A linkshell is similar to a community. It's a group of people that have somewhat similar interests and goals. The one thing that sets them apart is how they are run. Is there any type of consistancy or do leaders constantly change the rules. Do some people seem to have more favoritism over others? Is there a group of leaders that rarely talk about what's good for the linkshell? There are a lot of things that can cause a failure to a group and it doesn't have to be a forementioned subject but they usually stem around Greed, Favoritism, Segregation, and Individualism. I don't know if Indivisualism is a word, but it sounds good. A linkshell is defined by it's leaders as they are the mold for the rules, runs, and sorting of inventory. The players are there team support. A team is there to look out for each other's backs, help each other in time of need…selfless service. A leader should never stop or abruptly end an argument without a solution either discussed by other leaders or the entire linkshell. Walking away from a situation or argument is similar to walking away from your mother while she's giving you vital information. It's something you just don't do. When a leader gets defensive about something, then the linkshell member becomes defensive about their situation as well. Proper wording is required for such situations. It's called tact and many people lack that. It is quite simple to misinterpret how something is said since MMOs deal in text, not voice. Voice would be easier to deal with things. Segregation should never be an option. What do I mean by segregation? Consider dividing up Mi'Qote and Lalas into separate groups. The Mi'Qote only do runs together and so on. This type of segregation is only negative or can easily be taken as such by others. That also applies to dividing up countries, time zones, jobs, playtime, etc. It only serves as an excuse not to play with someone. Now, there are times when a certain job is not needed for a particular run, that's understandable, but to say that someone can't join because they haven't leveled enough jobs is individual based. No one likes to be pointed out in a crowd unless you're giving them money or praise. The same can be said about someone that doesn't play enough. Often, people forget that everyone has a life outside of FFXIV so the excuse comes up as," Well, you haven't been on that much". That again only serves as an excuse to point someone out. Sometimes, a group of leaders might decide to team up on the side and figure out how to tackle a mob, event, etc. There's nothing wrong with that. There's nothing wrong with not informing a linkshell they're doing it. There's no cause for a linkshell member to get upset over that. Now, if a leader posts images and drops in a guildworks thread on the multiple drops to the linkshell under the linkshells page, at what point do the linkshell members draw the line to say," Hey, you're bragging about everything you're getting to the linkshell, but not offering anyone a piece of the pie." As a linkshell owner/leader, you agreed to manage the linkshell how you see fit…but, you also agreed to be fair and impartial. Does that mean that leader needs to stop doing this silent statics or silent runs? No. That leader is allowed the play the game as he/she sees fit. It is that leader's responsibility to not brag about it unless they involved every linkshell member the opportunity to be a part of it. It's called being fair to your linkshell. The best way to prevent this issue is to inform the linkshell that you're doing the silent run in a separate thread, not smack dab in the middle of another conversation. The message should also comment on what the point of the silent run is. Going back, a leader's responsibility is his/her members, otherwise, why have a linkshell. Then after the strategy or win is acheived, allow members to join regardless if no one gets the win. Also, don't allow other members from the secret group to make comments about losing because everyone starts on the same learning curve and it has to be explained as such. Age differences can cause different people to understand the event differently. The same thing applies that no two minds are alike. There might be friends that think alike, but they may not always share the same feelings on a subject. As a leader, the linkshell should always be in mind…granted that you often want to do things on your own. Make sure to make time for your linkshell because they expect a lot out of you whether it's setting up events, being the voice for the evening group, or just being the linkshell referee. There was a reason you were put in place. If you decide to do otherwise, you're only seen as turning your back the team members. As a leader, it's your job to bring up the "B" players to speed. It's your job to help them acheive their goals if they mention it to the linkshell. It's your job to make them "A" players as best as you can as opposed to leaving them out of events or resenting them completely. It's your job to make sure they know where they can get information at to help themselves. It's also your job to get them out of their comfort zone instead of sticking to the same job all the time. Do Encourage….don't Uninspire. The only thing that dejecting someone does is encourage them to quit the game or even feel bad about themselves. If they choose not to listen, then it should be leader group effort to come to a solution. All-in-all, a linkshell is like a small army. It's only runs and functions as well as it's leaders do. Double standards do not encourage a group, nor does any of the forementioned negative things. There's one general (the linkshell owner), there are linkshell leaders (the sergeants), and there are linkshell members (the troops). As a suggestion to leaders or even owners, my suggestion is to divy up the members that way each leader is responsible for a certain amount of members. Each member issue will be addressed to the leader. If the leader can't resolve it on his/her own, that leader can talk to other leaders. If it's big enough, it can go to the owner for final decision. Everyone should be clear on who the owner is. A seudo-owner is not acceptable. What I mean is, someone acting as an owner is only a way to destroy a linkshell once someone finds out their trust has been destroyed. Now, if similar issues are coming up between leader, originating from the members or themselves, then a leader meeting should be called with the owner. That way a vote can be done to resolve any issue or conflict. This also includes expelling members. Any expelling should involve multiple leader with the general present. Now, meeting in-game a spot for any type of meeting is up to the owner or leaders, but I suggest doing it. It's get's everyone together and it always seems like a party…and everyone likes a party. I also suggest whole linkshell meetings, not posts over guildworks or the linkshell chat in-game. It doesn't work. Preplan a linkshell get together. Keep everyone involved. The more interaction everyone has, the more everyone can be better acquanted, therefore, better mannered toward each other. So who am I to say all this? Am I a linkshell leader? No. Have I every been a linkshell leader? No. Sometimes I wish I was though to handle difficult situations. Sometimes I wish I were an owner, but I've never been offered or nominated to be as such. It appears to go to "friends" of the owner on the average. Sometimes that's not the best solution…but then again, it comes down to knowing your players and identifying your A and B players. I was a Sergeant in the Army in real life so I am familiar with fairness and being impartial, so I may raise a fuss over something that doesn't seem fair, but I don't do it for myself alone. I do it for the linkshell so that everyone can enjoy their time playing. Everyone deserves the same opportunity, and everyone deserves to get their money's worth. An ideal linkshell is a collective. They work together to resolve issues and overcome odds. They are a cohesive unit that are willing to tear down another linkshell when pvp allows. They won't argue over someone not healing or stealing hate. They talk it through as opposed to ASSuming the player doesn't know what he/she is doing. They are willing to try someone's strategy before shooting it down. That is a linkshell and it's leaders.
Mau Wii Admin replied
678 weeks ago