Zetterberg

Can’t even do my yearly VHL website stalking without something like this.

This took me way to long to get

Love this!

Good day to you all!
 
As someone who is a relatively new member here (still on my first player, came in for the S89 VHL Draft), there are some things that I have a firm grasp on, as well as some things that I mostly understand. Then there are the parts of the league that are still exceptionally foreign to me, one of which is the recruitment aspect. From what I understand and have read recently, the largest issues and gripes in regards to Recruitment that seem to exist are a lack of transparency in terms of what the responsibilities of the department are and how it operates in order to earn the TPE from that role, as well as an issue with quality of the work that is being done. I can't really speak to those specific issues because I'm not sure what the standard of work is supposed to be, so instead I want to focus on a more broad approach to the issue.
 
Regardless of what the specific complaints are about how Recruitment is run currently, the issue that it boils down to is that everybody would like to see more people coming into the league, which is something that everybody can get on board with. I believe that the approach to successful recruiting revolves around a few things:
 
- Understanding what makes the league successful, and in turn marketing that to people who aren't currently involved with the league
- Having a wider reach of people to market to in an attempt to recruit them
- Having quality marketing tools to then turn that reach into recruits
- Compensating the Recruiting team fairly for their time
 
The first item on that list is likely the most important: knowing what makes the league fun to be in, and how to convey that to people who have either never played in a sim based league, or who have done so previously but aren't any more. I believe that part of understanding this revolves around talking to members of the league who have recently joined to find out what they have enjoyed about the league so far, what they haven't enjoyed, and anything that they'd like to see changed or brought in. Part of this focus would also go to retention of new members rather than just recruiting, but would help give focus to what can in turn be the marketing focus to bring in new folks. To that end, I think that it would be helpful to have part of the Recruitment team be dedicated towards a "Retention" Department that would check in with first season members at the midway point of their first season, as well as at the conclusion of their first season with a mini survey or chat focused on the previously mentioned items.
 
The second item on the list involves expanding the reach of the Recruiting department through multiple avenues to find a wider base of people to bring into the league. I'm not sure which ways are being used currently, but being an internet based league, I would think that there are probably corners of the internet that we aren't reaching. I would imagine that part of the push for more transparency from some members could be a report of what recruiting items are being posted/run in different locations each season to determine if there are other avenues that should be pursued.
 
The third item on the list is based on the marketing tools that are being used to reach people in an attempt to recruit them. I myself am graphically/artistically challenged, which is why my theme week choice is an article and not a graphic. This is an area that seemed hotly contested because it is difficult and time consuming to come up with new and fresh graphics on a consistent basis that also serve the purpose to help recruit people rather than just be for specific players. Part of this section will tie into the next section, but the decision needs to be made about whether having a dedicated group who have to spend a lot of time designing these marketing tools, but are only compensated with TPE is one worth fighting over. In terms of a quantity aspect, maybe there needs to be a set amount of time that certain graphics are used as promotional before they are cycled out, or a set amount of new graphics at a time that can be used together before a new crop is needed. From the quality side, it's much more subjective because everybody has a different standard as to what they find acceptable. Speaking for myself, I don't expect to see high-level ads that would be comparable to a marketing campaign from a large company because that's not really who we are.
 
That final item on the list comes down to compensation for the recruiting team for the time spent working on recruitment. While every job in the league is important, there is no doubt that there are some jobs that are more involved and time consuming. Paying someone to work with TPE is fine in the sense that it goes back into the league, but the time and effort put in must match what is being given. The expectation that these jobs be done at the same TPE rate that is given to other jobs that require a fraction of the time to do is likely an unfair one, and one that I've seen raised in conversations about the Recruiting role. The concession must be made that either we're okay with the status quo for the compensation for these jobs and the quality and quantity of the marketing work will remain relatively "low", or the large amount of time involved to do so much be rewarded in other ways. I'm not sure exactly how the financial situation with the league works, but I'm not sure that we want to get into a "which jobs should be paid with TPE, and which jobs should be paid with money" debate. This issue feels like the toughest to solve, but it may also be the most important.
 
To summarize, here are a couple of points that might work:
 
- Creation of a "New Member Chat/Survey" to determine that they've enjoyed, disliked, and would like to see changed about the league
- Report from Recruitment on currently running marketing tools to ensure that nothing is being left on the table
- Discussion on the amount of new graphics required, as well as how many new recruiting graphics are reasonably required
- A review of the compensation for the Recruitment team to determine what is fair, both in their eyes and the members eyes
 
Thank you for reading my article, I hope that it helps the issue!

I'm with Enron on this. It's outrageous! 

Z punching the air rn after using up all his Recruitment idea posts last week

Hello @Members!
 
It's that time of the season again, theme week! Everyone’s favourite week to complain about the theme while making sure they get that sweet extra TPE because it’s all that matters
 
Of course, that also means that the Trade Deadline is Monday, November 27th at 3pm EST. This also means that anyone wishing to re-create for the S93 draft can do so starting at midnight that same day.
 
---
 
Trade deadlines are boring though, you wanna know about theme week don’t you? The theme for S91 is:
 
Sometimes you just gotta lean into the fire right? @Zetterberg made this a hit button topic in recent weeks so why not make it the whole theme? Make them some recruitment graphics or videos; give them suggestions in a media spot or podcast; he’ll praise the work that they already do. As long as it relates to recruitment you’re good to go
 
To earn your Theme Week TPE, write an article, create a graphic, or record a podcast with some connection to “recruitmentp”. 
 
---
 
In order to claim the theme week bonus of 6 Uncapped TPE, simply submit your Themed PT (Graphic, Media Spot, or 6-TPE Podcast), and claim it as normal. After claiming the PT portion, you can use the same link, and claim the uncapped portion as follows: Claim Uncapped > Other > Doubles Week. (Note: you do not need to post your link in this thread to claim either portion of TPE). 
 
If you have already submitted a Point Task for this week, or are in the midst of claiming a multi-week Media Spot/Podcast, you may still submit a Theme Week PT this week, and claim the capped portion on the next available week, following your multi-week claim. And no, posting something last week that happens to reward to the theme this week doesn’t grant you the theme week bonus.
 
Also, if you have a single job that pays 6+, you may claim the theme week bonus as long as you complete your duties for the week. If you are in the EFL or SBA and have completed their most recent Media Week, you may use that to claim the Uncapped theme week bonus, but a PT must be completed this week in order to claim the Capped portion, whether that is completed here or through Affiliate Welfare.
 
Note: Only players who are S92 or older may claim the theme week bonus.
 
