All Level Exchange Circle in August?

[Rose Lalonde]

thank you Flaxen  <3

 

List for Now

 

August - Rose Lalonde

September - DanielJUK

October - PacificWaters (if it's okay with him)

November - DDWarks

December - Flaxen

 

 

 

This is awesome! What a great post to wake up to.  ;D

 

[Rose Lalonde]

Have to run to work but a couple of things.

 

DDwarks[/member] I'll keep a spreadsheet of who signed up and a note re who hasn't finished.

 

I had a line in the guidelines about how you wouldn't be able to sign up if you'd left another exchange unfinished, but took it out thinking I'd just let the person know when it came up. I can put it back in if you all think that would be better?

 

 

DanielJUK[/member] Love that so many of us are willing and able to host. Thanks for getting that ball rolling.

 

gregory[/member] I know we would all be glad for any advice, if there are pitfalls in particular to look out for. I haven't run a circle.

 

Shivani[/member] I'm so happy to see you here. You have been in my thoughts.  <3 <3

 

 

[Cobweb]

I really appreciate the reading circles - I would be willing to take a turn in hosting, if it would help out.  :)

[DDwarks]

I had a line in the guidelines about how you wouldn't be able to sign up if you'd left another exchange unfinished, but took it out thinking I'd just let the person know when it came up. I can put it back in if you all think that would be better?

I think we could do with putting it back on.

It's best to know the rules in advance and that way everyone knows where they stand.

But that's just my opinion :)

[Rose Lalonde]

I had a line in the guidelines about how you wouldn't be able to sign up if you'd left another exchange unfinished, but took it out thinking I'd just let the person know when it came up. I can put it back in if you all think that would be better?

I think we could do with putting it back on.

It's best to know the rules in advance and that way everyone knows where they stand.

But that's just my opinion :)

I added it back in. Yeah, you're right. Best to be clear about rules up front.

[Rose Lalonde]

I really appreciate the reading circles - I would be willing to take a turn in hosting, if it would help out.  :)

Cobweb[/member] looks like January's open on DanielJUK[/member] 's list-in-progress if that's good for you?

[pacificwaters]

List for Now

 

August - Rose Lalonde

September - DanielJUK

October - PacificWaters (if it's okay with him)

November - DDWarks

December - Flaxen

 

That was good work DanielJUK[/member] Glad you made the list and got things in motion.

 

I am ready for October :)

[gregory]

gregory[/member] do you have any tips from ISG, how are you guys running it? what are your circle rules? <3

Sorry - I've been away.

How we run it - we DO have specific rules that are peculiar to ISG - like ONLY tarot decks (that one is down to you guys though !) and no book-learning stuff.

 

But the critical bit is keeping an eye on people who WILL not pay attention to timetables. Over the years I have become progressively meaner about this; it isn't fair to the other participants. I have actually banned one person for ever for repeated offences (not here; they haven't signed up to one here.) Timetables are important. Also yes - incomplete exchanges have to lock you out of signing up. It's like infidelity - if he leaves his wife for you, he will then leave you for the next bimbo. And it's hard for a host to have to check all the other exchanges to see. I am not terribly happy about blacklists by members at large; I'd rather see a mod take that on; hosts could refer bad cases to the mod who could take it from there.

 

Also feedback - the host needs to be ready to step in and say "thanks for that" is not OK.

 

I would strongly recommend (f anyone has suggested this) not even TRYING to maintain a PM list. It will get to be hundreds long, will take ages to send them out and 90% of those who allegedly DESPERATELY want to be told when the next one is don't even read the PM. We are adults; we can take responsibility for looking out for threads we want to see. Putting a link to the next one in the last post of the old one seems to work.

 

Management between hosts can be hard work... we tend to realise rather suddenly that we don't know who is taking next month... we are now trying to do it with cc PMs which is working tolerably well. The semi-private subforum available only to hosts at AT worked fairly well, but if there are a lot of hosts, it probably wouldn't.

 

But it's not as hard as I am making it sound :)

[Rose Lalonde]

Thanks so much, gregory[/member] , for writing out all of this excellent advice.  No PM list sounds great to me.    I will need to get more realistic about the timetables issue. It seems so strange to sign up and then not take part repeatedly, but looking back through our different circles I've seen a couple of unfinished exchanges with no posts about why or attempt to come back and complete later, and obviously it's been an issue you've handled as a mod.    Also, thanks for the note about commenting if feedback is something like "thanks for that". I'll be sure to check for that this month! (So far I've only seen complete feedback, but I'll continue to look at all threads as they're completing.)

 

As far as host management, we have a roster through January, but with that being so far out, the unforeseen can easily  throw a wrench in it, so I had been thinking maybe we should have one or two people who don't signup for specific months, and are willing to be a last minute backup when things fall through once in a while. But what I'm hearing from you is that communication is the main thing, currently with cc PMs, so we will work on keeping in good contact.  (Speaking of good contact, DanielJUK[/member] , I have the August spreadsheet, and am keeping track of completed threads, so will hand it off to you later in the month.)

 

Thank you, gregory! :) <3

[DDwarks]

Rose Lalonde[/member]

I'm going to put a spanner in the works

and pull out of my allocated month.

