Meeting at Fells Point

[Capt. Sterling]

Matt, posted the following in an open thread which I am reposting here so we can either discuss or at least answer his questions:

There will 100% be an offical Order of leviathon meeting at Fells but the Order needs to decide on some things ahead of time.

A)Are you electing anyone new?

B)If so how many?

C)Do the new people get rings?

D)If so do the pay for them or does the Order want to try and fund it some how?

E)The Order working with Pirates Magazine needs to decide a Pirate of the year. (DOES NOT have to be in the Order)

F)Any other awards you want to give out to members or none members of the order

G)M.C. of the event or would you members of the Order like to do it as a Council type of thing.

I am sure there are more Q's to answer but get chatting about these.

A)Are you electing anyone new?

I think we should elect at least two or three new members this year and every year... if we wait too long,say another two years as was suggested, the whole Order will look more like a one shot deal and possibly a failure. We need to act, and act quickly this year.

B)If so how many?

2-3

C)Do the new people get rings?

Due to the cost of the rings and no one currently able to sponsor new ones, I suggest the rings remain a special possession of the original "Devil's Dozen". It would be nice to be able to give away more of these special rings, but personally speaking, even when the economy was good, I couldn't afford even one, let alone give multiples away. So perhaps we should come up with something more cost effective to be given to the next members...? Perhaps a period style coin with the logo stamped on the reverse? Thoughts??

D)If so do they pay for them or does the Order want to try and fund it some how?

It would be odd for the new members to have to pay for the item themselves...although someone suggested perhaps having the crews that nominate their members donate to the cause. Unless we can find vendors that might be willing to donate items? Sorry fund raising is not my strong point. Thoughts?

E)The Order working with Pirates Magazine needs to decide a Pirate of the year. (DOES NOT have to be in the Order)

This is our job?

F)Any other awards you want to give out to members or none members of the order

At one point there was talk of free advertising space in the mag... is this still available?

G)M.C. of the event or would you members of the Order like to do it as a Council type of thing.

Still need to figure out exactly what the event at Fells Point will be this year...maybe we should quietly sit down and actually get some business done?

[Cascabel]

Matt, posted the following in an open thread which I am reposting here so we can either discuss or at least answer his questions:

There will 100% be an offical Order of leviathon meeting at Fells but the Order needs to decide on some things ahead of time.

A)Are you electing anyone new?

B)If so how many?

C)Do the new people get rings?

D)If so do the pay for them or does the Order want to try and fund it some how?

E)The Order working with Pirates Magazine needs to decide a Pirate of the year. (DOES NOT have to be in the Order)

F)Any other awards you want to give out to members or none members of the order

G)M.C. of the event or would you members of the Order like to do it as a Council type of thing.

I am sure there are more Q's to answer but get chatting about these.

A)Are you electing anyone new?

I think we should elect at least two or three new members this year and every year... if we wait too long,say another two years as was suggested, the whole Order will look more like a one shot deal and possibly a failure. We need to act, and act quickly this year.

B)If so how many?

2-3

C)Do the new people get rings?

Due to the cost of the rings and no one currently able to sponsor new ones, I suggest the rings remain a special possession of the original "Devil's Dozen". It would be nice to be able to give away more of these special rings, but personally speaking, even when the economy was good, I couldn't afford even one, let alone give multiples away. So perhaps we should come up with something more cost effective to be given to the next members...? Perhaps a period style coin with the logo stamped on the reverse? Thoughts??

D)If so do they pay for them or does the Order want to try and fund it some how?

It would be odd for the new members to have to pay for the item themselves...although someone suggested perhaps having the crews that nominate their members donate to the cause. Unless we can find vendors that might be willing to donate items? Sorry fund raising is not my strong point. Thoughts?

E)The Order working with Pirates Magazine needs to decide a Pirate of the year. (DOES NOT have to be in the Order)

This is our job?

F)Any other awards you want to give out to members or none members of the order

At one point there was talk of free advertising space in the mag... is this still available?

G)M.C. of the event or would you members of the Order like to do it as a Council type of thing.

Still need to figure out exactly what the event at Fells Point will be this year...maybe we should quietly sit down and actually get some business done?

