Staff Survey - General Address

Last edited by maple on Mon 9 Nov 2020 - 19:04; edited 2 times in total

Hey, WCC! As several of us have mentioned in our individual responses to the Staff survey, we're addressing the general results that apply to all of us collectively. Before we begin, though, I will say that while we didn't change the wording on any of the comments, there were some that we had to go through and cen.sor due to inappropriate language and/or privacy breaches. I can assure you that is the only change made to any of the responses you'll see below. Additionally, we'd like to add a disclaimer that any responses that were obvious harassment, as well as responses that were copied and pasted several times in separate submissions, have been omitted from the announcement. Not everyone decided to respond to each comment as things tended to get a bit repetitive, but if we felt we had something to add, we did! We ended up going over the character limit for posts here on WCC, so we've actually had to split it up a bit. The second half will be in the comment section of this announcement, so be sure to look that over as well! This announcement is going to be a bit long as it details our own individual responses to each comment rather than something cumulative, so buckle up and get ready for the ride. I've also attached a guide below for the color-coded responses for ease of reading.

color code guide:

Comments for Staff Collectively:

consistent enforcement of rules:

Quote :: Staff is generally wonderful but need to work on actively enforcing rules and handing out reasonable punishments rather than a slap to the wrist for repeated offenses.

Maple: Staff has an offenses/punishments guide in the works currently- it will detail what consequences come from breaking a rule on first, second, and third offenses so that when these things take place, there’s no questioning what needs to be done (by Staff and members themselves). It will be posted in the general rules so that everyone is aware of what happens as a result of certain rule-breaking behavior. This will help us improve on acting quickly whenever something goes sideways instead of scrambling with each other to determine what is right. It’ll also help us dole out more consistent and fair punishments, since everything will be detailed in the guide up until the third offense.

Moss: We've had an offenses/punishments guide that is WIP for a while now - just working on hammering out something that seems fair for all parties. I believe it will be posted with the general rules along with a link in the Discord, so there’s no question about what behavior equals what retaliation, and mods/admins can take immediate action based on what is going on and how often. Sometimes things happen when only one or a couple of us are online, and we wake in the morning scrambling to make things right while also needing to prepare for work or school or our things for the day. This often leads to us not being able to fully discuss what happened together as a team until the next afternoon, resulting in a delay. Hopefully this guide helps with immediate response.

Grizz: We have been working on an addition to the site rules for a few months now which would be a guide of the consequences you can expect from any given infraction. Once that is completed, there should be no question of what will happen if you break one rule over another. While staff sometimes makes mistakes, we never make permanent decisions without long deliberation with every member of our team. Every decision we make is unanimous. Rest assured that we will be keeping our house in order in the future.

Ripped:I won’t overly exhaust what has been said above; this is already in the works. As someone who has been around the site for a while, and worked on staff prior to now, I have to mention that doling out punishment is something that is not done lightly. If staff was to jump to a ban at any infraction, I can guarantee the site would have a very different view of us. It’s hard to balance being everyone’s friend and maintain and uphold the rules of the site. With a more concrete list, it will be even better and more consistent to handle matters as they arise, but in the meantime (from what I’ve seen since coming back onto the team) everyone can be rest assured that staff works vigorously on the backend to discuss and try to come to the right decisions.

JJ: As a whole, I do agree with this sentiment, however, let it be known that "handing out punishments" is not something that is black and white, nor is it at ALL a desirable option for any party involved. Trust me when I say that staff would rather spend their time coming up with plots and approving character submissions than deliberating how we're going to punish rulebreakers. That being said, lately it has (unfortunately) become a recurring topic, so we HAVE been working on a more linear and consistent system for the aforementioned issues.

fractured site/dismissal of drama:

Quote :: the whole anonymous post thing and the surrounding drama feels like it's fractured the site in some ways, especially with people acting like it's either over and done or never happened in the first place.

Maple: I’m sure my fellow Staff members will agree with me when I say that we’ve never tried to pretend like it didn’t happen- in fact, we addressed it directly in the topic and did as much damage control afterwards as we could manage. I’m sure that they’ll also agree with me when I say that it is over and done at this point, and there’s nothing left to do in regards to the situation itself. Staff as a whole wants to focus on the present and the future, not the past (especially when there’s nothing left to do, in our eyes). We’ve received feedback like this more than once, but without someone coming forward in concrete, specific words saying, “this is why we feel like things aren’t the same,” we cannot do anything to fix it. That being said, we can do our best to make sure everyone is happy, but at the end of the day, we have no say over who gets to be upset and who doesn’t when a situation has been resolved to the best of our ability. I'm sincerely sorry to any party involved who is upset over the matter, and I apologize that it turned out that way. So, if you have any feedback that would actually show us why and how you feel like something is wrong, we’ll be happy to address that and potentially put measures in place to help you all out.

