WTH (Ombudsman) nomination discussion

[Jack]

Nice try, but I'm not buying it.

[semper]

Nice try, but I'm not buying it.

like I care...

[Dundee]

Don't worry though, I am not going to take all this 'running for Ombudsman' seriously... im far too unpopular for being honest, blunt, logical and fun to be given a fair chance at it. No doubt all of EPA will vote for Dundee, all of FS will vote for Mezzanine and so on and so forth...history proves this lesson.

Good luck none the less!

Just to address this, as much as I would like to be Ombudsman I won't ask anyone in the EPA to vote for me that doesn't want to. I could have easily done that for the Awards but I don't see the need in forcing my way into something that a majority of the community may not want.

That said, they may still vote for me out of loyalty regardless of what I say or want.

Now on to the serious discussion

To start of some serious discussion.. those who nominated themselves are free to reply, as I am curious to see what your responses are.

1. Experience:

I have no SGW mod experience, only my alliance forums. However I have a wealth of conflict resolution experience in my real life work. As I've said before I have a degree in Psychology and am a volunteer mediator for a local organisation dealing with families in crisis. This is generally divorce cases. I've been doing that on and off now for about 2 years.

Since leaving University I have worked in a Customer Services role (I started work in Sept 2005). In my first real job I worked as a Customer Support Advisor for British Telecom's Corporate and SDSL Departments where I handled all customer complaints coming in from BT's Corporate/SDSL customers. (My responsibilities were largely technical, it was often required to talk down an angry customer before getting to the root of their problems then going about resolving that.... this required a lot of understanding, patience and on rare occasions empathy)

In my current role with a Games dev company, I am a Systems Engineer and Desktop Support Technician. I spend my days working through often difficult technical problems and coming up with acceptable solutions. This often means mediating between two parties especially when one department doesn't tell the other what they are planning before they ask us to do it.

2. Mediation:

I would like to think of myself as a mediator, patience is indeed a virtue and I like to think I have it. Nothing really else to say on this that I haven't said above.

3. Eloquence:

I think I have to agree with MEZZANINE largely on this one, clarity is often better than eloquence.

4. Prioritising:

Prioritising has been part of my daily life since I left school. In my current work I have to prioritise my tasks based on their impact to the business.

To be fair I think we all have prioritising skills playing this game and juggling our real lives can be the toughest.


5. Accepting adversity:

In my opinion we shouldn't be on any of our own quests but simply assisting in the mediation of the complaints of forum users.

There will always be cases where something doesn't work out the way we want it. A good ombudsman should be humble enough to accept defeat and should be good enough to prevent any bad feeling seeping into their work.

Good luck to everyone in the race.

[zeekomkommer]

1. Experience:
[spoiler]I think the Ombudsman should have no SGW moderator experience. Real life experience with solving situations far outweighs the 'experience' of being an SGW mod. Let's face it, what benefits does one who has 'moderator experience' have? Aside from having strong ties to the one institution the Ombudsman is required to have no ties to? None..
Real life experience in problemsolving is much more valuable as knowing when to delete what, who and when to warn or know the rules by heart so much that you can practically wake up (if you ever sleep) and recite them all.
We all agree, Real Life is far more important as the game or these boards. You do agree with that, do you not? Is it not natural that we look for one who has real life, hands on experience in actively resolving issues?
Of course, knowing the rules is important.. but do not make the mistake of seeing knowledge of the rules as 'experience'. Anyone with a peanut-sized brain can look up the rules thread, and anyone with a walnut-sized brain can look for precedents. So the most important experience one can have is having been a mediator of sorts in real life.[/spoiler]

well universe i honestly think that an ombudsman should give up their forum mod status becausse it will lead to being biassed when it comes to mod-user issues.

my personal experience is dealing with problems is verry large, since i'm a student i have alot of problems trown @ me. my parents are divorced and i don't get along with my stepfather so this leads to a constant state of diplomacy. as i'm studying exact sciences i'm used to solving simple and complex problems with a analythical method. i'm a student tutor. i tutor ppl who have problems in school. i have learned not to give up until they understand it, sometimes it takes hours but i want them to understand it. i don't believe in half work and i always finish what i start. i am a leader of a training alliance wich leads to me talking to alot of new ppl and helping them become better players and persons. my alliance members tend to make trouble with other alliances wich i mostly solve in a diplomatic and respectfull member. in forum experience i can only say i am a mod and admin to omegan empire forum.

