Fuzznip told me to post this. I've finished this for quite some time but he wants me to repost this so he doesn't have to bump a thread with a ton of other type of articles like these.
so anyways here it is.
STATUS: Awaiting proofreading, adding another section soon
Congratulations! You've just been voted TL for a CAP project. A TL position comes with much power and responsibility. Contrary to what you may think, this project is now your CAP; do not let the project slip out of your hands. The community may overpower you in terms of popularity, but the reason you were voted TL was because you are knowledgeable in the game of Pokemon and know how to lead. With that in mind, always know that despite what the community thinks, you have the power to change it should you not like what the community has to offer. Remember to:
Keep the CAP community in check.
The number one rule in leading CAP projects is to make sure that nobody has more say than another person, and that you have more power than anyone else in the project. It is reasonable to ask around for opinions in order to validate your own, however you should never be left asking specific people to make decisions for you. As a TL, you are expected to have an extensive knowledge of CAP and OU. Stand your ground, and be a leader with strong opinions.
When opening a thread, you may see some "threadhogs" who love to post their opinion ten times per page on a certain matter. The biggest problem in CAP discussion threads is not the presence of incoherent posts, but rather these threadhogs. Threadhogging gives people much more say than they should have, and annoy the community and yourself. Do not be afraid to send them a PM telling them to cut down on the number of posts. If they persist, contact a moderator or deal with it yourself. You may even go so far as to call the person out in public should they not stop after all these warnings are given.
Stand your ground, clearly voice what you like and dislike, and don't be afraid to reject something simply because you do not like it. This may result in some controversy amongst the CAP community, but if it is necessary, do not hesitate. Part of being a TL is to perform your job without fear of others criticizing you. Sure, that one guy says you're a nazi for not listening to anyone but yourself, and they say that there is no point in having a community anymore because you have control over all of the poll slates. Remember, though, to always stay calm and collected, no matter how bad it may seem. Your reasoning overpowers their reasoning. Your theorymon overpowers their theorymon.
This is not to say that you should not listen to the CAP community. The CAP community has some promising users and creative heads, and you should always hear them out. However, do not be tempted to add something to the poll that is popular yet you do not approve of. It is fine to put an option into the poll that you are satisfied with and is popular, but always remember that this is your CAP and your time to shine.
Set an example for others to follow.
You are a leader now. The CAP community will follow in your footsteps, whether it be with intelligent discussion, or annoying bandwagons with barely any substance. Strictly enforce every rule in each CAP thread, and make sure nobody gets any leeway. You must contribute to discussions in order to swing the thread in the right direction. Do not depend on anyone else but yourself to do so. Postwhore away, if that is what it takes to make a good thread. The only person who may threadhog in CAP is yourself. Take advantage of it.
Slight modifications to the process are also in your power, so long as you adhere to the rules and general structure of CAP (Concept, Competitive, Flavor). No matter how strong of an impact you make on the process, you can be assured that others will follow you and be there when you need it the most. While people may disagree with your actions again and again, most of the time they will still follow you. You can be an ass, and you'll still get support.
While you alone cannot submit anything for your given CAP, you are in the director's seat for CAP. Should you not like any of the submissions or ideas being thrown out in a thread whatsoever, you can suggest an idea or concept for others to work off of. This goes back to voicing your likes and dislikes clearly. If nobody gets the picture, make sure they get it, so you don't have to pick a rotten apple out of a bunch of rotten apples.
Keep the project going at a steady pace.
Depending on how many polls you omit from the process due to poll slating, each CAP project will last a different amount of time. As a rule, every discussion thread should get at least one day's worth of discussion. You can always take your time, but you must keep a close eye on time so that discussions never run stale or repeat the same things over and over again. On the other hand, make sure that all the possible discussion topics are milked out in the thread before moving onto a poll. If it becomes stale too quickly, revive the thread by introducing new ideas that you want discussed.
