02-18-2018, 02:58 PM
Hello lovelies,
Thank you for electing me as Minister of Regional Affairs
To get the ball rolling, here are some topics I’d like to discuss:
1. Roleplay: (Re)create a Mayor of Treasure Island position that allows our roleplay community to have guidance, representation, and a way to communicate their activities to the rest of NS. Also thinking of other areas like this where we can get more representation.
2. Communication: Discuss the specific kinds of communications we want to see from MoRA and the multiple and varied ways ministers, ministries and other elected official communicate currently and ways to effectively consolidate this.
3. Journalism\Media: The kind(s) of journalism and media we want to see as well are willing to produce.
4. Integration: Making sure to highlight all our opportunities and especially what you enjoy doing.
5. Cultural Events: Things that have been conceived of or are in various stages and like all of the above can use your enthusiasm, passion and skills!
Over the past year, the structure of the Ministry of Regional Affairs has been brought up in several places with campaigns from elected ministers discussing some of the problems with working in a ministry that basically covers a wide set of sometimes disparate functions. In addition, if one compares the stated goals of the ministry and accomplishments - there seems to be some gaps.
What I'd like to do is discuss these disparate functions and figure out how to avoid MoRA burnout, which we've seen in the past, as well as how to streamline functions to give more players a chance to have roles. The success of the recent revision to the Chair of Assembly role, which has made that a simpler and streamlined position that should now be more accessible to the average player, also inspires some of the potential role revisions.
First and foremost, looking at the charter and the position as described:
1. Roleplay
You'll notice that roleplay (which some past ministers have taken on or not) is not directly included in this text. I propose that we bring back a modified version of position that we actually had on the previous forums - "Mayor of Treasure Island" (formerly Mayor of Market Street).
The duties of the Mayor would be to oversee and manage Treasure Island, including setting guidelines for roleplays, creating guides, as well as promoting the roleplay community and potentially making connections to the NS roleplay community.
Currently, I’ve started a discussion on the Roleplay side (http://tspforums.xyz/thread-6000.html) because since it is their community, it begins with them on how to proceed on this.
In addition, what are other areas where potentially we could provide more visibility as well as leadership to TSPers?
2. Communication
Then, we have the broad "communicating with the world about The South Pacific's activities." This function overlaps with MoFA (ambassadors doing the communicating for example to the region and the MoFA maintaining the embassy thread). In addition, in the past we had monthly Ministry reports where each minister provided a brief list of goals and activity for the month to the TSP community.
Then the PM position has also been expected to or has promised to provide cabinet updates. I suppose here the question involves whether or not we want a centralized communications unit (or do we want to hold each minister accountable for their own monthly updates) and then list out the types of communications we'd like to see occur on a regular basis.
For example:
1. Monthly or biweekly Cabinet updates (one individual whether PM or MoRA lets say compiles and reports)
2. Monthly or biweekly regional updates (MoRA only reports on RA related activities)
3. Monthly ministry updates (each minister does their own brief reports)
Of course, we have MoMA which does its in-depth reports, MoFA which does announcements and regional updates for the international community, LC Members have sometimes done gameside updates, and then MoRA which is also expected to cover some forms of communication without it being entirely clear which ones. Then, if MoRA is communicating these updates then we would want all cabinet members to use the Cabinet channel on Discord to keep them up to date on news.
3. Journalism and Media
I know there are people who believe that journalism is integral to the RA (although we've struggled to have journalism function well or at all over the past few terms). I'd like to try one approach that I’ll discuss further but also think of this as in part depending on the readership. What kinds of journalism or media do you want to see? What do you want to read about or hear about? In what forms?
My own thoughts have been that we may be able to produce a strong monthly issue if we do a combination of an interview of a player that spotlights them, one TSP or NS related article, and then ask people to contribute articles or pieces on real world topics or things they enjoy such as other games, music, art, cooking recipes, etc.
This would help build our community and connections between people as well as introduce us to the fascinating things being pursued by our fellow players. It would also help build the content, in part, as well as discussions for the Lampshade Academy. I’d also love to take what players find interesting and make it a thing (an advice column from Penguin for example).
Finally, media such as broadcasts have been discussed but we have not yet gotten takeoff with something regular and so what are your thoughts about this? I personally would like to commision some videos (like a Welcome to TSP video with nice music and images and maybe even lyrics).
4. Integration
So last term I proposed this welcome post for the forums in the RA Discord (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zThm...sp=sharing) and already it is outdated as well as incomplete.
For former or current ministers or ministry members, what are things that new or returning players can jump in and do in your ministry? For political parties or civic organizations, what can players do for or with you?
