My proposal is to add a rule, or rules, to the BN ruleset, about activity. I recently charted all of the activity of every taiko BNG member from 6/1/18 to 10/15/18 to make it easier to notice when people have extended periods of inactivity. I have removed names to avoid any witch hunting or shaming. It also does not include pops (vetos) or disqualification reports, but for the most part those aren't applicable. Also, apparently there are unwritten activity rules in the QAT that I (or any of the QATs I've talked to) were notified of, but either way, this is to get it written down.
This the sheet showing the activity of the taiko BNG since 6/1/2018
In red I have marked extended periods of time in which I personally believe are long enough to warrant a warning to the associated BN. Several BNs have several red areas in the past three months. To me, this is an abuse of the leniency the QATs provide when dealing with inactivity, so the following rule proposal is aimed to solve this type of leniency that allows BNs to act like you see in the chart. Note that I only recorded taiko BNs, but I think that this addition will benefit other modes as well; please let me know if that is not the case.
This is my proposal, which definitely needs some cleaning up in terms of wording:
"You must be active. Going three or more weeks without activity in the form of a bubble, qualify, disqualification report, or bubble pop, will result in an activity warning. Remaining inactive for three weeks at any time after the warning will result in a kick from the BNG. This applies to the individual modes of a hybrid BN."
I also believe there should be a part that includes having a limit to how long you can take a leave of absence. My own opinion is two months, since that's enough time to leave the BNG and then come back. The activity will be recorded and warnings/kicks delivered either by report to a QAT or whenever BN evaluations happen.
I have heard several questions about this proposal, so I will address them here.
"Why don't mods count as activity?"
As I see it, if you are a BN, you should be expected to do BN work. You aren't made a BN for being an active modder, you are there because you're good enough at modding to tell when something is fit for rank.
"Why not just have the active ones be less active?"
I believe there should be a fair balance of activity among the BNG. As you can see, the lowest (which is a three way tie) is 4 ranked maps, and the highest is 50. I believe this can be improved tremendously with the new rule. I also believe this mindset is promoting inactivity, which is the opposite of what a mode should be doing.
"Isn't this a little harsh?"
From looking at the spreadsheet, not at all. Also, activity is assessed in order to get in the BNG. I know ex-bns who have proven themselves in modding proficiency that did not have enough activity to rejoin, but have more activity than the current BNs. This doesn't make any sense, and the rule I'm proposing would still allow BNs to be below the activity threshold required to get in.
"Inactive BNs aren't hurting anybody, why do they need to be punished?"
As it stands, active BNs are at a higher risk of getting maps DQd or popped because of simple logic, and therefore punished. Some people feel pressure from inactive members to become even more active, as shown by the spreadsheet (two members doing the work of nine). This unfair balance - the push and pull between active members being punished and inactive members not - creates an inadvertent promotion of inactivity in the BNG. Additionally, there is a certain amount of BNs that a four person QAT can control at once, so keeping the inactive BNs and not switching them out for active ones increases the inactivity quotient and lessens the overal activity of the BNG.
"What about multi-mode BNs?"
I put it the rule, but it applies just like every other rule applies, to both modes. If you are a taiko/standard hybrid BN, then you must nominate one taiko and one standard map at least every three weeks. This is because logically, the more roles you take on in a community, the more work you will have. Being a tournament organizer doesn't give you lenience when it comes to writing a description for a map you nominated to be spotlighted, so this is the same.
"Why is this necessary?"
As I mentioned before, according to the chart, it seems that BNs are abusing the leniency given by the QATs in terms of activity. This is just so there is a sharper eye and an actual punishment for being inactive. This has been an issue in the BNG for way too long.
If your concern was not addressed, or you feel like my explanation was not good enough, drop a reply with some elaboration so there can be nice discussion.
This the sheet showing the activity of the taiko BNG since 6/1/2018
In red I have marked extended periods of time in which I personally believe are long enough to warrant a warning to the associated BN. Several BNs have several red areas in the past three months. To me, this is an abuse of the leniency the QATs provide when dealing with inactivity, so the following rule proposal is aimed to solve this type of leniency that allows BNs to act like you see in the chart. Note that I only recorded taiko BNs, but I think that this addition will benefit other modes as well; please let me know if that is not the case.
This is my proposal, which definitely needs some cleaning up in terms of wording:
"You must be active. Going three or more weeks without activity in the form of a bubble, qualify, disqualification report, or bubble pop, will result in an activity warning. Remaining inactive for three weeks at any time after the warning will result in a kick from the BNG. This applies to the individual modes of a hybrid BN."
I also believe there should be a part that includes having a limit to how long you can take a leave of absence. My own opinion is two months, since that's enough time to leave the BNG and then come back. The activity will be recorded and warnings/kicks delivered either by report to a QAT or whenever BN evaluations happen.
I have heard several questions about this proposal, so I will address them here.
"Why don't mods count as activity?"
As I see it, if you are a BN, you should be expected to do BN work. You aren't made a BN for being an active modder, you are there because you're good enough at modding to tell when something is fit for rank.
"Why not just have the active ones be less active?"
I believe there should be a fair balance of activity among the BNG. As you can see, the lowest (which is a three way tie) is 4 ranked maps, and the highest is 50. I believe this can be improved tremendously with the new rule. I also believe this mindset is promoting inactivity, which is the opposite of what a mode should be doing.
"Isn't this a little harsh?"
From looking at the spreadsheet, not at all. Also, activity is assessed in order to get in the BNG. I know ex-bns who have proven themselves in modding proficiency that did not have enough activity to rejoin, but have more activity than the current BNs. This doesn't make any sense, and the rule I'm proposing would still allow BNs to be below the activity threshold required to get in.
"Inactive BNs aren't hurting anybody, why do they need to be punished?"
As it stands, active BNs are at a higher risk of getting maps DQd or popped because of simple logic, and therefore punished. Some people feel pressure from inactive members to become even more active, as shown by the spreadsheet (two members doing the work of nine). This unfair balance - the push and pull between active members being punished and inactive members not - creates an inadvertent promotion of inactivity in the BNG. Additionally, there is a certain amount of BNs that a four person QAT can control at once, so keeping the inactive BNs and not switching them out for active ones increases the inactivity quotient and lessens the overal activity of the BNG.
"What about multi-mode BNs?"
I put it the rule, but it applies just like every other rule applies, to both modes. If you are a taiko/standard hybrid BN, then you must nominate one taiko and one standard map at least every three weeks. This is because logically, the more roles you take on in a community, the more work you will have. Being a tournament organizer doesn't give you lenience when it comes to writing a description for a map you nominated to be spotlighted, so this is the same.
"Why is this necessary?"
As I mentioned before, according to the chart, it seems that BNs are abusing the leniency given by the QATs in terms of activity. This is just so there is a sharper eye and an actual punishment for being inactive. This has been an issue in the BNG for way too long.
If your concern was not addressed, or you feel like my explanation was not good enough, drop a reply with some elaboration so there can be nice discussion.