[Salty]

Introduction

LET ME BE VERY CLEAR NOW; PLEASE THOROUGHLY READ WHAT I SAY BEFORE YOU CHOOSE TO RESPOND.

       Hey guys, I want to share information with you all. What I'd like to discuss with the community in general is how I believe we should approach dealing with/settling conflict. For reference on  why I think what I have to say is important, I have experience as a leader in real world scenarios: section leader at marching band (conflict/drama happens A LOT in band), supervising at a grocery store, teaching a classroom.  The point of mentioning all this experience with people is to prove that I've dealt with people and conflict a lot, and often. In this thread, I will explain my thought process on how to deal with conflict in a professional manner.

 A Healthy Approach to Conflict

      The greatest tidbit I've ever heard about conflict is knowing when to pick and choose your battles. "Ask yourself; will this matter to me in 5 years?" 95% of the time, it doesn't. You cannot physically try and fight every single possible battle that ensues, that's what causes burnout in both staff and regulars alike. If your situation is in fact something more serious, try everything in your power to avoid trying to settle your differences through text. Using text messages has one major flaw, and it's especially prominent when it comes to dealing with conflict: every individual reads text and processes it differently. For example, sometimes someone on TTT or any server really will say something for "ironic purposes," for a lack of a better term; some people will read it as a joke and laugh it off, while others will take it extremely serious and react negatively to it. There's nothing wrong with either side just for clarification, it is just an observation. 

      When you are handling a conflict, please do your best to try and handle it PRIVATELY. There is nothing worse than trying to make a big scene out of it, as all that will do is frustrate both parties even further and cause unnecessary drama. Since we're dealing with the internet here, logically speaking, the best method to handle it is to get into a call of some kind. When you're addressing issues, do not be overbearingly accusatory, just discuss your issue with the other party in a logical manner. Never try and solve anything with pure emotion because just like when you are trying to make a public dispute, you do nothing but frustrate yourself and the other party/parties involved. Sometimes emotion is necessary, but it has to be done with moderation. You can still show you're frustrated by speaking logically instead of throwing insults or screaming at someone. 

If the other party does not wish to try and resolve said issue calmly and collectively, that is when you get a staff member involved. 

**DO NOT JUST JUMP STRAIGHT TO AN ADMIN UNLESS YOUR SAID ISSUE IS SOMETHING THAT IS EXTREMELY SERIOUS; MOST SERVER ISSUES CAN BE HANDLED BY A TRUSTED AND TESTMOD, WHO CAN THEN RELAY INFORMATION OF YOUR SITUATION TO THE REST OF THE GROUP.** 

If said issue continues after a staff member intervenes, it is time to either go to a Moderator or an Admin about the issue, or make a ban request on the forums if you think it'd be better.  At that point, it's your discretion that determines what the best option is.

Lastly, I would like to introduce a concept of "hierarchy" to demonstrate how you should go about bringing up an issue to the staff team.

Dink: Never contact about anything; it is the Admin's job to discuss things with Dink. 

Admin: Only go to for EXTREME situations, want to relay something to Dink, or if a Moderator defers you to an Admin.

Moderator: Go to a Moderator if you are dealing with something
that is a serious situation that you aren't comfortable posting on the forums (I.E a ban requests) or if a Test Mod defers you to a Mod 

Test Mod: Generally, the staff with this rank have more experience (duh), so if a
Trusted cannot answer your question about something on server, ask a Test Mod.

Trusted: COME HERE FIRST! ALWAYS ASK A TRUSTED FIRST, AS A MAJORITY OF QUESTIONS ASKED CAN BE ANSWERED BY A TRUSTED.

CONCLUSION

I believe that we can solve a vast majority of our problems by taking a step back and asking ourselves "is it really worth arguing/fighting over" and by approaching others with decency and be willing to hear someone out when you are dealing with an issue. Being closed minded when dealing with conflict does not help, as it usually just makes tension and frustration increase. 

Thank you for your time, and feel free to leave any sort of feedback, criticism, or contribute to the discussion.