Priorities

[BirdieBeep]

I am humbled there have been so many replies thus far. After reading them all, I want to thank you all for contributing valuable input. I do hope more people have the ability to reply, however I am weary that this thread will be locked because of its sensitive nature.

i'd find it genuinely ironic and kinda distressing if they lock an open plea for more transparency
it would absolutely fly in the face of what players are obviously wanting and would absolutely trash fh

I wouldn't be all that shocked if they did if I can blunt for a moment. But you're right, it would do a major disservice to us as a community and it shows unwillingness change. I really hope this isn't the case, I may talk frankly about things but I honestly love this game. I and many others (especially if we've been around for years) want to see it succeed and ensure survival for many years to come. But I think in order for that to happen, this conversation needed to happen and now it needs to be addressed.
So thank you Alpha for doing the poll and of course handling this subject as well as you had been.

[razmirz]

MOTS this is your one and final warning if you even entertain a situation like this again you will be booted.

You are in breach of the MOTS proposal you agreed to when you became a MOTS.

Personally I’d have you all booted now. But others believe you require a second chance.

Transparency.

Who’s responsibility is it?

Actually the moment the MOTS proposal came into we as staff basically lumbered the entire issue on the community to sort for itself. I for one am fed up of complaints and questions from people who I wouldn’t give 5 minutes of my time (I don’t owe you!).

For those who failed to read it here it is again.

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MOTS Proposal
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Most of you know Members of The Season(hereby known as MOTS) are selected by you, the community, as examples of the best members you have to offer and for their deeds to be seen by everyone.

Being that these members represent the community, we, the staff would like to invite them to join us in the staff room.
MOTS will be able to see what is happening regarding the game, join in discussions, meetings and have a voice to propose and vote on current affairs.

- MOTS access will not be limitless. MOTS will not have access to MIT(Mod in Training) selections as it's not uncommon for MOTS to be discussed for MIT positions.
- MOTS will not have direct access to reports from users.
- The final thing MOTS will not have access to is the historical archive of the staff room. We believe it's unfair on previous staff who would probably never have anticipated this change to have their posts suddenly under public scrutiny. But all posts from this point unless under the two categories above will be available to them.

Now to make clear the MOTS new status. They are here to create more transparency between the staff and you the community. If a MOTS feels we are not doing our job they can pull us up on it. But if we find a MOTS simply spewing information from the staff for the purposes of popularity or other reasons not beneficial to the community, they will be removed from their post (This will be discussed with the other MOTS at the time). MOTS will not be receiving moderator powers. MOTS are here to bring your ideas and opinions directly to us.

To be eligible for MOTS you cannot have a total ban time longer than two weeks in the last two years. For example if you have had three, five day bans the last eighteen months you cannot be eligible until the first ban elapses over the two year mark. We do check the other accounts you have as well. If we find any MOTS is receiving repeat votes from multiple accounts of the same person they will no longer be eligible for that period. A currently elected MOTS cannot be eligible for a second term in a row. But they can be re-elected every other term without limit.

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Under these rules the MOTS are supposed to be providing you the community answers. If you are not getting answers Maybe you should elect better MOTS. If the MOTS believe the staff is not adhering to this proposal the MOTS should use the powers they are given under said proposal to challenge this. That does not mean take it to a public forum as this again would class as spewing information not beneficial to the community.

I would therefore ask the community what have your MOTS so far done for you? Before you start pointing your fingers at the staff these MOTS are your people you chose and control. Maybe you need to take a much deeper look next time you select about what the person your electing has to offer you as a community. What will they try to achieve for you?

I must admit I find the comments from former MOTS who failed to perform their own role extremely poor. I also don’t approve of people who have “left” deciding to pop their head back in any time I suites to stir trouble? If you have left you have left make up your mind. Either provide some benefit to the community or disappear. Be aware under the terms of service we may remove you!

As for staff members and ex staff members who have posted here. You all read the MOTS proposal when it came into force and you all agreed to it. Perhaps you have forgotten what you agreed to I’m very aware that most of you were extremely concerned about their being too much transparency? If your saying even now there isn’t enough. Perhaps you need to bring up an amendment to the proposal further its transparency? Though I’m not entirely sure what else you think people might need to know?

