The VHLM is quiet and Recruitment is so different right now

[jacobcarson877 2,535]

So as you may have seen, there have been some tensions between the VHLM/E GMs and the Recruitment team. Their player counts have not been stable or particularly numerous these past few seasons, and with most of Recruitment’s work happening behind closed doors, it can make them a rather easy target. Much like the popular disdain of the VHLE, where we all watch players go inactive the moment they make the transition there, and a new approach to Recruitment failing to bring in new active members as of today, it can be easy to confuse correlation and causation.

I think we can all understand when I connect the concept of Recruitment to that of Sales. While I am no businessman, I know a few things from merely being alive, that pertain to the art.

The first is that you cannot control the number of deals you close, merely the number of contacts you make. Recruitment’s job is not to bring in members, contrary to what some may think. It is to put the VHL brand in front the appropriate number of eyeballs that might be interested in our community. I think we can all agree that not enough eyeballs are seeing our social media pages that would be interested in joining our community. I imagine that this is where the outrage is coming from. Social Media would become our largest traffic driver were we to actually build a large audience, but that will inevitably take time and/or luck. Does this make it not worth our efforts? I think it is very much worth our efforts, as other pools of eyeballs are dwindling the more we scoop from them.

The second piece of knowledge is that in order to land a sale, one has to provide a product that the person thinks they want. How do we do that? We connect whatever interest they currently have, with whatever experience we think we can offer them. Our existing pool of Youtube recruits connected with the idea that we’re something in the realm of Be A Pro from the NHL series, and we use our understanding of that connection to draw traffic to our site. We also know that this connection is not exactly true, as our core gameplay experience is in fact nothing like Be A Pro. The actions taken to participate in this league do not involve a controller, or even a visual aspect. The connection between video game enjoyer and writer/artist/podcaster is superficially connected, with a very low conversion rate. But, considering the number of eyeballs that see it, and the simplicity of just clicking a link, Youtube does bring the most eyeballs to the front page of our website. They may even make a player and click all of the buttons on the Player Management page. But then what? I remember this part of my creation process, and I would have quit had I not left the tab open when I went to bed and woke up to some messages from VHLM GMs. Video game enjoyers want to do a thing, and when you’ve made that sale, they want to dive right in, and with nothing more to do, they close the tab and never come back. Obviously, this isn’t true for everyone, we have a large number of active members from Youtube, but with enough eyeballs, there will certainly be a few that buck the trend and stick around. While this is something that works, even at a low conversion rate, it is better than nothing, and useful to bump up some smaller classes, it should not be our primary method moving forward.

The final piece of wisdom is that one of the methods people make sales is by applying some sense of urgency. People are willing to purchase something just because it is on sale, or because there is limited stock. If people don’t feel like it is the best time to purchase something, they may never. How many random snacks from the grocery store have you only tried because they were a limited time offer, or on sale, even better a 2/5$ sale on a couple of 3$ bags of chips? May as well buy 2 at that point! The season cycle moves so quickly (in terms of real life, I know those offseasons are killing everyone), there are so many important events that we could use to draw people in. Get in before the draft! Get in this week after the trade deadline! Get in just in time for season start, or theme week! Refer a friend this week and get a free Doubles Week! People are going to act far more spontaneously when forced to act with urgency, or to extend the value.  

Is Recruitment really failing? Not in the slightest. I think it is actually really great that they’re putting awesome work in front of eyeballs, even if it is just ours for now. Yes, they need to use a tried and true method at the moment (which they are), to bring raw numbers to the table. But Youtube is, in my opinion, our worst method of Recruitment, since it is pretty well a lie straight out of the gate. We aren’t Be A Pro, and we have nothing in common, gameplay wise with that medium. There are also less and less people spending all of their days watching NHL videos on Youtube. People are back at work and school, and viewership in general continues to move towards other platforms. It is very responsible for the Recruitment to be thinking about the long term, setting out a foundation to get continued and steady members rather than large booms and busts. Their work hasn’t paid off yet, and as they lay out policy and expectations for generations of Recruitment members, they will have to work overtime to do the Recruitment style of old, while also adapting to modern times. Many of us can remember 2020 and how many new members were flowing in, but that was a different circumstance, and any dwindling since can’t solely be attributed to incompetence.

