Post by EriChar on Sept 23, 2015 19:17:04 GMT -5
OK, so... A few weeks ago, there were a lot of problems and things were pretty tense on site, so a request was made to cool things off til things calmed down. I would consider that a fair enough request, personally. Yet, at the same time, I think if we allow things to get too 'cold' they will be forgotten and pushed under rugs. Ultimately, while things are more chill here, the simple fact remains that problems on site have not gone away and, personally, I think issues need settling before the situation gets so out of hand that we have flaring tensions again. So, I'm gonna take a bullet here and raise what I see as issues on site and risk what that may incur. Ultimately, I think just because it is more peaceful to ignore the problems, we shouldn't get caught in a trap whereby we let this ignorance be a false bliss.
So, without further ado, here are the problems as I can see;
Defensive Atmosphere
I know this isn't likely intentional, but if recent times have taught me anything, it's that we have an overall feeling of what may be called 'fear' in regard to posting problems? Even with this very thread, I have my concerns that people will be upset with what I say, and lash out because of that. There's also the staff/member divide, which is a definite big issue on site. Members often seem to fear pointing out what they perceive as problems for fear of being jumped on either by staff members or the more aggressive senior parties in our little community. Likewise, mountains seem to be made of molehills by certain ranks within the membership, which leads to stress and a feeling of under appreciation by the staff.
Ultimately, I don't think any of this is really intentional?
Matters are handled in a manner that may be considered poor, and that leaves people raw and hurt. This can't really go on, so I think we need to look at ways to prevent this.
No one should need to be afraid of posting a suggestion for something they feel could use improvement, but can you honestly say that's the atmosphere we have at the moment. To be blunt, I do not think that is the atmosphere we have.
So, we need to get back to a community feel of trust between all bodies of people in the community. After all, this is a hobby for all, and no one should be feeling like they are being intimidated in a hobby?
I think a big element in the fostering of a fair and peaceful atmosphere is emphasizing the idea that not all criticisms are intended to be taken as personal insults? I know a lot of people love this place, and for that they are to be commended, but there are times when fights between people start because there isn't a strict definition between criticism and assault. To me, it seems like six of one and half a dozen of the other a lot of the time. Ultimately, while people need to learn to be respectful in what they say, they also need to learn to take a step back in what they hear. Passion is good when channelled toward creative sources, but devastating when forced into destructive ones. Communication isn't simply about speaking, but also listening, so I think as a community we need to learn to take, as well as give, criticisms in a constructive fashion.
Staff Activity
Whaaaat? Me complaining about the activity levels of the staff? I NEVER thought I'd see the day...
Joking aside, it is well known among the staff that I have a frequent habit of complaining about the activity levels of certain staff members, and in line with my point before, I would like to go on record and say this is rarely a comment I make to insult people.
As a method of perspective on why this is such a BIG issue for me, I shall share some musings on the matter. Bon Voyage is a wonderful place that I have had a hand in building. In many ways, it is to a certain extent a 'baby' of mine, and it upsets me when I feel like said offspring is being neglected. There are times when I think the site and community deserve a whole lot better than the level of service they are receiving, and this motivates me to either work like an idiot to provide that or lash out when the former is no longer an option. I will tell no lie, however, and admit that sometimes I get stressed when activity is low for entirely selfish reasons. There are indeed times when I have ideas toward approval and seeing the sections filled to the brim makes me angry that I will have a big wait. I think that happens to a lot of people, we're only human after all.
But yeah, my point is that right now, due to various absences and reasons for the current staff to be busy, the administrative output of the site seems to have almost ground to a halt. Demand is, quite frankly, outweighing the resources available and I think this is becoming a serious issue. So, as painful as it may be, I feel we need to make some tough choices.
The toughest choice, I feel, is where to make the 'cuts' to the current roster. No one likes to be told what they're doing isn't enough, but as far as I am concerned, sometimes we need to have the courage of conviction to do so gracefully. From a personal perspective, when I was a staff member, I was one because I wanted to do the work that came with it. I thought that I could do the job well, and make the site better as a result. Now, I don't think we have any staff on site any more that are staff just for the 'perks'. TBH, the only perks I see of being a staff member at the moment is a colourful name and the right to incur ire at one's leisure. I think in one way or another, each and every staff member has the exact same ideals that I did. They all want to do the work and want to make the site a better place in their own way. Whilst their methods differ, we don't have ego maniacs who run around bullying people for some kind of internet related esteem. That kind of thing stopped when I stepped down from staff. >;b
However, I think the big problem the site faces at the moment is that whilst people have the right motivations, they do not have what they need to see it through. People are busy or stressed or both and can't do the job that the site needs. So, I think maybe it's time to stop putting them in a position where we demand that? I have made the 'advisor' group so that any staff that can't be truly active can still be a helping hand in as much capacity as they can manage, and I think it high time we took advantage of that. The old blood should be retained to advise the newer blood, and I think it goes without saying that we need fresh minds and unspent zeal to lead the site into a new age of glory!
That got a bit speechy toward the end, but I think the point stands that we need to make some changes. We don't need to fire staff, but we do need to add enough active hands to the workload so that the work is being done and that it is being done fairly.
