SWU Concerns

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

My point mentioning all this is that the people who are in charge of factions and major plots got there because they worked hard. They become moderators and admins for the same reason. Therefore it is only natural for their accomplishments to transfer into IC and OOC responsibilities. Unfortunately the more OOC responsibilities they have, the less they have to dedicate to their characters.

The IC and OOC leadership of SWU is centered on complacency. They earned it once, so they have it for all time? In order to maintain effective leadership you can't rest on your laurels. If someone doesn't post with their leader for four months, they need to be replaced so the plot can move on. Instead, we languish and slow everything down because of those people.

They may have earned it at one time, but they haven't earned their keep since then. And that's not fair to the common member.

[Jace]

I never said that they should have it for all-time. All I did was say that they were in a leadership position for a reason. I was simply trying to say that removal is not always the most feasible option. It may not be fair but as I stated in the previous post, part of the responsibility lays with what you call the 'common member'. Simply removing/replacing someone without a proper replacement just leaves things in an even worse state.

As I stated before, I completely agree that complacency is an issue but it's not a problem that only stems from the staff.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Then set up a one to two month window in which current leaders can either earn their keep by posting regularly, or we have a call to find adequate replacements. Give members the ability to apply for important positions and they will.

[Juzt]

Again I have a suggestion. I dunno if this will help. Q.Q Please don't hate me if it is a stupid idea. But say a senior faction Charries owner can't post and it is slowing down the plot. Would it be possible to temporarily turn the Charrie into an NPC till that person gets back?

[Jenno]

Nov 23, 2012 21:36:34 GMT -5 Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy said:

The IC and OOC leadership of SWU is centered on complacency. They earned it once, so they have it for all time? In order to maintain effective leadership you can't rest on your laurels. If someone doesn't post with their leader for four months, they need to be replaced so the plot can move on. Instead, we languish and slow everything down because of those people.

They may have earned it at one time, but they haven't earned their keep since then. And that's not fair to the common member.

I do believe this is about me, at least part of it. Guess I'll address it. Actually, I don't really need to explain a whole lot because of Juzt's suggestions.

Nov 24, 2012 5:48:23 GMT -5 Juzt said:

Again I have a suggestion. I dunno if this will help. Q.Q Please don't hate me if it is a stupid idea. But say a senior faction Charries owner can't post and it is slowing down the plot. Would it be possible to temporarily turn the Charrie into an NPC till that person gets back?

I actually said this to Meira and Sparrow a few months ago as the current events were approaching because I didn't want to hold anyone up. I told them that they were free to post with Vreem and Ini in any events if I was busy. However, it appears my characters are cursed, which explains a lot.

Anyway, let's take a look at the council, the council has been filled with multiple members, at this stage there's been over 30 different characters on it at one point or another. That's a lot of rotating characters on the council as some have been removed and returned to the council due to periods of member inactivity. This is fine because the council is set up with rotating members, though don't get me wrong, if we get 12 solid members I would love nothing more than to keep them all there. Why? It allows for a better interweaving of story, leaders don't really matter if they're swapped out and replaced every 6 months to a year.

The same is true of the faction leaders, especially the Sith. Getting a Sith character to take orders from a leader that rotates would hardly be likely to happen imo, it was a challenge trying to win characters over in the first place. Because let's be honest here, there's no way to predict if someone will be around all the time, life throws curve balls. So we could pick a great, truly awesome candidate to replace Ini, but if in about a year that member had to leave or became extremely busy and we therefore had to replace the character then you're kind of just detracting from the story, because every year a new Sith leader comes along and has to fight for the control of the Sith (they're power hungry people who love to test how strong someone is before 'following' them).

So after some rambling, my point is this, if you were to replace, for instance, Vreem and Ini, the head of the Blades and Sith respectively (or are they the same person controlling both!?), this would only be a fix until you had to replace them again which, looking at SWU's IC leadership past beyond a select few, wouldn't be a very long wait.

