This is going to be long-winded, but for those of you following YF’s “incentive” program, we have our first winners...
A couple of the winners in June are relatively new to YF, but that’s OK because the purpose of the program was to encourage new people to join in and participate in the forums. The problem with rewarding “only new” members is… if we fail to recognize those members that have been here all along, adding to YF’s knowledge base and helping to build a community that others want to join. For these members, I have set aside some apparel and other goodies. I will be contacting them individually.
Here are June’s “Members Rewards” Winners and I’m going to expand on why these people were chosen.
1. Loren Schweizer
2. Sailronin
3. Ken Bracewell
4. K1W1
5. YachtLuver Loren Schweizer: I think it’s fair to say, there’s no explanation necessary here. In one month, Loren rose to the challenge and went from a scant 5 posts over the course of a year, to 118 posts inside of a month. BUT… this is NOT about post count! This is about making a meaningful contribution to the community. Loren has answered questions on a variety of levels, bestowing years of experience with informative and cleverly entertaining posts.
Sailronin: I had the honor of meeting Dave at the Palm Beach show earlier this year, when he showed me what a truly well maintained yacht looked like, due to a very professional crew and his extensive experience. For reasons unrelated to business, Dave is gentleman with very little time on his hands, yet he has selflessly taken the same to answer questions on YF, specifically for people looking to get into the industry.
Ken Bracewell: Much like Dave, this is a gentleman standing in command of a major yacht, yet his signature reads “never trust a captain who likes to swim”. Clearly, Ken has a good sense of humor and this shows in his posts, in which there have been many in recent months, all with a high level of expertise. I believe the courtesy and patience in Ken's posts, as well as Dave's posts, best represent the character we’ve come to expect with "hi-end" captains. They are true ambassadors to our industry and we are lucky they have joined our community.
K1W1: In May, I mentioned (for those of you who actually read my ramblings) that the Rewards program might have already started, i.e., "that every post counts and content is the key". There was a reason for this… K1W1.
YachtLuver: One of our youngest and newest members has shown us you don’t have to be a captain of industry, an industry professional or have a vested interest in yachts… to have a passion for big boats. Ron worked hard to find news and bring it to YF. I want to expand on why Ron’s contribution is important...
Over the past couple of years, I’ve worked around the clock to bring the latest news to our readers. If I didn’t have the other aspects of publishing the site, i.e. reviews, press releases, coding or marketing … then simply being a forum administrator would be easy! It’s been a little frustrating that YF has become a place for people to get news… and then discuss it on another forum, or… our ideas/threads become the topics of articles in yachting magazines. This is why I started the Rewards program. Quite simply, when members share news or help keep the momentum going in the forums, this helps tremendously!
In closing, I knew a good number of notable yacht owners were already YF members and for privacy reasons have remained cloaked. I have been fortunate to speak with some of them and their comments have been enlightening. I believe the contributions of June’s winners, and the many others like them on YF, are creating an environment that is conducive to high caliber people joining in the discussion.
*****
I need shipping addresses, shirt sizes and choice of apparel from each of our winners. Please choose three builders in order of preference. I will do my best to accommodate. Send to: Carl (at) YachtForums (dot) com.
A big THANKS to YF's June Winners!
Christmas in July! 
). Shouldn't that trump the builder?
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