I also think that we need to maybe enact some form of 'management' over the staff, and to that end am nominating myself as a kind of personnel director type dealie. Since I am so very concerned with which staff are doing what, I would like to 'shovel the shit' as it were, so that the workload is distributed evenly and fairly toward both member and staff. I will offer my services to keep an eye on approval sections and hammer on desks when targets are being missed, and also be the 'lightning rod' for the members whose work is being delayed unfairly. I think it is a long overdue addition to the site.
So, without further ado, here are the problems as I can see;
Defensive Atmosphere
I know this isn't likely intentional, but if recent times have taught me anything, it's that we have an overall feeling of what may be called 'fear' in regard to posting problems? Even with this very thread, I have my concerns that people will be upset with what I say, and lash out because of that. There's also the staff/member divide, which is a definite big issue on site. Members often seem to fear pointing out what they perceive as problems for fear of being jumped on either by staff members or the more aggressive senior parties in our little community. Likewise, mountains seem to be made of molehills by certain ranks within the membership, which leads to stress and a feeling of under appreciation by the staff.
Ultimately, I don't think any of this is really intentional?
Matters are handled in a manner that may be considered poor, and that leaves people raw and hurt. This can't really go on, so I think we need to look at ways to prevent this.
No one should need to be afraid of posting a suggestion for something they feel could use improvement, but can you honestly say that's the atmosphere we have at the moment. To be blunt, I do not think that is the atmosphere we have.
So, we need to get back to a community feel of trust between all bodies of people in the community. After all, this is a hobby for all, and no one should be feeling like they are being intimidated in a hobby?
I think a big element in the fostering of a fair and peaceful atmosphere is emphasizing the idea that not all criticisms are intended to be taken as personal insults? I know a lot of people love this place, and for that they are to be commended, but there are times when fights between people start because there isn't a strict definition between criticism and assault. To me, it seems like six of one and half a dozen of the other a lot of the time. Ultimately, while people need to learn to be respectful in what they say, they also need to learn to take a step back in what they hear. Passion is good when channelled toward creative sources, but devastating when forced into destructive ones. Communication isn't simply about speaking, but also listening, so I think as a community we need to learn to take, as well as give, criticisms in a constructive fashion.
Staff Activity
Whaaaat? Me complaining about the activity levels of the staff? I NEVER thought I'd see the day...
Joking aside, it is well known among the staff that I have a frequent habit of complaining about the activity levels of certain staff members, and in line with my point before, I would like to go on record and say this is rarely a comment I make to insult people.
As a method of perspective on why this is such a BIG issue for me, I shall share some musings on the matter. Bon Voyage is a wonderful place that I have had a hand in building. In many ways, it is to a certain extent a 'baby' of mine, and it upsets me when I feel like said offspring is being neglected. There are times when I think the site and community deserve a whole lot better than the level of service they are receiving, and this motivates me to either work like an idiot to provide that or lash out when the former is no longer an option. I will tell no lie, however, and admit that sometimes I get stressed when activity is low for entirely selfish reasons. There are indeed times when I have ideas toward approval and seeing the sections filled to the brim makes me angry that I will have a big wait. I think that happens to a lot of people, we're only human after all.
But yeah, my point is that right now, due to various absences and reasons for the current staff to be busy, the administrative output of the site seems to have almost ground to a halt. Demand is, quite frankly, outweighing the resources available and I think this is becoming a serious issue. So, as painful as it may be, I feel we need to make some tough choices.
The toughest choice, I feel, is where to make the 'cuts' to the current roster. No one likes to be told what they're doing isn't enough, but as far as I am concerned, sometimes we need to have the courage of conviction to do so gracefully. From a personal perspective, when I was a staff member, I was one because I wanted to do the work that came with it. I thought that I could do the job well, and make the site better as a result. Now, I don't think we have any staff on site any more that are staff just for the 'perks'. TBH, the only perks I see of being a staff member at the moment is a colourful name and the right to incur ire at one's leisure. I think in one way or another, each and every staff member has the exact same ideals that I did. They all want to do the work and want to make the site a better place in their own way. Whilst their methods differ, we don't have ego maniacs who run around bullying people for some kind of internet related esteem. That kind of thing stopped when I stepped down from staff. >;b
However, I think the big problem the site faces at the moment is that whilst people have the right motivations, they do not have what they need to see it through. People are busy or stressed or both and can't do the job that the site needs. So, I think maybe it's time to stop putting them in a position where we demand that? I have made the 'advisor' group so that any staff that can't be truly active can still be a helping hand in as much capacity as they can manage, and I think it high time we took advantage of that. The old blood should be retained to advise the newer blood, and I think it goes without saying that we need fresh minds and unspent zeal to lead the site into a new age of glory!
That got a bit speechy toward the end, but I think the point stands that we need to make some changes. We don't need to fire staff, but we do need to add enough active hands to the workload so that the work is being done and that it is being done fairly.
I also think that we need to maybe enact some form of 'management' over the staff, and to that end am nominating myself as a kind of personnel director type dealie. Since I am so very concerned with which staff are doing what, I would like to 'shovel the shit' as it were, so that the workload is distributed evenly and fairly toward both member and staff. I will offer my services to keep an eye on approval sections and hammer on desks when targets are being missed, and also be the 'lightning rod' for the members whose work is being delayed unfairly. I think it is a long overdue addition to the site.