Obligatory penguin video #4⠀ 1) Why are you running for this position?Over my past three terms as Foreign Dispatch Thane, we've revitalized the Orendi, transforming it from a sporadically-released dispatch to a regularly published fixture of Wintreath foreign relations.
This past term, I continued working closely with Hydra to develop the second iteration of our Orendi redesign, seen in Orendi XVII. We've given our foreign dispatches a coat of professionalism that is rarely (if ever) seen in NationStates media, and seek to continue refining upon this design in future issues of the Orendi.
Additionally, Orendi XVIII is coming along nicely. We are currently waiting for Katie to finish up her Citizens' Corner piece, at which point Hydra can begin designing and formatting the dispatch for release.
I'm quite proud of what we've accomplished together—writers, designers, ambassadors—and hope that we can continue improving the Orendi over this next three months.
2) What do you aim to accomplish as thane? As part of this, you must include at least one thing that you promise to do beyond the minimum listed duties of the position during your term. It should be measurable, so that it's black and white whether you fulfilled this mandate at the end of the term if you are elected.As usual, here is the Orendi release schedule if all goes to plan:
- Orendi XVIII: early December
- Orendi XIX: mid-January
- Orendi XX: late February
This is, also as usual, a mix of pragmatism and cautious optimism.
Additionally, when talking to Chanku about his reorganization of the FA Ministry, the topic of ambassador engagement and retention came up. While my strategy of posting friendly reminders at various intervals for ambassadors to post dispatches has proved largely successful, we still are having some issues with ambassadors not fulfilling their duties.
As such, I want to make my mandate this term to work with our new FA Jarl (and Diplomatic Officer Thane, if someone stands for that position) to help develop a motivational system for ambassadors for posting our various foreign dispatches in a timely manner. Though I personally am not too fond of Chanku's ranking proposal (as stated under the "Diplomatic Officer Programme" description), I am willing to work within this system or develop alternate ways of incentivizing ambassador activity.
2a) If you are an incumbent running for re-election, did you fulfill your mandate from the September election? If not, why didn't you?Unfortunately, due to being moderately busy with schoolwork and life, as well as my choice to put a greater focus on the Orendi (organizing, designing, and writing), I've not yet been able to put out another non-news/invitation dispatch. However, I've not been idle in this, and do have some ideas planned. So if all goes well, look forward to Puzzle #6 in the near future!
3) What qualifications or experience do you have in the area that you are running in?I've provided a brief overview of this as part of my answer to question #1, but for a more detailed list (blatantly lifted from my last campaign post):
Earlier experience:
- Wrote a few articles for Aura Hyperia and Wintreath in 2014/2015
- Put together New Hyperion Update #1 as Lord of Propaganda
Accomplishments as Dispatches Thane over past three terms:
- Put together 4 Orendis, currently putting together 5th
- Working closely with Hydra on redesigning and formatting 3 Orendis in newspaper/magazine PDF format
- Wrote ~11 articles for said 5 Orendis
- Created 2 puzzles
- Successfully bugged ambassadors to post dispatches
As I said in my last two campaigns, it's quite fun, so I'd love to continue this work.
4) How do you plan to have the time to fulfill the duties of the position until the next election in March?I hope my record of being a consistently active member of our community over the last 3+ years speaks for itself. I've been able to continue maintaining my commitments here in Wintreath despite the workload and hecticness of my first college semester, and I foresee being able to do the same in the next. Furthermore, winter break will take up a third of this next Thaneship term, so that will hopefully give me more time to devote to Wintreath as well.
5) Are you currently a part of any other NationStates regional or organizational government? If so, please include those regions and positions.I am co-founder, Lord of Propaganda, and WACom Delegate of New Hyperion, the Wintreath vassal region.