Moss: I know that the anon post was hurtful to many, on both sides. We addressed the issues on both sides as the situation developed and became what it did, but unfortunately that wasn’t enough to totally erase that it happened. I’m sorry that it seems like we’re just trying to ignore it, as that isn’t what is intended, but we do need to work on moving on. If we linger on the past, that’s where we’ll stay. This has been mentioned to us a handful of times, but every time we asked why they were feeling that way and what messages and comments made them feel that way we were given nothing to go off of.

Grizz: While we can control how a situation goes down, we cannot control how people choose to react to and view the situation. Damage control was done at the time to respect and protect all parties involved, and if there were missteps, I formally apologize. However, we have to assert that we cannot fix hard feelings. All we can do, as a community, is move on. And respectfully, from what I have seen, people have moved on. If you don’t agree this is the case… Please show us where the problems lie and how we can fix it. Despite having conversations about these apparent hard feelings, we haven’t been shown any event, message, or comment that leads us to believe there is a genuine problem (beyond the mass PM that was sent out that day, which we worked to remedy).

Ripped:In my previous comment, I mentioned the delicate balance of staffhood. Managing many different viewpoints and opinions is a major challenge presented by the role. I was not on the staff at the time this incident happened so I can’t speak on the behalf of those who were. But as a general idea, having seen many a difficult community circumstance in my years, dwelling on an incident does nothing other than breed further malcontent. The issues happened, it was dealt with (in a poor way or a wonderful way, which is at the discretion of each individual), and has been over and done. It is easy to critique and easy to slip into the mindset that if something wasn’t managed in an expected way it was never resolved, but overanalyzing and fixating on a matter can prevent progress forward and healing.

JJ: The entire reason we allow anonymous posting in the first place is because we know that not everyone is comfortable coming forward with problems, and the absolute crapshow that occurred with that particular post is EXACTLY the reason why. There is never, ever a reason for threats, even "jokingly", to be made by a member of WCC against a member of WCC, for sharing a genuine concern. Staff is not trying to pretend like it didn't happen - not by a long shot. But I do realize that since we do discuss the majority of situations behind closed doors, it may seem that way. We are 100% dedicated to making sure that WCC is a safe, friendly, FUN place for people to RP, and I think that is fairly obvious now with the changes that have been implemented (and the upcoming ones as well).

negative history on WCC:

Quote :: wcc in general has never been as nice and conflict-free as some people seem to want to make it out to be, but it's definitely gotten worse lately; as if there was a really thin curtain hiding all of the negative history and lingering issues that got ripped away all of a sudden, and now everyone's scrambling to figure out how to salvage the facade. open discussions are probably the only way to make actual changes, but everyone has to be open to listening to everyone else for that to actually happen, and i don't have a lot of faith in us as a site actually managing that without somehow making things worse.

Maple: We don’t actively try to hide any conflicts in the past, but we do want to move on from them without any lingering feelings of disdain. Why would we constantly focus on the negative and bad things that have happened in years past when we can focus on the good things that are happening today, y'know? Constantly mulling over things like that gets us nowhere. Also, as Staff, we are completely open to discussions and conversations. We’re here to listen, and act if appropriate, but y’all have got to actually come to us for us to be able to make meaningful change. We can sit here and address comments about things not being the same or saying that “the vibe is off,” but there’s nothing we can do if we don’t know what is actually wrong. With that in mind, please, please DM one of us if you've got something you would like to bring up. We're here to listen.

Moss: I don’t recall a time that we’ve ever tried to imply that WCC was rainbows and daisies and always has been. We’ve been open about conflicts and issues in the past, and have actively worked together - staff and members - to try to move past those days and into a better future and light. We have opened the door for feedback and suggestions, but very few have actually approached it. We can’t make productive changes or get better if no one actually speaks up when we ask for feedback. I think we’ve listened to member’s suggestions and feedback quite a bit, and have made many changes based on it, and even revisited items that we or previous staff initially denied because of these thoughts and suggestions.

Grizz: This comment truly and honestly confuses me. I don’t think we’ve ever tried to mask anything, nor have we ever claimed our history DOESN’T have negative aspects. Anybody who has been here for more than a year knows that in a group this big, you cannot avoid conflict. That’s how the cookie crumbles. It doesn’t have to be negative, you’re right, but change starts when people actually bring things to us. We are always here to listen when members speak up, and I think we’ve accomplished a great deal through people bringing things to our attention. We are trying to do that with this announcement. All in all, every comment along this same vein will get the same response from me: continue to speak up and we will continue to be at your service.

