[Christopher Halsey]

Gaming clans have existed for quite some time and can vary greatly. Some are big, some are small. Some are led by one person, some by a group of people. Some support only one game, some support multiple games. But they all exist, or they should all exist, for one reason. To serve as a hub to bring together people who want to socialise and game together.

Most clans, guilds, fleets whatever term you want to use have some kind of structure in which different people have different roles in order to ensure that the clan functions on a day to day basis. For a clan to run smoothly a great deal of work often needs doing. Those that carry out that work seldom get paid or receive any rewards beyond aknowledgement for the free time they spend working to ensure the free time of members is as enjoyable as possible.

Most clans usually put a lot of emphasis on what the leaders and officers are expected to do, what their responsibilities and accountabilities are and I find myself wondering why. Don't we all have a part to play from the brand new member to the leadership veteran?

In life someone who gains without effort, someone who benefits from the work of others is often seen negatively even if there is some perfectly acceptable reason for them being in such a position. In gaming clans it is almost a case of this not being seen as negative but as the norm.

When someone joins a gaming clan they are being invited and welcomed in to a private group, a group that pays for a website, forums, servers and perhaps other facilities and in most cases all that is asked for in return is for them to follow the rules. That strikes me as a pretty good deal. How often in life does that sort of thing happen? Not very frequently.

So should there be more expected of members than simply following the rules? In an ideal world I think a lot more should be expected of members, a few minutes here or there contributing to some of the work load, a very small one time or recurring fee to contribute towards the operating costs, there are a few ways in which it would probably not be unreasonable to expect someone to contribute towards those that provide them a service. In life goods and services are seldom free.

However there is a problem, people are members of gaming clans but only act as a member during their free time, when they are interacting with the rest of the membership. So if a clan is providing a service for people during their free time then perhaps it is a bit much to expect them to contribute their time or money towards it after all they want to be having fun not doing work or having to pay for the privaledge.

So on the one hand it seems perfectly acceptable that people should have to contribute a bit more than just following the rules and on the other hand it is completely unreasonable to have such expectations.

Surely both can't be right but both can't be wrong can they?

Let us assume that the two statements are the extremes. On the one side the only expectation should be that the rules are followed, on the other side is the expectation that people should be expected to contribute with their time or money in exchange for the service they receive.

Whats in the middle?

A clan is only as good as what the membership makes of it. So perhaps there is some middle ground where there are some additional expectations but ones that do not eat in to the free time or wallets of the members.

What these expecations may be is probably not for any one person to define, if I were to attempt to think of what some of these expectations could possibly be I would probably think of things like:

• Trying not to increase the workload of others.
• Trying not to create incidents with other members or clans.
• Giving feedback about what is going well and what you don't like.
• Pitching in and offering your services if and when you have the ability and the desire to.
• Offering ideas if you think of anything that might make things better
• Donating if and when possible.
• Asking for help from or telling someone appropriate if you have a problem.
• Attending events when possible.
• Showing support for those that do have specific responsibilities.

Ask not what your clan can do for you, but what you can do for your clan. I don't think this is neccesarily true because it is quite acceptable for someone to want to get something out of the experience but gaming clans exist to enrich the gaming experience of their members. This is everyones free time and it would be outrageous to expect people to spend their free time just giving and not doing a little taking but joining a clan is perhaps a slightly bigger responsibility than we realise and to make a clan a real success every one of its members has a role to play. Teams change between maps, clans stick together a lot longer, so what should our expectations be of each other?

Discuss :mrgreen:

[Thomas Mullaly]

I think having high expectations in terms of professionalism and conduct is completely reasonable. While we're here to have fun for ourselves, we all have to respect that others want to have fun as well, and our disposition can affect their enjoyment. If we're jerks, then it's likely that we're spoiling the fun of everyone around us.

As for work expectations - we should always be striving to do our best in everything when it comes to the fleet since you get out what you put in - however I don't think that it's reasonable to expect people to work for the fleet. I tend to agree with the conclusions you drew in that pointed list. We should expect people to act in the best interests of themselves, which means that they should help the fleet to have a more positive experience by providing feedback as required as well as pitching in when and if possible or desired. And really that's it. Pretty simple.

If you're looking at what makes a clan stick together - it's the atmosphere, IMHO. The people at the top have to be open and receptive to change, requests and queries; not strung like a puppet to bureaucracy. The people at the bottom have to be open to contributing, and working with others either in-game or on the forums to make this a happy family. With everyone constantly working on having a dialogue, the fleet will get along well. When one side begins to percieve that the other side isn't listening, is when there begins to be discord and discontent. The people at the top have to be open to being overruled by the majority sometimes in order to keep the dialogue and idea that the people can have a say in the destiny of the fleet.

Anyways, it's extremely late here, so I'll stop rambling and go to bed.

Cheers,
Thomas Mullaly

[Stormy]

It's quite a quandary to be sure.

In most volunteer organizations, 80 percent of the work is performed by 20 percent of the members. Sad, but true. If there were an easy solution to this problem, the above statistic would not exist.

The UFP does at least require members to sign in monthly. This, to me, is a very positive step toward encouraging members to participate in a more tangible way. A suggestion to encourage members to participate in the fleet's administration and operation might be to send an email to every member one or two months after they join the fleet asking a few questions, such as: Are you happy with your current fleet? Do you feel familiar with the fleet's operations and opportunities? Have you applied or considered applying to help in any of the fleet's administrative or in-game opportunities? Why or why not? Etc.