2. Mediation:
[spoiler]Being able to mediate between people is important. What? It is the job description of the Ombudsman! To mediate, you should not be stuck to the rules as if they were a Sacred Book. Anyone who is absolute in their interpretation of the rules makes a lousy ombudsman, for the simple fact that if the rules were that straightforward and clear under all circumstances, there would be no need for an ombudsman.
Mediation requires an open mind to the problems of everyone.
Mediation requires patience.
Mediation requires effort, and the will to sit around the table into the late hours of night to solve an issue.
Patience. That means the ability to sit and wait while others talk, argue or fight. What the people need is not someone who antagonises people by their nature, or someone who is so very mellow you can knead them like cookie dough.
Patience.[b] Mediation. The two are that much intertwined, that by default, one who is prone to impatience doth not a mediator make. Do not make that mistake.[/spoiler]

well i'm a verry open minded person, i have to be as the leader of a training alliance becausse i meet both experienced and inexperienced. more timide and the talk alot types. i can putmyself in nearly every position one can trow @ me cuz i'm a empathic person.

as far as patience goes just concider me an endless suply of it. this has been good and bad. my friends love me for it but sometimes i hate myself for it, cuz sometimes ppl turn out not to be worth my patience and they end up hurting me

well i put in alot of effort. i often get: don't try to solve everything yourself let other ppl do their part. but i don't mind putting in some effort. even tough i like to talk alot but i can listen when ppl want me to listen. and i can deal with the fact that i have superiors and that they need to make the final desiscions. as long as they make the desiscion in a acceptable timeframe.

3. Eloquence:
[spoiler]In the most broad sense of the word, eloquence is the skill with which one strings words together to efficiently and effectively transfer their thoughts to others.
English. It's the language of these boards, and generally the language we all use. Whether we love it or not, the Ombudsman is in a position which requires nigh-[b]absolute clarity in their words. Imagine this, the Ombudsman presents an issue to the Administration and there is confusion about what the actual issue is, would that be conducive to a rapid resolution of issues? Key to swift resolution of issues presented by forum members or moderators is communication. Key to good communication is absolute command of the English language. Like it or not, this is the language in use on these boards. What we need is a near-native speaker of English, or someone who is hardly ever misunderstood. People with a history of being misunderstood, whether by their own fault or by the ignorance of their conversation partners is not a good choice as Ombudsman.[/spoiler]

even tough english is not my native language and i'm dyslectic i believe i send verry clear messages. honestly cuz i try to keep it simple. i like things to be posted as clear as possible to avoid confusion.

4. Prioritising:
[spoiler]As an Ombudsman, you will receive hundreds of complaints. Many of those will be relatively unimportant, but all of those complaints deserve an answer. Imagine someone comes at you, complaining about how the mood on the forums is angry. While this is not something you, as an Ombudsman, have anything to do with, it is someone's problem. Treat it as such. Answer it honestly and in good faith, even if you suspect the complaint is merely an attempt to waste your time. You do not have the luxury to neglect the complaints of individuals.
What you do have, is a responsibility to treat the most urgent issues with the most urgency. To properly do that, you will need to prioritise. Prioritising requires of you that you can estimate the impact an issue has on the general public, how disruptive it is, and the impact of the possible consequences. Generally, you should aim to address all complaints within a week from receiving them. 'Address' is used lightly, this means you should respond to complaints in any way; basically 'acknowledging receipt' is sufficient. 'Solving' the issues is another matter, you will not be the Messiah, Saviour, come to rescue us from our issues. You are a middleman. A filter, if you will. But most of all, you are part of all of us, staff and regulars alike. [/spoiler]

well as ppl in the OE can testify, i take the forum verry seriously and i want things solved asap. no mather how small a problem looks to me it miht be a big problem for someone else. the big problems obviously need atention fast but you can never forget the small ones.


5. Accepting adversity:
[spoiler]Do not needlessly continue on a quest to solve an issue. If you cannot accept an Administrative ruling, by all means, appeal it. But don't keep appealing if your case is a clear cut lost cause. Accept 'defeat', not all problems can be solved.
Understanding that you cannot always 'win' is another important quality in an Ombudsman. It is almost as important as realising that you are not 'the People's Advocate', but someone who negotiates. Your goal is not to have the complainer get compensation or a solution, your goal is to assess and address complaints and forward relevant cases to the Administration.[/spoiler]

i can accept 'defeat' when i have given it my best job. if my work is sloppy i will redo it. as long as no descision has been made i will speak my mind and do my job. once it has been made i will stand behind it as it were my own


i would like to wish everyone good luck in this. most of you are verry well known forum users and it's an honour to run against all of you. i don't realy care if i make it or not, i just want to be able to say that i have given this a shot. i rather 'fail' then ponder around wat if i ran . may the most capable person win this regardless of alliances. this forum needs a good obudsman who can forget wich alliance he is in

thomas

[Antz]

My response, forgive the spoilers, it was the easiest way of quoting universe's post...plus it has the added benefit of being able to exclude it from immediate view.

