Nothing to really complain about lately, so it’s been rather quiet here at ‘Words’…
Wiki
The Wiki project is moving along nicely now that my staff is getting the e-mail I’m sending. I was beginning to think that the group, comprised of some of the most active people in the project, just flat out doesn’t read their e-mail. Turns out I had the wrong address for a couple of them, and others have three or four addresses and don’t always check the one on their dossier (to which all I can say is… WTF?). I have received a few inquiries from people looking to join the staff, and though I don’t need anyone now I keep their messages flagged for follow up in case I do need more people. So essentially, if you’re interested in being on the Wiki staff, let me know. I’ll keep your info on file.
Forums
The forums have been rather eventless, except for some rogue spam from some unregistered people. This was easily thwarted by making it so that unregistered guests can’t post anything. Can’t make new threads, can’t post on existing ones, can’t even send PM’s to people on the boards. The retards who were spamming? Well they can eat shit and die for all I care. If I can find a way to ban them by IP, I will. I need to keep watch on the wiki to make sure they don’t strike there as well…
Herald
This wouldn’t be the same without an observance of the Herald position.
Muz put a call out to a few skilled people for some work for him. I’m not sure if it’s a hush project so that’s all I’ll say other than I’ve started working on some images for him. I hope to make a few components and send them his way for integration.
I’ve also changed my mind on the robes – again – and sent a few pics to the P:HRLD to adapt the “Knight” robes into my color scheme, but he said something about not knowing how to work on robes yet. I might have to send it to Muz to get it done. I was hoping by going through the Praetor it’d just be done quickly since there’s not much to it other than a recolor and a slight mod to the boots.
I’ve also contemplated getting ahold of the program they use just so I could do the mods myself without bothering them. This, of course, is not something I’d want to do. I know I’d always hate it when people would just request the ‘working file’ for whatever I was in charge of so they could modify it to their liking. People constantly requested the Warbanner template so they could screw with it, and I’d almost always say NO. I think I actually only gave it to one person – Muz.
Titles and Realism
Titles have been under debate a lot lately, and I don’t mean the “real” DJB titles like Darth or some Clan Name title. It’s the bullshit ones people give themselves, like “Prince of…” or “Scourge of…” something they make up. It’s just plain dumb because, as others have said, it’s just a way to stand apart, to make themselves look ‘better’ than everyone else at their level. Frankly I’d rather people accept that they are lowly nobodies, but since that won’t happen I’d like to see the Prestige System in place so people can waste points on such stupid things.
This leads me to “realism” within the scope of the DJB. I’ve pissed and moaned before on the Capital Ship debate, but let me rehash that slightly. The Clans all own these huge capital ships. It takes about 1,200 people to run one of these things, yet a 25-person group has not one – but a few. This is retarded. The entire active DJB population might be able to perform as the skeleton crew of a VSD. Maybe.
My point here also applies to people who are under DJK (or even under DA for that matter) who are trying to make themselves out to be these big, bad motherf-ers by adding a few bullshit titles. Truth be told a DJK is a Jedi Knigbht in name only. A true Jedi Knight would be far more powerful. Remember the words of Yoda:
Luke: ”Is the Dark Side stronger?”
Yoda: “No, no, no. Quicker, easier, more seductive.”
Wise was the small, old Jedi, and heed his words we should. Let’s not get too hasty about how powerful we really are. A DJK won’t be able to lift starfighters out of a swamp with ease. Hell – it might even challenge a DA. Did you see how Yoda struggled? He was a Jedi Master – the Jedi’s Grand Master in fact - and the single most powerful being on the Council.
The Force allows you to use powers to augment your abilities – it does not turn you into a god. What I’m trying to say here is that the meter of “what is possible” is initially, and in my opinion ultimately, set by what you see in the six films made under George Lucas’ supervision. Anything else is skeptical.
Going all the way back to the beginning, I think titles like Darth should be a tad more accessible. I mean… how many people in the DJB currently have that? Two? Three? Yeah that’s makes them special and elite, but I think there should be a few more, purely based on their service.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Introspective
I haven’t forgotten – I’ve been sick. In fact I still am. This damned cold/flu just won’t go the hell away. Anyhow – enough about me…
Building Blocks
I feel like there is giant gap in the membership. Maybe gap isn’t quite the word, but that’s all I can really equate it to. Let me explain:
There are three types of DJB member these days:
1 – The Newbie. This is a person who just joined, has joined fairly recently, or joined but isn’t all too active (at least not enough to know how things work in the DJB). These people ask a lot of questions, do a lot of things ‘wrong’ in the scope of the DJB procedure, but generally keep things interesting.
2 – The Sophomore. These people have been around long enough to know the rules and procedures. They follow them for the most part, and stay marginally active. These people answer a lot of questions, correct some mistakes made by newbies, and make the DJB machine function with their activity. Some of these people have contributed rather positively to the community, though there are quite a few troublemakers in the group.
3 – The Veteran. This is a broad range of members who are all too familiar with how things work in the DJB. They are divided in their activity, with some being inactive mostly and others picking up the slack. They tend to think they can get away with anything, and they’re usually right. These people are usually sarcastic, opinionated, a bit full of themselves, occasionally helpful but often can’t be bothered.
Sad to say but even I fall into the third category. This blog is solid proof. The part that truly annoys me about the third category has to be the “sarcastic, opinionated, a bit full of themselves” bit. These people tend to toot their own horn about how great they are for the DJB when in fact they haven’t done a damned thing. Some have done a couple good things and are playing those up as the greatest contribution to the club since the invention of the Internet.
With myself as an example – there are things I have done for the DJB, and there are things I continue to do for the DJB, that are shaping it into a better experience. You may not see my name attached to the memo or news post but doesn’t mean I wasn’t doing something on it. In this way I’m not quite like the stereotypical member presented in the third category. True – I have a bit of self-promotion here and there – but a lot of what I’ve done I haven’t really said anything about. That’s why there’s a huge article on the DJBWiki on me. Yeah – I’m there in the Influential Members section, and for a reason. I’m chock-full of ideas, and most of them never see the light of day because I tend to think well beyond my own capabilities. Depending on other people is probably the worst thing I do, especially when I trust them to follow my vision without doing much follow up.
Another rather particularly disturbing fact in my representation of the third category is when people are looking for help but the vets can’t be bothered. I saw some newbie say they aren’t going to bother with one of the key pillars of activity because no one would help him understand it better. It should NEVER come to this. Sure – some people are borderline retarded at reading the simple rules, but even still there are factors to consider, such as language and educational barriers.
There are notable exceptions to these categories, though their kind is few and far between. There is hope, however. If people change their attitudes a little, the health of the club could be improved. In a perfect world, the whole club would be full of #2’s... For now, 1’s need to strive to become 2’s, and 3’s need to re-evaluate their reasons for being here.
Myself included.
