This is probably not a new idea, as I’m typically not that original. But I’ll pitch it anyway.
What I think the Board needs is a Hall of Fame of Classic Posts.
Every now and then, someone types out a true gem of a post; be it humor, rage, grief, whatever, it is a rockin’ great post.
So good, in fact, that it should be preserved for the ages.
So what I think should be done is to set up a system for nominating such posts for preservation from obscurity. Say, if ten people (or fifty, or a hundred, you Admin types decide) it goes on a list.
Depending on the size of the list, the Board holds periodic votes. Any paying member currently in good standing can vote (if you can’t tell, I have a few Libertarian tendencies); the votes are tallied, and the winner goes into a special page, called the “Straight Dope Classics,” or whatever.
These posts (or threads, maybe, depending upon size) are forever closed.
One rock-solid rule: it must be an original. There’s a lot of wit and wisdom floating around “out there,” sometimes worth sharing with others. But if the Member didn’t come up with it personally and originally, it doesn’t count.
And maybe as an enticement, anyone who’s post make it into the Hall of Fame gets free lifetime membership, with a special title like “Hall of Fame Member” or somesuch (which pretty much rules me out).
So, whaddaya think?