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CSM9: Day 7

At some point, around the middle of the week, I realized that I didn't know how I would structure these updates. Along the way I wanted to write mini-updates through the week. That came from my excitement wanting to get out. It wound up going from slow to busy over the course of the week and everything is new and exciting for me. Yet, I promised to stick to just Sundays and I'm going to do my best to keep that promise because it will help me to stay drawn into my regular game. I stopped fretting about something that didn't matter and decided to just write and let it meander on its own.

At the start is the reflection that was created at the end of the week. The CSM title has already changed some things. Some of my relationships have altered and I don't know how I feel about that. In gaining this I am changed and as much as I'd like to say I'm not, I am. But, I don't think its a bad thing. I'm not kicked back sipping crystal while I gloat over my self importance. But, still, it is odd seeing the intertwined CSM9 with my name and figuring out where this new part of me goes. I'm really still just Sugar. I don't want to lose that about myself.

The elections where Saturday midday for me. I still see the picture from the screen and stare at myself in shock. Not narcissistic shock. Just, wonder and a cascading impact as everything catches up to me that all of the work and the effort and the ups and the downs culminated in success.

On Sunday, Ali herded us together and started creating channels on Skype and getting used to each other. There is no NDA signed so no CCP channel access. We kind of circled each other in a friendly way. I, for instance, don’t really know anyone and most of the CSM does not actually know me. So, we started to talk and warm up to each other. We got to play Political Spaceship Spreadsheets in space and plot in our work hours vs availability hours to try to best schedule meetings. It is a lot like all the paperwork when you get a new job.

Not having an NDA yet means we did not have CCP access. We had a transition room with CSM8 but they had to watch what they said. Instead, we decided to plan out other things. One common complaint is, “What did the CSM do?” Also, I've seen such things as, “They should have to have an active forum presence to run,” and “I shouldn't have to find their stuff it should be here.” We want to be more visible as visibility is a very common topic. Therefore, we’re going to try some media saturation.

Individual efforts (I'm working on links on my CSM9 page):

  • FunkyBacon has his Eve Radio Program and his blog.
  • Xander has Crossing Zebras podcast and blog.
  • Core is going to try to write regularly for EN24.
  • Ali has Declarations of War, her blog, and TMC.
  • Mike has Podside and a blog and works the Eve-O forums.
  • I have a blog and am trying for monthly low sec talks on Eve Uni Mumble.
  • Mynnna has promised to try to write weekly in his blog.
  • Mangala has a blog and a RvB public forum presence.
  • Corbexx plans to do a regular Wormhole talk and has started a blog.
  • Steve has EveBloggers.com as well as a blog on Fuzzwork.co.uk.
  • Silva is going to try his hand at blogging. He also has a billion chat channels.

We’re going to continue town halls. Everyone can do whatever podcasts or interviews they think up, put together, or get invited to.

We have CSM9.org. We’re working on that as a portal to all of our various content. It will also allow us to attack crowd sourcing projects which is something I am very excited about. However, we’re not asking everyone to come to CSM9.org. We will make sure that everything is posted to the forums (Mike is the main on that) as well as The Mittiani.com and Eve News 24. Then individuals can post to blogs and private media sources and CSM9.org can pull all of it into a one stop shop (Steve has volunteered to write all of that stuff.) that is currently under development.

Now, it seems that on day one I made a suggestion that made complete and total sense to me and wound up ruffling feathers and making people act as if some great conspiracy had happened. The officer discussion was broached and how there were plans to wait for the Summit and that it was not optimal to elect that late in the session. I asked, “Why even have officers? After all, we’re equals and different people elected us.”

You see, I had spent a lot of time rereading CSM information before I created my blog post.

From the Eve Online Wiki about the CSM: Summary of Representative Responsibilities
The CSM is a “flat” organization, and Officers do not have special powers, only additional responsibilities. The responsibilities of the Chairman and Vice-Chairman are to handle official communications between the CSM and CCP, and they are expected to be particularly active in interacting with the community. The responsibilities of the Secretary and Vice-Secretary are related to the production of official CSM publications such as the CSM Summit Minutes. Thus, CSM Officers are expected to be the most active members of the CSM. Alternates are not part of the council structure; fourteen members are elected to the council and if a member, for whatever reason, is unable to serve on the council, it will carry on without a replacement member.
People are going to step up and do the work and that was shown clearly. Titles didn't reflect what was actually happening. And if they don’t mean anything why do we have them? Those who wish to come to me are going to come to me. They probably won't know or care who the chairman is anymore than I would if I was going to my rep. We all have equal access to CCP. If titles where no longer connected to the election rank (which maybe made sense) why even have them? Don't people elect motivated, strong willed individuals? I don't need anyone in charge of me to do my job. That is the entire reason I ran in the first place. I figured I just said what went through everyone's minds.

It seems that I don’t actually, telepathically, share understanding with everyone in the game. The CSM9 members agreed. We discussed it and no one seemed flustered over it. There were no tears of longing. There was no weird agenda. I figured that no one would care.

I was wrong. People wanted to know who was in charge. I was down right puzzled. If people are not going to work in this position no amount of titles will make them work. If people are going to work in this position no amount of titles will stop them from working. Let the work show the person not an assigned title. But, there was a lot of writing about it as if it was very big and very exciting as well as worries over the white paper. I still can't fully wrap my mind around it being a bad change.

