The End of an Era and the Beginning of new Administration!

[Diana]

Salutations my mixed bag of sweet and sour minions. I come you today standing upon the box of my dead enemies to announce my retirement as Administrator of Iwaku.

This has not been a big secret; for the past year I've been preparing the site, the staff, and myself for this very big transition. @Bob Ross (Rory) and @Vay have already stepped down several months ago, leaving me to pass over the keys to your brand new administrators.

A Little History

Iwaku started on proboards as a .hack fan forum by someone named Peridox. When Peridox left, Homac took over and turned Iwaku in to an all topics roleplay forum. He hired on Gabriel Zero as one of his admins, and Gabe was AWESOME at kidnapping new members. He created the original Iwaku community atmosphere. To have FUN with your roleplaying; To have FUN with your community. Don't take it all too seriously. He had people like Rory and Asmodeus come bringing in the creativity and great concepts. Gabe is the one who actually invited me and my community of the time to be sister sites with Iwaku. When I registered it was like coming back home, the my community felt when it was still new. I loved on the people on it!

Eventually Homac stopped working, Gabe quit, and Rory had issues organizing the staff. People were sniping at each other and somebody got Asmo fired by Homac as the guy's last act as admin. (Don't laugh!) At the time, I had just ragequit and deleted my rp community of 8 years so Rory figured I had nothing better to do. (cough) The plan was to have me reorganize the site and staff, help get things in order for a month or two, and then me go back to my cave.

But they kidnapped me. Those assholes kidnapped me. >:[ I've lost track of the years, 8? 10? I worked with Asmo and Rory the first couple of years. Jack Shade for awhile, who even is that guy? Then Vay for a couple years. All of them amazing partners. We've had staff from 10 people all the way up to 60+ people. Eras of beautiful excitements and years where everything just went to shit. I have met some of my best friends here, and I have seen ALL of my goals and dreams for Iwaku be accomplished! Be it up or down, Iwaku is one of the best RP sites out there.

Now though, it is time for me to let go to make way for new people's dreams. To give a new team a chance at molding Iwaku and continuing this long standing tradition of a prosperous and amazing site. As for myself, I will be retaining a Benefactor role so that I can ensure Iwaku's bills are always paid and that it lives as long as it needs to. I'll be here to run the seasonal site updates and to fix bugs, only. Instead of working here, I am moving on to a new challenge while a brand new Administration takes the reigns of Iwaku.

I hope everyone here uses this time to DO GOOD BY IWAKU! Show your support for your new admins by being the best members ever. Be wonderful people to each other, and show the internet why Iwaku is still shiny even after all these years. <3

Introducing Iwaku's New Administration

I have been mulling over this decision since April trying to put together the best team for Iwaku that represents everything that is great about our community, has the drive and consistency to carry it, be able to work together as a team AND actually know what the hell their doing. After watching them confer over the past week about Iwaku's future, I have the upmost confidence that they are the perfect team. :D

SO HERE ARE YOUR NEW ADMINS:

@Kitti
Kitti has been a member on Iwaku all the way back to proboards days. She's been through practically EVERY big site event both off staff and on staff. Her influence and contributions through content and topics have never been matched by anyone else. Kind and compassionate, she makes people feel safe and fluffs up their little happy feels. But she is also savvy and subtle as all fuck - she is the one you think is a sweet girl, but is really a mastermind. She has a firm grasp on what is necessary to keep a healthy community environment.

@Astaroth
Astaroth popped in to Iwaku with a bang and immediate presence during it's renaissance period. He was hired to staff early, because he has big ideas and knows how to go after them. He is the kind of person that inspires and motivates, through his passion and the high standards he demands out of projects and people. People rise to the occasion as he excites their ambitions, but also because they are determined to prove themselves. He can make the tough calls and handle the kinds of issues other people balk and crumble at.

@Jorick
Jorick became a member two years ago as a refugee from a large dying community. He got lumped in with the refugees unfairly by many, but unlike others, he's the one person who really stood out. As a member, he represents the very spirit of Iwaku. A unique personality, a sassy little troll, someone who fell in love with the site and is invested in the site as their home. As a staff member, he stepped up his game proving that he knows what is involved in building a real community; from the little details of interacting on the site to the bigger picture of how to manage site politics in ways that are fair and put Iwaku's interests first.

From this moment forward these three are your new Administration running Iwaku.
Be good to them, as being an admin is hard as fuck work. Trying to take care of 2000 active members with all of their differing personalities and opinions is no easy feat. You can support them by making sure you've read and are following the site policies, treating each other (even your enemies) with respect, and reporting issues when you see them. Remember, a roleplay site is only as good as it's active members, so don't be a bunch of shits. 8D



I luv muh babies. ;___; Take care of precious.