I'm very sorry about this but I already know it will be too much of a stretch for me.

 

 

[DanielJUK]

no problem DDwarks[/member] thanks for letting us know in good time and we can rejig things around, don't worry  <3  :hug:

 

If anyone else wants to host the Newbies Circles with us, please let us know and post here, the more hands, the less work for everyone.

 

thanks gregory[/member] for the really excellent advice  <3 <3 I wondered why we didn't have pm's for circles here. It is so much easier for the circle hosts! I always go and look at the circle areas in the first week of the month, on AT, I always waited for the PM. But it is better for us to go find them ourselves, it's not hard :)

 

Some thoughts for us after gregorys advice....

 

- perhaps we keep in touch by pms with all newbie hosts included and check the next person in the month is okay to do it and swap around so it always is filled. We can plan the rota ahead and if someone cannot do their month, swap around. I could pm the next host about 2 /3 weeks before their time to just check everything is okay.

 

- I think we need to all agree on a policy about people who are late or just never complete. This is my idea from what I can remember on AT.....

 

if someone is late posting a reading on the deadline, I think it's okay to let it slide into the feedback final week for a while but perhaps the active list host should pm the person if there is a few days left to go, a friendly and polite reminder. "you need to post a reading, you are running out of time" sort of thing.

 

on the day after the deadline day, the active list host pms anyone who has not completed the reading for the other person or given good feedback (more than thanks or that was good) with a more strict message but still polite. If there is any abuse or anything, pass it on to a moderator here. Remind the person after the final deadline that they cannot take part in anymore newbie circles until they complete the reading and feedback.

 

we will pass the spreadsheet around from person to person hosting, people who have not completed cannot take part further. If they do finish the circle, they can take part again. It's too much effort and work for the list host to check other circles, so let's just keep our records for this circle only. People cannot take part in a circle if they have not completed and / or currently banned.

 

sometimes people have a good reason for being late or not finishing, like medical emergency or family death or something. On AT, I had a partner who had a tragic death of a relation and wanted time out. They did finish the reading 2 months later, I was so glad they did come back and do it! If someone does have a good reason (work was too busy or too much going on is not a good reason because it says in the sign up, you have to give this circle time out of your schedule to take part!) get them to tell their circle partner as well as us. Keep everyone informed.

 

if someone has outstanding readings or very late twice, I think we should have a ban from taking part policy. But I am not sure what is fair here, if they don't finish in the deadlines twice? or maybe 3 times? I can't decide. I think they should not be allowed to take part for 3 months (or the next 3 circles). There could be repeat offenders and it's not fair for people who take part and follow the rules. Perhaps a second ban is 6 months if it happens again.

 

I am not sure what we do if someone just vanishes and never completes, can they not take part in more circles until they complete that? what happens if they communicate with us and say they can't do it? not sure what to do for that one.

 

the list host only needs to pm the person if they don't post a reading when there is about 5 days left to go towards the final deadline or after deadline if either parts are not finished or if they post feedback that is not good for learning.

 

what do you think? I just put it up for discussion!  <3

 

[gregory]

sometimes people have a good reason for being late or not finishing, like medical emergency or family death or something. On AT, I had a partner who had a tragic death of a relation and wanted time out. They did finish the reading 2 months later, I was so glad they did come back and do it! If someone does have a good reason (work was too busy or too much going on is not a good reason because it says in the sign up, you have to give this circle time out of your schedule to take part!) get them to tell their circle partner as well as us. Keep everyone informed.

I absolutely agree there - it can even be impossible to make contact when there's a death or something.

if someone has outstanding readings or very late twice, I think we should have a ban from taking part policy. But I am not sure what is fair here, if they don't finish in the deadlines twice? or maybe 3 times? I can't decide. I think they should not be allowed to take part for 3 months (or the next 3 circles). There could be repeat offenders and it's not fair for people who take part and follow the rules. Perhaps a second ban is 6 months if it happens again.

There will be repeat offenders. Trust me.... After three on AT we did block them altogether for - as I recall - a year.

I am not sure what we do if someone just vanishes and never completes, can they not take part in more circles until they complete that?

Nope !

what happens if they communicate with us and say they can't do it? not sure what to do for that one.

If they communicate within the time - maybe allow it ONCE - and try and find a pinch-hitter. But I do recall one person in particular on AT who would quite often show up a day or two before deadline to back out.

the list host only needs to pm the person if they don't post a reading when there is about 5 days left to go towards the final deadline or after deadline if either parts are not finished or if they post feedback that is not good for learning.

I gave up on warnings on the whole. We ARE adults and we CAN count. That's why I have READING deadlines, though. One person used to get really angry when they were banned the next time... "You KNOW I will complete by the end of the month". That wasn't the POINT (not that she did, quite often - her partner would get a reading on the last day, along with her feedback. NOT FAIR !) - your partner needs time to feedback. So I do usually warn (even that "you are out next month but get this done for your partner's sake") when the reading deadline has passed. If feedback is late - you blew it, you're out next time.

 

I get mean. But - some people warrant it, and those that genuinely don't are always nice about it.

 

The one exception for me is when a pair have agreed among themselves to run late. Because that way neither of them is being let down.