Warrior Cat Clans 2 (WCC2 aka Classic) is a roleplay site inspired by the Warrior series by Erin Hunter. Whether you are a fan of the books or new to the Warrior cats world, WCC2 offers a diverse environment with over a decade’s worth of lore for you - and your characters - to explore. Join us today and become a part of our ongoing story!
News & Updates
11.06.2022 The site has been transformed into an archive. Thank you for all the memories here!
Here on Classic we understand that sometimes life can get difficult and we struggle. We may need to receive advice, vent, know that we are not alone in our difficult times, or even just have someone listen to what's going on in our lives. In light of these times, we have created the support threads below that are open to all of our members at any time.
Hello everyone! All five of Classic’s administrators - Faith, Sen, Racer, Jadie, and Cleaver - are resigning from their positions. We’re beginning this transition now and will step down once our successors have been trained.
To choose the next batch of administrators, we are first allowing the site to nominate users; we will then confirm their interest in becoming an admin, allow the site to ask questions of the nominees, and set up a ranked choice vote. This thread is for answering questions.
Timeline:
Nominations + ask questions of nominees (see here): January 13th - 17th
Nominees answer questions (you're here!): January 17th - 20th
Admin Successor Voting: January 20th - 24th
Answer Rules:
Admin candidates must answer a minimum of two questions; you are allowed to answer more if you wish. Only users who were nominated as an admin and confirmed their interest may answer questions in this thread.
Before I answer specific questions, many of which ask about these following points, I want to outline what my policies and ideas would be as Admin in one cohesive section. I feel this will be easier to read than if they're scattered throughout different answers - so while it may look daunting, these have come from careful reading of everyone's questions. I strongly encourage these to be considered before continuing to my answers.
My policies can be found HERE. In the document, I talk about such things as activity requirements, term limits, impeachment proceedings, transparency, boundaries between Admins and leaders, creating a healthier working environment for our hobby, nurturing a more inclusive space for RUs, shifting staff towards becoming true representatives of the people, separating business from pleasure, my attitude to confidentiality, encouraged leave, the future I envision for Classic and the role of Mods within it, and so on. Again, I highly recommend perusing it before continuing.
I also wish to state that my desired position would be Communications Manager, owing to my strong rhetorical and literary abilities, my brief training in law and current studies of historical political strategy, my ability to form meaningful and productive relationships with others, and my general horror of Excel spreadsheets. I believe in myself and my policies, I believe in my friends, I believe in the Clans and history that we have here, and I believe in Classic.
MY ANSWERS
1. SIMPLYLIGHT’S QUESTION: SusieQuillsonSmith feels like her voice is no longer heard. She asks around to some of the other users and GorsePawLightningBug and Vixen agree with Susie. They decide to come to the admin team with their grievances and things get pretty heated. All the while, Susie, Gorse, and Vixen are all ranting in a group chat together. How would you handle this situation and get everyone to come to the table peacefully to talk it out?
It may be a pipe dream, but my hope is that it would never reach this point. This happens when people feel their voices aren’t being heard, when they feel caged — I never want them to feel anything less than valued and listened to. Fury doesn’t stem solely from disagreement with decisions; it’s about whether they feel they were listened to in the process of them — about whether they felt their opinions were given the appropriate consideration and respect. However, if this did happen, they would face no punishment; they haven’t done anything wrong, they’re just angry and there is clearly some block preventing the Admin team and these users from truly understanding each other. I would contact at least one of them individually and encourage a meaningful conversation, no retribution necessary.
However, as I expand upon in my policies, my methods would be aimed at prevention rather than cure. People only create these groups when they feel trapped in a mire of frustration and betrayal with no foreseeable way out. We feel helpless, and so we surround ourselves with our own version of control. But in the atmosphere of openness that I want to create, I hope that people would first message me “heeeey fox! I’ve got an idea” or “heya fox, I’m feeling a bit unhappy about this idea.” Hate only begins when friendliness is exhausted. And I don’t want it to be.
I want no festering unhappiness — I want absolute contentment, if not in every policy then at least in the environment of open discussion that surrounds them. However many doors I have to open to get there.
This isn’t to say disrespect and cruelty will be tolerated; isn’t to say that kindness makes me a pushover. All it means is that by cleaning and addressing old wounds, future infection may be prevented.
2. BIYUU’S QUESTION: [How do you handle] criticism that’s not so constructive? How do you handle someone who won’t back down from an argument, who gets personal when they shouldn’t?
This ties in to the previous answer, I think. One method I’ve found infinitely useful for both my sanity and hopefully the other person’s is to suddenly drop our voices as staff and instead talk to each other as people. Find the humour in it. Personalise the discussion and humanise each other. Rather than withdrawing into staff formalities, doing the opposite and opening up for each other as people is so crucial. It’s imperative to be able to take a step back and recognise ‘this is all quite silly — you’re a person sitting behind a screen, I’m a person sitting behind a screen; let’s talk about our outside lives for a second and put this all back into perspective.’ I feel it’s absolutely crucial to be able to recognise and laugh about that; anger thrives on the perceived unknowability of someone else, on the idea of them being utterly separate and, in that moment, a dehumanised combatant — by personalising each other and reminding ourselves of our own respective humanity, a calmer position can almost always be reached.
3. JETCLAW’S QUESTIONS:
Most of my these I hope have already been answered in my linked policy section, but I’ll address the last three:
- I personally hope elementals would continued to be allowed to be rped in the Forest Clans, though perhaps some in-world magic systems can be created or refined and a link may be made with the other Clans and Groups — not so elementals may exist there, but so the Forest Clans can feel better integrated into the rest of Classic, with in-world attitudes, prejudices, history, and so on. Though the rule of no one outside the Enchanted Forest knowing of it was made, to my knowledge, to prevent it from encroaching into Clans whose leaders may not want it there and to outlaw godmoding on unwilling parties, it may be even more beneficial to remove the feeling that this is some exclusive club. I and many others like elementals; many others don’t, and fairly so. Rather than removing them and ruining the fun for some, a compromise may be better so those disaffected by them can feel comfortable either trying it out for themselves, or, with more rules in place, properly distancing themselves from it.
- I see no reason not to uphold deletion requirements. My aim would be to nurture struggling Clans back to health, not delete them. If my hope that removing — or at least reducing — activity requirements would benefit activity rings true, that would be the first step. Deletion always was, and should remain, a last resort.
- I have never been and never will be pro-Overhaul. I don’t believe it would do anything other than bring the same problems to a new set of Clans, thus unnecessarily removing over a decade of history and development for nothing more than the displacement of current issues. I want to heal our current beloved Clans, not create new ones that will only be plagued by the same problems we now face. Solutions begin at the core.
4. IAN’S QUESTION: What areas of Administratorship might you struggle with? Everyone wants to know about strengths, but what are your weaknesses as a candidate?
My ego that becomes damaged if I feel I and my hard work are being taken for granted; my sensitivity if my friends were to disapprove of my decisions, or if I felt my Administratorship had alienated them from me and harmed our friendship; and my fear that if I’m the only one advocating for the aforementioned policies, I could become the bad guy.
But these are balanced by other things: I get passionate and I get invested, but I’m also able to take a step back and breathe and reconsider it in a new light, and that’s where solutions come from; I can feel irrational, but knowledge of that fact has allowed me to develop an even minded approach and a steady head that can overcome my stubbornness.
And where they can’t be overcome, I want to grow. Jealousy is an issue that has plagued me since I was a child and already my time on Classic has helped me make leaps and bounds towards self-betterment; I naturally avoid conflict and confrontation, but that’s not healthy either and these past weeks have already made me feel stronger and more self-assured — I want to continue to grow and learn and build upon this new-found belief that friendship and business can co-exist, and that confrontation isn’t the death knell to a relationship I’ve always believed it to be. This may be a selling point to some and a deterrent to others, but I don’t get upset, I get angry; and when I get angry, I find solutions. One benefit of having inherited anger issues and a short fuse is that I’ve learned how to control and harness them — and just as an Admin team needs gentleness, compassion and fairness, it needs an advocate.
All of these things can be brought to a real life working environment and to my home life — and so I suppose, beyond Classic and Warriors in general being deep and beloved parts of my childhood and life, my true motivation is wanting to grow as a person. To develop conflict resolution skills; to learn to think and consider as an even-tempered, rational, and kind person; to create and implement strategies that may improve people’s lives. These are my true motivations, and they all stem from my greatest weaknesses.
I feel these answers, along with my policy document, have addressed most, if not all, of everyone else’s questions in one way or another, including Achromatic’s, Ian’s, and Dot’s. If anyone would like clarification or an answer to any other point, please let me know. I would be happy to elaborate. And to whoever is appointed as Admins, I wish you nothing but love, support and friendship <3 You all deserve the nominations <3
AND WITH ALL THAT FORMAL SPEAK OUT OF THE WAY, WHO WANTS TO MAKE OUT IN THE DIRTY TUNNELS OF MR CHUCK E CHEESE
I want to start off by thanking you guys for the nomination! I'm honored to be considered for the next administrator team and will use this post to answer questions and outline my stance on a lot of key issues.
Fox's idea of a policy document was a great one, and I've adopted something very similar here! Please note that our ideas about a few things in particular are similar (particularly term limits)- I promise I'm not stealing them, these were things fox and I discussed in the recent past and came to conclusions on together. I also want to emphasize that these are not my 'hills to die on', but rather ideas that I'm absolutely willing to discuss with anyone on the site.
My preference is activity manager, but I wouldn’t mind any position!
Questions
Jetclaw's Questions: What are your plans for classic in the future? How do you plan to address the activity concerns brought up by numerous users?
My immediate plans for classic in the future are to shift the atmosphere to one where discussions are open and clear, disagreements are handled respectfully and honestly, and users have the space to voice their concerns and hopes (see the answer to simplylight's question below for more detail). I want to use this transition period to hear, address, and incorporate feedback from every member of classic. This will largely depend on what the specific concerns are, but I plan to help everyone feel seen and acknowledged.
For activity, I want to put a temporary pause on the QCA and CPCC while we go through this difficult and sudden transition period. It's the start of a new semester for many of us, it's a big change, and we need to focus not on meeting requirements but instead finding our footing as a site. After the transition period ends, I want to switch to a system of monitoring the entire site for activity instead of hyper-focusing on each clan, as I know as well as anyone that a clan can go through rough periods. I want to encourage creativity and roleplay to boost activity, not hold users to a certain threshold with the perceived threat of losing their clans if they're struggling.
Dot's Question: How will you make new members and returning members feel welcome in and back into our community?
I believe that we should implement a welcome committee of sorts- three or four users who keep an eye out for new users and then introduce themselves and help them get settled. The new user directory that racer has posted is fantastic, but a bit hard to locate- it should be featured in a more prominent location on the home page and header. Streamlining the process into a clear guide (Step one: read rules and clan info, step two: read about character creation, step three: create a character and post it to a clan) and making it highly visible to new users should help them not feel so overwhelmed.
Biyuu's Questions: How do you handle constructive criticism in your day-to-day life? How do you rate your communication skills? Can you convey your point of view in a clear, concise way? I have received a lot of constructive criticism in my real life- I taught for one year and had frequent observations where they would point out my strengths and areas of improvement. Being criticized is hard- it stings, and it's humbling. But I've learned to use that moment of vulnerability to turn inward and assess myself, and I believe I can do that here, too. Everyone needs constructive criticism if they want to grow as a person.
I would rate my communication skills as an 8.5 out of 10- particularly my written communication, which is what matters on this site. I have had lots of experience sitting back, re-reading, editing, and trying to make the point I'm conveying as clear and concise as possible. I do think I am able to verbalize my thoughts in a way that is accessible to those who read it.
Achromatic's Question: What are you willing to compromise on? What is the hill you'll die on? The hill I'll die on is allowing open, honest communication. I firmly believe every user should have the space to speak openly and freely as long as they're respectful. This is the only way to create a space where communication is non-toxic, and I will not compromise on this. I am willing to compromise on almost anything else- if the site and staff disagree with one of my ideas, I have no problem being outvoted. I think general consensus should run the site, not a single user or small group of users dictating what does or doesn't happen.
Achromatic's Question: What can we do to increase transparency and still make everyone feel safe to speak their mind? How can we make sure all users regardless of their positions feel heard, as if their ideas are taken seriously even if they're not implemented?
