main
side
curve
  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Things need to start moving forward.

Discussion in 'Archive: Midlands and Wales' started by Happy Ninja, Oct 8, 2005.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Happy Ninja

    Happy Ninja Jedi Knight star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 20, 2000
    Okay, lads and ladies. It has been brought to my attention that things need to progress. Things have been said as to what we intend to do, and as yet, nothing seems to have any weight behind it, so I?m beginning to think that I should say that we should start and clean up the house.

    I don?t want to sanitise things, obviously, as this is supposed to be a fun forum to be in, but some of the seriousness has gone out of the window in some threads ? of course, I?m partly to blame, myself, as I?m guilty of it myself from time to time, as we all are. I think we are going to have to start treating some of the threads we have in a more formal manner?of course I?m not saying that we can?t have fun with it, but what I am saying is that we should have a little more direction in what we are doing as has been of late.

    The group name thread, for instance. Okay, admittedly, I don?t think the ?Fluffy Bunny Slippers Brigade? title should have been in there, as I was only taking the proverbial with that one, but the thread has started to become more of a joke than anything else, so I think we need to rethink our structure here.

    The Rancor thread is another one. Was there really a need for it? After all, it?s more of a subject that could have been included in the Pub.

    As for the stuff about the graphics, yes, we really do need to get that moving. I have been told that the banners for the forum are almost complete, so that?s going to be good to have on the boards, and the avatar is already done?however that needs to be handled now. It?s gone on for too long. We need it done and dusted now. In fact, I think I might take this to the icon submitter myself, just so it is brought to their attention.

    The comic is another thing that has to rapidly move onwards. We originally intended to have this done by November, for the NSC II event, yet nothing has been started. Things have been mentioned, but nothing concrete has been made, so I think given that the NSC II event is only just over a month away, we should get started on that now, before it is too late.

    Speaking of the NSC II event, don't think I've forgotten about it. I'm actually in the process of working something out for that - you will be notified of that.

    Also, I think now might be a good time to mention this, but I was originally going to ask this question after Christmas, but I want some opinions off you lot as to my performance as C.R. I don?t mind the criticism, so feel free to fire away. If you think I?ve done well in an area, tell me. If you think I?ve done badly in something, let me know. I?m a big boy, I can handle it.
     
  2. rebeljediknight_88

    rebeljediknight_88 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 15, 2005
    i totally agree with you as you already know. i think maybe we should be split into teams or something. one working on the graphics and the reast on the NSC. Once the graphics are done then we can rearrange some things.

    and so far you have been a great CR. It would be good to see the stricter and more organised side of you more often though. I know phil can do that but he has other more pressing thing to do (i hope).

     
  3. Lord-Wiz

    Lord-Wiz Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    May 20, 2005
    we have lost direction and ambition to a point, and IMHO the "important" things with regards to our chapter have maybe stagnated somewhat and been left by the wayside, e.g. the name.

    admittedly, including the fluffy bunny slippers brigade option was ill thought out, but in creating that poll all i did was take the name suggestions from the "whats in a name thread" and stick them on a poll. this has backfired somewhat i will admit, and i will definately be thinking twice about creating a poll or a thread in the future. however, if everyone who voted in that thread was honest and mature about their choice, and posted who they voted for and why, then the wheat could have been sorted from the chaff and only our votes counted. our votes are the ones that count, and at the end of the day none of us are going to vote for that option, so the whole bunny slippers choice can quite frankly be ignored from the outset.

    i agree about the rancor thread too, and maybe that was a non-thinking moment on behalf of welshguy, and should have become part of the pub thread. IMHO that whole thread is crap, and nothing more than spam. crappy spam at that. this whole board is public, and anyone who doesn`t know the FF-UK wondering in here will read that and think "WTH? these guys can`t be taken seriously". is that what we want, to be a laughing stock? i don`t.

    we need to get our drive and ambition back, otherwise we will be overtaken by the northern chapter, and we don`t want that do we? no we don`t lord-wiz i hear you cry. get the name sorted, the banner up, and the avatar sorted and we will be rocking and rolling with an actual IDENTITY and PRESENCE on the boards. i am extremely proud to be a part of this chapter, not from the very first meet at the midnight showing of ROTS, but the first PROPER meet after that, and as such i feel that i have been involved from the beginning, and that i have something invested in this whole thing. i want us to be the shining light of the FF-UK, and i believe that we can be, as long as we stay focused on the important stuff amongst the crap. it doesn`t need to be strict and sterile around here but sheesh, some of the stuff going on is embarrassing.

