Point 2 is beyond the scope of this Division update. I don't want to shut down that discussion, I just don't want it to override the purpose of this post.
Regarding the ARTCC ranking: This information is readily available to anyone that wants it on the various VATSIM statistic sites. I simply compiled the data by ARTCC. One of the purposes of VATUSA is to simulate the vNAS --a system that is available 24 hours a day. Many talk about the want of realism in the forums and Discord on a regular basis. Sending a pilot to UNICOM because controlled airspace is uncovered technically is not realistic. I value competent coverage. Notice I did not put the actual ARTCC uptimes in my post. For all anyone knows, the range between 1 - 21 could be a matter of minutes or it could be a very wide range.
Yes, this is a volunteer hobby. If you have a staff position; however, you volunteered for a non paid job. Just because you are not getting paid doesn't mean you don't have standards and expectations.
I am personally judging my success based on:
- Membership growth - The growth comes from OBS
- New member retention - What are we doing to increase training bandwidth?
- Increase in controller hours during non-event times - I value competent coverage day in and day out.
- Increasing C1 retention - The Command Center, Web Services Team, Social Media Team are non staff avenues C1 rated controllers can take advantage of to expand the hobby.
- Successfully developing a pilot community - Yes, pilots are our customers. Pilots have several online and offline choices to engage in flight simulation. Online controllers need pilots to practice their skills.
- Building a unified team of managers who are willing to champion the above.
Mani,
Point 2 directly impacts your division update in regards to uptime, whether you want to believe it or not.
"One of the purposes of VATUSA is to simulate the vNAS --a system that is available 24 hours a day." -- Do you honestly think that any facility is going to staff 24 hours a day for again, pilots that can barely fly a heading, maintain an altitude? Again, you need to address the issues as to
WHY ARTCCs don't have higher uptimes, which pilot competency
DIRECTLY affects.
"For all anyone knows, the range between 1 - 21 could be a matter of minutes or it could be a very wide range." -- Irrelevant. You presented the data in a ranked way, period. The difference between each ARTCCs uptime doesn't matter. Next time, maybe display the data as "VATUSA uptime for the past xxxx timeframe is".
"Yes, this is a volunteer hobby. If you have a staff position; however, you volunteered for a non paid job. Just because you are not getting paid doesn't mean you don't have standards and expectations." - No one is refuting that. We know what we signed up for. The problem lies within the shadows of RMs telling ARTCCs they need to do better, despite the fact that controlling on this network is more hassle than fun. Again, this is due large in part by incompetent pilots. Y'all don't care as to why, you're just trying to get numbers to look good on a spreadsheet. Enough with that. You're doing more harm than good.
"Increasing C1 retention - The Command Center, Web Services Team, Social Media Team are non staff avenues C1 rated controllers can take advantage of to expand the hobby." -- C1 retention will not be solved by offering shiny new badges and responsibility. You are ignoring the issues at hand. You should be doing more with VATSIM to come up with solutions with regard to pilot competency, not hounding the people that actually control on a day-to-day basis to do better.
"New member retention - What are we doing to increase training bandwidth?" -- New member retention is not just measurable by training. Culture is another example of what affects member retention, do better.
"Successfully developing a pilot community - Yes, pilots are our customers. Pilots have several online and offline choices to engage in flight simulation. Online controllers need pilots to practice their skills." -- I thought this was beyond the scope of the update?
"In my post, I didn't advise any facilities to staff more. I didn't assign any value judgement on an ARTCC's performance. I was recognizing facilities that have high uptime. If you are on an ARTCC's staff and are not satisfied with your uptime, what can you do to increase it? Marketing? Events? Partnering with an ATO? Nolan is brainstorming. More ideas are welcome. You can brainstorm in regions with your region manager if you would like, or a staff member can organize a group to brainstorm." -- You didn't advise any ARTCCs to staff more, but your RMs are. They were hired by you to instill your vision. If they're going against your vision, or distributing other information contrary to yours, what help is that doing? Time to clean house if you ask me, remember "Not in line with my vision" is a reason for termination!
I challenge VATUSA to do better by: 1) Listening to the underlying issues, and working with VATSIM to attempt to solve such issue. 2) Not hounding the very volunteers that do what they can day-to-day to actually keep VATUSA moving. 3) Not contradicting yourself in statements made by you, your RMs, etc.
All this is doing, is adding to the pile of reasons as to why more and more long-dedicated members are leaving the division, specifically regarding controllers.
Don't ignore the underlying issues.