Jita Park Speakers Corner

from http://poeticstanziel.blogspot.ca/2012/09/csm7-messaging.html

There's little denying that three CSM7 representatives try very hard to communicate often with the playerbase. Seleene, Hans Jagerblitzen, and Alekseyev Karrde. You'll see Trebor and Two Step to lesser extent on the forums. And Elise prefers to communicate via Kugutsumen.

Seleene and Hans are often on the forums, answering many player questions, or just trying to put out fires started by other CSM members. They're often on the various EVE podcasts. They have their own blogs (which they don't update as often as they should, but which aren't inactive.) They've both had Reddit AMA ("Ask Me Anything") threads. As for Alekseyev, he has his own podcast, and he's frequently seen posting on the forums (for better and worse.)

In a recent podcast, Ripard Teg pointed out that's it's all well and good that they're out there communicating, but that their communications are so dispersed that they are difficult to find for the average player. Most of the playerbase couldn't name a single EVE podcast much less find the five or so that the CSM tend to frequent. Thus, there needs to be a single source of communication, a single location that serves as a gateway to all of these other sources of information.

Seleene was, in fact doing this early on. But since he's not the Secretary, he eventually left the job to Two Step. Unfortunately, Two Step is secretary of the CSM in name only (likely a concession, since he didn't get the chair as he had wanted), and he's spent little time actually doing the job of the secretary. Hans is a workhorse, and as vice-secretary, he's taken up all of Two Step's responsibilities. Hans has recently backlogged all of the CSM's recent communications into one easily digestible post. I would suspect that he'll be continuing this on a semi-regular basis.

I think there are a few simple ways that the CSM could improve their messaging, and ways in which CCP could help further this goal. Also ways in which added transparency could be added, allowing the player-base greater insight into the CCP/CSM communications process.

Bi-Weekly CSM Blog
The CSM should release a devblog-style update on a bi-weekly schedule. This "blog" should first detail what the CSM, as a whole, has been up to the last couple weeks. What have been the hot topics of conversation (generalized where NDA issues are in effect), as well as links to recent and important pieces of CSM communication (podcasts, blog posts, forum posts, etc.)

Further, each CSM representative should write a short section detailing their own recent activities. This would not be a requirement, and as such would certainly help players gauge what CSM reps are active and which are not.

This CSM blog should be given the same exposure by CCP as their devblogs, via a sticky on the forums, in the launcher and on the character-selection screen (right-hand side) in the client. This would give greater exposure to the CSM and would help to educate players on the importance of the CSM (which could translate to more voters during the election cycles.)

CCP/CSM Communication
Quite of few of the current CSM representatives ran on platforms that expressed a desire for greater transparency in their dealings with CCP. The last CSM Summit Report was a strong step in this direction. I am particularly interested in the process of communication between CCP and the CSM. I would love to get some deeper insight into how these communications proceed. I would love to see some concrete examples of this communication in action.

I would propose that private CSM/CCP discussion/topic threads, as they come out of NDA, be made publicly available for perusal by the player-base. Given that these communications are likely not conducted on some hidden EVE Gate forum (due to security concerns), they are not easily transferred to the EVE Gate forums. Instead, images of these threads could be supplied. (There is a very good webpage image capturing plugin available for Google Chrome, for example.)

While allowing players a peek into the communications process, it also allows players to see representative activity, as well as seeing what ideas representatives are actually espousing. This would be an excellent level of transparency, even if the topics themselves are weeks or a couple months out-of-date.

You do realise this is a game right? Not a full time job

just checking

Yup, and I found out I basically hit the lottery when I found out that the areas I promised to encourage CCP to pay some attention to are already in plan. At this point all I could do is nag them to code faster, which I guess you think I should be doing. As a developer I can assure you that is counter productive. Once CCP gets closer and starts to share some design details there will be more work to do in the areas I ran on representing, but you seem to calling out for the CSM to be running around frantically "doing something" without being very clear about what.

I have always ran on and continue to believe that the CSM is more about oversight and feedback than being "good idea faeries" that spend large amounts of time designing game features. I think CSM 7 is doing a great job at what they are intended to do.

Also, the other CSM probably have different ideas of what they are supposed to be doing, I respect that but until CCP creates a charter that says how I'm serving as a member of CSM 7 is "wrong", I'll keep trying to represent the folks that elected me in the manner I promised when I ran.

Issler

Where exactly are the private CSM/CCP threads posted now?

Besides the people that complained the hulk cargo hold was too small, most people looked at the changes and said 'that looks good.'

Uhm, I liked them, and so I didn't see them needing change. I am not going to micro-manage CCP.

I like the new barges as they were implemented, sorry about that.

Issler

And you could have done exactly that and not been on the CSM. See, that's the problem, Issler. Nothing that you've done is anything that warrants being a CSM representative. You could have easily said "I like the barges" with the rest of us when the specs were released publicly.

Here's some inspiration

Reading Between the Lines: High Sec Nerf

CCP Ytterbium comment

Don't forget mining. And I still have to make sure what we've been promised happens.

What you don't get is I was elected with some other CSM who rock the other areas, like Hans for FW, and Alek for mercs and PvP and Seleene for 0.0 and a lot of other stuff. The CSM 7 has an fantastic set of members with great insight into areas of Eve that I don't claim to have.

So me messing with Hans/Alek/Seleene.. in areas I am not focused on is crazy. So get over it. CCP seems committed to delivering what folks that elected me wanted. Sorry about that.

And folks that voted for me I will try and keep CCP on track to deliver what they promised..... time for me to go back to sitting in a cafe eating a baguette, smoking non-stop, drinking a nice glass of wine and staring at the skyline of Paris.... you know the other thing pathetic standyby reported about me.....

Issler