I've outlined this in my policy document, but I will restate it here. First and foremost, every user should be able to propose an idea or change to the site, and registered users and deputies should have the ability to chime in, adding their support or expressing their concerns, before the discussion moves to moderators and administrators only. A discussion thread about an idea, moderated by staff to maintain civility, is one way to do this- it can be posted for a week before the points are taken into consideration and the proposal moves to the moderator board.
Users should be notified of changes happening to the site through either a monthly newsletter like fox suggested, or a publicly available change log. No legitimate proposal should be dismissed offhand- there should be a site and staff discussion and vote to show that we do take users voices seriously. Users should never be told ‘no’ without an explanation. It could be as simple as ‘We discussed it as a staff and voted against it because it would be too difficult logistically’. No one user, Administrator or Moderator, should have the power to dismiss a proposal without discussion or passing it along.
Simplylight's Question: You've just been brought on as a new admin to Classic, what is the very first thing you would do?
If chosen, I would encourage the entire admin team to post an introduction thread. I believe we need to know each other as people in addition to users on a site. I would discuss my interests, my personal life, and my hopes and dreams for what classic could be- and I hope other admins would do the same. I would then have a space- a thread or a temporary forum board- where users can post their own thoughts, concerns, hopes, goals, and ideas for the site (and about themselves, too, if they want! I'd love to learn more about other people here). This would start the discussion of where we want our site to go in the future.
Ian's Question: what areas of administratorship might you struggle with? everyone wants to know about strengths, but what are your weaknesses as a candidate?
I am a sensitive and self-conscious person, on here and in real life. Sometimes I struggle to speak up, especially among people I'm not close to. I get overwhelmed and hurt if I feel that what I'm saying is being ignored or overlooked, because it took so much planning and thought for me to say things in the first place. This is something I've been working on, and I think a shift to honest and empathetic communication even during disagreements would help this (and others who feel the same way as I do).
Ian's Question: in your vision of the site, what is the role of administrators? of moderators? of leaders? of rus? what can we do to build bridges between these communities?
I believe that first and foremost every person on this site is a registered user- those who hold the rank of moderator or administrator are not any more important. We all have a duty to maintain a positive environment and we all should find enjoyment in roleplaying, participating in site events, contributing ideas, and fostering friendships.
Stepping up to leader, moderator, or administrator doesn't change this- it just means you're assuming additional responsibilities. Leaders are responsible for maintaining their clan pages, implementing plots, and roleplaying in their clan. They can overlap with moderators and administrators. Administrators serve as creative directors, taking ideas from users and staff and implementing them across the site. They also have very specific duties (CM, AM, LM, etc.). Moderators help the administrators in implementing ideas, moderating the site and discord for rule-breaks, and stepping in where needed (empty leader positions, LKR managers, offsite team, etc.).
Shorter Questions
Jetclaw's Question: Will you allow people to continue to rp elementals in the forest clans?
Yes! I believe it should be broadly allowed in the forest clans, and then up to each new leader in those groups to decide if elementals are accepted in their clan or not. I think having to hide elemental powers under a restrictive leader could be a fun plot device.
Biyuu's Question: How much water am I even supposed to drink in a day, anyway? This depends heavily on your activity level, diet, climate, height, and weight. Scientific consensus says to trust your inner self- if you feel thirsty, drink water!
Thank you so much for reading my answers. I look forward to seeing every other candidate's ideas, and I hope that no matter the outcome, we can all agree to shift into a transition period filled with support, honesty, and optimism!
Post by simplylight on Jan 17, 2022 12:18:33 GMT -5
FIRST AND FOREMOST So I felt the need to answer each question even though I was supposed to pick a few, so I decided to break them into categories on a word document and answer the overall categories that I saw. I still have that document so if you would like me to answer your question specifically, please let me know and I definitely will <3 I don't want anyone to think their question was ignored, this was just easier for me to do. I do not mind breaking them up at all and will not be offended one bit so please reach out.
I’m going to answer these two shortly just because I share the sentiment as Fox: Will you uphold the deletion requirements laid out by the previous admin team? Yes Will you uphold the no overhaul rule laid out by the previous admin team? Yes
And I'm going to hit you right off the bat with my weaknesses first because I think it is important to acknowledge where you fall short first to go into this with the mindset of you do not have all the answers or ability. This is just my approach so that I can put myself in a humble mindset. <3 What areas of administratorship might you struggle with? Everyone wants to know about strengths, but what are your weaknesses as a candidate? I am a human so I have plenty of weaknesses. My biggest being that I can be a little too unbiased sometimes. In my everyday life I struggle with decision paralysis and often find myself saying, “I don’t know, what do you want to eat,” a little too often to my husband. When it comes to site decisions, I may struggle with picking one or knowing which one is the best option at the moment. This may also lead to me getting run over or burned in some situations.
Another struggle I have is that I deal with stress and pain with humor. While you might giggle at this, I’ve really found it to be a communication blocker in my life. Some people might not think I’m that serious or they may think the humor at the moment is inappropriate. I’ve made attempts to lessen my nervous humor over the years, but I still struggle with it often.
ACTIVITY: ("How do you plan to address the activity concerns brought up by numerous users?", "How will you make new members and returning members feel welcome in and back into our community!", "How will you encourage collaborating plots between clans?", and other related questions)
There are activity concerns, for sure. I would like us to think, though, about your own human nature. Let’s say you are the leader at a volunteer site and trying your best to clean the building. You had a long day at your other job and are feeling exhausted, but you’re trying to scrape together some energy to finish the cleaning checklist. You miss a few of the requirements on the list and truly feel bad because you love this place, and so the next week while your coworkers are in the positive or getting good marks, you’ve got some negative ones. You now carry the guilt and maybe a bit of bitterness towards your volunteer job. Nevertheless, you go about another few weeks and you find that your mental health is just not great because you feel like a failure everywhere you go. The requirements are looming over your head and people around you are scrambling to meet their own. In normal fashion, you start to feel overwhelmed and even a bit resistant to finishing that list. If you do complete it, it feels forced and you hate it, but if you don’t then you know that the volunteer place is going to have a discussion about your work ethic and if they should keep you on as a volunteer. What does this start to do to the other volunteers who are maybe struggling a little? It’s an endless spiral of fear, depression, and bitterness that leads to very few volunteers and the ones left want to overthrow the system. Even members of the council don’t want to stay because they never feel appreciated or some of them may feel guilty as well. Also, in the meantime while all of this is going on, the customers of this volunteer place start to feel the negativity and begin to question the health of this place. They try to participate and help, but the checklists keep the volunteers busy so they start to feel shut out. Some people said hello to them but didn't let them contribute or bring them in to be a part of the volunteer site. Some might say that is the customer’s fault for not reaching out, but when you are new or haven’t been around a while it is much more difficult to talk to someone than for them to talk to you.
With the activity issue, I don’t think the answer is forcing a number. If you are forced to do anything, it is human nature to resist it. I know this isn’t a popular opinion, but I think the first place we should start with activity is lifting the numbers and strikes for just a while. When tragedy hits, 2 grace weeks is just not sufficient to cover the cost of grief for those who have lost a family member or friend. We should choose grace first, in my opinion. Most of the time, people don’t become mods just to be inactive. That’s not their goal at all. It just ends up happening because of how overwhelming it can be to feel that guilt of not meeting a number or because something has happened in your life that you are unable to control. That being said, I would be open for a compromise of lessening the numbers and collaborating together to find a way to get everyone excited and involved in rping.
As for activity with users, I would love to implement rewards systems like the candy thing. I don’t want it to lose it’s touch. One other option I considered is revamping some of the OTM awards to be a bit more activity inducing. Maybe instead of just a trophy, that person gets a piece of art of their favorite character or a free plot made by someone. Maybe their character gets a spotlight or something. Another idea may take a bit of code but I’m more than willing to tackle it. I would love to implement LIVE shout outs. This would take a while to get going and may run into a few bugs, but lets say a new user joins the site, everyone gets a lil notification on a side bar (I realize this could get annoying with pop ups so I thought a side bar would be fun) that says something like “Hey lets all welcome Beebarb to the Classic fam! Thanks for joining us!” or if someone makes 50 posts in a week, they get a live shout out on the bar and a burst of confetti or something. I think I could make that work. If anything, having a team of people moderate those things or gene moderate those things would be fun.
I would also love to get users involved with creating plots. Instead of just the leader reaching out and saying, “Hey the staff came up with this plot you should join,” the users of that clan or of classic can have a piece of the planning process. Obviously this can get a bit chaotic and runs the risk of feelings getting hurt if their ideas are turned down, but maybe they can have options on what direction a plot can go. I really love what Childe did in this Fallclan thread (here). It was so fun just taking what someone said and rolling with it into building out these characters. More plots that are open ended like this with a few restrictions (aka no godmoding) would be so fun for the users.
Lastly, I would like to include NEW users on already established plots. When a user joins and wants to integrate their character with some families, lets go for it! Give them a role to have in that families drama (ex lover, long lost sister, an unknown it, etc) so that they can have fun. Give them a run down of what they need to know and when they participate then let’s be excited to welcome a new character into the drama c; The inside plots and references are fun and I never want to take that away from anyone but sometimes it can really make a new person feel left out. So maybe, keep the inside references but explain them to the user and how their new character fits in and if you see their responses are starting to fizzle out, lets make an effort to reach out and include them again. It seems like a lot of work, but I think people naturally will want to rp if they feel like their character and responses are valued.
This also goes for clans. Some clans can feel pretty alienated if they don’t have the right stereotype for a plot, so lets work together to figure out how that clan can be involved. What can their role be in this interclan plot? Can they be a sanctuary for a clan that has been driven out, or can they be the peacemakers between the two clans and end up getting caught in the crossfire? I think there are ways to have interclan plots and include all of them. If we notice a clan is struggling with activity but yours is doing pretty well, maybe consider having some of the characters intermingle and create drama between them c; Have some classic territory battles that don’t lead to extreme circumstances, just competition over a few rocks. Ask the leader to see if your character could go to that clan for aid or sneak onto the land to steal some prey to create conflict. I’m sure they would appreciate the extra activity. Start extending those big ol families into clans they wouldn’t normally fit in and that half of the family could be like, “Oh the Lawrences? We don’t know them, they’re crazy.” Get some family drama going that doesn’t necessarily change the culture of the clan they are in. Those are my ideas there.
SITE MORAL: ("How do you plan to make everyone feel included on the site and not feel like an outsider?", "What are your ideas to make Classic a positive community that everyone can be proud of?", "What can we do to increase transparency and still make everyone feel safe to speak their mind?", "How can we work together and truly create a site that EVERYONE feels proud of?", "How can we change the community to make it less me vs. them, and more us vs. the issue?", "What actions can we do to ensure we look at everyone as equal partners, rather than as competitors?", and other related questions) I think creating a Working Agreement as a site, as a staff, and as a team of admins (so that is 3 working agreements) would help everyone feel like they are valued. This is a bit technical, but I actually have a certification in SAFe for Teams (Agile) for my actual work and this is something we practice every time we join a project. We have a process on how we create these documents that is pretty easy and, while it may seem silly, it really does keep us focused on what is important. I think for years Classic has struggled with fighting against each other when all along we are fighting on the same team for the same purpose, keeping this site we love and cherish alive and fun. I would love for Classic to become a place where people can go and feel the stress melt away. These are lofty ideas, I know, but if we never believe it will happen then it won’t. I know the past admins took steps to try and create this culture and I think there were so many successful moments. During this time, I also think it is important to reflect on the wonderful things past admins did, whether you always agreed with them and liked them or not. I never felt more connected to my friends than in Racer’s Halloween event. It was like for a brief period of time, the drama didn’t matter and we were just having so much fun rping and collecting candies. <3 I would love to find more things that bring people together in that way. I plan on doing some research into activities on RP sites that bring everyone together. I know that the creation of toxic group chats is inevitable, but I would love to squash the need of those with open communication between mods/admins/users before the problem escalates. Like Fox has said, prevention. To do this, I would like to create those working agreements together and uphold them. I think there will be times that agreement is forgotten, but that is when accountability for it to be brought up in those moments will remind everyone of why we care.