Ripped:(See previous comment section because my thoughts are in a similar vein as well). Staff has never tried to hide issues in the past, at least not that I’ve seen. There have been problems as every community has issues crop up. Personally, I find it more beneficial to focus on what good things there are about something rather than the negative. No one is ever going to all be on the same page, things will happen, but it is only our personal actions and words that we are responsible in the end. Staff has expressed always being open to feedback and private conversations. Again, though, there is a delicate balance of all things. Sometimes transparency for staff is reserved because it puts the privacy of users at risk, or for a whole other host of reasons. It is careful deliberation that decides what will and won’t be productive for the userbase as a whole. But it is why we strive to be open for discussion and honesty in private conversations. All that being said, nothing progresses if no one speaks up. It can be scary at times and intimidating but if you seek to find change, I can promise there is always an ear willing to listen, even if those exact suggestions are decided not to be beneficial. You are heard.

JJ: I've only personally been a member of WCC for a little over a year, and in my time here, I've seen exactly *one* situation that could even remotely be described as *actually* negative. It was before I became staff, and from what I saw, was handled professionally and was resolved with little effort. I know from hearsay and explanation of events prior to my joining that WCC doesn't have a pristine history, but this particular comment makes me kinda scratch my head and wonder what, exactly, it's referring to. Staff in my experience has been completely transparent with recent issues, even if it has taken a little while to get there. Trust me when I say that we discuss *so* much even the smallest issues, just to make sure that they don't blow up and become larger ones. Sometimes, if it feels like we're "ignoring" an issue, it's just because we are still talking about it and aren't ready to make an official statement yet. As with EVERYTHING, if you have a concern about something, all you have to do is ask. We have no reason to lie or deflect.

dismissal of criticisms:

Quote :: mostly i just hope staff doesn't dismiss anyone's critique of them or the site just because they don't want to hear it, because that's felt a little bit like an underlying problem. just because you don't see the issue yourself doesn't mean it's not there, you know? i would imagine that it's a lot different than looking at the site from the lens of a regular user, but that's what makes surveys like this important.

Maple: Well, we’re all here now, addressing the comments publicly and directly. We’re not dismissing anything, and are confronting our problems head on, so please let us know if you think this method of solving the problem above works for y’all :D

Moss: We are addressing these concerns aloud and for all to see, and we’ve said on numerous occasions that we are trying to see things from other points of view, but we really need people coming from those points of views to step forward so we can address them properly. I was approached by a member with feedback, however, there were strings attached that I simply was unable to accept. I was told that the feedback was to remain strictly confidential, and I was unable to promise that. Since that time, it has come to my attention that the individual was requesting confidentiality in terms of who was sending it, rather than the feedback itself, which was a misunderstanding that has since been recognized. The point of feedback is to bring it to the team as a whole - even if the feedback is about one staff member in particular. Of course, it can absolutely remain confidential in terms of who sent it - but I need to share what is provided to me so we all can work on it, or so my team can be the checks and balances for me.

Grizz: Here we are! I hope this announcement solves the problem above.

Ripped:I feel like I’m going to end up repeating myself a bit because these remarks seem to blend in together, so I hope I don’t come across as too repetitive. On this matter, yes, at times it can be hard to take criticism. But knowing these people from before staff (and watching plenty of them grow on the site over the years), I know all the feedback is taken seriously. I wouldn’t spend hours on my phone deliberating with this team if we didn’t care. Staff doesn’t always agree. We are all different people with our own opinions, as much as we are all one group working together on things. There is lots of genuine effort poured in by the group and I’ve seen it in my short time back. These surveys are always on the calendar and always kept up with for the reason that staff does care about opinions and the feedback of users. If that were not the case, the survey would not exist in the first place because honestly it’s a lot easier to not have another task on the list. But our hearts are with the site, and I hope that through this and everything else, the efforts can be recognized while we also continuously seek improvement.

JJ: As said above, this is us doing (hopefully) exactly that.

a third admin:

Quote :: I worry about things slowing down on Wcc. Adding two new staff seemed to help a little but maybe consider adding another admin as well?

