Deskthority Awards 2014 - Request for Comments

[webwit]

Please use this topic to discuss the setup of the Deskthority Awards. All ideas and input welcome.

For example, last year there was a discussion about which categories we should have, but those were already planned by then. This time we have some more time before the awards start, so good ideas can be incorporated in the design of the awards.

[Muirium]

I still agree with this guy:

http://deskthority.net/dta-news-f76/com ... ml#p133834

Although that duck fellow has a fair counterpoint. We need a few great categories. I'd just like them to be 100% clear. I'd also like a clear split between awards for current stuff and classics. At least somewhere!

[webwit]

These are the current categories:

Best regular keyboard
Best space-saving/compact keyboard
Best ergonomic input device
Best other input device
Best keyboard company or brand
Best keycaps
Best keyboard switch
Best relic/discovery
Best input device mod
Best deskthority forum contributor
Best deskthority wiki contributor
The *Ping* Award
The Deskthority Award

If you want mutations to this list, please reply with a copy and paste patched with your changes, and motivate your changes.

Keep the arguments of last year in mind, i.e. differentiation vs keeping it simple. It's now 13 categories, it really shouldn't grow beyond 20, preferably less. In addition to last years' argument, note that we should have a fair balance of awards which go to products or concepts (like best whatever keyboard, best switch) and awards which go to deskthority members (like best forum/wiki contributor). It's nice to give awards to members, but the awards shouldn't be too introvert, so they carry weight beyond this forum. That is, an award like best regular keyboard should mean something beyond deskthority, and that wouldn't work if we mainly are giving awards to ourselves.

[Halvar]

I agree with Muiriums younger self, I think we don't need more categories, but I would modify the differentiation of the "best keyboards" categories and the DT award.


Best current keyboard product <= it makes less sense to compare a modern 60% to a kishsaver than all modern keyboards regardless of size
Best vintage keyboard <= for all your kishsavers, SSKs, beam springs, G80-1000 ...
Best self-build keyboard <= for Phantoms, Hypers, matt3o's stuff etc.
Best other input device <= Nobody cares
Best current keyboard company or brand <-- nominating IBM or Cherry each year doesn't make sense to me
Best keycaps
Best keyboard switch
Best relic/discovery <= for really technically or historically interesting keyboards that needn't work with a PC
Best input device mod
Best deskthority forum contributor
Best deskthority wiki contributor
The *Ping* Award
The Deskthority Award <= should go to a member of the DT community
The Deskthority Achievement Award <= should go to a person or company outside the DT community, like Engelbart or Taihao or the inventor of the rubber dome or whatever. (Better name?)

[webwit]

I like most of your ideas! On first sight only not sure about the last two. I can argue two things to keep it one main Deskthority Award: If the member must beat the outside achievement and vice serca, it means it's a real heavyweight award, which has its merits. Might be disappointing for a member not to win it, like last year, but if one wins it, it means extra pleasure. Moreover, we already have best dt forum and wiki contributor awards.

[Halvar]

I see what you mean. You're right, I'm not sure about the last two either, there's a certain duplicity with the other awards. On the other hand, I found it kind of pointless last year to compare a DT member to Engelbart.

Maybe others can weigh in.

[mtl]

Best keyboard innovation (e.g., MX-compatible sliders, clear switch cases)
Best keyboard hardware support device (replacement controllers, converters, PCBs, etc.)
Best keyboard software contribution (firmwares, layout editors, etc.)

[002]

This might be a bit difficult but I wonder if there would be some search we could do of the forums to summarise big events that have happened this year, or at least hot topics.

Something like:
Threads started this year with at least 30 replies or 1000 views (could be tweaked as necessary)

Could be useful for getting more nominations for each category? Basically it's just an attempt to help people remember things that happened earlier in the year instead of just recent stuff which seem to pop to mind easily.

[webwit]

Something like:
Threads started this year with at least 30 replies or 1000 views (could be tweaked as necessary)

That's a lot of topics
http://deskthority.net/toptopics.php

[Muirium]

Honey Sphericals Extras ranks very well, I see! Among the weirdest, and most fanatical of group buys I've seen. Next time we really must figure out how to sell caps to someone who isn't us!

How about a best Off-Topic prize? (Here's looking at you Sth.) A golden crapper would look jolly nice…

[7bit]

That's unfair!!!


If at all it should be a list of all threads compared by replies or views!


On anything else, I agree with Halvar!


Best current keyboard product <= This should be a product that came into the market in 2014, or shortly before
Best vintage keyboard <= ideally something that has been discovered, or was hot in 2014
Best self-build keyboard <= Good. But I want a "Best Hyper keyboard" catergory added.
Best other input device <= Nobody cares ACK!
Best current keyboard company or brand <-- maybe this should be restriced to new commers or only small brands
Best keycaps <- only key caps that came up in 2014, no wait! 2013, .... or was it 2012?
Best keyboard switch <= MicroSwitch should be set as the only competitor
Best relic/discovery <= <insert 2014 randomfind by HaaTa here>
Best input device mod <= OK
Best deskthority forum contributor <= OK
Best deskthority wiki contributor <= OK
The *Ping* Award <= OK
The Deskthority Award <= should go to a member of the DT community
The Deskthority Achievement Award <= should go to a person or company outside the DT community

[Muirium]

Perhaps a balance of awards. Some for products / companies, some for forum members, and some for forum threads? Halvar's lineup looks pretty solid. But I'd like a thread of note category so we can be silly there, and ensure that the vital ping award goes to companies that deserve it, like GMK, GMK, GMK…

Oh, here's a good one: best (keyboard related) photo of the year? Must be posted on DT!