I also feel like we need to lessen the gap between our mods and admins and users by eliminating some of the hierarchy roles. Admins should not solely be responsible for making decisions and executing them. Each idea needs to be discussed and considered calmly and collectively and ultimately I think the idea-bearer should be the one to take lead on it unless they don’t want to. This goes for RUs too. If an RU comes with an idea for a sitewide plot, everyone discusses and agrees, then let that RU take lead on that idea. It will help people feel included no matter what role. And lets be honest with ourselves, nobody comes to the table with an idea because they want it to hurt the site or to fail. No one has evil intentions when bringing up ideas to boost activity or for a new event. They’re trying to help as much as the next person. If we implement a strategy or solution and it doesn’t seem to be going well, but an idea opposite to that solution gets brought up then lets try it out. No harm done. If the solution before was already not working or causing harm, then what is the worst that a new strategy could do? If that proves to be unhelpful to the situation, then lets brainstorm and try another idea. Get the users involved on what they would like to see more in the site. As admins, I feel like we should delegate more to people not on staff or the mods. I want to implement accessibility on the site and I happen to know of three good coders that are users. So I will reach out to them, see if they are interested in helping out, give them a temporary role and baddabing baddaboom, now there are 4 people working on accessibility features on the site instead of one taking it upon themselves to tackle this. An entertainment admin is just out of ideas but they notice that a couple of users have had some super fun side plots so lets reach out to them and see if they’d be willing to help come up with an event for the site that would be fun. I think delegating and including the users takes stress and control off the admins and makes everyone feel involved with building the site they love. Deputies and leaders don’t have to be the only ones the plot is centralized around. Find a cool new character that has joined the clan and see if they want to have a central position in a new plot idea. To me, letting go of control is the biggest key.
CONFLICTS & MAKING DECISIONS: ("How do you handle constructive criticism in your day-to-day life?", "What about criticism that's not so constructive? How do you handle someone who won't back down from an argument, who gets personal when they shouldn't?", "in this thread, i outline the ideas that i believe are fundamental to coming together as a site and moving forward as a team in a way that is effective and collaborative, and i outline the vision for the site that i have. what vision do you have for classic? what principles would you include in a description of this vision?", "How do you rate your communication skills? Can you convey your point of view in a clear, concise way?", "How can we learn how to delegate more, and make sure all users regardless of their positions feel heard, as if their ideas are taken seriously even if they're not implemented?", "What will be your stress test for the ideas you implement? How will you address problems along the way?", "What are you willing to compromise on? What is the hill you'll die on?", "How can we commit to a level of nonviolence, and be kept accountable without pointing fingers?", "How can we build a community that owns up to their own faults without feeling ostracised?", "How can we solve contrasting issues (aka, divisive ones that have strong opinions on both sides?)
- and what is your commitment to dealing with high emotions?
- What is your de-escalation strategy?", and other related questions) For me personally, I feel like I communicate at an acceptable level. I have to tell other developers their code sucks and is breaking the app every day in the most constructive way possible HAHA. So far, I have not had any conflicts with the way I communicate with them. That is because I know they did not intentionally make that code to break the app. I’ve definitely come up with some bad code before and didn’t notice it until it was pointed out. I do that nearly every day! Behind the screen (I work remote btw), there is a real human who is working towards the same goals as me, a successful app from our business. This human has feelings and pride that is definitely understandable. It’s my job as someone that analyzes their code to make sure that I am not coming across “better” or playing down on the work and thought they put into this feature. It’s my job to understand that people have bad days and sometimes can be more cross than they intend and answer with grace. Everyone gets stressed and sometimes snaps. My responsibility is to CHOOSE how I am going to respond in that moment. I may feel angry and need to cool off for 10 minutes to an hour before I respond, but that is me choosing to evaluate how I would want to be treated on a bad day or if I felt like someone was attacking my pride. Every day we choose how we can respond to a situation. If our natural instinct is to get defensive then we should consider implementing a countdown to cool off method. I personally can see a situation and I visualize it as a triangle. There is me with my input and life story, the opposition with their input and life story, and the outside world with it’s input and story. Once we can figure out the root of the miscommunication or the root issue then we can have a constructive conversation. This is how I often end up being unbiased. I start biased, for sure, but I’ve learned in my job to look at multiple sides and even outside sides that haven’t been considered before I make a judgment. This is also how I handle criticism. Not only do I have to give criticism in my everyday life, but I also have to take it. We do “Mob Programming” a lot. That is where you have a driver (someone that is writing the code down) and a navigator (someone that is telling the driver what to write down). As a navigator, I come across many instances where a colleague will say that my implementation of something was not correct or the best way. It’s my choice in that moment to let my natural pride tell them to be quiet and let me code, or I can consider their opinion. I find that I learn a whole lot more about code in that way, and they are learning ways to communicate opinions in a respectful way. We all benefit. Meanwhile, the driver has to do what the navigator says without question. Sometimes as an admin, our ideas aren’t going to be the popular ones and compromise is just not agreeable. At that point, I must become a driver. Try it out, see if it works, and once it’s time to switch navigators and drivers then let’s see what the outcome was and refactor if we need to. You learn a lot that way.
The biggest takeaway here is remembering that we all have the same goal and no one comes to the table trying to keep us from reaching that goal.
And also, I have no hill I will ever die on. I believe there is always a better way and that new ideas will lead to that way, even if it means taking a step back for a second to try one. There will always be opportunities to come back up.
WATER: ("How much water am I even supposed to drink in a day, anyway?") I think half your body weight in oz. but I could be wrong LOL
THE FUTURE & MY GOALS: ("What are your plans for classic in the future?", "Which direction do you see the staff going towards?", "You've just been brought on as a new admin to Classic, what is the very first thing you would do?", "what aspects of the site need to change? how can you contribute to positive change in these areas?", and other related questions) If I am being honest, my first focus is fixing what is happening right now before focusing on the future. I think it is important to realize that there are people still hurting from August 2019 (yes, I brought up that time that should not be brought up). I also think there will be people hurt from January 2022. I think we struggle with impatience and wanting to fix everything right now, but the first thing I would want to do as an admin is let the site breathe. You can not be friends with the people that are leaving after that, but it is SO important to realize that there are several people on the site who are. While we can still communicate with them and WILL (sorry, you aren’t rid of me), we need time to mourn the lack of their presence on this site. We have friends in 2019 that haven’t returned and I don’t think we got much of a mourning period. So, before implementing strategies and quick fixes to bandaid a wound that truly needs to be stitched up, lets let it breathe. Let’s take a moment to remember the pain and hurts, acknowledge them, and come to terms with them. Then after a week or so, or however long it takes, we will tackle the issues. My goal is for our admin and mod team to come to terms with the fact there will be disagreements, but we value each other more than our pride. People > Solutions. Let’s take it stitch at a time. I want us to have open communication with our feelings. Our staff and site as a whole needs to be a place where you can feel free saying, “I really miss my friends and I’m struggling with making new ones,” without anyone questioning that person’s morality or why they aren’t good enough for them. It needs to be a place where if someone says something that hurts you then you can have an open conversation with that person to figure out the miscommunication. If you need to have a third unbiased party, then do that. What I don’t want is a group of people that feel like their voices are never heard and so they feel like they have to create a space to air out their grievances and then that spirals into feelings getting hurt. Admins will run decisions by mods and in a lot of cases users first before they get implemented. If there is any resistance then we will talk it out, knowing that the goal is not to harm classic, and vote. This is one of those cases where if the mods and admins don’t come to an agreement, give it to the users to vote on. That is your third unbiased party. If no one can come to an agreement then let’s come up with a new idea together to tackle the solution. Toss ‘A’ and ‘B’ and lets create a ‘C’ together with a different approach. The biggest factor in my goal of creating a comfortable environment on Classic is to just be kind, open-minded, and honest when communicating hurt, differences in opinions, or just when you’re having an off day. The world is so dangerous right now with people overanalyzing every statement and others trodding over feelings and being insensitive. I want Classic to be a safe haven from that. I will say it again and again and again, we all have the same goal and are on the same team, and that is to keep Classic a place of joy and friendship. SOME PERSONAL SKILLS I HAVE: I thought it would be good to list these out because I didn’t start using them to the benefit of Classic until recently. I am a Software Developer for a large global company so I’ve had to learn A LOT of code in the past few years. I am in no way an expert at any of these but I have sufficient knowledge in some and are above average in others. I’m not saying this to brag, I promise. These are skills I have had to pick up for my job and a hobby I thoroughly enjoy doing. I also didn’t realize how much I could contribute with them until recently. ANYWAYS, enough of my blabber.
- I'm proficient in Javascript, Java, C#, HTML, CSS, SQL, and learning Python (I implemented the -shout command on gene the other day using some code cleav had already written and would love to keep working on gene if cleav will let me hehe). I can pick up on languages fast because I know algorithms so all I have to do is learn syntax usually. I would say my most-used languages are Javascript/React, Java, SQL (I use SQL everyday at my job), and C#. I am specifically an SDET (Software Development Engineer of Test) at my job so my current work is writing automated tests to check applications/code for bugs or unexpected results. So sorry if this sounded braggy, I don’t mean it to.
- I have decent experience and access to Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, Procreate, and Sketch
- I can draw a lil bit
- One weird skill I have: I can tell when my husband needs to use the restroom because he starts pacing (idk could be useful)
Other than that, I have to communicate everyday with clients and other devs so I have experience handling strong personalities often. SCHPEAL ABOUT ROLES: Okay, so I don’t necessarily have one role that I would want more than others. I’ve been Communications Admin before (during the move to Proboards) and did an okay job I think. The site is still alive right? I was much younger then and had less experience than I do now so I’m confident in my abilities to handle that position. I think I lean more towards Entertainment or Layout because of my coding skills but I do plan on implementing those wherever I can no matter what position (even if I’m not chosen I will probably bug y’all with feature ideas for the site). I will say, I have never had the visual eye for layouts so if I got that position then I would definitely be delegating on the design side of those A LOT. For Activity, primarily I would just want to find a way to automate counts if they exist or come up with ideas for plots and things to boost activity. Those are my ideas of each role other than Offsite. If I'm being honest, Offsite terrifies me and I would rather cheer someone on in that role than be in it myself.
End all be all, I appreciate being nominated for admin again. There are so many wonderful people that have been nominated that I would love to have as admin on Classic so if I’m not chosen you will not see any hissy from me. I’m just happy to contribute how I can My advice for the new admin team as a past admin and current user: You will disagree. I see the passion and policies you have and I’m so impressed, but my word of caution is to not come in ready to make change and set fire to the systems. Get to know each other and how you work first, let the site heal and yourselves heal and adjust, make an agreement to one another and the moderators. Take some time to breathe. It will be uncomfortable but you don’t want to slap a band aid on an infected wound. You will have different opinions on how you think the site should run, but no one is more important than the other. Take your time and have patience with one another <3
That is all.
-simply
(Also I am so, so, so, so sorry if I talk about my job way too often. I really enjoy it and feel like I've learned so much from it that I just get overexcited. I'm so sorry if it is annoying)
Suddenly feeling like I need to create a document, I can't explain why
Edited Jan 17, 2022 17:09:14 GMT -5 By simplylight
Post by achromatic on Jan 17, 2022 15:48:30 GMT -5
Alas, I too have a document. I'm so sorry, it's like, really long but I have a summarized version! A lot of these are also based off of what I've read and discussed with other members, some of them being current candidates as well. I've tried to give credit where credit's due but please let me know if I've missed anything.
I'm also pretty much only interested in layout manager LOL.
HERE is the document! It's also open for comments if anyone wants to! This is a basic outline of what my ideas are for the site It's also organized by questions as well, and while they seem like completed plans, they're just proposals and ideas, so I hope they don't come off as too intimidating!
TLDR:
Transparency – I want to encourage transparency by putting big site decisions to discussions with all members and retain the need for voting for site changes
Activity – I want to redefine the AM role to encourage and problem-solve more, and to make the CPCC less prominent to reduce the feeling of burnout and competition.
Morale – I want to bring back chat games for character development and plotting, and have a more consistent welcome team on the site, to help out new users.
Mod/Admin – I’m not very partial to either the new implementation or not, but I believe it should be a vote. I also believe that moving forward, moderators should be providing support to the admins to reduce the workload. I also think we should bring back suggestion surveys!
Leader’s Choice – I think a discussion about the site-building and tracking changes to lore as leaders would help with balancing the new and the old on this site. I also think we should have a discussion on what everyone wants when it comes to leaders having a choice, and where those boundaries might lie.