 

[Jorick]

As lovely as Diana's little intro was, I've got some things to say as well. As you've probably noticed by now, I'm Jorick. Hi. I'm the new administrator for the Security side of Iwaku, though I and my fellow admins will be working with each other and doing whatever needs doing rather than sticking to strict roles. I haven't been on Iwaku too terribly long, only a couple years out of its impressively long history, but I've gotten really comfortable here. This place is only the second roleplaying forum I've ever stuck around on for more than a couple months, and the last one was the one I left to come here. I came to follow roleplays that were transferred over, but I stayed because I really loved the community feel of Iwaku. The whole relaxed atmosphere, everything from how people in General Chatting behaved to how the staff handled moderation needs, just fit me like a glove. I originally applied to join the staff because I wanted to help keep Iwaku running smoothly and to help it maintain that same atmosphere.

Even though I've gone up the ranks to become an admin, my goals really haven't changed much along the way. One of the main things I want to work on in the immediate future is to dispel some of the foreboding mystery that surrounds the Security part of staff and makes us intimidating and scary to some members of the forum. A lot of people seem to see Maintenance as friendly janitor types, Community as pleasant greeters and event coordinators, and Security as secret police who grab people for mysterious reasons and make them disappear. As much as I am amused by the idea of being the head of Iwaku's very own KGB style outfit, that's really quite far from the truth and I'd like to make sure the average site member knows it. Aside from the Security things, I'm also hoping to help make sure Iwaku has regular contests and fun events to keep the place lovely and give people some ways to interact outside of roleplaying. Lots of work has already been done by Diana, her fellow and predecessor admins, and staff and regular members past and present to make Iwaku a great place. I want to keep that stable and build upon it to make Iwaku even better, and I'm confident that this is exactly what will happen with me, Kitti, and Astaroth taking the lead for this new era of Iwaku.

 

[Astaroth]

My name is Astaroth. I think my reputation might precede me with some of you, which might not be a good thing for me—and I totally get why.

A large part of my role on Iwaku for the past five years has been as an acting force of the Security Department, dealing with reports and problem members. I have issued warnings, thrown the proverbial book, and banned people who have violated the rules or put the community at risk. That doesn't really make you a big hit at parties (no one likes to invite a cop), but it's something I've always been proud of and I have never been shy about discussing cases with anyone who asks (within professional and prudent grounds). This aspect of my position is probably what I'm best known for on the forum.

Those of you who've been around a few years will know that I founded the roleplay content sections as well, first as a Group and then later a single forum known as the Roleplay Academy; that was actually my very first staff project. Oh yeah, and I used to run monthly 12-hour-long chat roleplays like a crazy person.

What is probably not well known is how much of my staff work has involved helping to form site policy, make organizational calls, and assist in a lot of back-end and behind-the-scenes tasks and decisions. For a long time I was the official "Staff Secretary", and later the "Events Manager" of the team well before I became a Security Lead, and I also have spent time training new Staff/Community Volunteers/Interns and busting my ass during site updates to assist with all the tedious bullshit that needs doing. A lot of my days on the site have been spent running around nagging Diana to fix this or that (and later, fixing it myself).

Basically, I'm very good at getting into everything and being a pain in the ass.

For the last year, I've been putting the majority of my efforts into getting the forums cleaned up and effectively moderated in the midst of retiring administration and a horrifically-bare-bones staff team after a HUGE jump in membership that prompted us to close registration for a while. Along with the combined efforts of the senior staff and particularly my two new co-admins, we've made some really great headway. Jorick and Kitti are both incredibly competent (and hilarious, smart, fun) people who I thoroughly enjoy working with, and having started coordinating plans with them since finding out we were the new Admin team has left me nothing but excited about what the future holds.

New administration is scary. A lot of you are probably wondering what's going to happen from here. I can promise you the same thing I (that all of us) have promised Diana: the core principles of the site are going to be upheld.

I used to be a forum-hopper. I've been roleplaying online for about 17 years, and until about 5 years ago I never found a particular site that grabbed my attention. I had one or two long-term RP partners but beyond that I actively avoided getting involved in any community I visited. Iwaku was the site that changed all of that for me. It was the first community that ever came off as comfortable, where I made lasting and I believe lifelong friends. And I know I'm not alone in that sentiment; that's the comment I hear echoed constantly when people discuss why they stuck around here. Iwaku feels like home.

That sense of "home" is something precious that I want to foster, to the best of my abilities.

