this month the Featured Contributor goes to a Mizaharian hero, the epic CS Liaison Shepherd! Likewise, the interview is mostly about this challenging but totally crucial role within our community. Enjoy.
| Hello Shepherd! You are a CS Liaison aka a Modern Mizaharian Hero. What drives a player to do this oft-thankless but incredibly vital job in Mizahar's community? I actually receive a good deal of thanks and praise in this position. Both from Veterans and those I've intervened on. But there are a few reasons why I took up this mantle. The first and foremost is that I was reading CSs out the yazoo long before I ever made my first PC. I was addicted to reading all the different characters. The 2nd is because I received such a warm and helpful welcome when I finally decided to venture in chat. I remember all the greetings, the polite and accurate answers to my deluge of questions. I wanted to return the favor somehow. So I researched as much lore as I could, helped out as much as I could, greeted, and got to know the players. Then I turned it from a hobby to a responsibility. And the last reason, I want to one day join the ranks of Storytellers, the idols I serve happily, whose lives I hope to make easier with my efforts. I saw this position as an opportunity to gain experience and trust from the Storytellers and player base. Did you experience any difficulties when you made your own start on this site, and if so, did that affect your decision to volunteer or the way you approach a new player? No, I don't think I did, aside from maybe abusing the HD with idle questions. But I learned, and am passing on my lessons. But everyone was so friendly and helpful, and I wanted to be just like that. What races, skills, traits or combinations thereof, in your opinion, tend to be most prone to mistakes and misunderstandings? And of course, how would you fix the problem? Hmm, the first would be Kelvics. I don't know if it's because they are the most popular race or if it's because deep down, everyone has an animal they would like to be. But Kelvics are usually where I run into the most issues, particularly the aging of such. It can be a tad confusing, especially for a first time PC who hasn't learned all the particulars yet. Fixing is easy, breaking it down as simply as I can is usually the best bet. Another thing is the Wilderness Survival skill and the required lore. I've learned that several people, including Veterans, were unaware of the requirement of having the lore to go with the skill. Heck, I didn't know about it until after I became Liaison. But a quick link and a couple of suggestion Lores helps. Do you have real-life experience of conflict handling that you bring to your Mizaharian role? And conversely, do you think the saintly aura of a CS Liaison helps a little with real-life interactions? Oh most certainly. I am the CEO of a small business, and I have, (depending on the week) about 60 or so employees. As my mom used to say, you put more than one person in a room, conflict is inevitable. I've seen everything go wrong, and I've seen it twice. It's given me an enormous amount of experience that I was able to bring to Mizahar. And in all honest, Mizahar has improved my moods immensely. Right before joining, I was beginning to become that "grumpy boss" soon to become the "mean boss." Then I found Mizahar. I don't know if it was the storyline that sucks you in, the pieces of myself that I put into my characters and my work, or if it's the friendly player base. Or a combination of all the above. But now, I've, and several others, have noticed that I've become much more relaxed, friendly, and spontaneous. Just the other week, sales were extremely high, employees had been working great, and it was 3:00 PM on a Friday. It was a beautiful day, I was in a great mood. So I asked chat, "Should I allow my employees take an early leave?" And thanks to Lazslo, my employees were allowed to leave two hours early, paid. Spontaneity is something I had been missing, and I'm glad it has returned. Are there players you've helped out who have then made you proud by sticking with the site and turning into great Mizaharians? Oh definitely. And much more than I could list here. I look forward to the day when someone I intervened on about a Gnosis mark, earns that 2nd Mark. It's like a child growing up successfully. It's very fulfilling. Describe your thought process when you come across a potentially great RPer who has made a crucial mistake and whose entire CS revolves around that mistake. How do you handle this? I try my best to nicely explain the mistake, and then how to go about the easiest way of fixing this without doing too much damage to the original idea. They aren't all success stories, but when that CS got fixed, and the player was happy, I got all the joy and gratitude I could've wanted. Sometimes it may seem like a big fix, but it really isn't, if you are creative enough to finagle it. On the other hand, what motivates you to help a seemingly hopeless player? You know them, the ones who post vampyre CS's. Do you think it's possible to retain even one of them? Whew. Those ones require a lot of patience. There have been several that I've had to walk through almost from the ground up. But, once they finish, and are able to write with people, they are like a bat out of hell. They embrace the new found freedom with vigor. I wish there were more success stories of this type, but honestly, you can't save them all, no matter how much you want. Even if they are the werewolf/vampire hybrids we all love so much. Do you have any suggestions on how the system could be improved? (Without issuing firearms to the staff, that is!) Hmm... Several of the improvements I've tried to do first hand. Things like the City Specific Templates, The CS FAQs, the CS Fun Facts (coming soon to a forum near you.) One thing I could see doing wonders of help, but could be done multiple ways. And it would be an enormous project. Either having a forum for completed (and checked) CSs, or some sort of marking system, that only those that are Liaisons or other Staff could see, that would signify if the CS has been checked and approved by the Liaisons. Also, if somehow editing a CS could bump it to the top of the forums. WIP CSs are very difficult to track, even with our WIP tracking thread. This space is for your own picture! Find one that you feel represents you as a Liaison. Finding an appropriate picture was, and still is, the hardest thing I've had to do as Liaison. I would definitely accept donation pics. Consider it a challenge Mizahar!\ Where do you see yourself in the future, Mizahar-wise? How does a Liaison fight the repetitive nature of this position? You fight it by finding new, and occasionally fun ways to help out. If I could somehow have a perfect week, where no CSs needed adjusting, I could die happy. I also have several characters and a Chatbox to help with the rare, but occasional dullness. Storytellers, Founders, Players, I want to say thank you all. You keep me sane, motivated, and happy, and I hope to continue making you proud. Thank you. |