[G4RG0YLE]

Rather annoyed by the choice of wording. In fact, I'm very annoyed, forget the rather.

First of all, if you would like to warn the MOTS of their breach in a proposal (which is very minor and should not even be considered to be something they're demoted for), I have already told you as of last night - allow me to repeat it again - to consult the trio of MotS yourself. Our Members of the Season would much rather be consulted privately (as I had recommended which has clearly, blatantly, been ignored).
You may be fed up with the complains and questions, but if you would not give them 5 minutes of your time then perhaps it should be no wonder the complaints and questions keep coming. Because you are not answering as you are expected to. The community have complained and expressed concern over our transparency because they are as equally fed up of being left in the dark on a consistent basis as you are fed up with hearing the same things cropping up. It should not just be down to the Members of the Season to form transparency. The transparency the community have been begging for, for so many years, is between staff and community. The MotS should not be here to do our dirty work, as there is no excuse. We all have plenty of time on our hands to respond to the complaints and questions.

Allow me to quote and highlight some of the things about your proposal you claim to know oh-so-well but fail to abide by.

Being that these members represent the community, we, the staff would like to invite them to join us in the staff room.
MOTS will be able to see what is happening regarding the game, join in discussions, meetings and have a voice to propose and vote on current affairs.

See what is happening regarding the game.
Well, why don't you ask the current Members of the Season what they know about what plans we have? Because I can assure you, a lot of the content they have access to inside of the staff room is truly only a discussion that hasn't been concluded on and ironically, numerous Members of the Seasons from last season and present have asked the similar question of "why are discussions not concluded/done faster?" They barely have any information on the game and future plans. In fact, they don't even know anything. Now before you point fingers to blame the Members of the Season like you've done so before, it is not down to the MotS to gather that information themselves. It is down to Staff to ensure information is being relayed to them at a regular/efficient pace. If there is no information to relay, then this definitely highlights that the Staff are not working as quickly and effectively as they should be. We should at least be able to have something to say every month or every few months but this is not the case and it, in my opinion, is poor performance on the Staff's end of the stick.

Have a voice to propose and vote on current affairs.
Barely.
If at all.
As Staff, we are not giving the Members of the Season enough opportunity to propose their voices and your post is a prime example as to why they will probably no longer want to propose them. Because seemingly, their voices regularly get shut down or we always try to find flaws in every discussion had with them. While it is crucial to identify pros and cons, the discussions I've read through (as well as the discussions I've had to reply to) seem as if we don't want them to help in transparency with the community.

Now to make clear the MOTS new status. They are here to create more transparency between the staff and you the community. If a MOTS feels we are not doing our job they can pull us up on it. But if we find a MOTS simply spewing information from the staff for the purposes of popularity or other reasons not beneficial to the community, they will be removed from their post (This will be discussed with the other MOTS at the time). MOTS will not be receiving moderator powers. MOTS are here to bring your ideas and opinions directly to us.

Again, Staff should not need the MotS to always be the ones creating transparency. They help in building the bridge, but they are not the bridge itself. Staff and MotS should be working with each other, not for each other.
This thread was posted by an ex-Member of the Season who was perhaps too afraid or did not recognise the extent of how poor the Staff's transparency with the community is until after their time was over as MotS. This doesn't mean the content of this thread should be ignored or deemed irresponsible/immature/"a personal attack."
This is also clearly not a publicity stunt.
If Members of the Season are agreeing with this thread (and have even sent the thread link to the Staff team to drop the idea that we ought to discuss improvements for the survival of this game ASAP!) then they are doing their part already. They are being transparent between both Staff and community by nodding their heads to what the community says, which they have then informed Staff about.

Under these rules the MOTS are supposed to be providing you the community answers. If you are not getting answers Maybe you should elect better MOTS. If the MOTS believe the staff is not adhering to this proposal the MOTS should use the powers they are given under said proposal to challenge this. That does not mean take it to a public forum as this again would class as spewing information not beneficial to the community.