1. Experience:
[spoiler]I have no SGW Modding experience, i have experience on other boards, but every one is different. I'm an utter outsider, yes, i know everyone, no, i don't particularly know any of the current mod staff. the only person from the 'administration' i know would be bill and seeing as he's resigned, I don't think he's relevant.

I am the eldest of four children, i know about arguments, i know about ending arguments, i see it every day at home, and currently my work life is in pieces because a new manager has come in who seemed to know nothing. My problem with him lied solely in the fact that he insulted me, once that was dealt with there is no longer the bad air in the work place.

As you'll have seen if you've ever focused on an AK war thread (yes...rare i know) i remain in good spirits the whole of the way through, yes some people do rattle my cage, but then....show me someone who gets along with everyone.[/spoiler]


2. Mediation:
[spoiler]I know, that yes, the last step is the official complaint, but before that there are 3 other steps before bringing these sorts of arguments to a close. I see no point in jumping to step 4 when steps 1-3 haven't been tried.

Flexibility is in my opinion, the key to settling arguments, ok, yes, the punishment may have been a bit harsh, but be under no certainty that even if you get an apology you'll get the warning(/ban) overturned, it is important to remember that the role of the ombudsman is not to end the argument now. it's to move both (or more) parties to a new paradigm, where they each understand why the other person made the move that they did. Not only to settle to current argument, but to look towards the future, end the bad blood and such. It is important to remember that just because the current argument is settled, doesn't mean there won't be some of what i like to refer to as the Human Factor, where people react as you'd expect, where they react to accusations of themselves negatively rather than with a view to change.

The next interaction may not be as easy, but as a mediator you should look to make it possible for a complete line be drawn under the incident, provoking a new 'working' relationship between those involved.[/spoiler]

3. Eloquence:
[spoiler]In case you haven't noticed, i have a way with words. I Like to write so that it makes people think. I'm not always the clearest in typing, i have a way of rambling my thoughts, but there'll never be mixed messages,

you do generally have to read all of my posts to fully understand what I mean but i'd hope you'd do that anyway.

I'm a native english speaker nd i dnt use txt spk on forms i lso use punchuations and am a god speeler. i hav a gud sens of humur 2. I Believe it's more important to be able to shrug off insults, accusations and the like, it's even more important to try to not to be influenced by them.[/spoiler]

4. Prioritising:
[spoiler]As mentioned, a simple response saying Thanks for the message i'll investigate it a bit further and get back to you if i deem it necessary would be the most standard response. Then there will be the humorous complaints which could well be met with humour of their own, next comes the important issue, which will need to be completely reviewed and responded to.

My personal Timetable would be as follows, 24 Hours for an initial Response, (up to a maximum of 48 hours) 3 - 5 days for the issue to be read, investigated and any further questions asked.

5-7 Days would be either wrapping up the issue or at the very least, investigating the timetable (where + when it'll be most conclusive to discuss the issue further)

Obviously, not all issues should be treated the same but similarly, just because an issue is more important on the grand scheme of things, doesn't mean we should ignore those that are deemed more trivial or frivolous. It could be that the responses to the Killer issues are failing because i'd check with the other party, send a message, or even waiting for a reply.

The more important issues should be looked at over a longer period of time to discourage an on the spot decision, it's important to get it right, and if that means re-reading everything 2-3 times, so be it.[/spoiler]

5. Accepting adversity:
[spoiler]Agreed, it's important to accept, that just because we can appeal, doesn't mean that we will win the appeal, but then, that's not the role of the ombudsman is it? to appeal is a simple process. The Ombudsman (or should that be Ombudsperson) is a much broader job than this allows for.

Yes, we would be the last option, but that doesn't mean that we're going to get things your way, we would be here under the authority of the forum admins.

It's simple you can't spend too much time focusing on one thing, i find that at work, someone could ask for say...a blackberry charger and the hotel's one has already been leant out, I could get hold of one quite easily, but there's no real point, someone will be upset/angry for about 30 seconds, conversely, sometimes you can see the impact a small gesture would create. (talking about getting my own ipod usb lead from home for a guest after ours was stolen, she had missed her connecting flight to the us, had all of her checked luggage lost and her carry on bag broke on the train, she never realised but she lost almost everything she had.)


