Perhaps if it's "suggested" that people briefly discuss WHY they like their choice, what makes it a AOTW choice to them, favorite cuts etc. it would help to facilitate more of a dialogue.
If they don't want to do this, that's fine. They'll just have to live with whatever amount of response they receive.
I do think a required lengthy post might discourage some from participating.
But I do agree, SS, that it is definitely in a big slump.
Do people think the choices are too conservative? Should we try to pick more obscure or potentially controversial things? We do need to be able to access these somewhere, so TOO obscure won't work either.