Maple: I can’t speak from an admin’s point of view, but I’m confident that Moss and Grizz are perfectly capable of managing the site. Work, school, and life can present some unprecedented situations but they’ve both done a fairly good job of balancing the site and their personal lives, for which we’re all grateful. I’m not entirely sure we need another administrator right now. I’m not opposed to adding another admin, but if Moss and Grizz think they’ve got things under control, that’s all I need to hear. I’m open to listen to further reasoning and to talk it over if someone can bring forward their ideas, but without that there’s not much else for me to say.

Moss: I believe that two admins is appropriate. If we had double the user base, then maybe a third admin would be appropriate - but at this point we have two admins and five mods, so just under a 1:3 ratio, which I think is entirely within reason. However, I am open for further consideration provided a case for such a change.

Grizz: Many moons ago, there was only one admin. In theory, admins create the “vision” for the site and the site “belongs” to them. That was the justification for one admin. Of course, times have changed, and we now have two. I think two is appropriate. Having two admins creates a partnership, so quick decisions can be made while one admin does not become dominant over the other. I think it’s a good balance. I’m not really in favor of another admin… if someone would like to make the case for that, though, I suppose we could consider.

Ripped:I think we have a good balance right now. I wouldn’t personally be opposed to another admin but I don’t think our current situations call for another person to step into that space right now.

JJ: Despite what you may think, admin vs moderator doesn't really have a whole lot of difference between them! Staff as a whole is very balanced, and Moss and Grizz have never even attempted (from what I've seen) to flex their higher position and talk over the mods. Even promoting another one of the mods to admin, we'd still be the same cohesive team! :)

approachability:

Quote :: Staff has failed in their one goal. You aren't approachable and I personally now dread even having to bring anything up to you.

Maple: It saddens me to hear that anyone on this site feels that I, along with the rest of Staff, are unapproachable. I do everything within my power to make sure that everyone feels they can come to me if they need anything, so I’m not sure what else to do. If you have any questions or concerns, my inbox is open, and so is the rest of the Staff's. If you’re uncomfortable coming to one of us for personal reasons… Well, there’s seven of us, so you’ve got options. I’ll reiterate: my inbox is open if you need me. If you would just like to chat, have a question or concern, or have an idea you’d like to see put in place- anything goes. I’m only a dm away, and I’m here to help in whatever ways I can.

Moss: I have striven to make myself as approachable as I can, stating in every staff announcement I’ve made that anyone with questions or concerns are encouraged to reach out. I don’t know exactly what is making people feel this way, as this is something we haven’t seen or heard until recently. I encourage them and any others that feel this way to come forward to us so we can listen and understand why and how they feel this way.

Grizz: I do believe I know who this is from, but it doesn’t really matter. What matters is that wherever this disjointed feeling is coming from, it gets addressed. I know we are all tired of hearing staff tell WCC to PM them if they have questions, but for this person in particular, I STRONGLY urge you to PM one of us. You can even do it one-on-one. Make your full case. We will listen. You clearly feel very strongly about this, which almost makes me think there’s been a misunderstanding on one of our parts. Please contact us

Ripped:I always strive to make this not be a thing, whether I’m just another member or a staffer; I’ve done my fair share of both. I know from experience it is sometimes hard to view those running the site as secretive and otherworldly. But we are all people and I’m here for the community. I’m just out here trying to vibe and do what I can to help the site and help you all. This only extends as far as those of the site are willing to accept that. Give me a chance and I’ll do what I can to help in any capacity, that’s always been my goal no matter what role. I know a similar ideology applies to my fellow staffers as well.

JJ: There is not a single staff member on the team that is even remotely unapproachable, and whoever OP of this is, I'm so very sorry that you feel this way. I'm not sure what can be done to persuade you otherwise, but please believe that we will try.

recent disciplinary decisions:

Quote :: What you did to *them* was WRONG you need to quit living your life in the shadows of secrecy. WCC needs some severe staff changes

Maple: Ah, I knew we’d get some feedback like this. I would like to say that we are not trying to live our life in the “shadows of secrecy,” as we have made it widely known that should anyone have questions about our decisions, we’re more than willing to provide answers. We’ve had some members actually come to us with questions and/or concerns, and all of the members who have come to us have been fairly understanding of the situation. That leads me to believe that whoever left this comment isn’t hearing us out and hasn’t come to us for an explanation of our reasoning and thought process, so there’s not much we can do unless that happens. Out of respect and courtesy for all parties involved, we haven’t publicized the conversations and events that led to the ban. In regards to the second half of this statement, we encourage anyone who has concerns about anything (including our Staff team) to come to us directly and tell us exactly what is wrong. As stated before, we cannot act on statements like the one above.