Layouts – I plan on bringing an accessibility guide to the site, as well as making more generic layouts that can be adjusted and changed, and simple templates that mimic the EasyEdit layouts of wiki-classic! Also long term, I might try making a site-specific skin (but that depends!)
Overhaul – I don’t think this site needs an overhaul when so much is going on, and even if it’s in the discussion, I believe it needs real planning and a time-specific schedule for anything so large, and it needs a project manager that really understands how to get it done. Otherwise, it’s going to be more chaotic than a problem solver.
Other questions I'd love to answer:
SusieQuillsonSmith feels like her voice is no longer heard. She asks around to some of the other users and GorsePawLightningBug and Vixen agree with Susie. They decide to come to the admin team with their grievances and things get pretty heated. All the while, Susie, Gorse, and Vixen are all ranting in a group chat together. How would you handle this situation and get everyone to come to come to the table peacefully to talk it out?
I think we can’t avoid people feeling upset, but I think a way forward is messaging people who are upset to check up on them and to make sure their opinions are being really considered. When I was concerned about issues with past proposals, one thing I really respected about this admin team was that they took the time to personally message people it was affecting and really talk through the issues and try to find a compromise that would make both sides happy, or at least neutral to the idea. I think that’s what we should be aiming for, that no one is going to be happy with everything but we should at least try to make everyone neutral about it as much as possible.
I also think there's a difference between listening to respond and really listening to understand, and I'll strive to listen to understand as best as I can.
What areas of administratorship might you struggle with? everyone wants to know about strengths, but what are your weaknesses as a candidate? I think we've all seen my weaknesses in the past LOL. Frankly, I had my own concerns about being fit for this job at all. It might be a long time ago but I was OM and CM in 2015-2016, and during that time, I had a pretty big falling out with members of my team. I was angry and bitter for a while, and there are still things from my past experiences as staff members on multiple sites that make me question my own decisions and the way I react to things. No argument is black and white, no drama happens because of one person being fully to blame. We all end up adding to it and becoming prisoners of our own reactions to things, and I too have my own tendencies to make mistakes.
In hindsight, one of my biggest failings in 2016 was my inability to separate my personal feelings about a situation from the discussion at hand. I think we all understand the tendency to get into a heated argument and to be so upset that we say something in the heat of the moment, only to regret it after. We all have a tendency, especially when there are mutual grievances, to fan the flames, and sometimes we don't really understand how much our actions affect others until we see the burnt ruins of the flames of our anger. It's something I've had to address in my own behavior in the past, and it's something that, even now, I struggle with.
I'd like to say I've improved, that I'm more aware of my actions, and that I can catch myself in moments before fanning the flame, but frankly, it's a difficult process to truly hold your anger and to understand it, and to be able to tell yourself to step to the side and let yourself breathe rather than to spiral. I can't promise that I'm emotionally uninvolved, nor can I promise that my temper no longer exists, but all I can ensure is that I truly want people to be comfortable with telling me their issues and that I'm committed to listening with a sympathetic perspective, and doing so as civil and kindly as I can and I want everyone to hold me to that promise. I truly want to respect everyone's boundaries, and to listen to my own voice of reason. I want to give people the benefit of the doubt, and to trust that people have the best intentions to make this place a better place for everyone. I want to be someone who can be called out and learn from her mistakes, and I want to be someone who can compromise and someone you can respect even when we disagree. How do you handle constructive criticism in your day-to-day life? What about criticism that's not so constructive? How do you handle someone who won't back down from an argument, who gets personal when they shouldn't?
I'd like to think I take constructive criticism pretty okay, because a lot of my daily life and work consists of a lot of feedback! I try really hard to not take anything too personally when it comes to feedback regarding my work, and in the past, whenever things start getting a little touchy and personal, I have a tendency to redirect the conversation back to the problem at hand rather than focusing on the conversations about who's wrong and who's right.
I'm a strong believer in changing the 'me vs. you' tone to a 'us vs. the problem' and I believe that listening and not taking criticism too close to the heart is really important, but it's also something that has to be changed with the environment in which we speak in, and not just on the person who's receiving the feedback to not react badly to words that intend to harm. I think trying to understand the sentiment of the anger is also really important in a discussion; often anger is a disguise for some other feelings underlying this, and it's important to be patient through the defensiveness so we can reach a mutual understanding.
How do you rate your communication skills? Can you convey your point of view in a clear, concise way? I do tend to ramble a lot sorry not sorry but I tend to work in a process where I might ask a lot of questions at first to truly get a good understanding of things, and I tend to direct conversations to questions rather than solutions themselves, which can be seen as 'me not doing anything useful,' but I think when I do force my brain to come up with a solution, I will often bring up the problem and then come up with the ideas, and test it until people understand what I'm trying to accomplish!
It might not be the most clear/concise way but I think it comes up with a more well-rounded concept and a testable one too
Also, apparently, you don't really need to drink 8 glasses of water a day. Your body is a homeostatic system that tells you to drink water when you need more water, and the amount of water you need fluctuates by person! (thanks Biyuu for my interesting fact per day)
I think I've answered most of the questions. I might have rambled a little too long but please let me know if there are any other questions! Thanks for the nomination guys ♥ It's an honor to be nominated with a lot of you, love you guys!
Howdy! Everyone came up with such fantastic questions, so I'll answer as many as I can to the best of my ability. ^-^
What are your plans for classic in the future? - Honestly, my hope for the site is to make Classic feel like an open, welcoming space both both new and current users. Roleplaying is meant to be a fun, relaxing past-time, and the recurring drama and disagreements between users has created an almost opposite environment. Although I plan to respect the no-overhaul rule set by the previous admins, to some extent I believe a bit of rebranding is in order - a fresh coat of paint as well as a fresh start for every member.
How do you plan to address the activity concerns brought up by numerous users? - Personally, I think that Admins and the new Mods can provide help to clans that need it. My idea is that, aside from encouraging people to spread the word about Classic, after every QCA, a selection of Admins and Mods either make or move cats to the clan that needs help the most, and dedicate a large majority of their time to that clan; updating layouts, creating adoptables, engaging in threads, and providing the leader with ideas for plots. Once other users see that engagement they'll be drawn to that clan too, and activity will become stable - rise and repeat every month with whatever clan needs it most. It isn't exactly the most permanent solution, but until we have the numbers for all clans to be self-sustaining, it's a start.
What about criticism that's not so constructive? How do you handle someone who won't back down from an argument, who gets personal when they shouldn't? - I consider myself to be a decently thick-skinned person, so I don't often take criticism personally. If the tone of the criticism becomes antagonistic, I'd respectfully approach the person and ask what the mindset was behind their phrasing. If a person becomes too antagonistic, I'd immediately disengage for the day to allow both parties to clear their heads, and attempt to restart the conversation in a more polite and productive way tomorrow. If that person further continues their antagonism, then I would bring the issue up to the other Admins.
What will you do when a member comes up to you with concerns?
- In an antagonistic way, even if their concern is valid?: The best way to turn an angry accusation into a productive dialogue is by not meeting their anger with your own; always be polite and kind, as well as acknowledge the validity of their feelings. Anger is just as valid an emotion as happiness and sadness, and is too often demonized despite being a natural reaction to certain situations, both online and real life. However, it makes it somewhat difficult to engage, so I always encourage those who are getting too emotional to take a few hours away from the computer; take a nap, get something to eat, or drink some water. At the end of the day this is just a website, and while it's wonderful that so many people care so deeply about it, real life mental health should always come first.
- With an idea that you dislike? Or a debate over an idea you proposed?: Just because I might dislike an idea doesn't mean it's inherently a bad one; I'd hear out their ideas or criticisms with a fair an open mind. However, I'm still human, and so to avoid personal bias I'd encourage the person to share their idea with others, in order to see if other people have a perspective on the idea that I have failed to consider.
- In a suggestion sort of way, when you know the suggestion isn't a workable one?: While I'd like to think that many of our users suggestions can at least be compromised on, if the suggestion outright contradicts rules already set in place and agreed on by members, I'd try to be polite and upfront about it and explain that while I respect their idea, there are reasons A, B, & C why it wouldn't be feasible.
- In confronting you about a certain way you acted that felt wrong to them?: I'd apologize. I'd like to think that I've matured enough in internet etiquette that people won't misinterpret my words during a debate or something similar, but it's still text, where tone and intent cannot be interpreted easily. I'd try to explain what I actually meant by my words, but I think it's right to apologize even still. And if you see me acting mean towards anyone ever I need you to break into my DM's and metaphorically punch me in the face. Because I should know better.
- About rule-breaking, even if it's your friends/you who broke a rule?: Listen, rules are rules. If ya break 'em, ya gotta face the consequences, regardless of who you are. I'd be polite and formal about it, but we have these rules in place for a reason.
- When your friends are the ones in the wrong?: This is a hard one, because obviously I want to see the best in all of my friends, but of course, we are all still human at the end of the day. If I get confirmation that someone I consider a friend is in the wrong, either through rule-breaking or getting too heated in an argument, I will express my disappointment with them. The Admins are meant to promote peace and uphold the rules on the site for everyone, and they shouldn't show favoritism.
- With a suggestion that might make a lot of people angry?: I feel like, if a situation became that delicate, then honesty is probably the best policy. I'd acknowledge that while their suggestion is valid, it could rub people the wrong way and I'd list the reasons for that. If the user wants to create an open discussion for their suggestion, I'd allow them, since obviously they have a right to voice their opinion, but I'd volunteer myself to proof-read their post first, in order to ensure the least amount of misinterpretation possible.
- With something sensitive, like a demotion, or an argument, or an impeachment?: If something is told to me in complete confidence I will keep it in confidence, unless it involves rule-breaking or a serious enough matter that the Admins should get involved. On the site itself I won't say anything that I am not directly allowed to.
SusieQuillsonSmith feels like her voice is no longer heard. She asks around to some of the other users and GorsePawLightningBug and Vixen agree with Susie. They decide to come to the admin team with their grievances and things get pretty heated. All the while, Susie, Gorse, and Vixen are all ranting in a group chat together. How would you handle this situation and get everyone to come to come to the table peacefully to talk it out? - Well first off, I'd cool down the situation by sincerely apologizing to each of the users involved individually for making them feel so left out on the site, and reminding them that their feelings are completely valid. I'd talk to them, both in the group chat and individually, to try and gather what the Admins and I can do differently to make these users feel more involved in Classic, and hopefully come to a compromise.
what areas of administratorship might you struggle with? everyone wants to know about strengths, but what are your weaknesses as a candidate? - I suppose my greatest weakness is probably keeping up with everything. I'm pretty scatterbrained in general, and when reading through large blocks of texts my mind kind of wanders off. I prefer to keep things as simple as possible, which probably puts me at a disadvantage when it comes to the borderline bureaucratic duties of being an admin. It's also why I have so little knowledge on how the Forest Clans work, as I tend to avoid complex plots.
in your vision of the site, what is the role of administrators? of moderators? of leaders? of rus? what can we do to build bridges between these communities? - The registered users are the backbone of the site; they're here to relax and have fun, and it's important to make sure that we do so, as well as present a fair number of opportunities for any single individual to move upward in their clan should they want to. Leaders are responsible for their clan and the care of the clan's page, it's their job to make sure people are having fun in their clan, and only their single clan - with the split between leaders and mods, Leader should only need to worry about the activity in their individual clan, promoting activity with plots and events, and requesting assistance from Mods when needed. Mods are overseers and helpers; jacks of all trades that are capable of helping with whatever needs help; keeping a watch for anyone who might be breaking the rules, helping provide ideas or activity in a clan that requests it, or lending an extra pair of hands for an Admin working on a project. Admins are very much the backstage crew of Classic, which if you've ever taken part in a show or musical before, you'd know how important that is. Their to make sure everything's working behind the scenes, planning ahead for the future, dealing with rulebreakers, and handling any major problems or conflicts that might come up.
I am going to take bits and pieces from each person and try to create a cohesive document, I apologize if it is long but I don’t want to be repetitive either. I’m so sorry it’s so long.
Many of my answers will likely be controversial and I am okay with that. In order to build something stronger than before you need to question the current ways. “It has always been that way so we will keep it that way,” was never an answer I’ve been comfortable with. Coming from experience, previous trauma and toxicity is like mold. You can ignore it all you want but it will still grow in that container you have shoved deep in your fridge. One day you are going to have to face it and it is better to face it early on on your own terms than wait for it to spread out of control because you chose to forget. I no longer choose to forget or shove that container back in the fridge because I am just too tired to deal with it that day. I hope my fellow members can join me in that. It is time to heal and move on from the past. This does not mean forgetting.
