hello everyone! this is my manager application! space or click the arrow for next transcript: hey whats up, i'm paris and this is my manager app! my pronouns are he/xe, and i love debate, guilty gear, and hip-hop. my favorite movie is pulp fiction, and my favorite artists are MF DOOM and Eraserheads. November (the time of writing this) marks my third year as a member of the gaehive!! My age range is 0-100 and I live in the EST timezone, so I'd be online mostly consistently from 2:30pm-8pm on school days, and 9am-7pm on weekends/holidays. Why I should be a manager: I am very solution-oriented, meaning I thrive in both legislative and executive positions where I can properly exercise my problem-solving skills. I also have been a part of the studio for a very long time, so I have a lot of experience with different members and the past of the Gaehive. In my past in the gaehive, I have done many different things to improve the studio atmosphere. I helped organize the Gaehivechess tournaments, and also hosted various kahoots from time to time. During the period where sockpuppetry was especially prominent, I made an awareness project that helped teach people about sockpuppets and how to spot them. In addition to this experience, I excel at things like communication and conflict resolution. I can perform reliably under stress, making decisions effectively even if the situation is delicate. Even when I do make mistakes (and I do), I am prepared to take accountability for my actions, as I believe managers should be expected to be role models for all members of the Gaehive. I believe all of these qualities would make me a valuable asset to the Gaehive manager team. Some downsides to me being a manager: I am "selectively productive" which means I procrastinate a LOT unless I'm doing something I'm personally interested in. Luckily, I love the hive a lot, so it mostly isn't a problem, but it's still a bit of an issue. I've also have been declining in activity in the past year or so, but recently I've been trying to change that because I don't want to lose the Gaehive as a community. Unique things I would bring to the manager team: I have been a member of the hive for quite a long time (3 years across three different accounts, I joined November 2020) in comparison to a lot of other people signing up for the position. This extra experience as a member of the hive would be beneficial to the managing team, as I would be more knowledgeable about the Gaehive and its past in comparison to many other candidates. In addition to this, I am POC, and (to my knowledge) there are no POC managers currently. Adding me to the manager team would make the team more diverse, and I want to help make the Gaehive a more welcoming place for POC by organizing POC-related events like thumbnails or Kahoots on different cultural holidays. My stance on the Gaehive's current issues: 1. Hostility towards newcomers The main issue that I believe connects all of the problems that will be listed here is the insignificance of the rules to the general public. Not only do many new members of the studio forget to read the rules, but many older members frequently disregard them. In this case, hostility towards newcomers is quite clearly against the rules (Rule 1). A simple solution (and to me, the only solution) to this would just be to encourage more members to enforce the rules. This has the added benefits of bridging the gap between managers and curators by bringing them into the moderation process as well, and also making the job of managers a little easier. Venting: Non-LGBTQ+ venting should not be allowed in the studio. However, people should be allowed to mention vents on their profile/posts in the advice studio. Regarding the advice studio, people should be allowed to post comments that express negative emotions like in a vent post, but the tone of the post should remain progressive, and the goal should still be finding a solution for the person's issue and not simply venting emotions out. Trigger warnings: The Gaehive is meant to be a welcoming environment, and as such, trigger and content warnings should be expected if requested by anyone. If a TW pertains to only one person and is quite specific, they can just be used when speaking to that person. Exclusionism: The Gaehive is no place for identity debate. Regardless of whether you believe an identity is valid or not, the Gaehive is no place to speak of it. Identity discourse should be strictly banned from the Gaehive. This isn't just limited to LGBTQ related identities. Discourse about mental health, such as debate on endo systems and self-diagnoses should be banned as well. (continued)
continuation of above: What I would improve about the Gaehive: I will divide this part into sections to make it easier to read. Section 1: Social activities The Gaehive is no longer the same close-knit community that it used to be. This is in part due to the rapid growth of the community, and the resulting social atomization of the social bubble of the hive. If I was a manager, I would try to organize more social activities in the hive. I have done this in the past. For example, I helped organize the Gaehivechess club and its subsequent tournaments. However, I do acknowledge that the way Gaehivechess was organized was flawed and will try to improve on it. If I was a manager, I would restart more social activities, such as watchparties or the Gaehivechess club. I would also let curators have more input on the studio thumbnail and title. Section 2: Members' reaction to drama Members of the Gaehive tend to repost multiple times about drama, causing a ripple effect. Members will post things like: "What happened??" or they will vaguepost about the issue and why it should be ignored. While these actions are all in good faith, they mostly only fuel the fire. I think members should be trained to avoid talking about drama when it arises, as it would also prevent comments that have to remind people to not fuel drama, which in turn provoke more questions about drama. Fire needs oxygen to burn, so if you simply cut off the oxygen to the fire of drama, it will fizzle out. If I was a manager, I would also try to convince members of the studio to change the way they react to negative stimuli, such as trolls, sockpuppets, arguments, or insults. I would help train them to completely ignore drama, so that the atmosphere of the studio remains positive. Section 3: Rules of the studio Another issue is the lack of importance of the rules to many of the general public. I think members should be encouraged to remind people of the rules more, and to report inappropriate comments. I would also properly establish what inappropriate comments are, so that they are not repeated. Recommendations: No. 1: @carovity Cakes is very good at reporting inappropriate comments and reminding people of the rules. This has improved the atmosphere of the Gaehive numerous times, even if only by a little. To me, this makes Cakes a sort of "model citizen", if you will. I also admire Cakes' calm approach to de-escalating conflict. No. 2: @DangNotALongName Scout seems to have a very peaceable attitude towards solving the main problems of the Gaehive, and I think their ideas could improve the Gaehive a lot if they were chosen. No. 3: @PrincessMeta Meta is really good at de-escalating drama and trying to get people to stay positive in the studio, and this has generally improved the atmosphere of the studio during times of stress. She also is one of the oldest active members of the Gaehive, meaning she has a lot of experience.