And I'm sorry, but the OOC leadership is not built on complacency. How do I know this? I built it. Currently the staff aren't being complacent, they're being busy. They would be a complacent leadership if they were around the forum all the time and they were just posting in the RP and ignoring their apps, tasks as admins or discussions in the staff sections. But you'll notice they don't do that. When they're not busy and they are around, these are some of the most productive members of staff, and I'm not just talking about apps, I'm on about brainstorming things that can improve the site, aspects that can be reconsidered, possible events that we can have go on for characters to take part in.

I'd write about more things, such as plot, but I'm freezing cold and pretty hungover so I'm going to head off.

[Raytheon]

Nov 24, 2012 5:48:23 GMT -5 Juzt said:

Again I have a suggestion. I dunno if this will help. Q.Q Please don't hate me if it is a stupid idea. But say a senior faction Charries owner can't post and it is slowing down the plot. Would it be possible to temporarily turn the Charrie into an NPC till that person gets back?

A Gamemaster as I suggested could do that while it would/could offend the actual player of said charrie he should obtain permission from the creator beforehand or else establish his inability to continue i.e. left behind or otherwise occupied.

[Juzt]

Yeah I mean if some one had a really strong objection to their Charrie being used I am not suggesting we override them. But I can't see many people minding because it is possible to write people in a fairly neutral way. \if I am making sense? Um anyway I hope I have been of service :S

[Jenno]

I remember when I was admin I brought up the possibility of GMs to the rest of the staff, I believe it was in tandem with the creation of the missions board (though I think I didn't raise the topic in an entirely similar fashion as you). But I think the argument was that all this does is add another player to the game and it makes them important. So basically you're setting things up to be exactly the same, because if that person gets busy then things are no better off.

Also, adding time limits like in your example can really mess people up and could even cut a number of folks out of the RP when they're perhaps a little slower because if an emergency comes up or something unexpected happens or you get loaded with work that'll take two or three days to get done, then they're kicked out of that RP and you've said that their character has done something which in this instance, may very well not be okay with the member.

[Raytheon]

Nov 24, 2012 8:48:36 GMT -5 Jenno said:

Also, adding time limits like in your example can really mess people up and could even cut a number of folks out of the RP when they're perhaps a little slower because if an emergency comes up or something unexpected happens or you get loaded with work that'll take two or three days to get done, then they're kicked out of that RP and you've said that their character has done something which in this instance, may very well not be okay with the member.

While in certain cases this can be true they at times can only be left where they are while the entire group moves ahead in the story and when they are available again can easily make a large post catching up and RPing an excuse why they stayed behind.

Stopping all RP because one person has something to do irl holds up the entire group, then someone else has something else to do which leads to a chain of events where the plot basically stopped dead. While I want to empathize with the person due to real life, sometimes you get left behind, and the best thing to do is catch up.

If you know you may be delayed at times work something out with the GM before hand, or else don't join an "active" plot where people are counting on the reliability to keep going I'd like to think of it as a train. It starts at a certain time and has a time of arrival, just because one person forgot something doesn't mean to stop the entire train to accommodate them it'll keep chugging along.

It's not personal it's in the interest of keeping it moving, apologize but move on.

Edit Addendum: In the military there is a saying, "Nothing ever goes perfectly according to plan." the guy we were supposed to save has a heart attack and dies, a sniper shoot one of my men as we escape. The one guy we brought to diffuse a bomb suddenly goes into shock you adapt. If a crucial character to the plot has to do something irl, you adapt keep moving and try and avoid their part until they come back or have another character pick up said role with support.

But you always move forward, delaying does nothing but cause stagnation and eventual disinterest.

And in the event a GM has something to do there always more staff to pick up the slack since they are likely to know how to story should unfold, you keep it going. It doesn't help to get caught up on what if's. what if the pilot of the plane dies? Then call it and get instructions to fly the plane. There's always alternatives to keep going.

[Meira]

Alright folks, a lot has been said. I'm going to weigh in as succinctly as I can.

Staff inactivity: Yep, it's happened and I'm one of the worst offenders in this sense. But let me point something out to you. My fellow staff members and I have been members of this site for quite a while. All of us have worked our way up the ladder to where we are now, but in the end, this site is just one of the MANY things that we do. Aside from careers, school, and our actual lives, SWU is a hobby. Never will I ever expect it to come before ANYTHING else. Why? Because I'm not a dictator, and this site is, in the end, just a site.