Lets leave Recruitment to recruit, they also have brains and know numbers are low, and lets get ourselves back to keeping the members we do have active and engaged.

Lots of love,

Jacob

P.S. Shoutout to my homies on and related to Recruitment.

P.P.S If you genuinely have ideas, shoot a DM to @Moon, the team has always been open to discuss ideas with me and I assume others!

[Spartan 4,402]

26 minutes ago, jacobcarson877 said:

Recruitment’s job is not to bring in members, contrary to what some may think.

I don't know when or how this changed, but I'm certain no league staff member approved this. The last recruitment team job posting that was put up by a VHL commissioner specifically lists the duties as follows:

 

- Cultivating new and existing partnerships with ad partners and affiliates.

- Designing and running as campaigns.

- Working closely with the blue team on retention and recruitment promotions.

- Designing promotional material.

- Running Social Media Accounts.

- Aiding in retention efforts for new members.

 

4 out of the 6 points are clearly geared towards activites that bring in new members. The other 2 points are what has been prioritized/worked on for various (valid) reasons over the past few seasons. If we want to make the recruitment team large enough to seamlessly run social media accounts while also leveraging tried and trusted forms of recruitment along with new, experimental ways to bring in new members, that shouldn't be an issue at all. I just don't understand how the perspective is that recruitment's job isn't first and foremost to bring in new members.

[jacobcarson877 2,535]

2 minutes ago, Spartan said:

4 out of the 6 points are clearly geared towards activites that bring in new members.

Absolutely agree, but, one could feasibly do all 6 and not bring in the amount of members needed. I think we're both on the same page that it isn't necessarily a work in = value out job, and without transparency at least for the common member, we can only judge on the value out. Their job is to put our product in front of people who should  want to join, that's my only opinion difference.

[Spartan 4,402]

Just now, jacobcarson877 said:

Absolutely agree, but, one could feasibly do all 6 and not bring in the amount of members needed. I think we're both on the same page that it isn't necessarily a work in = value out job, and without transparency at least for the common member, we can only judge on the value out. Their job is to put our product in front of people who should  want to join, that's my only opinion difference.

I understand the point about efforts to results and I don't fault anyone currently on the team for their social media efforts. But it's a straw man to say they could do all 6 and fail when some aspects haven't happened at all recently, from what I can see in the recruitment server. I've said that I don't have issue with social media as long all our eggs aren't in that one basket. If they are, there's got to be some good value coming out of it. When we know what works to even get bodies in from the past (and some quality ones as evidenced by the 100+ youtubers and whatever reddit users that crossed 400 TPE), I don't understand completely ditching that avenue to focus on a platform that will need a lot of time and patience to see results on. You don't bench your superstar RB to play the guy you just drafted in the 4th round when the star's stats are better in every way and proven for success. You make some kind of rotation prioritizing the star who works and slowly building up the rookie over time.

[jacobcarson877 2,535]

4 minutes ago, Spartan said:

some aspects haven't happened at all recently, from what I can see in the recruitment server.

THIS is valid criticism, and I'm glad someone with insider knowledge is able to come up with that. Saying the Instagram is ugly and VHLM rosters aren't at the size we'd like isn't really a fair criticism, since we can't know that they hadn't fulfilled their specific tasks, and just haven't gotten the results. (Noting this was not your criticism, but I imagine you understand where the inspiration for this article came from)

[Daniel Janser 2,169]

18 minutes ago, jacobcarson877 said:

 but I imagine you understand where the inspiration for this article came from)

Just make sure to quote your sources

 

[Spartan 4,402]

33 minutes ago, jacobcarson877 said:

THIS is valid criticism, and I'm glad someone with insider knowledge is able to come up with that. Saying the Instagram is ugly and VHLM rosters aren't at the size we'd like isn't really a fair criticism, since we can't know that they hadn't fulfilled their specific tasks, and just haven't gotten the results. (Noting this was not your criticism, but I imagine you understand where the inspiration for this article came from)

I'm generally cautious on "leaking" so to speak but I've been adamant on defending the individuals on the recruitment team up to this point because they had no direction or organization through no fault of their own. I think that can be recognized and appreciated separately from the valid criticisms of the team's performance as a whole. Personally I think the league neglected the recruitment team as well by choosing not to hire a head until we've hit this point of no recruits. I just don't think it was wise to essentially say "do what you guys want" and not provide previous knowledge, or instructions of basic activities.

