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 How do you get teams to be social?
I would love ideas.
Linda
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Interesting
The best thing to get chess players in contact, probably (!?), is letting them play a game of chess with each other. I.e. organize team mini-tournaments, encourage direct (unrated) challenges, etc. - this seems to work (a bit) in my team...
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Good idea I'll give it a try
Any luck using the team forum? I just posted the youtube videos out there to see if I get any reaction.
Linda.
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Team Soul ...
I use personal contact with everybody in the team. Initially, like all the teams we had problems with timeouts. I brought the discussion of time-outs to the attention of all my teammates and asked for their decisions about the time-outs of the specific players. They all expressed their dislikes and it has resulted to the "resignations" of the players with time-outs from my team. I am never attempting to make decisions about the players. These decisions shall be made by all of my players. Therefore, they feel that the team belongs to them, not the captain...
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team forum?
The big problem with the team forum, Linda, is that only paying
members can use it. Since about half my team is composed of "freebies,"
that doesn't work. It does help some to send out messages to the
whole team at once, which is a relatively new addition to gk.
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I didn't know that
Can they read it and not post? Or can they not read it either. Actually that stinks. I do send out messages to everyone, but thought the forum would encourage 'two way' conversations.
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team forum?
Good question, and I don't know the answer. Anyone?
And I definitely agree that the forum encourages not only
two-way but multiple-way conversations, like the club
forum does.
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'Freebies'
Can read the team forums too - but I do not think they get 'flashing envelopes' like the paying members get, so they are not updated as much. [ Send a message to everyone on the team ] seems the best way to communicate with all - everybody will get that message.
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team messages
I send team messages, but only once in a great while. I send individual messages to players on other occasions.
One of my members quit his previous team BECAUSE he was inundated with various team messages, congratulations to this one and that one, team standings, who was doing what to whom and so forth. He absolutely hated wading through the team "spam". I took his advice and post judiciously. No complaints so far.
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That is why I was disappointed about the forum
If only paid members can really use the team forum then it is pretty much useless. Another team I was a member of did send out multiple messages a day, it did get to be too much, boring and counterproductive. The forum would be great if everyone could use it then those that wanted to could. Others could ignore.
Linda
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*I introduce new team members to the rest of the team via pm
*I used to write a monthly team newsletter highlighting individual and team performance
*regular team mini-tourneys
*I try to acknowledge important milestones for team members ie 100 team games etc
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gainard
06-May-08, 19:38
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Crazy proposal =)
It's very naive to imagine any kind of democracy in the commercial project, as GK is. However sometimes it works (good example - LiveJournal). Why don't we try to write a letter to the project administration and collect as many as possible captains and co-captains signatures. The letter, of course, should be very well grounded. We simply have to explain why the forum must be open for everybody. Closer communication between the members can even improve the rate of payed accounts. Don't throw stones at me, it's simply the first idea =))
Alex
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That's a good idea Alex
Every team captain and co-captain represents a plataninum membership. The team forum is just as much, if not more, a feature that benefits the captains. I also don't think that it is such a great feature that a free player would say 'Oh I just have to have that feature, I'll pay to be a member!'
I will draft a letter and post it on this forum and get everyone possible to say yeah or nay to the idea and then send the link to GK.
Then maybe try it with something else, baby steps.
What does everyone think?
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I say
I'm with you both, Alex and Linda.
Clark
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bearz1
10-May-08, 04:00
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Deleted by bearz1 on 10-May-08, 04:01.
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Count me in. Cheers Eddie
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In my experience
When I first started as captain I sent out alot of messages congratulating people on this or that, introducing new members, If I knew their birthdays I would announce that, and we set up alot of team mini tourneys. None of this really made my team talk much more. Maybe I just have a quiet team that is happy to just play. I do know that with all the ways GK has provided for us to chat with each other on this site communication between teammates shouldnt be difficult if everyone tries.
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I had a great idea, once
Back in March 2006 I organised for the members of the team to meet up in Brisbane. It went fairly well with 6 of us meeting up, but I will admit two of them were my friends from childhood, so 3 of us knew each other quite well (we are all from Melbourne too). The other members who went were the team's other founding member tedb, another bloke who lives in Brissy and another bloke from Melbourne whom myself and one of my childhood friend teammates had met up with before (he has subsequently left the team - see below).
Anyway, to cut a long story short, it went quite well, we boozed on and had a relatively good time. It was a bit awkward to start with but worked out ok. One bloke (the other Melbournian - see above) had an idiot of a wife though and we haven't seen nor heard from him since and he's no longer on GK!!!
I also arranged to meet up with a couple of teammates prior to this trip, one was a no show and the other was very late - the same bloke who ended up leaving GK as outlined above.
I'm considering trying for another meet up, but really, the interest was pretty low the first time.
Anyway, that's my little story.
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Dangerous Toys
I noticed they have a social director. Has that worked and what do they do?
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Yes,
It has worked, he has been organizing team tournaments for example.
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starcheck - I agree - and I also stopped 'chattering' to my team thru messaging.. took a vote and received the same feedback.. more than one msg a month was to much.
Now using the team forums allows the players to get what the need in terms of social/quiet - Out of the entire team I have about 10 that jump in - and the other random 15-20 on an important issue..
I really liked lawarner's idea on the letter - did that happen?? Count me in!! In my viewpoint having that feature just might be what gives the player the boost to have a membership - creating more momentum and connection for them..
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Communications?
On the issue of team forums, what some non-paying members of my team have done is to answer team forum comments with a letter to everyone in the team, as they were unable to post comments in the team forum.
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Socials
I'm not a socialist but I like to get social. On our team we have special occasions, like someone wins ten games in a row, or celebrations for new members or standings on the formidable ladder. I usually notify the team through messages with the details. So far we have had a lovely cocktail party on the penthouse roof top. Sometimes we all gather in the grand ballroom for mingling with the opposite sex. The places to meet are endless. All I have to do is find someplace that sounds real nice, and invite the team to partake in whatever I find on the menu. I have never had a teammate complain or not accept an invitation. Ask for them to bring something, it always makes them feel wanted, too. Well, thanks for listening. to see more of my secret recipes and activities, go to our team page,
The Knights Who Say Ni!
I trust this will suffice on the subject.
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