Dwilah wrote:Frankly, Ekade, I feel like our Team tries really hard to accomplish everything that you've listed. It makes me sad, very frustrated, and a little angry that you're requesting the things that we put so much effort into behind the scenes.
What would have me do? Not state my desires?
A suggestion is not an accusation or a slam. Don't take it as such.
I believe in the concept of continuous improvement. Basically you admit that you are not perfect, and you constantly look for ways to do things better.
I feel the Team should be excited when they get feedback, not hurt. Don't be so defensive when some people suggest other ways of doing things. Be open to new ideas. Hear them out, talk to them.
The relationship I desire is one where I can post a wish list, someone like you can see it and say, "
I thought we do that. However, Ekade is a member of my community. Let me talk to her and find out what she feels is missing. I would like to understand her needs and see if there is an opportunity to make things better."
Over and over again, it feels the team takes heat for the same few people being on the team, or acting certain ways. I could say, can you do better? People would say, yes. We could do better. Maybe you could, I don't know. If you could, I'd be glad for it. But it's very disheartening to see so much blame placed on the team where I feel it's misplaced. I can't and the rest of the team can't change people's minds. You will feel how you feel.
Shouldn't the team take heat for that?
To be blunt, maybe those people should be brought into line or asked to step down. When rules are constantly violated by those who are supposed to enforce them, the rules and the enforces become a joke in the eyes of many people.
You can't tell people that rules are important when the person standing next do you is demonstrating they are clearly not.
This is where accountability to the community comes into play. The team would gain credibility if it were willing to police itself with the same rigor it polices the community.
Accountability = credibility. The Team cannot have credibility without accountability to the community, as much as it might want to.
This, I feel, is the core of the all issues pertaining to the team.
We asked for honest opinions in the poll that Jabe placed. Completely fair and Mostly Fair were the top winners. To me, that seems like a mostly satisfied community. Were those lies? Did people vote dishonestly? Or was that not a vote of satisfaction? I think whoever's in charge, people will be dissatisfied. When I've posted unhappiness or frustration, I've often gotten PMs of comfort or reassurances that what we do is appreciated. If I haven't responded to those PMs, I'm sorry. I appreciate those PMs because they keep me going. It's really hard to keep trying here, sometimes, with all the flack you take for the team as a whole and just trying to fill the shoes of the title, "Community Leader."
Polls are subject to interepretation. Maybe you do interpret that as satisfaction and just maintain status quo.
Maybe there is more to it. Maybe you can dig deeper.
Again and again we say that we're open. And we are--but we aren't open to people basing us and tearing us down. That hurts us and makes us angry and defensive like it would anyone else.
True. People bash because there is an underlying reason for it. Dig for that reason. When that reason is examined objectively, you may find a valid point there.
The typical reaction has not been any sort of digging. It is usally a unified front. "We are the team, these are the rules. Comply or leave."
In a forum setting, people want to talk, and they want to be heard. Members of a community feel they have a right to speak.
We feel VERY accountable to the community. We care VERY much about these people and these events and what we do here. I speak for everyone because I know we do. We wouldn't get so bummed out and upset and depressed about all this shit if we didn't care about all of it, all the work we put into it.
I would like the WE to be a community WE, not a Team WE. I just want a closer relationship between the Team and the Community.
Indulge me in this small request:
Read back to the posts on Tales for the first few months of it's existance. There was no talk of Team. There was no team. It was a group of enthusiastic players coming up with crazy ideas for RP. We were all happy and friendly. We were all on the same team.
There is way to much focus now on The Team. Part of me wonders if there should even be one. This is not a slam on the people on the Team.
Back in the day there was no team. There was just an RP community working together to have fun. For whatever reason, things got political.
In all honsesty, my heart aches over all of this. I just want to have fun. I want to RP with everyone here. I don't want to hear about how so and so is talking about me behind me back, or ripping on someone else, or accusing someone of.. Just make it stop.
Novall is right, politics kills RP.
What do I want from the team? Make the politics stop.. make the hurting/bashing stop. Rules and all that pale in significance.
Do this and you will have my complete and utter devotion.
((ok, I am getting emotional now. I better stop.))