[Zetterberg 863]

3 hours ago, jacobcarson877 said:

imagine that this is where the outrage is coming from. Social Media would become our largest traffic driver were we to actually build a large audience, but that will inevitably take time and/or luck. Does this make it not worth our efforts? I think it is very much worth our efforts, as other pools of eyeballs are dwindling the more we scoop from them.

Absolutely, I still feel YouTube is an important tool to get players in, but my biggest criticism was that the instagram isn’t being used at all to become that traffic driver. There’s no current effort to convert new eyes to joining. Just some effort to acknowledge current members. You can keep posting those poorly cropped graphics all you want but it’s never going to bring in people or engage with the social media algorithm.

 

4 hours ago, jacobcarson877 said:

Lets leave Recruitment to recruit, they also have brains and know numbers are low, and lets get ourselves back to keeping the members we do have active and engaged.

I don’t like the idea that they are above criticism and we just have to trust what they are doing. It’s not hard to see that the social media platforms that you have said are important to future growth aren’t being used properly. Are the GMs with no players supposed to just sit back and think ah whatever I’m sure they got a plan? Cause if so they’d be very wrong it’s clear by these conversations that recruitment had 0 intentions on changing the social media. Conversations is how changes are made no one should be above criticism. I know I’d personally prefer a league where I’m not the only defender on a team. Not very enjoyable to have 4 teammates regardless of what the GM does.

[Triller 1,662]

Wow, it looks like an accurate analysis CAN be made of the current recruitment status without being whiny and insulting.  CRAZY!

[Zetterberg 863]

2 minutes ago, Triller said:

Wow, it looks like an accurate analysis CAN be made of the current recruitment status without being whiny and insulting.  CRAZY!

Great! now that there feelings aren’t hurt surely they’ll change something and not ignore the entire argument!

[Spartan 4,402]

Just now, Zetterberg said:

Great! now that there feelings aren’t hurt surely they’ll change something and not ignore the entire argument!

Brother, can you be any less tactful

[Triller 1,662]

1 minute ago, Zetterberg said:

Great! now that there feelings aren’t hurt surely they’ll change something and not ignore the entire argument!

You argument is presented poorly and your suggestions are not well thought out.  If you framed your issues constructively than a proper discourse can be had.  The amount you focus on the "poorly cropped graphics", which by the way is not a cropping issue it is an issue with the original aspect ratio the content was created in, already shows that you aren't about helping to solve a problem you are more about insulting the people you deem responsible and poking them whenever you can.  Post stats and trades and standings you say and yet you complain about lack of context for the graphics?  Yeah, that will bring in the recruits and boost our social media presence! 

 

I understand that humility and knowing how to approach a situation respectfully is something learned over an extended period of time through different social experiences but you need to really focus on that.  Doubling down and not realizing that an apology doesn't mean your points are no longer valid but only that you acknowledge you could have approached the situation better and understand that a little empathy goes a long way.

[Zetterberg 863]

8 minutes ago, Spartan said:

Brother, can you be any less tactful

In my original I literally said I don’t have anything against the members just the job they’ve been doing. Which was all valid criticism. Now they get salty and act like I was this horrible, mean and vicious villain. They post on the ig calling me pitiful which was real classy, and try and guilt trip and talk about how hard and draining it is to repost graphics you didn’t make. So I really don’t care about this “tact and understanding” thing.

 

4 minutes ago, Triller said:

Post stats and trades and standings you say and yet you complain about lack of context for the graphics?