Spreading Thin
A lot of why the vets become so jaded is what I’m experiencing now – I’m nearly spreading myself a bit too thin. From Real Life interests to inter-club dealings I feel like I’m doing a lot without the time to spare. So far in just the DJB I’m:
- Administrator of the Forums
This might not sound like much, but just think: any time there is any change in leadership, I have to manually change their status around on the forums. Anytime someone wants any change there, I’m the one to do it. I'm the one often editing people's posts for spelling or grammar, or just flat out deleting messages that are really pointless. My editing doesn't leave a trace, and I don't keep track of what I do, but I'm usually fixing a handful of posts a day.
- Administrator of the DJB Wiki
Again, might not sound like much, but I’m heading up the newly formed Tribune. We’re supposed to expand the rules, templates and general ‘help’ files. I need to get a dependable staff assembled soon. I know a few people I want on it, mostly for their current level of dedication. I'll have to work more on this later this week.
- Advisor to the DC
This is unofficial, but rather an often occurrence. Some members of the DC include me in their conversations, asking my opinion on a range of topics. Not really all too time consuming, though I tend to throw in my 75 cents worth. Recently one topic was on education of the membership in an area I'm rather familiar with. It was a simple proposal offered, but what I had to say about it begged for the course to be expanded into a series of courses. Whether that will happen or not remains to be seen.
Outside of that there’s a host of RL things I’m trying to keep on top of. Work consumes 45 hours of my week. Sleep begs for 56 but is lucky to get 48. Time with the dogs and my wife kills about 35. That leaves me with about 4 and a half hours a day on average to do EVERYTHING else, including play games (either alone or with friends), work on DJB stuff, talk to internet friends, or look into some of my other interests like all those swords I collect or the latest “Weird Al” news.
Luckily a lot of my time at work seems to be relaxed on an average day, allowing me to do some of this while I’m supposed to be working. This blog entry? I’m typing it at work. A vast majority of my personal-interest research? I check things at work. Most DJB Forum administration? You guessed it.
My point here is that I do make an effort to devote the time, but when it comes down to using this little time I have to do the stuff that newbies want, I’ll get frustrated. I’ll ignore people or act a bit irrational because I’m just not in the mood to deal with things that other people are supposed to be doing. I know this is a flaw of mine, and I’m quite sure it’s one that others share.
It’s half the reason I stopped being HRLD. I didn’t have the time to devote to the DJB. I’m finding that I’m slowly getting back to that point.
Building Blocks
I feel like there is giant gap in the membership. Maybe gap isn’t quite the word, but that’s all I can really equate it to. Let me explain:
There are three types of DJB member these days:
1 – The Newbie. This is a person who just joined, has joined fairly recently, or joined but isn’t all too active (at least not enough to know how things work in the DJB). These people ask a lot of questions, do a lot of things ‘wrong’ in the scope of the DJB procedure, but generally keep things interesting.
2 – The Sophomore. These people have been around long enough to know the rules and procedures. They follow them for the most part, and stay marginally active. These people answer a lot of questions, correct some mistakes made by newbies, and make the DJB machine function with their activity. Some of these people have contributed rather positively to the community, though there are quite a few troublemakers in the group.
3 – The Veteran. This is a broad range of members who are all too familiar with how things work in the DJB. They are divided in their activity, with some being inactive mostly and others picking up the slack. They tend to think they can get away with anything, and they’re usually right. These people are usually sarcastic, opinionated, a bit full of themselves, occasionally helpful but often can’t be bothered.
Sad to say but even I fall into the third category. This blog is solid proof. The part that truly annoys me about the third category has to be the “sarcastic, opinionated, a bit full of themselves” bit. These people tend to toot their own horn about how great they are for the DJB when in fact they haven’t done a damned thing. Some have done a couple good things and are playing those up as the greatest contribution to the club since the invention of the Internet.
With myself as an example – there are things I have done for the DJB, and there are things I continue to do for the DJB, that are shaping it into a better experience. You may not see my name attached to the memo or news post but doesn’t mean I wasn’t doing something on it. In this way I’m not quite like the stereotypical member presented in the third category. True – I have a bit of self-promotion here and there – but a lot of what I’ve done I haven’t really said anything about. That’s why there’s a huge article on the DJBWiki on me. Yeah – I’m there in the Influential Members section, and for a reason. I’m chock-full of ideas, and most of them never see the light of day because I tend to think well beyond my own capabilities. Depending on other people is probably the worst thing I do, especially when I trust them to follow my vision without doing much follow up.
Another rather particularly disturbing fact in my representation of the third category is when people are looking for help but the vets can’t be bothered. I saw some newbie say they aren’t going to bother with one of the key pillars of activity because no one would help him understand it better. It should NEVER come to this. Sure – some people are borderline retarded at reading the simple rules, but even still there are factors to consider, such as language and educational barriers.
There are notable exceptions to these categories, though their kind is few and far between. There is hope, however. If people change their attitudes a little, the health of the club could be improved. In a perfect world, the whole club would be full of #2’s... For now, 1’s need to strive to become 2’s, and 3’s need to re-evaluate their reasons for being here.
Myself included.
Spreading Thin
A lot of why the vets become so jaded is what I’m experiencing now – I’m nearly spreading myself a bit too thin. From Real Life interests to inter-club dealings I feel like I’m doing a lot without the time to spare. So far in just the DJB I’m:
- Administrator of the Forums
This might not sound like much, but just think: any time there is any change in leadership, I have to manually change their status around on the forums. Anytime someone wants any change there, I’m the one to do it. I'm the one often editing people's posts for spelling or grammar, or just flat out deleting messages that are really pointless. My editing doesn't leave a trace, and I don't keep track of what I do, but I'm usually fixing a handful of posts a day.
- Administrator of the DJB Wiki
Again, might not sound like much, but I’m heading up the newly formed Tribune. We’re supposed to expand the rules, templates and general ‘help’ files. I need to get a dependable staff assembled soon. I know a few people I want on it, mostly for their current level of dedication. I'll have to work more on this later this week.
- Advisor to the DC
This is unofficial, but rather an often occurrence. Some members of the DC include me in their conversations, asking my opinion on a range of topics. Not really all too time consuming, though I tend to throw in my 75 cents worth. Recently one topic was on education of the membership in an area I'm rather familiar with. It was a simple proposal offered, but what I had to say about it begged for the course to be expanded into a series of courses. Whether that will happen or not remains to be seen.
Outside of that there’s a host of RL things I’m trying to keep on top of. Work consumes 45 hours of my week. Sleep begs for 56 but is lucky to get 48. Time with the dogs and my wife kills about 35. That leaves me with about 4 and a half hours a day on average to do EVERYTHING else, including play games (either alone or with friends), work on DJB stuff, talk to internet friends, or look into some of my other interests like all those swords I collect or the latest “Weird Al” news.
Luckily a lot of my time at work seems to be relaxed on an average day, allowing me to do some of this while I’m supposed to be working. This blog entry? I’m typing it at work. A vast majority of my personal-interest research? I check things at work. Most DJB Forum administration? You guessed it.
My point here is that I do make an effort to devote the time, but when it comes down to using this little time I have to do the stuff that newbies want, I’ll get frustrated. I’ll ignore people or act a bit irrational because I’m just not in the mood to deal with things that other people are supposed to be doing. I know this is a flaw of mine, and I’m quite sure it’s one that others share.