My thoughts on this (so far)....

I think there should be 2-3 new members selected each year. It will keep up interest in the Order, and be something to aspire to.

I would like to see rings awarded to new members. I think it somehow cheapens the honor to not have rings. However, I have absolutely NO idea how to fund the rings. If rings are awarded, I think they should differ in some way from the original "Charter Member's" rings. If rings are not possible, then perhaps some kind of distinctive pendant would be feasible.

I think because of the significance of the honor, anything awarded should be noticeably different from ordinary jewelry, and definitely NOT made of cheesy pewter !!! Silver is not all that expensive.

Perhaps we can get the events themselves to sponsor the awards by promoting the award ceremony as an important and public part of the event. I would like to see the Order of Leviathan awards rotated around to different events, so that different locations get a chance to host the awards, and appreciate the value of having Leviathan members at their events.

The only way the Order can become a "BIG DEAL" is if we, ourselves cause it to happen.

>>>>> Cascabel

[Stynky Tudor]

Being that there are several points here to talk about and keep track of, at some point I’ll break each one down into it’s own thread and pin it to the top of the forum.

Matt, posted the following in an open thread which I am reposting here so we can either discuss or at least answer his questions:

There will 100% be an offical Order of leviathon meeting at Fells but the Order needs to decide on some things ahead of time.

A)Are you electing anyone new?

B)If so how many?

C)Do the new people get rings?

D)If so do the pay for them or does the Order want to try and fund it some how?

E)The Order working with Pirates Magazine needs to decide a Pirate of the year. (DOES NOT have to be in the Order)

F)Any other awards you want to give out to members or none members of the order

G)M.C. of the event or would you members of the Order like to do it as a Council type of thing.

I am sure there are more Q's to answer but get chatting about these.

A)Are you electing anyone new?

I think we should elect at least two or three new members this year and every year... if we wait too long,say another two years as was suggested, the whole Order will look more like a one shot deal and possibly a failure. We need to act, and act quickly this year.

B)If so how many?

2-3

Cascabel, Captain Sterling, I have to agree with you, I think we should elect at least two to three new members into the Order. Now the why and where they should be pooled/pulled from – we all need to discuss.

C)Do the new people get rings?

Due to the cost of the rings and no one currently able to sponsor new ones, I suggest the rings remain a special possession of the original "Devil's Dozen". It would be nice to be able to give away more of these special rings, but personally speaking, even when the economy was good, I couldn't afford even one, let alone give multiples away. So perhaps we should come up with something more cost effective to be given to the next members...? Perhaps a period style coin with the logo stamped on the reverse? Thoughts??

D)If so do they pay for them or does the Order want to try and fund it some how?

It would be odd for the new members to have to pay for the item themselves...although someone suggested perhaps having the crews that nominate their members donate to the cause. Unless we can find vendors that might be willing to donate items? Sorry fund raising is not my strong point. Thoughts?

Yes, new members should get rings - period.

As for how to finance new member rings, I’m horrible at asking for help or being directly responsible for raising money when there isn't a possible item of invention to sell - I don’t have the answer.

But for what it’s worth, I can offer a free block of advertising banner space on the Pub.

E)The Order working with Pirates Magazine needs to decide a Pirate of the year. (DOES NOT have to be in the Order)

This is our job?

F)Any other awards you want to give out to members or none members of the order

At one point there was talk of free advertising space in the mag... is this still available?

I don't see it written in the job description, but I think we should make it our job - if only because we haven’t done anything as an organized group/body/order since leaving Baltimore.

And besides picking Pyrate of the Year would be a hell of a lot easier to do virtually over the internet than the lot of us getting together and all meeting in person – it once again raises our own visibility as individuals and as a group.

. . . not that I'm an attention whore or anything.

G)M.C. of the event or would you members of the Order like to do it as a Council type of thing.

Still need to figure out exactly what the event at Fells Point will be this year...maybe we should quietly sit down and actually get some business done?

Now on the point of MC, I haven’t seen everyone in action on stage, but out of those I have - the best MC among us is probably Jewels Evermore (who needs to get himself a damn internet connection).