@VHL GM
@VHLE GM
@VHLM GM

@v.2
 
It’s season 60, the New York Americans are in the Continental Cup finals for the first time since their back-to-back cups in seasons 52 and 53, game 7, and the American’s come out firing on all cylinders and outshot Helsinki 34-19. However, that wasn’t enough as Helsinki would hang on for a 3-1 win with Franchise Cornerstone scoring the Cup clinching goal. Little did New York know at the time that would be their last taste of success for some time. Today we’ll be taking a look back at the 30 seasons it has been since that fateful day where the New York Americans were so close to their 8th Continental Cup. With that being said New York has had their bright spots in that stretch, but at the end of the day a combination of inconsistency and good old Simon have led to the New York Americans holding multiple records nobody wants.
 
The Early Years
Following their near victory in S60 the New York Americans were solid in S61, finishing with a 50-19-3 record, and sweeping the Quebec City Meute in the wildcard before falling short in the semi-finals in 7 games to Calgary. Following this defeat the Americans would completely rebuild, finishing 2nd last in each of the next 3 seasons, the benefit of that is that they were able to draft a very promising future core consisting of; Joseph McWolf @McWolf, Dan Wilinsky @oilmandan, Ryan Sullivan Jr @Advantage, Joel Ylonen @Esso2264, and Charles Puigdemont. Because of their very good drafting, the Nww York Americans were back in the playoffs in S65 where they were swept in the wildcard round by the Helsinki Titans. The following season the Americans were back in the playoff picture, and would again lose in the wildcard round in 6, this time to the Vancouver Wolves. But, this New York Americans’ team is young, strong and surely only getting better, right? 
 
The First Collapse
For one reason or another, the Americans decided that enough was enough and decided to sell everyone and everything they could, starting by selling McWolf to Riga, Twinger to Calgary, Ylonen to Seattle, and so on. While they did get a lot of picks and players back, with their recent momentum this seems to be a surprising move. With that being said, they did bring in Guy LeGrande @Steve to try and have a new top prospect! This didn’t save them though as they would go 20-45-7 in season 67, finishing last in the league. With this they would draft 2nd overall and took Lance Flowers @CowboyinAmerica. They would also select A Red Guy @.sniffuM, and Frederick Elmebeck @Elmebeck, in the first round among another player who we won’t talk about. Of those Flowers would make an immediate impact as they would win both top rookie and top defensive defenseman honours. In season 68 New York would miss the playoff by only 5 points while still trading away players for futures. 
 
Playoffs and Disappointment 
In the season 69 draft the Americans would take Soren Jensen @Velevra, and David O Quinn @David O'Quinn, the former of which would make the season 69 roster. Propelled by Boris the Forest @chillzone, they would make the playoffs as the 3rd seed in their conference, but would again be dispatched in the 1st round in 7 by Seattle. With this recent success in mind, New York would buy aggressively in the offseason, bringing back Joseph McWolf, and Joel Ylonen. However, New York would miss the playoffs by only 1 point, despite a solid 36-28-8 record. Following this disappointment, New York would retool, shipping out veterans and bringing in younger talent like Micheal Gary Scott @Motzaburger, and draft picks. They would also acquire John Frostbeard @FrostBeard in a trade at the midpoint of the season as the Americans made a playoff push. Ultimately, they would fall just short yet again with 80 points and a 39-31-2 record. In season 72 the New York Americans veterans in Acyd Burn @Acydburn, and Julius Freeman @rjfryman to build upon their core and with that they would get back into the playoffs as the 3rd seed, and not only that , they would manage to win a series, besting the Seattle Bears in 5, prior to another game 7 defeat at the hands of the Calgary Wranglers. In Season 73, New York would essentially run it back with the same group, and they would make the playoffs again! This time with a 43-23-6 record. Once in the playoffs, they would have a rematch against Calgary, who would again get by the American’s in game #7. Even with this success, it couldn’t continue forever, with their big names in Burn and Freeman retiring, New York would have an uphill battle to make the playoffs, and with that in mind, had a very quiet offseason. With retirements impacting their success, New York would fall well short, finishing with their first losing record in some time with a 28-37-7.
 
The Meh Seventies
Throughout the mid 70’s not a whole lot happened in New York, trades when needed, and the team’s focus shifted towards drafting and developing young players. However, their first draft pick of this new mentality would not really pan out early, despite a now infamous season 75 draft. With that being said New York hit on 3 of their 4 next draft picks with Chicken Wing @chikn, Cowboy Prout @Prout, and franchise goaltender Thadius Sales @thadthrasher! Despite a good draft, New York would be in for a long season as they finished last with a 21-42-9 record. The positive of finishing last, is you get the best odds at 1st overall, and New York would win the lottery! With the 1st overall pick in season 76, the New York American’s selected Red Lite @Tate, a franchise altering forward that would do just that as they would finish their first season with 39 goals and 80 points! Despite this infusion of offence, New York fell short with a 27-36-9 season. New York would keep the great drafting going with Zeedayno Chara @Jubis at 4th overall. In season 77, the still developing New York Americans would show signs of growth with a 28-35-9 season, but a good 241 goals for. New York did break their recent pattern of drafting and developing in season 77 though, as they traded their season 78 1st (would be 1st overall), for Kosmo Kramerev @Mongoose87. New York’s hardship would pay off in season 78 though as they would go 36-31-5 and would make the playoffs! As their drafted players began to hit their prime, and acquired a veteran presence in Latrell Mitchell @dasboot to get them over the edge. In the playoffs, New York would struggle and would not make it out of the wildcard round as the D.C. Dragons made it past them in 4. 
 
The Drought
Following their success in season 78, New York would buy again, bringing in Phoenix Dawson @Toast. Even with their core now in their prime, New York would struggle to keep things consistent and would miss the playoffs with a record that was 1 game below .500. While season 79 was disappointing, New York still had the makings of a great team and with this in mind, they bought aggressively in the season 80 offseason, bringing in all of, Luke Thornton @ThePerfectNut, Yuuto Kira Cloudera @kentakira and brought back Cowboy Prout, and at the cost of many of their future early picks. Even with all these additions to their core, the Americans would somehow miss the playoffs and only finish with a record of 32-34-6. Following this, the Americans would hit the reset button again, in large part due to many of their top players retiring, including a surprise retirement from Red Lite. Without many of their own picks, this proved difficult though as they would struggle for some time. In the season 81 offseason, New York would trade everyone, entirely for draft picks. The season 81 draft, now with a lot of picks, would go horribly wrong, as none of the players selected would play a game for the Americans, and only one would make the VHL. Their record would reflect this as they finished with a 26-40-6 record and would miss the playoffs by a wide margin. Season 82 would start off with a bit of luck for New York as they would win the draft lottery and select Vasile Lamb @dlamb 1st overall. They would also add Doug Matchett @jacobaa19 with their 3rd round pick. New York would still be in full rebuild mode in season 82, finishing with a 30-39-3 record, and 6th in their division. Following this, New York once again felt as though they were in a good position to buy and did just that, bringing in Jerome @MexicanCow123 and Tyler @Zetterberg Reinhart in a blockbuster trade! This elite talent would make an impact right away and Jerome would put up over 100 points in season 83, although in part due to being unable to keep the puck out of their own net, the Americans would finish 6th in their conference again and miss out on the playoffs. At this point New York certainly had some good pieces in place and a very solid young core even with trading Lamb away. However, New York went further towards a retool of their rebuild, bringing in Sven Eightnine @BarzalGoat, and shipping out veterans for prospects and picks at the same time. With this New York would finish 6th in their conference yet again with a 28 win season. 
 
