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USA Division Updates / Re: 2021 Mid Year Update
« on: July 05, 2021, 06:44:52 PM »
Thanks for addressing the 800lb gorilla in the room, Dylan... I was half tempted to post questioning some of this yesterday, but figured I'd hold off a bit considering I've been told my opinions are "extremely unpopular" and not very appreciated by network management ( 
).
Anyways, point 2 is monumental right now... You hit about everything square on the head of the nail here. My motivation to stream to my channel (let alone control in general) is drastically impacted by this, and has been since the (extremely poor) induction of MSFS2020 to this network. I streamed this time last year (Hell I did an interview with Ethan Hawes, head of pilot training at the time) about how pilot training initiatives were ramping up for the network and nothing ever really came of it. We're in a position where senior, experienced controller membership in the division (quite possibly even the entire network) is very deterred to be involved right now because of all of this. The basic network test doesn't begin to address competency issues as we were told it would.
I'd question additionally this "27% YTD growth" as well from the initial post... Can this be broken down a bit? Like, are we talking new OBS/S1's here because I doubt I'm going out on too far of a limb saying that there's been that much, if not more, of a decline in senior/experienced controller activity as well around the division since MSFS induction. Numbers can be made to sing in any way you want them (just look at anything political right now out there) and this is a very loose number to be tossing around. I have suspicions this isn't as positive of a number to the division as many might think taking it at face value.
I can speak for many of the controllers at ZKC that they are not very motivated to be online as of late with the state of things. It's not fun at all much of the time. Here I am off of a 60 day suspension (which was entirely pilot-competency/stream-trolling in nature regardless of how many of you may personally feel about my character) and I can bet that ZKC's activity would be far higher if it weren't for that as well, but nothing has really changed at all with the general state of things since then (nor my opinions)... I (and Derek now) continue to address these very topics on my stream (much to the displeasure of VATSIM management because it isn't molding with their narrative), but at the end of the day, and morally-speaking, we know it's the right thing to do because it is wrong that the primary focus is on seeing more signups rather than improving pilot expectations/behaviors. We have countless examples of these issues from nearly every single stream we do now days of underprepared individuals and/or individuals out to cause trouble hopping onto the network.
Also, the announcement of the VATUSA "Stream Team" (which, in my eyes, is really just another level of bureaucracy in addition to VATSIM's streaming partnership) is basically an insurmountable task for my brand with the negative light that's been unjustly shined on it since the beginning of this year considering how much network management has ignored leading up to our present situation... I suppose this is more of a subject for that thread when it surfaces, but the concerted effort to phish viewership away and, in an official manner, make it clear to new members that my streaming (or those similar to me) is not supported or approved is insulting to say the least and really robs members of opportunity to learn from people who not only have done this for years on the network, but also have an education and real world background in aviation. For me, particularly, being someone that really spearheaded this streaming movement on many levels in the division - it hurts to see this happening. It's frustrating and I find myself questioning whether or not it's time to move on from here quite often as roadblocks are continuing to be stacked up against me (or people like me).
).Anyways, point 2 is monumental right now... You hit about everything square on the head of the nail here. My motivation to stream to my channel (let alone control in general) is drastically impacted by this, and has been since the (extremely poor) induction of MSFS2020 to this network. I streamed this time last year (Hell I did an interview with Ethan Hawes, head of pilot training at the time) about how pilot training initiatives were ramping up for the network and nothing ever really came of it. We're in a position where senior, experienced controller membership in the division (quite possibly even the entire network) is very deterred to be involved right now because of all of this. The basic network test doesn't begin to address competency issues as we were told it would.
I'd question additionally this "27% YTD growth" as well from the initial post... Can this be broken down a bit? Like, are we talking new OBS/S1's here because I doubt I'm going out on too far of a limb saying that there's been that much, if not more, of a decline in senior/experienced controller activity as well around the division since MSFS induction. Numbers can be made to sing in any way you want them (just look at anything political right now out there) and this is a very loose number to be tossing around. I have suspicions this isn't as positive of a number to the division as many might think taking it at face value.
I can speak for many of the controllers at ZKC that they are not very motivated to be online as of late with the state of things. It's not fun at all much of the time. Here I am off of a 60 day suspension (which was entirely pilot-competency/stream-trolling in nature regardless of how many of you may personally feel about my character) and I can bet that ZKC's activity would be far higher if it weren't for that as well, but nothing has really changed at all with the general state of things since then (nor my opinions)... I (and Derek now) continue to address these very topics on my stream (much to the displeasure of VATSIM management because it isn't molding with their narrative), but at the end of the day, and morally-speaking, we know it's the right thing to do because it is wrong that the primary focus is on seeing more signups rather than improving pilot expectations/behaviors. We have countless examples of these issues from nearly every single stream we do now days of underprepared individuals and/or individuals out to cause trouble hopping onto the network.
Also, the announcement of the VATUSA "Stream Team" (which, in my eyes, is really just another level of bureaucracy in addition to VATSIM's streaming partnership) is basically an insurmountable task for my brand with the negative light that's been unjustly shined on it since the beginning of this year considering how much network management has ignored leading up to our present situation... I suppose this is more of a subject for that thread when it surfaces, but the concerted effort to phish viewership away and, in an official manner, make it clear to new members that my streaming (or those similar to me) is not supported or approved is insulting to say the least and really robs members of opportunity to learn from people who not only have done this for years on the network, but also have an education and real world background in aviation. For me, particularly, being someone that really spearheaded this streaming movement on many levels in the division - it hurts to see this happening. It's frustrating and I find myself questioning whether or not it's time to move on from here quite often as roadblocks are continuing to be stacked up against me (or people like me).
