I apologize now if this should have gone in "World/Community" Building forum. I wasn't sure which it belonged in "more" so please feel free to move this if it needs to go down there.
This is entirely OOC and has to do with the Summit Meetings and this Forum so - I had the impression it went here; whereas more "IC" centric ideas go in the World/Community Building Forum :).
I've been wanting to start this suggestion/discussion for awhile but held off thinking perhaps I'm "one of the few" feeling this way. But after the recent discussion prompted by the IC Senate/Council discussion thread I realize that no, I'm not the only one and that perhaps suggestions to improve this problem could be implemented.
One - this thread is NOT AT ALL about Bashing the Server Summits - the way they are held, conducted, etc. I think this is a great thing we are trying to put together and coordinate between all the "groups" on the server (as in RP, PVE, PVP, etc...) so everyone gets more access to what they find fun on our server. This thread is NOT AT ALL wanting to replace or cancel such meetings OR Change their purpose. So please, if you want to do that - start your own thread :).
Two - while this thread is for trying to help with suggestions and therefore there will be complaints (that the suggestions are meant to help) please keep them constructive and as positive as possible. If all you want to do is /rant - make your own thread. By the same token, if all you want to do is post a defense of why "this isn't a problem" - make your own thread. This thread is here to solve issues. Not create them.
The fact that I'm making this thread says that YES actually there is a problem - so please don't dismiss the concerns posting here as irrelevant because you don't feel/experience them. I already have several suggestions for helping the situation, so please - come with suggestions and ideas not slams and dismissals!
Overriding problem I've felt and am seeing: Feeling left out of "decisions" being made by "other people", or important discussions - due to XYZ reasons of not being able to attend Summits regularly.
I put "decisions" and "other people" in quotes for a reason - because these are assumptions being made by those not able to attend. They may very well be false ideas/assumptions - but because the person isn't able to attend, they have no way to correct the ideas.
And it is the assumption that leads to bad feelings and negativity - there are several fancy psychology words for the type of Bias this is - the "Us vs. Them" only being one of them - but I don't care to go into all that. Suffice it say - its normal, its human, and its TO BE EXPECTED in a situation like this where it is perceived that a "few" are gathering/discussing the concerns of "many" - and then "making decisions."
I'm not here to pick apart the assumption. You can't make people stop thinking that. What we we CAN DO is put other things in place that address the issue, inform as much as possible the greatest number of people of what is actualy going on, so there's no assumption/bias to have to deal with - as much. Yes, still outliers - but outliers are well... what they are.
Also - we've already had the incident, several times, where people have come to the forum (some new) and made the statement "this was discussed at the Summit and so we wanted to...." only for the rest of us to go, "Whazzit? What are we talking about? What was discussed? What was said at the discussion?" Which has led to problems getting the point of the thread/post - instead of a discussion of the actual idea.
I want the Server Summits to be as active and influential in creating harmony on this server as they can possibly be - but that means making further effort to include those that feel excluded. Include those who wish to be included, but for whatever IRL reason, can't make the summit.
In a former MMO life I played in a game that did something simliar to this. It had in-game-server meetings between various guild representatives to spread IC and OOC information, keep track of plots, keep everyone on the same page, handle issues, etc. etc. It was very successful for awhile, until ripped apart by that same "Us vs. Them" mentality that people who couldn't attend the meetings fell into. I hope we can prevent that from happening here; because it really was a misunderstanding of intent. These suggestions come from that experience, and watching the simmerings of what tore it apart starting here.
~~~~(please note: caps are for emphasis - for the TLDR of the statement - not a sign of emotional typing)~~~
So how can we help the feeling that those unable to attend the meeting have no idea who/what's going on, discussed, what's decided, what's up for discussion for the next summit - etc.
FIRST SUGGESTION - and to me "easiest" to implement suggestion - HAVE A RECORD KEEPER/NOTE TAKER of MINUTES OF THE MEETING.
I don't mean someone has to write/type down every single word said in chat or over vent. Having not been to a summit meeting yet (because IRL scheduling has not allowed me too), I don't know how organized the discussions are vs. chaos of just random people talking on ideas. I know there's a loose agenda of some kind, only because its been mentioned here.
So if its a bit disorganized and people piping in with comments- then no there is no need for someone to write down every word of every discussion as that would just be exhaustive to keep track of and noone wants/needs to read through all that for the salient information.