If you have followed all of this and still feel that your project has been too fast, it is fine. As long as every discussion thread has been mulled over to the very end, then you have done a fine job in terms of keeping the project going at a nice pace. No matter what, always stay confident in your decisions and actions.
If the CAP process does not mesh together as it should due to your omitting of polls or your changes to the duration of discussion threads, you may experience a depression period. During these periods, activity wanes due to a lack of new threads. You are always welcome to start threads earlier than expected in order to prevent this from happening. If anything, always try to get this "depression period" toward the end of the project, where the only things left are flavor-based. Because of the large number of voters and viewers for these flavor threads, they are the least likely to die out, even during times where there are few new threads.
Don't be pressured!
The last thing you need when leading a CAP Project is stress. Contrary to what you may think, TLs often make mistakes that are either insignificant to the outcome of the project, or come across as something that most people do not even care about. If you mess up the format of a thread or get the poll options wrong, the moderators are here to help you fix them. Furthermore, make sure you plan out when you are going to post new threads based on the activity of each, while planning it in accordance with your own life schedule. This also makes it easier for CAP contributors, as they know from the get-go as to what needs to be completed in a set amount of time.
Regarding the options you pick, there is no wrong option to pick in CAP. If a CAP should fail its concept due to an option you picked, you are not at fault. Because the point of the CAP project is to learn, mistakes are not something that should be frowned upon; rather, it should be viewed as a learning experience. While it is definitely encouraged to create a CAP that fulfills its concept to the best of its ability, your top priority is to promote discussion as to how the community should fulfill the concept rather than creating a CAP that fulfills a concept. So long as you make the decision you think is best for the project, do not think less of yourself.
What now?
Get out there and make yourself known. The main things that people remember for each CAP is the final product and the person who ran it. You probably won't get a chance like this in the near future, so be sure to make your CAP a memorable one -- one that represents yourself, and one that will make a huge splash in playtesting.
---
It's a little short but I think it covers everything i want to be said. Any other suggestions are welcome, and proofreaders can fire away.
so anyways here it is.
STATUS: Awaiting proofreading, adding another section soon
Congratulations! You've just been voted TL for a CAP project. A TL position comes with much power and responsibility. Contrary to what you may think, this project is now your CAP; do not let the project slip out of your hands. The community may overpower you in terms of popularity, but the reason you were voted TL was because you are knowledgeable in the game of Pokemon and know how to lead. With that in mind, always know that despite what the community thinks, you have the power to change it should you not like what the community has to offer. Remember to:
Keep the CAP community in check.
The number one rule in leading CAP projects is to make sure that nobody has more say than another person, and that you have more power than anyone else in the project. It is reasonable to ask around for opinions in order to validate your own, however you should never be left asking specific people to make decisions for you. As a TL, you are expected to have an extensive knowledge of CAP and OU. Stand your ground, and be a leader with strong opinions.
When opening a thread, you may see some "threadhogs" who love to post their opinion ten times per page on a certain matter. The biggest problem in CAP discussion threads is not the presence of incoherent posts, but rather these threadhogs. Threadhogging gives people much more say than they should have, and annoy the community and yourself. Do not be afraid to send them a PM telling them to cut down on the number of posts. If they persist, contact a moderator or deal with it yourself. You may even go so far as to call the person out in public should they not stop after all these warnings are given.
Stand your ground, clearly voice what you like and dislike, and don't be afraid to reject something simply because you do not like it. This may result in some controversy amongst the CAP community, but if it is necessary, do not hesitate. Part of being a TL is to perform your job without fear of others criticizing you. Sure, that one guy says you're a nazi for not listening to anyone but yourself, and they say that there is no point in having a community anymore because you have control over all of the poll slates. Remember, though, to always stay calm and collected, no matter how bad it may seem. Your reasoning overpowers their reasoning. Your theorymon overpowers their theorymon.
