A Welcoming Hand: an Interview with Lethen
Part 2 of Welcome to Europeia, an Interview Series with United Vietussia
Hundreds of newcomers walk through the Office of Citizenship on a yearly basis, yet one thing has remained consistent for quite a few years now: the presence of Lethen, a welcoming hand who greets each and every new face when they apply for citizenship.
His huge hand in the process of initiating and integrating newcomers made him a no-brainer for part 2 of my interview series, Welcome to Europeia, where I'm focusing on talking to prominent newcomers and the people who play a hand in their opening experience.
A few days ago, I released the first part of this series with a newcomer who has come right out of the gate running, Airbus. This week, I sat down with Lethen and talked with him about his memories of the many newcomers that have come through Europeia in all the years he's processed citizenship applications.
You're one of the first people newcomers meet when they first enter the region. How much do you enjoy getting to meet all of the new faces that come into Europeia and helping them get situated?
Oh, it's great! I'm not usually the first point of contact via forum posts or Discord, but I'm typically the first person that PMs newcomers directly with information. Most of the time, they read the PMs and that's that. Sometimes, though, I get the newcomers that actually respond to my PM with inquiries or idle chatter. I'm also in the habit of checking in with newcomers after a few days, sometimes longer, to see how they are fitting in. Its not always good information to hear, but its absolutely necessary so I know where I - and our integration efforts - are possibly lacking. I very much enjoy the role of gatekeeper (although I think some players greatly overstate how influential that gatekeeper role is
).You're one of the first members of Europeia. What has been your favorite moment in Europeian history?
Wow, this isn't a softball question. [It's] really hard to say definitively because memories are fickle and easily colored by emotions, but with a gun to my head? I'd say my favorite moment was when HEM officially petitioned the Senate to elevate me to the role of co-Supreme Chancellor. It was nice to be appreciated for all that I did and do for Europeia, but it was really touching to me because it was a heartfelt gesture that not only demonstrated that my close friend respected me, but also trusted me to help guide our region.
Europeia experienced a population boom in 2012, jumping from around 1000 nations to a record high that wouldn't be broken until mid-2016. How did Europeia help these new nations fit in to the grand scheme?
I can't necessarily provide specifics, but I do think we seriously began to evaluate and re-evaluate our overall integration efforts, the information we provide, etc. I just did a cursory search in the Archives, specifically the Newcomers Hall Archives. While many of the early versions of our handbooks had been written anywhere from 2009 to 2011, they weren't nearly as in-depth as the current Newcomer's Handbook entries that were all posted in 2013. It would shock me if those new versions rolled out in 2013 were not the result of discussions in 2012 during the population boom.
What do you enjoy most about Europeia today?
The overall sense of community that we foster. If you're down on your luck, we'll pick you up together. If you're angry, we'll talk you down and help figure out the problem. If you're frustrated, we'll give advice and feedback. This has been a *rough* year - both IRL and in-game - for many Europeians, but I feel like its strengthened our bonds even more.
Has there ever been a moment involving a newcomer that has stuck with you?
I don't even know if they were a newcomer at the time, but we had a member named Tikal quit in anger. In her post on the way out, she cited me as an example, which was baffling. Now, in those days (the "Wild West of Euro" as HEM says), I was known for having a short temper and not suffering fools for very long so that rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. Except in Tikal's case, we had spoken via MSN or the forums *maybe* twice. To this day, I have no idea why/how I angered Tikal.
If you could change one thing about Europeia, what would it be?
Not enough jorts. :emb: I jest, I jest. We provide a wealth of information to new players, and its been proven time and time again that passive resources (e.g. handbooks) work exceptionally better than active ones (e.g. mentors), but at the person-to-person level we are definitely lacking. Nothing in the Handbooks prepares a new player for when they step out of their comfort zone, stumble, and instantly get the (negative) attention of members that are intentionally rude or nasty - or at least come off that way in their posts. Nothing can justify when players will deliberately rile up or troll a newcomer who may be naive or ignorant in their views on certain subjects, only for those players to then turn to the admins or moderators and say "See what he's saying? He should be punished." There is nothing fair when a newcomer with lots of positive energy but few qualifications stands for an office and loses, only to either be insulted or encouraged to run regularly for offices as part of a cruel on-going joke. Fortunately, that sort of behavior is in the minority here. Unfortunately, it isn't minor enough: poor behavior makes those players look bad. In turn, it makes the community look bad.
TL; DR - we need to work on our conduct overall with new players at the organic level, particularly on Discord.
Lethen's influence on newcomers is one that has never gone unnoticed, and his presence is one that is always welcomed by newcomers and veterans alike. Europeia likely would never have been the same without Lethen and his openness, especially to newcomers.
