Updates for the 405th in 2015! ALL PLEASE READ!

[Art Andrews]

2015 is set to be an incredible year for the 405th. As many of you know, we stepped into some very big shoes in July of 2014 and it has taken us a while to get our bearings, but we are now ready to move forward with two major projects this year:

1) 405th Club implementation
2) Transition to a modern software platform

While the second task is mostly a behind-the-scenes thing, finally solidifying the club aspect of this community and getting it off the ground will involve all of us!

For those who haven’t looked over it, you can review the basic tenants and layout of the club here:

http://www.405th.com/faq.php?faq=405th_costuming_club

With this in mind, we are making our first Division Staff appointment:

405th member, FANGS has graciously accepted the position of DXO, which means she will serve the community as the acting President and will preside over the staff. For those who may not know FANGS (Angela), she has been a long time member of the 501st and has served in some of the highest offices of that club, which has provided her with a lot of experience in this area. While I will continue to manage the technical aspects of the community (the server/software side), Angela will be replacing me as the primary point of contact for all the day to day issues, questions and concerns.

Both Ashuraa and Masterchief0624 have also stepped up to help us get the club up and running; to get Regiments formalized and get memberships approved which is going to be a tremendous task!

So, what are the next steps? Ashuraa and Masterchief0624 will be reaching out to the current moderators of each of our regiments to get the regiments officially recognized. Once that is done, we will begin the process of electing a Regiment CO. Finally, we will begin taking applications for “Deployed” status membership. It is going to be a little tricky this first time, but we are pretty excited to get it off the ground and to finally get things going!

 

[Chernobyl]

I think having a open mic night on tinychat would be better so we all can have some context to the long term goals.

Or they could just tell us what they've spoken about and agreed to, and not have to go through the hell that is scheduling something like that. Or,post minutes.

 

[foxleader]

chern I hate to say this but this feels like oni black op's work to me. sure their some stuff we don't want to know but other times having just a little warning would be nice. and these talk feel like their going onto the point of no return and then into the all seeing eye and talking about cutting corners to try and by some time until something good happens.

 

[Chernobyl]

chern

I'd prefer that you use my full name? Not to be picky, but I really don't like people clipping down my name to try and be familiar with me.

I hate to say this but this feels like oni black op's work to me.

WAT.

sure their some stuff we don't want to know but other times having just a little warning would be nice.

I don't see why this would be a concern for you. We're always informed of changes as soon as they're decided upon - Art and Fangs have always notified us of intended changes and schemes ahead of time, as opposed to simply saying 'alright, this is how things are, deal with it'. The fact that we're even able to have these discussions regarding forum/community functionality should tell you this, and if not, the fact that our input is being considered should.

and these talk feel like their going onto the point of no return and then into the all seeing eye and talking about cutting corners to try and by some time until something good happens.

I'm not even sure what the point you're trying to make here is. Either way, I'm not entirely sure it's relevant to the thread subject so let's leave things here and wait for a response on the Mantle discussion - right now we're just hitting the same points over and over.

 

[foxleader]

okay I'm going to sit back grab some popcorn and watch this thing go down and then put my two cent in.

 

[Icon Props]

OK !!!!!! enough is enough........ This thread after all is an "all please read," thread & quite frankly - I'm over the petty bickering and I don't know if I'll ever open up & read another thread labeled as such ever again!!!!!!!!! Because this is just getting plain stupid & it's starting to leave a bad taste in everyone's mouth.

"Art" as far as I know you bought the rights to this web site (but it ends there). It's yours now to do as you see fit, & there is plenty of room for improvement here. I wish you the best & if I can help out feel free to ask me & I'll see what I can do to help out. I have a lot of great builders / modelers & all in all, some great people behind me.
When it comes down to it there can only be one person in charge, so take charge. I guaranty some will hate you & your ideas & some will love them no matter how good or bad they are, it's just the way it always is. The success or failure is on you now, not the people complaining about changes. If you have ideas that you strongly feel will make this a better site / group then do it. If your ideas work out then great, if not......... then oh well, you can sell the site off at a loss.

Me, I'll stick it out & give you a shot to see how the new leadership / rules / regs & whatever's plays out. I hope you have some good direction for the site & can make it grow & become bigger and better than ever. It's time to stop bickering and let new management give their ideas a shot. The members will ultimately decide whether the ideas were good or not over time. I'm willing to give it a chance to see what happens.