It’s half the reason I stopped being HRLD. I didn’t have the time to devote to the DJB. I’m finding that I’m slowly getting back to that point.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Reflections
In an update from last time, the people are listening, and I thank them for their support.
Today is the anniversary of a dark day for Americans, and the tension of the subject is what I wish to avoid. Instead I'll discuss another upcoming rememberance, a subject that has a tad more relevance for this blog. As we approach the one-year anniversary of my leave from the Dark Council, I find that a lot of the same problems that plagued the leadership still exist.
Respect
Respect is something that is truly lacking in the club. Written personal attacks are on the rise, with influential members getting harassed on a daily basis. I’ll admit this is nothing new… I received the same treatment for nearly all of my time as Herald – but it is inexcusable. I’m hoping that the now released wiki project will help form the realization that these high ranking members, the same ones who people are criticizing about ‘resting on their ranks’, have done or are doing more for the club than many others.
On the contrary there is also something to be said about humility. Those that lack the mental constitution to keep their accomplishments low-key are just asking to be ridiculed. I know I have bolstered myself up as being something great, but my occasional outburst is nothing compared to the constant showboating that may spark the hatred of others.
There is not much I can do to change the minds on either side. I think people need to just drop the subject on both sides. The problems are rather trivial, and there’s no need to make it personal.
On another note, I find that a lot of the problem with respect in the Brotherhood comes from either the lack of information provided or the abundance. If a Council member has a large project they’re working on, one that they know is going to take a long time, they usually keep it quiet. If this secret project consumes so much of their time that they have very little room for anything else, they are accused of “doing nothing” and the torches and pitchforks come out as the masses demand the Council member’s removal.
At times a large project is announced in the beginning stages, and the Council member underestimates the timeframe. This leads to missed or extended deadlines, or a prolonged period of time between updates that were not anticipated. Again they are accused of “doing nothing” and the torches and pitchforks come out as the masses demand the Council member’s removal.
During both of these times it’s common for the DC to get blasted with trivial criticism, but such is often from people who talk big but fail to produce. Plainly put – if you say you can do better, prove it. Don’t complain about how things are – improve them. Unless you’re doing that, keep your negative, non-constructive criticism to yourself.
Responsibility
Even though I’m not directly in charge I have just as much responsibility and overall power as I did when I was on the Council. Up until recently I was working directly for the Grand Master, carrying out whatever tasks he thought fit to give me. Now that I’m part of the SCL office I have an elevated state of responsibility, and the impact was rather insignificant to me until recently, when it was pretty much thrown in my face that people expect me to be some sort of leader. Two instances really brought me to the state of understanding: One on IRC and one in the Forums/IRC.
The first I mentioned last time. Having OPS means you’re in charge. Now I really understand what impact that has, even if people view me as some sort of joke.
The second comes from … well it’s in relation to what I was saying earlier. If you’re always seen strutting your stuff, people will eventually react negatively. This is exactly what happened, and though the victim’s backlash against me wasn’t appropriate it was understandable. Truth is – not everyone gets along. If they leave it private it’s none of my concern. If someone decides to take the arguments public, then it is my problem.
The remarks against this person were uncalled for, but whining about it was also rather immature. Asking politely to have something removed would have been received a lot better than going off on me in some sort of emotional tantrum.
Podcasting
The entry of ‘Words’ you’re reading was supposed to be my first podcast version of this commentary, but I just can’t bring myself to record my own voice. Aside from that the subject matter in this entry isn’t one I want to record as the first. I don’t want it to start off with me complaining about the club as a whole.
Plus, Blogger doesn’t have built in podcast file support, and I’m not about to use my personal bandwidth to host a file. Perhaps I’ll make one anyhow… but that is to be determined later.Thursday, September 07, 2006
Is This Thing On?
It doesn't matter where I say something - I feel like people aren't listening.
IRC
I try to be there as much as I can, though it seems like my time there is somewhat wasted. Sure I'll get into a good round of shooting the bullshit and hell I might even enjoy it, but it seems like there's just so much dead time there. Everyone is always "quiet" or "away". If people DO talk it's usually just sarcasm or general crap. I'm not saying I'm innocent. I'm well known for my bizarre interjections, but there needs to be more of a purpose to this communication. Meetings seem to be a thing of the past, though in hindsight I don't really see their purpose after the inital establishing of the DJB as its own entity, free of the chains of the EH.
This brings up another point that's kind of pissing me off lately. An incident came up with someone being a real jerk in the main channel. I have ops there, but I'm not sure what I can and can't do. Some say I just shouldn't have ops because I didn't really do anything. These are the same people who didn't really ASK me to do anything.
I was watching the conversation and though he was saying some pretty frustrating stuff he wasn't flat out attacking people until much later into his rant - which is where I stepped in. The majority of his bullshit fell under the general concept of Free Speech. He could say all he wants about how he felt on a situation as long as he wasn't offending someone (in the channel) directly. People might have been uncomfortable but they had every right to speak up as well. I'm aware he needs to be banned now, and I'll take that into consideration in the future.
Wiki!
Guess what? This was the Secret Project I've been working on for a couple months now. I hope you all enjoy the framework I helped build. Overall I made something like 250 unique articles, though I'll admit most of them are 'stubs' or tiny, somewhat insignificant articles that hold very little data. However, they were very important since they included nearly all the Acronyms in the Acronym category, all the Ranks, and a restructure of all the charinfo box templates.
I'm glad this is public now only so that I'm not the among only few people adding crap to the pages. The frustrating part for me (up until I created the Getting Started guide) was trying to get people to conform to the structure I was trying to put in place.
One specific person was being kind of a jackass about it, so I had to enforce my power. I hate doing that. I want people to have fun with this stuff - not shy away from it because they might get yelled at. Still - push my buttons and you'll get it back much worse.
Forums
I've posted a few topics lately - some in the DC only area - that have received zero responses. I swear, it's times like this when I wonder why the hell I bother writing anything down. I also threw an e-mail out to the Summits asking about their GJW stuff but again, no reply at all.
All in all the Forums stuff is going along nicely. The reconstruction is done for now, the Trash Can was cleared, Briana's Bar was reset and I can't think of any more I could do aside from clear the Spam Boards.
This Blog Thing
I haven't checked today but I don't recall seeing any comments. This makes me wonder if I'm the only one reading this thing. I imagine there's like 3 people... Oh well. If anything they can use this when I'm gone to show how active I really was as a DP.
IRC
I try to be there as much as I can, though it seems like my time there is somewhat wasted. Sure I'll get into a good round of shooting the bullshit and hell I might even enjoy it, but it seems like there's just so much dead time there. Everyone is always "quiet" or "away". If people DO talk it's usually just sarcasm or general crap. I'm not saying I'm innocent. I'm well known for my bizarre interjections, but there needs to be more of a purpose to this communication. Meetings seem to be a thing of the past, though in hindsight I don't really see their purpose after the inital establishing of the DJB as its own entity, free of the chains of the EH.
This brings up another point that's kind of pissing me off lately. An incident came up with someone being a real jerk in the main channel. I have ops there, but I'm not sure what I can and can't do. Some say I just shouldn't have ops because I didn't really do anything. These are the same people who didn't really ASK me to do anything.