Yes, staff are expected to do what they signed up for, and yes we'd like for that to be done in a timely manner. But when life happens, it happens. Every single member of our staff that has been on a hiatus has announced it, and given an expected end to their absence. And even as they are meant to be gone, they manage to either connect with the site or with other members of staff in order to give a heads up on what they're dealing with.

When there is an end in sight, I will NOT demote someone. It won't happen. Sorry if that's unacceptable to you, but these people have worked far too hard to only be met with complaints.

So what CAN be done? Members can step up and help each other out. As it has been said before, we can't replace someone when we don't have anyone to replace them with. We have high standards here on SWU and that is something that will not be apologized for. Quality always trumps quantity. It's kinda the reason why people say SWU is the best. It's not the easiest way to run things, but it produces a site full of great writers like yourselves. In the end, that is the goal, and that is what SWU is focused on.

So here it is guys. We need more staff. Step up.

Plot stuff: Believe it or not, your concerns were raised amongst staff long before you voiced them here. The Missions Board was conceived in the mind of our great Jenno to address much of what y'all have been saying. It hasn't gotten into the groove we'd like yet, but we're hoping to work out the kinks and get it moving. Dutch has been tapped to head it up specifically for the purpose of breathing some life and enthusiasm back into the missions. I don't know if you know this, but he's a pretty charismatic guy. And I hand picked him for the task.

I'm not going to lie. The reason why much of the plot progression fall on staff can be boiled down to two things: Jenno plays his cards close to the chest, and the general populous is often unwilling to help out. I hope that isn't taken the wrong way, but we the staff have taken criticism in this thread. It's time we share the love.

When the Missions Board was rolled out, the idea was specifically for members to become more involved with site plots. Much of the main plot is kept under wraps and this is actually for the benefit of all. When everyone knows everything that is going to happen, there's a certain spice lost to the fun of RPing. And so Jenno came up with this missions concept. We created missions to get things rolling, but if you'll notice, there is a system in place for members to suggest missions as well. Could this all have been promoted better? probably, but the fact is that we put it out there and got little more than a nibble for all our efforts.

Hopefully with the awareness that this thread has generated, along with the help of Dutch, we'll be able to get it back on track. And believe me, the possible solutions that have been presented in this thread ARE being considered. But remember, in the end, whatever we decide on, it will be implemented in the best interests of the high standards of SWU and it's goal to be a site full of amazing writers.

So that's the fact. When you leave your fate solely in the hands of others, you're likely to be disappointed. But when you take control and use the resources SWU provides to you, not only can your voice be heard, it can be amplified and become part of what makes SWU great.

I know I didn't address everyone's points specifically, but I tried to hit on the things I see as the general topics most important and how not only we as staff can address them, but also what you as members can do. SWU is our baby, after all, and there's some kind of saying out there about it taking a village.

So again, SWUlings, step up.

[Necro Stormborn]

I know i haven't been around in a long while, but i do believe it would be a good time for me to jump in and say something while the iron is hot.

That being said, ive probably been a member on this site longer than most, and while my activity is rather shaky lately, it once was not, and at one point it was even overwhelming. my point in saying this is purely out of a desire to preface my feelings with old timer credentials. TL;DR: I've been here a while and I've seen plenty of crap from both sides of this camp, and i feel that my position is one of some much accuracy.


So let me just address the solutions that have been offered because i have never been a fan of beating a dead horse, unless that horse is being RP'd by Dire, (lol). Thus, i'll start with my view on lemur's suggestion.

To impose a time limit in which the staff needs to act to "earn their keep" as you put it, would and could be a good idea. however, like most systems where the rules are black and white about leadership retention, the system is easily overhyped, easily overutilized, and most definitely too impartial.

So let me first address what i mean by too overhyped: In a system where a person has to constantly earn their keep, you begin to systematically turn this environment into a work state. I hardly doubt anyone here would consider this work, much less would have a desire to RP here if it was work. There was a study in the field of economics, (which i have a bachelors in now, starting my masters in, so hopefully this wont seem too stupid when i explain it) where a group of individuals collected empirical data on a concept they called "irrational probability". (You can find this study and several books/scholarly texts written on it by searching for Dan Ariely at your local library.) This concept was basically the study of how people often act irrationally, given surface information, and given the knowledge that they do this, is there a means of predicting it and using it to determine how to market, finance, invest...etc so that their irrational behavior benefits your company. once again TLDR: people act crazy, and this is the study of predicting how crazy and how to use it to your advantage.