    as for mark`s performance as CR, being banned so soon into your role certainly did you or us no favours, but that is water under the bridge, and should be left in the past never to be mentioned again. however, i feel that because of that incident, you still haven`t really found your feet with regards to the role, and it is still too early to comment properly on how you are doing. maybe because of what happened you are kind of "afraid", if that`s the right word, to put your foot down and be "in charge". but seeing as you are our elected representative, you need to be seen to be in control and lead us from the front. if something needs doing, make sure it gets done. stress people into doing these things, make decisions, don`t take any crap dude, everyone is behind you. now go forth and lead us to glory.

    [face_peace]
     
  4. Tay-Mar

    Tay-Mar Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 4, 2005
    You're doing a good job from my point of view, you could be a bit more available and communicate with the troops more often, perhaps a shout over MSN or PM on how things are progressing would be an idea, although I do understand that you have a life and a university course to study for so like you say it's all a case of time management.

    As for the 'Comic Strip' thing I'm not sure where to go from here, I've been looking for some back drops to use but we're still a bit short on basic story lines but now I've finished my attempt at the banner I'll keep on top of that.
     
  5. Lady_Wiz

    Lady_Wiz Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2005
    I totally agree with things moving forward, although i'm new to all this i feel i have been with dave every step of the way!! through the moans and laughs!!

    I think Mark that you are doing a good job and have great potential you just havent had a chance to show everyone what you're capable of, (with things happening that shall not be mentioned.) We havent had the issues for which to deal with, but with things moving forward there will be plenty of chances for this, i'm sure. :)
     
  6. Lord-Wiz

    Lord-Wiz Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    May 20, 2005
    is it just me or have things come to a halt? no communication, no clear direction, nothing new happening, the only active thread on this board is the pub (and i really am not being funny so please don't take this the wrong way, but i wouldn't be surprised if i get shot down in flames) and only verity (from the midlands) posts in there on a regular basis, what the hell? are we going to stutter to a halt?

    the last "full and proper" meeting we had (at star city) there were things that got discussed and nothing what so ever have been done about, e.g. the chapter council (president, co president etc), the lottery syndicate etc. have these things been dropped or just ignored? or is it a case of faces not fitting? and no offense at all to you verity, but your title, what does that entail?

    the trivial pursuits thing that is going on (and which i have high hopes for regarding your midlands team :D ) only a 3 people got involved, not including me (you know who you are ;) ), just out of interest, why? we could of had at least two teams. personally i am of the view that why not give wendy honorary midlands membership? i haven't stalked her by going through her last post history but it seems to me that the most time she spends on the boards is in our pub. wendy feels like one of us, and for that matter so does nik (and hopefully one day we will all get to meet them both in person), and as such wendy and nik could have got involved and been in a midlands team (as long as you wanted to ;) but i am sure you both would have been welcome). of course this is reliant on people being arsed to get involved, which is basically at the very cusp of what i am getting at. nobody seems to want to do anything as a fan force. isn't that what we are here for in the first place?

    the nsc event. are things going on behind the scenes that the majority of us are being left out of? pm me if you don't want to go public, but the only person who seems to be fired up about this is little dave, and when he gives in to his excitement about an event he gets slapped down. why not make things public knowledge? that way people won't make threads about things only to get moaned at by "those in authority".

    just because there are some of us with other priorities doesn't mean that we don't want to be involved, or couldn't try to make space and time in our lives for things (personally, my finances are restrictive at the moment, but that doesn't mean i don't care/want to be involved/have an input or opinion), but when i am left out of the loop so to speak it really doesn't encourage me to want to get involved. my faith in this place and especially my patience with the regional board is getting pretty wafer thin at the moment, and i can't see the situation getting much better. i remember what phill said at the last star city meet about emails etc from people who were going to get involved in the FF-UK, had a look at the regional board and thought wth? i can see exactly what they meant.

    maybe a complete break from this place is in order, as per that pm i sent you mark, i don't know at the moment, but things don't look good dudes.

    not made any friends with this post have i?
     