This just shows how social media illiterate you are tbh. That is context… people instantly understand what they’re looking at. It’s content that could get people to check out the page. That’s not a thing with the shit that’s been posted so far it’s just a confusing mess for anyone not involved in the VHL already.

 

6 minutes ago, Triller said:

The amount you focus on the "poorly cropped graphics", which by the way is not a cropping issue it is an issue with the original aspect ratio the content was created

Fine the aspect ratios suck, is that better?

 

[Zetterberg 863]

13 minutes ago, Triller said:

shows that you aren't about helping to solve a problem

 

14 minutes ago, Triller said:

Post stats and trades and standings

Right….

[jacobcarson877 2,535]

Just now, Zetterberg said:

 

Right….

So basically you can go edit your Media Spot to be:

" Dear Recruitment,

I have an idea for how you could spice up your posts on Instagram! Wouldn't it be cool if we came up with some templates from standings, stat leaders and trades? I could offer my services if you think that would make for good social media content.

Let me know if you like my ideas,

Z"

I'm sure the Recruitment team would be much more likely to accept your criticism in that form.

[Triller 1,662]

6 minutes ago, Zetterberg said:

In my original I literally said I don’t have anything against the members just the job they’ve been doing. Which was all valid criticism. Now they get salty and act like I was this horrible, mean and vicious villain. They post on the ig calling me pitiful which was real classy, and try and guilt trip and talk about how hard and draining it is to repost graphics you didn’t make. So I really don’t care about this “tact and understanding” thing.

 

This just shows how social media illiterate you are tbh. That is context… people instantly understand what they’re looking at. It’s content that could get people to check out the page. That’s not a thing with the shit that’s been posted so far it’s just a confusing mess for anyone not involved in the VHL already.

 

Fine the aspect ratios suck, is that better?

 

 

It takes time.

[Spartan 4,402]

3 minutes ago, Zetterberg said:

In my original I literally said I don’t have anything against the members just the job they’ve been doing. Which was all valid criticism. Now they get salty and act like I was this horrible, mean and vicious villain. They post on the ig calling me pitiful which was real classy, and try and guilt trip and talk about how hard and draining it is to repost graphics you didn’t make. So I really don’t care about this “tact and understanding” thing.

"Hey no offense, you do an absolute shit job. No offense though."

 

Just be mindful of the way you lay things out man. Everything is semantics, it's a community. It's interactions with people with no way to understand tone. You could definitely just have made the Instagram conversation around "hey, the graphics being posted can be improved to focus on recruitment/advertising rather than just featuring content." Instead there was most definitely language that doesn't sound very conducive to facilitating positive change.

 

"feels like recruitment has been bumbling around not putting any real effort"

"fix the sloppy mess that is the social media accounts"

"look at this post and honestly tell me you think they’re trying their hardest…"

"doesn’t change how boring and useless the instagram is"

 

Just a few easily noticeable examples. But hey, you got the clicks and discourse going. Just at the expense of shitting on the recruitment members who want to do good work and put in effort.

[Triller 1,662]

8 minutes ago, Zetterberg said:

In my original I literally said I don’t have anything against the members just the job they’ve been doing. Which was all valid criticism. Now they get salty and act like I was this horrible, mean and vicious villain. They post on the ig calling me pitiful which was real classy, and try and guilt trip and talk about how hard and draining it is to repost graphics you didn’t make. So I really don’t care about this “tact and understanding” thing.

Trying to lighten the mood and you still couldn't take the graceful route.

[rory 1,916]

stopped reading after the BASELESS insult towards the VHLE. I've had ONE player go inactive when on the Bratislava roster. Most of them go IA in the M!

[jacobcarson877 2,535]

Just now, rory said:

stopped reading after the BASELESS insult towards the VHLE. I've had ONE player go inactive when on the Bratislava roster. Most of them go IA in the M!

Proud of you! Keep up the great work!

[Banackock 8,049]

Fire the coach

 

 

[BOOM 8,746]

I'd like us all to be friends, and work together towards solving the issue of recruitment AND retainment, in order to see the VHL remain a viable destination for those seeking a Hockey simulation/community that isn't EA Sports based.