I was watching the conversation and though he was saying some pretty frustrating stuff he wasn't flat out attacking people until much later into his rant - which is where I stepped in. The majority of his bullshit fell under the general concept of Free Speech. He could say all he wants about how he felt on a situation as long as he wasn't offending someone (in the channel) directly. People might have been uncomfortable but they had every right to speak up as well. I'm aware he needs to be banned now, and I'll take that into consideration in the future.
Wiki!
Guess what? This was the Secret Project I've been working on for a couple months now. I hope you all enjoy the framework I helped build. Overall I made something like 250 unique articles, though I'll admit most of them are 'stubs' or tiny, somewhat insignificant articles that hold very little data. However, they were very important since they included nearly all the Acronyms in the Acronym category, all the Ranks, and a restructure of all the charinfo box templates.
I'm glad this is public now only so that I'm not the among only few people adding crap to the pages. The frustrating part for me (up until I created the Getting Started guide) was trying to get people to conform to the structure I was trying to put in place.
One specific person was being kind of a jackass about it, so I had to enforce my power. I hate doing that. I want people to have fun with this stuff - not shy away from it because they might get yelled at. Still - push my buttons and you'll get it back much worse.
Forums
I've posted a few topics lately - some in the DC only area - that have received zero responses. I swear, it's times like this when I wonder why the hell I bother writing anything down. I also threw an e-mail out to the Summits asking about their GJW stuff but again, no reply at all.
All in all the Forums stuff is going along nicely. The reconstruction is done for now, the Trash Can was cleared, Briana's Bar was reset and I can't think of any more I could do aside from clear the Spam Boards.
This Blog Thing
I haven't checked today but I don't recall seeing any comments. This makes me wonder if I'm the only one reading this thing. I imagine there's like 3 people... Oh well. If anything they can use this when I'm gone to show how active I really was as a DP.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Week in Review - Aug 21 thru Aug 28
Another update from the newly instated M:SCL. Yeah – now that I have a legitimate purpose I’m doing regular updates. It may be weekly, it may be bi-weekly, it may be whenever I get to it - but it'll be more often than before. This time I’ll review my role in the DJB and what it means to the membership.
Forums
As of last night I am the Master and Commander of the Forums. My experience and longevity in the DJB have granted me the right to act as the SCL. Plus Rax says he hates dealing with the forums. As such, regular pruning and clean-up will occur. I’ve already axed people who have been inactive in the last 8 months. Anyone who hasn’t logged into the forums since 01/01/06 and had less than 10 posts is gone.
I plan on wiping out the spam boards too. It’s not because I’m totally opposed to spam – hell I’ve been guilty of the same crap I get on other people about (but it’s the level of excess that separates me from them – one or two posts like that a month are ok). Cleaning out the spam boards reduces the amount of data the forums has to keep track of, thus making the site run faster.
Another measure I’m going to try to get automated is the closing of topics after 45-60 days. This will put a lid on all the thread resurrection that’s been going on. I’m all for new people joining in to a conversation, but dragging up a 2-month old topic is kind of stupid. This is especially true when the topic was rather time-sensitive, as in the case of a specific clan activities or the GJW.
The Secret Project
Sadly, I haven’t done a damned thing for it in about two weeks. I went through a huge editing frenzy, trying to establish a framework for future expansion. This had me linking and creating about 70 different items in one night, and an additional 40 or so the next morning. I just wanted it to be in place and knew if I left it I’d never get it done. I think that little stint burnt me out a tad.
I can’t wait until it goes public only so I can ease off inputting so much information, though we’re not quite near that point since a lot of the templates are not in place.
Forums
As of last night I am the Master and Commander of the Forums. My experience and longevity in the DJB have granted me the right to act as the SCL. Plus Rax says he hates dealing with the forums. As such, regular pruning and clean-up will occur. I’ve already axed people who have been inactive in the last 8 months. Anyone who hasn’t logged into the forums since 01/01/06 and had less than 10 posts is gone.
I plan on wiping out the spam boards too. It’s not because I’m totally opposed to spam – hell I’ve been guilty of the same crap I get on other people about (but it’s the level of excess that separates me from them – one or two posts like that a month are ok). Cleaning out the spam boards reduces the amount of data the forums has to keep track of, thus making the site run faster.
Another measure I’m going to try to get automated is the closing of topics after 45-60 days. This will put a lid on all the thread resurrection that’s been going on. I’m all for new people joining in to a conversation, but dragging up a 2-month old topic is kind of stupid. This is especially true when the topic was rather time-sensitive, as in the case of a specific clan activities or the GJW.
The Secret Project
Sadly, I haven’t done a damned thing for it in about two weeks. I went through a huge editing frenzy, trying to establish a framework for future expansion. This had me linking and creating about 70 different items in one night, and an additional 40 or so the next morning. I just wanted it to be in place and knew if I left it I’d never get it done. I think that little stint burnt me out a tad.
I can’t wait until it goes public only so I can ease off inputting so much information, though we’re not quite near that point since a lot of the templates are not in place.
Friday, August 25, 2006
Late August Update
Another one in less than a month? Could it be true? Yep.
Magistrate to the Seneschal
This is the primary reason for me posting another. While working on all that secret stuff for Jac I was asked how much time I spend on the Forums. My answer:
"Well I went there 29 times today since 7:30 AM. It was a slow day at work."
Long story short they needed someone to admin some of the back-end of the forums, and this paired with my other project... why not? I actually had no idea I was made M:SCL until someone said "congrats" on IRC, to which I replied "for what?"
The Forums
The next day I got an e-mail saying I was all set up. My first task was to clear out all the rogue admins. There were something like 12, and Jac wanted there to be 5. After logging into the forum manager site, I figured out how some functions worked and - a click or two later - There were 5 Admins.
My next task was to clean up the Moderators. There were something like 78 - and most of them were former Summits. I went to DJB.Com and nabbed a list of all current Summit members and matched forum ID's to DJB dossier numbers. I then made all the non-Summit people go back to the Member level.
I threw some tasks on my list, such as a Renaming Event (members can ask to have their forum name changed) and changing the Summits people from Moderators to the Clan Summits level... harder than it sounds because I had to do it individually. I then re-titled the DC people, removing the 'Herald' from myself. It was a sad moment, but then I re-titled myself as Dark Prophet.
The Other Project
I'm hoping we can really hammer out more standardizations and get it to a point where the gen-mem can access it. I'm getting burnt out making up most of the content. Still - I knew what I was signing up for! No excuses.
And Another Thing...
I've decided to allow comments. I can always edit/delete ones I don't like.
Magistrate to the Seneschal
This is the primary reason for me posting another. While working on all that secret stuff for Jac I was asked how much time I spend on the Forums. My answer:
"Well I went there 29 times today since 7:30 AM. It was a slow day at work."
Long story short they needed someone to admin some of the back-end of the forums, and this paired with my other project... why not? I actually had no idea I was made M:SCL until someone said "congrats" on IRC, to which I replied "for what?"
The Forums
The next day I got an e-mail saying I was all set up. My first task was to clear out all the rogue admins. There were something like 12, and Jac wanted there to be 5. After logging into the forum manager site, I figured out how some functions worked and - a click or two later - There were 5 Admins.