ANYWAYS.......the point I'm getting at is that in this study, one of the main thesis points was, people will irrationally dislike something even if they have no reason to do so if it becomes similar or is propositioned similar to a work environment. They found for example that an artist who loves drawing, will work hours and hours and hours and not complain...in fact he will love doing so. However, as soon as u start to pay him for hsi paintings and start to say when u need them by the art becomes forced work that he now has an obligation to finish. NOW he feels like this sucks and why should he complete it. It is for this reason that comnpanies across the world are constantly trying to positively reinforce thier employees with out of work parties, dinners, celebrations, talks of current events not involving thier work. Corporations today have been trying to take the work out of working for them for years. and the ones that manage successfully like Activision, Google, Facebook...do extremely well and have one of the highest employee retention rates. my point......

If you want an involved staff that enjoy what they do to the point of exhaustion, don't start hounding them and making it seem more like its work. There is something to be said about adressing problems as they arise, but that doesn't mean this should become a job. we should find a way to motivate from within to keep our staff active and happy.




POINT #2:

Too utilized i say? yes.... as soon as we start imposing rules on people for not doing such and such for X amount of time, we open the door to crafting more rules for people not posting between such and such dates..... and then might as well start overthrowing staff left and right because they decide to post elsewhere or are caught up with something scholastically. When going about deciding something such as this, we should not just jump to removal or usurpation as a end result. I am not excluding the possibility that we very well may indeed need some new staff, but i will not be party to just imposing rules that are black and white in nature and have no guarantee they will fill the voids rather than add more of them. Personally I think some staff members could use a good kick in the behind when it comes to priorities "on the site". i want to make sure I'm understood here. i am not saying they should prioritize the site over other facets of their lives..but they should be sensative tot he fact that other people are depending on them when they are actually on the site and have some free time, instead of farting around in the cbox. being more aware of how your posting/approvals affect the player base is something that should be standardized. and failure to do so should be brought to their attention, and discussed as a group on how/why/and what ways we can improve it.

my point if there ever was on is that we are opening the flood gates to change. change isn't necessarily bad, but rushing in and not first systematically attempt other options before rolling out a policy of staff removal seems dangerous to me.



Point #3 impartiality


This seems pretty self explanatory, though for the purpose of spelling it out for those unable to, much of this discussion stems from anger against what is to be considered a cliqueish-troll engine that steam rolls over the small people and cares naught for anyone other than themselves. To a degree, one could say the staff's skype discussions were once, and can on occasion be JUST LIKE THIS. however, more often then not they are sitting there discussing what they think is right, discussion how they want to move the plot, and scratching their heads at some of the unbelievably dumb rationales people use in bios or posts for things that are occurring or stats they are receiving. they are for lack of a better word working and doing their job, to say they are not is to act on insufficient information. To this degree, perhaps more of the staffs discussions and comments should be more transparent, perhaps that would add to the belief they are seeking our best interest. But can we truly be impartial with staff removals/replacements. how do we determine whos been slacking, who has a good reason, who has done work but not enough, who has done nothing at all......etc. these are things people will need to think of and have answers for before i personally will agree to any of the previously mentioned suggestions.


as a last remark, i do fully support NPC'ing of characters for the sake of continuity and plot movement.


~Necro

[Raytheon]

Awesome post necro.

However I think also like Koeing suggested there some commication, maybe a weekly bulletin or at least some degree of mass communication on part of the staff. That allows the common players that one, things are begin done and we are progressing and two, that it allows new players and the regulars alike to see our staff is active and the site is active.

Even if the bulletin is. "We are currently discussing upcoming plots and missions."

An update as simple as that, puts us at ease, even if it's Bullsh*t it makes me feel better. Rather than silence.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Apologists. We have a lot of them.

I think this thread has demonstrated there are deep flaws with the status quo on SWU, and it's time to address them.

Or we can just keep on doing the same things as before and let nothing change.