[Margot La Mechante]

Great to hear from some of my esteemed comrades. It's unlikely that I can make it all the way to Fell's Point this year on this short notice. Since Portland Pirate Festival is going to be invading Olde Town St. Helens and is moving to Labor Day weekend (September), I'd like to suggest that we leave ourselves more time to plan the next indoctrination. This is the first I've heard about a return to Fell's Point, and that date is fast approaching. Perhaps you would all consider Portland Pirate Festival as our next, or a future gathering place for the Devil's Dozen and give the west coast equal time. Portland Pirate Festival may have a Friday night event in the St Helens ballroom, so maybe that could become an evening for The Order of the Leviathon??? Just a thought. If not this year, then some future year, we'd love to host. We don't have money after the torrential deluge we were pounded with last year, but hope to recover with our move to the St. Helens, just a 40 minute drive from downtown Portland. I also do have a very special pirate who should be considered as a future Devil, Luc the Lucky (Portland Pirate Festival Co-Producer). How do we go about throwing names into the hat, if Pirates Magazine is not having the online contest?

If I don't see you all again in Fell's Point, then possibly in St. Helens, OREGON? (It is the home of the filming of TWILIGHT, but please don't hold that against us!)

Yars truly, Margot la Mechante

[Captain Midnight]

I will be unable to make it to Fells Point this year as well. I am in agreement with what was said previously concerning the rings. I think it is important to provide the new members with a ring, but perhaps slightly different than the rings of the Devil's Dozen, since the original group will be the only Devil's Dozen.

As for moving the meeting to different locations, I would tend to agree with that as well, so as to keep it fair for everyone. I absolutely love Fells Point, and I look forward to returning there again one day, but if the meeting was indeed held in Oregon, I would be more than willing to travel there as well. We just need to make sure that all of the members are notified far enough in advance, so that we can plan for it financially and logistically. I would think it would not be unrealistic to notify everyone at least a year ahead of time.

Edited February 10, 2011 by Captain Midnight

[Jeff MacKay]

My apologies for taking so long to get back to Pyracy pub. It has been a very busy year. I have spoken with Clay several times since last years event and here are my 2 doubloons for what they are worth as a voting member of the Order: No Inductees this year. It is not fair to do this without following the form of the first election. Candidates must be nominated, announced publicly and voted on. To come up with inductees at the last minute is unfair to the rest of our brethren who will feel that they were unaware of the process, and cheated out of campaigning.

Induction process every TWO years. This keeps the numbers lower, gives people more time to think about who to nominate, makes the membership more special, gives us (The Order) more time to plan a better ceremony etc.. for 2012. People will NOT lose interest in the Order and think it was a one time thing IF we keep the public informed, (through Pirates Mag. and Social Media) as to what we are doing and what the process is.

Rings. Clay and I talked about this at length. Yes New Inductees should absolutely get rings, they should be presented by the existing Order, at the ceremony. Cost...a fund raiser could be undertaken to raise the money for the rings. I suggested a special T shirt for supporters of the Order of Leviathan. A shirt that the public, husbands, wives, friends, crews etc... can purchase for $20. w/ the Order's Logo on it, but it would state( in some fashion) that they are a supporter of ( and imply that they ARE NOT a member of). We would do a Member's only and different T shirt for those of us in the order ( with sizes that actually fit all of us). Having the year buffer (2011) will give us the time to design, market and collect the funds needed to have the rings made.

I personally will not be at Fell's Point this year. I know that a majority of the Order will not be, and so it does not make sense to have an Official function there, just for the sake of having one, with a few members. Doing something unofficial, Hell Yes, have a great time, tear up the town, and present yourselves as member's of the Order, you do after all wear the ring proudly. Gamble for swords, roll the dice, promote yourselves and your personal businesses, But induct new people for the sake of inducting someone? My advice is "No".