My next task was to clean up the Moderators. There were something like 78 - and most of them were former Summits. I went to DJB.Com and nabbed a list of all current Summit members and matched forum ID's to DJB dossier numbers. I then made all the non-Summit people go back to the Member level.
I threw some tasks on my list, such as a Renaming Event (members can ask to have their forum name changed) and changing the Summits people from Moderators to the Clan Summits level... harder than it sounds because I had to do it individually. I then re-titled the DC people, removing the 'Herald' from myself. It was a sad moment, but then I re-titled myself as Dark Prophet.
The Other Project
I'm hoping we can really hammer out more standardizations and get it to a point where the gen-mem can access it. I'm getting burnt out making up most of the content. Still - I knew what I was signing up for! No excuses.
And Another Thing...
I've decided to allow comments. I can always edit/delete ones I don't like.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
July - August 2006
Another month has slipped away… where does this time go? I’ve been busy, though most of it needs to remain secret.
Working Undercover For The Man
The assignment that occupies the majority of the time I allocate to the DJB is for this ‘secret’ project – though, truth be told, it’s not a huge secret. The entire DC knows about it. I think there are about 10 people (DC and non) involved, but I’ve only seen work from about 4 not including myself. Let’s just say I’ve written a lot of definitions. Like about 250+ in the past week.
The task is a daunting one, and I feel that some people might get overwhelmed with the scope of the project. They can do as I do – start somewhere small and build on it. Put something in place and others will build it up as they find it. That is how I managed about 240 of the 250+ I’ve done… I’ll add to them as I see fit or find time.
Aside from that, I feel my primary role in this project is standardization. I’m trying to make sure all these pages look the same or are at least formatted in a similar context. Last thing we need is the format to change between each one or have like 6 different formats competing. I’ve already imposed formats on a few pages and I think they look fine. The beauty of the coding format is that you can change a template and it’ll update all the relevant sites, much like CSS. If it turns out that the format I’ve made isn’t as great as I think it is – and it’s really nothing special – we can easily change it. The point is to get the style down for now so we can build upon it. Cosmetics are easy to change at any time.
When it goes ‘public’ I hope it’s rather complete. I’d hate to see chaos spreading across this project like it does so many others – especially how it ignites on the forums. There are measures in place to stop vandalism or spamming, but I don’t want it to become a full-time position of monitoring and moderating. That would be silly.
Keeping Active
I’ve talked to a few people – who shall remain nameless – about their feelings on activity. Some of these people are former DC members, Clan and House Summits, and long-standing members. The range really fluctuates between “I like everything about the DJB” to “I’m so bored I can’t understand why I come back to the site” and this makes things complicated. Some people on the “love everything” side are just good writers/gamers and enjoy participating in the comps because they’re usually in the winner’s circle. Others in that category just like the interaction with their net-friends.
On the “hate it” side, reasons are as varied as the people I talk to. Some just don’t like the games much anymore. Others are tired of the fiction. Other still feel like there’s nothing they CAN do. It’s not that these people are bad at any aspect of activity. It’s not that they’re bored. It’s that they don’t see a point in doing anything – they’ve allowed the DJB to fall out of favor. They want to be active but can’t seem to generate enough interest in the club to bother with the usual activities.
This leads to me, in a round-about way. No I’m not bored with the club – quite the opposite in fact. The secret projects remind me of when I was HRLD, and playing ‘support’ for the DJB is what I really enjoy, but I digress. Perhaps what could spark these people, along with me, is to interact with the membership more often. IRC is a dead zone, in my opinion, and the forums offer very little in the form of interaction. Maybe what can spark more positive feelings for the DJB is to just be an average member, or even just more outgoing within the DJB.
I’ve recently played some JA vs Kat. It wasn’t for CF’s or some sort of comp – just for practice and fun. We had some truly cinematic moments (think of the gymnastics in Duel of the Fates when it gets to the catwalks) and we weren’t really keeping score (though I won in a rather unbalanced approximate 12 to 1) it was very fun. Maybe some in-character JA RP could spark some activity?
I’ve had this plan where people do a JO/JA match, others observe and write about it in a pumped up, fan fiction way. Maybe I’ll propose that as another comp – though it’s a proven fact that no one does my comps anyhow.
Working Undercover For The Man
The assignment that occupies the majority of the time I allocate to the DJB is for this ‘secret’ project – though, truth be told, it’s not a huge secret. The entire DC knows about it. I think there are about 10 people (DC and non) involved, but I’ve only seen work from about 4 not including myself. Let’s just say I’ve written a lot of definitions. Like about 250+ in the past week.
The task is a daunting one, and I feel that some people might get overwhelmed with the scope of the project. They can do as I do – start somewhere small and build on it. Put something in place and others will build it up as they find it. That is how I managed about 240 of the 250+ I’ve done… I’ll add to them as I see fit or find time.
Aside from that, I feel my primary role in this project is standardization. I’m trying to make sure all these pages look the same or are at least formatted in a similar context. Last thing we need is the format to change between each one or have like 6 different formats competing. I’ve already imposed formats on a few pages and I think they look fine. The beauty of the coding format is that you can change a template and it’ll update all the relevant sites, much like CSS. If it turns out that the format I’ve made isn’t as great as I think it is – and it’s really nothing special – we can easily change it. The point is to get the style down for now so we can build upon it. Cosmetics are easy to change at any time.
When it goes ‘public’ I hope it’s rather complete. I’d hate to see chaos spreading across this project like it does so many others – especially how it ignites on the forums. There are measures in place to stop vandalism or spamming, but I don’t want it to become a full-time position of monitoring and moderating. That would be silly.
Keeping Active
I’ve talked to a few people – who shall remain nameless – about their feelings on activity. Some of these people are former DC members, Clan and House Summits, and long-standing members. The range really fluctuates between “I like everything about the DJB” to “I’m so bored I can’t understand why I come back to the site” and this makes things complicated. Some people on the “love everything” side are just good writers/gamers and enjoy participating in the comps because they’re usually in the winner’s circle. Others in that category just like the interaction with their net-friends.
On the “hate it” side, reasons are as varied as the people I talk to. Some just don’t like the games much anymore. Others are tired of the fiction. Other still feel like there’s nothing they CAN do. It’s not that these people are bad at any aspect of activity. It’s not that they’re bored. It’s that they don’t see a point in doing anything – they’ve allowed the DJB to fall out of favor. They want to be active but can’t seem to generate enough interest in the club to bother with the usual activities.
This leads to me, in a round-about way. No I’m not bored with the club – quite the opposite in fact. The secret projects remind me of when I was HRLD, and playing ‘support’ for the DJB is what I really enjoy, but I digress. Perhaps what could spark these people, along with me, is to interact with the membership more often. IRC is a dead zone, in my opinion, and the forums offer very little in the form of interaction. Maybe what can spark more positive feelings for the DJB is to just be an average member, or even just more outgoing within the DJB.