  7. Tay-Mar

    Tay-Mar Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 4, 2005
    Probably not Dave but you do seem to be echoing some of what I've been thinking and feeling recently, I think you may also have struck a chord with Little Dave judging by his latest thread.

    I understand that threads and posts like this don't look good for new or potential members but how are they going to know what's going on if the current members aren't kept up to speed, I appreciate that we all have real lives and other important things to deal with however, we should still be able to communicate even if it's just a short PM/email.

    I'm looking forward to Saturday and seeing you all, perhaps we can find some time to talk then.
     
  8. rebeljediknight_88

    rebeljediknight_88 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 15, 2005
    yeah, u have definately struck a chord. i keep trying to drive you so much that the 'authority' knocks me.
    nobody seems really bothered. if i was to set a near future primary goal for us from my personal point of view. it would be to get up and running with enthusiasm and become more charity based.

    i know many of you see me as somebody who had lots of free time on my hands and thats not totally the case at least now i am in 6th form. i try to attend all the meets i can when i can.
    when we started i was thrilled to be at our first meeting! but since then the saga that is the midlands group has done a massive A New Hope blast and then a The Phantom Menace flop.

    we need more orgasisation in here. i mean somebody to scout conventions, somebody to sort out props and costumes, somebody to sort out what we are doing at conventions etc.

    The shroud of darkness is falling and if we dont sort out a few chosen ones soon then there will be chaos without end!!

    we need to look into the future. past this even and onto the next. then as we are getting that sorted onto the next.

    at the moment i just feel like a jedi who wants to let off some steam in the geonosis arena!

    LETS GET THIS MESS SORTED!
     
  9. Jairen

    Jairen Manager Emeritus star 4 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 1, 2000
    I hear your concerns everyone. I am going to have a discussion with Mark tomorrow, and we will post on hear and contact you about it after we have had it. I'm sorry if things don't appear to have been particularly open, it was never meant to be that way.

    Oh, and Verity's title doesn't entail anything, it was a temporary thank you for the work she did helping out with the planneing and execution of the Signatopia event. I will be removing it.
     
  10. Happy Ninja

    Happy Ninja Jedi Knight star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 20, 2000
    Okay, by the looks of things something is missing here. I'll appologise now that I won't deal with this tonight, but like I've just explained to Phill, I'm not feeling so crash hot tonight. My head is pounding, I feel like my dinner is about to be ejected, I have an essay due in tomorrow that needs editing; I am not feeling well at all.

    I think I'm going to go to bed now. [face_tired]
     
  11. Stormtrooper_fan

    Stormtrooper_fan Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 23, 2003
    I have in the past used Bravnet chatrooms on websites, would you guys perhaps be interested in me puting one on your chapter page / site so you could shedule chats where ALL of you could talk together and not have one PM to another to another to another etc??

    Just an idea... and I will be cracking on with the sites / chapter pages etc now I have gotten some personal / PC / Time problems sorted :)

    As to oustside members posting here (me and Wendy particularly) I feel most at home here despite actually belonging in the Northern Chapter... it's just me, I'm actually very fussy about who I spent time / talk with and can't really get into this whole chapter thing to be honest I prefer to choose my online and offline friends by personality and not region.

    There is actually a reason I don't tend to attend meets anywhere where although I know people fairly well I still have a problem doing it at the moment and I don't really want to talk about the reason publicly but it's something I need to deal with and eventually will come and meet you all :) But that aside I'm always willing to design / help with anything behind the scenes you just have to ask (and then give me a poke every now and again as I tend to be forgetful sometimes)

    And lets not forget EVERYTHING goes quiet at this time of year when people are concentrating their time and efforts towards Xmas and families etc and are perhaps working that little bit harder / doing overtime and haven't got the time they have had over the Summer period... just a thought ;)
     
  12. Maleficant

    Maleficant Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Jun 16, 2002
    In a nutshell, I used to run a fan force, I can be asked for advice by anyone here who is stuck in a sticky situation (if you knew the old KoP Fan Force's past, you would understand).

    Some things I learned along the way when it comes to running a Fan Force chapter:

    - You can not have one person in charge. It never works out, my advice is to also have a President and Vice President. The CR & President can be the same person, but it's important to have another person to help out when things get busy.

