JC,

First let me say, I think all the staff will agree, we appreciate the feedback as well as the concern for promoting MOTM. It is helpful to have fresh ideas.

I want to tell you, I have re-wrote this post about 3-4 times lol. There is a lot I can say on the subject, but I feel I go on to long about it.

So, to summarize those other attempts, the Monte Carlo is at a point in it's heritage where you begin to define the hard core enthusiasts, the people who like it because it's a nice "for now car" and the people who got it because they needed a car.
Today the rare breed are the people who decided to seek out a specific Monte in the used market (especially a FWD Monte). Most people seeking a car in the used market have other interests for more popular cars then the Monte.

Our most popular member type is a person turning to Motne enthusiasts out of desperation to solve a problem, save a dollar, or perhaps stop the bleeding on paying a mechanic to solve something they are not able to solve. And this is part of what this forum is about. And along the way, we are lucky to retain great members who are also enthusiasts of the Monte.

Rather then promote MOTM on it's own, I think the bigger question is how do we promote the Monte and this forum as a whole, keep people interested in the Monte and coming back for more (as then MOTM would go hand and hand with the increased activity). With an out of production car, that gets more and more challenging. I hand it to Space, he does more then anyone I know to come up with things for people to chat about here (and he hasn't owned a Monte in years).

So much for trying to be brief lol. Keep in mind, that is only a smaller snapshot of the many other things I could discuss lol, but I will stop there.

Unfortunately, that is the truth. Mike or I would have to involve a member from Internet Brands to change the banner each month. An idea I came up with earlier this year was to add a "notice" at the top of MCF declaring the current MOTM winner. This should be viewable by everyone (as seen in the pic I attached). Currently the info is very basic on the notice and it links back to that member's profile page (which gains you access to their albums). We deliberately wanted to keep the notice short and sweet. It also has a link to the MOTM rules.

I have the notice configured to allow a member to close it if they wish (some people simply don't and never will value MOTM like we do, so if they wish to close it, far be it me to stand in their way).

I'm unaware of the MOTM rules under going any revisions since they were moved into the FAQ section (and even at that, the rules I believe are the same as they have been).
Official rules can be seen here:
Monte Carlo Forum - Monte Carlo Enthusiast Forums - FAQ: MonteCarloForum Specific FAQs

Admittedly, we the staff, tend to be a little behind in starting the nomination and voting threads. We're a volunteer staff (we receive no pay or incentives from Internet Brands), like everyone here, we do have parts of our lives that do not include MCF.com (but we do the best we can).

As for being nominated for something not in the rules, there is no rule to how/why you should nominate someone, only requirements to be eligible for be nominated. Someone could be nominated for having a cool Monte, being a nice person, or if someone wanted to nominate the guy with the highest post count or newest member, it's all fair game so long as the MOTM requirements are met.

 

I agree with this 100%. I tend to do the same thing. I Nominate and support members that have been around based on their cars most importantly and then on posts and whatnot. I like the idea of having it around. It makes things interesting especially at MOTY time.

 

I think a lot of it has to do with people and their intentions and just reality. A lot of the newer members seem to come here for a question or two and then disappear and aren't interested in being a long term, participating member - I honestly don't know what you can do about that. I was about a year into my membership when I won MOTM (with Devin) and two years later I'm still here, because I want to be. It's finding those people that want to be here and participate. You can't necessarily make people participate and that's the reality of it.

Regarding MOTM, look at the nomination threads and you realize newer members aren't exactly taking an interest in MOTM. It's the same members posting nominees/support and it's really becoming a challenge to get three nominations. Also taking the opportunity now, the other thing I've noticed with nominations is that you have the first nominee and then the next five people (posts) in a row support that first nominee, usually without nominating someone themselves - what about the next two+ nominees? Is there a better way to handle this so all possible nominees are considered for support?

 

Eh, the forum is for Monte Carlo fans. It's nice to read and "hang out" with w-body fans. Not to mention, I can help a lot of people that have trouble with these cars.

MOTM is just a bonus that nobody should expect to win, until you've been nominated approximately 200 times.

 

I havent been here long but whenever I do see the nominations it does sort of seem like the same people every time. I do agree that we should nominate long time members but instead we should vote for pretty much all active members that month. If they've been members for a long time but aren't active, then dont nominate them but if they're long time members or even new, as long as their active they should get a chance.

 

Rule #1, quoted below states the requirement to be considered an "active" member.

Getting 12 posts in a month is not tough really. Just helping a newbie (regardless if they stay) or welcoming a person on their introductory post can normally help with 50% or more of that requirement.

Matt's statement above is nature of the beast. Because these cars are out of production, you don't get the guys who just bought a shiny new one from a dealership looking to tinker or plan to tinker anymore. The balance is shifting. Sure, there are still many people who bought their Montes off the used market and mod them, but that group is shrinking and the group that has a Monte with problems in need of help is growing.

No one wants to close the doors to people who need help. Many of us here has helped a fellow Monte own on the other end of a computer screen. That is the greater share of what we do here.
But of those people who needed help, how many are enthusiasts? How many would stick around if they knew more about MCF.com (such as MOTM) and how does MCF.com best reach those people and retain them if their original plan is just to get a quick car fix and leave? That, I feel is the focal point of this discussion (just my opinion on the topic).

I like the w-body slip in there But I feel it's very true. The Monte (both RWD and FWD) shared common platforms through it's years. The FWD platform is a w-body. Sadly, around me, there are few Monte enthusiasts, but I am fortunate to sometimes share conversations at car shows with W-body (almost the same car, different skin) and even H-body (same basic drivetrain in a different chassis) enthusiasts.
We have some non-Monte owners who are either fans of the Monte or have a car that is a kin to the Monte and came here to socialize about what's in common. Either way, it's all good
Online, offline, the Monte enthusiast is a bit of a dieing breed, so is the W and H body enthusiast (many moved on to something else). But there are some still out there.

Again, sorry for the lengthy messages. This subject matter is a big topic. The staff is open to ideas our members may have that can help retain members and keep activity going!

 

Good evening friends... It has been a while since I posted... Unfortunately, I have been battling Leukemia (CLL) and have been very occupied with ensuring my family will be ok... So far I am winning the battle... The great realizapping that comes with a life changing diagnosis is that time be ones the most precious commadity and our focus changes... One of the most proudest moments in my life was being recognized as MOTM, it still fills me with pride... I have not been on much and for this I appologize... I can now find the time and energy to be on a little more often and will be... True, a lot of folks come on here for a quick fix and disappear, I was one of those folks in 2008, but sometimes we like the environment so much that we stay for as long as we can... I do miss being on here regularly and will support the forum to the best of my ability... To all of my friends and extendedication family here, let's persevere and win over hearts and minds one member and enthusias at a time... Good luck and god bless,