Emissary Report
Greetings and salutations,
We haven't spoken lately and for that I apologize and hope to rectify. As you might have noticed things have been a bit slow in the Assembly. Lately I have asked a few things of you and for the benefit of any who might have missed it I shall reiterate what I'd like to see.
Clan Websites
For the most part, good, however there are some that are out dated. Now I in no way want to sound like Astatine, but a good looking and up-to-date website does draw in new members and there are a couple out there that could update the news and other areas. Just something to keep in mind, those who have contacted me already don't worry, this isn't a brow-beating session.
Clan Reports
Just a reminder, include myself on the mailing list when you send these out. Also, I noticed that some haven't been adding these to DJB.org - I know the PCON does the clan report sometimes and you might say "Why bother since they recieve it in the mail?" Well a good reason to add it to DJB.org is for historical, clerical and backup reasons.
We have some younger members now on the AoC, younger in that they are new to their position and as with any new job it takes time to get situated and feel comfortable with what they are doing. Should ANY of you, young leaders or old, need any assistance don't feel shy of asking me. When I started out as a leader in the DB I created the Independent House Naga Sadow - it was a good idea and has become a great clan, but it was a set back for me. I had no one to look to or ask about what I should be doing or how to handle situations, Khyron was there for me with his guidance but there was no AoC and feudal system was quite active in those days so you felt alone. With my role as Emissary I hope to rectify that by being here for you all to help you with whatever problems I can.
With the GJW being somewhat postponed we have time to conduct inner-clan competitions. Planning these out and organizing so that all members of all orders can participate despite their order or game platform will not only help bring the clan together but is also helping to prepare them for aspects of Project: Rebirth when we won't have order based houses. From personal experience I know how much work goes into planning of these, so should any need help in preparing or having an impartial judge - I am available.
The members need to be kept active if you want an active house, an activee clan and an active brotherhood. Making sure we are prepared in advance to keep them active is vital and we can all chip. I'm going over some plans that I've written down on my notepad and will bring these up in my next address to help further the betterment of the brotherhood.
I would like to thank Sith Bloodfyre for helping me see what I really need to focus my thinking and attention on, his guidance along with Telaris "Mav" Cantor's has really helped me shape my thinking into what I need to do for my part as EMS in serving you all.
The Emissary,
Overlord Tron Sadow
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I suppose the clan sites are mostly good for a bunch of three year olds. Almost all the sites are out of date. Pretty much all of them could use a makeover. Oh and the content provided is minimal for the most part. I don't want to rag on individual sites and I'd rather not diss the sites too much in general, but it would be nice to get a real report on how the sites are.
I go through them all the time, searching for ideas, and am disappointed again and again. I hate to sound so negative since I'm a PCON and all, but come on, for the most part good is the exact opposite of what they are.
Since the database was introduced years ago, Clan websites have tended to not be quite as updated as they were before. Some Clans just don't have someone capable of creating a nice looking website and keeping it updated. Now, for the most part, the Clan sites do contain most of the necessary information on House and Summit members. Now, several of the websites do need some pretty big updates... But Tron has contacted these folks already, and is working to get their sites updated. In general, telling people that their site sucks and they need to redo all of it is not the way to get people to do things (and most of the sites don't "suck", they just need an overhaul as far as updates is concerned.)
I'm not trying to start a debate here or anything, but Tron is working on getting the websites of the Clans updated. If you so hate the way other Clans sites look, why don't you offer your help in improving their functionality and updatability? I know you can program PHP very well, and I bet that a PHP coder helping some of these guys get news scripts working would be very helpful. Alternatively, you could also suggest some websites where people could learn how to create an automated news script. It may not be your responsibility, but clearly you have a strong opinion on this subject, and most likely know more about automated websites than Tron. :)
You don't need PHP and automation to keep things up to date. Everyone relies so much on the automation now that they're not willing to put forth the effort to keep it up to date without it. Hell, a lot of automated sites are guilty of not being up to date. :P
Its not even really an issue of up to date in the sense of daily news as much as just... up to date in the sense of no more references to the Emperor's Hammer, or Consuls that are no longer Consul and that kind of thing.
I personally don't see the need for things like Clan websites to have "news" pages. All important news should get sent direct to members through mailing lists and direct email anyway, so news pages are not totally necessary. That said, it does look bad to have an out of date news page, which is why I am actually going to remove the news page from the Sith Order website, for all my news goes onto djb.org anyway, and it seems wrong to have a news page there which is unused, as it just sends the wrong message.
I'd actually encourage Clans to do the same, if you don't think you can update the news page often enough- then don't have one. Just make it a resource for your members, with lots of pretty pictures and stories. A Clan page that just tells you about the history of the Clan, its beginnings, its place in the Brotherhood, its history in competition, its specific Force Powers, its past leaders and Consuls, its clan bases and homeworlds I think speaks more than a news page that tells people 'Page X has been updated' or 'Comp Y is over'. That kind of news doesn't seem worth it, as it just is destined to not get updated and send the 'we're inactive' message, which actually is untrue, as the activity simply lives on mailing lists 90% of the time.
That's why I think the webpage should be more of a one time investment. I don't wanna sound pushy, as its just an idea, but I'd actually quite like if the Seneschal people and all the other web designers took on "clan sites" as part of Project Rebirth, aiming to make them more of information hubs rather than daily news pages- as that ensures they're always update, and just look pretty for new members.
After all, how many people actually check clan pages for news? It's just not necessary, so they may as well be more of just fancy show off pages for the Clan.
One reason people might not check Clan webpages is that there is nothing there worth checking. If you keep an updated list of Competitions and other information as a useful reference for members, then they probably would use the Clan sites.
As for making the SCL deal with Clan websites as a part of Rebirth, don't you think the SCL has enough to deal with already? I'd say let the CONs find a way to get a website up.
Yeah, they have enough to deal with already, hence why I did make the point that it was just an idea. Though still, in the long run, I think that the existance of Clan sites should be just as much a priority as things like having an up to date and online Dark Side Compendium.
After all, having a DSC is great, but only so far. People might be able to find general DB information in the DSC but finding Clan specific information from a Clan site is just as important when it comes down to it. Which is why I'd be far more favourable to every Clan just having more or less its own Codex/Manual- a site is nice, but not really necessary, but a manual about the Clan is rather crucial to ensure the identities of Clans are strong.
Anyway, its more a long term project than a short term, but I think it would be nice for Clan sites to have more Dark Council attention given to them as oppossed to just being "a sign of an active consul", when they are in truth far more than that, as they build the Brotherhood, not just the individual Clan.
Hmm... and about putting reports on djb.org... I used to do that religiously as a PCON and CON (a period of a full year) and then somebody said "woah, we've used up too much space" and deleted all reports. Are those backed up somewhere?
chaoslogic.com/DB as far as I know
Space won't be a problem anymore now cause we're on djb.com, which has a lot more space.
Anyways, I was already thinkign of providing Clan News and Clan Reports export scripts as a part of Rebirth in several languages, so Clan Sites can just put up a reports.php or reports.asp and have it auto-updated each time they post something to djb.com
how bout that?