Staff and the Community

[Dark]

Hello everyone!

So I've been planning on making this thread for a very long time, however, because of circumstances I felt it was inappropriate to do so. As I am no longer bound by such circumstances, I feel like it's time to give my thoughts. I fear that there's a chance that some lines may be crossed (please forgive me for that y'all, I didn't run this by you in advance), but hopefully, this stays up! Additionally, I'd like to preface this by saying this is largely based on my own experience and observations and that it is entirely possible no one else who is or has been staff feels this way.

Anyways, without further ado...!

So, as you may know, I was a member of the staff team, a chat mod to be exact. I saw a lot of things, I dealt with a lot of things, and I experienced a lot of things. Of course, this is the nature of the job (mentioned in the recruitment page btw). Out of everything, there was one thing I did notice that I believe many people either don't realize or they simply forget...

The staff team are normal people just like any one of you.

Of course, this may seem obvious, but you'd genuinely be surprised by the idea that some people have of them haha. The members of the staff team make mistakes, the members of the staff team get sad, the members of the staff team experience anger and happiness, and other normal emotions. The members of the staff team like to talk with the community, and they have irl responsibilities just like everyone else. I know they may seem super scary because they have buttons and such that everyone else doesn't have access to, however, they're just people lol. They're people who devote their free time to making sure things are running smoothly around the site, making sure the rules are upheld, and ensuring everyone has a positive experience! And at least from someone who has seen both sides of the coin, it sometimes feel like there's a disconnect between the staff and the average member.

To elaborate further, the treatment you receive once you get a fancy colorful name is... different to say the least. Not saying this is the case for everyone, but it's like all of a sudden you're a god amongst a group of worshipers. Everyone expects you to be perfect, everyone is trying to be your friend or talk to you, people who wouldn't look at you before are all of a sudden trying to be your best buddy, and/or sometimes people even try to avoid you. It can be a taxing affair. Now I'm not saying there's a problem with trying to be friends with staff members, by all means, do so! Just don't try to connect with them simply because they have a fancy colorful name, y'know? It makes it feel like there is added distance between you and them from a staff perspective.

Additionally, the staff team isn't a group of gods, nor are they some uncompromising overlords who do what they want. The team has a strict set of rules they need to follow just like all the other members, in addition to the guidelines everyone else has to adhere to. They do their best to keep things running and functional, and as mentioned before, sometimes make mistakes. Personally, I believe the community could do a better job of keeping that in mind. Instead of getting pissy when something doesn't go your way, or when you're reprimanded for not following the rules (which by the way, are here and here), I suggest sending in a ticket! Of course, as the team is only a handful of members compared to the hundreds of people who come on every day, it may be a little bit before they can get to it! A bit of patience and kindness goes a long way, and often times if you've done something wrong, the team will be more than happy to help you get it resolved and/or explain what happened. Did a staff member do something you didn't like and it made you upset? I suggest sending in a ticket or messaging one of the admins (a ticket being preferred, and you'd probably get told to do this anyways) and explaining the situation instead of blasting them on the general board in front of everyone. Just because you don't see what happens behind the scenes, does not mean that things didn't/aren't being handled.

This also goes with HRs. HRs are also normal people, and I promise every single one of them is a sweetheart. Showing them a bit of kindness instead of being rude or getting angry with/berating them because something did not go your way would mean the world to them, and makes their job a little bit easier. There is so much behind the scenes that goes into being an HR or staff member that the average member just does not realize, and doing something as small as calmly communicating with them over minor disagreements goes a long way.

As mentioned before, patience is key! Sometimes things like Monthly Kudos, or awards are going to be a bit late, and that's okay! Remember, the team only has about 6-9 people on it at any given point, and they also have irl commitments. Some of the team does sports, others do extracurricular activities, many of them are still in school so they also have exams and homework, and then a lot of them also have actual jobs on top of that and WCO. Being staff is not easy at all. You're basically doing office work for free, and dealing with all manner of things from people not listening, to things as extreme as being cursed out because you're simply trying to uphold the rules and guidelines. It can be a lot of pressure sometimes, and unfortunately it can feel like any and everyone is against you. Additionally, sometimes staff members kill ocs that they love very much in order to focus more on and give back to the community.

With all of that said, I'm going to end things here so as not to have this get too long. I'm not here to point fingers at anyone, or say that everyone is collectively bad and makes things harder for staff and HRs because that's not the case. I just want to kind of put things into perspective on how things can be sometimes. WCO is a wonderful community that, despite taking many breaks, I've had the pleasure of being a part of for almost 9 years now. The staff over the course of all of that time has done wonderful things for the community, and in many cases, the community has given back. I just feel like they don't necessarily get the recognition and appreciation that they deserve and often times are only seen for their flaws.

So for the staff reading this, thank you. Thank you for everything that you do, I appreciate each and every single one of you, and I wish you the absolute best. For the lovely members who are past, current, or future HRs, thank you as well. It's hard, I know, but you're appreciated and you do a wonderful job.

That's it from me y'all, Dark signing out for the night.

[hermeswind]

@Dark

:0
this is so cool

even though you terrify me
you are all cool

[CallMeCrimson]

I agree with this <3
Everyone's gotta treat the staff like hoomans too, their ~Colorful~ names don't change that much, except that they are chat moderators, or moderators in general.

Be noice to the staffy-staff people :3
Have a good night/day every hooman and thanks for the help & stuff staff members!

[alec]

bumping this to the top of the general board again so more people read it. very well said dark <3