I didn't want to high-jack Jim's thread on awarding some deserving Armorama people by this post but I thought it might a place to start a conversation. Several people on that thread brought up submitting articles, reviews, things like that. I was wondering if anybody had any specific ideas on how we can increase these on Armorama?

Let me explain what I mean. I've been proud to have one article and two reviews accepted on this site. I hope to continue writing them. But I also know that other sites, like PPMS, have reviewers with a LOT more time, and access to new kits, than I have. In a case like that I've posted links with new reviews on the appropriate forum, General Modeling, Armor, or whatever. Perhaps there might be a spot on Armorama, like the one in the news section on the home page, for links to new reviews found? Perhaps the moderators should give preference to reviews of the latest kits when it comes time to chose what reviews to add? One last suggestion would be to have some kind of recognition, like the rank system in place now, for people who post reviews. Say a special ribbon for having five, or ten, or 50 reviews submitted. Like the German wound badge system?

Anyway, those are my thoughts, anybody else have any suggestions?

Curious, we're beginning to fall over each other here....look at my own thread on the sun¡bject....Great minds think alike, fools seldom differ... Jim

Rodger - one point of clarification Editors control content not Moderators.

We did have content drives early in our existence (2002). Folks donated prizes and people wrote articles. Worked pretty well except that some people who donated prizes did not mail them out to the winners or did not send them in a timely manner.

The confusion between moderators and editors is that some of us are both. I am one of the Armor forum moderators as well as an "Editor-at-Large". As moderator, I can edit, delete, or rename posts and lock topics within the Armor forum. I can also move posts out of the Armor forum and into a more appropriate forum. In any other forum I have only the same abilities as any other user.

As a site editor, I can edit and approve content like reviews and articles. That's about all the powers I have as an editor. Since I'm not a subject editor, I tend to let the specific editors (armor, aircraft, etc.) deal with their own subjects.

Lucky for me I have editorial abilities. When I clicked on my profile page to change my signature banner, I noticed that there were only a few of the review articles I wrote accredited to my name. I was able to go into each review and change the user ID from 0 (default) to 9 (my registered user #). That would have to be done for all content authors to ensure they received proper credit for the items they submit. That's a fairly big job.

I function in the same capacity as Sabot does - with an Editor and Moderator role. Many times I'm able to catch new submissions and get them up on site - but I sure like to keep the door open and welcome any and all the assistance I can get. None of the Armor staff should feel like they're stepping on my toes to get things up and out on Site.

I think giving priority to types of submissions is a good idea. I admit that I gravitate towards the fresh, new, and exclusive material faster than something that's been sent to all the major modeling sites. Some places, like Gerry D's WW2ModelMaker, even goes as far as tagging the new submission as "exclusive" when sent fresh to his site. The M1A1 SEP Abrams I'm wrestling out of Italeri's kit for the OAID Campaign has only appeared here - not even on my website. I plan to turn the Journal entries into an Article as I go.

Hopefully this will help encourage the other members - we easily have two dozen members that already do this in their normal course of sharing on site daily. I'd be inclined to give this higher priority too. Maybe the excitement will begin to feed on itself...

Gunnie

I've done a couple of reviews and I've got some more 'in the box' reviews I could do. I'd like to see the new review section to include more than just one so if an update includes more than one then the first one in doesn't get ignored.
That's the only beef I have. If I spend the time to write something up then I don't want it to be ignored. How about a flashing 'New' by the Review link on the focus page.
To me it's all about sharing info. Some of us who spend too much money can help those a little more thrifty by providing a good review. But since I'm not perfect and sometimes I might be too picky or too forgiving, I'd like to see the ability for someone who comments on a review be able to give their own scoring to go along with the reviewers scoring.

Paul

I agree with Paul. I don't think any one kit should rest on one person's review. For example, if we both review a kit about a mortar, Paul's review of it might be as a mortar expert as well as the buildability of the kit. He may not give it high marks in the accuracy department. His review would be invaluable to the mortar experts in deciding whether or not to purchase the kit.

My review on the kit might be mainly on the buildability of the kit and if it looked good enough for the average modeler. That modeler may just want a kit of a mortar to add to their collection and they may not care that some minor item was slightly inaccurate.




Paul, anyone who comments on a review already has the ability to score the kit themselves within the reply. Click on the reviews menu and check out Mark Pieter's Tamiya Sherman review. Other members have commented and scored the kit as well.

#:-) Doh. I guess I've been reading the wrong reviews. I hadn't noticed but I see what you mean. Thanks.

Paul