Guild Master Candidates Q & A ((PLEASE READ))

In an attempt to better understand our candidates and the direction this guild is going in, we have decided to have a question and answer session with each of the candidates.

The questions will be posted in this thread and each candidates will reply to this thread with their answers. I hope this helps reassure everyone about their choice and vote for Guild Master. Don't forget to vote!

1. What is the area of the guild that you think needs the most work?

2. How do you suggest we go about fixing or improving this area?

3. What is the most important aspect of having strong guild leadership?

4. What do you think guild leadership needs to work on?

5. How do we go about improving guild leadership?

1. What is the area of the guild that you think needs the most work?
Aside from general low guild activity and numbers, I think the RP needs most work. The quality is not up to par with what I am looking for, and the guild stories need to be more inclusive and revolve around more than just the same people. Part of this is my fault of course, seeing as I write the stories and I am head of RP department. With so few active RP officers, it's hard to juggle all of these things on my own (with the help of about two other people recently), but that really isn't much of an excuse.

2. How do you suggest we go about fixing or improving this area?
I really hope to start some form of RP school, update rules, and get those things rolling. Maybe even assign a mentor to members who are struggling with RP or adding "RP with an officer" to the things needed to become a full member, as it once was. This way members know what to do, are informed of our rules, and aren't going into RP blind. I want to see RP on off hours, all the time, and people RPing casually, not just having one or two people show up to events. Possibly offer incentives to those who RP most. I want to see people keeping to lore. Of course, that doesn't mean don't be creative. If you can reason it, you can do it. But I don't want to see people breaking lore entirely.

All in all, it would be a major overhaul with many things to do. It would be a lot of work and rather difficult, but I'm ready to do it if I've got people excited for it to happen.

3. What is the most important aspect of having strong guild leadership?
I think this aspect would be balance. Bare with me here while I explain.

This is a game after all, and we are all here to have fun. But now and again we do need to have meetings and such. Then there's also real life issues people have that can literally be anything. It's hard to keep these things all going, I know. The people on the team need to be able to get the more serious stuff done, yet be able to enjoy themselves and have fun in the game. If they're starting to feel like leadership is a job, it won't be fun for anyone. The monotony will begin to reflect in what they do and to the members eventually. This is one facet of balance.

Another would be balance with one another. We need to have trust in one another (which doesn't seem to be an issue) as well as respect each other and our opinions, but at the same time we need to know we can disagree with each other and respectfully talk about issues that someone may have with something another has done. We're all adults here and, as we have been doing, we just need to treat each other as such.

We also need balance with the guild. Spend time doing what you want with who you want, but also make sure to talk to members and make yourself available when you can.

General balance with things as explained here is really what makes or brakes a team.

4. What do you think guild leadership needs to work on?
I think that organization and communication is our biggest problem right now. We have a great team with great ideas, it's just organizing these ideas and talking to each other can be difficult for us. Once ideas have been talked about, we typically have no problem executing them.

Organization specifically during events could be better as well. We start events late and don't always have a 100% set plan until the last minute. We, myself included, don't always let each other know what is happening until last minute.

5. How do we go about improving guild leadership?
The best way to do this is to write things down, make lists, make threads, meet, talk to each other outside of meetings, and everything else that comes along with that. We should have things planned out at least 24h in advance. We need to keep focus on a topic. It would be best to bring up a topic or issue, come up with a solution, then move onto the next thing, as we tend to wander.


Thanks for reading. ^-^

1. What is the area of the guild that you think needs the most work?
The RP, quality-wise. Our attendance is suffering and poor RP is rampant. We need to do our best to improve this and get our members back. We have had newer members leave over the lore-breaking vampire/werewolf RP that has nearly taken over the guild (to the point where new members and non-guild people thought our guild was a vampire guild) and not being included or ignored in events.

2. How do you suggest we go about fixing or improving this area?
We have talked about starting up the RP school again for newer players. There will be guidelines and rules for people to look at, and we will have live classes 2 times a month on Wednesdays. There will also be mentors in which people can contact for any extra help or 1 on 1 sessions. It also teaches about IC and OOC chat, distinguishing between the two and when it is appropriate to use each one. To fix our attendance problems, a recruitment plan is needed to bring in more new members. Doing small events (such as RP events) in certain zones can help attract new members. Advertising on social media and forums with promotional videos may help as well.

3. What is the most important aspect of having strong guild leadership?
Being able to hold the guild together and have fun at the same time as well as commitment towards keeping the guild active and reputable. Regularly scheduled meetings, events, auctions, raffles, etc. keeps the guild active as a whole and ultimately builds guild reputation.

4. What do you think guild leadership needs to work on?
Improving communication between everyone and improving officer activity. I have noticed there is a general disconnect between the officers, usually manifesting in not enough officers attending meetings, officers not contacting other officers when something comes up, and not reading meeting notes. Yes, real life stuff happens and it's understandable as it always takes precedence before RP or the game. But it's your job to let officers or the GM know what's going on, even if it's something as simple as a quick sentence on the forum.

5. How do we go about improving guild leadership?
We have to let others know what's going on efficiently. We have Teamspeak, mail, PMs, in-game, etc. We also need backup plans in case something doesn't happen or someone does not show up for meetings or events. Whenever meeting notes have been posted, someone should send out mail in-game and on the forum to officers, letting them know about it, as well as any last minute suggestions that they may want to add to the notes.

The idea of a school, or at least an outline of an or for an RP event would be nice. I understand RP and yet I have not seen it in action. I have only been able to be at three events, two RP, and one auction, felt kind of adrift at all of them, do like and enjoy, the guild though and the person to person contact, everyone is welcoming and I try to be the same, and I have to say I have learned much in my short time with the guild, and for that I must, and enjoy saying, Thank You!

UnWantedOne