[Moonfire]

Or you can see the great deal of progress thats already being made right here in this thread.

The grievances over staff activity have been acknowledged and the Sith section (the one most complained about) is completely caught up thanks to the four day weekend. People are talking about the issues, we've already shared that certain strategies are in the works to prevent something like that from happening again.

People are talking and caring and trying to work together. That's called progress, change doesn't happen overnight.

We're discussing allowing mods to cross section lines to do reviews, we're in talks to possibly employ a roving Global Moderator, we're talking out how to streamline the mission section and how to get the site plot moving.

These guys are just saying we can't do it alone.

[Ghostie]

I'm not going to lie. The reason why much of the plot progression fall on staff can be boiled down to two things: Jenno plays his cards close to the chest, and the general populous is often unwilling to help out.

We are NOT unwilling to help out. There's just nothing for our characters to do once the staff's own (The higher ranking ones, characters I mean) get a hold of the events. They get to do all the 'special and fun' stuff, if you will.

And you say that knowing the end to something 'takes away the magic'? It does, I agree. So when the fate of a battle or certain event is already decided, there's nothing more to be said. Nothing we can do to stop it. Why should we join then?

So here it is guys. We need more staff. Step up.

So again, SWUlings, step up.

Right, cause we can all do stuff. We can all approve, help decide plot things, makes general changes...

Oh wait.

Meira, all us ordinary members (those who aren't staff) Do as much as we can. We review, help with tech things, give our input (as shown by this thread). But apparently, we don't do enough. That may be because we can't do anything more. We can't do as much as the staff does, because we don't have their abilities or authority.

The way some of us read your post, you shifted all the blame off of the staff, and instead blamed those who cannot do anything. I would venture to say it was taken the wrong way, due to your wording.

[Juzt]

There has been some progress in this thread. I don't agree with everything said but everything that has been said has a degree of merit. I do however resent the implication that ordinary members are unwilling to help. I think the opposite is very true. I think that point is a little silly. I have seen any number of applications reviewed by ordinary members, it think as a community we are very helpful to new members. Showing them where to go. Giving advice, and so on. Some one new turns up in c-box or the welcome threads and people fall over themselves to say hi or explain things.

Ordinary Members are for the most part are only to glad to help out anyone. Ask and thou shall receive.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Okay, just a few short points:

1) in regards to my time here, since I was mentioned specifically: was i nit-picky? Yes, and I will never say otherwise. In all respects I wanted apps to be as good as possible before letting them into play because I learned (over the many years I was here) that the better and more detailed an app, the better the play and less hassle for the player it was in the long run. Did I ask too much? Perhaps I did, but I like to think the highest of everyone and so I generally had high expectations. You guys were like my kids coming through, and I wanted the best for you. You may not have liked me for it, but that's the motivation behind what I did. If another mod came in (which i did have them do so if I really needed it) I worried that something important might be over-looked. Silly of me? Sure, considering we were all mods, but there you have it...and it had only been reinforced by such things having happened to me previously.

Reviews: Also, reviewing any app is mentally tiring if you're giving a full go at it. When I first started as a mod I was pretty quick, but after a while the reviewing process becomes more and more tiring. I think this is just a fact for anyone who becomes a mod. It is like a job and, like any job, it can be extremely frustrating and sometimes depressing. You get your section cleaned out and then bam, the next day or two you have five or more new apps depending what section you're working. It makes it difficult to do anything BUT review...especially for large sections like jedi, fringe, and dark jedi. That takes a lot of the fun out of even looking at this site, because you know the work is there waiting for you and people are counting on you. It's a cycle that can really wear on a person after a long amount of time...so please try to keep that in mind when discussing the mods/reviews and a solution to the problems here.

Drama: Yes, there has been drama. It's been said before, however, that we're all human. Feelings get hurt, people rub each other the wrong way, mistakes and miscommunications happen, we have bad days....and good ones. The staff does, honestly, get along much of the time, and even if we don't we do try to act like it. It's a big rule for the staff not to have confrontations in public. Does that always work? No...but we try hard to. Believe me that I've seen much worse drama from staff than what happens around SWU2....emphasis on 2. I've been around for a while and, really, worse things have happened than some of the outbursts on here. Just try to remember that, while the staff does have colored names, and the ability to accept apps (etc) we're just like the rest of the members here...prone to liking, and disliking, each other.