I’ve recently played some JA vs Kat. It wasn’t for CF’s or some sort of comp – just for practice and fun. We had some truly cinematic moments (think of the gymnastics in Duel of the Fates when it gets to the catwalks) and we weren’t really keeping score (though I won in a rather unbalanced approximate 12 to 1) it was very fun. Maybe some in-character JA RP could spark some activity?
I’ve had this plan where people do a JO/JA match, others observe and write about it in a pumped up, fan fiction way. Maybe I’ll propose that as another comp – though it’s a proven fact that no one does my comps anyhow.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Since Last Time...
This has become a monthly-type update. I’m OK with that I suppose, especially since my DJB activity has dropped off the radar. It seems like a bad time to try to come back anyhow. The GJW is already at the middle, and I thought it said somewhere that you need to do all or nothing. You can’t start in the middle… or you can’t do one event without doing the events before it… or something. It wasn’t clear so I’ll just keep away.
Anyhow Since I'm not really sure when I last posted, this is a synopsis of "then" up to "now". Kind of.
GJW, Minus the W… and the G.
The Great Jedi War rages on and I’m not taking part in it at all. Well – I did one little thing. I sided with the “red” Jac, whatever that truly means. Skimming the rather long (but admittedly well written) narrative for the event did not yield me the information on the ‘red’ vs. ‘blue’ versions I was looking for. It wasn’t easy for me to see what the differences were, so I used my own brand of logic. The dossier for ‘red’ is the original Jac. It’s dossier #6, is still on the DC and has the correct robe. The ‘blue’ Jac is dossier #7830, is Rogue and had (at the time) a generic APP robe. Clearly, from this evidence, ‘red’ is the right one.
Anyway, I feel that the GJW is always inappropriately named. This story arc isn’t really a great Jedi war as much as it is some sort of assassination plot. When I think of ‘war’ and Jedi’ I think more along the lines of the battles from AOTC and ROTS where Jedi are beating the crap out of things with lightsabers or leading clone troopers to conquer strategic landmarks. Espionage is a part of war, but not the main focus. Perhaps if there was more reporting about MP-game matches other than the scores it might seem a little more interesting. Maybe if matches determined some kind of outcome for the storyline they might seem more important.
Hell given this ‘red’ and ‘blue’ Jac thing you could easily tie that into RC or SWBF2 since the teams are red and blue by default.
To me it seems like a lot of focus of fan fiction is completely removed from the multiplayer game element. Why not play out an ACC-type battle in Jedi Academy – then write about it in the same manner? I realize that a JA match lasts, in some cases, about 10-15 seconds, but maybe for the sake of RP-ability tone down the skill…?
It’s a tough call really. This odd balance of the rather universal Fan Fiction and the not-always-compatible gaming is only as good as the people who take part. If CF-hungry power gamers are the only ones playing JO/JA, casual gamers have no chance – nor does this concept of the role-play fight.
I think what I’m trying to say is this: I think more needs to be written about the Multiplayer events. If you have a 4 on 4 space battle match in SWBF2, write about the results in ‘epic space battle’ fashion. Although I admit the chances of getting 8 DJBers in one server is nearly impossible, it would be cool to see that kind of thing.
All this is not a slam against Kaiann though. I have a lot of respect for the time and effort he puts into making the club enjoyable, regardless of how often we've come to verbal blows.
HRLD
I haven’t picked on the Herald lately, so I’ll do that now.
He released his final version of the robes and they’re quite a nice step up from the original 3D ones. Honestly – and I can’t stress this enough – unless you’re doing something about them, you can’t complain about it. Muz and his crew worked their collective asses off (for free) spending a lot of personal free time (without pay) to bring you better visuals for the club. Having been on that end of it I know exactly how it feels, and how frustrating it is when people start bitching for the sake of bitching.
So in short – unless you ARE doing something better, not just saying you can, shut up.
Headmaster/MAA
I haven’t said anything about the HM or the MAA, or at least if I have it’s been a while. Having no real obvious reason to visit the SA I don’t tend to note changes or improvements. I will say I stand behind the idea of removing SA course abbreviations from the ID Line. I know a lot of new people tend to take a crap load of SA courses to make their ID Lines seem significant compared to veterans.
I do think that one’s dossier number should be added to the ID line. Rank, name, order, house/clan, dossier number – everything anyone needs to know. Hell even just name and dossier number works. Everything else is on the dossier from SA courses to medals to clan/house membership history.
DP Kaine Mandaala (Obelisk)/Rogue/5
Yeah, I like the look of that.
Clantastic
I had mulled over joining another clan just before the GJW but contemplated the expectance of my participation and quickly reconsidered. The last thing I want is to have some QUA treating me like some sort of saving grace for their house. My activity level – if you can call it that – is rather restricted to maintaining the Forums.
Speaking of which, I really should talk to Jac about changing my title on there. It still says I’m Herald. Also I’ll pick his brain about giving me the power to do stuff like that – change titles, etc. I mean I heavily moderate the place as it is – deleting posts, editing content, moving things around – what’s a tad more power?
Going back to the Clan thing – where does a Dark Prophet fit? I mean Mav and I are the only two, and he’s pretty much gone. I saw him floating around on IRC but otherwise he’s non-existent. I wanted to prove that DP does not mean “Dead Profile” but at the same time I don’t want to deal with the bullshit that most clans go through to stay active. Maybe I’ll talk with some Clan/House leaders to see what is expected and what is accepted.
Yeah I've poked about here and there, edited people's messages, deleted others, and even said some stuff that was kind of mean but it's all in good fun. As long as you realize I don't intend on being a total jerk, it's all good.
E-Mail or PM me if you have a problem. Don't make threads or hijack other threads with posts about how I'm being a jerk.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Coincidence?
Forum Activity. It comes and it goes, right? But isn't it funny how after I make the announcement that I'm not going to rule over the posting as strictly as I have, the post counts quadruple.
Relevance is subjective to the viewer. When that viewer has the power to alter the content, contributors are at their mercy. I have very little tolerance for nonsense postings, thus I tend to eradicate all the blatant spam posts (and a few others that are just pointless, even if they aren’t classified as spam). My administrative method is effective, though tends to destroy some of the enjoyment of the forums. This, too, is subjective – and where I may consider something stupid, boring or otherwise pointless, someone else might think it’s funny.
This is a fine line we walk every time we post, and because of this I always ask that people put a tad bit of thought into their contribution. Taking a few minutes to ponder what you are going to say in response to someone else’s comments could yield a more enriched experience for everyone. Trust me – anything is better than posting a “me too” remark. I’m not asking for novels here. Just consider what you are going to say, and write accordingly. Make a point, and support it – or support someone else’s point and elaborate as to why you feel the same way.
I’m still watching you all…
Relevance is subjective to the viewer. When that viewer has the power to alter the content, contributors are at their mercy. I have very little tolerance for nonsense postings, thus I tend to eradicate all the blatant spam posts (and a few others that are just pointless, even if they aren’t classified as spam). My administrative method is effective, though tends to destroy some of the enjoyment of the forums. This, too, is subjective – and where I may consider something stupid, boring or otherwise pointless, someone else might think it’s funny.