A New Direction
In Season 85, New York would fully commit to a rebuild, and they would start that off by trading up in the draft for Daniel Weaver @ThePerfectNut, and they would hit on their 2nd first as well with Babay Shrimp @Blazzer. They would go onto finish 7th in their conference that season, and with that would get a higher draft pick. Prior to the draft, New York would acquire Napoleon Dynamite @thadthrasher in a massive trade which would see the departure of Daniel Weaver and other assets. Moving into season 86, the New York Americans would almost pull it off and make the playoffs as they would finish the season tied with Seattle for the final playoff spot in their conference, although they would lose out on ROW this did show a massive step forward. Season 87 was an interesting one for New York as they would acquire Alexandre Leduc @Lemorse7, while gathering draft stock for the future. The New York Americans would again finish in 6th, missing the playoffs by 7 points. The season 88 draft would be a big one for New York, adding Jesper Davis @Josh with their 4th overall pick, and Francesco Mancini @GioSivo, both of who would make their debut in season 89, with Davis winning the award for being the best rookie. Neither of them would miss much in season 88 as New York would finish 6th again, this time by a wider margin of 10 points. With their season 89 1st, New York would add Zyn Westwood @Sullvino 5th overall, they would then go onto add both Nezuko @Baozi, and Max Torq @Steve at the season 89 trade deadline as they would go onto MAKE THE PLAYOFFS! This would end the longest playoff drought in league history at 10 seasons. Not only would New York make the playoffs, but they would best the Los Angeles Stars in the wildcard round, and then do the unthinkable and defeat the 1st seed Seattle Bears in 6 games before being swept in the conference finals by the Vancouver Wolves. Despite this success, the Americans would stick to their plan of drafting and developing and add Xiver Zilla @jhatty8 in the season 90 draft, before missing the playoffs again in season 90 as retirements would once again derail things slightly. But, with that they won the draft lottery and selected Callum Gary Yannick Janser @Daniel Janser with the 1st overall pick, and added Rin Kagamine @Rin later in the 1st round. Currently the Americans are only 1 point out of the playoffs and have added Brandt Fuhr to hopefully get them back into the dance.
 
The New York Americans are well on the track to success with franchise pieces in place, but with some gaps left to fill, only time will tell when the 37 season long cup drought and 30 season long finals drought will come to an end. The real question here is what derailed New York all those times, one can simply chalk it up to high value draft picks not quite turning out as desired (I did not mention many of the busts), and just terrible luck with game sevens despite being the better team, Simon has definitely made things difficult for one of the VHL’s oldest franchises. It should be noted that GMs of New York have done a very good job, for the most part they made good decisions and just got dealt a very bad hand full of early retirements, what appeared to be great draft picks not panning out, and terrible sim luck.

As a former player the picture of a player is legally allowed to be used as all pictures are taken in a public place that is deemed to accepted that a picture maybe take or will be taken but using such picture to mislead or suggest something misleading isn`t allowed. So to have a picture of said player in fashion that misleads others to think that they might actually be part of the league would be illegal. Only other concern that I can see would be copy right issues with the NHL logos or the actual person that took said photos as the belong to the person that took the photo. But majority of the pictures would fall under free use act due to the fact that they are being altered heavily in most cases and would be deemed art and would transfer owner ship to the artist.

Yeah was going for the dummies book line thing but I can see how given the past conversations that wasn’t taken the proper way

Hello again, so recently there’s been a tiny bit of drama around the recruitment teams methods of recruiting. Today I’d like to focus on what I find the most important the VHL Instagram. In my last post I got criticism for not providing solutions, So I’ve made a complete guide on how to actually use Instagram to promote the leagues brand and I have created my own Instagram account with examples.

Also I’d like to change my opinion on one of my points in regards to using NHL player’s likeness. I think it’s fine
because of how small the VHL is HOWEVER, It’s still legally questionable so it should be a caution we are aware of. 
 
(Disclaimer: I’m away on a trip so I didn’t have access to a computer meaning I couldn’t make examples of everything, but it should put across the main point.) 
 
1. Aspect Ratio:
When creating a post Instagram will automatically scale it to fit on your screen and will accommodate any photo. That is not the same if you decide to post a reel which has a fixed aspect ratio which is why we see the big black spaces filling up most of the current VHL insta’s posts. Photos should not be posted as reels keep them as photos and that solves the problem, you don’t need smoke effects and music over every still image. You should in general post using the classic 1080x1080px however it’s not necessary. 
 
2. Reels:
As mentioned before every single post made by the current insta is a reel. I’m assuming this is done to take advantage of the high traffic of users scrolling through reels to get more attention on posts. First I want to say reels is an important tool to be used when advertising on Instagram, however not when your post aren’t ads or more importantly not videos. The only still images that get attention on reels are screenshots of twitter, that’s it. Anything else put it in a regular post. So how does the VHL use reels then? Video ads, watch Kazxi’s ads on the game slapshot rebound, they are good examples of what I’d envision a vhl ads should feel like, obviously the content will be very different and focused on VHL activities. https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cs6SMFRNodi/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
that’s my idea at least but just as long video form content aimed at bringing in members is getting posted I’m happy.
 
 
3. Types of Posts:
Now one thing that I don’t think I made very clear on my last post is not every post has to be advertising. It’s ok to have a mix as long advertisement is present. In my mind there’s 3 types of posts, Ads, league retention posts, and a mixture of the two. Ads as mentioned in the reels section should be focused entirely on bringing in members.
 
League retention is more making content specifically for your followers, posting community graphics would fall under that as well as media spots, VSN posts, and basically anything you’d need a prior knowledge of the VHL to understand. These kind of posts are ok if they aren’t the entire Instagram. They should not be spread out into multiple posts. Add all the images into one singular post (in my example they are all on one image but using multiple slides in one post is also an option depending on how you want to present it) and throw in a title image to give the post some context. 
 
The mixture would be standings, stats,  trade announcements, and championship posts. It’s enough context for someone to understand what they are looking at even if they haven’t interacted with the VHL before. 
 
4. Branding: 
Branding is important, all posts should reflect the VHL brand identity which means careful attention and care should be used when designing a post. This includes the image pixel quality, and the quality of the image itself. That does mean jersey swaps and how well an image is cut. Using beginner artist works I think is fine in the occasional community post but shouldn’t be involved in larger scale league branding. Every single time you post you should keep this in mind, when people click on the vhl profile we want a good impression.
 