What I would like to ask you is what are the things you enjoy doing on the forums? What do you click on first for example? If you remember, when you were new, what confused you or made you feel a little lost? I’d like to make this post a list of all the things players can jump into right away or even for non-new players looking for something new to try (this would function like a mall directory with visual components).
5. Cultural Events
Event planning is something I deeply enjoy doing. There is nothing as euphoric as the feeling of a getting a bunch of people together and seeing them enjoy their time doing fun activities and getting to know each other.
However, we have to balance between the fact that more regions want to do things with us (particularly after HP Festival) with the fact that there is festival fatigue. Instead of doing week long festivals, maybe we can also do shorter weekend or one night events as well.
Even outside of MoRa I strive towards building culture because that is what grows and nourishes community. I’m making a loose calendar (dates can usually be flexible for some of these depending on RL world and other issues especially with partner regions) of events that have been proposed, discussed or otherwise envisioned:
March 2 to March 7 - Olympic Inter-Regional Games (OIRG)
I first ran these during my first term as MoRA and I’d like to bring them back. Players from various regions enter to represent their regions and are randomized into teams that compete over a series of challenges and competitions.
The first time we ran this we met an incredible amount of new people, got some TSPers actually involved from the gameside onto the forumside and built lasting friendships. To see what the first ones looked like and add to the inspiration pool:
https://www.nationstates.net/region=tsp_...onal_games
April\May (Tentative, dates TBD) - Cultural Event with TEP\TRR
(Tentative, dates TBD) Themed Event Around Lord of the Rings
- May be combined with another event
June 2 - Coalition Day Festival
An event involving all government institutions that celebrate TSP’s longevity and that celebrates our culture, history, and heritage
We generally end up adding events so other things will probably pop up as we make new allies or friends. I also like to have more VCs and CaH\game nights as well as movie nights. If someone has particularly fast internet or a great movie they want to share with us, please let me know!
Since I rejoined NS, I’ve brought my skills to building TSP at home and abroad. The regional and international success of the Harry Potter and the Festival of Friends: Year One in building our image as a creative and vibrant region is something that I hope to keep doing this term.
As always, good vibes welcome Help the MoRA Team make awesome thing happen for the region! Bring you passion and enthusiasm and like cool skills or interests <3
Thank you for electing me as Minister of Regional Affairs
To get the ball rolling, here are some topics I’d like to discuss:
1. Roleplay: (Re)create a Mayor of Treasure Island position that allows our roleplay community to have guidance, representation, and a way to communicate their activities to the rest of NS. Also thinking of other areas like this where we can get more representation.
2. Communication: Discuss the specific kinds of communications we want to see from MoRA and the multiple and varied ways ministers, ministries and other elected official communicate currently and ways to effectively consolidate this.
3. Journalism\Media: The kind(s) of journalism and media we want to see as well are willing to produce.
4. Integration: Making sure to highlight all our opportunities and especially what you enjoy doing.
5. Cultural Events: Things that have been conceived of or are in various stages and like all of the above can use your enthusiasm, passion and skills!
Over the past year, the structure of the Ministry of Regional Affairs has been brought up in several places with campaigns from elected ministers discussing some of the problems with working in a ministry that basically covers a wide set of sometimes disparate functions. In addition, if one compares the stated goals of the ministry and accomplishments - there seems to be some gaps.
What I'd like to do is discuss these disparate functions and figure out how to avoid MoRA burnout, which we've seen in the past, as well as how to streamline functions to give more players a chance to have roles. The success of the recent revision to the Chair of Assembly role, which has made that a simpler and streamlined position that should now be more accessible to the average player, also inspires some of the potential role revisions.
First and foremost, looking at the charter and the position as described:
Quote:Minister of Regional Affairs
5. The Minister of Regional Affairs will be responsible for promoting regional and forum activity, integrating new players into the forums, organizing cultural events, and communicating with the world about The South Pacific’s activities.
1. Roleplay
You'll notice that roleplay (which some past ministers have taken on or not) is not directly included in this text. I propose that we bring back a modified version of position that we actually had on the previous forums - "Mayor of Treasure Island" (formerly Mayor of Market Street).
The duties of the Mayor would be to oversee and manage Treasure Island, including setting guidelines for roleplays, creating guides, as well as promoting the roleplay community and potentially making connections to the NS roleplay community.
Currently, I’ve started a discussion on the Roleplay side (http://tspforums.xyz/thread-6000.html) because since it is their community, it begins with them on how to proceed on this.
In addition, what are other areas where potentially we could provide more visibility as well as leadership to TSPers?