Plot/time: This is constantly a debate the staff has, even if it isn't seen by the general public. In the time I've been able to see the mod boards, it's come up at least four or five times in various fashions and no matter what we've tried we keep running into similar troubles. Previous to all of this we did have a sort of GameMaster in that we used a points system and judge for battle/fight threads. While the idea itself was good (perhaps sans the points system) it didn't really make anything any more effective simply because you can't force a person to post. I think that the best you can probably end up doing is to have one person (whoever you want per thread/mission) keep tabs on who's posting in the thread and poke whoever is taking too long to post and suggest a time span in which they should try to get their post in for that round. If the problem persists suggest either NPC (to the member in question) or ask them if they would like their turn skipped. -- this is something that Dire had to do for me and I just opted (with many grumblings) to have them skip my turn and that I'd post when I could get the chance.

Just a note: I think you guys are doing just fine at discussing these problems, just remember to try to see it from the other side of the fence as well. We're a unit here, all of us. Members need mods and mods need members...we're all equally important, so please be continue to be nice to each other, even if you disagree on a topic. Getting riled up won't get any problem solved, aye?

and with that, I bid thee adieu. ^_^

[Dutch]

I have been... hesitant to weigh in on everything. It's rather difficult when you read this stuff, and see something I love so... muddled. I do need to say, I'm disappointed more than anything.

First and foremost, I'd like to point out the duality of this. I see two sides arguing. I see one side trying to be patient and help out, and I see another being demanding and unreasonable. Which side is which you ask? Well that's the entire problem.

Both sides see themselves as the first over the latter.

I've always seen SWU as a community, or more exactly as a work place. Hard for me not to, I treat SWU like I do my job. For those who don't know, I'm a manager for a really successful restaurant in the area, and the sh*t I deal with there makes SWU look silly. But I digress. At work places you tend to know who you work with. At least recognize faces or whatever. And usually, at work, you have one or more people that you're more friendly with. I see that here. Some may call it 'clique' behavior, I prefer to call it simple human nature. We're drawn to people who are similar to us.

So when I see these groups having a go at each other, I have to remove myself from the situation, and look at it impartially. And I've been doing on SWU exactly what I do at work: I approach both parties, get both sides. Do some independent research. Watch, in this case the boards (some may call it lurking... but what can I say? I'm guilty of it :3). I think on it, I take my time on it.

What I don't do, is point fingers, lay blame, and blatantly insult each other. Ya'll should see how silly you look right now. I've read through most of this thread, and really, c'mon guys. Ya'll should be ashamed. Moonfire gets a pair and posts this up special for everyone to voice themselves. And instead of a rational discussion like ADULTS, the majority offer petty insults, blatant lies, and other crap. Now I realize a majority of SWU, are kids still. And before anyone gets butt hurt and goes 'I AM an adult!', just realize that everyone here is still very young in reality. Because of this, I see a LOT of what to me is simple, youthful immaturity and ignorance. Not being insulting, those are just the words that fit the situation best. If you look up their definitions, they really aren't insulting.

Which means that no matter what anyone says at any time ever, people are going to disagree, and not see the others point. I simply ask that you try.

---

Second, member complaints regarding character acceptance and the like. Once again, impartial. I understand that there was a lack in reviews there for a while. However, on Moon and Cain's behalf, I understand where they're coming from. Those kids are doing exactly what I did six years ago. Moving in with their loved one for the first time, both finished their schooling. Setting up a life together takes time. Patience. It can't be rushed, and the pressure of this certainly doesn't help. For those who keep yelling at them, think about this: This moment in time is CRITICAL for Moon and Cain. Moon literally moved CROSS COUNTRY to be with the man she loves. Now imagine this: What if your demands and insults towards them stress them out to the point where they end up fighting? Maybe even break up? How would you feel if you aided in ending a relationship the two have been building for years?

Think about that. Remove yourself from your opinions, and look at the broader image. Might make life easier.

