Staff: elections and axing

[Money]

everyone knows duel pasta is the best staffer

[Voth]

everyone knows duel pasta is the best staffer

That's only because we can blame him for everything bad that happens.

i.e. All bots in TW crash

I don't know about everyone else, but I blame duel_pasta_chocopotten.

[Predator Rulez]

Staff needs a rolemodel! GET TIGEREX BACk! ZOMG

[Predator Rulez]

For the record: I know I havent been around for some while etc.. but I've always known CK as a trustworthy person... really doubt he'd be throwing around bans without a reason...

Yet, if I'm wrong.. do gieb me proof.. kthnx

[Lame]

For the record: I know I havent been around for some while etc.. but I've always known CK as a trustworthy person... really doubt he'd be throwing around bans without a reason...

Yet, if I'm wrong.. do gieb me proof.. kthnx

This thread isn't really about CK. The CK petition was just an example to start a discussion. It's rather about democracy, influence and transparancy.

[Money]

That's only because we can blame him for everything bad that happens.

i.e. All bots in TW crash

I don't know about everyone else, but I blame duel_pasta_chocopotten.

haha

[H.M.S. Stargazer]

17. Blame Duel Pasta.

[Summa]

I don't have that much of an issue with staff. Electing staff members is retarded, but I do think the PR part of staff is lacking or that staff is a bit over secretive. Staff doesn't have a monopoly on the intelligent people in this game, and sometimes I feel they go ahead with large plans without consulting or asking for any advice or feedback from the general public. I understand there are things that do and should stay within staff, but currently I think that there is a bit too much of that and a bit too little of community assistance and involvement. And if you don't have someone who is willing to take on a more active PR role, then hire someone. I'm sure there's plenty of forum goers who would work as a middle man between staff and the people. None of this is to discredit the current PR people, they do a wonderful job for what their current role in staff is, I just think it should be expanded. Its more of a staff on a pedestal and the players down below as of right now, I think there should be some more involvement and input from the community is all.

[Vehicle]

I agree with Summa! PS, hi Summa!

As I see it, the problem is a serious lack of transparency. Be it bans, TWL decisions, promotions/hirings/firings, whatever, the general population is in the dark. There is the occassional weekend event announcement and TWL has been more democratically run this season than any other that I can think of, but this doesn't get to the crux of the issue.

If you keep everyone in the dark, it seems as if all of the decisions being made are shadey and piece meal at best which leads to the enourmous amount of public backlash we've seen recently.

So, as Summa said, I think we need an upper staff PR position. There job could be confined or far reaching, but they minimally would post a weekly update on TrenchWars.org about the goings on as far as TWL decisions go, hirings and firings, and handling of any controversial issue that may arise (which would be evident by forum posts.)

In a more far reaching model, which I would support, we would start gathering lists of whose been banned and for what and make them available on a weekly/biweekly basis. The list wouldn't have to be comprehensive, it could exclude sensitive bans or small bans for things like long name/impossible arena glitches.

There should also be some sort of weekly round up of whats going on in TWL and TWD. You could even include less serious things like newly uploaded arenas.

I dunno.

I just think it's important that we create some sort of a mouthpiece for staff.

[DankNuggets]

... some sort of a mouthpiece for staff.

to replace Sertifi?

[H.M.S. Stargazer]

I agree with Summa! PS, hi Summa!

As I see it, the problem is a serious lack of transparency. Be it bans, TWL decisions, promotions/hirings/firings, whatever, the general population is in the dark. There is the occassional weekend event announcement and TWL has been more democratically run this season than any other that I can think of, but this doesn't get to the crux of the issue.

If you keep everyone in the dark, it seems as if all of the decisions being made are shadey and piece meal at best which leads to the enourmous amount of public backlash we've seen recently.

So, as Summa said, I think we need an upper staff PR position. There job could be confined or far reaching, but they minimally would post a weekly update on TrenchWars.org about the goings on as far as TWL decisions go, hirings and firings, and handling of any controversial issue that may arise (which would be evident by forum posts.)

In a more far reaching model, which I would support, we would start gathering lists of whose been banned and for what and make them available on a weekly/biweekly basis. The list wouldn't have to be comprehensive, it could exclude sensitive bans or small bans for things like long name/impossible arena glitches.

There should also be some sort of weekly round up of whats going on in TWL and TWD. You could even include less serious things like newly uploaded arenas.

I dunno.

I just think it's important that we create some sort of a mouthpiece for staff.

Our PR Smod has been for some time Kolar.

[Summa]

Our PR Smod has been for some time Kolar.

And as I said, Kolar does a wonderful job for what his job entails. I personally think his position should have an expanded role or that the PR division of staff as a whole should be expanded. Having the community at least feel as if they are involved is a necessity in my opinion.

[Vehicle]

That's all fine and well HMS, but you're missing the point to my post. I'm saying we need a more encompassing role for our PR SMod, which I guess you couldn't discern from the wall of text I posted, rather than just someone whose position is largely symbolic. For example, as far as I can tell, Kolar hasn't made a post to TW.org since at least June (that's as far as I went back,) how is this PR? It's not enough to simply make a position, the person in that position has to actually DO something and the resources have to actually be made available to them. Which they haven't, and which I was trying to say in my previous post.

[Summa]

That's all fine and well HMS, but you're missing the point to my post. I'm saying we need a more encompassing role for our PR SMod, which I guess you couldn't discern from the wall of text I posted, rather than just someone whose position is largely symbolic. For example, as far as I can tell, Kolar hasn't made a post to TW.org since at least June (that's as far as I went back,) how is this PR? It's not enough to simply make a position, the person in that position has to actually DO something and the resources have to actually be made available to them. Which they haven't, and which I was trying to say in my previous post.

Well what would he post about Veh? With the current state of staff everything is classified from the public. He really doesn't have much to post about in terms of official things. Kolar is very active in the other parts of the forums, and I know for a fact he is a very intelligent person. So as I stated, Kolar does his job well for what it entails....next to nothing. As a mere player now that I resigned from ECT and Staff, I have no idea what they are doing or what projects are currently under way. Hell the hirings/firings page was even way behind last time I checked. And if you are thinking that I am proposing an expanded role without being willing to put in the work to define or even assume such role, you are dead wrong, such can be proven by me getting TWDT up and running on very very short notice. If you want, me and Veh can even collaborate and submit something official-like about what we think this expanded role should be.

[Kolar]

There are a lot of things that could be posted such as league information and other general stuff happening. The PR position requires someone to take a proactive approach to it and I got caught up on the other side which was dealing with internal problems within staff and eventually I became a dean of staff which takes up most of my time online. With the restructuring of the way staff works I don't think it needs to be an automatic smod position which would make it easier to find someone who's both capable/willing and can be trusted. Staffers should be held accountable for what they do and if they are axed it should be explained openly. That's one of the things I pushed for when I took over from Moot.

Other things you guys want like ban details and other things. We have always kept that off the forum and in-general out of the public eye because it has the potential to cause more problems then it solves. Complaints also because it tends to cause too much clutter on the staff forum and the issues often do not involve more then the person registering the complaint and staff.

The case made regularly about releasing ban information is that squad captains would know their names and the public could "shun" them, helping prevent more people from trying it. There are a couple problems with that, 1. If you're a decent squad captain and are active enough information gets around, 2. people who use cheats are banned the first time for 365 days and the second time for life, 3. There's no way for the average player to tell if an aliased person is in fact a known cheater.

Edit: And to add one last thing, as much as any one person can do from within if you guys want to know something or have a problem, it can't always rest on one person to seek you out.