Join the new world

Here's an oldie but goodie: (not Jimmy Cliff)


RE-ELECT RF WILLIAMS FOR SFP PP on the 15th!

Hello turtle-friends!!!!


It's been fun, weird, charming, tedious and frustrating being chair of the Revolutionary Committee this past month.

It's been enough fun that I want to do it again for another month.

There has been enough weirdness and charm to go around that I do recommend, if you haven't been a party prez before, to give it a try.

And it's been tedious and frustrating enough that I've had to remind myself a few times that it's only a game. And that there's absolutely nothing in it that's worth losing a moment's sleep over.




Accomplishments


Did all the regular things one does...

In-game RC thread.
Congerz poll, assigning delegates.
Kept an eye on Congerz hoo-ha.
CP poll and endorsement.
Notices about next RC.





Did a few other things, with considerable help from others...



Amended the Party Constitution

- Simplified RC nomination and volunteer process.
- Encouraged more flexible, open participation in meta-events without requiring use of off-game platforms.

Thanks especially to grangiuseppe for pushing on these ^ reforms.

Editorial comment

This topic has been a hot one not only in the SFP this term, but in the US Congress as well, where dissatisfaction and complaints about the eUSA Forum have been a heated topic of debate.

In my view, the meta-platforms are a fun part of the game, but I understand that not everybody enjoys them. I've never been much of a fan of the USA Forum myself.

My hope and intention is that we can continue to find ways both to make the alternative platforms and tools more fun and engaging, and to also explore ways of helping to get comrade-members involved and active which do not require using the off-game platforms. To the extent we can model and experiment in these areas within the SFP, we can also then make intelligent recommendations, based on actual practice, to the broader community as well.

One of those frustrating things... I tried doing an individual in-game ballot, via PM, to each and every member of the SFP who had not yet voted, on the constitutional amendment referendum. I figured there couldn't be any easier in-game way to particpate. For about 40 ballots sent out, I got exactly one response. Sigh... On the one hand, I'd say the game continues to decline and this is a reflection of that. On the other hand, there's always been kind of the active/semi-active/not-very-active demographics in teh SFP. Maybe a dozen really active players, then another 20 or so who are semi-active, and then about half the group -- more or less -- who are either inactive or just not interested in the Party-related part of the game.

I'd offer that it is up to members of the Revolutionary Committee and other "activist" Party members to keep coming up with ways to stir things up, get people interested, support their needs, tickle their funny-bones and so on.




Cleaned up the SFP Forum

- Repainted everything and repointed the chimneys. (Renamed and simplified categories and topics)
- Put in new carpet and furnishings. (Added images, cleaned up color coding. Enabled Gallery.)
- Build a nice new front porch. (SFP Portal)
- Evicted squatters. (Removed accounts that had never posted anything and had not logged in for 3 years
- Fired all Vice-Presidents. (Reviewed and cleaned up roles, groups. Invited admin team to get more engaged.)
- Hired new artists. (Started to look into more new features and fresh looks.)

Thanks in particular to Leon Gutierrez and TheNorm for encouragement and support.




Decorated the new SFP Discord

- Set up roles, groups and channels
- Aligned Discord channels to correspond to the cleaned-up Forum categories and topics
- Have started to look into more new features, use of APIs and so on

Could not have happened without Flashback's initiative and Leon's dedication.

Editorial comment

Although I do use it a bit for other creative and family stuff, being fairly new to Discord myself, it was an interesting learning experience to dig into more. I find Discord much easier to manage than the bulletin-board-style sites. It has a number of interesting and fun features not available in the older "forum"-style platforms.

I found it interesting and instructive that when we invited the CP candidates to campaign directly to the SFP members, all of them who accepted went to Discord first, and some went only to Discord. It was easy to set up channels accessible to visitors vs. those accessible only to party members. And the ability to have a private "friends" list makes Discord a good place to have a private interactive chat, a feature sorely lacking in both the in-game features and the BB-style platforms.





On the political side of things...

- Helped (a little bit) to promote initiatives in gov't for expanded tax-wealth distribution and transparency.

Editorial Comment

I don't think everybody realizes how much we owe Franklin Stone for being a consistent PITA to the US government for years, insisting over and over again that tax money is the peoples' money, that we have right to know how it is spent, and a right to have a say in how it spent. There is a good reason why bureaucrats and bullies make such a show of complaining about Franklin. He calls them on their shit. Every. Single. Time.

Likewise PimpDollaz. Just does not take crap from no one, no how, no way.

Good on yiz both.





On the cultural side of things...

- Kept SFP in the news with both Party and personal press postings.

I do love to taste the delicious tears of neo-fash groyper types whining about being mocked.





Failed to keep at least one promise...

- I never did write an epic poem featuring all the members of the Socialist Freedom Party.
- Still on my to-do list though.




Promises and Expectations




The Jackrabbit Protection Unit (JPU) emerges at dusk to take down dictatorships

I'd look to support efforts at defending small countries and more vulnerable communities from aggressive bullying.




The Bear Cavalry protects its cubs and fights like a beast

I know the Bear Cavalry is entirely separate from the SFP at this point, but there is a lot of overlap in active membership. I'd encourage the BC to support the JPU and other such guerillas.




The revolutionary organization works from the bottom up

The SFP Co-op and similar co-operative undertakings are among the most radical steps one can take to build up an alternative power structure throughout the lands of eRepublik. I look forward to encouraging the spread of this kind of approach and helping to build up the kind of revolutionary organization -- which may not be a formal party at all -- that can generate horizontal autonomy "on the e-ground".




The Inglorious Bolshies hunt down and eliminate multis

In the not-too-distant past the SFP multi-hunting unit was feared and deadly. I hope to reinvigorate that effort.




The Peoples Theater Offensive make play the thing

I don't know what this means, or how it would work. But I know that art does not need a purpose, a museum, or a container. And that making fun of fascists is hawt. 🙂

(On a practical level, I do encourage people interested in writing to join Gnilrap's new Writers Guild. Some darn good stuff going on there. And honestly, watching some folks tie themselves into knots screeching about Gnil just adds icing to the cake.)