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Archived RotM is going to have two big changes to give more members a chance to win!

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Tyler

Tyler

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You guys have given great feedback on our Rig of the Month contest and I'm glad to see everyone really likes its implementation on the forum.

After four months of doing this, pretty much everyone agrees there are two major problems with it:

1. If you don't submit your photo pretty quickly, your chances of getting the most votes are lower, especially if you submit it two or more days after the contest opens.​
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2. If your truck is stock or close to stock, your chances of getting the most votes are unfortunately lower, which is not necessarily fair. In my opinion, this contest isn't just about the truck. It's the whole scene and vibe captured in the photo.​

After some of the suggestions you guys have provided, the following changes are going to be made to the contest:

1.a. The first few days after the contest opens are now used to submit your photos, but not to vote. The amount of days for submissions could be around 2-4 (let me know). When submissions close, a new thread is created, where I will post all of the submissions at once and then voting will begin.​
1.b. Another option is, instead of using a time frame, we could just limit the amount of submissions per month to 10, for example. However, this option would once again create the issue of the faster you are to submit, the better your chance is of winning. Therefore, I think it should be open on a set time instead of a set amount.​
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2.a. We are going to have some months where only "stock class" trucks will be allowed to be submitted. This will allow people who haven't had the time or money to heavily modify their trucks yet, a chance to win some money or a sponsored item to get their build going. The "stock class" will be defined as: stock bumpers, stock wheels, no bed rack, no roof rack, hidden winch mounts are ok, tires up to 285/75 in size are ok, lift kits up to 2-3" are ok, lighting upgrades are ok, regular bed caps are ok, cosmetic changes (decals, blacked out emblems, tinted windows, etc.) are ok, any mod that you can't see (interior mods, engine mods, gearing mods, etc.) are ok.​
2.b. Now, do we allow members who have heavily modified trucks to submit older photos from when they were stock? It seems fair to me, but I want you guys to decide that yourselves. If you think yes, vote for 2.b.​
 
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Granted I think some of this would also be dependent on who or what "prize" is donated and how many of said "prize"...but I definitely think having the time frame of everyone submitting photos...but no vote until the submission dates are closed!

The theme idea is great too...and you can change said theme to allow people to get creative.

Either way...I greatly appreciate you taking your time to improve the overall quality of this forum group!
 
Okay, I'm not sure how issue #2 is even an issue. Why would anyone want to vote for bone stock rigs for Rig of the Month? A truck that has just rolled off the lot is not as interesting as one that has had some mods to reflect the owner's creativity. This whole idea of a stock ROTM sounds like a participation trophy. I'm not a fan of it.

That said, I will vote for a stock rig if it is in an interesting picture with the truck doing something interesting or parked in an interesting place. I'm not going to vote for any rig, stock or modded, that's parked on pavement and looks like a craigslist ad. For me ROTM is as much of a photo contest as a rig contest.

And this is from a guy whose rig is pretty mild when it comes to mods.
 
Rev N said:
Okay, I'm not sure how issue #2 is even an issue. Why would anyone want to vote for bone stock rigs for Rig of the Month? A truck that has just rolled off the lot is not as interesting as one that has had some mods to reflect the owner's creativity. This whole idea of a stock ROTM sounds like a participation trophy. I'm not a fan of it.

That said, I will vote for a stock rig if it is in an interesting picture with the truck doing something interesting or parked in an interesting place. I'm not going to vote for any rig, stock or modded, that's parked on pavement and looks like a craigslist ad. For me ROTM is as much of a photo contest as a rig contest.

And this is from a guy whose rig is pretty mild when it comes to mods.
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I think you answered your question in the second paragraph.

Rig of the Month is not just about the truck, but about the whole story. The location, the camping gear (like you had), the way the photo was taken, the way the truck is positioned, etc. A stock truck can do all of those things right and still get overlooked because it is stock.

Also, in this case, stock doesn’t mean bone stock. I mentioned what our “stock class” would entail, which is basically a truck like yours. One that appears stock but still has some mods for functionality would be acceptable.
 
In my opinion, I think it’s more about creativity and composition that is at play here, regardless if the rig is stock or modded.

Either way, I support changes to make it equitable for all.
 
PNWTacoma said:
In my opinion, I think it’s more about creativity and composition that is at play here, regardless if the rig is stock or modded.

Either way, I support changes to make it equitable for all.
Click to expand...
Exactly!
 
