Good to Know

Just a personal entry here...

Isn't it good to know you have friends? I know I have friends... though I never previously felt I had...people I can trust and rely on... but today I had a conversation with a friend I've been out of touch with for a while...due to one reason or another.... It was nice to finally talk again... as each of our own busy lifes have progressed forward.

Friends are a funny thing... they come in all shapes an sizes. Casual Aquaintences... Mates... Friends... and the good friends... I can safely, and comfortably say, that I had no friends to speak of prior to TrekUnited. I had associates... and aquaintences... but no one I felt I could depend on... share with... that kind of stuff. I'm pleased to say that with TrekUnited I have that... and more and more people everyday I slowly climbing the ladder of friendship in my books. But I only really have one friend that I feel like I can share everything with... I know my other friends are trustworthy and reliable... but I'm sure you all know... there's only ever really one friend you can share your life stories with... be they proud ones or not. I feel... privelaged... to have a friend like that... even if it took me 19 years to find them.

Anyways... enough of that for now... more on that will no doubt appear in my annual Christmas e-mail (for all those unfortunate enough to be in my address book) Ciao for now

The Trip - Take 3

So it's just about time for my third trip of the year. This time however, it's not to a Star Trek, or indeed even a SciFi, convention, for the first time. I will be attending the annual RingCon convention, this year being held in Fulda, Germany. This is another con run by Dirk, who owns Fedcon. Now, I'm not a fan of Lord of the Rings by any measure... in fact I've never seen the films or read the books... but I enjoyed Fedcon so much, and RingCon is supposed to be a lot more popular, so I'm gonna drag myself along, and observe. I enjoy watching conventions unfold, and as those who have seen me at a con will know, its generally all I ever do. I observe and note every detail about the production. Not so much about the guests themselves... because as we know... conventions generally dont control the content they provide, because it's the same thing they do at every convention. Instead, I enjoy looking, and indeed, learning.

I myself am in the leisure business, so I like to think I can take something away that will benefit me, and indeed this has proved useful for Starbase Indy, which TrekUnited has partnered with for 2006. I like to think that I've been able to offer a different perspective to the team of SBI, with my experience at conventions worldwide, as an attendee. However, I do have another motive for visiting RingCon. I will be assisting SBI with Master of Ceremony duties, while David Reddick does his thing, so while I am at RingCon, I will be watching Marc B Lee very closely. I've come to know Marc very well, and I know he is a great showman, perfect for the role. I myself am a showman, but on a much smaller scale, even compared to SBI, so I am hoping to pick up a few tips from Marc this time around. Previously I've had little time to do so, because every convention I've been to, I make the effort to spend a lot of time with TrekUnited members. I feel an obligation to do so, but it doesn't always allow me to be as anaylitcal as I would like. So I'm hoping I'll see plenty of Marc, and learn one or two things in the process.

Anyways, that is me done for the next week. I'll get back to you when I return. Ciao for now.

A week to reflect on

Well... there's been a few people talk about it... and I'm not going to shy away

Its been a difficult week for me... where some of us have the luxury of just ignoring the bad stuff that happens on the boards... for me though... that luxury does not exist. And I see all sides of the coin... whats happened and whats going to be done about it. Let me tell you it's not easy. You don't want to upset anyone, let alone long time members, but you also have to consider the rules, which under ideal circumstances, shouldn't be bent for anyone. Fair and equal treatment for all. I think for some, it may feel like your being singled out, and that the rules are only being enforced on you and not others. There are two things I have to say to that. Number one, interpretation of the rules is important, make sure you get that right. Number two, if you feel someone has either not been moderated at all, or has not moderated appropriately, talk to Captain_Hair. He will listen, and he will look your concerns. We, at TrekUnited, have great faith in his ability to fulfill the requirements of his new role.
I think another thing that has been brought to our attention in this week has been peoples thoughts on the staff of TrekUnited. Mostly, what has been brought to our attention is peoples displeasure with the staff, and power struggles and favouritism and lack of communication. Let me first say that thier is no power struggle. A vast majority of the staff of TrekUnited have grown to become friends, which makes it easier for us to work together. We work well together, and for the most part communication is fine. The newsletter team is in constant communication with myself, and I give suggestions, and I take suggestions and I show my support for the team. The moderation team is in constant contact with Bill. Outside of these areas though, we know there is a problem with communication. Part of this problem lies in the international aspect. It is difficult for us to organise a meeting, where different people have different levels of access to the internet, and can only access the Internet at certain times of the day, due to work or this thing called sleep. However, we are constantly making an effort to improve this, and more so in the last 4 months, we have been looking at other ways to open these lines of communication. Technology helps with this, as new technologies become more familiar to people, such as VoIP. Its a long way from the organisation we had during the "Fund the Future" campaign, but believe it or not, that was a lot easier to manage.

If you feel you have been neglected in any way by the staff, please do let us know. We always listen to comments, complaints and suggestions, even if we don't necessarily reply immediatly. Remember that we were all members of the forum once too, so we want to see TrekUnited improve and develop and grow as much as you do. But we can't do that without your comments, be they good or bad.

Thank you for your time, and I hope to have more information regarding the SE Campaign for 2007 member meeting soon.