Tangent aside, ya'll have been clamoring for something to be done about their sections? Well shut it. I cleaned them out on thanksgiving. So no more moaning about that. Now that I'm a mod again, I can promise I'll always review when asked, and regularly watch sections for people who slip through the cracks. So no more complaints about that. Only thing i didn't touch were WIP's... because they're WIP's. I prefer to review when the creator is ready.

Also, a fact many people don't realize, due to the fact that you haven't been here long, is that SWU has always slowed down around this time of year. Every. Single. Year. October and November ARE the slowest times of the year, like wise, once spring rolls around, this place will EXPLODE with people having free time. It's great, just you wait.

Oh snap that rhymed!



#Rugs

---

Third. The plot.

So one of my favorite things about SWU, besides its community, rich roster of characters, and brilliant writing, is its story. The galaxy we have created within the SW universe is so ALIVE, and the plot so RICH with intrigue, emotion and for lack of a better term: Epicness.

Lucas could take a page from us, and make billions again. Take pride in that.

Which brings me to the complaint of SWU's plot being slow. One I agree with. However, the staff DOES encourage member participation. We also make it clear that the site plot follows a direct path. In our case, it's not the end that matters, it's what happens to get to the end. We make it clear over, and over, and over. We're sorry if this doesn't appeal to you, but you don't have to feel like you're helpless. There are TONS of story lines you can take! Look at our custom factions! We have a privateer army fighting for the republic, an order of space wizards doing coke off strippers or whatever it is they do, and rebels fighting a losing battle against an oppressive dictatorship.

Any three of those alone could be an entire movie series within the SW universe. So, got a problem that the main site plot is too slow for you? Then get creative and make your own, or join a faction.

Problem solved.

The site plot will move on, we're working on solutions as we speak. We've heard your complaint, and we're working on it. Move on.

---

If I'm not mistaken, I covered the big three I've seen. Given my thoughts. And some suggestions. Just remember everyone, we're a community, a pack. We gotta stick together, work together, and most important: Watch out for each other. Take yourself out of your shoes. I'm not talking to one group or the other. I'm talking to SWU. I don't see groups, I see one kickass community in which I'm proud to say I'm apart of. I want you to see SWU as I do. See in the eyes of others, reflect on your behavior and what you've said. Everyone.

Just remember:



-Uncle Dutch

P.S. Damn that turned out longer than I thought.

[Squee]

So… I have read… every single post. And, like Dutch, this makes me sad. Yet, at the same time, this makes me happy. Well, that’s an odd reaction, some of you may say. Why should such a thread make you happy?

Because I see open communication. Now, Dutchy my bro, you know I love you in a completely platonic and not creepy way, but I don’t mind seeing some of the bickering. I don’t mind it at all for short periods of time: it releases tension and it tends to lead to the root of a/the problem.

In this way, I am happy. This thread has opened up the doorway to show a passionate group who chucks the problems out in the open. While I don’t believe the debate is over, we are now able to see the problem(s). That was the entire first page and half of this one.

Here is a list of what I see:
Staff inactivity (this includes wait times for review; so many people brought it up)
Random IC leadership inactivity (maybe ties in the plotline)
Normal member dormancy (such as mission suggestions, which Meira brought up)
Slow main plotline (again, multiple member complaints)
Lack of communication (Koeing and Talrath brought it up)
Divided cleavage between staff and members (evidence by the bickering and the defensive positions that have been established; being brought up by me, and Dutch in his post)

I haven’t seen much more beyond that. There have been some suggested solutions, but, to me, they seem relatively one-sided. Because of that one-sided feeling, it’s led to defensive posts being written and then the bickering. I don’t like the bickering, but at least, at the core, it’s being made with the intention of improving SWU.

I am an engineer. Or at least studying to become one. I am being taught to:
1) Identify the problem
2) Research and investigate the problem
3) Generate and design a solution to the problem
4) Implement the design in attempt to solve the problem
5) Evaluate the implementation of the design and its impact on the problem


I’m not trying to say SWU should be run like a research lab, but this is the method my mind is using right now.

There is lots of repetition on certain, projected subjects, and because of that, I believe we have identified the problems as a collective community. Yay, guys! However, if someone else thinks of something else after this post, that’s cool. Not trying to say all that’s been said is all there is.

