State of the MBWBA: GM Participation Callout

[recte44]

The MBWBA is, always has be, and always will be a writing league. We have been very clear about this from the get go. No one here should be surprised by this. You also know we have very meager PP requirements. You need just 15 PP in a season, and 4 of those must come from Team News.

Now. I could probably do that in my sleep but some of us are struggling. Regardless of the Final PP Count that's coming up, let's take a quick look at the teams that haven't had a team news in a month or more. Yes, I'm calling people out because Team News are important and I think we need to hear from our teams on a more regular basis.

When reading these, please bear in mind that it's now NOVEMBER 8th.

BROOKLYN- Last team news September 26
GREENVILLE- September 22
CALGARY- October 4

There are going to be others that are below on points. In addition to Greenville, Louisville and Omaha are under the meager 15 PP (4 from TN) requirement even after having been notified of this via PM over a week ago now.

Don't even get me started on the lax forum participation in general. OMAHA, 9 posts? Seriously? This is a forum based, participation league. This is not export only. Here are some of the other post totals for the whole season: 21, 39, 48, 14, 29, 21, 33, 12, 11, 31, 23. The previous numbers represent 12 GMs, or 50% of the league, that isn't participating on a regular basis.

What's my point? I want every single GM of the 24 GM's we have here to pull their weight. In the course of a season, which is approximately two months or 60 days, is it too much to ask that you would have a bare minimum of one post per day, or 60 posts? I think this should be a requirement for membership, honestly, and I'm debating implementing it.

I think there are a lot of GMs here who are coasting along. The league is only as good as what the GMs put back into it. When you have 50% of the GMs putting in all the participation while the other 50% aren't, then that's not a very strong league.

The tipping point for me was that this was our 50th anniversary season, and I put hours and hours on end of work into a series of features looking at the history of the league. Know how many responses I got to my SEVENTEEN features honoring our history? A total of 105, some of which were from me, most of which were from the same small group of GM's that regularly participate. Heck, one of these features still has 0 responses.

I want everyone here to make a commitment to being more active in posting Team News and just plain posting on the forums. I don't want to see peoples work sit on the forum with 0 replies anymore. It doesn't take much to just offer a reply to their work, or even a +1 for all I care. At least I know you're around.

With that, if you don't think you can participate in the way this league has been designed....if forum participation and writing is not for you, if you don't have the time right now, then let me know you're stepping down. It's not fair to the GMs who actively participate to have this many GMs not actively participate.

At the end of the day, I'd be extremely happy if no one decides to leave and our forum participation becomes more even amongst the GMs. However, I realize we're probably going to lose some GMs who will admit that they either don't have the time or the desire to be anything more than export only GMs. That's fine, I respect that. I'd rather you tell me and be up front than continue like this.

So, let's hear from you folks. What's it going to be?

[Ted]

Sorry man, I've been really bad on team news this season, too. Just kept putting it off. I'll do better.

[aaronweiner]

Matt, how many of us can put 50 years of league history into context? Some of our new guys have no idea who most of these guys are. Most of our original GBC people are long gone. For most of those people, the features were something to read without context. Even I don't know a lot of the players well; I'm a modern era GM.

I get why it's frustrating; it's why I always remind myself that when I write something for the league I do it for myself first.

I agree that 60 posts in a season makes sense. 60 posts + 2 team news + 100% exports is 10.75 PPT, however. Which is to say that our minimums won't keep anyone in the league. What would is if we did these minimums and make exports half a point, however. If we're going to have minimums, those minimums should keep people in good standing.

[Ted]

Matt, how many of us can put 50 years of league history into context? Some of our new guys have no idea who most of these guys are. Most of our original GBC people are long gone. For most of those people, the features were something to read without context. Even I don't know a lot of the players well; I'm a modern era GM.

I get why it's frustrating; it's why I always remind myself that when I write something for the league I do it for myself first.

I agree that 60 posts in a season makes sense. 60 posts + 2 team news + 100% exports is 10.75 PPT, however. Which is to say that our minimums won't keep anyone in the league. What would is if we did these minimums and make exports half a point, however. If we're going to have minimums, those minimums should keep people in good standing.

As the newish dude I should shut my trap. Having said that, here's my two pennies. 15 ppt is nothing. Takes maybe a total of 4 hours over the course a couple months. (In addition to the timespent reading the board, exporting, etc.) I don't think the answer to people not participating is lowering the bar. I mean really, all you have to do to get from 8.75 to 15 is one team preview and a couple news, or some other combination of the many ways we have to earn points.


Also Recte, I enjoyed the series you did, I just didn't have much to say because I didn't know most of the players. The ones I did were clones of old GBC guys.

[aaronweiner]

I agree with you, Ted, that those kinds of requirements are really not that hard. If you start tossing forum requirements on top of that, though, that's when I think it should keep you in good standing. For example, at this point a GM could literally post four times in a year and be okay: 1 preview, 3 team news and 12 exports would do it. If we change the forum requirements, we are changing the nature of the requirements entirely.

[Ted]

And honestly forum requirements may be a good thing, if they don't turn into a bunch of plus ones and smileys.

