Post by James on Feb 17, 2008 1:45:24 GMT -7
Warning: Long boring site talk ahead. 
Well, its been a little over a month, and I'd really like to know what people think of how we're going so far, and share my own thoughts. Members who are new to Wizarding Redefined and weren't with us on the old website will not understand much of this, this thread isn't so much directed at you guys.
It's come to my attention recently that a lot of people from the old twom seem to think that there is a bit of staff favouratism (people seem to group Harley and to a certain extent Bane into 'staff' as well) going on around here, with plot positions and positions around the school.
There was a big problem on the old twom - with positions being unfilled, or being filled but then the role becomes inactive. Part, but certainly not all, of what goes into choosing positions such as Prefects or plot characters is the activity and dedication of the people roleplaying them.
The fact of the matter is, there is some bias towards staff members who happen to be Prefects and things of that nature, but they were not chosen because they are staff or friends. The bias is for the same reason that they became staff in the first place. I know that the people behind the characters are responsible and dedicated, and aren't going anywhere anytime soon, as a lot of members tend to do. A lot of members tend to join, lose interest after 100 posts, and leave.
Of course, the main thing is the character's suitability, but if there is a tossup in my mind and I am unsure on who to pick, then I will of course go for the member who I know will stick around for the long run. Since being an admin on the old twom, and starting WR, one of my main goals and areas of influence has been in keeping things organised and running (if you recall, the addition of the three cell top table, the PM bar, and all the information being in one place, and also trying to maintain Quidditch)... and I'm trying to keep that up, since I think its very important.
That being said, I recognise the frustration this can cause for a lot of the "regular" members. I'm going to try and let go of this phobia of sorts, push away the instinct and try and be a bit more trusting. I think its a good idea to focus more on recognising the problem once it arises and fixing it rather than trying to prevent it. That sounds a bit backwards (I hope you can see my reasoning as such), but the current practice isn't really fair on everyone. I've been told, and I like to think, that I'm usually one of the more patient staff, and I dont intend on changing that just because I'm in charge now. If anyone has any more concerns regarding this, I would really like for you to talk to me. Problems get solved when people communicate.
As a side note, I've always been against forcing people to be active in communities, just because they should be active (I'll never delete established accounts), its only when positions that need to be filled become suddenly vacant that it bothers me. When you take on a role like Headmaster, you take a certain responsibility. I know how real life goes all too well, but I ask when you do have to go that you have the courtesy to post a note of absence. It also helps to secure your 'position' from being permanently refilled.
Oh, and people who think that Jaden got member of the month because she is staff obviously haven't been paying attention. She has done a crapload for this site in the past month, both in staff roles and outside of staff roles. Its not about staff, its about people who make big contributions. I think, there are definitely members so far this month that have contributed more than Revan or Lizzie (not to sound ungrateful), but they may not recieve proper recognition since this whole title seems to be causing a lot of problems with people (not just the fact that Jaden is staff). I may just remove it outright. Let me know what you think.
The second big issue I think is the plot. Some people, mostly those who haven't joined, aren't happy with it, saying that it is too controlling compared to the old twom. This is an issue that I am not as open to as others... its a different site, in a different setting. The problem is, we haven't established the setting properly enough to roleplay it. As we get further on the initial track, the story gets more open. If, however, people dont like the actual story we're going to try to set out initially, then thats one thing that they'll either have to put up with, stay out of, or leave. I know that sounds harsh, but thats half of the site. People who want us to radically change things now (especially things such as timeline) are out of luck, I'm sorry. This isnt directed to any of the posts people have made on here - I appreciate feedback and such, but its people who want what we fundamentally are not doing right now that are going to be disappointed.
Moving away from what we should actually do, and onto evaluating how we are going. We are encountering the same problem again, where people are choosing not to involve themselves in the storyline, or if they do its sort of passive. We have more death eaters popping up, which is good, but we need more, and to have them playing a role. We also need more Aurors, perhaps moreso than Death Eaters. Right now the two Aurors on the site dont have much work, but if we get Death Eaters being active and making moves then the need for Aurors will rise again.
If you are thinking about making another character, consider one involved with the plot. It can be a really fun and interesting roleplay, but we need more participants.
I had more to say on this, but I can't remember now, and I've said a lot already.
Please, everybody reply here with your thoughts on these issues, and any other concerns, complaints or just reflections you have about how we have gone so far. If people had spoken to me directly about these staff issues we could have attempted to resolve them much earlier.
Be brutally honest, I can take it
If you have something you really feel the need to discuss privately, or you feel you'll be outnumbered if you post and it makes you uncomfortable, don't hesitate to PM me with your issues. I promise I wont bite.