This is a fine line we walk every time we post, and because of this I always ask that people put a tad bit of thought into their contribution. Taking a few minutes to ponder what you are going to say in response to someone else’s comments could yield a more enriched experience for everyone. Trust me – anything is better than posting a “me too” remark. I’m not asking for novels here. Just consider what you are going to say, and write accordingly. Make a point, and support it – or support someone else’s point and elaborate as to why you feel the same way.
I’m still watching you all…
Sunday, May 14, 2006
ID Lines
It's become an increasing debate - ID Lines. What should and should not be there?
Shadow Academy Courses and Medals have always graced the tail end of the ID Line. Some members have bloated this section to exceed the beginning section of rank, name, order, position, house and clan. Oh yeah - and ACC rank.
Quite a few people - even thouse who admit that they went for every SA course to puposely bloat their ID line to look more impressive than they were - think that the SA course abbreviations need to go. Others still think that medals are pretty pointless there too.
I agree. Your most important information are the first two pieces. Rank and Name. Courses are rather pointless to brag about since a lot of the old ones were nothing more than a copy-paste form with rather simple notes. I don't know if abbreviations are removed if the course is removed automatically, but I'm thinking of people who have their ID lines pasted in places that aren't updated with the DJB site leave in as many as they can.
I did like the idea of a title based on how many you've done - something similar to the ACC ranks would be good. [SA: Scholar] or the like would be better than the alphabet soup people throw on their lines.
I also think that your dossier number should appear in there somewhere. I mean - it's how you get to the important info of medals, history and other junk but it's not on the most widely used method of identification?
Shadow Academy Courses and Medals have always graced the tail end of the ID Line. Some members have bloated this section to exceed the beginning section of rank, name, order, position, house and clan. Oh yeah - and ACC rank.
Quite a few people - even thouse who admit that they went for every SA course to puposely bloat their ID line to look more impressive than they were - think that the SA course abbreviations need to go. Others still think that medals are pretty pointless there too.
I agree. Your most important information are the first two pieces. Rank and Name. Courses are rather pointless to brag about since a lot of the old ones were nothing more than a copy-paste form with rather simple notes. I don't know if abbreviations are removed if the course is removed automatically, but I'm thinking of people who have their ID lines pasted in places that aren't updated with the DJB site leave in as many as they can.
I did like the idea of a title based on how many you've done - something similar to the ACC ranks would be good. [SA: Scholar] or the like would be better than the alphabet soup people throw on their lines.
I also think that your dossier number should appear in there somewhere. I mean - it's how you get to the important info of medals, history and other junk but it's not on the most widely used method of identification?
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Forums
Almost as an afterthought, but in relation to the last post, I've decided to lay off quite a bit on the Forums. I am probably one of the most active moderators - viciously destroying spam, merging posts and closing threads. They've been quiet lately... a little too quiet. Trust me - no one likes the stupid threads where every post is a few letters, but even those are somewhat welcome compared to this current deserted wasteland of a message board.
Perhaps I was a little harsh on the spammers - then again, they've learned a lesson, right? Posting on the forums does not have to be the work of great writers. Each post doesn't need to be super long or the best writing ever, but they need to be more than some pointless statement. If you agree or disagree with something in a thread, DISCUSS IT. Don't just say "yeah me too" - elaborate. It won't kill you to take the extra minute to explain why.
Perhaps I was a little harsh on the spammers - then again, they've learned a lesson, right? Posting on the forums does not have to be the work of great writers. Each post doesn't need to be super long or the best writing ever, but they need to be more than some pointless statement. If you agree or disagree with something in a thread, DISCUSS IT. Don't just say "yeah me too" - elaborate. It won't kill you to take the extra minute to explain why.
Quick Comment on Comments
You'll notice I do not allow comments on this blog. There's a couple reasons for it.
1. I'd rather not moderate people in yet another online space.
2. I really don't care what random crap most people have to say about my opinions.
If you'd like to make a comment, e-mail it to me. My address is on the DJB site. I'm dossier #5. Or you can catch me on IRC every now and then. DP_Kaine in a couple channels (#DB, #Naga_Sadow) . I'll address your concerns in private, and possibly publish the results if it's worth it.
1. I'd rather not moderate people in yet another online space.
2. I really don't care what random crap most people have to say about my opinions.
If you'd like to make a comment, e-mail it to me. My address is on the DJB site. I'm dossier #5. Or you can catch me on IRC every now and then. DP_Kaine in a couple channels (#DB, #Naga_Sadow) . I'll address your concerns in private, and possibly publish the results if it's worth it.
Monday, May 08, 2006
Summary of April
I do not look for fault in the Brotherhood. I merely observe what the Council is doing and offer my advice (or just broadcast my opinion if they won’t listen to my advice). This installment has some praise and some badgering. Don’t take this stuff personally, because I do not make these statements on a personal level. I’m only commenting on what they do not who they are.
Herald
Of course I start here – Some things are hard to let go. Muz released a report after a few weeks of silence – though not on his blog. He’s been keeping up a semi-regular schedule on that and, as I commented there, as long as he’s saying something to keep that (the blog) alive, reports aren’t as vital.
In his latest report he showed off the new custom robe options, or at least how the works in progress are going. Nice stuff really, though a lot of Asian influence in them all. I suppose that’s bound to happen with only a couple people working on them, and it’s not like I really have a suggestion for a different look at this time. Maybe in a week or two I can think of other options. Still, great work. I look forward to those becoming available.
He also addressed two new lightsaber options. I am not keen on this ultraviolet option. It’s something I never allowed and it seems like it was a decision based on caving in to constant badgering over a feature that some people thought would be cool. No offense but it sounds like a certain DC member’s kind of dork-geek-ness. Seriously, this may or may not be of Muz’s own concept, but I don’t believe it is, and just do not approve of it. There was a very simple rule I put into the Custom Lightsaber Guide for blades: If it isn’t in a Star Wars film, you can’t have it. I though black blades were stupid and this is no different. Now I have talked to Muz about it, and I can understand his position. Plus – he tells me it was in a book or a comic somewhere. I’m still not entirely OK with it, but hey – it’s his call.
As for multiphase sabers, we’ve had that all along. My original custom saber has a knob on it that is for the blade length adjustment – just like Darth Vader’s. That tidbit came to me from one of the SW encyclopedias or tech guides or something of that sort about 10 years ago – which, by the way, is how long ago I made that original lightsaber of mine. That book is where I got the idea, and as far as I’m concerned it’s an option that’s always been there. If people had asked about it I’m sure it would have come out sooner. Still – it’s good that Muz has made an official recognition of it.
I don’t want to sound like I’m pissed at Muz. I’m not. I am just very critical of how the Herald’s office operates. Perhaps I’m biased. I didn’t really want to stop being Herald, but it was unavoidable. As I have often said in public and private Muz is doing quite well, with ideas that are making a real difference. I know some think I should go easy on him, and to that I say ‘I am’. Even he says I’m a tough act to follow – disregarding Cyris’ very short stint in the position. He asks me for advice and I appreciate that.
The double sabers (aka staff sabers) are a decent addition. I like that he lowered the requirements a little, especially since there are “common” options and customs are still up where they should be. I suppose that was really the whole restriction with them to begin with – there were no “basic” double lightsabers, so there was no way anyone could have anything but a custom one.