5. Example:
This example shows both the league retention and mixed posts as mentioned in Types of Posts, I didn’t include an ad because (as I mentioned before)  I’m on trip, and because of the amount of effort to do it should be the job of someone getting 6 tpe a week in job pay. But anyways here’s the insta: https://instagram.com/vhlsim_?igshid=YTQwZjQ0NmI0OA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
 
I did see the current account posted a trade which is a good step in the right direction, despite the arguments I’m glad you guys listened and have shown you’re open to improvement. Hopefully this conversation helps get the recruitment going in the right direction. 
 
 
@Moon @Subject056 @Triller

Hello again, so recently there’s been a tiny bit of drama around the recruitment teams methods of recruiting. Today I’d like to focus on what I find the most important the VHL Instagram. In my last post I got criticism for not providing solutions, So I’ve made a complete guide on how to actually use Instagram to promote the leagues brand and I have created my own Instagram account with examples.

Also I’d like to change my opinion on one of my points in regards to using NHL player’s likeness. I think it’s fine
because of how small the VHL is HOWEVER, It’s still legally questionable so it should be a caution we are aware of. 
 
(Disclaimer: I’m away on a trip so I didn’t have access to a computer meaning I couldn’t make examples of everything, but it should put across the main point.) 
 
1. Aspect Ratio:
When creating a post Instagram will automatically scale it to fit on your screen and will accommodate any photo. That is not the same if you decide to post a reel which has a fixed aspect ratio which is why we see the big black spaces filling up most of the current VHL insta’s posts. Photos should not be posted as reels keep them as photos and that solves the problem, you don’t need smoke effects and music over every still image. You should in general post using the classic 1080x1080px however it’s not necessary. 
 
2. Reels:
As mentioned before every single post made by the current insta is a reel. I’m assuming this is done to take advantage of the high traffic of users scrolling through reels to get more attention on posts. First I want to say reels is an important tool to be used when advertising on Instagram, however not when your post aren’t ads or more importantly not videos. The only still images that get attention on reels are screenshots of twitter, that’s it. Anything else put it in a regular post. So how does the VHL use reels then? Video ads, watch Kazxi’s ads on the game slapshot rebound, they are good examples of what I’d envision a vhl ads should feel like, obviously the content will be very different and focused on VHL activities. https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cs6SMFRNodi/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
that’s my idea at least but just as long video form content aimed at bringing in members is getting posted I’m happy.
 
 
3. Types of Posts:
Now one thing that I don’t think I made very clear on my last post is not every post has to be advertising. It’s ok to have a mix as long advertisement is present. In my mind there’s 3 types of posts, Ads, league retention posts, and a mixture of the two. Ads as mentioned in the reels section should be focused entirely on bringing in members.
 
League retention is more making content specifically for your followers, posting community graphics would fall under that as well as media spots, VSN posts, and basically anything you’d need a prior knowledge of the VHL to understand. These kind of posts are ok if they aren’t the entire Instagram. They should not be spread out into multiple posts. Add all the images into one singular post (in my example they are all on one image but using multiple slides in one post is also an option depending on how you want to present it) and throw in a title image to give the post some context. 
 
The mixture would be standings, stats,  trade announcements, and championship posts. It’s enough context for someone to understand what they are looking at even if they haven’t interacted with the VHL before. 
 
4. Branding: 
Branding is important, all posts should reflect the VHL brand identity which means careful attention and care should be used when designing a post. This includes the image pixel quality, and the quality of the image itself. That does mean jersey swaps and how well an image is cut. Using beginner artist works I think is fine in the occasional community post but shouldn’t be involved in larger scale league branding. Every single time you post you should keep this in mind, when people click on the vhl profile we want a good impression.
 
5. Example:
This example shows both the league retention and mixed posts as mentioned in Types of Posts, I didn’t include an ad because (as I mentioned before)  I’m on trip, and because of the amount of effort to do it should be the job of someone getting 6 tpe a week in job pay. But anyways here’s the insta: https://instagram.com/vhlsim_?igshid=YTQwZjQ0NmI0OA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
 
I did see the current account posted a trade which is a good step in the right direction, despite the arguments I’m glad you guys listened and have shown you’re open to improvement. Hopefully this conversation helps get the recruitment going in the right direction. 
 
 
@Moon @Subject056 @Triller

Hello again, so recently there’s been a tiny bit of drama around the recruitment teams methods of recruiting. Today I’d like to focus on what I find the most important the VHL Instagram. In my last post I got criticism for not providing solutions, So I’ve made a complete guide on how to actually use Instagram to promote the leagues brand and I have created my own Instagram account with examples.

Also I’d like to change my opinion on one of my points in regards to using NHL player’s likeness. I think it’s fine
because of how small the VHL is HOWEVER, It’s still legally questionable so it should be a caution we are aware of. 
 
(Disclaimer: I’m away on a trip so I didn’t have access to a computer meaning I couldn’t make examples of everything, but it should put across the main point.) 
 
1. Aspect Ratio:
When creating a post Instagram will automatically scale it to fit on your screen and will accommodate any photo. That is not the same if you decide to post a reel which has a fixed aspect ratio which is why we see the big black spaces filling up most of the current VHL insta’s posts. Photos should not be posted as reels keep them as photos and that solves the problem, you don’t need smoke effects and music over every still image. You should in general post using the classic 1080x1080px however it’s not necessary. 
 
2. Reels:
As mentioned before every single post made by the current insta is a reel. I’m assuming this is done to take advantage of the high traffic of users scrolling through reels to get more attention on posts. First I want to say reels is an important tool to be used when advertising on Instagram, however not when your post aren’t ads or more importantly not videos. The only still images that get attention on reels are screenshots of twitter, that’s it. Anything else put it in a regular post. So how does the VHL use reels then? Video ads, watch Kazxi’s ads on the game slapshot rebound, they are good examples of what I’d envision a vhl ads should feel like, obviously the content will be very different and focused on VHL activities. https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cs6SMFRNodi/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
that’s my idea at least but just as long video form content aimed at bringing in members is getting posted I’m happy.
 
 
3. Types of Posts:
Now one thing that I don’t think I made very clear on my last post is not every post has to be advertising. It’s ok to have a mix as long advertisement is present. In my mind there’s 3 types of posts, Ads, league retention posts, and a mixture of the two. Ads as mentioned in the reels section should be focused entirely on bringing in members.
 
League retention is more making content specifically for your followers, posting community graphics would fall under that as well as media spots, VSN posts, and basically anything you’d need a prior knowledge of the VHL to understand. These kind of posts are ok if they aren’t the entire Instagram. They should not be spread out into multiple posts. Add all the images into one singular post (in my example they are all on one image but using multiple slides in one post is also an option depending on how you want to present it) and throw in a title image to give the post some context. 
 