Now, research and investigate the problem. Okay. So… I lurk. I lurk quite often. This step, for this case, is going hand in hand with identifying the problem: we can see staff inactivity and stagnant main plot. My research about the division between staff/members is obvious to me just in this thread.

And while I do not see a lot of member activity in the missions, I did, a couple of months ago, see members reviewing other members’ bios. Nowadays… eh, not as much as a couple of months ago. For months now, I’ve worried over a lack of communication between staff and members. The fact this thread started amazed me, and I am so grateful that Mooney brought it up. I love you so much, Mooney.

Also, this past weekend, I have heard a couple of things about plotline from people like Meira and Dutch, who were discussing the DLA. Just… there’s not a lot as there used to be, and I think that’s because of this slow spell everyone is currently going through, as Dutch said.

Now, the third step is to generate and design a solution. This does not necessarily have to be redoing the entire system, or even trying to apply a certain mindset on some. I think all it needs a little more passion on everyone’s side.

Passion within the staff to do what staff does: to love, to desire, to fix, to maintain a great Star Wars RP site. Sorry, guys, but, I feel that maybe we have all lost some of our passion: our goal on SWU. Myself included. I think the only one who’s got it right now is Dutch, who went and reviewed three sections the other day. Damn, dude. Can I get the digits to your passion seller? Kthxbai.

This is NOT to say I don’t see your time issues. Meira, Sparrow, Mooney, Cain… I know what’s going on. You know what’s going on with me. However, the members are right, and staff inactivity is hurting the board. I can see, by your posts, you are working to resolve the issue. Thank you. Hoping and looking forward to the action that’s going to come out of this thread. :3

Members, please read what the staff is saying. A roaming mod, a game master idea, etc, are all things being discussed now by the mods. Please believe that. I can see it. They are agreeing with some of your suggestions and they have been open to your criticism. They have accepted your criticism, and they have apologized. I implore you to read what they are saying, because they ARE responding, but I’m afraid you don’t see it.

Therefore, I am voicing my desire with Koeing and Talrath’s about some communication. A way to communicate. The members don’t feel informed, and that creates strife between members and staff. Even I, as NGT, don’t feel as informed as I think I should be.

I think all this would take is someone updating a thread more often than the announcement thread. An announcement is made when something has happened, not when something is being thought about or discussed. It would be a direct line of communication that would impart info to the members and possibly receive some immediate feedback on certain things being discussed. It would add to the community feeling that Meira, Dutch, and Jace desire to feel. It’s what I desire too.

However, the staff have offered criticism to the member body as a whole. I was here for the mission plans. I watched it get implemented. I also see… how it hasn’t really worked. There is member inactivity as there is staff inactivity. As the staff have taken criticism, they have given. Please be receptive to that as they have been to yours.

In the end, I feel the first problem that needs to be addressed is the division between staff and members. We can’t go on with this cleavage. It just leads to arguments and unhappiness. Both sides, please recognize the other, respect one another, and, I suppose, love one another. We are here for same reason: to love and RP Star Wars.

We all love SWU, otherwise we wouldn’t have responded to this thread. This thread is the start of coming together as a nutty, nerdy community. When this thread ends, I don’t want to see division among members and staff, which is what I currently see.

Things are on their way to improving; I see it. This thread would not exist if things were going to remain stagnant. However, Mooney is right: expectation to see a dramatic change overnight is unreasonable. Destruction can happen overnight, but rebuilding doesn’t.

Respect one another. SWU is not SWU without its members, because there are so many more of you than there are of staff. SWU is not SWU without its staff, because otherwise, there’d be no SWU in the first place.

Help one another. Listen to the criticism and use it as inspiration to be better. Every person is a part of SWU. Every person helps run SWU – creating characters and roleplaying is the basis of SWU. By being better on SWU, SWU becomes better. Just so happens that we all have different jobs. (But, hey, isn’t that like a business? Or a research lab? =P).

Love one another. I have never seen love destroy something. I have only seen it rebuild. I think everyone can understand that on some level. If you can’t, well, then…



Now you do. :3

I got typing happy.




Now let's keep generating and fixing SWU collectively. :3

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Well-said Squee. Quite inspirational.