As for "Pirate of the Year", that is a seperate, but "tied" issue. To my understanding it is chosen by "Pirates Mag", and can be presented as such by Pirates Magazine. Last year we (The Devil's Dozen) were told that WE would elect, from within our own ranks, "The Pirate King". That did not happen. Somehow "Pirate King" disappeared and "Pirate of the Year" took it's place at the ceremony. Then again, originally The Devil's Dozen were also called "Pirate Lords" until, some people decided to take issue with the title, and then we became "13, er 14 people who are outstanding members of the pirate community as voted upon by our peers" ( sounds really Piratey doesn't it?). I feel that we can call ourselves Pirate Lords, and I continue to do so. I think we ( order of leviathan) should decide whether or not we want a seperate "Pirate King" that comes from within our ranks, or if we are fine with a "Pirate of the Year" who can come from anywhere, chosen by the mag.

I believe that it was Clay's intent, to get this "Order of Leviathan" started the first year, and that after that we would need to start governing ourselves through our members. We agreed to this when accepting the induction into the order....That's what we were told. Though again, we should have a codex drawn up that we all sign, that explains how we will do these things. how we will operate. what our purpose is.I agree that we need to have meetings, maybe 2-4 a year and possibly through a conference call. Organizations do it all the time, I don't see why we can't. But we need to start working on this NOW, and get ready for 2012, as 2011 is already upon us and Fells Point is little more than a month away.

Ok, I know I said a lot, and yet probably not enough. LOL I need to get back to work. I look forward to your comments. Anyone needing to get ahold of me, it is much quicker through facebook, and I encourage you to start using the Order of Leviathan Facebook page. In case you are unaware, we have over 1300 supporters of that page and our ORDER. -Jeff MacKay

[Jeff MacKay]

PS. Because I just read Matt's post "There will 100% be an Official meeting at Fells Point". There Officially CAN NOT be an Official meeting there if we (the "Members" ) have not voted on there being an Official meeting. I don't think that most of us will be in attendance. Therefore no motions put forward would be able to be passed. So you simply cannot say that there will be an Official Meeting. Who decided that there would be an "Official" meeting? We didn't. Sorry. MacKay

[Capt. Sterling]

Hmmm this is becoming more and more complicated all the time. I am not quite sure as to how we shall be following the exact format of the original contest.. I can still see having folks nominated and having their profiles printed up in Pirates Magazine, but I was under the impression that it was up to the members of the order to vote in the new members and that it is no longer the privilege of the magazine readers, so there will be obvious changes to the process.

As to nominees being last minute, granted they have not been placed in the magazine as of yet, but folks have been nominating candidates all along here at the pub. It is just that no one has bothered to do anything about it, we seemed to have been too concerned about our colours. And aye, t'is obviously too late this year...it was almost too late the first year. Nominees should be announced early in the year, so folks get a chance to meet them at events during the year. So perhaps no inductions this year at Fells Point but how about announcing some nominees?

I highly disagree with waiting every two years, although I can understand where costs are concerned...I have heard too much "gossip" that since nothing was done this year, that it was a one shot deal. We should have struck whilst the iron was still hot and then announced a two year wait...Maybe things are different on the West coast or perhaps we operate in different circles within the hobby but that is the impression I have been getting and it is no longer a positive one in many cases. If you wish to keep the numbers low, induct fewer members each year.

As to how the business of the Order is to be conducted, that too needs to be settled and soon. Facebook is out for me as I work in an elementary school and it is banned here. Also conference calls are out as well. If we are to meet in person, it will truly need to be somewhere centrally located to all of us and with the distances that are involved, I truly think that online meetings are still the best way to go. I think Stynky had the right idea by setting up this private area for the use of the Order and we should take advantage of it. Perhaps he could set up a private chat and we could meet online once every quarter on a particular evening?

[Capt. Sterling]

PS. Because I just read Matt's post "There will 100% be an Official meeting at Fells Point". There Officially CAN NOT be an Official meeting there if we (the "Members" ) have not voted on there being an Official meeting. I don't think that most of us will be in attendance. Therefore no motions put forward would be able to be passed. So you simply cannot say that there will be an Official Meeting. Who decided that there would be an "Official" meeting? We didn't. Sorry. MacKay

I think Matt was just trying to wake up the Order...He believes in the Order and wants very much to see it succeed, but so far little has been accomplished since business of the Order was turned over to the Order.