Arbiter Nominees - Why Me?

[Anubis]

Now the nominations are closed, we move on

Ed introduced this idea last year, the practice of the Nominees for Arbiter posting up reasons why they should, and should not, be Arbiter. A bit about themselves, giving people more of an insight into exactly who their candidates are should you not know them personally.

I am quite a large fan of this idea, and as such I intend to keep it going. The vote will follow in a few days time.

Note: I am pretty certain that by now Stracius has gone away on holiday, and as such we can't reasonably expect a reply from him. However, I believe that much about his character, temprament, and way in which he conducts himself can easily be found in his recent posting record should you wish to learn more about him before you cast your vote.

Said record can be found here for any who are interested: http://www.shatteredstar.org/forums/sea ... r=Stracius

[M.Steiner]

First of all Id just like to say thanks to the people who nominated me this year, it really is appreciated.

I was initially not sure whether I should stand for Arbiter or not come the actual vote, for a few reasons really; All that extra responsibility, time commitment, living up to peoples expectations and wasn't sure whether I would be as capable in the position as both Anny & Quiz have been. Last week though I had been talking to Anny about a few concerns I had (the shake up proposal), and the main theme of that being that I felt we should notice all of our members and think about giving some people the chance to fulfill roles that perhaps they had never done before, rather than us falling into the trap of relying on the same people all the time. We have lots of great, capable people here that might not have been here as long as others have or have the reputation others have built up over the years but that shouldn't make a difference imo, we're all equals. It then dawned on me (as well as having it pointed out to me that noticing things like I brought up would make me a good arbiter etc) that I wouldn't be helping matters (for giving others a chance) if I were to step down. So after giving it some more thought, this year I have decided to remain on the list.

During my time here Ive always tried to show my interest for all the groups we've had over the years and try to bring them all together more within the community. I might not have frequently posted in each forum but if I thought I had some advice, praise or encouragement to give that others may benefit from I have always given it whether Ive been a member of that group or not. I've been actively part of many of our groups in the past as well which I believe helps to gain more understanding of how groups like ours tend to work in game as well as out, I can also say I have the experience of helping to lead some of those groups in cases.

I can't say I have the experience of coding, servers, forum modding or any stuff like that which other people might have, but Ive always been one to offer my help in any way Ive physically been able to, and have offered to help in other cases too.
A lot of the graphic work you see around the place was done by myself, some of these being; designing banners for some of our group sites, the banner you can see above, buttons for the forum (e.g. gamertag), forum avatars for the gallery, the new news style I made for the TR site at the time which Anny later incorporated into his redesign of the main page he launched. As well as that lot though I have also designed several group sites for us too, all of which have their own look. The Age of Conan group site being the latest from me. This site is also one of two using the new improved gallery system that I modified and implemented, which will hopefully make its way to the main site too eventually.

I would say Im an honest and fair person that has always been straight up and spoken my mind about things. I'm not perfect though and Ive made many mistakes in the past where Ive said & done things Ive later wished I hadn't, been too harsh with my opinions, taken things personally or had a falling out with someone over something really stupid. I can't take any of those back but over the last couple of years though I think Ive been learning from them. Nowadays I think before I speak and think about how that may make others feel. It's all well and good being honest but Ive never wanted to get peoples backs up or upset peeps by doing so, Id say Ive become a lot more level headed and tactful now than I was.
I'd also like to think Im a likeable person that people feel they can approach about something either on the forums or irc which Im around frequently, because that's what Ive always aimed to be.

I can't guarantee I shall live up to the standards set by both Quiz & Anny, they have both done a great job as Arbiter and Id be more than happy for any of the other peeps nominated to take the role instead of me too. Every single one of you is a worthy candidate and the only reason I didn't nominate this time was because those 2 people were already on the ballot heh (Anny & Pad), it's really nice to see more and more people getting on that list too as each election goes by. All I can say is that I would try my best not to let any of you down. Whether elected or not though I will still continue to do my bit and help out where possible, just like I always have done.


(Apologies for the length of this post btw guys, I honestly didn't know where to start with writing something like this so Ive been adding to it on and off for a few days lol. Thanks for reading!)