Anyways, enough with my spiel but I wanted to get that off my chest. Onto some questions! I am going to answer a few of everyone’s questions, but if there is one you’re dying to see answered feel free to get in touch.
JET’S QUESTIONS What are your plans for classic in the future? First and foremost, I see Classic as a community. This is a place I have sought refuge and comfort in since I was 9 years old and I am currently 23. In that time, Classic has had many ups and downs, good days and bad times. But at the end of the day we are all still here for a reason and many of us just want to have fun again. We get so caught up in the politics and the power struggles that it is easy to forget why we are really here. I want to foster an environment where everyone not only feels heard but is heard. An inclusive place that is not built on trying to keep clans or the site alive for the sake of things, but because we genuinely want to be here and are having fun and are uplifting other members of our community instead of tearing them down. I want to build good relationships and I see a future that can be very bright if we are willing to build more bridges that are better and stronger than the ones before.
How do you plan to address the activity concerns brought up by numerous users? I’m not all that concerned about activity, actually. This is not my full time, or even part time job. Right now what we are doing feels like counting calories. Sure, we can count each post but as it is things do not feel sustainable. People are burning out and I feel like we are slowly losing sight of why Classic is important to us. We all are here and doing this because we care about the site, I question no one's love or commitment to Classic, but I don’t think crunching numbers around every term is the right way to go about it. What that solution may look like, I don’t know just yet, but it is something I would want to explore with the new admin team and ALL users of classic, Including RUs. We forget how important they are.
Will you uphold the deletion requirements laid out by the previous admin team? I think it would be good for the upcoming team to review them but yes, most likely. I don’t want to just give up on the clans we have left.
Will you uphold the no overhaul rule laid out by the previous admin team? Yes. I was an admin during the overhaul and that was a nightmare fueled with toxicity. I personally believe we should try and build stronger what we have instead of wiping away the history we have created and trying to pretend like the ugly parts never happened.
DOT’S QUESTIONS What will you do to help boost morale on the site? Listen. Listening is key when you’re in any type of staff position. Something I learned as a supervisor in a previous job was that if you approach with the mindset of “what can I do to help my peers” and you actually listen and respond appropriately, it can greatly help any situation. I want people to feel heard and appreciated.
How will you make new members and returning members feel welcome in and back into our community! / How do you plan to make everyone feel included on the site and not feel like an outsider? / What are your ideas to make Classic a positive community that everyone can be proud of? Talk with users and engage with them. Not waiting for someone else to do it and being meaningful and sincere in my interactions and encouraging others too as well. When I returned to the site I felt so many cold shoulders and I felt like I had to weasel my way back into the community. I know how this feels and I hate it, I don’t want others to deal with that either. You can’t force anyone to interact with others but I know that I can take a step forward and make them feel welcomed at the very least. People who once were my friends ignored my messages, but others I’d never really talked to embraced me with open arms. A curse and a blessing at the same time. We really need to find ways to help users break the ice with more hangout nights again and maybe even doing them in smaller groups with individuals hanging out with people they never have before, doesn’t even have to be a vc but something to help pry apart these tight knitted groups that often push out others. It’s good to have your friends and people you trust and care about but it is also dangerous to never venture out. Classic definitely has its little cliques and it's time we start to recognize that we have ALL contributed towards this and need to work together to change it. If you are offended by this statement you may need to look further inward and really examine yourself and the way you treat others because everyone has been guilty of this to some degree.
BIYYU’S QUESTIONS How do you handle constructive criticism in your day-to-day life? I actually handle it very well! I love gaining constructive criticism, so long as it remains that way. This means my peers are building me up and helping me grow in a positive way. Simply saying, “You’re wrong. We can’t do it that way,” Is not constructive and tears people down. I don’t want to see that anymore. What about criticism that's not so constructive? How do you handle someone who won't back down from an argument, who gets personal when they shouldn't? I walk away and recollect myself. If someone is shouting at you, shouting back is not going to deescalate the situation. I actually stepped down from admin before because people were telling me what others were saying behind my back. They weren’t always just saying it behind my back, either. They were slandering and hurting me when they barely even knew me. Some of them I thought were even my friends and that hurt even more. I didn’t understand it back then, but since that time I have dealt with a lot of these situations and my skin has certainly thickened. People tend to react first when they are hurt by something and they are probably getting personal because there is more to what's going on than what I can see.
How do you rate your communication skills? Can you convey your point of view in a clear, concise way? This feels like I’m praising myself and I’m a little uncomfortable with that, but I believe I have good communication skills. I have been praised by friends, family, and multiple jobs for it. Sometimes for effective communication you need to step away and have a little time to think and brief. Starting out with negative statements is rarely helpful, but redirecting and finding out what is going on is often helpful. Sometimes people say things they don’t mean because they had a rough day at work and they snapped. That doesn’t excuse it, but understanding why it happened builds a foundation for more positive communication and interactions.
How much water am I even supposed to drink in a day, anyway? You’re a fish now glug, glug
ACHROMATIC’S QUESTIONS What can we do to increase transparency and still make everyone feel safe to speak their mind? / How can we work together and truly create a site that EVERYONE feels proud of? Mmm…. truthfully, I think many users are overly suspicious of staff. I have met very few people who are intentionally malicious in their roles. In order to make everyone feel safe then I believe people need to start heeding the respect rule on classic. This applies to everyone, I see far too often people bashing other users in private conversations thinking others are not going to hear about it. Start respecting each other and asking questions when you have the questions instead of bottling it all up and lashing out, seemingly out of nowhere. This is unhealthy and hurts everyone. Maybe we can have regular forums where admins answer questions, and an open thread where users can post any questions and admins/mods have a designated amount of time to respond. Regular newsletters and more voting systems in place can also help increase transparency. Users also cannot expect admins to have the solutions 100% of the time and admins should more frequently get the opinion of RUs, deputies, leaders, mods, etc. I love the community dearly but the smack talking gets out of hand. We all need to quit doing this if we truly want a positive environment that everyone feels proud of.
What are you willing to compromise on? What is the hill you'll die on? I am willing to compromise on just about everything. I think compromise is an important part of communication and understanding that such a large number of people will never 100% agree on a single thing all the time. I am not willing to compromise the mental health of myself or others. This goes for EVERYONE. No one’s health is more important than anyone else's, I strive for equity. Everyone is getting the care and support the need, want, and deserve as much as possible.
SIMPLYLIGHT’S QUESTIONS 1. SusieQuillsonSmith feels like her voice is no longer heard. She asks around to some of the other users and GorsePawLightningBug and Vixen agree with Susie. They decide to come to the admin team with their grievances and things get pretty heated. All the while, Susie, Gorse, and Vixen are all ranting in a group chat together. How would you handle this situation and get everyone to come to come to the table peacefully to talk it out?
Unfortunately, this doesn’t feel so out of the way. I’ve heard of a lot of users feeling alienated, not just recently either. I think as part of the admin team it is important to listen and validate what they are feeling. They are feeling alienated and unheard, all of us have been in a situation like this somewhere. I think letting them know that they’ve been heard and that all the admins are dedicated to helping them is the first step. To try and deescalate the chat and let them know when you are available to 100% dedicate your time to them at that moment. Making sure you aren’t just on a 15 minute break at work where you’re easily interrupted or in a big event where you might have to just disappear and reappear into the chat. Help involve them in events, plots, clans, groups. Encourage your friends and those you rp with to include them. Sometimes just having one person who is willing to make you feel welcome can make all the difference. Helping get them into groups of people whether that be in a chat or an rp so that you can be there and help them be comfortable. To be the one to initiate and engage.
2. You've just been brought on as a new admin to Classic, what is the very first thing you would do? Probably cry haha. But, seriously, I would like to get to know my fellow admins and staff and know what has been going on most recently. Right now we are talking in very vague terms but most problems require specific and case-by-case solutions.
IAN’S QUESTIONS 1. in this thread, i outline the ideas that i believe are fundamental to coming together as a site and moving forward as a team in a way that is effective and collaborative, and i outline the vision for the site that i have. what vision do you have for classic? what principles would you include in a description of this vision? Community, fairness, kindness. I feel like I have kind of answered this question throughout but I don’t want to leave it alone either before it is so important. I want a community we are proud to be a part of that we build each other up.
2. what areas of administratorship might you struggle with? everyone wants to know about strengths, but what are your weaknesses as a candidate? My weakness is that if people are too demanding of me all the time I become very overwhelmed. I love helping others and ensuring others have a good stable support system, but I am poor at calling on my own support system when I need it most. I am good at detecting when I have taken on too many tasks, but if I have three of four people ganging up on me for any reason I will shut down. If there is too much negativity poured onto me or when someone I thought was my friend is caught talking behind my back I am very untrusting of that person/people.
I need a support system that will help catch me if I fall because I will not call out for help. I acknowledge this and I am working on it every day.
4. in your vision of the site, what is the role of administrators? of moderators? of leaders? of rus? what can we do to build bridges between these communities? Administrators are there to help the site run. To help keep it a living, breathing thing, but most importantly administrators exist for the registered users. Administrators are there to keep the peace and balance, not to tip the scales or execute their will as they please. Moderators are there to support admins in this and in supporting the site in places the admins may be weak in. They help keep admins in check as well. Leaders are mostly there for their clan and are very important to the site. They are the lifeblood of the clans and keep each one functioning. RUs are the lifeblood of a website. Without RUs people become anxious because they wonder about the future. RUs are supposed to be the majority, the general populace, and should always have a say in the way things are done.
5. as admin, one of your first jobs will be managing the staff change as described in cleaver's message. how do you plan to do this? what are your thoughts on the change? I know very little about the change but I am intrigued about it. This may be able to help provide MORE balance on the site and more opportunity for the staff to be checked that they are adequately doing their roles.
Deleted
POSTEDJan 17, 2022 21:18:22 GMT -5 TO General Discussion
I just wanna say I would of loved to answer every question but sadly three days isn't long enough for me to fully respond to every single one of them. I did my best to answer these questions but I'm only human. If you feel like I didn't answer the questions well enough PLEASE reach out and let me know, or if you just want me to clarify something I will do my best. That being said no matter the outcome of this vote I'm not going anywhere. I only wish this was all happening under much better circumstances.
JET'S QUESTIONS
1. Will you allow people to continue to rp elementals in the forest clans?
Yes, However I feel the elemental system might need to be nerfed a little. I don’t want to take away something if people are enjoying it, nor do I want to force it on users who want nothing to do with Elementals. Ideally I would like to get user feedback on Elementals to see how everyone feels about them right now. What they would like changed about them etc then proceed from there.
2. Will you uphold the no overhaul rule laid out by the previous admin team?
The short answer here is no. I have no plans of burning the site to the ground and starting over. That being said, if this is something people want to go through with and truly believe this is what is best for Classic then I won’t fight them on this point. I personally don’t believe that change is inherently bad. Though I also wouldn’t suggest a total overhaul right out of the gate. I know the last overhaul was a very stressful time for everyone involved and I do have some suggestions that I hope would make things easier should we ever attempt another overhaul.
DOT'S QUESTIONS
3. How will you help clans that could be struggling with activity?
I would start by reaching out to the leader and asking what areas they need the most help in because just spamming a clan with posts isn’t really going to fix the overall problem. Not every clan struggles for the same reasons so my solutions are: helping with plots, promoting the clan, restructuring layouts to be more easily readable or less cluttered, reaching out to staff who are struggling and see what I can do to help them if anything. Even if it’s just helping out with some of the more simple tasks of just adding cats etc so the leaders don’t feel so overwhelmed.
4. How do you plan to make everyone feel included on the site and not feel like an outsider?
I would encourage leaders to hold more plot sign ups for clan wide plots. Sometimes it's hard to actively get involved in clans and plots when you’re stuck playing a background character all the time because all the active roles are filled up by the clan staff. For out of character interactions I would love to see more forum games, and movie nights, or even just scheduled discord calls where users can chat with each other and get to know each other better. Maybe even doing themed calls to encourage people interested in the subject to join in so that it’s not just the same few people talking to each other every time. I realize this would fall under The EM’s job as far as scheduling and the OM could oversee it but, these are things other Admins, and even Mods can help out with. This doesn’t mean you have to be a Mod or Admin to start a game or host an event either, this should be something everyone can have a hand in.