Moss: We’ve been very clear that anyone with questions or concerns regarding our decisions are encouraged to reach out. We are more than happy to explain further, but due to the nature of the screenshots and information within we have chosen to keep things out of the public eye out of consideration for all parties involved.

Grizz: Again, anybody who is confused about the circumstances of recent decisions we've made should come to us directly and we can give them a thorough explanation of the situation, but out of courtesy to parties involved, we have chosen not to make it a public ordeal. We felt that after much discussion, making the full situation public would do absolutely no good but stoke the flames and ask people to take one side over another. Some people, clearly, have already decided how they feel. I do not think a public address would solve or change that. We hold no ill will towards any party involved, but we cannot reverse a decision that is based on repeated offenses.

Ripped:This is one of those things that certainly wasn’t an easy decision to make. Losing any member of the site is always a blow. As mentioned above, staff makes no decisions without discussing them thoroughly. Private issues don’t always benefit from becoming a public spectacle and as a group, staff is not keen on putting people on display. This has already been addressed to the server and those wanting more insight or concerns are always welcome to reach out.

JJ: Banning a member is not something that we take lightly, and is in fact something that each and every one of us dread doing. That being said, I do believe that this dead horse needs no more beating, especially publicly. But you are of course (as with anything) free to come to us privately to discuss or make inquiries about our decisionmaking.

overcrowding of staff/a third admin/transparency:

Quote :: I know that you guys are working hard and you really don't deserve to be threatened or mistreated, if that has been happening. I tried to keep my responses respectful while still giving proper answers that you guys can use now and in the future. I'm a little worried about staff being a little overcrowded right now, with three additions out of what felt like no where. Iknow that there have been many recent additions to staff as a whole, but I'm wondering if promoting one to an administrative position could be beneficial . I think it would help to properly handle and put a stop to situations without stepping on toes. Also, I'm a little worried about communication between staff and the rest of the site. I of course know some things should be heind close doors, but it's hard to understand what is going happening, especially when some people say one thing and then staff says another that contradicts stuff. Also I feel like removing Caysuna from the team was the right call, because they had little to no activity recently and that really dragged things down

Maple: Adding an additional two moderator positions to our team was something that, collectively, we all felt was necessary. In general, the Staff activity levels were beginning to slow down, and with a sitewide plot on the horizon, we needed all hands on deck. It’s much easier to get things done in an efficient manner when we aren’t all bogged down with far too many things to get done. The new additions have enabled us to spread out the workload in a way that works for all of us. If you’ve got any further questions or concerns, please let us know. In terms of adding another admin, I’m gonna bring forward the same thing I mentioned previously. At this time I’m not sure that another admin is necessary, but if someone is willing to make a case for it, Staff is collectively willing to listen. As for the communication, all we can really do is note that we are actively striving to do better in regards to communication and transparency, as you can see from this announcement. I don’t want to exhaust the things the rest of Staff will be touching on, but there are some things that we cannot publicly address, and there are some details that cannot be posted for the masses to view. That is why we encourage anyone who wishes to know our reasoning for the decisions we make to come to us, so that there are no misunderstandings. Cays made the decision to step down after much self reflection, and we’re happy that she’s able to enjoy WCC in a manner that is most productive for her.

Moss: As mentioned earlier, the current ratio of mods to admin is one I personally feel is appropriate. I appreciate the respectful feedback, while maintaining honestly. The additions are ones we’ve been considering a while, just trying to nail down timings for getting people on board. Mods and Admins have equal say in matters of the site and changes to things, and even the few things that Grizz and I have to do on our own we always share with the mods. We’re a team, and that requires us all to be on the same page. In regards to transparency and communication - that’s what we’re here doing now. If people want further explanation on things, we encourage them to reach out. If they want even further, we are happy to oblige - however sometimes things remain private out of respect for all parties involved, hence the reason for moving it to private communications.

Grizz: To be honest, even though we only have 2 admins, it doesn’t really make a difference. Everyone has an equal say in the staff chat. The only decisions Moss and I ever make by ourselves are disciplinary, and even though we get the final say on what punishments are given, we ALWAYS share our thoughts with our mods. In regards to Cays, stepping down was her idea after multiple staff surveys and personal life changes, and from what we have come to understand it’s a huge weight off her shoulders.

Ripped:I have to say I really appreciate this kind of commentary. And whoever you are, thank you for taking the time to write this (this also applies to everyone who took the time to give us feedback). Admins already addressed this above but we collectively take the time to discuss and analyze every issue that pops up on the site. The one note I have to say on the closed door thing is most of what has already been mentioned by me in previous comments; every announcement made by staff is carefully crafted from the collective and varying opinions of us all. Privacy often happens to prevent further issues and perpetuation problems on the server, especially to prevent any involved parties from feeling like they are a spectacle.

