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The "Board" of the month competition is about the web site running a vBulletin powered community. Other customers on this web site can go to the 5 web sites and take a look, get introduced to the different ways site owners use vBulletin. This could be a unique type of discussion topic, or the way they integrated it with their normal site. Or perhaps the way it visually looks over another site. Or how it appeals to you (or not) compared to the other sites. So yes, content matters, visuals matter, and the userbase matters, to just name a few. All in all, it is PER user who's voting to go "From these forums this number X on the list appeals to me the most, based on my experience browsing it". Meaning they're free to vote for that particular entry, and a reason doesn't have to be given. Not everybody votes for 'just the looks', or 'because he or she is a famous person', or 'they run the coolest mod ever'. And therefore it's not about 'Style of the month', or 'Community of the month', but more generic 'Board of the Month'. It is clear that some boards who got nominated and made it on the list are default installations, or super customized forums, or perhaps someone spend $500 on a custom design, where another person perhaps is more known because they spend $500 on advertising it all over the internet. If the boards would not be unique in their own way there would not be a reason to put them in the list, if they were all default vB setups with default vB styles, and the same handful of users. After all, it's not 'Statistics of the Month' either. If a style is more appealing then another style, because someone had the time and money to invest into a developer to make it more unique, good for them. It doesn't mean they would not qualify as board of the month, and the same goes for someone who spend hour and years on developing a community and is well known and perhaps has a great userbase, and that's why they might get more votes, good for them, for being recognized.
But in the end it are the customers of vBulletin who have the opportunity to nominate a board, others to second it, and the staff to pick out randomly a handful of boards that others could vote for. And it are the customers who provide the review by going to those sites and then thinking "I think I like this one best", and submit that with a vote.
We understand some of the arguments customers provide back to us in regards to the competition, and over the last few months it seems that bickering over votes is a problem. I will bring the contest to the staffs attention and if we believe that the users participating are simply ruining the experience of having a fun poll, then we might just decide to call it quits. Of course we hope that everybody can get along and is not disgruntled over votes, the competition in the list, and refrains from personally attacking eachother with smart*ss comments and whatnot.
On a personal level I vote for a site that looks appealing, meaning it is visually appealing as well as easy to navigation and logical to use. As well as for the way they perhaps integrated it into their general site design, and have approached using vBulletin in a more unique way, so they stand out and are easy to recognize as a 'brand'. As well as if they appear to have a good community, and are having a fun time on their board. I usually vote thinking to myself "Would I register and become a member on this site if this was a topic I would be interested in?"
I really like the botm competition here on vBulletin.com, and I think it is a great way to get others introduced to 'what can be done with vBulletin that others think was worth noticing'. It would be a shame if we find people fighting over it as happens some months where some staff felt like just closing the thread and deleting the posts of the people who are personally attacking eachother and ruining a fun competition.
This thread and other feedback with constructive feedback is appreciated and will be reviewed internally.
But in the end it are the customers of vBulletin who have the opportunity to nominate a board, others to second it, and the staff to pick out randomly a handful of boards that others could vote for. And it are the customers who provide the review by going to those sites and then thinking "I think I like this one best", and submit that with a vote.
We understand some of the arguments customers provide back to us in regards to the competition, and over the last few months it seems that bickering over votes is a problem. I will bring the contest to the staffs attention and if we believe that the users participating are simply ruining the experience of having a fun poll, then we might just decide to call it quits. Of course we hope that everybody can get along and is not disgruntled over votes, the competition in the list, and refrains from personally attacking eachother with smart*ss comments and whatnot.
On a personal level I vote for a site that looks appealing, meaning it is visually appealing as well as easy to navigation and logical to use. As well as for the way they perhaps integrated it into their general site design, and have approached using vBulletin in a more unique way, so they stand out and are easy to recognize as a 'brand'. As well as if they appear to have a good community, and are having a fun time on their board. I usually vote thinking to myself "Would I register and become a member on this site if this was a topic I would be interested in?"
I really like the botm competition here on vBulletin.com, and I think it is a great way to get others introduced to 'what can be done with vBulletin that others think was worth noticing'. It would be a shame if we find people fighting over it as happens some months where some staff felt like just closing the thread and deleting the posts of the people who are personally attacking eachother and ruining a fun competition.
This thread and other feedback with constructive feedback is appreciated and will be reviewed internally.
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