Well, its been a little over a month, and I'd really like to know what people think of how we're going so far, and share my own thoughts. Members who are new to Wizarding Redefined and weren't with us on the old website will not understand much of this, this thread isn't so much directed at you guys.
It's come to my attention recently that a lot of people from the old twom seem to think that there is a bit of staff favouratism (people seem to group Harley and to a certain extent Bane into 'staff' as well) going on around here, with plot positions and positions around the school.
There was a big problem on the old twom - with positions being unfilled, or being filled but then the role becomes inactive. Part, but certainly not all, of what goes into choosing positions such as Prefects or plot characters is the activity and dedication of the people roleplaying them.
The fact of the matter is, there is some bias towards staff members who happen to be Prefects and things of that nature, but they were not chosen because they are staff or friends. The bias is for the same reason that they became staff in the first place. I know that the people behind the characters are responsible and dedicated, and aren't going anywhere anytime soon, as a lot of members tend to do. A lot of members tend to join, lose interest after 100 posts, and leave.
Of course, the main thing is the character's suitability, but if there is a tossup in my mind and I am unsure on who to pick, then I will of course go for the member who I know will stick around for the long run. Since being an admin on the old twom, and starting WR, one of my main goals and areas of influence has been in keeping things organised and running (if you recall, the addition of the three cell top table, the PM bar, and all the information being in one place, and also trying to maintain Quidditch)... and I'm trying to keep that up, since I think its very important.
That being said, I recognise the frustration this can cause for a lot of the "regular" members. I'm going to try and let go of this phobia of sorts, push away the instinct and try and be a bit more trusting. I think its a good idea to focus more on recognising the problem once it arises and fixing it rather than trying to prevent it. That sounds a bit backwards (I hope you can see my reasoning as such), but the current practice isn't really fair on everyone. I've been told, and I like to think, that I'm usually one of the more patient staff, and I dont intend on changing that just because I'm in charge now. If anyone has any more concerns regarding this, I would really like for you to talk to me. Problems get solved when people communicate.
As a side note, I've always been against forcing people to be active in communities, just because they should be active (I'll never delete established accounts), its only when positions that need to be filled become suddenly vacant that it bothers me. When you take on a role like Headmaster, you take a certain responsibility. I know how real life goes all too well, but I ask when you do have to go that you have the courtesy to post a note of absence. It also helps to secure your 'position' from being permanently refilled.
Oh, and people who think that Jaden got member of the month because she is staff obviously haven't been paying attention. She has done a crapload for this site in the past month, both in staff roles and outside of staff roles. Its not about staff, its about people who make big contributions. I think, there are definitely members so far this month that have contributed more than Revan or Lizzie (not to sound ungrateful), but they may not recieve proper recognition since this whole title seems to be causing a lot of problems with people (not just the fact that Jaden is staff). I may just remove it outright. Let me know what you think.
The second big issue I think is the plot. Some people, mostly those who haven't joined, aren't happy with it, saying that it is too controlling compared to the old twom. This is an issue that I am not as open to as others... its a different site, in a different setting. The problem is, we haven't established the setting properly enough to roleplay it. As we get further on the initial track, the story gets more open. If, however, people dont like the actual story we're going to try to set out initially, then thats one thing that they'll either have to put up with, stay out of, or leave. I know that sounds harsh, but thats half of the site. People who want us to radically change things now (especially things such as timeline) are out of luck, I'm sorry. This isnt directed to any of the posts people have made on here - I appreciate feedback and such, but its people who want what we fundamentally are not doing right now that are going to be disappointed.
Moving away from what we should actually do, and onto evaluating how we are going. We are encountering the same problem again, where people are choosing not to involve themselves in the storyline, or if they do its sort of passive. We have more death eaters popping up, which is good, but we need more, and to have them playing a role. We also need more Aurors, perhaps moreso than Death Eaters. Right now the two Aurors on the site dont have much work, but if we get Death Eaters being active and making moves then the need for Aurors will rise again.
If you are thinking about making another character, consider one involved with the plot. It can be a really fun and interesting roleplay, but we need more participants.
I had more to say on this, but I can't remember now, and I've said a lot already.
Please, everybody reply here with your thoughts on these issues, and any other concerns, complaints or just reflections you have about how we have gone so far. If people had spoken to me directly about these staff issues we could have attempted to resolve them much earlier.
Be brutally honest, I can take it
If you have something you really feel the need to discuss privately, or you feel you'll be outnumbered if you post and it makes you uncomfortable, don't hesitate to PM me with your issues. I promise I wont bite.
We haven't even filled all of these roles, but thats only because of the major lack of Slytherin students (and to a lesser extent Hufflepuff).
