Battleteam Shadow Gate

9 November 2009

Driftan Housan, Commanding

Greetings members of Shadow Gate,

-=Introduction=-

During my limited time in the Brotherhood I have begun to notice a number of patterns and themes that seem to run throughout the group; some very helpful, while others are very detrimental to the overall health and unity of the club. I wanted to spend a few minutes addressing some of these issues, and how they specifically pertain to our situation here in Shadow Gate, Qel-Droma and Arcona. As a subculture of society (and, yes, the DJB is a very interesting and unique subculture), we have very distinct segments of our culture, and it is my hope that as you read this, you will begin to think about how you fit into the organization and best serve out of your personality and passions.

Fillers vs. Drainers

Any leader of an organization will tell you that there are people that are a joy to be around, and that there are people who they will avoid at all costs. There are some people when we see come around that we really want to say hi to because we know that it will make our day better, but when we see certain people call on the telephone we will ignore them for as long as we can. Likewise, in the DJB, we have people who I will call "fillers" and "drainers"; fillers being those that make being a part of the Brotherhood fun and rewarding, and drainers being the ones that we cringe at every time they sign onto IRC.

Sometimes we get lost in the mindset that since we are on the internet and the people we interact with are oftentimes nameless and faceless, that we can act any way we please. On one hand, you are absolutely correct; it's a beautiful part of living in the free societies that most of us call home. On the other hand, there are ACTUAL people on the other side of the screen that give of their time, abilities and emotions for something we all deem important. These are things we should think about before we act like a jerk on IRC or send off that fiery email. CHALLENGE: Are you a "filler" or a "drainer"? If you are a filler, what are you doing to spread that in your team, house and clan? If you are a drainer, why are you like that, and what can you do to change in order to become a filler?

Players vs Referees

Pretty much everyone I've interacted with at all on IRC has voiced one complaint or another at some point in time. It is natural for us to voice the frustrations that build up over time, and I believe that frustration is a healthy thing when it causes us to work passionately towards resolving the issue that has caused the frustration. The issue here is, do we really want to help solve the problem, or do we just like to voice our complaints in a public way and get everyone riled up? Let us call this distinction the "players" vs. the "referees", where the players are the ones involved in solving the issues that arise, while the referees just enjoy being a part of the game so they can blow the whistle and tell everyone what the problems are.

It is not hard to see the problems within the club. Heck, I was seeing them when I was here for just three weeks. CHALLENGE: Do you want to be the guy on the sidelines blowing the whistle, pointing out the problems, then standing on the sideline while others go about fixing the issue, or do you want to be the one in the game, getting things done, and creating a better team, house and clan? I'm not saying you should never be frustrated, or even voice your frustrations, but when the rubber meets the road, are you in it to get it done, or just to whine and complain?

Leaders vs Members

This one is a bit touchy, so I wanted to save it for last. One of the tensions within the Brotherhood is that most high level promotions and medals are primarily rewarded to people who have served in leadership positions for an extended period of time, while those who serve faithfully, consitantly, and skillfully within a "regular" member slot are often times left out of those posibilities. My point here is not to debate whether or not it is right, but just to point out the reality of the situation, and pose another question. Are you better suited to serve as a leader in the Brotherhood or as a member?

The reason I ask this question is because if you are someone who is not gifted in leadership, you will hate serving as a leader in the Brotherhood. For one, you don't get paid for this stuff, and the benefits are not that great either. Add to that the paperwork and never-ending personality clashes, and it is not as glamorous as one might think from the outside. On the other hand, as a member, you are free to pursue any activity you so desire, even being involved at very high levels in the club without all the weight and responsibilities of leadership. There are costs and benefits to each side, but you must decide where you fall. CHALLENGE: If you are a leader, what are you doing to better prepare yourself for leadership in the club? In what do you need to improve? Take a good, hard, honest look at yourself. If you are not a leader, please do not aspire to serve in leadership positions, because you will only end up being frustrated and burnt out, and hurting those you are called to lead. There are plenty of other ways in which you can enjoy this club; find them, excel in them, and set the standard for the rest of the Brotherhood.

-=Activity=-

The results for the timed events in the Great Hunt were released this week, and I was very glad to see how we have done so far. At this point, we are in a solid 3rd place position with the skilled events still being processed. I am proud of you guys, and look forward to seeing how we end up in all of this. As always, please email me and let me know what you are working on. Even if you are in the middle of writing a fiction, but have not turned it in, please email me and let me know. It lets me properly reward you when the time is right.

Driftan

URL Hunt 2 - 1st Place

What's That 2 - 1st Place

Hunt the Jedi 1 - Participation

URL Hunt 1 - Participation

Who Said That? 1 - Participation

What's That 1 - Participation

Who Said That? 2 - Participation

Trivia - Participation

Codebreaker - Participation

Halloween Flash Games - 3rd Place

IRC Activity

Fiction

Strategos

Hunt the Jedi 1 - Participation

URL Hunt 1 - Participation

Who Said That 1 - Participation

What's That 1 - Participation

Who Said That 2 - Participation

Trivia - Participation

Codebreaker - Participation

IRC Activity

Ruluk

Halloween Party Fiction - 2nd Place

Halloween Flash Games - 2nd Place

Battleteam Wiki Page

IRC Activity

Email Activity

Earnest

Nothing

Tol

Nothing

Vassan

Email Activity

Quel-Un

Nothing

Jaecyn

Hunt the Jedi 1 - Participation

URL Hunt 1 - Participation

Who Said That 1 - Participation

What's That 1 - Participation

URL Hunt 2 - Participation

Who Said That 2 - Participation

What's That 2 - Participation

Trivia - Participation

Codebreaker - Participation

Good stuff guys. Keep it up, and look for other ways you can be involved and take the initiative within the team, house, clan, and Brotherhood.

-=Upcoming=-

We are going to have a team run-on starting soon that will last until around the time the RoS starts in the new year. I will be sending out another email to you all when that begins, and I look forward to seeing what creative ways you will take this joint story.

I also believe that the next round of competitions will be coming from Zakath and Sang. Just like the last round had to do with Halloween, I think this time around they will be doing Thanksgiving or Christmas. Should be a lot of fun and easy way so to rack up some competitions medals. Keep an eye out.

-=Closing=-

It is an honor and privelege to lead this team, and I want you all to know that. Keep up the great work, and I will be in contact with each of you throughout the week. Feel free to drop a line any time with any questions, comments, concerns, or ideas you may have. My door is always open.

--

Guardian Driftan Housan

Dossier #10886

GRD Driftan Housan (Sith)/CMDR/Qel-Droma of Arcona [ACC: INI]

DC-CP / Cr-1A-2S-2T / CF / LS-AgL

{SA: DMP - DMGH}