The mixture would be standings, stats,  trade announcements, and championship posts. It’s enough context for someone to understand what they are looking at even if they haven’t interacted with the VHL before. 
 
4. Branding: 
Branding is important, all posts should reflect the VHL brand identity which means careful attention and care should be used when designing a post. This includes the image pixel quality, and the quality of the image itself. That does mean jersey swaps and how well an image is cut. Using beginner artist works I think is fine in the occasional community post but shouldn’t be involved in larger scale league branding. Every single time you post you should keep this in mind, when people click on the vhl profile we want a good impression.
 
5. Example:
This example shows both the league retention and mixed posts as mentioned in Types of Posts, I didn’t include an ad because (as I mentioned before)  I’m on trip, and because of the amount of effort to do it should be the job of someone getting 6 tpe a week in job pay. But anyways here’s the insta: https://instagram.com/vhlsim_?igshid=YTQwZjQ0NmI0OA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
 
I did see the current account posted a trade which is a good step in the right direction, despite the arguments I’m glad you guys listened and have shown you’re open to improvement. Hopefully this conversation helps get the recruitment going in the right direction. 
 
 
@Moon @Subject056 @Triller

Hello again, so recently there’s been a tiny bit of drama around the recruitment teams methods of recruiting. Today I’d like to focus on what I find the most important the VHL Instagram. In my last post I got criticism for not providing solutions, So I’ve made a complete guide on how to actually use Instagram to promote the leagues brand and I have created my own Instagram account with examples.

Also I’d like to change my opinion on one of my points in regards to using NHL player’s likeness. I think it’s fine
because of how small the VHL is HOWEVER, It’s still legally questionable so it should be a caution we are aware of. 
 
(Disclaimer: I’m away on a trip so I didn’t have access to a computer meaning I couldn’t make examples of everything, but it should put across the main point.) 
 
1. Aspect Ratio:
When creating a post Instagram will automatically scale it to fit on your screen and will accommodate any photo. That is not the same if you decide to post a reel which has a fixed aspect ratio which is why we see the big black spaces filling up most of the current VHL insta’s posts. Photos should not be posted as reels keep them as photos and that solves the problem, you don’t need smoke effects and music over every still image. You should in general post using the classic 1080x1080px however it’s not necessary. 
 
2. Reels:
As mentioned before every single post made by the current insta is a reel. I’m assuming this is done to take advantage of the high traffic of users scrolling through reels to get more attention on posts. First I want to say reels is an important tool to be used when advertising on Instagram, however not when your post aren’t ads or more importantly not videos. The only still images that get attention on reels are screenshots of twitter, that’s it. Anything else put it in a regular post. So how does the VHL use reels then? Video ads, watch Kazxi’s ads on the game slapshot rebound, they are good examples of what I’d envision a vhl ads should feel like, obviously the content will be very different and focused on VHL activities. https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cs6SMFRNodi/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
that’s my idea at least but just as long video form content aimed at bringing in members is getting posted I’m happy.
 
 
3. Types of Posts:
Now one thing that I don’t think I made very clear on my last post is not every post has to be advertising. It’s ok to have a mix as long advertisement is present. In my mind there’s 3 types of posts, Ads, league retention posts, and a mixture of the two. Ads as mentioned in the reels section should be focused entirely on bringing in members.
 
League retention is more making content specifically for your followers, posting community graphics would fall under that as well as media spots, VSN posts, and basically anything you’d need a prior knowledge of the VHL to understand. These kind of posts are ok if they aren’t the entire Instagram. They should not be spread out into multiple posts. Add all the images into one singular post (in my example they are all on one image but using multiple slides in one post is also an option depending on how you want to present it) and throw in a title image to give the post some context. 
 
The mixture would be standings, stats,  trade announcements, and championship posts. It’s enough context for someone to understand what they are looking at even if they haven’t interacted with the VHL before. 
 
4. Branding: 
Branding is important, all posts should reflect the VHL brand identity which means careful attention and care should be used when designing a post. This includes the image pixel quality, and the quality of the image itself. That does mean jersey swaps and how well an image is cut. Using beginner artist works I think is fine in the occasional community post but shouldn’t be involved in larger scale league branding. Every single time you post you should keep this in mind, when people click on the vhl profile we want a good impression.
 
5. Example:
This example shows both the league retention and mixed posts as mentioned in Types of Posts, I didn’t include an ad because (as I mentioned before)  I’m on trip, and because of the amount of effort to do it should be the job of someone getting 6 tpe a week in job pay. But anyways here’s the insta: https://instagram.com/vhlsim_?igshid=YTQwZjQ0NmI0OA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
 
I did see the current account posted a trade which is a good step in the right direction, despite the arguments I’m glad you guys listened and have shown you’re open to improvement. Hopefully this conversation helps get the recruitment going in the right direction. 
 
 
@Moon @Subject056 @Triller

It was pretty obvious in my head you were going with the book thing

Hello again, so recently there’s been a tiny bit of drama around the recruitment teams methods of recruiting. Today I’d like to focus on what I find the most important the VHL Instagram. In my last post I got criticism for not providing solutions, So I’ve made a complete guide on how to actually use Instagram to promote the leagues brand and I have created my own Instagram account with examples.

Also I’d like to change my opinion on one of my points in regards to using NHL player’s likeness. I think it’s fine
because of how small the VHL is HOWEVER, It’s still legally questionable so it should be a caution we are aware of. 
 
(Disclaimer: I’m away on a trip so I didn’t have access to a computer meaning I couldn’t make examples of everything, but it should put across the main point.) 
 
1. Aspect Ratio:
When creating a post Instagram will automatically scale it to fit on your screen and will accommodate any photo. That is not the same if you decide to post a reel which has a fixed aspect ratio which is why we see the big black spaces filling up most of the current VHL insta’s posts. Photos should not be posted as reels keep them as photos and that solves the problem, you don’t need smoke effects and music over every still image. You should in general post using the classic 1080x1080px however it’s not necessary. 
 
2. Reels:
As mentioned before every single post made by the current insta is a reel. I’m assuming this is done to take advantage of the high traffic of users scrolling through reels to get more attention on posts. First I want to say reels is an important tool to be used when advertising on Instagram, however not when your post aren’t ads or more importantly not videos. The only still images that get attention on reels are screenshots of twitter, that’s it. Anything else put it in a regular post. So how does the VHL use reels then? Video ads, watch Kazxi’s ads on the game slapshot rebound, they are good examples of what I’d envision a vhl ads should feel like, obviously the content will be very different and focused on VHL activities. https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cs6SMFRNodi/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
that’s my idea at least but just as long video form content aimed at bringing in members is getting posted I’m happy.
 