We got our NDAs on Wednesday (Day 3). Who knew a few days could feel so long? I was home so I printed it off, scanned it, and sent it back binding myself forever and ever and ever! Everyone but Matias (Who I do not think has yet signed) had their NDA’s signed and back to CCP in under twenty four hours. This let us make it to the first meeting on Thursday.

What is it like behind the NDA wall? Right now it is just confusing. Not everyone uses their Eve name. I learned how to rename people so that I could connect the names together. Also, the Skype app needs to not scroll when someone updates the chat. It makes it a pain to catch up while in on the go. Someone asked why Skype and not an in game chat room. The simple reason is easy and flexibility of communication. I’m somewhat amazed at how many people don’t spend that much time logged in. Not that I have been in space much, but that is par the course. I do a lot of terrible typing on my phone during my workday.

On Thursday, we had the first conference and I discovered that I couldn't go. It was a day off but we had scheduled my husband’s bike in for service. It needed to be at the shop at the same time as the meeting. What luck, considering we scheduled his bike two weeks ago before I got the results. Thusly, I slacked in the very first week.

With the NDA sorted I started writing people to ask them to meet with me, or chat, or mail me if they didn’t mind so that we could talk about topics. I also contacted Neville Smit and scheduled a Meet and Greet on Eve Uni Mumble to kick off my monthly plan of contact. Someone suggested I start twitch streaming or active a twitch stream for people to simply communicate with me because it seems that communicating with the CSM is hard. I am hoping that my monthly chat will work well and if it needs to be a bi-monthly due to popularity or time or something we will cross that hurdle when it comes. I am still logged in every day and my contact details are all available for the various social media I am logged into.

On Friday we got our own channel with CCP and the official transition started. With five members of CSM8 on CSM9 the transition is going smoothly. We do not yet have forum access and that should be sorted next week. For now we are transferring information back and forth. CCP brings stuff up in chat or on the forums and we respond and agree and disagree.

Also, the results came out. Everyone did amazing by me. I'm leaving the vote counting and the sub counting to other people. This is my election. I am pleased, and proud, and excited, and thankful, and burning with energy to make all of those voters proud. Or at least pleased and not interested in burning me at the stake.

There has been a lot of discussion about how interested players are in the CSM. The decrease in voter count says to some that the CSM is not interesting. To others, it is a matter of advertising. To still another group it is because there are not bad things happening to incentive enough people to vote. In some ways it is unpleasant to listen to people lament the apathy. There are some curves that suggest that people are not as apathetic as it may seem. The results of Steve and myself show that some groups are heavily invested in their candidate. Core also reflects this.

One discussion I have had with a member of the big, sov bloc votes is the expectations a voter has for their CSM rep. For me, people expect me to listen to them and gather that together to use in my contact with CCP. It is not the Sugar show. It is my becoming a vessel of communication with a basic concept of the game and the areas of the game I am a part of that does not offend those that choose to vote for me. Yet, the sov bloc votes for someone (often a person in a solid leadership role) who will understand the needs of the bloc because the person identifies with what they are vs who.

Or so, it seems to me. It brought the thought back around to the activity of the member and the desire of the voter. What I may judge as the responsibility of a CSM member another person may not. My judgement is built off of my own desire. I want to be heard and listened to. I want my insights, if they seem unique, considered. It wouldn't occur to me to say, "Go and speak for me, k, thanks!" I want to speak for myself first.

Startlingly, not everyone is me.

Now for fun, random things. Too much seriousness will make this boring. So! Should my boys buy me an official brick tanked CSM limo?

Back when I started, the day after I posted my thread we were joking around in Jabber. They brought up the fact that I would become primary and I’d need a brick tanked ship to stay on grid. However, the good side was that everyone would be so focused on killing me that they’d be able to get work done. Core has already commented that he is seeing a lot of this.

Fun Fact: I'm pretty sure this is the first CSM with two female members?

My favorite reddit comment.

And that is the week. I've been trying to keep up with other posting and Eve and such. Things are busy because they are new and shiny and this is also my long work week.

Comments

  1. You had the third highest #1 vote. You almost got elected in first pass! As an independent, first-running candidate, this is awesome.

    I know you'll make great work!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I expect nothing less than the motivation you have already shown in getting elected! Good job and I guess I'll have to install mumble now...

    Also, \o/ for 2, TWO, female gamers on CSM9!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had that slacking day....

      Someone called me the CSM princess which makes Ali the CSM Queen. :P

      I'm sure that will bug someone :D

      Delete
  3. Good post, SK. I look forward to reading your future updates. I also like how y'all have talked it out among yourselves and planned prospective outlets for each person.

    ReplyDelete
  4. All of us at Declarations of War are always happy to receive CSM guests any time they should feel the need get in touch with an eager audience, you only need contact any of us.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I like your update style better than Jester's.

    Just remember two things:

    Abolish the z-axis arrow in scanning.

    and:

    Put a "copy price" item on the right menu on the market interface.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yessir!

      As for style, I have no idea how they will wind up. I'm sure every week will be something different :P

      Delete
  6. Yes, to the brick-tanked limo! And you need your own cadre of bodyguards. Oh, I guess you do have that covered. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Player-designed skins could make for some pretty wild CSM election seasons.

      Delete

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