P:GM
I read Pyr’s post a few weeks ago and then went through his blog. I have to say – as far as a Praetor is concerned, Pyr is doing serious double duty. He’s working like he’s DC, and that only makes the GM look better. Though Jac does write reports and generally chats with the membership, Pyr is picking up the slack, filling in the gaps of the communication, and it’s working out great.
I can understand where he’s coming from with his annoyance at people not knowing about the Alacrity projects. How many times did I post “read the guide!” in my many years? I lost count after 100. Truth is laziness seems to be creeping into a major part of the DJB. I’m not sure if it’s because most of us are on the verge of summer, or that we’re all pretty much set in our ways. Whatever the reason is it really needs to stop. Read the guides.
CM
The CM has come under fire lately over the complexity of the ACC. The ACC was created in part by my former apprentice, Cyris Oscura, but not since his reign as CM have I understood how things really work. The inclusion of much-needed lightsaber style information and points system only compounds the overwhelming amount of information available on the ACC system. Sometimes it takes the view of those who are far removed from the process to point this out, as Dalthid has conceded.
Granted, as pointed out on the forums, it may be just attributed to laziness. Sure – I like a quick reference chart as much as the next guy – but if you don’t know the data surrounding that chart, it’s still useless. I think both sides need some sort of agreement: The ACC needs an “Essential Guide” streamlined down to only the most important aspects, but referencing the larger text. The members need to read this stuff - Myself included.
Family Feud
A spark has been made recently regarding the MAA’s restrictions on Families. Let me say this – they were a dumb idea 5 years ago and they are still kind of stupid. Consider yourselves lucky that the rules are not as strict as they could be.
As an element of fiction, they’re fine to a degree. I think people take it a bit too far though. I mean – as Jac even said – what are the chances that an entire family joins the DJB? The Dark Jedi are usually the banished member of an otherwise normal family. It’s about as bad as all the people whose histories show that their entire family was killed… sheesh let’s be a little more original, ok? At least my character really doesn’t have a family, unless you count his previous incarnation’s family.
Jac’s Blog
Every now and then I’m wrong. I admit it. I thought that the idea of Jac’s blog was silly. Even with the overwhelming vote against me, I wasn’t convinced that it was worthwhile. Then again – I think what I’m writing now is rather pointless. I mean, who is really reading this? Muz, Kat, Xia Long, Mike Halcyon… That’s probably it.
Anyhow Jac’s mind diarrhea is rather entertaining.
Dark Voice Tribune
Seeing as how I don’t really want to stop being involved in the DJB, people told me I should apply for the Tribune spot. I didn’t – and I’ll tell you why:
The Dark Voice has already failed under my care two times.
The first time it fell apart because people just stopped submitting things. The second time, the people I had helping me just… stopped. This second problem happened to me on a lot of projects: Project Epiderm, Project Archon, a new lightsaber building tool interface, GOA Reform, SWGN, Warbanner conceptualization, Etc…
Still I may want to take part in the DV, even if it's just as a contributor.
The Final Word
One thing that really pissed me off this month was the lack of effort. Some was on my part, most as on the part of the DJB as a whole. Did you know I had a competition running all through April? I didn’t advertise it. I threw it in there on the competition page for everyone to see. This was a test to see if people would even see, let alone attempt, my competitions.
One person did – and they’re going to get a big fat Diamond Crescent for it.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
In The Beginning…
This is the post that establishes who I am and why you should be reading it. It’s supposed to grab your interest and make you want to keep reading. Hopefully you are already familiar with who I am, but in case you aren’t, here’s a brief history:
I joined the DJB back in 1997 when it was still part of the EH. I was an Admiral in the TIE Corps and held many positions as assistants to the CO staff. Most people remember me as the COMM:A, under the COMM officer SA Thedek, where I rewrote the Code of Conduct for the club, establishing many rules that even the DJB uses today. I did not have much involvement with the DJB until I was passed over for the position of Internet Officer, and the elected IO decided I wasn’t worth keeping around.
I joined the DJB and bounced around the clans until I settled in Aquillas. I quickly shot though the ranks and positions, becoming QUA of Senryaku. Everything seemed great until the DC decided that Aquillas was the least active clan and needed to be dissolved. Joining the Rogues, I was rather annoyed with how my career in the DJB was working. I talked quite a bit to my good friend at the time, Thedek, who had become the Grand Master. He told me that an opening on the Council was about to come up and that I was a great fit for it. The position was HERALD.
Five and a half years later I was still there. In my time as Herald I created many policies and systems that are still in place today. In just a brief look at things that are still relevant, I made Custom Lightsabers possible and brought forth the Warbanner plan that replaced the old Grant of Arms system. I had several other projects in the works during my reign – some were completed, some weren’t. Some were great, some sucked – but overall I did quite a bit to help change the face of the club and make it a more enjoyable experience. I took a self-imposed retirement from the DC in October of 2005 because my real life started to infringe on the time I know the DJB needed.
There was a time when the rank of Dark Prophet meant you were a retired Grand Master, thus the rank was above GM. These people were on the roster just as reminders. They had long since quit the club and never came back. When we split from the EH the rank was revamped into being nearly on-par with GM. There are only two people who have since been promoted this high. I was the first, and I intend to be as active as I can, lending the Brotherhood my knowledge and expertise whenever they ask.
I joined the DJB back in 1997 when it was still part of the EH. I was an Admiral in the TIE Corps and held many positions as assistants to the CO staff. Most people remember me as the COMM:A, under the COMM officer SA Thedek, where I rewrote the Code of Conduct for the club, establishing many rules that even the DJB uses today. I did not have much involvement with the DJB until I was passed over for the position of Internet Officer, and the elected IO decided I wasn’t worth keeping around.
I joined the DJB and bounced around the clans until I settled in Aquillas. I quickly shot though the ranks and positions, becoming QUA of Senryaku. Everything seemed great until the DC decided that Aquillas was the least active clan and needed to be dissolved. Joining the Rogues, I was rather annoyed with how my career in the DJB was working. I talked quite a bit to my good friend at the time, Thedek, who had become the Grand Master. He told me that an opening on the Council was about to come up and that I was a great fit for it. The position was HERALD.
Five and a half years later I was still there. In my time as Herald I created many policies and systems that are still in place today. In just a brief look at things that are still relevant, I made Custom Lightsabers possible and brought forth the Warbanner plan that replaced the old Grant of Arms system. I had several other projects in the works during my reign – some were completed, some weren’t. Some were great, some sucked – but overall I did quite a bit to help change the face of the club and make it a more enjoyable experience. I took a self-imposed retirement from the DC in October of 2005 because my real life started to infringe on the time I know the DJB needed.
There was a time when the rank of Dark Prophet meant you were a retired Grand Master, thus the rank was above GM. These people were on the roster just as reminders. They had long since quit the club and never came back. When we split from the EH the rank was revamped into being nearly on-par with GM. There are only two people who have since been promoted this high. I was the first, and I intend to be as active as I can, lending the Brotherhood my knowledge and expertise whenever they ask.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