This is not to say that you should not listen to the CAP community. The CAP community has some promising users and creative heads, and you should always hear them out. However, do not be tempted to add something to the poll that is popular yet you do not approve of. It is fine to put an option into the poll that you are satisfied with and is popular, but always remember that this is your CAP and your time to shine.
Set an example for others to follow.
You are a leader now. The CAP community will follow in your footsteps, whether it be with intelligent discussion, or annoying bandwagons with barely any substance. Strictly enforce every rule in each CAP thread, and make sure nobody gets any leeway. You must contribute to discussions in order to swing the thread in the right direction. Do not depend on anyone else but yourself to do so. Postwhore away, if that is what it takes to make a good thread. The only person who may threadhog in CAP is yourself. Take advantage of it.
Slight modifications to the process are also in your power, so long as you adhere to the rules and general structure of CAP (Concept, Competitive, Flavor). No matter how strong of an impact you make on the process, you can be assured that others will follow you and be there when you need it the most. While people may disagree with your actions again and again, most of the time they will still follow you. You can be an ass, and you'll still get support.
While you alone cannot submit anything for your given CAP, you are in the director's seat for CAP. Should you not like any of the submissions or ideas being thrown out in a thread whatsoever, you can suggest an idea or concept for others to work off of. This goes back to voicing your likes and dislikes clearly. If nobody gets the picture, make sure they get it, so you don't have to pick a rotten apple out of a bunch of rotten apples.
Keep the project going at a steady pace.
Depending on how many polls you omit from the process due to poll slating, each CAP project will last a different amount of time. As a rule, every discussion thread should get at least one day's worth of discussion. You can always take your time, but you must keep a close eye on time so that discussions never run stale or repeat the same things over and over again. On the other hand, make sure that all the possible discussion topics are milked out in the thread before moving onto a poll. If it becomes stale too quickly, revive the thread by introducing new ideas that you want discussed.
If you have followed all of this and still feel that your project has been too fast, it is fine. As long as every discussion thread has been mulled over to the very end, then you have done a fine job in terms of keeping the project going at a nice pace. No matter what, always stay confident in your decisions and actions.
If the CAP process does not mesh together as it should due to your omitting of polls or your changes to the duration of discussion threads, you may experience a depression period. During these periods, activity wanes due to a lack of new threads. You are always welcome to start threads earlier than expected in order to prevent this from happening. If anything, always try to get this "depression period" toward the end of the project, where the only things left are flavor-based. Because of the large number of voters and viewers for these flavor threads, they are the least likely to die out, even during times where there are few new threads.
Don't be pressured!
The last thing you need when leading a CAP Project is stress. Contrary to what you may think, TLs often make mistakes that are either insignificant to the outcome of the project, or come across as something that most people do not even care about. If you mess up the format of a thread or get the poll options wrong, the moderators are here to help you fix them. Furthermore, make sure you plan out when you are going to post new threads based on the activity of each, while planning it in accordance with your own life schedule. This also makes it easier for CAP contributors, as they know from the get-go as to what needs to be completed in a set amount of time.
Regarding the options you pick, there is no wrong option to pick in CAP. If a CAP should fail its concept due to an option you picked, you are not at fault. Because the point of the CAP project is to learn, mistakes are not something that should be frowned upon; rather, it should be viewed as a learning experience. While it is definitely encouraged to create a CAP that fulfills its concept to the best of its ability, your top priority is to promote discussion as to how the community should fulfill the concept rather than creating a CAP that fulfills a concept. So long as you make the decision you think is best for the project, do not think less of yourself.
What now?
Get out there and make yourself known. The main things that people remember for each CAP is the final product and the person who ran it. You probably won't get a chance like this in the near future, so be sure to make your CAP a memorable one -- one that represents yourself, and one that will make a huge splash in playtesting.
---
It's a little short but I think it covers everything i want to be said. Any other suggestions are welcome, and proofreaders can fire away.
