There's a dual problem in this space of people not reading the sidebar, and mods being frustrated that people don't read the sidebar. Similar to the Weekly OYS, it might be a good idea to ask new and old members to post their sidebar notes on this subreddit. I can see these benefits off the top of my head:

  1. It shows evidence that new members have done the required reading other than "I've read x"
  2. It gives an opportunity for older members to give their own take on top of sidebar material (see u/RStonePT's sidebar series on YouTube)
  3. It gets people talking about the sidebar in general and fosters note swapping
  4. It allows for an opportunity to help new members going through the sidebar understand the nuances of the material and how to actually put it into practice

To give an example, here is a passage of the sidebar notes I've made on Michael's Story (TRP sidebar):

My income was $120,000.00 (net earnings after creative deductions and business taxes) in 2011. Income is projected to be $170,000.00 (net earnings after business taxes) in 2012. I’m exactly the kinds of “independent man” women claim they want. I drive a luxury car with an amazing apartment in Los Angeles directly on the beach. It’s quite a panty moistener and costs me $6,000.00 per month.

My note: Hidden here is a life script taught from an early age that making more money and more resources will get you more women. Note especially how he refers to his luxury car as a panty moistener.

Now my example could be a poor way to read Michael's Story or a great way to read Michael's story. But that's the point. If I understand the sidebar piece correctly, the post itself is valuable, and if it isn't then the comments can discuss it and correct me where I'm wrong.

In general, I think a great way to get people to actually read the sidebar is for us to start talking about the sidebar more and swap notes on top of it. And even in the unlikely case that we don't achieve any of these goals for some members, it'll still be better than lurking around the space doing nothing with the material.