JJ: Some of this has kind of already been addressed but I'll add a little to it. It may seem a little crowded from an outsider perspective, especially considering I think this is the most staff we've had at one point in a long time. Since I've joined at least. But rest assured that adding *more* voices and opinions has been a GOOD thing, not a bad one! Myself included, a few staffers are going through some IRL stuff that has forced us to slow down a little, and adding the staff that we did has really, really helped.

Comments for Mods Collectively:

dips in activity:

approachability/consistency:

concern for choice in new mods:

Quote :: I'm very concerned. The two newest mod choices are questionable, Lemon more so than Ripped. I can't change it, but I can voice my discomfort.

Quote :: I don't like the choice of the new mods

Maple: Ripped and Lemon have both proved over many months on the site that they are dedicated and passionate when it comes to WCC. I’ve personally worked with both of them on the Staff team before, and I am confident when I say that they are both valuable additions to our team. They’ve both already provided some much needed insight and advice, and really kicked us into gear. And, as I’ve mentioned several times before, without directly saying what you think is questionable or wrong, we’ve got no way of addressing those things. We need to know exactly what your concerns are in order to help ease them and talk them through. And, coming directly and personally from me (with my Staff hat off, as some would say), please give Lemon and Ripped a chance in the position- I know that they can both do wonderful things if given the opportunity to do so. (Ceryn is excellent as well, but given that these responses to the survey were posted before they were appointed to Staff, it is not directed towards them).

Moss: Ripped and Lemon both were previous staff members. They know their way around the site, and I know that sometimes their passion can come off a bit harsh, but I can reassure you that they have the site’s best interests at heart. All three of the new mods are ones that have been suggested at the end of these surveys numerous times, not just pulled out of a hat. Additionally, there are other mods and admins that can be reached out to if you are uncomfortable dealing directly with them.

Grizz: Ripped and Lemon are well-coordinated, strong-willed, and amicable members that I have known for a long time. I know that they have the best interest of the site at heart, but I also know that their passion can be perceived as bluntness. I have worked on a team with both of them before, one as high ranks of WindClan and one as staff members. I fully and unequivocally trust their insight, advice, and personal sentiments. I hope that regardless of your personal feelings about them, you can understand why Moss and I would trust them with the site, and that if you really don’t feel comfortable coming to them with issues you know that there are 3 other mods and 2 admins you can come to about any problems or concerns you might have. I would also consider giving them a chance in their position. They’ve both barely been in it for a week.

Ripped:If there is anything you are concerned about, or anything you think I could do better, please reach out. I can’t stress enough that I can’t improve if we don’t talk about things. I am always trying to do what I can for the site and look at things from a critical perspective. In the most genuine way possible, I must stress that in all the things I do on WCC I am seeking enjoyment and happiness from the parties involved, and what is best for the community. That is what guides me here. Please reach out to discuss when and if ever you would like to.

JJ: While I value your honest opinion, this is something that I, personally, wholeheartedly disagree with. Both Ripped and Lemon have proven themselves to be reliable, valuable team members even in the short time they've been such. None of us are perfect, and if you look at anyone with a microscope you're sure to find some flaws, but there is no reason that either of them should be excluded from staff.

overcrowding of staff:

Quote :: I feel like having one additional moderator wasn't too big of a deal, but with Ceryn's addition I feel the moderators may be a little crowded, idk

Maple: From a Staff member's point of view, we were really struggling (collectively) to get things done. Real-life called on several of us at the same time, and things began to slip through the cracks. As I mentioned briefly before, with more Staff members, we’re able to get things done in a much more efficient manner. Our workloads are more evenly spread out now, and we’re able to dedicate more time and effort to our endeavors now that we aren’t as stressed about our workload, especially with the sitewide swiftly approaching. I hope that this will be evident on the site as time goes on, as it already is clear to me that we’re doing much better with two extra hands on deck.

Moss: Initially, we were looking to only replace Cays once they stepped down (Ceryn was the choice for that). However, with recent activity of the staff team as a whole and lack of availability by several of us for irl things, we decided that having extra hands on deck was necessary - especially with the site-wide plot swiftly approaching. That is when we turned to lemon and Ripped, who have been largely involved with the planning and implementations of the site wide, and have been staff in the past. We hope that these additions really help us fulfill our responsibilities and help things run more smoothly going forward.

