[Discussion] Non-Curial Awards

[M D]

So, further to Legio's suggestion we move this elsewhere, I have!

I recently learned that the Video of the Month Award has been awarded separate from the CVRIA by the Content Staff. Now I can understand the principle behind it, but after having read the Constitution, I discovered some issues.

Medals are controlled and run by the Curia.

In order for a medal to be created it must acquire the majority in accordance with the Legislation section of the Constitution.

Now this raises issues in terms of amendments, but also the practicality of this sort of thing. The CVRIA isn't really consulted in these sorts of things, and very few of us seemed to be aware of it.

There are a few solutions,

1. Create an amendment allowing such awards to be created at the discretion of senior staff, aside from the CVRIA. Which I don't like as it takes away the job and scrutiny of the CVRIA and gives it to what can be seen as a decided group.
2. Allow awards to be given in discretion, but have to be discussed within the CVRIA. An interesting idea.
3. Create a liaison post, elected by the CVRIA. Either this can be subsumed into the Curator's portfolio, or can be a separate post, a la Speaker of the House. This officer would be allowed to see the discussions by Senior Staff that are releveant to the CVRIA, and act to represent the CVRIA's best interests and defend its citizens.

From this discussion thread, hopefully we can craft a bill!

[Legio]

Yes; excellent initiative, Major. I have sent private messages to the Administrators of Content so that they can give us their input.

[M D]

Cheers

I think it would also help to have other senior staff inputs like the Chief Moderators and so on, as it could impact on all elements of staff.

[Legio]

By 'chief moderators', do you mean the Overseers?

[M D]

If thats the current name, then I assume so. Not really sure

[Legio]

I see.

[Bolkonsky]

Please no new red tape. Staff and administration shouldn't be held back by the Curia, if they want to create awards at their whim, the Curia should have no say in it.

[Acco]

Please no new red tape. Staff and administration shouldn't be held back by the Curia, if they want to create awards at their whim, the Curia should have no say in it.

The Curia, composed of dedicated members of the site, is always here to work with Staff and make the site better. I dislike this idea that the Curia "holds back" Staff. The Curia is a valuable tool to test ideas and get the community behind initiatives. If an award is a good idea, it should pass through the Curia with ease. If it's not, then you get more discussion about making it better.

[pannonian]

Please no new red tape. Staff and administration shouldn't be held back by the Curia, if they want to create awards at their whim, the Curia should have no say in it.

Personally, I'd like to keep the administration's awards limited to recognition of their staff, ie. the maces, quills and screwdrivers. Everything else should be at the recognition of the community. Of course, I'd also like the list of awards on the userbar reduced so we can minimise visual clutter, but that's another, albeit related issue.

[Bolkonsky]

Personally, I'd like to keep the administration's awards limited to recognition of their staff, ie. the maces, quills and screwdrivers. Everything else should be at the recognition of the community. Of course, I'd also like the list of awards on the userbar reduced so we can minimise visual clutter, but that's another, albeit related issue.

Yes, but if staff wants to hold some sort of program or competition, and keep it quiet until everything's ironed out, they can't have a medal involved because of this amendment, or if the Curia disapproves, etc. The site is expanding, the Curia needs to modernize some of these things.

[pannonian]

Yes, but if staff wants to hold some sort of program or competition, and keep it quiet until everything's ironed out, they can't have a medal involved because of this amendment, or if the Curia disapproves, etc. The site is expanding, the Curia needs to modernize some of these things.

Those kind of competitions aren't recognition-based, but something with set rules with prizes based on those rules. Whether or not a winner is recognised by the community is irrelevant to the outcome, which is governed by the rules. For me, community recognition should be governed by the community. "X of the year" and "X of the month" contests, which are essentially based on community recognition, should be run by the community, if overseen, as is everything else, by the administration. That's how I see it in principle, although, like much else, it runs into the old problems of how the organised staff branches are simply more efficient and effective at running things than decentralised elected officers.

One thing I'd like to see, and which is well within the Curia's power, is for the various X of the week/month/year awards to be recorded in a central area, such as a thread, and for the awards to be removed from the userbar afterwards. That includes my own X of the year award, which I don't really see the need for under my name. Leave the userbar for extraordinary honorary awards, such as opifex, phalera, novus, divus, etc., and service medals.

[Pontifex Maximus]

Please no new red tape. Staff and administration shouldn't be held back by the Curia, if they want to create awards at their whim, the Curia should have no say in it.

Then the RPG sections and players should not be held back by the Curia either.

See where that line of reasoning becomes shaky? Unless there is a system that we will all agree to uniformly stick to, there's no fairness.

[Lord William]

Than you're going to have to amend the constitution

[GrnEyedDvl]

Than you're going to have to amend the constitution

Only if we call it a Medal.

[M D]

Exactly

[M D]

I think thats pushing it a bit GED, I know ultimately you're the boss and can do this, but to use a loophole in that its only CVRIAL if its a medal is a bit tricky. Can we not, for peace of mind and constitutional clarity just allow an article for staff to create awards?

The way I saw it was maybe you proposed a certain award etc, and then rather than going through proposal discussion, it would simply have a vote of the CVRIA, requiring 50%? Or the normal one either.

[GrnEyedDvl]

I think thats pushing it a bit GED, I know ultimately you're the boss and can do this, but to use a loophole in that its only CVRIAL if its a medal is a bit tricky. Can we not, for peace of mind and constitutional clarity just allow an article for staff to create awards?

The way I saw it was maybe you proposed a certain award etc, and then rather than going through proposal discussion, it would simply have a vote of the CVRIA, requiring 50%? Or the normal one either.

I mostly agree with this, but then there may be times I want to give out a single award for something that nobody else will be eligible for. An example would be Finlander for the 10 Millionth Post. I actually sent him a physical award instead, but if I had wanted to make it something that shows up on his profile I would have.

[M D]

I'd rather we didn't make this just about the RPGs, as a side point, its more a discussion about this issue at large

[M D]

An interesting idea, Pann, like a Hall of Fame

On a separate note, why was the Members awards run by Content this year? Isnt it a community thing? Im probably missing something somewhere though

[pannonian]

An interesting idea, Pann, like a Hall of Fame

On a separate note, why was the Members awards run by Content this year? Isnt it a community thing? Im probably missing something somewhere though

The yearly awards are usually run ad hoc by a group who take it on themselves to run it for the community. If nothing is getting done, then interested staffers may well decide to take on the job. I'd like the community to do more as a matter of principle, but I also recognise that staff, through their organisation, are probably better suited to getting things done quickly and thoroughly.