At 22:20 17/09/2002, Clint wrote quoting LGT:
> > Naaah. People like feedback, and praise. By and large, at the end of a
> > good game, people are appreciative of their team mates. Send out a
short
> > simple form at the end of a game, asking for the best 3 allied and best
> > opponent, and you'll find most players will return it.
> I can add a little market research to this comment.
> ** In Swords of Pelarn 22, I asked for people to do a vote on the Best
> Power Player, the Best Role Player and the Best Nicest Player.
> I sent out forms to all 100 players, and egged them on using the various
> forms of contact available to me (inlcuding a pubmeet) and had about 20
> responses.
Flushing toilets, telephones, the Internet. None were very popular when first introduced, and took years to get established. Mostly because people "can't see the point". Persevere a bit, keep it simple. Make it attractive by having a small reward, and publish the result where people will see it - alongside your Anir, Oogit and Thingy ratings will do. If people are looking to see what their other ratings are, they might see the point of voting.
>
> ** Every time Flagship run their annual polls we send out forms asking
> people to rate games, or ask them to visit the Flagship website. Last year
> around 70 players sent in a rating for MEPBM, so that's one in 10.
Yes, but that's a bad example because it's pretty stupid. I faithfully visit every year, and give MEPBM a 10 10 10 10 10, because it seems to me that this is a good way to support you, and promote our game to others. It could be argued though that this is hypocritical because I don't play any other PBMs, don't read Flagship, and do not care about the integrity of their poll. But I can live with it - I have no respect for ill designed polls - how can you say which is the best, when you haven't even heard of most of the other things you're voting against. It's like those mag polls which announce that some celeb is "the sexiest woman in Britain". Who's to say it isn't the girl who works in my local chip shop? I could spend my money phoning up to vote for her, but what would be the point, few others know who she is? (Plus the wife would start beating me round the head again.) Meaningless poll, no point voting.
The other thing which makes people vote btw, and fill in questionnaires, is prize draws. It's not that people have a high expectation of winning, just that it adds fun, and gives recognition to their time investment. So why not stick every voting slip in a hat, and every few months pick one out, and give him 5 free turns, an Illustrated Hobbit, or a day trip to Cardiff? (well perhaps not the last 
Laurence G. Tilley
http://www.lgtilley.freeserve.co.uk
They think we have you in our pocket or something...