Squadron Foundations
Congratulations on your progress thus far, Commander! You've established 1) a squadron name, and 2) decided on your executive officer! But let's continue on to:
The Squadron Topic
The Squadron Topic is the headquarters, so to speak, for your squadron. This is where official business is conducted as well a great deal of the general communication between members. In a way, you could think of it like your home, and your members as your kids. You want your house to be warm, safe and joyful, right? Well, this isn't so different. Let's focus for a second on how we want to start a squadron topic.
First and foremost, you need to create a new thread on the Navy Main ComNet; from there, make sure the title includes the name of your squadron followed by the word "Topic." For example, the title of Aegis's squadron topic reads: "Aegis Squadron Topic."
In the body of your first post you want to do four things: 1) Welcome the members; 2) introduce your XO as well as yourself (and maybe give a little bit of background on the both of you; 3) go through your ground rules; and 4) talk about your goals.
The welcome is pretty basic:
- "Welcome to ZZZ Squadron! (Insert motto here once you've come up with it). We're so glad to have you! Before we can get started, however, we need you to read through the rest of this post so that you know exactly what to expect and what's expected of you. Then- we can begin!"
Now introduce yourselves!
- "First and foremost, I'm 2nd Lieutenant JJJ and I'm the commanding officer of ZZZ Squadron. I've spent time in XXX Squadron, AAA Squadron, and LLL Squadron, but this is my first time commanding a squadron. Here to assist me is my executive officer and 2nd in command, Chief Warrant Officer UUU! CWO UUU spent time with me in AAA Squadron where he quickly rose through the ranks; he'll be with us throughout and, when speaking to him, remember that you're also speaking to me."
The manner in which you do any of these steps, mind you, is to be completely your own; every bit of your individual style you can add to this introduction post will give your new members that much better of a feel for what type of atmosphere they're walking into.
Now then- let's set some ground rules...
- "As a new member to the squadron, it's important that you understand some of our group's ground rules. These rules are not to prevent you from acting as you usually do, of course; rather, they're in place to ensure that the squadron runs smoothly and so that you can get the most out of your experience with us in ZZZ Squadron.
- Rule No. 1: Always treat members with respect. Any hostility, especially in the squadron topic (but also anywhere else), will be dealt with first by warnings, then fines, and eventually: loss of rank, medals or, in severe cases, membership in the VE.
- Rule No. 2: Reports (link to the wiki page on reports) are due on Friday (or whatever the day may be) by 3:00PM EST. Missing reports result in fines and, in the long-run, can hamper your ability to attain otherwise well-deserved rewards. Reports are essential to the functioning of the squadron as well, so by not sending yours in: you kink up an otherwise well-oiled machine. Also, two weeks without a report will result in your removal from the squadron and an "AWOL" status given to you.
- Rule No. 3: If you're going to be gone for an extended period of time, make sure to produce a leave of absence on the "Leave" ComNet.
- Rule No. 4: Attend 1 VE/Squadron Meeting a month. Most medals/promotions are given out during the VE meetings (Sun, 3EST); if you're not present, then we miss an opportunity to publicly show to your peers the success you've had. Furthermore, attending the squadron meetings ensures that you get a change to meet your comrades in real time and gives you an opportunity to see what the squadrons' really about. We'd really like to see you there.
- Rule No. 5: Other than the stuff above... Have a great time!"
So those are some basic rules that you can set down so that your members know what's expected of them, whether it be reports or personal behavior. This can help you avoid repetitious personal messages and unnecessary explanations.
Lastly: set some goals!
- "Now that you know the ground rules, and you know myself and the XO, we'd like to tell you about what we hope to achieve in the squadron in your time here. Firstly- we hope you have a lot of fun; we'll be writing quite a bit, but there's plenty of other activities we have going on throughout the year and we encourage you to take part in all of those. For the squadron itself, though, we want to see that our members continue to be open and friendly to one another, and also that they contribute any ideas they might have directly to the group. Story ideas, wiki-page ideas, character ideas, competition ideas, activity ideas: all of these are very welcome. As the ultimate goal for the squadron, of course, we hope to win an ESC (Elite Squadron Competition) and take home the gold. We're glad to have you with us, pilot; if you would, please make your first post on our thread saying that you've read the intro post and that you're ready to go. Welcome to ZZZ Squadron!"
Let's continue on!
Go back on page to: How to Start
Or- back to the beginning: SC Basics