Art just remember that you’re not trying to win a popularity contest you're trying to make a successful site.

 

[Redshirt]

Art,

I realize I am late to this game, but I did want to put in a plug for the weapon and prop builders.

I have a costume that I built in 2008. I put it on briefly for PENSACON last weekend--annual box checked. I also do every Halo-ween and launch event. It is a decent costume and while I hope it is good enough to place me in the top tier, I'm not so interested in being judged on the merits of my costume anymore.

My focus of late has been on building the best Halo props I can. In fact, I spent more time displaying my Halo props this weekend than in costume. My Spartan Laser was one of the last builds to make Elite and even got featured on the 343 Facebook and the Halo Bulletin in April. I'm not bragging with that, simply establishing that it has met a standard of workmanship on par with the top costumers. There are some great artists in our community that supply themselves and the costumed members with some outstanding weapons and props. I think if a member has produced multiple props of a given quality and deploys with them as a costumed member does, then like electorate privileges should be deservedly granted.

This is a key area where we could put our money where our mouth is when we claim to not be like the 501st by assigning real value to all members actively bringing parts of the fiction to life.

Please consider this tomorrow as you and Fang work to iron out issues.

Redshirt

 

[Strider]

At this point, all I'm concerned for are members of my regiment, and their inclusion to deployed events. While I may agree with some things proposed, or already enacted in the mantle, there are also some that simply do not make much sense to me, but I understand that down the track they will become very important to the 405th.

The best way for us all to move forward, is simply to talk, or air our thought/grievances. Communication is so important in communities/clubs such as ours, and without it things can fall apart pretty quickly. Having had experience in running groups before I helmed the Australian Regiment, I learned that the hard way. But we all learn from these experiences, and from the experiences and knowledge of others. Not speaking can do a lot of damage, and for that I'm glad we're all discussing these issues, rather than ignoring them or hoping they'll go away. We have the ability to forge the 405th into something great, and while it'll take some time (as all things do) we'll come out of it stronger, and looking fantastic.

I appreciate Art Andrews and FANGS work on getting us up to the point we're at, as well as appreciating other leaders/staff in the community for their actions as well. Not because I want to suck up, but because all of us are doing an awesome job at making something great, even greater.

In saying that however, a good addition to our communications WOULD be to have some form of voice chat, or a group chat somewhere on either social media or other applications. Words are often misinterpreted over the internet, and may have good intentions rather than bad. In saying that, I'd like to propose that we set up some form of meeting every 2-4 weeks for staff and commanders to talk about issues, work on projects, and discuss future endeavours. From what I've seen so far, it's very much needed so that misinterpretation doesn't happen.

 

[Art Andrews]

"Art" as far as I know you bought the rights to this web site (but it ends there). It's yours now to do as you see fit, & there is plenty of room for improvement here. I wish you the best & if I can help out feel free to ask me & I'll see what I can do to help out. I have a lot of great builders / modelers & all in all, some great people behind me.
When it comes down to it there can only be one person in charge, so take charge. I guaranty some will hate you & your ideas & some will love them no matter how good or bad they are, it's just the way it always is. The success or failure is on you now, not the people complaining about changes. If you have ideas that you strongly feel will make this a better site / group then do it. If your ideas work out then great, if not......... then oh well, you can sell the site off at a loss.

Me, I'll stick it out & give you a shot to see how the new leadership / rules / regs & whatever's plays out. I hope you have some good direction for the site & can make it grow & become bigger and better than ever. It's time to stop bickering and let new management give their ideas a shot. The members will ultimately decide whether the ideas were good or not over time. I'm willing to give it a chance to see what happens.

Art just remember that you’re not trying to win a popularity contest you're trying to make a successful site.

Thank you! A lot of great points in your post and trust me... I have been doing this long enough that I am used to not being the popular kid. At the end of the day, things do fall on my shoulders, but unlike many of our other communities, because we are developing a club, we are trying to allow the members a bit more of a voice. There are still many who don't really understand this concept or appreciate it, but... well, we will just have to press forward anyway.