BUT - a designated minutes/note taker person would be responsible for getting the SALIENT points. For the less verbal, for getting the RELEVANT points of discussion - A summary of the various points made in the discussion of XYZ topic; the direction of the conversation/discussion - whether it was tabled for more information to be gathered and decided at a later meeting or if a decision was made, what decision was it?
These notes need to be posted here, on the forums, within a reasonable time (like 7-10 days) after a Summit so that if any of the issues need to be discussed HERE on the Forums because someone needs clarification; because its something that should be discussed among many before deciding; or maybe because those that make most of the Summits want to get a wider audience of feedback then they get at the meetings before they move forward with an idea. This also allows those of us unable to attend the Summit to give definitive and topical feedback from our own fingers instead of hoping/relying on the 3-5 who can attend the summit from this community to represent what our opinion/feedback is.
Those 3-5 cant, and won't, know the feelings of the rest of the community - so let the rest of the community have an opportunity to join the feedback. And don't say "Then go to the meeting." For some of us that really isn't much of a reliable option. It doesn't mean we don't want to be active - it just means help us!
Now before I get people saying "you can't keep up" "there are no logs so we can't keep track." I call BanthaPoodoo on you! People have been doing exactly this for decades before VOIP was a reality. I MYSELF did this BY TYPING HAND at the aforementioned meetings - there was no VOIP existing, there were no chat logs to post or even to use as a reference. I typed, by hand, everything said by everyone (obviously in a word program) and then posted it up in an easy to follow format to the forums - every couple of months we had these meetings.
It can be done. It only takes someone (or 2-3 someones for people who can't make every meeting) committing to doing this.
And quite frankly, if we can't find a way to do this - I'm not sure the "Summit" gatherings are ever going to do what they want to do because the longer these meetings happen and noone besides who shows up has any idea what's being discussed or decided - then moving forward you're going to get more and more resentment and dismissal from the larger section of the populace who can't make them. Its noone's fault. Its just human nature. Please, let's prevent that from happening here.
I think having a Minute Person would solve many of the issues of communication back and forth - and have it really feel like a "Community" summit where the most people possible are getting their feedback heard.
SUGGESTION TWO -
In addition to "Overall Minutes" (or perhaps instead of but again I highly encourage the first..) - if we had those people at the Summit who, upon hearing an issue or decision needing to be made - or suggestion being given - to bring the Exact Specific Issue/Discussion to the Forums for further discussion/feedback from everyone here - and then that SAME Person taking it back to the next Summit for further evolution/decision/whatever.
This again would mean volunteers from this forum community (the idea being they are more aware than those outside this forum community of possible concerns/etc.) agreeing to, at that particular Summit (from whomever showed up..), to say "Hey - I can see this is a big issue. Let me open that up for discussion on the FOrums for everyone and bring that back next Summit to move on."
This, for example, could have been a better setup to solve the IC Senate/Council idea/discussion thread than just random person volunteering to give an explanation - when the rest of us responding don't know where they are coming from, what was discussed, what's going on, etc. Having someone already familiar with posting on the forums, to present in a readable manner the important points of the concerns/ideas being raised and opening the floor from there. It would also allow for whatever talk going on in the forums - for whatever good points are made pro/con - to be SUMMARIZED by the person going BACK to the next Summit for that meeting - in order to move forward.
(hope that made sense).
TLDR - if we don't want to put up summary notes - then please at the very least have people bringing the Summit Major Topics of Discussion/Decision making starting a thread here - EXPLAINING what was discussed/brought up/concern of those at the Summit Meeting - and then opening it up for true public discussion.
Both of these suggestions allow for everyone that can attend the meetings AND everyone who visits these forums semi-regularly, to feel they have a voice and a way of influencing what's going on without feeling /excluded because they can't make an OOC meeting, or because they aren't wanting to be on the forums.
Any more suggestions that make the exchange of information more fluid and consistent? Any more ideas for helping people - from as many situations as possible - stay up to date on what the Summit Meetings are about? Any more ideas for helping a feeling of INCLUSION and not exclusion?
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Quick note: I am using these forums for the other half of the format because I'm feeling that trying to do this on the overall game forums would not be half as productive. It is not to say I don't think the meetings shoudln't be advertised on the main game forums - I think they should be. As should this site as well. But I worry if we take the "open discussion of points" to the main forums you'll get too many trolls/people who have no stake in any of it (i.e. aren't joining any of this at all...) giving their opinions and what they want to see happen and that becomes impossible to manage or even follow...
