Quote Originally Posted by Comstrike View Post
This. If the forums are the prime method used to balance and weigh who gets invited or invited to apply I would suggest again that there ought to be a wider body. Granted those who know they are being surveyed tend to skew their answers to appease an unseen judge. Yet form a congress of players, by nomination or otherwise. Make it "large." Send the surveys, let something other than rhetorically walking naked through the forums for all to judge. Scout beyond the walls of this forum. Remove the forums from the equation for at least some of those who very obviously play but are also not inclined to slum it here. *on Edit: And likewise, expand a persons track record beyond posting here. Expand the pool of where people are tapped from.

At least having a wider base would help in depoliticizing it among some or leaving folks bearing the brunt of opinion where that occurs.
Sounds great, as an idea. The reality is something else. The forums are the place where many of these ideas come from. While I'm sure there are some ideas generated or discussed in game, that's usually as far as they go. When doing something like a player council you have to start somewhere. The forums are a logical choice. This is where the players come when they feel strongly (for better or worse) about something that's happened. The forums is where many of these discussions start. As has been demonstrated, just having an idea is not enough. You have to show that you are willing to share that idea in the appropriate venue (i.e. The Forums) and have that idea discussed by a larger group. In all honesty, the players who "politicize" the PC, are going to politicize it no matter how its formed. Again, a "congress of players" carries with it certain implications and expectations that may not reflect the reality of things. The council is a congress in the sense that it is a group that comes together to discuss certain things. It is not a governing body in any way.