Of course, every home needs housekeeping lest it turns into a depressing dump. That is going to be my focus as an Administrator. I'll be directing all my energy towards ensuring the forums are tidy, secure, and user-friendly. One of my biggest projects which is already in motion is updating areas of the site which are outdated and neglected, as well as reevaluating the structure and accessibility of our Staff. I have a lot of ideas and irons in the fire—but don't worry; everything I work on is also passed through Jorick and Kitti and all major decisions are made as a team. We are also always willing to listen to feedback and you can rest assured that if we try something that doesn't work, we'll scrap it and try something new.

This is all starting to sound a little too politic for my tastes, so hold up. Let's switch tracks for a minute. When Diana announced to Staff that I was going to be an Admin, my "acceptance speech" there was a lot more personal. I'm not exactly a heart-on-my-sleeves kinda guy, and some of the stuff I said there is waaaaay too personal for a public announcement thread; I hope you guys understand that. But I DO want to share the gist:

I love this site. It is a humbling and awesome prospect to be taking this role.

And I sure as hell don't intend to let Diana down.

So now there's just one last thing to say...

For those of you who know me, or think you know me: Hi. Let's start over. I don't bite. :D

For those of you who don't know me, yet: Hi. Let's get to know each other and begin a new chapter in the cycle of this forum. I think we're ready.

 

[Kitti]

Hello, everyone! I'm the Kitti third of your new admin trio.

As was pointed out, I have been on Iwaku for a long time. Early this year I returned to Iwaku with the overwhelming desire to create stories and start writing again. After harassing Diana with questions about how the site works (so many fancy new buttons!) and poking into every crevice of the site that I could find, she decided to just kidnap me back onto staff. Hopefully she didn't think that it would keep me from continuing to poke every possible button that I could find (because it didn't) but I am grateful to her. Being on staff gave me an amazing opportunity to work with Astaroth and Diana again but it also gave me the chance to better get to know lots of new faces on the site.

I direct much of my energy into nurturing and cultivating Iwaku's friendly atmosphere. My goal is to keep Iwaku a place where people feel comfortable expressing their ideas and developing their creativity, something that I try to reflect in the projects that I contribute to and the way that I interact with the site as a whole. You can find me in roleplays and collaborating with Astaroth and Jorick on important tasks and projects. I also make guides and lend a hand where needed - so don't be afraid to ask questions!

Keeping Iwaku running smoothly involves both hard work and strong leadership. Choices on how the site will be run are made every day, all the while being mindful of keeping the site balanced. I trust in Astaroth and Jorick to do a great job of this. They are the kind of people who always strive to make choices that will create the best Iwaku and I am thrilled to be working alongside them.

While the prospect of changing admin is probably daunting, I invite you to get to know us and to understand that we are people who love Iwaku and want to protect the site. This is an exciting new chapter but still from the same book and I can't wait to see what's in store.

 

[Hecatoncheires]

H A P P E N I N G

 

[IceQueen]

Welcome new Admins~ y'all deserve some love for stepping up into the position.

 

[The Mood is Write]

And it's official! ♥

Thanks for all your hard work, Diana, and to Kitti, Jorick, and Ozzy: I'm confident you're gonna do fabulously. I'm not privy to your discussions about administrating, but I've seen how you handle things and all of your heads are on just as straight as Iwaku needs them.

To everyone else, let's make this transition as smooth as possible as members! It's up to us to support our admins so they can support us.

 

[Nemopedia]

Fancy purple colour~ Now you all look like royals!

Good luck with the new project, Diana! And the best wishes for the new admins!

 

[Pahn]

I'mma go shed a tear or ten now :')

 

[Draugvan]

@Jorick @Astaroth @Kitti Holla to my girls! XD

 

[Gwazi Magnum]

 

[Mu]

I'M SAYING IT AGAIN

CHAIRLADY MEOW, SENPAI AND BEAR MAN!

 

[IntrusivePenDesperateSword]

Congrats, new admins! Here's to your rule, may it be long and pleasant!

Also love that story part, Diana. Fills in a few blanks.

 

[HerziQuerzi]

Time to leverage my history with Jorick for maximum favouritism.

 

[Hecatoncheires]

Time to leverage my history with Jorick for maximum favouritism.

You'll go far in this organisation.

 

[HerziQuerzi]

You'll go far in this organisation.

Every play has it's wright

 

[IntrusivePenDesperateSword]

Every play has it's wright

Especially the ones that really take off. Those have two.

 

[RiverNotch]

Marcus Astarothus Lepidus, Jorick Antonius, and Gaius Octavius Kitti. Hail the new triumvirate! For the staff and the people of Iwaku!

Important questions: who first stabbed Diana in the back? who assassinated (Pom)Vay? who killed Rory at Carrhae?

 

[Draugvan]

Especially the ones that really take off. Those have two.

We have three. Do you think we'll do well? I do.

 

[IntrusivePenDesperateSword]

*

We have three. Do you think we'll do well? I do.

*ahem*Wright brothers joke*ahem*