CSM: The Council Of Stellar Management Elections
I still don't feel too comforable posting to the Eve forums and adding to the noise to signal ratio (or detracting from it 
), but the upcoming Council of Stellar Management elections being held in May are worth a wee mention here on my as yet rarely read blog. (Please subscribe - I don't even have ads to blind and dazzle you!).
Most notably I'm a blog whore, so obviously I put a lot of faith in community outreach via you local friendly blogosphere. It's interesting to note that the number of blog-connected candidates (who have blogs, or comment on other blogs) is far less than the number of candidates in total (or not - but as I said I'm still getting my feet wet on the forums but if the majority have blogs or dynamic websites they're doing a great job hiding them!).
I think it's minimally interesting because there is a segment of the community out there who won't fire up the forums regularly (how many folk have the forums blocked while sitting behind the office firewall again?) and not hitting the blog community with your point of view loses you that audience (says the guy with countless Eve blogs aggregated on Google Reader). So to be honest, the only candidates I really have a semi-grasp on are those either with blogs, or who have responded to blog posts, or who have managed to string more than 4 HTML tags together to make a website with information that requires actual scrolling down the page. In other words - not many. You merry few have grabbed my early attention so you're already ahead of the pack for my vote at least.
Where's the campaign love? Your audience sits just a few packets and cables away from some cheap hosting at $4.99 a month or even a free blog over on Blogspot.com. There's me...and well...me. But likely many others who remain anonymous lurking in the shadows quietly digesting web content outside the Eve forums.
Here's one very readable (do it now) example - Council of Stellar Management - Open Questions for Candidates courtesy of the Caldari Navy Ibis blog. How many of the candidates have responded since March 27th thus far? A whopping 6. Out of 30 candidates. What the frak? Where are the other 24?!! Do you not want my non-forum-reading vote?
At least I do know the missing 24 candidates' names courtesy of the one page Eve CSM website which lists their names, in-game portraits and a single catchphrase for each. I can't recommend the listing though since the site's author has personally recommended two candidates recently on his own blog. Interestingly one of the recommendations is a for-profit corporate representative he's financing (i.e. votes are dictated by the shareholders who purchase shares and individuals purchase the right to raise issues for attention). Fuck democracy, eh? Those recommendations have been flushed down the toilet at the back of my mind.
What about websites? Here the candidates differ significantly in campaign approach. Several put in some hours to create a website with a campaign message or platform summary. Others opened up brand new blogs - the less successful of that small group have not yet managed to post anything readable on them except one liners or the famous 1990's "under construction" style holder message. But overall, I'd have expected more from such a large group of motivated individuals seeking public office in Eve. A few shine brightly, but the majority vary between floating and drowning conditions so far. With the rest of April to go though, perhaps there's still that last mad dash to the finishing line when the will to get a campaign message communicated will spawn more will to do something.
For the present then, I've selected three individuals who have been most successful in convincing me they are worth voting for just from reading their blogs/websites/comments. Not to cast shadows, I'm sure the rest (or at least some of the rest) are quite illustrious on the forums, but since I rarely get the opportunity to partake in the forums I'll have to do some digging before they have a chance to overtake those three as my preferences.
In a world where political character asassination and exaggeration is performed every other day in full view of the media and where new age politicians are turning to blogs, Twitter, Youtube, and other points of content distribution, the CSM elections are a bit disappointing. I expected more spectacle but it's all falling rather flat at the moment. The will to dominate the election ticket just seems lacking a bit.
In any case, Crazy Kinux's latest blog update has a list of some resources worth visiting to gain information on the candidates. If they won't publicise themselves, there's always some someone willing to expose them more thoroughly ;):
The CSM, the Candidates and You!
), but the upcoming Council of Stellar Management elections being held in May are worth a wee mention here on my as yet rarely read blog. (Please subscribe - I don't even have ads to blind and dazzle you!).Most notably I'm a blog whore, so obviously I put a lot of faith in community outreach via you local friendly blogosphere. It's interesting to note that the number of blog-connected candidates (who have blogs, or comment on other blogs) is far less than the number of candidates in total (or not - but as I said I'm still getting my feet wet on the forums but if the majority have blogs or dynamic websites they're doing a great job hiding them!).
I think it's minimally interesting because there is a segment of the community out there who won't fire up the forums regularly (how many folk have the forums blocked while sitting behind the office firewall again?) and not hitting the blog community with your point of view loses you that audience (says the guy with countless Eve blogs aggregated on Google Reader). So to be honest, the only candidates I really have a semi-grasp on are those either with blogs, or who have responded to blog posts, or who have managed to string more than 4 HTML tags together to make a website with information that requires actual scrolling down the page. In other words - not many. You merry few have grabbed my early attention so you're already ahead of the pack for my vote at least.
Where's the campaign love? Your audience sits just a few packets and cables away from some cheap hosting at $4.99 a month or even a free blog over on Blogspot.com. There's me...and well...me. But likely many others who remain anonymous lurking in the shadows quietly digesting web content outside the Eve forums.
Here's one very readable (do it now) example - Council of Stellar Management - Open Questions for Candidates courtesy of the Caldari Navy Ibis blog. How many of the candidates have responded since March 27th thus far? A whopping 6. Out of 30 candidates. What the frak? Where are the other 24?!! Do you not want my non-forum-reading vote?
At least I do know the missing 24 candidates' names courtesy of the one page Eve CSM website which lists their names, in-game portraits and a single catchphrase for each. I can't recommend the listing though since the site's author has personally recommended two candidates recently on his own blog. Interestingly one of the recommendations is a for-profit corporate representative he's financing (i.e. votes are dictated by the shareholders who purchase shares and individuals purchase the right to raise issues for attention). Fuck democracy, eh? Those recommendations have been flushed down the toilet at the back of my mind.