The stock truck of the month is a great idea for those short on cash or just getting started. Also like the idea of waiting a day or 2 for likes.

Not sure if anyone has mentioned but what of a non scenic photo. Like a driveway photo.
My truck is heavily modded and I can get some scenic photos but nothing like some of the amazing photos I have seen.

Also rig of the month in action. On the trails. Towing. Whatever action our trucks can do haha.


Either way your doing a great job man.
 
Chaury08 said:
The stock truck of the month is a great idea for those short on cash or just getting started. Also like the idea of waiting a day or 2 for likes.

Not sure if anyone has mentioned but what of a non scenic photo. Like a driveway photo.
My truck is heavily modded and I can get some scenic photos but nothing like some of the amazing photos I have seen.

Also rig of the month in action. On the trails. Towing. Whatever action our trucks can do haha.


Either way your doing a great job man.
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Thank you!

Some of the themes I thought of so far, which we can add to as suggestions come in:

No theme, anything goes
Stock class
Scenic
Truck flexing
On the trail in general, no need for flexing
With your dog (is that fair?)
In your driveway ;)
 
Tyler said:
Thank you!

Some of the themes I thought of so far, which we can add to as suggestions come in:

No theme, anything goes
Stock class
Scenic
Truck flexing
On the trail in general, no need for flexing
With your dog (is that fair?)
In your driveway ;)
Click to expand...

Do we earn bonus points for multiple themes in one photo. Such as stock truck, in your driveway with your dog(s)? 🤔
 
I'm concerned that if you have too many themes it will fragment the whole thing. It's not like there are that many people voting and everyone can vote on every picture if they want. If people aren't voting for a rig it's because they don't like the picture. More themes isn't going to change that. Plus getting people to read and follow the rules adds it's own set of challenges. I like the idea of collecting all the images and then posting them at the same time but I'm not really a fan of the other proposed changes I don't think.

Maybe a breakdown of what people look for when they vote would be insightful.
 
Rev N said:
I'm concerned that if you have too many themes it will fragment the whole thing. It's not like there are that many people voting and everyone can vote on every picture if they want. If people aren't voting for a rig it's because they don't like the picture. More themes isn't going to change that. Plus getting people to read and follow the rules adds it's own set of challenges. I like the idea of collecting all the images and then posting them at the same time but I'm not really a fan of the other proposed changes I don't think.

Maybe a breakdown of what people look for when they vote would be insightful.
Click to expand...
The themes will be kind of rare, maybe 2-4 per year. Most months will still be open to everything. Also, most themes would apply to most people since most people have off-road photos, scenic photos, etc. The limiting one is the stock one, which is the only one I think we actually need to implement.

As for enforcing it, since submissions will now be early and collected by me, then postng them all in a voting thread, I will be able to validate the photo fits the theme before it can be voted on.

But yes, it is hard to get people to understand the rules. You guys have no idea how many times I get messaged, "Why can't I post in RotM?" -- if you read the first post as you are expected to, it says in huge red letters that you need 10 posts or a T3G supporter account. RotM is not here so random people from Instagram can leech a prize from our forum. It's here for our actual members.

To summarize:
  • Having an early submission thread and then a new voting thread is a must. We all know this will be a better system.
  • A stock theme is still a good idea. However, despite the votes on the poll in this thread in favor for disallowing members to post an old photo of their truck when it used to be stock, I disagree. I actually voted to disallow that myself, but after thinking about it more, we shouldn't have that limitation:
    • I would need to verify that the trucks in the photos are still stock to this day, which is dumb.
    • The contest should never limit anyone from entering. A theme should be broad enough that any member is likely to have a fitting photo. If someone happens to not have a scenic photo or a photo on a trail, I guess that would be the rare exception. But a theme of having a dog in the photo is too specific; not everyone has a dog.
  • Again, I think a theme should be something like once a yearly quarter, give or take. The only theme I'm totally set on is the stock theme, which again, all members can enter, because we all had a stock truck at some point.
  • Again, in terms of the contest, "stock" will have some some room for modifications, which I will specify. Someone with a winch in an otherwise stock truck, or someone with a normal bed cap, shouldn't be ineligible, for example.
What do you think about that?
 
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Its all worth a shot to try. If it doesn't work out with certain things...at least you will know with confirmation.

I think what you have and are implementing are great! Some people may not be able to participate in several themes or what not...but at least it opens up the playing field to be more...fair.
 
Those getting gas photos haha.
20200427_191835.webp
 
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