Thanks, Recruitment.

[leandrofg 1,037]

Welcome to my theme week rant. I was about to make a graphic based on the old "Uncle Sam" poster, but I felt like saying something since this has been our hot topic for the past few days.

 

What is recruitment, and how much should the community be involved? Should there be a more active conversation about what goes on with that activity? A report done seasonally about recruitment efforts made during the last period and a summary of past recruitment drives?

 

I've read that we are a niche within a niche. That is quite fair and true. Most importantly, it holds value to reason with the effort needed to keep our revolving door working. And this is what we need to take into consideration as well. Our league is a revolving door. Users, mostly, come and go, even if it's the ones who stick around for longer that tend to start these conversations.

 

Those conversations can always be constructive, even if they start with the wrong tone.

 

Nowadays, the question is, "How do we keep this going?"

 

We have a great community base, people who enjoy being around each other playing a text-based simulation game, and people who care and want the best for it. When people are emotionally attached to something, their level of engagement is higher than any other behavior in their lives, and that's why, sometimes, emotion spills over the top.

 

Now, yes, maybe we have a recruitment crisis on our hands. Maybe we've slipped a bit short-term, and that, of course, is easily shown by the draftees to be. The discussion as to whether someone failed, either a group or the board, isn't really what should be the highlight. It happens.

 

We shouldn't look at this situation with the intent of fixing it in the short term. It's not "let's spend money on this or that for a quick influx." Instead, let's evaluate what worked in the past. Are there any metrics we could use for future endeavors? Technically, for the team responsible for recruitment, this is the way to go. But this doesn't connect recruitment to the masses, i.e., the users.

 

Could we have a clear picture of the strategies followed? Could we be part of them in any way? Can we have a report that presents the areas where our efforts are being directed? Could that report show us the results of past drives?

 

On the surface, this isn't about solving any problem. It's about transparency on a level that would allow the community to be more involved in these recruitment processes.

 

I think this has become somewhat confusing, but I want to end with some words of appreciation for the team. On January 29th, 2022, I was browsing YouTube videos, and, lucky me, auto-play took me to "RobTalksHockey." 

 

I do not enjoy auto-play, by the way.

 

On that day, I found this community that allowed me to learn more about a sport I haven't been around because of where I'm from. A community that welcomed me with open arms and has since been part of my everyday life.

 

I know this is a small rant, and there may be some grammar issues, for I am writing with a timer to my side, but in the end, I just wanted to thank the team that brought me here.