Young Writers Society

I have a question, and I don't know if it's been asked/answered.

When you put the medal system thing in, we wouldn't be able to nominate people right off of the bat, would we? Like... let's talk about Snoink. Now, we all know Snoink has gone above and beyond with critiquing, and when this system is hard coded into the site, will she have to review from that point on to get Reviewer 1, or could someone nominate her without her doing any reviewing after the medals are in the site? If that made any sense. Because I find that unfair. I know it probably wouldn't happen, but Snoink would have to review from there-on to get Reviewer 1 and 2, right? She couldn't just be nominated for both at the beginning and receive both?

Sorry if that didn't make any sense. I can't explain it as well as I'd like to have.

-Jared

I dont want to sound like I dont agree or anything at all. The badge idea is simply fabulous but I dont think it will be seen as seriously as before. I understand that in a good way and a bad way, seeing as when I had first arrived on YWS, the Instructors were almost always a clique (or however you spell it), but when I wanted really good reviews, I knew from the start 'The Purps' were the ones to go to. That was really easy for me and because I was told the purples were the ones who could do that, I searched and learned a lot from them.

I'm not saying its superiority. If I was, I wouldn't be an instructor as of late seeing as I'm not much for the whole stature thing. I just find that badges might get even more confusing than the said colours. There are, afterall, only six colours. Anyone with a brain could figure that out and, as it is said, the colour coding is explained very well.

I just felt much more comfortable, as a new person talking to an instructor because they were acknowledged for their reviewing after all.

And that is not downing anyone else for their reviews. Ugh, I dont even know how to state it in a way that makes sense xD. I guess you could say I'm still pro blues and purps.

Oh and, as I was reading back on some of what the others had to say, more ideas sparked in my head, or arguments for arguments sake as Incog would gladly say xD.

Basically, Instuctors are made that way so they can help, ne? If they did not feel like that much responsibility, then they could go back to being normal for a bit. People have done that before and we can always reapply. If they were really stressed out, not having a purple name wont kill them. And yes, there is an ideal of a level of responsibility that an Instructor has because some Instructors become terribly amazing at reviews xD. If the ideals keep being enforced that this is a site to help people write, not a level of whose better then who, I'm sure it will come across.

We are all understanding people... right? Maybe I'm just to used to how things were. I liked YWS when I first joined a year ago. It was a lovely site filled with lovely people who loved writing just as much as I. It didn't matter to me that there were colours, nor ranks, nor anything of the sort. The people who are hurt because they cant be an Instructor right off the bat will also get hurt if they dont get a badge right off the bat. It's really going to be the same situation either or.

I think I've ranted enough xD. Hopefully my opinion is put forth ^_^. If not, the badges are also a fairly lovely idea and I'm sure we'll all get used to them in good time.

Fair thee well
~The.Dreamwalker

I am one of those instructors who disappeared and then feared returning. =] I feel strange around here after ditching my title. Yes, it's less stress, but I look like a newbie since I don't post often, and I felt really bad about leaving the Instructor group. Instructors/Greeters are a total clique thing in my mind. My level of reviewing didn't change at all when I became an instructor - in fact, it decreased. I only wanted to be able to see the Instructor forum I had heard murmors of - I'm naturally curious. =]

The badges seem to be doing the same thing. If I get a greeting badge and then never greet again, it seems to me like I should give up my badge. However, if you look at it from a Girl Scouts badge perspective, it's fine - you earn it once and it's yours. But I don't think they're really needed either way. =/

When I was younger (2 years, but still =]) I wanted to be an anything - mod, greeter, instructor, you name it. Then I started maturing a bit and gave up my status. I think that, in a "mature" person's mind, the status doesn't matter - just look at Snoink! So maybe getting rid of the groups would make people slightly more mature?

I love all the new YWS changes! I'm hoping to return soon - maybe with poetry rather than fiction! =]

~JFW1415

I think a lot of people have forgotten the original post in commenting here.

Here's the original post portion with regards to the ranks:

One last and major change to Instructors and Greeters

Okay, this is where user input is really going to be important because we're thinking of getting rid of the Instructor and Greeter groups.