It's the importance of knowing when things are worth pursuing and when to leave them be that makes a person suitable for this position, and personally, i'd hate to find that someone who goes above the norm to get something is actually criticised for it.[/spoiler]

I would like to hear the Candidates' thoughts on these few points. Consider it a 'test'.

Anyway, there are my answers, if you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact me by PM, as i'm more likely to read it, especially if the thread continues down the tetris vs jack direction it's headed now...


Antz

[Nimras]

A little birdy informs me the purple man will be going for the role too.

Purple damn is Smoosh running??

Ohh and Universe you get a answer shortly just has a few things to fix in the Race Section lol and also War and all hehe.

[zeekomkommer]

sure are alot of ppl running this year ...

any bets on how many will end up running for it ?

[Clarkey]

Good luck to those putting their name forwards.

[Brdavs]

A little birdy informs me the purple man will be going for the role too.

Who is this purple pretender?


You know, I just might... I got the biggest credential. I can`t stand the mods establishment and they can`t stand me.

[Clarkey]

A little birdy informs me the purple man will be going for the role too.

Who is this purple pretender?


You know, I just might... I got the biggest credential. I can`t stand the mods establishment and they can`t stand me.

Who said I can't stand you.

Also, no-one should be going for Ombudsman because they want to "change" the Mod establishment.

[Brdavs]

Gimme some time, I`ll grow "away from" you heh.

And ofc. I didnt imply the job comes with a mandate to change staff heh... just how the relations ought look.

IM-ever-so-HO a good ombudsman should be neutral to the staff if he`s going to be "supervising their actions" in a matter of speaking. But since that`s hardly an option nowadays...
Loads better chances of things actually getting done if they hate eachother as opposed to them being in bed together.

[Clarkey]

Gimme some time, I`ll grow "away from" you heh.

*huggles Brdavs*

[Tekki]

Not sure who all the current nominations are but one I did note I can't agree with - Semper.

He does not react well when challenged on the forum, and becomes rather short and tends to snap back at peoples. For an Ombudsman we need someone with patience, who doesn't take offence to being snapped at himself. And someone who can read what is there without reacting. I do not believe Semper can do this with some people.

This lack of impartiality is a major flaw I feel in his application for the position.

[FreeSpirit]

1. Experience:
I think the Ombudsman should have no SGW moderator experience. Real life experience with solving situations far outweighs the 'experience' of being an SGW mod. Let's face it, what benefits does one who has 'moderator experience' have? Aside from having strong ties to the one institution the Ombudsman is required to have no ties to? None..
Real life experience in problemsolving is much more valuable as knowing when to delete what, who and when to warn or know the rules by heart so much that you can practically wake up (if you ever sleep) and recite them all.
We all agree, Real Life is far more important as the game or these boards. You do agree with that, do you not? Is it not natural that we look for one who has real life, hands on experience in actively resolving issues?
Of course, knowing the rules is important.. but do not make the mistake of seeing knowledge of the rules as 'experience'. Anyone with a peanut-sized brain can look up the rules thread, and anyone with a walnut-sized brain can look for precedents. So the most important experience one can have is having been a mediator of sorts in real life.

I dont agree with u on the mod part to be honnest Auriel. I do think experience as a mod helps in how to approach users. How to handle conflicts and how to find a solving solution for both parties.
But when a mod becomes ombudsman they should resign from their mod duties. Yes i agree that experience in problemsolving is more needed and i personnaly say being lenient is a pro for the job to. In my daily job i work as bartender and have to be lenient on a daily base. I know bartending can not be equalled with people who work say for child protection but it is still a job that requires patience, hard work and lenient when needed.

Being able to mediate between people is important. What? It is the job description of the Ombudsman! To mediate, you should not be stuck to the rules as if they were a Sacred Book. Anyone who is absolute in their interpretation of the rules makes a lousy ombudsman, for the simple fact that if the rules were that straightforward and clear under all circumstances, there would be no need for an ombudsman.
Mediation requires an open mind to the problems of everyone.
Mediation requires patience.
Mediation requires effort, and the will to sit around the table into the late hours of night to solve an issue.
Patience. That means the ability to sit and wait while others talk, argue or fight. What the people need is not someone who antagonises people by their nature, or someone who is so very mellow you can knead them like cookie dough.
Patience.[b] Mediation. The two are that much intertwined, that by default, one who is prone to impatience doth not a mediator make. Do not make that mistake.

The rules can never be a sacred book in my eyes. They are written by users of the game and the forums and therefor there will always be discussion about it. The role ombudsman woudnt be in place if the rules were a sacred book cause if they were there would be no need for an Ombudsman. I agree with every line u posted about meditation and patience so i will not rant on about that.

