In KSI, a New Year is a New Chance

As the calendar turns from 2016 to 2017, millions of people around the world will inevitably wake up on January 1 with bright eyes thinking about how the upcoming 365 days will be different from the last.

They will set goals, dreaming of what they might be able to accomplish.

In KSI, that sentiment is no different.

Each and every member has the ability to captain their ship through calm waters and choppy seas. They have the opportunity to go where they want and accomplish whatever they work toward.

As the year changes and hope springs eternal, I hope you can problem shoot where 2016 fell short and where 2016 gave you something to build on.

I hope you use those building blocks to spring forward in 2017 and don’t repeat the mistakes of 2016.

For example, many of you know at least part of my story.

2016 was a resurgent year for myself. I battled depression and some form of alcoholism to be a better person. I got more involved in the community, moving from my role as News Team Head to becoming the Lead Department Manager before joining the Board of Directors as the Chief Department Manager.

Those departments I’ve worked with have all improved as well. The members and leaders in those groups have dedicated themselves to improving themselves, their departments, and KSI as a whole.

The Board of Directors wants to release a New Years’ message to the community soon, and I thought I could use this post to share what I put in there.

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2016 was a resurgent year for KSI’s Departments. News, Productions, Graphics, AAP, T&E and Education all improved and because more stable, integral parts of the community. History and Marketing, while they were supported, also improved the KSI experience for all of KSI’s members, both directly and indirectly.

• News published stories at a higher rate than years past and focused on telling KSI members’ stories, and 2017 will basically be a continuation of trying to get the pulse of the community. The team, hopefully, will be able to produce pieces that showcase the community’s diversity and spotlight the members and groups that make this a great place to game. We also want to write more stories that create conversation in the community.
• Productions was in the infancy of incorporating the Xbox Twitch and Upload Studios apps, and we have a pretty good grasp on those tools, on top of other external devices and programs. We will be starting up a monthly montage competition early in 2017 that will allow members to directly improve Productions’ inclusiveness and raise the YouTube page to having better content. We’re also working on creating a more consistent Twitch stream schedule so members will always be able to know what will be streamed and when. We hope participation in streams and events improves. We will be exploring a podcast and other shows in addition to Happy Hour.
• T&E has had a banner year. Participation in Weekend Warfare events was at a high we haven’t seen in years. The team is stable and forward-thinking. Community voices and involvement in determining what events we can offer to support the community are needed. HeadHunters had its first community-wide season in a few years and Season 2 will be starting in January.
• Education has had its groundwork laid by KSI Greg 7 and will be taking a huge step forward in 2017 as community leaders have decided to make education a more central goal of KSI. The LEAD program has had a few offerings and as mentors and teachers join the ranks, the education department is primed to become a major selling point and driver of improvement in the community.
• Graphics and AAP will continue doing what they’ve been doing — offering services to the community that improve the forums experience. Scotland played a huge role in re-establishing the awards system on the forums and we are using that department as a major way to positively reinforce the great effort and work KSI’s members put forth.

Departments are consistent and strong. They are starting to filter down to all ranks in KSI and offer perks and benefits that are huge selling points to the community. They are allowing membersA? an avenue to learn more about KSI, network with other members, and explore and improve on their talents and skills.

We will be working across all departments to communicate and advertise what we have to offer better. There are plans in the works to get the word spread throughout the community more efficiently, which will increase participation and satisfaction with all that KSI has to offer!

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There are so many players in this community who make it a premiere place to network and game, and as we move into the new year, I sincerely hope we can add more people to those ranks.

Last year wasn’t the strongest for the Clan-Ops side of KSI. We lost several good leaders and the community didn’t grow. However, new leaders emerged, such as Ivy, Veritas, Elkram, True, Collector, Ascend, and so many others.

Also, the past several weeks has seen the community grow by about 50 new members. That’s a great building block.

So, the question becomes: how can we capitalize on 2016’s strong points to improve the community, and how can we fix the mistakes and problems we faced?

2017 can be your year. 2017 can be KSI’s year. We just have to set those goals and go for it.