 
3. Types of Posts:
Now one thing that I don’t think I made very clear on my last post is not every post has to be advertising. It’s ok to have a mix as long advertisement is present. In my mind there’s 3 types of posts, Ads, league retention posts, and a mixture of the two. Ads as mentioned in the reels section should be focused entirely on bringing in members.
 
League retention is more making content specifically for your followers, posting community graphics would fall under that as well as media spots, VSN posts, and basically anything you’d need a prior knowledge of the VHL to understand. These kind of posts are ok if they aren’t the entire Instagram. They should not be spread out into multiple posts. Add all the images into one singular post (in my example they are all on one image but using multiple slides in one post is also an option depending on how you want to present it) and throw in a title image to give the post some context. 
 
The mixture would be standings, stats,  trade announcements, and championship posts. It’s enough context for someone to understand what they are looking at even if they haven’t interacted with the VHL before. 
 
4. Branding: 
Branding is important, all posts should reflect the VHL brand identity which means careful attention and care should be used when designing a post. This includes the image pixel quality, and the quality of the image itself. That does mean jersey swaps and how well an image is cut. Using beginner artist works I think is fine in the occasional community post but shouldn’t be involved in larger scale league branding. Every single time you post you should keep this in mind, when people click on the vhl profile we want a good impression.
 
5. Example:
This example shows both the league retention and mixed posts as mentioned in Types of Posts, I didn’t include an ad because (as I mentioned before)  I’m on trip, and because of the amount of effort to do it should be the job of someone getting 6 tpe a week in job pay. But anyways here’s the insta: https://instagram.com/vhlsim_?igshid=YTQwZjQ0NmI0OA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
 
I did see the current account posted a trade which is a good step in the right direction, despite the arguments I’m glad you guys listened and have shown you’re open to improvement. Hopefully this conversation helps get the recruitment going in the right direction. 
 
 
@Moon @Subject056 @Triller

Hello again, so recently there’s been a tiny bit of drama around the recruitment teams methods of recruiting. Today I’d like to focus on what I find the most important the VHL Instagram. In my last post I got criticism for not providing solutions, So I’ve made a complete guide on how to actually use Instagram to promote the leagues brand and I have created my own Instagram account with examples.

Also I’d like to change my opinion on one of my points in regards to using NHL player’s likeness. I think it’s fine
because of how small the VHL is HOWEVER, It’s still legally questionable so it should be a caution we are aware of. 
 
(Disclaimer: I’m away on a trip so I didn’t have access to a computer meaning I couldn’t make examples of everything, but it should put across the main point.) 
 
1. Aspect Ratio:
When creating a post Instagram will automatically scale it to fit on your screen and will accommodate any photo. That is not the same if you decide to post a reel which has a fixed aspect ratio which is why we see the big black spaces filling up most of the current VHL insta’s posts. Photos should not be posted as reels keep them as photos and that solves the problem, you don’t need smoke effects and music over every still image. You should in general post using the classic 1080x1080px however it’s not necessary. 
 
2. Reels:
As mentioned before every single post made by the current insta is a reel. I’m assuming this is done to take advantage of the high traffic of users scrolling through reels to get more attention on posts. First I want to say reels is an important tool to be used when advertising on Instagram, however not when your post aren’t ads or more importantly not videos. The only still images that get attention on reels are screenshots of twitter, that’s it. Anything else put it in a regular post. So how does the VHL use reels then? Video ads, watch Kazxi’s ads on the game slapshot rebound, they are good examples of what I’d envision a vhl ads should feel like, obviously the content will be very different and focused on VHL activities. https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cs6SMFRNodi/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
that’s my idea at least but just as long video form content aimed at bringing in members is getting posted I’m happy.
 
 
3. Types of Posts:
Now one thing that I don’t think I made very clear on my last post is not every post has to be advertising. It’s ok to have a mix as long advertisement is present. In my mind there’s 3 types of posts, Ads, league retention posts, and a mixture of the two. Ads as mentioned in the reels section should be focused entirely on bringing in members.
 
League retention is more making content specifically for your followers, posting community graphics would fall under that as well as media spots, VSN posts, and basically anything you’d need a prior knowledge of the VHL to understand. These kind of posts are ok if they aren’t the entire Instagram. They should not be spread out into multiple posts. Add all the images into one singular post (in my example they are all on one image but using multiple slides in one post is also an option depending on how you want to present it) and throw in a title image to give the post some context. 
 
The mixture would be standings, stats,  trade announcements, and championship posts. It’s enough context for someone to understand what they are looking at even if they haven’t interacted with the VHL before. 
 
4. Branding: 
Branding is important, all posts should reflect the VHL brand identity which means careful attention and care should be used when designing a post. This includes the image pixel quality, and the quality of the image itself. That does mean jersey swaps and how well an image is cut. Using beginner artist works I think is fine in the occasional community post but shouldn’t be involved in larger scale league branding. Every single time you post you should keep this in mind, when people click on the vhl profile we want a good impression.
 
5. Example:
This example shows both the league retention and mixed posts as mentioned in Types of Posts, I didn’t include an ad because (as I mentioned before)  I’m on trip, and because of the amount of effort to do it should be the job of someone getting 6 tpe a week in job pay. But anyways here’s the insta: https://instagram.com/vhlsim_?igshid=YTQwZjQ0NmI0OA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
 
I did see the current account posted a trade which is a good step in the right direction, despite the arguments I’m glad you guys listened and have shown you’re open to improvement. Hopefully this conversation helps get the recruitment going in the right direction. 
 
 
@Moon @Subject056 @Triller

VHL is full of nerds and the target audience will probably be interested by that

People who play NHL games and especially EASHL are some of the worst people, they are not fit to go through the "VHL ride". The whole game mode is made to team up with your mates, so you play against lesser opponents. Even in the "competitive" leagues, you see tactics that are as far from hockey as possible. It is a game, but think about the mindset. The average EASHL player writes maybe 50 words per week, and that is replies to messages through gaming apps to hate messages they get or to write hate messages they send. The odds of the average EASHL enjoyer making it to 1000 TPE is as good as someone in VHL dunking a basketball, it could happen but we all know it won't happen.
 
VHL has a far better chance of recruiting new active users by posting to forums about baking, where bored old people share recipes and discuss what on earth is going on around the world.
 
 

Hello VHL, just wanted to rant about something real quick, I’m sure I’m not the first to talk about this and I’d hope that higher ups are aware of the issue but I feel it’s worth getting more attention. What is happening in the VHLM. Teams have no players! Like at all! Look at this!! 
 

 
How are these actual teams that are actually stepping on to the ice night after night?? That’s embarrassing. I get teams having 6-4-1 instead of the irl usual of 12-6-2. It’s sim hockey everyone wants some minutes but running a 2-1-1?!?! Or a 3-0-1?!?!?! 0 defenders on a hockey team…How is this supposed to encourage anyone on those teams to keep playing? And it’s not just Mexico and Halifax, Miami is running a 3-1-1, Mississauga is running a 4-2-1, Philly is running a 4-2-1. Hell the top team in the league rn Houston has 5 forwards and is about to lose one to IA.
 
