I have given a fair amount of thought to the things I am going to say in this post, the goal of which is to motivate the need for a stronger rare community and also to propose measures to achieve this. The seeds of this were planted at the first rare festival - which I thought was missing the community feeling. This led to me thinking about how can that be changed. Seeking a solution for the recent events also provided a solution for the original query.
Why do we need a rare community?
People who collect rares have a lot of time and effort invested in it. We also represent a niche in the overall Ultima community. So, we are a minority. Much more than that, we are a silent minority. As such our needs and interests are rarely taken into account in the bigger scheme of things.
Going further than a silent minority, we are also a silent minority under constant attack. This is due to two main reasons: 1) Rare collectors tend to be well-off than your average Sosarian, 2) The duping fall-out.
The former we can do little about directly and most people who attack us because of it do it out of pettiness. However, the latter is a more serious issue. I get literally dozens of icq's and PMs from non-collectors expressing their feelings about what happens on this forum. The emotions range from disappointment to utter disgust. Why should we care, some of you might ask? We should care because we are a silent minority that is perceived as wealthy and corrupt. If we do not care then that day is not unfathomable when all of us will have to pay a heavy price.
So what am I saying exactly?
I am saying that it is time to form a rare community. None of us support many of the things we get accused of daily. However, we are victims of stereotypes and silence. Even more than that, it would infuse some much needed old-school UO feeling to collecting. In order to do this, we need to agree on some basic guidelines and create a medium to express a unified opinion so that everyone else knows where we stand on key issues.
How do we do this?
I propose that we make an official rare community consisting of museum owners, rare festival participants, and members of this forum. Ignoring some eventual fine print, the community would be open for anyone interested in rares.
What would be the point of such a community?
By having an official rare collectors community, we would be able to quickly, and with more authority, express our views on all types of issues. I propose that the community would elect an executive committee (E.C.) of 5 to 6 people with a fixed term - maybe elections every two rare festivals. The first E.C. would be responsible for proposing a charter for the community members to vote on.
Doesn't this sound bit of a cheesy attempt at role playing?
Yes, maybe it does. However, I am convinced that we need this to serve our interests. There needs to be a way for us to act as one voice when needed. Don't worry, you can still sneak in and outbid another community member on an item you wish to purchase (die Suzzy) and the usual collector drama
Looking forward to your inputs! In order for me to easily figure out everyone's thoughts on it, I ask that you respond in the following manner:
1) Would you be interested in joining such a community?
2) Whatever else you might have to say.
Why do we need a rare community?
People who collect rares have a lot of time and effort invested in it. We also represent a niche in the overall Ultima community. So, we are a minority. Much more than that, we are a silent minority. As such our needs and interests are rarely taken into account in the bigger scheme of things.
Going further than a silent minority, we are also a silent minority under constant attack. This is due to two main reasons: 1) Rare collectors tend to be well-off than your average Sosarian, 2) The duping fall-out.
The former we can do little about directly and most people who attack us because of it do it out of pettiness. However, the latter is a more serious issue. I get literally dozens of icq's and PMs from non-collectors expressing their feelings about what happens on this forum. The emotions range from disappointment to utter disgust. Why should we care, some of you might ask? We should care because we are a silent minority that is perceived as wealthy and corrupt. If we do not care then that day is not unfathomable when all of us will have to pay a heavy price.
So what am I saying exactly?
I am saying that it is time to form a rare community. None of us support many of the things we get accused of daily. However, we are victims of stereotypes and silence. Even more than that, it would infuse some much needed old-school UO feeling to collecting. In order to do this, we need to agree on some basic guidelines and create a medium to express a unified opinion so that everyone else knows where we stand on key issues.
How do we do this?
I propose that we make an official rare community consisting of museum owners, rare festival participants, and members of this forum. Ignoring some eventual fine print, the community would be open for anyone interested in rares.
What would be the point of such a community?
By having an official rare collectors community, we would be able to quickly, and with more authority, express our views on all types of issues. I propose that the community would elect an executive committee (E.C.) of 5 to 6 people with a fixed term - maybe elections every two rare festivals. The first E.C. would be responsible for proposing a charter for the community members to vote on.
Doesn't this sound bit of a cheesy attempt at role playing?
Yes, maybe it does. However, I am convinced that we need this to serve our interests. There needs to be a way for us to act as one voice when needed. Don't worry, you can still sneak in and outbid another community member on an item you wish to purchase (die Suzzy) and the usual collector drama
Looking forward to your inputs! In order for me to easily figure out everyone's thoughts on it, I ask that you respond in the following manner:
1) Would you be interested in joining such a community?
2) Whatever else you might have to say.