BIYUU'S QUESTIONS
5. What about criticism that's not so constructive? How do you handle someone who won't back down from an argument, who gets personal when they shouldn't?
I know I’m skipping the prelude to this question sorry. I hope that someone giving me constructive criticism wouldn’t result in an argument, though criticism even if not constructive I can handle. Will it hurt my feelings? Maybe, I won’t lie, sometimes I will take things personally but usually if things get too heated, or I can’t consider something rationally I seek a second opinion or just walk away from the conversation until I have calmed down. The main thing I would want to focus on in the situation here, is letting that person know I’ve heard what they’re saying and if possible it will be taken under consideration. However if they aren’t backing down, it might be better to put a pause on the conversation until they’ve calmed down or maybe have them reiterate their points to someone they are more comfortable talking to and they can relay them to me. I can’t control others' emotions nor do I plan on trying to, the only thing I can really control is how I respond to the situation and do my best not to escalate things further.
6. How do you rate your communication skills? Can you convey your point of view in a clear, concise way?
A 7.5 - 8? I try my best to stay clear and to the point but, I know some things can get lost in translation via text and I have no problem with trying to rephrase my words if someone doesn’t understand what I’m trying to say and will clarify my points when needed or if I’m asked.
ACHROMATIC'S QUESTION
** I would've loved to answer all the previous questions Achromatic asked here but I’m limiting myself to two questions per user, so I’m picking the long one that pertains to the position I want and my plans if I get it.
7. LAYOUT
a. How will you pass down your role to the next especially with the difficulty of HTML/CSS being inaccessible to many?
I would love to create a design team. A group dedicated to not only assisting in the overall look and aesthetic of the site, but people willing to point out bugs and other issues that come up. Over time I would hope to teach not only the design team but any user interested in coding. I won’t lie, HTML can be very intimidating at the start but I believe anyone can learn to code so when I pick a successor it will be based on interest and willingness to learn the skills needed to replace me rather than whether or not they already know how to code.
b. Will you be committed to helping people who can't code?
Absolutely! Coding is only an aspect of design not the core of it. I can’t draw to save my life. That doesn’t mean I can’t be an artist using a different medium. If someone comes to me with a vision or concept they want to see brought to life, if it's within my capabilities I will do my best to work with them to make that happen.
c. What kind of design do you have planned for the site?
I don’t have an overall design in mind right now but I would love to find a way to make the site more user friendly, and easier to navigate for new users who haven't used forms for roleplay in the past.
d. How can we make the site's layouts more accessible, especially for people with visual impairments?
We can definitely change font, font sizes and colors for better contrast and readability. Before changing things immediately though, I would want to collect user feedback and see what the consensus is before I change things based on what _ I think_ would work best.
e. What happens when a user complains about a layout that is difficult to read or navigate?
I would reach out to them and ask them to clarify exactly what the issue is, and based on where the layout is, if it’s a Specific clan layout or something on the site in general I would _gently_ take the issue up with the leader and see if there’s a solution we can come up with that everyone can live with. I know not everyone agrees or likes the same colors and styles and I’m not saying everyone has to _like_ it or that every layout needs to be the same but functionality and accessibility should be taken into account when creating layouts.
SIMPLY'S QUESTIONS
8. SusieQuillsonSmith feels like her voice is no longer heard. She asks around to some of the other users and GorsePawLightningBug and Vixen agree with Susie. They decide to come to the admin team with their grievances and things get pretty heated. All the while, Susie, Gorse, and Vixen are all ranting in a group chat together. How would you handle this situation and get everyone to come to the table peacefully to talk it out?
I would give them some time to calm down, but not ignore them entirely. I don’t think them venting their frustrations to each other in a group chat is a bad thing. I would try to reach out to them and see if they can reiterate their grievances to me and assure them that I will pass their concerns to the mods a/o admins to consider. Maybe not all three if things got too heated but, I would ask that at least one of them be privy to and participate in whatever conversation results from this so that they know their concerns are being heard and they can clarify their points further.
9. You've just been brought on as a new admin to Classic, what is the very first thing you would do?
The first thing I would want to do is touch base with the rest of my team and come up with a plan of how to move forward. Seeing as we’re getting a whole new team all at once, communication should be one of our top priorities so that we can come up with some sort of game plan. Whether or not we’re actually changing anything outright we should try to be on the same page regarding what direction we want to take.
IAN'S QUESTIONS
10. What areas of administratorship might you struggle with? Everyone wants to know about strengths, but what are your weaknesses as a candidate?
I think, what I might struggle with the most is accidentally taking a back seat on things. It’s not that I don’t care about certain issues, it’s that I’m afraid of overstepping. Lately I’ve been trying my best not to strong arm situations or railroad others into things they don’t want to do. I hate confrontation and will do whatever I can to avoid it. I’m getting better at it but I procrastinate a lot. I get overwhelmed easily when I let myself procrastinate. I could go on but these are what I feel are my biggest weaknesses.
11. As admin, one of your first jobs will be managing the staff change as described in cleaver's message. How do you plan to do this? What are your thoughts on the change?
I love that being a moderator is no longer a requirement for being a leader, and feel that will help leaders with feeling overwhelmed and reduce the feeling of burnout. I however, think it should be the deputy’s choice on whether or not they want to be a moderator, and if they feel like they can’t handle it, they can step down from being a moderator first without having to forfeit their leadership provided they still want it.
Before I get started answering these, I just wanted to let everyone who is participating in this thread, who is reading this thread, and the wonderful team who is overseeing this thread know that I love you all so much and I'm rooting for you all! Now, let's get down to business! to defeat, the huns
Q1: WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR CLASSIC IN THE FUTURE? A: My first priority is making Classic a sanctuary and home for everyone. My plan for Classic's future is to one day see Classic be a family and exude the golden light I know it can, with members on equal footing no matter the title or power they possess. I would also like to see Classic affiliate with sites that would continue to influence that positive environment and share in the energy that Classic deserves to be at its best. As for the internal functioning of the site, the path that it's currently on is one that I know can yield positive results that could be for the better for the site. Continuing to nurture that path and guide it along to create a toxic free environment where everyone can feel as though they belong and there aren't any barriers or divisions between ranks is my ultimate goal.
Q3: WILL YOU ALLOW PEOPLE TO CONTINUE TO RP ELEMENTALS IN THE FOREST CLANS? A: Honestly, I see the elementals as a special aspect of Classic that gives users a chance to experiment and develop their characters in different ways for plots or their character's own personal being. While there have been some roleplaying sites out there that boast 'special abilities' for characters, Classic is the only one who has a system unique like the elementals. I 100% support the elementals and users having the option to experiment with that aspect or choose to maintain standard domestic cats as their character builds. I would even put it to a vote, should the new admin team unanimously agree, to expand the elementals so that clan leaders can choose whether they would like to permit elementals in their clans or not, so that clans who wish to create clanwide plots with elementals or have elemental characters in their clans feel they can without being limited to the enchanted forest. I mean, the idea of Classic's land being an enchanted land in general? Pretty appealing to me.
Q4: WILL YOU UPHOLD THE DELETION REQUIREMENTS LAID OUT BY THE PREVIOUS ADMIN TEAM? A: The deletion requirements put in place are actually pretty great. It's a regulated system with conditions and a set path for what to do should a clan get to that point. I see no reason to get rid of it.
Q5: WILL YOU UPHOLD THE NO OVERHAUL RULE LAID OUT BY THE PREVIOUS ADMIN TEAM? A: With the clan deletion system in place, the no overhaul rule makes sense. They go hand-in-hand. So, yes, I absolutely stand by the no overhaul rule. Without the no overhaul rule, the clan deletion system doesn't serve a purpose in my eyes.
DOT’S QUESTIONS
Q6: WHAT WILL YOU DO TO HELP BOOST MORAL ON THE SITE? A: I believe the first step to boosting the moral on the site is to create a clean and toxic free environment, free of political bias and the darkness that permeates the real world, the very reason we flee to roleplay in the first place. Classic is meant to be a sanctuary and home for those who may not have that in the real world. Ensuring every member feels their voice can not only be heard but heeded and they feel as though their opinion and voice matters, because it does, is beyond important. Classic is a site for everyone, a sanctuary for everyone, not a choice few. Creating a positive and found-family environment from the top to the bottom is, in my opinion, a great first step to boosting morale and bringing Classic into the light.
Q7: HOW WILL YOU HELP CLANS THAT COULD BE STRUGGLING WITH ACTIVITY? A: Honestly, from what I experienced with SpringClan alone, what I've discovered is there's nothing more powerful than each other to help something like this out. When we work together to help each other with our activity, we can get so much done. While I would be happy to play in every clan regularly – even going so much as to dedicate an hour or two every day to playing everywhere that I can to help out – this is a sitewide effort that everyone can be part of. When it falls to a few people, it can lead to burnout very quickly, something that can influence negativity and darkness in the atmosphere and energy rather than the positivity and found-family world we want to create and keep on Classic. I would even go so far as to say that a rallying call could be helpful; putting in place some form of mini-event that won't take too much time to put into place in the clan that needs help, so that everyone has an incentive to play, while also simply playing because they want to. Often times, when we ask for help, it is answered. We're meant to be a family, so asking for help isn't a bad thing.
Q8: HOW WILL YOU MAKE NEW MEMBERS AND RETURNING MEMBERS FEEL WELCOME IN AND BACK INTO OUR COMMUNITY? A: Honestly, reaching out a hand and being genuinely interested in getting to know each other and bringing each other into the fold is so helpful. I've had my fair share of not feeling welcome or like I belonged on this site, especially this last time I came back, for a couple of months I wondered if I had made the right decision in coming back. But I realized, after I found a place that genuinely cared about me and got to know me, despite many of the users not even knowing me personally or having a history with me, I realized that reaching out and genuinely caring and making an effort to get to know the person and talk with them helps so much. I'll repeat it again: Classic is meant to be a sanctuary and a comfort away from the struggles of the real world. We all experience the darkness of reality; keeping in mind that we are all very much real and human behind these screens can help very much in ensuring we're all taking care of one another and making sure everyone feels welcome and like they belong.
Q9: DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS FOR FURTHER COLLABORATIONS/ PARTNERSHIPS WITH OTHER RPG SITE? A: Absolutely! Like I said briefly to Jetclaw's question before, collaborating and affiliating with sites who radiate the same positive energy we'd like to see in Classic can be a great way to form friendships between sites and create the sanctuary and home in Classic that I'm sure we all want at the end of the day. Creating events, like cross-site battles or more innocent plots, like discoveries of one another, experiencing each other's cultures, could be great starting points, and I'd be happy to brainstorm with other sites to come up with fun events and plots we could do across sites. I think it'd be really fun to interact more with other sites, especially because the Warriors fandom on Proboards is slightly smaller than it used to be. We all have to stick together!
Q10: HOW WILL YOU ENCOURAGE COLLABORATING PLOTS BETWEEN CLANS? A: When we focus more on the passion we have for playing and creating unique storylines rather than the numbers that they create, I think we'll all find that collaborting on cross-clan plots will come much more naturally. While they can bring interest to a clan that may otherwise be struggling, they can also just bring amazing development opportunities for characters. I would happily help out with creating fun cross-clan plots with leaders to assist in that. After all, world building and plot development are some of my favorite things to do.
Q11: HOW DO YOU PLAN TO MAKE EVERYONE FEEL INCLUDED ON THE SITE AND NOT FEEL LIKE AN OUTSIDER? A: I've gone over this a little bit in a previous question, but honestly just reaching out to people and genuinely being interested in who they are and what they have to say can make so much difference. I try to do the best I can as an admin to reach out and ensure everyone feels at ease and like they belong, because that's all I've ever wanted for everyone on this site. It's a site where we roleplay anthropomorphic cats, jeopardizing your mental health is not something I wish upon anyone, no matter the circumstance. Everyone, no matter who they are or what I've been through with them, I consider a friend, even if we don't talk regularly. Ensuring that they're aware of that and that we have open communication is a very important thing, in my eyes. So ensuring those bridges are intact and users feel they can approach not just me, but the entire admin team, the mods, fellow users, is so gravely important to influencing the positivity and friendliness of Classic. We all love to play cats and we all love these clans, even if we don't play in all of them. That's what we have in common. I plan to ensure those bridges remain intact and that users, no matter their position upon the site, feel as though they can be heard and that they are valued, because they are. This site would be nothing without every single registered user upon it.
