WR - The Cause

[Jesus Cavazos]

>From: "Roberta Starkey" <rstarkey at camalott.com>
>Reply-To: western at Ansteorra.ORG
>To: <western at Ansteorra.ORG>
>Subject: Re: WR - The Cause
>Date: Mon, 20 Dec 1999 14:58:19 -0600
>
>
> >
> >      I'm curious.  What is causing so many people not to report in the
> > first place?  >
> > Brita
>
>
>I think that the cause is a combination of things.
>
>1)  Lack of feedback - good or bad -
>
>2)  poor training -
>
>3)  Mundane life.
>
>You know, now since I'm thinking of it, expecially since there is email
>around, would it be too much of a burden on the regional officers to email
>back the local officers a "Got your report, thanks" acknowlegement?  They
>could even cc to the group seneschale (or the Group's e-list or email
>address if the seneschale doesn't have their own email at home>
>
>Ryah
>
>
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I agree with you.  There isn't enough feedback from the next step up.  
Without feedback,  if feels like you're writing a useless report and sending 
it into a black hole where it'll do nothing.  A simple "Got your report,  
Good work,  If you need help,  or How can I help you with your problem?" 
message would let the officer know all those reports aren't a waste of time.
As to poor training,  it's not just the training,  it's the passing of 
information,  assistance from the former officer,  material passed along,  
and most importantly,  how the person is treated by the other officers.  If 
the new officer feels like an outsider,  they're not going to be too 
enthused to do the job.
And yes,  mundane life does factor a great deal into how the officer does 
his or her job.  But if that's the case,  the deputy should by able to step 
in and do the job.  And if there is no deputy or neither can do the job,  
the officer should tell the seneschal the situation and ask for help.  Then 
the seneschal should decide what needs to be done.
As to sending things via e-mail,  the officers should also be able to send 
things via snail-mail.  Not everyone has a computer at home.  Or as in my 
case,  one at the office they can use to access the net.  And if the local 
libraries are like my,  they only give you thirty minutes of computer time.  
And only after your time is up can you sign up again for another thirty 
minutes.
But I think the biggest problem with the whole officer thing is that older 
players are over used.  They get tired of having to be an officer to help 
the group.  They have to go from one office to another to another.  After a 
while,  they have to step back to catch their breathe,  recapture the dream, 
  or just have fun playing again.  And when they don't get a chance to do 
that,  they become disillusioned and they leave the dream.  And the ones 
left to replace them are the new players.  Players who don't know how to 
play the game.  Don't know the rules.  Haven't caught the dream.  And when 
they step down,  they have nothing to pass on to the new players.  And I 
think that's the problem.  Not with just the report problem,  but with the 
whole thing.  We are driving away the best resource we have,  the older 
players.
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