Why must only the MOTS be the ones to provide answers? Staff uphold the responsibility to answer questions given by the community by default. Again this is just another statement by you to point fingers and make it sound as if it is not the Staff's job to respond to community feedback. Which is absolutely outrageous and irresponsible from you as FeralHeart's Server Master. If you don't like who the community nominates then maybe you should change the way the Members of the Season system works - maybe making it so only you and you alone can elect MotS given the impression from your choice of wording that you cannot be open-minded to how the community feels. If you think they should elect "better" MotS then do us all a favour and find those better MotS yourself.

I must admit I find the comments from former MOTS who failed to perform their own role extremely poor. I also don’t approve of people who have “left” deciding to pop their head back in any time I suites to stir trouble? If you have left you have left make up your mind. Either provide some benefit to the community or disappear. Be aware under the terms of service we may remove you!

This is a vile comment. Whatever went through your head as to think you have any right to prevent people from having an opinion just because of history I'll never know. Ex-staff have equally as much of a right to speak up as they do any community, MotS, and Staff member. They are not insulting anyone on purpose, they are in fact stating the truth.
It is clear you are far too high up on your own horse to see this truth. Or, you are just in so much denial because you cannot stand being in the wrong, especially when the public know about it. This same attitude was probably a factor of when the whole No Mod October situation happened, and it is clear now - not only to Staff but to everyone - that you have not changed.

[Bawfle]

[AlphaEclipse]

"Actions speak volumes," as you have said in the past. I honestly do not know where to begin with this, so I apologize if the following is brief and all over the place.

First, I am utterly appalled that it was required of you—not any other staff member—to publicly threaten the current MOTS—who have done nothing wrong—so aggressively, treating them so lowly for only talking briefly on a thread abiding forum rules. If someone must be punished, I am right here, because taking anger out on the poor MOTS, who were not even involved making this thread, is extreme.

Similarly, this is not a problem with MOTS. MOTS should not be a staff scapegoat. MOTS have absolutely no assigned tasks. MOTS is not a staff role. They are not responsible for doing staff duties. No one is required to join the staff server. I am going to keep this brief since your own staff member, Scally, explained everything and more.

So what has MOTS done for us? More than some staff, some would argue. That is not meant to be an aggressive comment, it is frankly just fact. MOTS are elected by members as a way to recognize their courtesy and contributions to the game. They are not punching bags. Hell, last season, we would repeatedly speak in discussion, only to be ignored or pushed aside with "we're working on it." There is only so much MOTS can do if staff are not opening up to them.

You do not owe us anything; that is a no-brainer. None of the staff owe us anything. Still, it is only in their best interest to communicate with their community, otherwise they will only find themselves without a game to staff.

[Bawfle]

[AlphaEclipse]

Before anyone else comments, I also want to also say I am thankful this was kept unlocked. It isn't going unnoticed.

[cytofin]

One simple word. Communication.
The Members of the Season are great people, they provide help to those
who are having trouble with their game or even the site. There is
no reason to dis them, they have done so much for this community
without being asked.

It is not their responsibility to do something which all staff members
should do. As AlphaEclipse said, the MOTS are not your scapegoats.
These people were voted more than likely because of how amazing
they are at helping the community, not to be someone you can
stack the blame on and rely on to come back to you.
If you have not forgot, the MOTS are actual people not your
little messengers.

[razmirz]

"MOTS have absolutely no assigned tasks"

Perhaps you should re read what you agreed to?

People have chosen not to be MOTS as they did not want such responsibilities.

I'd like to repeat "Actually the moment the MOTS proposal came into we as staff basically lumbered the entire issue on the community to sort for itself."

At no point did the staff become responsible for the MOTS its not for us to tell the MOTS what to do with their time as a MOTS.

I'd also ask if anyone can find anywhere that you as a community rejected the MOTS proposal if you didn't want the MOTS to do this? Perhaps you can find a post where even one person said no we don't want this back when it was proposed?

If nobody rejected the idea I would assume that the community wanted it. Therefore you only have yourselves to answer to.

[Bawfle]