Q12: WHAT ARE YOUR IDEAS TO MAKE CLASSIC A POSITIVE COMMUNITY THAT EVERYONE CAN BE PROUD OF? A: I would love to have more suggestions from the community. I feel that the ideas and suggestions board is very much in need of more activity. I love when users reach out and have ideas or suggestions to make the site or clan a better place, and even if we don't mesh on those ideas or suggestions, or they're modified to better suit whatever may be going on, they're still very much valued and I would ensure no user would ever feel like they were undervalued or appreciated because they shared their voice and thoughts. Ensuring each user has a voice and that we create a Classic that not just the admin team or the mods want, but one that everyone wants is crucial. This is a sanctuary for all of us, not just a choice few, as I said before.
BIYUU’S QUESTIONS
Q13: HOW DO YOU HANDLE CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM IN YOUR DAY-TO-DAY LIFE? A: I actually really appreciate constructive criticism, especially because I may do or say certain things that I don't realize may have an affect on someone until someone says something. I have a tendency not to 'read the room' correctly at times, and other times I wear rose-colored glasses, so I'm not privy to the struggles or discomfort of others. That's why I appreciate when people are honest with me, not in a rude or demeaning way, but in a 'hey, I noticed this' or 'hey, I thought you should know' way. Not only is it respectful towards me, but I also feel closer to that individual because they were willing to take the time to help me out so I can do better.
Q14: WHAT ABOUT CRITICISM THAT'S NOT SO CONSTRUCTIVE? HOW DO YOU HANDLE SOMEONE WHO WON’T BACK DOWN FROM AN ARGUMENT, WHO GETS PERSONAL WHEN THEY SHOULDN'T? A: I'm not going to lie, I'm a very sensitive person who wears their heart on their sleeve. When people get personal for the sake of lashing out or trying to strike a cord with me, it hurts. I'm someone who has basically no resistant to crying big time when I'm upset, so I won't lie when I say that there's been a few times someone's lashed out at me at work or in my personal life and I've locked myself in the bathroom and cried over it. I absorb other people's negative energies, especially when they're directed at me, so I have a tendency to believe that whatever it is that's wrong was my fault, that I could have done better. But there also comes a point where I wipe my tears, stare at myself in the mirror, and have a sobering moment where I realize that sure, maybe I did do something, maybe I could have done something better, but I also don't know where they're coming from, and they could have something going on personally that results in them lashing out because they don't know or aren't ready to process that situation or emotion just yet. While I don't condone that sort of behavior and don't appreciate it, and may distance myself from someone who behaves that way for my own personal mental health and protection, I'm also someone who gives out second, third, fourth chances regularly. People change, grow, learn, and understand themselves over time. I could lash out, get angry, exacerbate the situation, but I've learned that the best thing I can do is pull away from the situation, take a couple of minutes, or hours, or even days, to get my thoughts in order and understand how I'm feeling and how best to voice that feeling, before I approach the subject again and voice my thoughts. Granted, I would rather someone be honest with me and we have a civilized conversation rather than them lashing out and venting on me when I may have done nothing wrong, simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time, but we can't always have that luxury and things happen. At the same time, though, I understand a difference between lashing out because you yourself feel under stress or are struggling to understand the emotions or situation you're undergoing, and lashing out simply to hurt. One I can forgive over time, the other I can't. When it comes to lashing out simply to hurt and revel in it because you feel you can, I have a very black and white perspective on it. There are things you do and things you don't. Disrespecting someone because you feel you can isn't something I condone or even tolerate. So, in that regard, I do what I can to not only protect myself, but others, because no one deserves that kind of disrespect and to go through that kind of interaction. But that's a very rare situation, and often times is just a miscommunication that can be easily remedied by time and patience.
Q15: HOW DO YOU RATE YOUR COMMUNICATION SKILLS? CAN YOU CONVEY YOUR POINT OF VIEW IN A CLEAR, CONCISE WAY? A: It depends on what it's about. LOL At times, like when it comes to serious situations (or even just business situations) on Classic or in day to day life, I have pretty great communication skills and can convey my thoughts pretty well. I may have flowery language when trying to describe things like emotions or complex situations, but I think that has more to do with my near incessant need to paint a picture for individuals so they don't get the wrong idea, rather than out of any lack of ability to communicate. Now, if you're talking small talk when I'm at work and can't avoid it, that can be... painful. I'm not good with small talk. I've tried. It doesn't go well.
Q16: HOW MUCH WATER AM L EVEN SUPPOSED TO DRINK IN A DAY, ANYWAY? A: Okay, dude, I'm the wrong person to ask about this LOL Mainly because I measure how much water I should drink based on how many times I have to fill my 32 ounce tumbler in a day. I figure 2, maybe 3 times is sufficient? I think it depends on your body type and stuff too, though, like... whatever doesn't make you feel thirsty. All I know is that when you feel thirsty, you're already dehydrated and need to fix that pronto. So regularly drinking water throughout the day should avoid that. Like right now. I'm dehydrated, because my tumbler's looking awfully tasty right now. Oh! Also, did you know if you drink a glass or two of water in the morning after you wake up, it can help rejuvenize and energize you for the day? Granted, water sometimes doesn't sound so tasty in the morning when all I want is choccie milk, but... x"D
ACHROMATIC’S QUESTIONS
Q17: WHAT CAN WE DO TO INCREASE TRANSPARENCY AND STILL MAKE EVERYONE FEEL SAFE TO SPEAK THEIR MIND? A: I've gone a little bit into how to make everyone feel secure and valued on Classic in the previous questions, so I'm gonna focus more on the 'transparency' portion of this question and how I think it'd pertain to users feeling comfortable. Honestly, I think transparency between the staff and users could actually increase the comfort and security that users feel. When it comes to my own websites, at least, I've always maintained a transparent environment, with the staff forum a viewable area, just not available to be posted on by anyone that isn't staff, for obvious reasons (clutter and confusion, mainly). I've always believed that having things, like the LSAC and leader discussions, available to the entire memberbase of the site helps pull back the curtain on the 'what are they talking about, why are they keeping secrets' aspect. As for any sort of mod discussion or forum, admittedly, I understand why there's 'secrecy' or more like confidentiality in that respect. The thing is, I don't see that as a bad thing, especially because more often than not, there's just fun plans going on that staff want as a surprise for members so it can be a distraction from the day to day routine of the site. I think if we focused less on the politics of modship and more on the fun sitewide aspects of it all, it'd make things easier, and transparency wouldn't be so much of a 'they're talking about things that affect us without us knowing' situation and more of a 'they're cooking something up for all of us to enjoy' aspect. When it comes to sitewide changes, like improvements / modifications to the LSAC, CPCC, QCAS, clan / world culture(s), etc. I think it is a good idea to have that public. It holds users accountable, while also keeping everyone in the know, because any user could become a deputy and leader one day, and if they knew that information beforehand, that might better help prepare them for that moment. Discussions about things, like warnings, bans, etc. I personally see as a mod only situation, if only because the last thing I would want is to influence the negativity and toxicity that does exist on Classic, but I think something like a warning/ban log could be useful to have as public information. At the very least so if someone's wondering why something happened, they have an understanding. I've always been a curious person with a thousand questions, so I understand where someone might be coming from in that respect. When we consider the site as a sanctuary for everyone, keeping things like what I mentioned before public information – while the public may not be able to actively engage in it, as it's a staff discussion or what have you – can really help with keeping up transparency and ensuring that no one is up to anything malicious in any way, we promise.
Q18: HOW CAN WE LEARN HOW TO DELEGATE MORE, AND MAKE SURE ALL OUR USERS, REGARDLESS OF THEIR POSITIONS, FEEL HEARD? AS IF THEIR IDEAS ARE TAKEN SERIOUSLY EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT IMPLEMENTED? A: I kind of went over this in a previous question, but I'd like to reiterate and expand. The thing is, whether someone's ideas or suggestions are or aren't implemented, they are taken seriously and are valued. This is a community, built by all of us, and wouldn't exist without every single one of us. I can't stress that enough. As for delegation, I really loved the way things were set up on Wikifoundry. For those of you who don't know or maybe don't remember, at one time on Classic – and on other cat roleplaying sites on Wiki – users were just as engaged in the world-building and maintenance of the site as staff were. If a user found that a page needed to be updated, that a link was broken or outdated, that information didn't match up between pages or threads, or anything else, they would voice their finding and it would help tremendously in keeping the site not only up to date but also united. When the site was monitored and maintained by everyone, not just the mods and/or admins, it was a group effort and made things a little more fun. Like a particularly interesting game of 'I Spy'. I spy with my little eye, a typo. Users would also approach leaders of clans with plot ideas, and while sometimes they weren't implemented immediately or at any point during that user's leadership, they were still taken with gratitude, because coming up with clanwide plots is hard sometimes, and when we hear from our members that they have ideas to have even more fun in our clans, it's honestly so amazing and just makes the community feel even closer. While the current system we have in place I personally think helps admins delegate more responsibility to moderators and gives them the responsibility that moderators on other websites have, I also think if we made the worldbuilding and plotting aspect more of an open thing where members can suggest and come up with their own ideas, it would make the community feel a little more unified and like everyone belongs. I really miss all of the contests we used to have on here, I think it really helped boost not just productivity but also friendliness between everyone, it got everyone's gears turning and kept the creativity flowing.
Q20: WHICH DIRECTION DO YOU SEE THE STAFF GOING TOWARDS? A: I would personally like to see a more open and inclusive approach to staffing. Personally, on the path we're on right now, I can already see an improvement compared to where we were at a year or two ago. I think with more work and continuing to guide Classic along this path, we can find ourselves at a positive place, where everyone feels included and valued and like they belong, like the golden age of Classic was.
Q21: WHAT IS YOUR ONE-YEAR PLAN? PLEASE GIVE US A BRIEF OUTLINE OF WHAT YOU PLAN TO ENCOURAGE! A: My one year plan consists of eradicating, step by step, the negative stigma and toxicity that still ails Classic and form a more cohesive, unified, positive environment where everyone not only feels like they belong, but is comfortable to be themselves and enjoy themselves, no matter their position on the site. It'll take teamwork not just for the admin team or the mods, but the entire site, and I'm greatly looking forward to that future and all of us working together as a community to build the community we all know we can make and have. That starts with breaking down the walls between the ranks, communicating regularly and building bridges, and taking suggestions and ideas from everyone to create a Classic that's a home away from home.
Q22: IS THERE A TIMEFRAME FOR YOUR GOALS? A: Honestly, the thing about modifying and improving a community, whether that's in real life or online on a roleplaying site, is that the job's never really done. You can get to a point where you've made enough progress that everyone can comfortably live, but it's never over. There's always more work to be done, so I don't exactly have a set time frame that everything would be accomplished. I see this as being a very long journey, but one that's worth it and that can be very gratifying, if we take the time and make the effort to accomplish it together.
Q23: WHAT IS YOUR COMMITMENT TO CHANGING/KEEPING THINGS THE WAY THE STAFF RUNS? A: My commitment? Well, I definitely commit myself to ensuring that the community we build together is one where everyone feels welcome and accepted. While I believe there are some things we can keep that have been set before our time that help tremendously, I think there are things that can change, but that's how life is. Perhaps the things we change will have to change in the future, as well, and that's alright. As long as we don't stop growing, don't stagnate, and continue to strive to be the best community we can be, I'll be content.
Q25: HOW WILL YOU ADDRESS ISSUES SUCH AS PASSING THE TORCH ON AND TRAINING MODS/ADMINS? A: I honestly really like the idea of the selection and training of future mods and admins as something like how leaders choose their deputies. Through not only tryouts, where interested parties can apply through a format, but also through a unanimous vote between the staff, where users can retain an objective mind – that beats out favoritism of any variety – and select who they believe would best fulfill the role so that we can maintain a diplomatic society, one that Classic created a long time ago. At one point, before all of this, there were tryouts for admin successor, and it was thrilling. Because I doubt the admin who had hosted those tryouts at the time even knew that half the users applying for the role were even interested or had the experience/drive to go for it. I think it's a much more inclusive way to handle things and much more of a community way of handling things. As for training, I think it'd be just like dep prep or even how a mentor trains an apprentice in the books. You let them shadow you, learn the ropes, learn from the master, and then try it out themselves. You delegate tasks to them so that they can slowly start to take it over, without feeling overwhelmed, and when you're ready and they're ready, you pass on the torch and let them blossom into their own person in that rank.