Grizz: We didn’t originally intend to add 3. Staff has been comprised of 5 members for a while now, mostly of people who have not held a staff position on WCC before. Ultimately, issues of activity and availability became overwhelming and we decided that two extra hands would be a good idea. Even if 7 seems crowded, I hope that this way nothing gets past us and we are able to fulfill our duties to a better extent than before.

Ripped:More helping hands right now! Plus there is a lot going on and lots of moving parts. A need was stressed for more activity on the behalf of staff and things that were slipping through the cracks. With a larger staff, more is able to be accomplished in a short time.

JJ: I don't think more staff is a bad thing at all, and in fact, things have been running much more smoothly from my POV since the implementation of Ripped and Lem as staff. We're all busy people, and having more people to rotate responsibilities between has been a godsend!

Comments on Site Updates:

npc elders/disengage/development topics:

convoluted systems:

mass pm prevention:

handling feedback:

choice in moderators:

Quote :: Please choose a different Moderator other than Lemongrass. Ripped can stay idk but we cant reward people who start drama

Maple: The anonymous posting feature exists for a reason. Speaking from the perspective of someone who’s been a moderator on WCC for several years, the anonymous posting feature can definitely be abused, but this is not the case with Lemon’s post. Lemon kept the original post as respectful as they possibly could while still addressing an issue that they felt needed to come to light. It was a perfectly reasonable concern to have as they watched the decision that was originally made with respect to WindClan’s deputy unfold in character. Lemon cannot be held responsible for the reactions of members after the fact, nor is the post a reflection on Lemon as a person. Lemon was raising concerns that were valid and reasonable, and should have been met with productive conversation instead of a threat and the inappropriate behaviors that followed. Also, to touch on something I haven’t seen any of my teammates address publicly yet, trying to determine the identity of an anonymous poster under the comments/suggestions board is COMPLETELY unacceptable behavior. We have that feature in place for a reason, and I do not appreciate anyone using intimidation, hostile behavior, or otherwise in an attempt to figure out who the anon is. There is absolutely no justification for the behavior I observed concerning the post when it didn’t harm anyone and did nothing but ask Staff as well as the WindClan high ranks for an explanation and transparency. Nobody should feel pressured to come forward if they are uncomfortable doing so; that defeats the entire purpose of the anonymous posting feature. If I see behavior like this again, I will advocate for proper disciplinary measures among my fellow Staff members, as it goes against our rules as a community.

Moss: Lemon made the anon post as a result of a concern and to ask staff for an explanation. It was totally within their rights, them asking for that was not a violation of any rules. They had a legitimate concern, and were greeted with a threat and hostile behavior, which should not have happened. All lemon wanted and asked for was communication and transparency, which is the same thing we’ve seen asked of us in many of these responses.

Grizz: I do not like to look back, only forward. This comment, however, reflects a growing sentiment about the circumstances of WindClan’s deputy choice. I think I need to make it very crystal clear that asking staff for an explanation of events is not starting drama. Under any circumstances. Period, end of sentence. Making that anonymous post was completely within Lemon’s right and we will not punish them for a situation that was not their fault. They intended for a healthy dialogue and that was not what they received. The thread devolved into personal attacks and friends on either “side” coming in to gallivant on behalf of the people involved. The original post was not personal. Any negativity that was spawned from that original thread was not the fault of the first post. I do not agree, in any way, shape, or form, that the deputy issue reflects badly on Lemon’s character. And pardon my spice… but for all the comments we got about transparency and staff accountability, people who comment things like this seem to have a problem with Lemon asking staff and WindClan’s high ranks for transparency. That is a huge double-standard, and I do not appreciate that. Okay, spice over.

Ripped:Prior to the issue being brought forward to the site, I had talked with people involved who knew there would be malcontent with the decision being made. I believe that Lemon brought forward the discussion to the site, both for opinions of the general staff, feedback for the involved, and for feedback from staff as well who had been involved in letting the decision go forward. I do not believe there was ever an intent to promote drama or further issues than would have already been present. Even if I would not have and did not handle the issue the same way they did, I do not believe it was ill-intentioned in any way and was a viable use of the anon comment section that was created for such purposes.

JJ: I'm going to try and keep this short and sweet because I don't want it to get messy, but, in summary: you're wrong.

______________________________________

Staff Survey - General Address Maplesig3

Re: Staff Survey - General Address Mon 9 Nov 2020 - 18:25 by **Maple**

Statistical Stuff

approachability chart:

plotting chart:

rules/guides questions chart:

Woo, that was a lot. If you got this far, I must say I'm impressed. Now, Ceryn was added mid-survey so none of the feedback applies to them in the same way that it does the rest of us, but they did want to make a little address, so that's included below.

