'm also not sure that we need an "appreciation day" for sources.  I'd rather see a merit system anniversary holiday or something, because it would make more sense to me as someone who very much appreciates the system and the fact that Theymos came up with it as a tool to combat shitposters and account farmers.  Merit sources are just one part of the system, and not all of them are equal in the job they do--though I think the majority of them do a great job distributing merits.

A good idea, it can motivate lower ranks like me.

Motivate you to do what, exactly?

[Kalemder]

Merit Sources certainly deserves to be rewarded. They are gourmets who understand delicious food. But every gourmet can't do good food.

Gourmet: A person who understands quality food(post).

[TMAN]

badges

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcfnfKTP4Nk

Badges? you want badges motherbitch!

[o_e_l_e_o]

I appreciate that thought, but I don't really follow how asking merit sources to make a good post is thanking them for being a merit source. And honestly, I don't see awarding merit as a chore or tiresome at all. I'm reading the forum anyway, so awarding merit barely takes an extra second or two. If anything we should be appreciating the people who spend hours reporting posts for no reward.

because they’re in a different league but I sincerely hope they’ll take part if this competition is approved.

Slightly off topic: I know you are writing with the best of intentions here, but I think this kind of attitude is counter-productive. This is partly the reason I hate all the "I ranked up, aren't I amazing" threads in Meta and Beginners as well. Merit sources aren't some special breed or "in a different league". Same with Legendary/Hero/whatever members. They all started off as newbies and are all just regular users. The higher ranks or merit source status is attainable for anyone who puts some effort in. You can learn from these users, sure, but don't deify them or treat them as some sort of unquestionable authority.

As TP has said above, all these users are just one part of the system, and they are a part of a system that any user can contribute to and work up.

[DdmrDdmr]

<…> This time the key difference will be is that we will get a chance to evaluate their posts, and appreciate it in the form of giving merits on their posts. <…>

The majority of Merit Sources already post often enough, and therefore their posts are there, as a contribution that may or not be read, may or not be merited. They’re not an isolated specie in the ecosystem, rather quite the opposite, and some prefer to be anonymous to the extend that they can.

I don’t believe a restricted competition would be beneficial nor really incentivising, and it would possibly look more like a popularity contest than anything, where most of the merit awarders would be the merit sources anyway.

The badge thingy should, in my opinion, be rather exceptional in expenditure and in deserving, representing a long lasting effect or trait. A single post in the competition seems to oppose those three concepts really.