 

I don't know how much time I have, but IF I can help somehow, I'll try to contribute, but please, let's try to be positive about finding ways to improve it.

 

[Guest]

While I don’t have too much spare time, I’ll throw my hat in the ring to help with anything as well. Have enjoyed the league the short time I’ve been here and I’d like to see it continue and thrive. 

[Gustav 6,416]

4 hours ago, Spartan said:

"Hey no offense, you do an absolute shit job. No offense though."

 

Just be mindful of the way you lay things out man. Everything is semantics, it's a community. It's interactions with people with no way to understand tone. You could definitely just have made the Instagram conversation around "hey, the graphics being posted can be improved to focus on recruitment/advertising rather than just featuring content." Instead there was most definitely language that doesn't sound very conducive to facilitating positive change.

 

"feels like recruitment has been bumbling around not putting any real effort"

"fix the sloppy mess that is the social media accounts"

"look at this post and honestly tell me you think they’re trying their hardest…"

"doesn’t change how boring and useless the instagram is"

 

Just a few easily noticeable examples. But hey, you got the clicks and discourse going. Just at the expense of shitting on the recruitment members who want to do good work and put in effort.

 

I feel like there's even a way to be fired up and speak aggressively that isn't necessarily insulting. Case in point, a lot of my previous writing (at least, I like to think so). You can probably say whatever you want about the state of recruitment and it won't be taken too poorly. It's just that the second it's made about people and not situations is the second it becomes justifiably offensive to those people. "WE HAVE NO NEW RECRUITS, THIS IS A MAJOR ISSUE, AND I CAN'T BELIEVE THE LEAGUE HAS GOTTEN TO THIS POINT WHILE SO MANY PEOPLE" (speaking generally) "CLAIM THEY'RE DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO HELP" will piss off no one because people who are trying will agree with it and people who aren't either won't notice, won't care, or don't think they're part of the issue. Meanwhile, the things listed here target the people on recruitment team specifically and in some cases puts down the work that recruitment team has done. And also, as a general rule, it's always best to suggest an alternative to a situation if you don't like a situation. Otherwise it's just ragebait.

 

 

8 hours ago, Spartan said:

I'm generally cautious on "leaking" so to speak but I've been adamant on defending the individuals on the recruitment team up to this point because they had no direction or organization through no fault of their own. I think that can be recognized and appreciated separately from the valid criticisms of the team's performance as a whole. Personally I think the league neglected the recruitment team as well by choosing not to hire a head until we've hit this point of no recruits. I just don't think it was wise to essentially say "do what you guys want" and not provide previous knowledge, or instructions of basic activities.

 

That's why I really like this response. I have the same access to the recruitment team server, and yeah, I'll be honest--there have been a lot of times when there hasn't been a level of activity there that's lined up with a perceived need to stop league size from declining (though given my E opinions I've been OK with that for the time being so long as it's fixed eventually). This points that out, but it goes a lot farther than that by providing potential reasons as to why, offering informed criticism of what's gone wrong, and pointing out where specifically there's room for improvement. Even though it's very clear about the fact that recruitment hasn't been very effective in recent seasons, it's hurtful to no one because what it speaks negatively about is more fact than opinion and it leaves spaces for a fair response.

 

 

I was in a situation myself recently where I was assigned to lead a team on a project but wasn't given much direction. I (and other team leads) ended up facing criticism over things that we sometimes didn't even know we had to do. And it sucks for everyone when one side isn't given the tools for success and the other side tears them down for not succeeding. I guess I've been the "recruitment team" in that case. I'd like to know that recruitment is trying what they can and it's completely fair that they be held to that standard by the community. There are also just good ways and bad ways to do that.

[Grape 677]

9 hours ago, rory said:

stopped reading after the BASELESS insult towards the VHLE. I've had ONE player go inactive when on the Bratislava roster. Most of them go IA in the M!

That is a FALSE and BASELESS accusation. The reason the E had to go down to 6 teams were due to IAs in the league. Players get through the M just fine then get leave once they're in the E. #owned #factsdontcareaboutyourfeelings