Posted by Ray Branch in Discussion on Responsibilities of FComms/AFComms

Posted by Commodore Cale Reilly (STF Surgeon General) in Discussion on Responsibilities of FComms/AFComms

Posted by Sarah Hemenway in Discussion on Responsibilities of FComms/AFComms
Posted by… suppressed (5) by the Post Ghost! 👻
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In discussing, it would be helpful if you could provide commentary/additions to the list in-line, but I understand if that doesn’t make sense to everyone!

Sarah

Ok so first of all, I don’t think that at all represents what FComm’s do now. I don’t think FComm’s do anywhere near what’s on that list. Whether or not they are supposed to is part of the discussion. However to make this more relevant I have taken the list you have given and I have sorted it, into category and Priority/Frequency.

NOTE: I have not included representing their fleet in policy discussions. For my money there is little to no difference in fleets beside the name practically when it comes to greater club governance. Secondly CO’s are more then capable and do speak for themselves in command and have always done so. FComm’s do not speak for their CO’s in a club setting. I have also added training of assistants to the list cause well, duh.

And where possible I have tightened up the language where we’ve kinda talked about two sides of the same coin. Conflict resolution and avoidance for example is better represented by Conflict Management.

Admininistrative
Monthly Submission of Fleet Reports
Audit ships for TOS compliance
Audit ships for environment (speed and type)
Review all posts on ships

Management
Appointment and Removal of CO’s
Approval of XO appointments
Approval of promotions to Commander
Approval of GM Appointments
CO Evaluations

Personell
Conflict Management (anticipation and resolution)
Develops espirt de corps
Fosters club culture?

Training
Training of CO’s
Training of Assistants

– Commodore Matt B
Unremitant Pirate

I like the idea of grouping, in all honesty there is maybe some of the things that could now be automated. I assume this if course because I have no understanding of what that would look like or how it would work so I am hoping you or Joe or someone else might be able to shed light in that idea for me Matt.

Two things that come to mind however is that neither list contains the cultural element or fostering club culture. I also think that if these things aren’t being done then we end up at a cross roads, do we pick the side that is like “well we don’t do it now we did it then but let’s change things to how we do it now.” Or do we all take a look at it and go down the “We maybe need to make more of an effort to actually do these things.”

I mean linking this to wider issues facing the club, surely the fcomm structure should have a role in retention and member satisfaction and be more than just the people who put the reports it and deal with issues if and when it comes up.

Cale

I overwhelmingly agree. Good club governance should ALWAYS be about more then just filing the paperwork and dealing with issues.

From my own experience as a FComm I emailed and tried to talk to my CO’s about having fleet events and what we could do to make the fleet stronger and better. (Totally makes the Make our fleet great again joke) But I didn’t include it on this list, because the lack of response I got for that idea while FComm was defeaning.

– Matt

I think it’s important and needs to be considered as part of the wider role remit. Especially if parts will be automated.

Cale

Ok so that and roughly in that section?

– Matt

For point of discussion, how does dropping the requirement for a particular FComm/AFComm to serve in their fleet affect their ability to inspire fleet-wide culture? Theoretically, neither individual could have a character anywhere in the fleet. It’s interesting that that hasn’t been brought up before as a FComm’s job and everyone seems to be in favor of removing the fleet service requirement.

Also, I wanted to mention that the list above was constructed from everything thrown out by everyone, so it’s truly a master list of all of the possible ideas people think FComms should do, not my personal opinion. :)

Sarah

In all honesty you don’t need to be a member of the fleet to work on fleet culture. The original fostering of fleet culture and the requirement we are talking of removing was there to try and ensure that the fleet history etc was maintained however because so many ships have moved and fleets are a missmash it makes no difference.

If we remove the fleet restriction for fcomms and make fostering the culture of their fleet with those in it a focus as it once was it won’t matter if they have a character or not in that fleet. They are supposed to be a facilitator for other people’s characters and fun within their fleet and yeah it’s a volunteer role but it’s a club that’s supposed to be fun but you should be more focused on helping your fleet and those in it develop than your own characters etc in such a role in my opinion.

I think since the fleet structure itself is broken anyway we may as well use this as an opportunity to clarify with a Fcomm should be doing, remove the restriction to allow a greater pool of people to fulfil the roles and give them the chance to reboot one of the biggest elements of our community.

Just my two pence worth

Cale

I think an FComm should fit the needs of a fleet. I was thankful enough to have been an Assistant of Black Fleet for a few terms before actually becoming the fleet’s FComm. While I was an extremely active CO, I tended to work behind the scenes as FComm. I knew that I had extremely experienced COs at the helm so it wasn’t required for me to constantly check up on them. I made sure to send a monthly reminder for reports or reach out when I saw characters or members that were AWOL, I allowed COs to appoint XOs or promote a member to Commander (all they had to do was drop me a line in discord or email). I even played out my position on OED V for a few months. What I found most difficult wasn’t reading each ship, but to conjure fleet culture.

Maybe the responsibility of fleet culture should fall on the GMs since they create the sims?

-Ray

The only caveat I have with making the Fleet Reports automated is that I, as an FComm read everyone of the reports submitted from my Fleet’s Command staff and bearing in mind what was reported, report on my own impressions of the ships.

As to the Fleet Culture idea when it was used more commonly it took a wide variety of people working together on it to make it work. It took the FComm to spearhead and the CO’s and GM’s to assist in providing the staging ground on the ships and type of sims. I have to say of my own impressions since the great decommissioning, in both of the Fleets I have worked in since then, has been a daunting idea because the present fleets have been so mixed up by ships having been moved around.

What I have tried to do in the Infinite Fleet is to encourage the GMs to write sims keeping the present placement of the Fleet on Lind’s new map. We are smack dab between the Klingon and Romulan Empire so I ask that they bear that in mind and use it in their sims and not place their ships way out yonder on the map where they’d have no business being. In that regard we are still very much using our Fleet Identity.

Now as too say a Fleet Wide Sim, they are very difficult and time consuming. They require extreme cooperation between FComm, CO’s/XO’s and GM’s and not very many people seem to have the ability to pull off such a feat anymore. Other then Robert Archer, when he had the time. But Rob is an epic GM:) I have been involved in quite few Fleet wides over the years and they are very hard to coordinate.

Krys