[Ted]

Now that I said that though, reading and participating in the forums IS currently a requirement, or at least there was something like that in the fine print when I signed up. Probably right after I agreed to name my firstborn after a player of Recte's choice.

[aaronweiner]

Sure it is, but people don't always have something to say. I suspect people do read most of what passes through.

[felipe]

proudly meeting the minimum standard since 1995!

No, I've been busy

and incredulous at the state of my team

I'll get active again

[indiansfan]

Apologies for the last month. Been dealing with some health issues. I actually have a few articles I've been working on that will get posted soon

Regarding your 50 yr retrospective articles. I've read every one and they have been great. Also a great resource for those of us not here in the early years to learn about a lot of those players. Thanks

[recte44]

For the record, I'm not changing any requirements. Just setting a goal.

[recte44]

As for the history features, their purpose was to give you context and knowledge.

[njherdfan]

I definitely appreciated the history posts, and I'll be writing some team news today on a long train ride I have, but I agree that for myself I've gotten in the habit of just uploading and setting my lineups and doing all of the in-game stuff that an active manager does, but I've been slacking a bit on the forum side. I'll work on that in the coming seasons.

[bigmike13]

Sure it is, but people don't always have something to say. I suspect people do read most of what passes through.

This is the trap I find myself in most times. I read almost every single post, I just don't always feel I have anything of value to add. It's nice to tell people "good post", or "great article", but to me that's not always a value added.

I am a technical sales engineer and by force of habit, I always fall into the "if you don't have anything of value to add then shut up and listen". Not to mention that I don't want to look stupid with some half assed comment.

I will work more diligently to participate in the conversations.

[agrudez]

I did a horrendous job of it this year, but I always try to go through other team's TNs and do my best to make meaningful comments (ie. not just "good stuff", etc.) because, to me, nothing sucks my desire to participate than having an article that took me 2 hours to write go, for all intents and purposes, unnoticed. That is also why I've started trying to post league features instead of TNs, because it broadens the audience and (selfishly) increases the probability that *someone* (*couch* Ted or Aaron *cough*) comments with enough substance to actually initiate a conversation - which, well beyond points and such, is the primary goal of my writing. Sometimes this exercise takes just as much time as writing an article myself (since I usually have to do some research to do it write) and I don't get any points from it so there is no "incentive"; however, to me that is the far more important component of participation. 10 articles are less important to the lifeblood of the league than 1 meaningful, interesting conversation.

[avery]

Matt, how many of us can put 50 years of league history into context? Some of our new guys have no idea who most of these guys are. Most of our original GBC people are long gone. For most of those people, the features were something to read without context. Even I don't know a lot of the players well; I'm a modern era GM.

I get why it's frustrating; it's why I always remind myself that when I write something for the league I do it for myself first.

I agree that 60 posts in a season makes sense. 60 posts + 2 team news + 100% exports is 10.75 PPT, however. Which is to say that our minimums won't keep anyone in the league. What would is if we did these minimums and make exports half a point, however. If we're going to have minimums, those minimums should keep people in good standing.

As the newish dude I should shut my trap. Having said that, here's my two pennies. 15 ppt is nothing. Takes maybe a total of 4 hours over the course a couple months. (In addition to the timespent reading the board, exporting, etc.) I don't think the answer to people not participating is lowering the bar. I mean really, all you have to do to get from 8.75 to 15 is one team preview and a couple news, or some other combination of the many ways we have to earn points.


Also Recte, I enjoyed the series you did, I just didn't have much to say because I didn't know most of the players. The ones I did were clones of old GBC guys.

I agree with Ted, and I read all the 50 anniversary articles and responded to most of them.

[c-mitch]

...I always fall into the "if you don't have anything of value to add then shut up and listen". Not to mention that I don't want to look stupid with some half assed comment.

I will work more diligently to participate in the conversations.

This is me. I honestly struggle to conversate in this league because I just don't like to post meaningless or flippant stuff for the most part (and it gets taken the wrong way when I do), though I do try to reach the 50 post per season mark. The historical stuff just made no impact on me as an owner with less than 10 seasons here, though I acknowledge the hard work and "love" that went into it.

[Blue]

I can't guarantee I'll meet minimums for a myriad of reasons. As per your request, I resign as manager of the Brooklyn Robins. I wish nothing but good luck to you all and I hope I've left the Robins in a better place than I found them.

[JimBob2232]

+1.

[JohnC]

...I always fall into the "if you don't have anything of value to add then shut up and listen". Not to mention that I don't want to look stupid with some half assed comment.

I will work more diligently to participate in the conversations.

This is me. I honestly struggle to conversate in this league because I just don't like to post meaningless or flippant stuff for the most part (and it gets taken the wrong way when I do), though I do try to reach the 50 post per season mark. The historical stuff just made no impact on me as an owner with less than 10 seasons here, though I acknowledge the hard work and "love" that went into it.

For the most part this is me as well. When I see the or a good stuff post I considering that someone trying to get their post count up. I will mostly only post if I feel it adds some kind of value to the topic. Having said that, I guess even that kind of response is better then no response at all. It can be pretty deflating to spend quite a bit of time writing some kind of article, preview, or spotlight and get no reply at all.