Nero's unsolicited thoughts

Some thoughts on vVv going forward:

1. “Gaming”: Consistent with the Town Hall last night, I think we do need to drop gaming from the name, even though Jerry was absolutely correct that non-gamers (i.e., folks like myself) are now in the very clear minority (not only in this community, but also the world at large). And given our focus on (ideally) being purely a community of forward-thinkers, I think there’s no reason to continue with the “Gaming” designation. There is, obviously, some nostalgia with the name, and we can continue to honor the past through the website, old photos, etc. Should we drop “Gaming,” we will need to workshop a replacement name. And if we do deemphasize gaming itself and remove “Gaming” from the community’s title, I think we should also re-think…

2. Clan Tags: At least to me, clan tags are and should remain a thing of the past. There is no ambiguity to membership status the second a person is given the designation of “vVv Member” on discord. The tag seems to harken back to the gaming days. While it is a cool tag no doubt, I think it creates an unnecessary division between members and non-members. Obviously, this is not a big deal, and there is still some prestige / coolness with getting to adopt the v’s. I guess I just want to avoid any sort of us vs. them. If someone is on the website and active in the discord, they should be a member. Now, some may be unwilling to be members—those sort of folks can be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. My qualm with the clan tag leads into my next point, though…

3. Lower Barrier to Entry: I know, I know. There does need to be some sort of filter to avoid letting in practically anyone. We’re not Arizona State at the end of the day. A pulse should not be the sole prerequisite for membership. But I’d like to see a situation where membership is determined based on a thoughtfully completed application and, perhaps, an interview that occurs within a week or so of submission. I see no reason to let any application drag on for an extended period of time.

4. Eliminate the Dispute Resolution Process: No reason for it. Granted, I’m the one who advocated for its creation. But that was an error on my part. If vVv grows substantially larger, maybe re-integrate something, but at least at this point, I think it’s better to handle things informally. People refused to actually submit disputes anyway and would just send DMs when an issue arose.

5. New Name: I'm probably in the clear minority on this, so this may be an unpopular opinion. However, I am, once again, advocating that we go by Vision (or something along those lines). Forward Vision could be cool. But that may be a leap too far.

Please, feel free to respond and let me know how stupid my thoughts are. (Kidding, sort of.)