2. Communication
Then, we have the broad "communicating with the world about The South Pacific's activities." This function overlaps with MoFA (ambassadors doing the communicating for example to the region and the MoFA maintaining the embassy thread). In addition, in the past we had monthly Ministry reports where each minister provided a brief list of goals and activity for the month to the TSP community.
Then the PM position has also been expected to or has promised to provide cabinet updates. I suppose here the question involves whether or not we want a centralized communications unit (or do we want to hold each minister accountable for their own monthly updates) and then list out the types of communications we'd like to see occur on a regular basis.
For example:
1. Monthly or biweekly Cabinet updates (one individual whether PM or MoRA lets say compiles and reports)
2. Monthly or biweekly regional updates (MoRA only reports on RA related activities)
3. Monthly ministry updates (each minister does their own brief reports)
Of course, we have MoMA which does its in-depth reports, MoFA which does announcements and regional updates for the international community, LC Members have sometimes done gameside updates, and then MoRA which is also expected to cover some forms of communication without it being entirely clear which ones. Then, if MoRA is communicating these updates then we would want all cabinet members to use the Cabinet channel on Discord to keep them up to date on news.
3. Journalism and Media
I know there are people who believe that journalism is integral to the RA (although we've struggled to have journalism function well or at all over the past few terms). I'd like to try one approach that I’ll discuss further but also think of this as in part depending on the readership. What kinds of journalism or media do you want to see? What do you want to read about or hear about? In what forms?
My own thoughts have been that we may be able to produce a strong monthly issue if we do a combination of an interview of a player that spotlights them, one TSP or NS related article, and then ask people to contribute articles or pieces on real world topics or things they enjoy such as other games, music, art, cooking recipes, etc.
This would help build our community and connections between people as well as introduce us to the fascinating things being pursued by our fellow players. It would also help build the content, in part, as well as discussions for the Lampshade Academy. I’d also love to take what players find interesting and make it a thing (an advice column from Penguin for example).
Finally, media such as broadcasts have been discussed but we have not yet gotten takeoff with something regular and so what are your thoughts about this? I personally would like to commision some videos (like a Welcome to TSP video with nice music and images and maybe even lyrics).
4. Integration
So last term I proposed this welcome post for the forums in the RA Discord (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zThm...sp=sharing) and already it is outdated as well as incomplete.
For former or current ministers or ministry members, what are things that new or returning players can jump in and do in your ministry? For political parties or civic organizations, what can players do for or with you?
What I would like to ask you is what are the things you enjoy doing on the forums? What do you click on first for example? If you remember, when you were new, what confused you or made you feel a little lost? I’d like to make this post a list of all the things players can jump into right away or even for non-new players looking for something new to try (this would function like a mall directory with visual components).
5. Cultural Events
Event planning is something I deeply enjoy doing. There is nothing as euphoric as the feeling of a getting a bunch of people together and seeing them enjoy their time doing fun activities and getting to know each other.
However, we have to balance between the fact that more regions want to do things with us (particularly after HP Festival) with the fact that there is festival fatigue. Instead of doing week long festivals, maybe we can also do shorter weekend or one night events as well.
Even outside of MoRa I strive towards building culture because that is what grows and nourishes community. I’m making a loose calendar (dates can usually be flexible for some of these depending on RL world and other issues especially with partner regions) of events that have been proposed, discussed or otherwise envisioned:
March 2 to March 7 - Olympic Inter-Regional Games (OIRG)
I first ran these during my first term as MoRA and I’d like to bring them back. Players from various regions enter to represent their regions and are randomized into teams that compete over a series of challenges and competitions.
The first time we ran this we met an incredible amount of new people, got some TSPers actually involved from the gameside onto the forumside and built lasting friendships. To see what the first ones looked like and add to the inspiration pool:
https://www.nationstates.net/region=tsp_...onal_games
April\May (Tentative, dates TBD) - Cultural Event with TEP\TRR
(Tentative, dates TBD) Themed Event Around Lord of the Rings
- May be combined with another event
June 2 - Coalition Day Festival
An event involving all government institutions that celebrate TSP’s longevity and that celebrates our culture, history, and heritage
We generally end up adding events so other things will probably pop up as we make new allies or friends. I also like to have more VCs and CaH\game nights as well as movie nights. If someone has particularly fast internet or a great movie they want to share with us, please let me know!
Since I rejoined NS, I’ve brought my skills to building TSP at home and abroad. The regional and international success of the Harry Potter and the Festival of Friends: Year One in building our image as a creative and vibrant region is something that I hope to keep doing this term.
As always, good vibes welcome
Help the MoRA Team make awesome thing happen for the region! Bring you passion and enthusiasm and like cool skills or interests <3