The 'Shroom:Issue LXX/Directorial Address
Director's Notes
Super Mario Bros.
Hello everybody, this is Super Mario Bros. (talk) here. I would like to start off by saying that I am deeply humbled and honored to be posting this victory speech up and that I have been entrusted by the community to manage and care for The 'Shroom again for a third year. This election was a very close one: up until the mere final days of the process, my good friend and my opponent Henry Tucayo Clay (talk) and I were constantly switching between first and second place, and even being tied at most points throughout the past month. I would like to thank him for all of his service to the project and for being an honorable opponent in the Director Election.
I like to say that if I were to have ever lost to anybody in the elections, I would prefer that I lose to Tucayo. He has a love and a passion for The 'Shroom perhaps like no other person that I have seen involved in the publication has expressed, and I knew that if he were to have won (which was a very likely scenario), our paper would still have been in good hands. That said, since the election was so close anyway and since he would be able to do more for The 'Shroom in a higher capacity, I would like to announce that I am naming Tucayo as my Co-director for the next year. We both will be able to work together to implement the necessary modifications to the project that will bring a great deal of progress.
The duties of the Sub-director will be assigned to Tucayo. So why not name him Sub-director instead? We decided to do this because we do not want to give the indication that he might only be carrying out those duties that were assigned to the Sub-director or that he will remain mostly behind-the-scenes— we will both be working together to make executive decisions for The 'Shroom and will be the main representatives of the paper, and would both like for there to be the distinction so that this can be recognized.
With the election past us and a brand new year ahead of us, we will start to shift gears in order to start promptly moving forward. I would like to thank all of the writers and staff members that have contributed to The 'Shroom in the past year for making it what it has been, and for providing a great framework for us to build upon for the following months. One of the first things that I should announce is our staff for the next year. Several members of our staff have returned from last year in some form or another, and others felt that it is time for them to move forward with other things in life and whatnot.
Here is our staff roster for the next year:
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Super Mario Bros. (talk) | Director |
| Henry Tucayo Clay (talk) | |
| RandomYoshi (talk) | Statistics Manager |
| Smasher (talk) | Activities Director |
| MrConcreteDonkey (talk) | Fake News Director |
| Marshal Dan Troop (talk) | Fun Stuff Director |
| FunkyK38 (talk) | Music & Artwork Director |
| Paper Yoshi (talk) | Pipe Plaza Director |
| Crocodile Dippy (talk) | Critic Corner Director |
The Core Staff will make serious efforts toward revamping the Archive page in order to make navigating through past issues easier. This will include redesigning the table to include more information about each issue to make identifying specific issues or sections quicker. During the process in which we will revamp the Archives page, I would also like to check every issue to find and correct any major technical mistakes that have arisen. It is important that we accomplish this, especially since we will be referring to the archived issues extensively in order to create a program to show more of the history of The 'Shroom for the purposes of allowing people to make more informed votes in the Awards.
Advertising The 'Shroom and promoting it throughout the community has helped increase awareness and interest in the paper. An official effort to advertise and attract attention will be established this year by delegating this responsibility to the Activities Director throughout the next year. Additionally, I would like to take our Subscription service and overhaul it. Firstly, I would like for the {{'Shroombox}} to undergo a redesign to make it look more appealing and to keep that as one means of subscribing and showing support for our publication. Secondly, I would like to make it possible for the readers to subscribe to receive updates about releases and events via wiki talk page, private messages on the forum, and e-mail notifications. A subscription list with the wiki, forum, and e-mail accounts to which updates must be sent will be created and maintained in Google Drive.
As suggested by Ralphfan (talk) during my first term, I would like to see the Core Staff create a Manual of Style for those who apply to be able to read to understand what we expect from applicants when they apply. Coding tips and instructions will be provided to the users so that they may format their own sections properly when they submit their application. Expectations and notices about proper spelling and grammar, a mature and intelligent vocabulary, and section length will also be displayed in said manual. I expect that this will help both applicants and the staff by displaying standards that writers know they must follow before they join our publication, and will give us a standard from which to judge applications and sections.
I will work closely with FunkyK38 (talk) (the Music & Artwork Director) to discuss innovative changes that can be applied to the team in order to foster an environment for its success and its growth. This team should be shifted in a direction that will allow those with artistic/musical talent and appreciation to have a stronger role in shaping our publication. Some things include trying to work with the artists in our community to submit works for the paper, to work with the musicians to submit pieces that they would want everybody to hear, to allow for music reviews in the team, and to work out other ideas that can help us grow the team.
There are many other improvements and projects that we intend to work on in the next year (including redesigning the Single Page, working with Userpedia and the Awards Committee to build stronger relationships with those groups, and reviving The 'Shroom Spotlight), and more news about all of these ideas and such will be brought in as they are accomplished in the coming months.
Thank you all for your support and your dedication. I look forward to making the next year one of the best for our publication.
Yours truly,
— Super Mario Bros. (talk), Co-director of The 'Shroom
Henry Tucayo Clay
HI, readers! I'm thesaurus-loving Tucayo, addressing you once again as Director of The Super Mario Wiki's 'Shroom. I did lose the election, I lost it fair and square; but SMB (most kindly) invited me to be his Co-Director. I have no words to thank him; this means a lot to me. And this is just another proof of the great co-worker and friend SMB is.
I would like to thank every single person that voted for me, your votes mean a lot to me. I especially want to thank you in this, my 200th 'Shroom section. I promise I will work hard to make you proud. And, of the persons that voted for me, I want to especially thank one: Super Mario Bros. (talk) This was our third time facing each other in an election, and I have greatly enjoyed all three of them. SMB and I met about 4 years ago, in the Proposals talk page. Our first interaction was maybe not amicable, but we both managed to look past the proposal we were discussing, and we got to know each other. And I have to say, I am really glad I friended him. A couple of months later, SMB came to me with a project that eventually became the Music & Art Sub-Team, and that's how he got his start in The 'Shroom. As of this month, I have worked for over 30 issues with him, and let me tell you, he is the most dedicated person I have ever worked with. He is very responsible, committed, kind and efficient. To put it simply, he is the best Director The 'Shroom could ask for.
That is why, I am extremely happy he invited me to co-direct with him. It will be a huge honor to work by his side, and I am sure the newsletter will greatly benefit from it. And you have seen the staff we have this year; we have the veterans with the experience and the new faces that will bring different ideas into the team. After looking at the Staff we have, I am confident this next year will be the best yet for The 'Shroom. Once again, thanks for your support, and I hope you continue reading us every month.
--
Henry Tucayo Clay (talk), Co-director of The 'Shroom