The VHLM either needs to fold a bunch of teams next season or we fix the real problem and get recruitment to do something. Now I would like to say if you are apart of recruitment I don’t dislike you guys as members. But as the recruitment team you need to stop fucking around with reposting graphics that makes no sense to anyone outside the league on instagram and TikTok. Start doing what works. Get YouTube ads out, they bring in players every time and the majority of current members came from YouTube (me included). And get some better ideas for promotion I’m sorry but the instagram looks like garbage.
 
The image quality is all over the place the framing is even more all over the place. It looks sloppy and unprofessional. No one is gonna be drawn in to a post with Alex Letang in a Malmo Jersey with the name Reese McFleury plastered across his body. Cause it doesn’t make any sense to anyone outside of the vhl, which just so happens to be WHO YOU ARE ADVERTISING TO!! Like look at this post and tell me you aren’t going to instantly scroll by it.
 

Genuinely there’s maybe 3 posts where I’d imagine a normal person looks and doesn’t think “wtf” then keeps scrolling. 
 
Also probably the most important part do we even know if we’re allowed to be using NHL players to promote our site? Like it’s definitely okay to make stuff for the forum because it’s personal projects, but when it crosses into advertising I have to imagine that’s not allowed right? Like those are real people’s likenesses being used to promote the VHL without giving them financial compensation or getting consent.
 
It feels like recruitment has been bumbling around not putting any real effort or at least not coordinating a proper vision of how to promote the site. To end it, save the VHLM by getting a god damn YouTube ad out, and fix the sloppy mess that is the social media accounts. 

So... The M and Recruitment as a whole has been down eh? The thread started by @Zetterberg has incited a lot of conversation, so much so that at this point this should be a theme for theme week. Nevertheless after reading through the numerous opinions and conversations that have since stemmed from this, why not put my two cents into the issue? As much as I love consuming drama, my craving for tea hasn't been satisfied and thus my dumb ass will throw myself into the fray.
 
Ironically enough, I stumbled upon Z's thread after it has been advertised on Instagram as a story. I honestly found that extremely funny since Z had his criticisms with the IG account only for his own thread to be advertised there. Either way, the general consensus I've seen/read is that the Recruitment team's issues have stemmed from a lack of direction and organization. It gives me the sense that there are people who put more focus on the IG/social media, there are also others who are currently working on recruitment drives. I guess what I'm saying is that everyone in recruitment seems to be doing their own thing in an attempt of getting new faces into the sim league. Of course as an outsider looking in, the vast majority of the basis of this is based on the observations I've made from the recent discussions. I could easily be wrong and anyone is open to prove me different. So where do we go from here? How can we provide possible solutions to these issues? Personally, I think this isn't just a simple "fix one thing and make gud" type of solution. It's more of a multi-layered process. I feel like there's a lot of specific parts and aspects that needs to be addressed in order to solve the recruitment issue. I'm not outright asking to completely reorganize the recruitment team, but I feel like these possible solutions could possibly provide feedback and insight from a person who's been in the league for a bit but has also spent a lot of time outside of it. Also, this doesn't mean I'm discrediting or undermining the tireless amounts of work the recruitment team does. It's a thankless job and when results doesn't show, it leads to criticism whether it's justified or not. However, when the backbone of what makes the league what it is now is struggling to help fill M teams, there needs to be some change. M GMs can't do their jobs if there's no newbies to retain. So without further adieu, here's a potential multi-step plan to help improve recruitment.
 
1) The odds are already stacked against us so how do we fight that?
The VHL is a simulation league where you create your own player and help them grow by participating in a forum based system where you make articles, graphics, podcasts, or videos in order to acquire a system of points that improve your stats that correlate with a sim engine that's not the EA NHL games or Franchise Hockey Manager and it's an engine most in a general audience likely don't know about. Quite the run on sentence right? Most people, fuck it, everyone here knows that the VHL is a very specific niche. None of the teams are related to the NHL and the only actual correlations to the NHL are the graphics and the idea that it's a be-a-pro or franchise mode sim league. The latter of which is true to a degree but the specifics behind it is what makes the VHL an incredibly niche league. This is the first layer of what makes recruitment hard. New people might be turned off by the idea of writing articles or learning a sim engine with a sketchy ass UI, thus the acceptance of 'clickers' (people like me who use Welfare and Practice) has been adjustment that unfortunately needed to be made to allow those who don't like the idea of writing paragraphs or making graphics. This issue will never have a clear solution as this is just how the league is. You'll have people who are interested in the forum/GM aspect and others who don't.
 
Another thing that puts the odds against recruitment and retention is the aforementioned lack of direction/organization. There NEEDS to be a Head of Recruitment. Someone who keeps track of the numerous recruitment initiatives, and acts as the representative to the blues and M GMs. If there is a head of recruitment and I don't know, then this part isn't exactly invalid. There needs to be someone who steps up and keeps things organized and makes the decisions of what gets prioritized based on the feedback from the admins, commishes, and the M GMs. Some people within recruitment might not necessarily be happy that their recruitment strategy isn't prioritized over others, but having that structure and having a person who can act on the best interests for the league is a big part of what I believe is a possible solution. You can have numerous recruitment methods whether it's YouTube ads or IG or even fucking Reddit if possible, but there needs to be someone who keeps track of the progress of the people who are working on those different methods and makes sure that problems, or any other points or ideas be addressed. Ideally this person shouldn't be any part of the actual recruitment process and acts as the supervisor and middle man between the team and the league. However, I'm not opposed to them being part of a specific part (YT, IG or fuck all else), but being neutral the different aspects of recruitment helps lessen any bias towards one method or another. This all leads onto a few points I'll go over further, one of which being...
 
2) Stick to what works.
YouTube and (previously) Reddit has been the biggest contributors to gaining new members. YT especially as the bans on advertising our league on subreddits have been gone for a while now. I am aware that there are YT drives being worked on, but there are a few issues with YT recruiting. One of the things addressed that came from Z's thread was the fact that YouTubers are hiking up their prices. The financials behind these types of recruitment is tough considering this a volunteer ran league. Another issue is the fact that the same YouTubers have ran multiple ads for the VHL at this point. While having that business relationship is important, as it will hurt the league more by not getting ads from these established connections. You can only make a pitch to the same fanbase a number of times before it's just tuned out. The solution to that is easy, simply reach out to more creators. The hard part is the negotiation process behind that which I can't help but think it's a nightmare sometimes. However, this method gives out a good chunk of new members in a large quantity over a short duration of time. Maybe only about 20% of the total recruitment drive actually stays. Maybe only half of that 20% actually becomes engaged forum participants and owners. That's still better than the lack of recruitment we've seen as of late. Capturing this quick bolt of lightning has worked in the past and will work again. This part of recruitment and the work the team does to make it happen is something I will always support. This should also be a large priority of the recruitment team over the other social media initiatives. It works if it gets through, so this should always be a big priority for the proposed Head of Recruitment and the league. It's been a while since I've watched hockey YT so I can't make any real suggestions now, but maybe anyone who sees this can list some YouTubers who you think could work to help bring a fresh new audience to the VHL. It might be a stretch (fuck it is a stretch) but the optimism in me always feels that there's a way.
 