Q27: WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO COMPROMISE ON? WHAT IS THE HILL YOU'LL DIE ON? A: There's a lot I'm willing to compromise on. Creating a positive, welcoming society and sanctuary requires that everyone be flexible. But even I have a limit, and I will not sacrifice my mental well being or my values for a roleplay site, no matter how near and dear it is to my heart. As for the hill I'll die on... I believe Classic can become a home to everyone. I believe it can be a positive, passionate place filled with aspiring writers and creatives that simply love the Warriors series and want an escape from reality. I know it can be done. I won't give up. It may take months, years, but I won't give up. Not when I know it's possible. But as I said before, if it takes sacrificing my mental health or my values in order to make it happen, that's the only time I would respectfully remove myself from the situation. But I believe we can do it as a community. So I'll sit here and do my best to ensure it happens.
Q28: IF THE SITE ISN'T HAPPY ABOUT A CHANGE YOU IMPLEMENT, WHAT IS YOUR SOLUTION TO THIS? A: Ideally, any change that occurs on the site would have been voted on by the site itself. If there's a change that affects the site as a whole, the site should have a say in the matter. As a community, that's only fair. As a family, that's only expected. But if, for whatever reason, a change is made that the site isn't privy to until the change has already occurred, I would do my best to hear out the discomfort and disagreements that our members are experiencing and do my best to come to a compromise. If a change has been implemented without their say or knowledge, I feel it's only fair to go that route.
Q29: HOW CAN WE GET EVERYONE ON BOARD WITH THE DIRECTION CLASSIC IS GOING IN THE LEAST ANTAGONISTIC WAY? A: I think an emphasis on the positive and teamwork as a community is a great way to go about that. Instead of singling anyone out or anything, focusing on the positive and the great future that's ahead could really help motivate everyone. I doubt there's a soul on here that would advocate for negativity and toxicity like what Classic's been experiencing for the past several years. Everyone, at least in my opinion, just wants to feel like Classic can be their second or third home. I think it's a pretty un-antagonistic (pretty sure that's not a word) way to get everyone on board, since it benefits everyone.
Q30: HOW CAN WE COMMIT TO A LEVEL OF NONVIOLENCE, AND BE KEPT ACCOUNTABLE WITHOUT POINTING FINGERS? A: Honestly, treat people how you want to be treated. Classic is a community that's gone through so much, the last thing we need is violence and anger and unnecessary pain to break out. No person should have to feel like they're targeted for whatever reason, no matter their rank or who they are. I think, after all of this, we need to come together as a community and agree that if we want to be able to have fun on this site again, play our favorite characters in our favorite clans/groups, chat with each other about anything and everything, and just generally enjoy what this site was meant to be, which is a roleplay site and an extracurricular activity or game, we all need to make an effort to respect one another and care for one another. A choice few people can attempt with all they have to make the world a better place, but it's an uphill battle until everyone joins in.
Q31: HOW CAN WE BUILD A COMMUNITY THAT OWNS UP TO THEIR OWN FAULTS WITHOUT FEELING OSTRACISED? A: I think owning up to your faults takes feeling like you can, not only trust the community you're in, but feel safe in the community you're in. This is my priority. Ensuring that every user feels valued, appreciated, and secure on Classic can really help pave the way for honest conversation and peaceful communication. There'll be spats, of course, we're all human, we have our days, but it's easier to face our dark sides when we know we have each other and support one another.
SIMPLYLIGHT’S QUESTIONS
Q59: SUSIEQUILLSONSMITH FEELS LIKE HER VOICE IS NO LONGER HEARD. SHE ASKS AROUND TO SOME OF THE OTHER USERS AND GORSEPAWLIGHTNINGBUG AND VIXEN AGREE WITH SUSIE. THEY DECIDE TO COME TO THE ADMIN TEAM WITH THEIR GRIEVANCES AND THINGS GET PRETTY HEATED. ALL THE WHILE, SUSIE, GORSE, AND VIXEN ARE ALL RANTING IN A GROUP CHAT TOGETHER. HOW WOULD YOU HANDLE THIS SITUATION AND GET EVERYONE TO COME TO THE TABLE PEACEFULLY TO TALK IT OUT? A: Personally, I think situations are handled best when everyone has a clear mind, where everyone can remain in objective perspectives. From my experience, that's when the best work can be accomplished. I would suggest to Susie, Gorse, Vixen, and the rest of the admin team that we all take a break, whether that's 10 minutes, or a day, or a couple of days. Once everyone has cooled off and been given a chance to think over how they want to approach a continuation of the conversation in a respectful and civilized manner, we could reconvene and get to the bottom of the situation that was brought up. I would also reach out personally to each user and try to get an understanding as to why the situation became as heated as it did and try to come to a compromise that while they may feel that way, we'll do our absolute best to ensure that doesn't happen again, but that it takes honesty and effort on all sides to maintain that bridge of communication and connection.
Q60: YOU'VE JUST BEEN BROUGHT ON AS A NEW ADMIN TO CLASSIC, WHAT IS THE VERY FIRST THING YOU WOULD DO? A: Take a deep breath. The responsibility of being an admin on a site like Classic is a lot to take in, and I don't think I'd be able to immediately jump into the deep end and try to knock things out of the park, as ideal as that whole situation sounds. Mentally, I think I'd need a minute to fully wrap my head around having received the promotion, get acquainted with where the current admin team is at with situations and plans, and wade into the shallow end of the pool and get accustomed to the water before swimming deeper. I don't think something like adminship, with the influence and responsibility that comes with it, should be rushed into. So I'd take a breath. Then I'd get an understanding of where my admin predecessor left off and formulate a strategy. Sometimes that plan may not be followed through to the letter and changes need to be made, but I like to have some form of a forged path to walk along instead of blindly stepping forward. I also very much value the idea of the 'admin team' so I'd want a couple of days to get acquainted with the new teammates I have and figure out a plan with them as well.
IAN’S QUESTIONS
Q61: IN THIS THREAD, I OUTLINE THE IDEAS THAT I BELIEVE ARE FUNDAMENTAL TO COMING TOGETHER AS A SITE AND MOVING FORWARD AS A TEAM IN A WAY THAT IS EFFECTIVE AND COLLABORATIVE, AND I OUTLINE THE VISION FOR THE SITE THAT I HAVE. WHAT VISION DO YOU HAVE FOR CLASSIC? WHAT PRINCIPLES WOULD YOU INCLUDE IN A DESCRIPTION OF THIS VISION? A: I have the exact same vision that you do, Ian. If it wasn't evident in the descriptions I made in questions above, I know Classic can achieve a 'golden age' of genuine community, as opposed to the toxicity that Classic as a whole has experienced time and time again. Every point you made in your document is exactly what I'm advocating for. Genuinely acting as a team, not just between the admins, but between all the staff and the registered users of the site. We're a community where every decision affects everyone, not just the choice few. I wish I could say I have ideas for further principles for a vision like this, but you took all of the words out of my mouth. Reading your document, I was recognizing all of the things I've been saying throughout this entire process. I would love to see a Classic that works that way and the most motivating aspect is knowing it can be done. We just need to work together as a community to see it happen.
Q62: WHAT AREAS OF ADMINISTRATORSHIP MIGHT YOU STRUGGLE WITH? EVERYONE WANTS TO KNOW ABOUT STRENGTHS, BUT WHAT ARE YOUR WEAKNESSES AS A CANDIDATE? A: Maybe this is a weakness, I see it that way in certain situations, but I wear my heart on my sleeve, which means I can get hurt very easily. I always try my best to take a step back and ensure that no one is hurt because I'm hurt, but I take things that others have said or have done and absorb them, hold them tight to my chest, and allow myself at times to spiral because of them. This is my biggest weakness as an admin, because while I have full faith that in every aspect I could be successful, keeping my heart protected when things blow up or conflict happens or things get personal can be really challenging for me.
Q63: WHAT ASPECTS OF THE SITE NEED TO CHANGE? HOW CAN YOU CONTRIBUTE TO POSITIVE CHANGE IN THESE AREAS? A: I think we need to become more unified as a community. There needs to be more transparency and communication between all members of the site, admins, mods, RUs. With less secrecy and division between us, I think we may actually, finally, experience Classic as the sanctuary that it's supposed to be as a roleplay site. I think, personally, I can contribute to this positive change by making an effort to communicate more regularly and better with my teammates and the members of our community, building friendships as opposed to standing on the sidelines, unsure if I should involve myself. The better we build our bridges with one another, the more like family we are, the less we feel like we'll be judged if we have something to say that may not be what the mainstream believe or like we'll be attacked if we speak our truth. I think embracing the vision you outlined in your document and the vision I see for a future Classic could help in the long run. I also think simply reaching out to users and expressing a genuine interest to get to know them and help them become involved in the site and with each other could help a great deal. Acting as the member of Classic family I hope everyone to be one day.
Q64: IN YOUR VISION OF THE SITE, WHAT IS THE ROLE OF ADMINISTRATORS? OF MODERATORS? OF LEADERS? OF RUS? WHAT CAN WE DO TO BUILD BRIDGES BETWEEN THESE COMMUNITIES? A: In my vision of the future of Classic, admins are simply the ones who ensure that the big bulky stuff – the site skin, the major sitewide events, the massive sitewide newsletters, the social media and affiliation, ensuring the site maintains a soft hum of activity while retaining the passion of writing and the world we've created that we all have and love – while moderators are our watchful eyes, the ones who help the admins out with tasks, while also assisting with things like reporting or even fixing (depending on if they're comfortable with code) errors around the site, helping boost activity in clans where a staff team may be struggling for one reason or another, welcoming new members along with the admins and RUs, and helping to continue to maintain that bridge of connection alongside the admins and RUs. As for leaders, I think that the system we have right now – where leaders are allowed to focus on the clans they're so passionate about and cross-clan plotting and roleplaying – is pretty great and takes away some of the weight that leaders used to have with the old system. As for RUs... I hope to see that RUs feel comfortable to openly communicate with everyone, including the admins and mods, and suggest ideas for the site, no matter what, and support one another, no matter the rank on the site, even if that person has yet to join the site, because at the end of the day, we're all RUs, no matter our rank. We all have a responsibility to care for one another and the site that we love so much. I think a great way to build bridges between these areas of the community is by breaking down the rigid divisions between them all. Just because you're an RU, or a mod, or an admin, doesn't make you any better than anyone else. Ensuring everyone feels Classic is a safe space for everyone and we support one another like a community and family should, I think it could make a really great, light-hearted and fun community.
Q65: AS ADMIN, ONE OF YOUR FIRST JOBS WILL BE MANAGING THE STAFF CHANGE AS DESCRIBED IN CLEAVER'S MESSAGE. HOW DO YOU PLAN TO DO THIS? WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE CHANGE? A: In all honesty, the staff change that was made was something I wasn't surprised by. Rather, I was surprised it hadn't happened earlier. The division that Classic now has with responsibility is a common system on other sites, so when Classic finally went with this system, I was actually very relieved, because I believe the former system put a lot of weight on leaders that may not have wanted that weight. As for managing the staff change, managing a system like this comes more naturally to me than managing the system Classic used to have. As I've said multiple times in my answers over the last several questions, the best way to manage a system like this is to ensure everyone feels heard, respected, and like they belong, because they do. Everyone has been promoted to staff (whether that's leaders, mods, or admins) because they are fully willing to take upon this responsibility and the weight that comes with it. So ensuring everyone feels included in discussions, votes, and changes, along with the rest of the site, I personally feel will influence a much more positive environment. I'm very happy, personally, that this change of staff has occurred. It feels more natural and the familiarity of it is a comfort to me.
My advice for the new admin team as a past admin and current user: You will disagree. I see the passion and policies you have and I’m so impressed, but my word of caution is to not come in ready to make change and set fire to the systems. Get to know each other and how you work first, let the site heal and yourselves heal and adjust, make an agreement to one another and the moderators. Take some time to breathe. It will be uncomfortable but you don’t want to slap a band aid on an infected wound. You will have different opinions on how you think the site should run, but no one is more important than the other. Take your time and have patience with one another <3