There's several reasons for this. One, it gets rid of confusion about colors. Two, the groups have been become a bit of a status symbol and thus cliquish. Third, they cause stress! Not just when applications are denied, but a lot of people feel a sense of duty when they become an Instructor/Greeter. That seems like a good thing, but it's not. What happens is inevitably, life gets in the way. Since you feel like you have a duty, you start to feel guilty. Since you start feeling guilty, you begin avoiding YWS. Thus, we lose an awesome member who would've otherwise still popped in every now and then.

BUT, we're not totally getting rid of those groups. Instead, we're going to replace them with something else: a badge system. There would be five badges: excellence in greeting, reviewing I, reviewing II, good storybooker, and 1000 posts. With the exception of the last one, eligibility for these badges would be determined by all of you.

What we'll do is set up nomination threads open to all members. Once someone receives five nominations, they get whatever badge they were nominated for. Moderators will have the final say, but that's just to guard against abuse. All current greeters would automatically get the greeter badge, and all current instructors would automatically get the reviewing I badge.

The groups themselves are not being totally destroyed; they're being replaced. There are quite a few people who support totally getting rid of the ranks. This is not an option and it has never been an option. As the owner of the site and as the only person who is likely to still be a member 20 years down the road, it's my duty to not do anything I think is rash, which would include totally getting rid of the groups. In the future, it may become an option but not right now.

Instead, I want to replace the groups with a badge oriented system. This change is not farcical as one person claimed. Very far from it. Replacing ranks with badges solves quite a few problems that I see as an administrator. These problems are:

1. Confusion
2. Status Symbol
3. Stress

The first two are issues that are easily dealt with, which is the reason why I never expanded upon them in the original post. However, I did expand upon the third reason for that is the most serious problem.

As the administrator, I frequently get e-mails and/or private messages from Instructors telling me how guilty they feel for not reviewing. Since they feel guilty, they begin to avoid YWS. Snoink put this very well when she said:

Right now, it's very common for instructors and greeters to work very hard initially and then to get so stressed from the sense of responsibility of being an instructor or greeter that they just drop out of YWS... and we really don't want to create that sense of stress, especially when that stress causes some of our best members drop out of YWS for feeling like they've "failed" YWS. [...] But what is bad is the level of stress that accompanies both positions and how often people are discourage or leave from that stress.

A system that leads to members feeling guilty and avoiding YWS is rotten at its core. This was never the original intent of the system. Rather, the system was put in place to recognize those who have gone above and beyond in helping fellow YWSers.

The badge system solves this issue. A badge is a recognition of the hard work someone has done. Since it is not a rank and carries with it no obligation, the stress that comes with being an Instructor will go away.

A poll will be opened up on whether to go with badges or keep the ranks this Sunday.

angels-symphony wrote:

Kamas wrote:

I say make everyone hot pink and deal with it.

Yes!

I vote in favor of this even though it'll never be done.

-Shina

Shina, be careful what you wish for.

OMG! Nate! You actually made everyone bright pink. O_O

No more crazy ideas for you, methinks. Now, where did I put my sunglasses...

Nate the pink names are amazing you should keep them like that

~peanut~

Haha. I have to say, that was amazing. At first I looked and was like- woah, what is this? But it's quite funny =] I like the pink... Not my favorite color, but It definitely makes a statement haha.

Reyu ->> Sorry, I gave the hot pink usernames a chance and it just didn't work out. I saved a screenshot for you since you may have missed it:


Anyways, back to the topic on hand.

Thanks for making me smile Nate

Wait a second... I SEE LIGHT GREEN!

BigBadBear wrote:Because I find that unfair.

Lol! Silly BBB... your vague use of the article "that" made your entire point confusing. What wouldn't you find fair?

I must say the pink looks amazing!

*saves screenshot forever and ever*

That light green is me! And there's purple too! Evi!

*eyes Nate suspiciously*

Why was Demeter still green but Rosey was pink?

Anywhoodlydoodly, I'll be fine with whatever happens; I don't think having badges or keeping colors will drastically change any of our lives, certainly not for the worse. I read all ten pages, and my opinion kept changing, but the one thing I was thinking the whole time was "woo for Nate for continuously trying to improve YWS!" ...not to mention everyone who replied with ideas!

Though (I don't even know if this is still an issue, but) I do think replacing the Instructors and Greeters with a 'helper' group would be fruitless. That's kind of what I thought JMs were.