What about websites? Here the candidates differ significantly in campaign approach. Several put in some hours to create a website with a campaign message or platform summary. Others opened up brand new blogs - the less successful of that small group have not yet managed to post anything readable on them except one liners or the famous 1990's "under construction" style holder message. But overall, I'd have expected more from such a large group of motivated individuals seeking public office in Eve. A few shine brightly, but the majority vary between floating and drowning conditions so far. With the rest of April to go though, perhaps there's still that last mad dash to the finishing line when the will to get a campaign message communicated will spawn more will to do something.
For the present then, I've selected three individuals who have been most successful in convincing me they are worth voting for just from reading their blogs/websites/comments. Not to cast shadows, I'm sure the rest (or at least some of the rest) are quite illustrious on the forums, but since I rarely get the opportunity to partake in the forums I'll have to do some digging before they have a chance to overtake those three as my preferences.
In a world where political character asassination and exaggeration is performed every other day in full view of the media and where new age politicians are turning to blogs, Twitter, Youtube, and other points of content distribution, the CSM elections are a bit disappointing. I expected more spectacle but it's all falling rather flat at the moment. The will to dominate the election ticket just seems lacking a bit.
In any case, Crazy Kinux's latest blog update has a list of some resources worth visiting to gain information on the candidates. If they won't publicise themselves, there's always some someone willing to expose them more thoroughly ;):
The CSM, the Candidates and You!
Trackbacks
Trackback specific URI for this entry
No Trackbacks
Comments
Display comments as
(Linear | Threaded)
I'm curious to know if you can recommend a more transparent and unbiased representation of the CSM candidates than www.eve-csm.com
It appears (and I may be wrong) that you discard the value of the site because of prejudice against its author, not the value and accuracy of the information to eve-players.
It appears (and I may be wrong) that you discard the value of the site because of prejudice against its author, not the value and accuracy of the information to eve-players.
In all honesty it's less that I doubt the value and accuracy of the site, and more than I can't recommend a site controlled by a proclaimed candidate about other candidates. It just sends the alarm bells ringing . Call it a knee jerk reaction or simply the fear of bias creeping into what is being touted as a popular candidate information source summary, unrealistic though it may be!
The way I see it any system/process for Eve's CSM should be measured against it's real world equivalents, and in the real world you wouldn't place any reliance on sources controlled by one candidate for an election, about the other candidates. How could you? If Hilary opened a website to give an impartial view of Obama would anyone consider it a truly independent, valuable, and accurate source for possible Obama supporters?
That's really why I highlighted it in the blog. It's just not what would be considered an acceptable source on candidates if subject to the real world's media standards.
Or to place another test on it - how many candidates have availed of your free website offer that are not recommended by you?
It's those and similar niggling comparisons that bumped me against it while writing the entry.
Of course I could just be overreacting - and indeed perhaps I am taking it to too serious a level
.
. Call it a knee jerk reaction or simply the fear of bias creeping into what is being touted as a popular candidate information source summary, unrealistic though it may be!The way I see it any system/process for Eve's CSM should be measured against it's real world equivalents, and in the real world you wouldn't place any reliance on sources controlled by one candidate for an election, about the other candidates. How could you? If Hilary opened a website to give an impartial view of Obama would anyone consider it a truly independent, valuable, and accurate source for possible Obama supporters?
That's really why I highlighted it in the blog. It's just not what would be considered an acceptable source on candidates if subject to the real world's media standards.
Or to place another test on it - how many candidates have availed of your free website offer that are not recommended by you?
It's those and similar niggling comparisons that bumped me against it while writing the entry.
Of course I could just be overreacting - and indeed perhaps I am taking it to too serious a level
.
I think you're overreacting Padraic. If any candidate felt he was being misrepresented on the EVE CSM site (or not represented at all), then he would have plenty of venues from where to be heard.
I invite any of them to voice their discontent (if there are) on my blog/post/podcast.
In all honesty, and without being naive, I sincerely believe that Serenity's goal is for the betterment of EVE and it's community. Look at the effort and dedication he's put into the EVE Strategic Map book.
CK
I invite any of them to voice their discontent (if there are) on my blog/post/podcast.
In all honesty, and without being naive, I sincerely believe that Serenity's goal is for the betterment of EVE and it's community. Look at the effort and dedication he's put into the EVE Strategic Map book.
CK
Nah, I know I'm overreacting to an extent and admitted as much in my last comment. The problem is my real world beliefs being applied to a non-real world situation - a bit like comparing apples and oranges (they're both fruit, and both follow similar characteristics, but are not necessarily closely related at all...).
Still the scant comparisons, if nothing else, do highlight that if subject to an actual real-world system of law and media attention in keeping with an open democracy, the website would be immediately suspect, and candidates basically offering reverse vote buying would result in jail time.
Is the Eve CSM site suspect? I don't believe so. Could it potentially be suspect and misused? Of course it could. Media attention and media propagation is potent ammunition in the war for votes in any political system. Politicians regularly spin information, misinform the public, or outright lie to secure votes.
It's human nature.
Still the scant comparisons, if nothing else, do highlight that if subject to an actual real-world system of law and media attention in keeping with an open democracy, the website would be immediately suspect, and candidates basically offering reverse vote buying would result in jail time.
Is the Eve CSM site suspect? I don't believe so. Could it potentially be suspect and misused? Of course it could. Media attention and media propagation is potent ammunition in the war for votes in any political system. Politicians regularly spin information, misinform the public, or outright lie to secure votes.
It's human nature.