    - If there is a issue that needs to be voted upon online, do not do it on TFN. Go make a free yahoo group if nothing else is around. You can make it private and there you know who voted for what.

    - As often as possible, try to steer clear of "executive" decisions, these would be decisions made without the input of the entire group. It's important to always try to go with what the members want and not what the CR or President wants.

    - Make meetings fun, not all business. If you give the club nothing to look forward to but to hear you speak for four hours non-stop, you'll soon find yourself alone at the next meeting.



    If anyone needs to talk to me, run ideas by me, etc... send me a pm. :)



    Ok Dave, you get a big hug!!! [:D]


    Thank you for the kind words and a trip to my homeland is being planned for mid/late 2007, so I hope to see as many of you folks as possible once I finally do cross that big ole' pond. ;)
     
  13. veritasuk

    veritasuk Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 8, 2004
    thanks for that Wendy, you are as wise as master windu and as pretty as Yoda !. *runs*
     
  14. Maleficant

    Maleficant Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Jun 16, 2002

    You've been talking to my ex I see. :p
     
  15. rebeljediknight_88

    rebeljediknight_88 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 15, 2005
    i think the first thing that needs to be done is elect presidents etc. i really do think these are needed
     
  16. Jairen

    Jairen Manager Emeritus star 4 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 1, 2000
    OK, you want elections.

    I think, in order to move forward with that, you need to decide, as a group, what positions are required, and what the responsibilities of those positions are, i.e. what you expect from the person holding that position.

    If we do elections, I recommend that they are a yearly process, i.e. re-election takes place every year to allow the chance for others to take leadership for a period if so inclined.

    But what the positions are responsible for is a priority I feel, because it's hard to ask someone to take up a position without telling them what they are expected to do.
     
  17. Happy Ninja

    Happy Ninja Jedi Knight star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 20, 2000
    Okay, I can see we are going to need to have a talk about this tomorrow.

    Firstly, I agree with you Dave on the fact that communication has been a bit lax as of late, for which you can blame me for that. Unfortunately over the last week or two, my time has been eaten up a bit with my work, although, I did warn you all beforehand that this will happen from time to time, and I'm not going to bull**** you, either. I can tell you it will happen again. I'm sorry, but as they say, that is life. As you said, we all have other commitments going on, so things like this are bound to spring up from time to time.

    As for things on the boards, yes, it does appear that things are quiet - you mentioned the pub thread. I'm not a regular poster in the pub thread as it is simply a communal social thread, and to be honest, I've never really been a big fan of them, but they work to a certain degree so I tend to stay out of it, and as being in the position of CR, I'm mostly concerned about the formalities of the group as opposed to regular chat. Which I hope you agree with me there.

    With the level of involvement of the members, I don't think that it's a case of we are holding things back from you, it's just that if I have something of value to post, I will post it. I try to not post erroneous stuff if I can help it, as it doesn't get me anywhere. As for the level of involvement I expect of you all, remember what Tyler Durden says: "You decide your own level of involvement!" I have always felt that no one should be made to do what he or she doesn?t want to do. I as CR can only guide you, but at the same time, I have to rely on you as members to participate on things. It is a give and take situation.

    What some members also seem to forget that, even though we are relatively a new FF, we are the most active group in the UK. Of course we are going to have teething problems being so new to it all, and I have NEVER told people otherwise. Nothing ever goes smoothly - even FF's that have been running for several years have problems from time to time. They never get it right 100% of the time, and we will never either. To think so would be a futile thought, if you ask me.

    As for the Trivial Pursuit game you are playing, to be honest, I've done it before, and I'm simply just not interested in it - When they start asking questions about EU, I just think, I don't care about EU. I don't like it. To me, EU exists for people who can't let go of the films. But that's just my own POV - and besides, what could I get out of it? Colours? I've already got them. So, I'd rather sit on the sidelines and cheer you guys on.

    Interaction between you and me, guys: I've always had an open policy about contacting me. If you cannot get me via AOL or MSN, then you are always welcome to drop me a PM, because I always read them. If you feel I have missed something, or left something out, then it is your duty to tell me about it. If you feel there is something that needs to be raised, it is your duty to tell me about it. I can only give what I can get - it is a symbiotic nature between the position of a regular member and the Chapter Representative. That is how it works.