[Anubis]

A bit about me then.

Why should you vote for me? In many ways, this has changed very little since I wrote one of these posts last year. In my opinion my greatest asset is my activity within the community, something which I feel is integral to the Arbiter role. I am around IRC whenever I'm at the PC either at work or at home (which currently amounts to probably about 8-10 hours a day on weekdays, and more at weekends), and am regularly browsing the forums throughout the day. As such, I am likely to be able to keep on top of issues that arise, or at the very least be aware of them quickly.
There are also multiple avenues open for anyone to contact me should I be needed in relation to any issues - IRC, PM, Email, and AIM, with my contact details for the latter two forms being available publically in my Profile. I will endeavour to deal with any and all problems brought to me as quickly as possible.
A further asset is, being the current Arbiter, I now have a modicum of experience in the role after my year's term. I feel now that I am probably better prepared for any issues that may arise than I was last year, being settled into the role now and having some experience attempting to address/offer advice on a variety of issues which have arisen over the course of the year.

My downsides, I must again mention experience first - experience itself being something that I feel is a double edged sword. Whilst I have just about completed my first year in the role, there have (thankfully) been no 'major disasters' to trouble my time in the role. Whilst there have been a scattering of minor issues that I have tried to help with, I would have to say that the year has been a pretty calm experience all in all. I must admit that I still, even after one year in the job, have relatively little experience tackling large problems - something that could be problematic should one arise, although I will always do all that I can to try and resolve such problems quickly and effectively.
My other major downside is that I have just done this. Whilst this was only my first term as Arbiter it still was my term, and again whilst I will always give my all and do my best in this role it may prove detrimental in the long run to always have the same people in the role itself. Fresh perspectives, fresh approaches, can usually only come with fresh candidates.

All in all I am honoured to be nominated once again, and - pros and cons aside - will give my all to justify the trust you put in me should you re-elect me. This year I am happy to say that we have a ticket full of mostly fresh faces (not counting myself and the wizened Inquisitor ) all of whom would do a fantastic job. Read this thread, read up on each person if you don't know them, and make an informed decision. I find myself again feeling we cannot go wrong with this list of nominations as long as people vote. Something which, I am sure, will not be a problem.

[Inquisitor]

I prefer dour over wizened as a descriptor

Why me? Better question is: Why NOT me?

I've had the job, I bring little new to the table in terms of experience or ideas. Anny has proved that we can have a year of existence without resting on our past fallbacks and electing an old man to office.

The arbiter is about keeping the peace, and making sure folks talk to one another, and occasionally laying down the law. I think its a sign of maturity when we can trust so many new (to the role at least) faces with that responsibility.

We've had a quiet, yet seemingly successful year. No major blowouts or drama (always a little drama online, but nothing like the WoW debacles of past years for instance) that I have seen, some new games come and gone, some new friends who have stayed around (guys like Syro, Faernath).

It looks healthy here, maybe not wild growth, but who really needs that? MMO's make for challenging times, and it seems that we mostly quietly enjoy them. Maybe not persist long in them, but I don't think that's a bad thing, necessarily.

I say vote for a new face, or give Anny another year I've had the job, and while i can do it again, it seems healthier if a new hand is on the wheel.

[Anubis]

Since I don't want to hold up the vote anymore, and I am aware that Pad is very busy atm, I'm going to ask that anyone wanting to know more about Pad before their vote look at his posting record - in the same way I have Stracius.

For those interested, this can be found here: http://www.shatteredstar.org/forums/sea ... r=Padishar

[Ozone]

Mmmmm...

Very caught up on this, so I have a few questions for the candidates...

1) Do any of you have any war hero/prisoner experience?

2) Do any of you have any 'changes' in mind for the future of SSX?

3) Where will my 100k+ student bills stand if you are elected?

4) Has any one of you moderated any forums in small town Alaska?

5) If I were a single parent and a bit 'off', and ran into the street screaming for Chtulu to appear, but Godzilla appeared instead... then dropped my child and ran, what benefits would my child receive once recovered?

Huh?

[M.Steiner]

lol Oz.

Changes wise...