 

[Art Andrews]

In saying that however, a good addition to our communications WOULD be to have some form of voice chat, or a group chat somewhere on either social media or other applications. Words are often misinterpreted over the internet, and may have good intentions rather than bad. In saying that, I'd like to propose that we set up some form of meeting every 2-4 weeks for staff and commanders to talk about issues, work on projects, and discuss future endeavours. From what I've seen so far, it's very much needed so that misinterpretation doesn't happen.

That is certainly a possibility we could look into, depending on time and availability. I know my time is very limited and FANGS isn't much better, but I do think it is a good idea that we could possibly pursue. With that being said, I think you will find that most people will be onboard right away and there will be little need to explain most things. Right now we are enduring the growing pains of having to implement something new. It is always slow and painful. I truly believe once we get past this initial hump that things will run much more smoothly.

 

[Art Andrews]

OK, FANGS and I had a very good talk this afternoon and have made a number of updates to the Mantle, giving consideration to members who do not have a costume, but who are active at events. We have readded these members as "Type C, Auxiliary Members."

So... what is the deal with these members?

If someone attends/assists at 2 or more events per year, their CO can request they be promoted to Auxillary status which will grant them 4 things a Type B member does not have:

• Vote in unit elections.
• Attend official/unofficial events as a representative of the 405th in a non-costume (supporting/handler) capacity with the express consent of local, regional, or organizational command.
• Buy Auxiliary Member Only merchandise.
• Create 405th or Unit merchandise.

Now, I'll bet some of you are thinking "2015 elections are just around the corner and I want to participate, but I don't meet the qualifications yet!" If you are already, unofficially, in a regiment, meet Type B qualifications, and get the approval of your CO, we will grant a one-time opportunity for you to use the remainder of 2015 to obtain the requirements necessary to maintain a Type C membership. This means you can temporarily be Type C even without all the necessary requirements.

In addition to Type C, we have also reworked Type B memberships so that they are more clear. The primary difference between Type B and Type C is that Type B cannot represent the 405th unsupervised. Type C can represent the 405th, unsupervised IF they have the approval from their CO.

 

[nintendstroid]

Dang so many rules and regulations..
Can I ask what the plans are regarding a european regiment/division. I have asked this a few times already but i dont think it ever got to the right person.
there are clusters like the uk group etc. but nothing like something that binds us together like the american groups.
there are so many halo costumers scatterd that just don't know where they belong at this point.
The european union doesnt have any real borders and I can go to a german or italian or dutch convention as easy as the americans would go to PAX, la comic con or new york comic con.
I always feel like most of you guys think of each individual country as a copletly different entities. Can we see the EU as the usa and each country as a state.

Does me being in the eu and not being able to attend the official 405th gatherings or events (witch mostly are organised in the state) from being a higher tier member. and not being abble to sell my props or visit certain areas of the site?

Also i could not agree more with Redshirt
I dont have a full costume anymore but i do build a megaton of props and helmets.

 

[Spacemeat]

Thank you Art Andrews and FANGS for all your effort and consideration. I'm really grateful that you guys took our feedback to heart, and I'm looking forward to continuing with pushing forward with the club and regiment formation. This is certainly the furthest we've ever been and it's quite fresh and exciting.

 

[Ashuraa]

nintendstroid The EU physically is also only about the same size as the continental USA, so for that reason I would not see an issue with the EU being one regiment to start off as, until you gain enough members in various brigades to split them off. What staff would need is someone willing to fill out the regimental form, and to step up to being a moderator for the european regiment until we have elections. Which ever of you is willing to do this, please send a message to me, FANGS, or Masterchief0624

 

[nintendstroid]

Ashuraa
Great finally
I think there are enough European people to start of at least. We just need to inform them of this.
I dont see myself leading or anything but i would like to start of the regiment

 

[Art Andrews]

Thank you Art Andrews and FANGS for all your effort and consideration. I'm really grateful that you guys took our feedback to heart, and I'm looking forward to continuing with pushing forward with the club and regiment formation. This is certainly the furthest we've ever been and it's quite fresh and exciting.

Thank you. It is incredibly important to us that we hammer out the very best platform we can in order to serve the community. We will keep shaping and restructuring things until we get it right.

 

[Chernobyl]

Thank you. It is incredibly important to us that we hammer out the very best platform we can in order to serve the community. We will keep shaping and restructuring things until we get it right.

Even then, I'm not sure I'm in complete agreement with the voting thing, but... eh, I suppose this is about as much budge-room as I'm going to get on the matter.