[matt3o]

My notes inline

Best recent (2013-2014) regular keyboard
Best recent (2013-2014) space-saving/compact keyboard
Best ergonomic input device (any time)
Best other input device OK
Best keyboard company or brand OK
Best keycaps (excluding OEM, eg: no Dolch, but ok with Dolch replicas)
Best keyboard switch OK
Best relic/discovery fuck yeah
Best custom input device or mod
Best deskthority forum contributor (read below)
Best deskthority wiki contributor (c'mon... let's give this to you know who by default, he wouldn't take the prize anyway )

Let's just merge the above two into "Best deskthority contributor"

The *Ping* Award OK
The Deskthority Award OK

[Muirium]

Best caps: no OEM? Care to define? Last year the prize went to IBM's tripleshot APL beamspring caps (and therefore that lucky git Mr_A500 who owns them). Is that something you want to prevent? Are you talking about a prize for "best new caps"?

[matt3o]

Best caps: no OEM? Care to define? Last year the prize went to IBM's tripleshot APL beamspring caps (and therefore that lucky git Mr_A500 who owns them). Is that something you want to prevent? Are you talking about a prize for "best new caps"?

yeah I would split it into OEM and new creations or put OEMs into relic/discovery

[Muirium]

Hmm… caps vs. keyboards is not a fight I want to see. Imagine if they were the same keyboard's, in competition with itself!

Maybe a prize for GB of the year instead? Some of the best stuff on DT this year has been Granite and Round 5, let's pit them against eachother at last!

[matt3o]

LOL!

Released keycaps! Round 5 will be participating in 2016

PS: I won't be accepting any prize this year

[photekq]

Oh, here's a good one: best (keyboard related) photo of the year? Must be posted on DT!

+1 Would be interesting!

[Madhias]

Oh, here's a good one: best (keyboard related) photo of the year? Must be posted on DT!

+1 Would be interesting!

That would a nice to have. I can even imagine the usual suspects!

[Muirium]

The tricky part would be the nominations procedure. Self-nomination is frowned upon, right? In which case, expect a bunch of juicy photo threads to show up at nomination time from said usual suspects, making sure to stake a claim!

[photekq]

The tricky part would be the nominations procedure. Self-nomination is frowned upon, right? In which case, expect a bunch of juicy photo threads to show up at nomination time from said usual suspects, making sure to stake a claim!

For that particular category I wouldn't see the problem with self nomination. I'm sure it would make people put more time and effort into their photos, and it could produce some amazing shots.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

I've mostly abandoned the wiki now. I have no idea how relevant that award actually is. I still don't want a silly plastic wingnut keycap, so maybe you should just disqualify me. Besides, matt3o had mine in the hope of making a real metal one, but that went nowhere either.

[matt3o]

do you want it back? I have simply too many projects going around. I'm actually waiting for a metal keycap from shapeways, I'll send you that.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

I never wanted it in the first place, but webwit might want it for one of this year's awards :P

[photekq]

I'll have it if nobody else wants it

[matt3o]

available at putting it back as an award. I actually already made the mold... so I don't really need it anymore

[Miko]

>Best other input device

I'd be very interested in this, although I can't contribute. But IMO the most interesting category. I know what a keyboard and what a mouse is, but the more exotic, the more intresting It proably is.

[webwit]

Thanks all for your input. You have one day to complain about my attempt at this final list. Let me know if I forgot or incorrectly snubbed a good idea.

Best regular keyboard 2014
Best space-saving/compact keyboard 2014
Best alternative or other input device 2014
Best vintage keyboard 2014
Best self-build keyboard 2014
Best input device mod, device or software 2014
Best keyboard innovation 2014
Best keycaps 2014
Best keyboard switch 2014
Best keyboard company or brand 2014
Best relic/discovery 2014
Best input device photo 2014
The *Ping* Award 2014
Best deskthority contributor 2014
The Deskthority Award 2014

Motivations:

By popular demand, various categories will be limited to "released in 2014" only. This wasn't the case earlier, but the keyboard market has grown enormously since the first Awards, when there was much less choice and releases.

I've kept the meta-super-category The Deskthority Award, and merged the wiki&forum awards into Best deskthority contributor. I was hesitant about the wiki award, because if a tennis player keeps winning Wimbledon, you don't abort Wimbledon. But it makes the new award very strong, limits the total number of awards, and both old awards weren't dynamic enough in number of contestants.

mtl had some nice suggestions, I used the keyboard innovation award, but merged mods, devices and software into one category for now. If it turns out a very strong category with too many different things, we can split it in later years. Maybe software here is a bit weird.

I've kept separate regular vs smaller keyboard categories, but merged ergonomic and other input device, together with anything alternative or really big. Ergonomic and other were weak categories with little contenders. This new award keeps a place for these things while hopefully making the category stronger.

Didn't use the ideas for a Best off-topic prize (use the Ping Award for your nominees here) and best group buy (use Best deskthority contributor).

15 awards total (was 13 last year).

[Muirium]

Looks pretty good to me. But what is the difference between Best Innovation and Best Company/Brand? The first is for individuals?

[webwit]

Best innovation is something like "MX-compatible Topre sliders", and not the company or individual.
Although I guess this can clash, when a company invents something and wins both awards.