This is a crisis that the community itself must endure and overcome on its own if it is to survive to see Christmas. So dig your boots in and prepare for mud slinging, because it's going to get worse before it gets better.
The unfortunate part is that so many outstanding members of the community (and by association, the staff team, as well) have moved on, yourself included. Over time, this has left many branches of the community crippled, possibly even faster than the network can grow new ones.
And, well, when it comes to mud-slinging, I'm no longer in a position to "fire shots" at big names. My name no longer holds the same sense of diplomatic immunity that it once did, at least among the forums. Nevertheless, I should be able to convey points just as well.
I finally went through the whole thread, and saw
SixZoSeven's series of posts, and I have to say I approve overall. Hearing that you've matured and progressed over the past few years is heartening. Your recognition that your post(s) may result in the offending of some sensibilities is respectable, and I'd like to briefly mention that I noticed it as a concern in previous years, but it seems like you've gotten, or are getting, that under control. Not that I'm a saint, either.
I noticed that you brought up a large number of well-thought out points. I believe you were contacted previously by a certain fellow named Noah, under the username Pikachu? You may be interested in what he has to say.
A lot of people are suggesting leadership candidates based on popularity. Don't. Just because someone is followed by a lot of people doesn't mean he/she will lead them somewhere better.
When I read this, several things came to mind, but there is one in particular that I'd like to mention.
The thing about popularity (and, comparatively, obscurity) is that it's very difficult to find suitable people if they are hidden from view. A person who has logged onto the MCGamer forums only a few times is very unlikely to stick out as a potential candidate, whereas someone who's gotten their name out there is going to be much easier for people to support, largely because they are
known. Someone who is from another community entirely isn't going to be familiar with MCG at all, and therefore would start out at a disadvantage.
The higher you go, the more politics and public reputation matters. Whoever is nominated to be the leader becomes the de facto face of MCGamer as a whole, which is why such characteristics matter. I know people who shouldn't be considered because of this, and I know people who won't be able to handle the stresses of keeping up appearances constantly.
Thank you for summarizing this so well.
When Dave's dyslexia was mentioned on this thread, it was argued against by saying that his grammar shouldn't be an issue. And I would
love to wholeheartedly agree and say that his grammar can easily be overlooked.
But this thread is primarily about Dave in particular, and that is how he appears to the public. His writing is, simply put, sub-par. He has had Senior Moderators and other staff members write things for him, and he may be perfectly adept at holding a conversation in TeamSpeak, but those aren't the largest parts of his public appearance.
And that's what makes his dyslexia a challenge.
When hiring for a Community Manager, Chad had one characteristic that was the utmost important to him: you must be local. "Local", as in, "sitting in the same office as him" local. His rationale is understandable, especially given the network's history. But that facet alone pretty much disqualifies everyone being suggested right now... unless you wouldn't mind moving your home for this gig.
Ah, that's frighteningly unfortunate. Funnily enough, that route would be available to me a year from now.
Lastly, even if there is a new leader, that doesn't mean all of the problems will be solved. Leadership is just one aspect of any organization, and I feel it isn't the only flaw that is affecting the network. New blood should only be but one step in a larger strategy.
And it is due to this, or the meaning behind it, that I appreciate Sixzo's strategy layout, but have simultaneous concerns about the follow-through.
Although, I do know of a 70-man handpicked staff team that I'm in the process of refining even further. That could be fun.
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Col and Sixzo, we all know that none of us are in a position where we can single-handedly resolve this. Col has his priorities, and Sixzo and I are both old news. If you'd like to casually "confer, converse, and otherwise hobnob with [our] fellow wizards," (Wiz. of Oz) sometime this summer, that could potentially prove to be quite informational - and maybe even productive. I'm sure that both of you have strains on your time, probably even more so than I, but I figure it's worth a shot to reach out to you two - as well as anyone else who may be interested in the discussion. Heck, why not include
Dave? I'd love to hear his thoughts, as another major player on the scene. Perhaps Chad might take notice of something that comes out of it.
An informal invitation, perhaps, but it's there nevertheless in case any of you happen to have some free time and get bored enough to return your thoughts to this topic.