 

[Art Andrews]

Even then, I'm not sure I'm in complete agreement with the voting thing, but... eh, I suppose this is about as much budge-room as I'm going to get on the matter.

Trust me... I am not in complete agreement with the voting thing (probably on the opposite end from you).

 

[Chernobyl]

Trust me... I am not in complete agreement with the voting thing (probably on the opposite end from you).

I understand that, and there are likely to be some disagreements between members and the Mantle whichever way it's looked at. That said, I really don't see why voting rights wouldn't be applied to all Regimental members - after all, those members are going to have to deal with the person that's voted in, regardless of whether they deploy or not.

That said, would you be able to explain to me why Auxiliary members are required to attend two events, while Tier D members only need to deploy to one? That still seems extremely weighted against regular members (after all, we've discussed before that the Mantle is, for better or worse, biased against regular members), and I'd like to understand your reasoning behind this decision before I begin to contest it.

I don't mean to come off as argumentative at all. I just... I really don't like having to feel pressured into attending events in order to get anywhere. It's likely there are going to be a lot of members who, for one reason or another, are unable to attend events, and while I realise that there needs to be a significant focus on having our members attend events, I don't like the fact that certain privileges and abilities are essentially hidden behind a paywall and restricted only to the members with the time and finance to access them. That hardly seems fair to me.

 

[Art Andrews]

That said, I really don't see why voting rights wouldn't be applied to all Regimental members - after all, those members are going to have to deal with the person that's voted in, regardless of whether they deploy or not.

Based on our talks, I believe the difference comes down to the simple fact that we do not look at the ability to vote within the club as a given right but something that is earned. A member doesn't get to shape the club simply because they want to, but because they have committed to making a place for themselves at the table where their voice is heard. And the truth is, the changes we made last night have made the requirements so low that almost anyone can do it if they so desire. Additionally, since the club aspect will inevitably be predominantly event-centric there will be little to no impact on a member who doesn't attend events, so giving them a voice in matters that will only impact others doesn't hold much appeal.

That said, would you be able to explain to me why Auxiliary members are required to attend two events, while Tier D members only need to deploy to one? That still seems extremely weighted against regular members (after all, we've discussed before that the Mantle is, for better or worse, biased against regular members), and I'd like to understand your reasoning behind this decision before I begin to contest it.

Actually, based on some of the arguments you have made yourself regarding the burden of making a costume, it is still weighed heavily against costuming members as they still have to build an entire costume while an Auxiliary member just have participate in an event. The weighing is certainly skewed but not in the direction you suggest.

I don't mean to come off as argumentative at all. I just... I really don't like having to feel pressured into attending events in order to get anywhere. It's likely there are going to be a lot of members who, for one reason or another, are unable to attend events, and while I realise that there needs to be a significant focus on having our members attend events, I don't like the fact that certain privileges and abilities are essentially hidden behind a paywall and restricted only to the members with the time and finance to access them. That hardly seems fair to me.

:lol I told FANGS last night that this would end up being a "give them an inch and they will ask for a mile" thing. At the end of the day, what some, including you, seem to be arguing for is that you should have influence in the club but don't want to have to do anything to have that influence. We have given the inch (actually far more than that), but that is about all you are going to see on this particular issue. If you want influence within the club, we have provided a fair path to do it. When many weren't happy with that, we revisited it and opened it up to provide even more opportunity and make it even easier. What you are asking for now? Just no value to allowing it and it actually devalues the club. However, I would point out that you and a number of others HAVE helped shape the club and the community without a single vote, just through this discussion.

In short:
Want to influence the community (web-centric)? Manage your manager (us) by changing our mind with sound logic and reason.
Want to influence the club (event-centric)? Attend events and/or build a costume.

 

[GeekGuardianDee]

Now, I'll bet some of you are thinking "2015 elections are just around the corner and I want to participate, but I don't meet the qualifications yet!" If you are already, unofficially, in a regiment, meet Type B qualifications, and get the approval of your CO, we will grant a one-time opportunity for you to use the remainder of 2015 to obtain the requirements necessary to maintain a Type C membership. This means you can temporarily be Type C even without all the necessary requirements.

Is there some sort of formal process for getting the approval of our CO for this year? Or are we to just send our requests via PM?