    Going on to the Lottery Syndicate, et. al. You're right. Something does need to be done. Phill and I have just talked about it, and we are willing to accept the blame for that one. To be completely honest, I haven't given it much thought recently, and Phill hasn't commented on it lately to me, so it has slipped both our minds. To be honest, this is where I'm going to have to rely on outside input here, as I'm not sure about how to get one started up. I think we will have to talk about this tomorrow, and I will need your input on it.

    As for your comments on club positions, again, this will need to be covered again. And again, this is something that I will have to take the rap over. Wendy made a good comment on how it takes more than one person to run a FF, and I'm inclined to agree with her. I know you installed me with the position of responsibility, but
     
  18. Tay-Mar

    Tay-Mar Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 4, 2005
    Mark, we're not having a go at you so please don't start feeling got at, we all have things to deal with and we understand the situation that you're in but Big Dave and I have both offered to help you out if you found that things were getting too much and we weren't just being polite, we were being honest.

    No one in this chapter will ever accuse you of not doing your job, we're in this together and only together can we make it work, so get your head out of your boots and if you want or need something, BLOODY ASK ya muppet.

    How many times must I say the same thing . . . . . . . .mutter .. . . . . . . mutter.
     
  19. Happy Ninja

    Happy Ninja Jedi Knight star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 20, 2000
    Oh, I didn't take it like you were having a go at me. Apart from that nasty incident a few months back, I think I'm doing okay in the position. Remember what I said about needing a kick up the arse from time to time. That still stands.

    You're probably right about me not asking for help -- I've always had a problem with that...just ask my father. I think I try too hard to be self reliant. It's one of my main failings in life. o_O

    The way I'm looking at it...you want to talk. Okay, let's talk. :)
     
  20. Stormtrooper_fan

    Stormtrooper_fan Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 23, 2003
    Ok, there is a PhpBB messageboard Phill and I have been working on today which is an asside from TF.n and within this forum there is an ability for 'Da Management' to mass mail 'user groups' and I have suggested that we create usergroups based on chapters.

    What this means is we can send out a kind of newsletter based on chapter 'user groups' or certain news events etc either on a monthly or however regular interval you required.

    The question is, would this help you out?

    There will of course be the live chat room where you could all group together at some prearranged time and discuss certain matters too without having to wait until meetings.

    Now these ideas will be availiable but will take a bit of time to get off the fround as myself and Phill have to get to grips with the controls and implmentation of said things... so be patient with us but I HOPE this might prove to be of use to you guys?

    Any input is welcomed :)
     
  21. rebeljediknight_88

    rebeljediknight_88 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 15, 2005
    errr the live chat - will there be seperate chat rooms as well for each chapter. so we dont have to try to figure out who is who and chat normally?
     
  22. Stormtrooper_fan

    Stormtrooper_fan Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 23, 2003
    I have no idea whatsoever as it hasn't even been implamented yet, like I said above give myself and Phill some time to get it sorted out
     
  23. Welshguy

    Welshguy Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 2, 2002
    Guess i'll take Phill the Rancor back then.

    [face_not_talking]

    Good luck on your plans. Hope everything works out. One tip I would give though is to let posters decide their own level of conversation regarding the thread topic.

    For example, on the Welsh forum, the "Costume thread" is pretty series (though still lots of fun) and in depth discussion on the process of making and designing costumes. Whereas the "Welshguy Memorial Pub" is a silly, enjoyable free for all.

    Personally I prefer to practice self regulation when it comes to the mood of a thread. If people want to be series about something, then it will happen naturally and in my experience they don't need to be told to do so. I'd be very cautious about trying to impliment a code of conduct regarding how people view a topic.

    But it's your chapter at the end of the day, so I guess it's up to you.
     
  24. Jairen

    Jairen Manager Emeritus star 4 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 1, 2000
    Welshguy, what bit of this thread are your specifically responding to? I'm not sure anyone on here has advocated controlling what a thread is doing, just noting that the level of posting by actual midlanders seems to have tailed off a little.
     
  25. halibut

    halibut Ex-Mod star 8 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Aug 27, 2000
    I tend to agree with Welshie. I've had the distinct impression for a while that non-serious threads are frowned on here which to me takes the fun out of the board. Whether that's your intention or not, there are now at least two people who have got that impression.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.