Spoiler:

Now, to touch on something that Ceryn mentioned above, we've had many people question why Ceryn was appointed in the middle of a survey, especially so soon after Ripped and Lemon were appointed to Staff only around a week before. Originally, Staff only intended to add one moderator to replace Cays when they stepped down. Upon further discussion, though, we decided it would be best to bring on two additional moderators to help spread the workload between us, especially with a site-wide on the horizon. We chose to bring on Lemon, Ripped, and Ceryn, but Ceryn had quite a lot going on in real life at the time, so they asked us to delay officially adding them to the team so that they could tie up some loose ends and fully prepare to be brought on board. We hope this answers any questions y'all might have about the funky timing.

Alrighty! So, to wrap things up, I wanted to address a change that Staff has decided to implement based on some feedback we've received and discussed. We're making a few minor changes to the Staff selection process with hope that in the future, Staff selections will be better received across the site, and that members feel they have a bigger say in who leads the site.

1. Prior to selecting new Staff members, we will put up a small survey with several options for potential additions that we've seen nominated in recent surveys, as well as members that we think would be fit for the role. Members will be allowed to tell us who they think would fill the role best and why.

2. Staff will reconvene and choose from the pool above, taking into consideration the results from the survey. In the announcement announcing the newest Staff member, we'll list all the reasons they were chosen as well as proof that they were nominated.

3. After about a month, we'll put out another survey asking the site whether people think that things are A. Better, B. The Same, C. Worse, or D. No Opinion since the new addition was made. If individual members have serious concerns about the new appointment, they are encouraged to reach out to Staff directly with their feedback and concerns.

Staff is always looking to better the site in any way that we can, and that means taking feedback that we receive from you guys into account. We encourage anyone who has ideas for the site, concerns, or feedback to let us know through one of the many avenues available. We hope that addressing these results publicly has put your minds at ease and helped with transparency as well as communication. If there's anything we can do for you, please reach out and let us know! We've got some super exciting things coming, in regards to both plotting as well as site mechanics and additions, so be sure to look out for those!

Love you guys,

Maple

Re: Staff Survey - General Address Mon 9 Nov 2020 - 22:01 by Emberglow

yknow? good post. not something i would've expected, but good post.

one thing that should be noted is that sleepying some of the less appropriate results has impacted the bar charts (mainly by pushing them more towards the higher end - less negative feedback weighs it more towards positive), so take those with a grain of salt. it's difficult to tell which results are genuine, though, so we shouldn't put too much stock in the bar charts anyway.

approachability, accountability and the ability to take feedback are all things that come with time; this post and the others like it (from the other members of staff) are a wonderful first step, but this is where the road begins, not ends. if the site can hope to see more of the same, i think the issues with being perceived as opaque, unapproachable and unable to accept criticism will fade in time. that's not to diminish the work you're doing here, though- this is an unprecedented first step, and i don't think there's a single person on the site who doesn't approve. y'all did good.

this is what change looks like. thank yall for listening to us. <3

one final note:

Re: Staff Survey - General Address Tue 10 Nov 2020 - 19:15 by **RainyHeart**

A small note from a retired mod; honestly guys, the current staff team HAS to be the most kind-hearted, respectful, chill, and open group we've had since I've joined. It's full of creativity, passion, and true love for both the site and it's members, and seeing them slandered for other people's choices and mistakes disappoints me. It's true that things could be a little more streamlined, a bit more put-together, but what team of humans could truly be perfect? Everyone has a right to their opinions and views, but the fact is that WCC is a lot better now than it used to be - for everyone. I remember times when I was a staff member that I would dread going onto the site because I knew that only drama and salt awaited me, and I'm immensely glad that the 'walking on eggshells' feeling has gradually faded away over time. Once in awhile we might still crack one open, either on accident or on purpose, but I truly believe that this staff team will be one to salvage the ones we have left rather than stomp on the rest for the sake of pride.

How did this turn into an egg analogy? Guess that's what working a 40+ hour week at a daycare does to my brain. ANYWAY-

My point is that I truly believe the current staff team is amazing, and I hope both our new mod and the returning duo will be good beneficial additions! Staff surveys will always bring up people's true feelings, which is very good, but I feel like the fact that we even HAVE staff surveys now should be appreciated. It's a relatively new feature guys, don't waste it on fighting and vague anger when your words could make real change on the site. Staff listens.

Staff Survey - General Address

Staff Survey - General Address :: Comments

Staff Survey - General Address