In the most broad sense of the word, eloquence is the skill with which one strings words together to efficiently and effectively transfer their thoughts to others.
English. It's the language of these boards, and generally the language we all use. Whether we love it or not, the Ombudsman is in a position which requires nigh-[b]absolute clarity in their words. Imagine this, the Ombudsman presents an issue to the Administration and there is confusion about what the actual issue is, would that be conducive to a rapid resolution of issues? Key to swift resolution of issues presented by forum members or moderators is communication. Key to good communication is absolute command of the English language. Like it or not, this is the language in use on these boards. What we need is a near-native speaker of English, or someone who is hardly ever misunderstood. People with a history of being misunderstood, whether by their own fault or by the ignorance of their conversation partners is not a good choice as Ombudsman.

English indeed is the main language in the game but i do not think a "master" in English is required. As every forum the board does not use the English u get educated in. Slang and abbrevations are used on daily base and almost everyone who signed up knows them and knows what they mean. Incase soemthing isnt clear it never hurts to ask how something is meant to prevent miscommunication or in the worst case wrong communication. My english is good yet I am not a master in it. People know what i say and if they dont i always try a way to say it so that the person i speak to understands what i mean. Same goes for many non english players here and i think a fautl in spelling on accasion doesnt make someone a bad ombudsman if he/she corrects the mistake.

As an Ombudsman, you will receive hundreds of complaints. Many of those will be relatively unimportant, but all of those complaints deserve an answer. Imagine someone comes at you, complaining about how the mood on the forums is angry. While this is not something you, as an Ombudsman, have anything to do with, it is someone's problem. Treat it as such. Answer it honestly and in good faith, even if you suspect the complaint is merely an attempt to waste your time. You do not have the luxury to neglect the complaints of individuals.
What you do have, is a responsibility to treat the most urgent issues with the most urgency. To properly do that, you will need to prioritise. Prioritising requires of you that you can estimate the impact an issue has on the general public, how disruptive it is, and the impact of the possible consequences. Generally, you should aim to address all complaints within a week from receiving them. 'Address' is used lightly, this means you should respond to complaints in any way; basically 'acknowledging receipt' is sufficient. 'Solving' the issues is another matter, you will not be the Messiah, Saviour, come to rescue us from our issues. You are a middleman. A filter, if you will. But most of all, you are part of all of us, staff and regulars alike.

See with the first statement i can not agree. No complaint is unimportant. People approach the ombudsman when hes needed and he/she knows what to expect when signing up for the job. Every pm should be handeled in a timelimit of 36hours at the maximum. Every user logs in once a day atleast and some of the addicted like me among us only log out once a day
When u get pm-ed by someone u always have to be polite in ur answer wether ur ombudsman, admin, mod or user for that matter. Each person has the right to expres themself and to contact the ombudsman. Its however the ombudsman's job to answer everyone and mediate in every conflict that gets reported to him.

Prioritising: Offcourse every situation is a priority for the user who reported it. But its the task of the ombudsman to organise his work so that he can solve issues say in a timeline of one week. However sometimes that deadline will be crossed by unexpected problems that arise. Not every mod/user/admin is online and some go on hollidays to. So there always "might" be a problem that arises.

Do not needlessly continue on a quest to solve an issue. If you cannot accept an Administrative ruling, by all means, appeal it. But don't keep appealing if your case is a clear cut lost cause. Accept 'defeat', not all problems can be solved.
Understanding that you cannot always 'win' is another important quality in an Ombudsman. It is almost as important as realising that you are not 'the People's Advocate', but someone who negotiates. Your goal is not to have the complainer get compensation or a solution, your goal is to assess and address complaints and forward relevant cases to the Administration.

I see no need to try and debate this statement as I fully agree with you.

More questions ill be happy to answer.

[semper]

Not sure who all the current nominations are but one I did note I can't agree with - Semper.

He does not react well when challenged on the forum, and becomes rather short and tends to snap back at peoples. For an Ombudsman we need someone with patience, who doesn't take offence to being snapped at himself. And someone who can read what is there without reacting. I do not believe Semper can do this with some people.

This lack of impartiality is a major flaw I feel in his application for the position.

all part of the role playing... You see I commit to my role play roles because I am a good role player. *points at self* Certainly seems to have fooled you! On the same note, I would commit to this role in the same way. I was brought up to not be bothered, but when I have a job to do, I do it to my full abilities without messing about.

and I never, ever take offence at anything. I could now write a long winded post about what I exactly feel about your personal character and flaws Tekki, and how its rather apparent you really dont like me so this point is 'bias', but I wont... Just to demonstrate my point.

Hope that clears a few things up for you Tekki...