True OCR Community Website

[LadyTwigy]

So there are no where on the site on qualifications on joining ocremix staff. I think it would be good for djpretzel and ocremix community if they had contacts and a bunch of resumes and applications incase they need more help on the website.

like for example: certain qualities they find good. certain number of months in the community etc...

I ask this question to official ocremix staff but none of them give me the same words. I think there should be an official protocol or procedure when talking about ocremix staff.

I talked to some members of the community and they agree with me because they feel like its a secret club only-and thats not really community in my opinion.

What do you guys think and what does ocremix staff think?

[Level 99]

Talking to "some members of the community" is a vague point. How many, who, what did they say specifically, etc.? Posting a thread about it is fine, and if people chime in here, then we can actually SEE how they feel about it. It may or may not change how things are done, as is with everything about the site (DJP always has the last word on everything, even from within staff), but it shows that there's something that possibly needs addressing. As such, I'm going to disregard anyone else and just address you with my post.

The reason why there are no qualifications is because, unlike how to become a posted mixer, the qualifications are in flux depending on what the staff is currently in need of. The judges recruitment is a bag all its own that the judges take into very careful consideration when there's a deficit in the amount of votes going on. Other functions of OCR staff are dependent on what the site needs, such as forum mods, album staffers, coding, etc etc.

There isn't a single staffer I'm aware of that only does one role. Even if there was, it isn't some kind of standardized test or job you can make a resume for. The philosophy of "don't call us, we'll call you" isn't meant to be deliberately exclusionary, but it is meant to make sure people don't come asking for jobs.

There's a lot of reasons behind that. One, if you're approached for a role and you turn it down politely without public spectacle, that's very appropriate. If you come asking for a position, and get passed over for whatever reason, it can possibly be taken personally. Another reason is that sometimes the help that is needed is already underway. We have meetings every week and discuss what the site is currently lacking or how it can be improved, and there's a whole checklist of ongoing staff projects that we keep tabs on, from site redesigns to judge recruitment to workshop changes to forum reorg to whatever we can think of that the site could use. That is also why there's a Feedback section where people can go and post about their ideas for site improvements. It's not there just to take up space on the forums

As for time in the community, it varies, just like everything else. Sometimes staff is even brought in from OUTSIDE the community for one reason or another. It could be due to specialized skills, for example. Community membership and participation does add to exposure (we don't know your skills if you don't post at all, so you can't expect to be approached for judge tryouts if you have a 0 postcount ), but its not the be-all end-all. If you do what you are passionate about within the community, such as trying to organize things like compos or direct an album, or give a lot of consistent, quality feedback in the workshop area, then staff might contact you if there's a need in the area you're good at. That's about as solid as things can get

That's the reason why staff can't give consistent answers: it's not a static set of criteria.

It's not a secret club. Everyone is a volunteer, and there's a lot of work that needs to be done, and gets done. Being staff is more of a responsibility than anything else. Its not a free ride, or a fraternity/sorority. Granted sometimes we just chit chat about normal things since we become very good friends inevitably because of the time we spend working with each other on OCR stuff, but that adds to the chemistry of the work and is one of the better benefits of having to do all these things with our spare time.

We're all ears for suggestions about any other roles that are missing, jobs that aren't being done properly, and any area of improvement. We will respond appropriately and, if necessary, explain why some things are they way they are, or why they can't be different, or why you're suggestions can be implemented and how.

In short, no, we can't make a list of what is needed to be on OCR Staff.

[Liontamer]

For judges, we do state what we're looking for: http://ocremix.org/info/Judges_Panel#General_requirements_for_consideration

Those are basically the same credentials we look for for Workshop moderators.

We keep an eye out for people who may be able to help the site in those roles and occasionally test & interview people for those positions. But it's very much a "don't call us, we'll call you" deal.

The mirrors and translation staff are all people who have volunteered to host mirrors for the music and translate for us, OCU's our house band, and Arrow officially joined the staff after volunteering to help up with merchandise for years.

We don't need an official protocol for hiring other kinds of staff with resumes and cover letters, since we're a small, all-volunteer site. People tend to volunteer themselves for various tasks (moderating the forums & IRC, database help, etc.), after they join the site as a judge or Workshop mod or otherwise demonstrate they can handle the responsibility.

For anything else, if anyone has ways to improve the site through specific projects or development, everyone should definitely put those ideas out there and act upon them. I started out as a fan myself and helped update generic ReMix titles and populate artist information for the site in 2002 and 2003 before I ever joined the staff as a judge. Enthusiasm and contributing work with your own initiative helps.