I actually gave Anny a list of concerns/suggestions i had (now and in the past) that i thought should be changed, which he gave some thought after we'd discussed them and has posted about them here for peeps to discuss. I brought those to Anny though so providing there are no objections he'll be the one implementing those changes during his current term as Arbiter, not me or anyone else on the ballot. Apart from that list though (and one other thing which we haven't made public yet) there's nothing else that i'd want to change.
As for the "other" thing that was on my list, that's something that myself & Anny have been working to change behind the scenes for the past couple of weeks (with help from Fahd & BD). Anny should be making that known soon enough though when he posts about it, so be on the lookout!. To make this particular change has been a team effort though like i say, it wouldn't have been possible any other way.

Apart from those proposed changes that Anny would be the one implementing since he's our current Arbiter, there are no other things i'd want to change in the future if i were to be elected. Both Anny & Quiz have done a great job so there's not really anything else that needs changing imo.

[Anubis]

I actually gave Anny a list of concerns/suggestions i had (now and in the past) that i thought should be changed, which he gave some thought after we'd discussed them and has posted about them here for peeps to discuss. I brought those to Anny though so providing there are no objections he'll be the one implementing those changes during his current term as Arbiter, not me or anyone else on the ballot. Apart from that list though (and one other thing which we haven't made public yet) there's nothing else that i'd want to change.
As for the "other" thing that was on my list, that's something that myself & Anny have been working to change behind the scenes for the past couple of weeks (with help from Fahd & BD). Anny should be making that known soon enough though when he posts about it, so be on the lookout!. To make this particular change has been a team effort though like i say, it wouldn't have been possible any other way.

Apart from those proposed changes that Anny would be the one implementing since he's our current Arbiter, there are no other things i'd want to change in the future if i were to be elected. Both Anny & Quiz have done a great job so there's not really anything else that needs changing imo.

To clarify this: the changes proposed in the Shake Up Proposal will be being implemented this evening, as it was proposed and effectively agreed by those who replied to it before the Arbiter vote went up.

That aside though, it is my interpretation that I am no longer the serving Arbiter now that the vote is underway, and as such will not be acting as such should no emergency arise. The currently underway project that MS mentions will not be announced until the Arbiter vote has concluded - due to concerns that it could influence the vote around those who have worked on it, and also due to the issue that (according to my interpretation) we currently have no serving Arbiter to approve the way its announcement (and launch) will be handled.

Change as a broad issue is something I am in favour of should there be need for it. I can give you no specifics of any changes I would make should I be re-elected, as I currently have nothing planned beyond the implementation of the Shake Up Proposal and the launch of the project MS mentioned. However, should I feel that something needed changing, or someone brought an issue to me that suggested a need for change in a particular area, I would continue with my policy of bringing the proposed changes before the membership for debate before implementing anything.

[Padishar]

Thanks for the nomination,
and I apologize for this being soo late in coming,
but I have been fairly swamped of recent.

So why should I be Arbiter, eh?
me me me...
not you...
me...
hmmm

Well, I am not used to selling, describing or even evaluating myself,
I simply am.

And... Um... Care...

I also greatly enjoy our community which is largely based on unity, camaraderie and most of all friendship.
I wish to see it continue, prosper and grow.
Either leading from the front or following from the rear, it matters to me not.
As long as we are all having fun and doing what we do

yes, growth has been slow of late, but I believe that our recruitment practices have also been one of quality instead of quantity.
Our membership has not been catering to the masses and we have elected instead to recruit more mature like minded individuals.
Which so far has turned out phenomenally well in the games we have persisted in.
This (along with our open forms of communication) have lead to us keeping problems (ie. problem causers) to an all time low.

As far as problems go when they do happen,
I am often consulted, generally to help remedy, decide or even be the deliverer of consequence.

This has come about most likely due to my years of being the Eldest of my siblings (HUGE family btw), Years of being the boss at work, and a Sergeant in the 101st Airborne...

I try and handle most issues with as much candor and understanding as I can muster up at the time.

Ok, sorry if this turned out more like a personal blog then a selling myself speech,
I generally just let my actions speak for themselves.
You either take me as I am or you don't.

Again, thanks for the nomination and I am quite sure that any of the nominated individuals are more then qualified to handle the position.