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Whether you’re brand new to SCN or have been active here for a while already, you’re probably aware that the community is a great place to build reputation and earn recognition for expertise in SAP-related topics. SCN has a long-standing Reputation Program devoted to continually improving how topic expertise is acquired and showcased in the community.
An important part of that Reputation Program is the annual SCN Topic Leader contest. The contest is designed to highlight the most active experts in certain topics in the community. In past contest years, we’ve recognized top contributors in points categories and then topic spaces, we’ve listed their names in a blog, and sent them a certificate of achievement. In some cases, when the opportunity arose at SAP TechEd && d-code, SCN Topic Leaders attending the event were acknowledged on stage.
Over the years, the contest has undergone changes as the community has changed, and this year we are making a few adjustments again.
In the 2012/2013 contest, as a way to keep the Topic Leaders list meaningful in light of the large number of topic spaces on SCN, we introduced a point threshold. That is, in addition to being one of the top three members in a topic space in terms of points earned in that space in 12 months, you had to get a certain minimum number of points in that space in the contest period to qualify as a Topic Leader.
This year we are continuing with that concept, but the point threshold has been adjusted—it is now set at 500 points.
The table below summarizes the changes to the Topic Leader contest this year:
| 2013 | 2014 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contest period | August 1, 2012 to July 31, 2013 | August 1, 2013 to July 31, 2014 | No change |
| Threshold of points | 440 points within the contest period | 500 points within the contest period | New point threshold is applied to select active and meaningful areas of expertise (a space audit was conducted to determine the appropriate threshold) |
| Areas of expertise | 107 spaces | ~110 to be announced | No change in approximate number of areas of expertise (topic spaces) |
| Topic Leaders | Top 3 in each area (with minimum 440 points) | Top 3 in each area (with minimum 500 points) | No change. As was the case last year, in some areas there maybe be just 1 or 2 Topic Leaders meeting the "500 points minimum" criterion |
| Recognition activities |
|
(Recognition at SAP TechEd && d-code still being determined) | No change, except recognition at SAP TechEd && d-code, which is still being defined (the event is changing, and so are aspects of it such as Topic Leader recognition) |
Members whose point level is below the threshold in a topic will not be considered for recognition as Topic Leader. However, Topic Leader recognition is only one way that we recognize member achievement. Your contributions and engagement will still be recognized through earning missions and badges, and if you are among the top 10 members in a space points-wise in the past 12 months, your name will appear in the leaderboard for that space. These forms of recognition continue to be available year-round and are not tied to a particular contest period.
In last year’s program update blog post, my predecessor (Laure Cetin) included a neat little programmatic explanation for the logic of Topic Leader selection. I’ve updated the formula here to reflect this year’s criteria (thanks, Laure!):
If time frame >= 2013-08-01T00:00:00-08:00 and time frame <= 2014-07-31T23:59:59-08:00 and space ID==XY and user Z.point_total >=500 points and user Z.contribution_ranking in (1,2,3) then user Z=SCN Topic Leader in space XY.
In less techie terms: to qualify as a Topic Leader in a space, you must have earned more than 500 points in that space between August 1, 2013 and July 31, 2014, AND you must be one of the top 3 contributors in that topic space. (Note: points in sub-spaces do not roll up into their parent space. Each space is considered a separate entity.)
We will be announcing the Topic Leaders for the 2013/2014 contest in the next week, followed by send-out of the acknowledgement of achievement. We’re also planning ways to recognize SCN Topic Leaders again at the SAP TechEd && d-code events in the various locations. (Please note that as in past years SCN Topic Leaders are not eligible to receive a free pass to SAP TechEd && d-code.)
I look forward to sharing the list of Topic Leaders with you, and as always, we are interested in your feedback on the Reputation Program and the Topic Leader contest!
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