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Hathian Observer
By FaithTang Resident

TYPE: Official Business

BACKGROUND: IC: "Hi, Daiyu Tang here, Girl-Behind-the-Lens and so-called 'emo garden gnome', also a reporter at the Hathian Observer! Some of you are fans. Even if you don't admit it! Can I also add underpaid (nada, nothing, $0, just a promise of a degree!) and overworked! So anyway, I heard there was an opening for a sub-editor and well, seeing as you all give me so much to write about and how Stanley the current ((NPC) editor is like... uhh... 'so good to work for' I thought I'd apply so I could do a bit more and dust a few cobwebs. Now, don't worry... the Observer won't get decked out in black and ripped tights and and so on (except for Gothmas) but what it means is that I'll do the same amount of work and get paid for it? No, lol readers. What it means is I'll try and do more work and get paid a little for it. The way of Hathian right? Hey so I also hear that with our Campus Paper up and running and CU Gossip Girl getting her teeth into campus shenanigans that you'll have not just me if I'm successful but also her.. and I'd stake a fair few of my $0 salary that she's pretty good at this as well!" OOC: The Hathian Observer has since September 2008 provided stories to the CD Community. These cover events, marriages, business proposals, gangs, murders, HPD and all the rest of what makes CD great. From my perspective, they are also great because they showcase a depth of RP, can facilitate IC stories and where appropriate provide a memory of particular RP, characters and events that can live on. 2,480 or so articles worth and counting. This is a community role that should promote what players create, for example builds or businesses, facilitate their stories (where they ask for it), investigate crimes and hold gangs and HPD to the fire (and then get held to the fire themselves - ((Bloody Rejects!)). The paper should also encourage and promote events, Christmas, Pride, and so forth drawing attention to what is happening on the sim and being active enough so that those thinking of making CD their home can see the paper and see an active community. The Observer is slightly different for regular events - rather what I (and I would hope other reporters) would offer are the chances for interviews, attending IC events with camera equipment, photoshoots and personal profiles and working with others who facilitate events to perhaps cover them. That could be raids, it could be discos - it just has to make sense IC and have OOCLY permission. The Observer currently has 2 journalists. It's not sustainable and while there have been others who have made a real difference in the last 12 months, it's important to have a lead (and with Sarah you get two) who will promote the handbook, and the OOCLY rules that go with this position while still making it attractive to new players. IC this means Dai going with new hires out and about, OOCLY this means using Group Chat, Group Notices and the rest to help them find stories if they are new to sim, or if they are not, listening to their ideas, providing editorial and typographical checking of articles and assisting with photos or Wordpress. Dai isn't going to be IC "The Editor", that NPC position exists so that she can continue to be a brat, get into trouble and continue with her university course. The title 'sub-editor' probably needs to have SUB highlighted as she is subject to IC complaints, action and so forth. OOCLY however I will do my best to RP that entitled, determined that she is right brat while also taking being the 'sub-editor' seriously. I think those that have interacted with her previously IC in a friendly way would say she is good at this and those that IC have got upset with her, would say 'climbing the greasy pole of Stanley'... Anyway, fun times. Working with Sarah, who is the IC CU Paper lead (and this application also covers) and with her as the OOCLY Community manager, we will share the work and listen and try and make things good. Broadly, Sarah will cover the CU and I will cover Hathian, but will be available to support each other or players as needed.

UNIQUE: The Observer as a location is less important than other locations. I want to celebrate new builds and existing buildings. Having said that, when required I've decorated the building for Christmas and extensively for Halloween. I also have setup certain studio equipment and there is an offsite studio as well (although over time I might try and fit one in the void above the Observer's current one floor if given permission!). Other than that, the business stands out as being available for all. We've done IC profiles of students, gone to businesses spanning BDSM club to food places and investigated small and more serious crime. I hope the business has stood out as a place that can facilitate your stories and that's what I love about writing. Dai (or an NPC journalist) or Sarah or any new hire doesn't *have* to be part of the story, we can just record it for you and make you stand-out, or we can IC be there every step of the way... Finally, slowly, I am moving photos and stories to the Hathian Museum (private build) as well. It's a small link that isn't official, but helps me have a space to put news and history related items in that spin off from the Observer. IC people can visit, add more, etc.

EXPERIENCE:a) Writing for the Observer - 45 posts in c. 12 months. Some very long. People know I've had experience of different parts of CD and hopefully can see some of them were weeks of IC work. I want stories to succeed. b) Learning - while IC Dai can be a pain, typist thinks sorry and 'I can do better' are a mindset. Did a big piece on Grig, got some coaching from Peri afterwards and learned and improved and said sorry. Some (but not all) people change - Dai's ego is not typist ego. c) Photography - Typist has spent a lot of time on photos for the CD community, covering events. I'm busy, but not too busy to just do things for people. It makes me happy, it makes them happy, it associates with CD and keeps people happy (maybe that's ego speaking!) d) Pretty private IRL (like many with family and so on) but very open OOCLY to chat and learn and do better. I like writing/chatting and will be active and if I cannot be, will tell Sarah, or the mods and work on a handover plan or holiday cover or whatever it is e) I've taught two modules of Journalism in CU University modelled on IRL. These seemed to go well and there's a third partially written. This might be adapted to the Observer as 'training' either IC or OOCLY or both!

IDEAS:a) Group Notices - encouraging those signed up to participate. b) Training notes - updating the handbook and having it as a sticky notice so new people know how to work c) IC offering to go on 'patrol' for news with players, but also OOCLY reaching out to contacts to see if they can facilitate stories for anyone new d) Reaching out to old sign-ups and writers and seeing if I can coax a story or two out from the old-hands e) Generally be present, IC around the sim, with Dai's IC Press pass, cameras and more and make her available for new people. f) Organise press briefings with new hires, doling out stories or whatever. g) Try to engage with HPD OOCLY and/or IC to get a bit more media comment on what is going on. Currently HPD have 'no comment' on most stuff, but it would be quite IC realistic to get some stats or thoughts on high profile crime from time to time. This can help engage HPD new players as well...

OTHER:a) Probably an Observer article covering officially Sarah and Dai 'promotions', a re-request for new journalists and then maybe a setup of the Observer 'stand' and stage somewhere in Hathian to do perhaps a live interview (have to think how to make it interesting) or potentially just photos, e.g. a community scrap-book. b) For the CU paper