Another aid in recruiting volunteers is to give an estimate of time expected from each job. Some members may be willing to help but feel a particular job will require too much of their time. If there was an estimated weekly time requirement on each job posting, it might generate more response.

As for required financial donations, there are two issues I see. First, not every member has the ability to contribute. We as a fleet do not require members to have a certain income in order to participate and I venture to guess some struggle to pay Cryptic's monthly fee to play the game. I certainly do not want to turn anyone away just because they are financially unable to participate.

The second reason many may not contribute, and this is a personal one, is every time I look at the bottom of the screen to see where we are in contributions, it is always above what is needed to meet the fleet's needs. This is both positive and negative in my opinion.

On the positive, we obviously have members who feel strongly enough about the fleet to ensure it's continued operation by donating on a regular basis. While I do not know this for sure, I would venture to say the same few members contribute every month. Others, such as myself, do not contribute because I do not see a need to stockpile funds if our needs are being met.

I do have a suggestion for a possible solution. First, be sure to let members know when contributions are needed each month, preferably there where the donation information currently resides. In my previous fleet we opened up donations for the first week of each month. Second, ask those who donate on a monthly basis to wait until the last couple of days of the open period to make their donation. By doing this they allow other members who may not be willing or able to donate monthly, or like me who seem to miss the opportunity an chance to give back to the fleet. If the month's needs are not met by the last couple of days, our faithful contributors may then make up the difference.

[Grace Pryde]

Great posts. One well worth re-reading.

Grace

[Babyhead4127]

Great posts. One well worth re-reading.

Grace

Yep it is

and something chris i remember in the army ( durring the war blah blah ) .... ;p
that communication is a the key to a good clan or what ever people calll them selfs and is the down fall in i say 6/10 groups

what links the little people at the bottem of the chain to the top and back down again ?

communication
communication
communication

Here are the key mistakes

It is characteristic of people to make communication mistake in the influence of feelings, or because they do not know how to build relationships. In the field of business, they made mistakes in the communication can lead to serious financial problems. How to avoid from communication mistakes while contacting with partners and to remain the winner?

Communication mistake number 1: “Never argue. Always stay with your point of view“

The author of this statement, Bernard Shaw, of course, joked, but people who are sticking to this position of life, unfortunately, often have a lack of self-irony. It is not worth having long discussions with them, because they will have an iron response to all arguments: “You did not convince me, and you never will, because of this simple reason that I am right always!”.



It is hard to admit to yourself similar mistakes, because it is much easier and more enjoyable to defend your ego. However, as a wise and educated person should acknowledge that he/ she make a mistake by refusing to take a different view. During the conversation at least two egos are participating, which can be combined under one heading – “we”. By stubbornly insisting on your ego, you can take a huge risk, as you may be excluded from the dialogue, in which case you will have to continue the conversation with yourself, but we all have well known that alone you cannot create a business. It is not worth insisting on your truth and therefore, lose your partners, as it nowadays can cost too much. You want to succeed – learn to contact and negotiate with people, even if you are certain that your partner of conversation is not right!

Communication mistake number 2: I am never wrong!

Mistakes should be acknowledged soon, and best until your opponent has not turned to his advantage. Your mistake sooner or later will come to light, so it is best not to worsen the situation further on even more, by making a mistake in communication, namely, by sitting and ” and keeping mum” or trying to hide your mistake. Better to “expose” yourself with dignity and a smile on your face, then letting your competitors to do it for you. If you will get stubborn and not step back from your false ambitions, then you will only damage your reputation: you will make mistakes, and you do not know how to recognize the fact that you were wrong. Usually in the business environment all know each other very well, so the reputation of the stubborn donkey, which is devoid with no particle of self-criticism. You absolutely do not need!

Communication mistake number 3: Pass over to particulars of a person

With communications related mistakes not only in personal lives but also in a business lead to one and the same result – dislike and even rising hate. Who will like, if instead of rightly criticizing made mistakes, you begin to swear your conversation partner?! Therefore, for all time divide your position and the personality of an opponent, and should never touch the personality of the opponent while you express criticism. Even if your partner or a competitor is not right, do not drive him/ her into the corner using some personal information! You can and should criticize the results and consequences of the work, but not the intimate life, motives of behavior or human nature. Respect the private life of other people!

Do not ruin even the most hated competitors, because, no matter how strange it may sound, but it is likely that tomorrow you will have to face these people in a different sphere of life, as an ancient folk wisdom says: “Do not spit in the well from which you will have to drink “. Who knows, perhaps ahead of you is that well, so give a chance to the opponent to prove his/ her right, and, possibly, this person will be grateful to you for it. Conflicts, disputes, fights, threats and intimidation of competitors – it will not lead to anything good, so let it stay in the past, take a bet on positive communication, learn to contact with people by respecting them, and then you will also be respected. The calculation is very simple but very effective. This is all three is a common communication mistake.

Dont forget have fun and respect others




Ref:

<>Chris oneills army bash talks 2002 - 2010
<>http://www.ladyinfo.com/dear-communication-mistakes/