[Ansteorra] Re: Newbies

Gormlaith4444 at aol.com Gormlaith4444 at aol.com
Thu Jan 3 13:42:38 PST 2002


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Thank you for your thoughts Lady Catroina.
I think you bring up some good points, one especially that has come forth in
most responses to these postings.  New members are not the soul
responsibility of the Hospitaler, nor the Nobility, nor guilds, household, or
any one fraction of a shire or barony.  Perhaps I did not state that well
before.  Many positions can be thankless, and major efforts can be
overlooked.  Hospitaler is one of those positions.  It can be easy for people
to over look the amount of work a good Hospitaler does.  It is true, I
personally know of your efforts Catroina, and they have been many, over and
above what most people contribute to the office.  And yes I remember the
tablecloths, I remember the times we have spent together.  Those times helped
to build close bonds between all of us, and I would not trade them for
anything.  It warms me to know that these were activities that were
instrumental in bringing you into the Society.

Let me say this please.  It is my hope that no one has taken any comments
written, as personal affronts.  I can not speak for others who have written,
but I speak for myself.  I have written nothing that I meant to be as a
personal attack on any group, subgroup, or person.  I wrote not to point
fingers or blame, or to suggest who should take responsibility for what.
Simply my thoughts and ideas of what might be helpful suggestions or
solutions to a very old concern.  Perhaps I did not do a good job of putting
my thoughts into words.  I wrote simply to bring to light some of the hurdles
that people face when entering this wondrous game.  If we do not talk about
the concerns  and issues that people face in the Society, what ever they may
be; how can we ever hope to make things better for the next generation of
members?  How will we ever grow?

It is not that I feel anyone is doing anything "wrong."  I think we get so
wrapped up in our own experiences and play that we forget what it was like to
be new.  I believe that is the main reason, newbies fall through the cracks.
We all know there are people out there doing miraculous things with their
time and efforts.  Some are doing small things where they can here and there.
 All this helps to build a better Society.  Some groups have found great
solutions to newbie concerns.  Some people have great ideas that could be
shared.  How will we ever learn about the solutions people have found or
ideas they have if we don't talk about the issues; if we don't share
experiences and solutions? Often issues and concerns  are not that different
from group to group.  It is good to hear about these concerns and solutions,
not bad, as long as we present and respond appropriately to them.

I think Catorina hit upon one of those concerns when she said she doesn't
know what else to do.  "That's" why it is important to talk and bring things
out in the open.  Simply put, I meant to use my experiences to bring to light
that I could have been a newbie that chose to walk away because the effort to
become involved was laborious and sometimes emotional.  That is the important
part I would like for people to try and understand in what I wrote; that it
would have been much easier to simply give up and walk away.  Like many,
eventually through persistence and finding things to get involved in, I
became a member.  The point is, not everyone is that persistent, and if it
becomes too much effort for new people to get comfortable, we loose them.
There are many other organizations out there that we compete with such as boy
scouts to civic organizations, not just reenactment groups.  Is it important
to think about the amount of time or effort it takes for people to join other
organizations compared to the time, finances, and effort it takes to become a
member of the SCA?  What I am beginning to understand through these
conversations is, that persistence seems to be the common tread among new
folks that stick around and become members.  Is it not worth looking into,
and figuring out what we can do differently, so people don't give up, walk
away and find something to do with their time?  Again, I realize how many
people out there are working their butts off to address this very problem.
This is not an affront to their efforts.  I only wish and hope to generate
ideas and solutions to help make the job easier for everyone, established
members and new people alike.

My apologies for offending anyone, it is not my intent.  However, to me this
is one of those topics that is worth sticking my neck out for.  So I spoke
up.

Again, thank you for your time and responses, rather you agree or disagree.
And a special thanks to those who have offered solutions, ideas, and their
thoughts.  Believe it or not, I have enjoyed the responses I have received
and have personally learned much them.

Good life, and Good Dream be with you,
Play well my friends,
Lady Viviana



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