Okay, here's a poll for you to vote on who you'd like to see be a special report coordinator. Try to vote objectively and not just who is your friend or who is the BMOC in your org. This person is meant to sift through all issues that everyone may raise and then pick those which he or she considers to be issues of longstanding that need to be addressed for game balance.

This will only be the first part of the selection process. Once this poll is over, we will open an in-game referendum of the top candidates selected here (i.e., we want to narrow the field before we do the in-game referendum).

When do you think this poll will close?

Maybe after the weekend. Monday?

Good luck to all.

If it continues like this, I'm not sure you need an in-game referendum.

The reason for the referendum is that it's a very different sample of people there, and this avoids the self-selecting quality of the forum, not the idea that the voting might be too close.

An ingame referendum is good since a lot of the community that plays the game doesn't post on these forums.

Some how I got confused and voted for Pat Bucchanan.

Now onto topic selection!

You're my favourite troll orclach. Did I ever tell you that?

If I remember correctly, the topic will be whatever said person feels is necessary to discuss - and the admin agree as being something worth discussing.

IE, it's between them and the admin (with Estarra claiming the decision, not a forum vote).

I see how it is.

Pretty clear victory here.

I think it's important to cast a second vote so that we know for sure who came in second place. Seems kinda neck to neck to me.

Second place doesn't matter much.

It does in fact! Read the admin's posts.

Well, it COULD, depending on how they want to do the second phase and how many people are selected for it, etc.

Probably gonna be top two or three, but I hope the referendum doesn't go on too long.

If there is an in-game referendum, I doubt they'll split between Malarious and Sahmiam, since they're only one vote apart. Considering you've got over half the votes though, I wouldn't blame them if they just went with you. Sure, the forums isn't all-encompassing, but it's a fairly nice cross-section of the players; I don't think any one org is overrepresented to that degree where they'd get a different result by an in-game referendum.

Results between forum and game can vary wildly. My favorite example was one of the "what should we work on this month" threads. The forums said one thing, when it was put in game, the actual results veered in an entirely different direction. (and as a result, forging got fixed, huzzah!)

The forums are very vulnerable to sorta bad narratives. Or of people not wanting to speak up because a few loudmouths will hemmorage offal at them until they stop posting. So they just don't read the forums- I can think of several people right off the top of my head that avoid even coming here just so they don't get upset.

An in game referendum hits people who can be thoughtful, independent thinkers who aren't tainted by "who someone is/what they are like" on the forums.

Given the choice between the two, I'll take the in game referendum every single time.

I also know for a fact that at least one Hallifaxian voted for Shuyin. My fear for the ingame referendum is that most players will vote for their org rep., since the forums is really the place where you get more of an idea of the "wizard behind the curtain", so to speak. Players who aren't as aware of other players' personalities will make less well-informed decisions.

Edit: Yep, I'm falling afoul of Akui's post, which is rarely a good idea, but I also feel that at least the reasonable forum-goers have a better idea of candidates' substance and vim than the average player.