3) The zoomer in me don't like how the VHL does social media.
I think this is one of my bigger gripes with recruitment right now. As a zoomer who's chronically online (lmao what a surprise), I find it really annoying that short form content isn't being taken advantage of right now. Yes the VHL Instagram mostly does reels. But is a PNG graphic of some established hockey player in a weird jersey and logo overlayed with random ass filters while blasting music really an instagram reel? This is nothing against the graphics part of recruitment or the people who run it as the graphics themselves are great. However from a recruitment perspective, and even as someone who's familiar with the league, this shit don't fly. Who the fuck sees this and thinks "oh hey what's this VHL thing? lemme just check this out" when they see Alex Wennberg in a Helsinki jersey or something. Most people would see this as "why is Wennberg in a random ah jersey lol?" The graphics and daily posts don't describe what the league is. Heck even personally I've just glanced over the posts and stories as they didn't seem to interest me at the time. I've liked a few but never gave it much thought. They don't show that this is referring to a sim league. The "join now" in the description being overshadowed by the graphics is not a good way to use this platform as a recruitment avenue.
 
Another issue I have is the audience the instagram is pandering to. The instagram account seems to prioritize towards the already established audience of current VHLers rather than trying to reach a new audience. Of course that's not always a problem. Knowing the VHL and the cycle of recreates dominating draft classes, I'm sure that giving some content towards that established audience will always be appreciated. However not showing anything that might entice a new audience is just a waste of effort.  The one positive thing I see from the Instagram is the abuse of hashtags. I would add a #foryou and a #reels along with the amount of shit put on there as it helps with the algorithm. You know what else helps the algorithm? Making real reels. Have someone that's comfortable speaking, or even a text-to-speech bot blabber out the standings or describe what the VHL is. Make actual short form content that catches the attention of users and put a "want to join? sign up for the VHL now" at the end of every video. Fuck it, put on some subway surfers or some shitty mobile game/minecraft parkour underneath. Let me make this clear, I'm all for showcasing the work and articles using the Instagram account, but in an age of Tiktok and YouTube shorts, short form content is KING. Have weekly standings or even go the sports media route and form narratives behind the teams. Something like "OH FUCK VASTERAS FLEECED OSLO AGAIN, ARE THEY GOING ALL IN? or will the be FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY" or something. This doesn't even have to be too frequent, just 2-3 times a week. Maybe even once a week if editing is a challenge. Improving the quality and taking advantage of an age where less than 1-2 minute videos are consumed constantly will help this avenue in getting not only more eyes to the VHL, but potentially more members.
 
 
In conclusion, recruitment is a multi-layered problem that needs a multi-layered solution. Retention is a whole nother can of worms I'm sure the M GMs are glad to discuss about. This is just something I want to propose based on the discussions held and my own personal views on this issue. I do hope that the VHL can have another solid recruitment drive soon as this is a community that is welcoming to those who join it despite the casual drama every now and then. Again, I don't want to bash the recruitment team for their hard work, but I feel like some of that work has been misused in the wrong places. I know I'm a lot more biased on the instagram part but showcasing the graphics/articles on the page is a positive. I just wish that there would be more effort in taking advantage of instagram as a recruitment platform. I really liked the discussion this brought on, and it's nice to weigh in on things again.
 
(2084 words)
Claiming for weeks ending 11/25-12/16

Unfortunately I’m away from my computer until this weekend otherwise I absolutely would’ve made a mock and I’m still trying to figure out a way to do that. As for the thread I think it was a success regardless of what you think of me or how I’ve acted it’s brought up a discussion that I and many other believe is necessary on recruitment. 

Hello VHL, just wanted to rant about something real quick, I’m sure I’m not the first to talk about this and I’d hope that higher ups are aware of the issue but I feel it’s worth getting more attention. What is happening in the VHLM. Teams have no players! Like at all! Look at this!! 
 

 
How are these actual teams that are actually stepping on to the ice night after night?? That’s embarrassing. I get teams having 6-4-1 instead of the irl usual of 12-6-2. It’s sim hockey everyone wants some minutes but running a 2-1-1?!?! Or a 3-0-1?!?!?! 0 defenders on a hockey team…How is this supposed to encourage anyone on those teams to keep playing? And it’s not just Mexico and Halifax, Miami is running a 3-1-1, Mississauga is running a 4-2-1, Philly is running a 4-2-1. Hell the top team in the league rn Houston has 5 forwards and is about to lose one to IA.
 
The VHLM either needs to fold a bunch of teams next season or we fix the real problem and get recruitment to do something. Now I would like to say if you are apart of recruitment I don’t dislike you guys as members. But as the recruitment team you need to stop fucking around with reposting graphics that makes no sense to anyone outside the league on instagram and TikTok. Start doing what works. Get YouTube ads out, they bring in players every time and the majority of current members came from YouTube (me included). And get some better ideas for promotion I’m sorry but the instagram looks like garbage.
 
The image quality is all over the place the framing is even more all over the place. It looks sloppy and unprofessional. No one is gonna be drawn in to a post with Alex Letang in a Malmo Jersey with the name Reese McFleury plastered across his body. Cause it doesn’t make any sense to anyone outside of the vhl, which just so happens to be WHO YOU ARE ADVERTISING TO!! Like look at this post and tell me you aren’t going to instantly scroll by it.
 

Genuinely there’s maybe 3 posts where I’d imagine a normal person looks and doesn’t think “wtf” then keeps scrolling. 
 
Also probably the most important part do we even know if we’re allowed to be using NHL players to promote our site? Like it’s definitely okay to make stuff for the forum because it’s personal projects, but when it crosses into advertising I have to imagine that’s not allowed right? Like those are real people’s likenesses being used to promote the VHL without giving them financial compensation or getting consent.
 
It feels like recruitment has been bumbling around not putting any real effort or at least not coordinating a proper vision of how to promote the site. To end it, save the VHLM by getting a god damn YouTube ad out, and fix the sloppy mess that is the social media accounts. 

Unfortunately I’m away from my computer until this weekend otherwise I absolutely would’ve made a mock and I’m still trying to figure out a way to do that. As for the thread I think it was a success regardless of what you think of me or how I’ve acted it’s brought up a discussion that I and many other believe is necessary on recruitment.