Virtual Communities with virtual badges .
It sounds like the game of army which kids play .
“We are the general’s (LT) you are the soldiers(ambassadors) you need to protect the our turf (the world).”
Ambassadors are CouchSurfing members who have applied for a special role within our community. The role of the Ambassadors is to be of service to CouchSurfing members and to be of service to the global community.
These are individuals to whom you wont n give a second glance . Either they are normal noobs or low down losers who have messed up lives.
So what we have is a game of army .Where the kids form virtual hierarchies LT, Global ambassador,Country ambassadors,United Nations , President of the US of A.
The games is still not old as people still love those virtual badges. Though we see the playground fist fights all the time . The supporters of the generals ie the playground bullies ULF and the new kids on the block trent collins (stating those mark his turf).And the other kids who still want to play the game and some calling out “NO FAIR !”
But this game is taken to another level .Where the kids who play General take away the lunch money of the other kids and have fun with it. The bullies show the other kids they cant get their money back and have to still play ball.
Now the kids playing general need to justify to the other kids why they are eating ice cream with the other kids money.The kids on top have to be smarter than the other kids and think fast. So they come up with “we are holding a collective to make the world a better place for you and me “. The other kids buy the story .
The lunch money is gone!! The local communities are poorer with out those funds which could have set up local center all over the world. But as control of turf is essential to the well-being of the gang this will never happen.
Researchers agree that most gangs share certain characteristics. Although there are exceptions, gangs tend to develop along racial and ethnic lines, and are typically 90 percent male . Gang members often display
their membership through distinctive styles of dress ,symbols 
–their “colors”–and through specific activities and patterns of behavior
. In addition, gangs almost universally show strong loyalty to their neighborhood, but the primary attraction of gangs is their ability to respond to needs that are not otherwise being met gang membership gives youth a sense of belonging and becomes a major source of identity for its members
. In turn,gang membership affords youth a sense of power and control, and gang activities become an outlet the control of turf is essential to the well-being of the gang, which often will use pressure tactice to control both its territory and members (NDA).
I think this shows a lack of intelligence on behalf of the author:
Otherwise, I think it’s a great post. The analogy is quite amusing and remarkably accurate. Although the kids are only “strongly encouraged” to give up their lunch money, not forced upon threat of violence.
Mikky Mouth the austian cyber bully is causing real world security problems for travelers by these giving these virtual ambassador badges to the wrong people.
The rachel has to go clean up the mess. But being the whimp with the non communicative deletions cause even more animosity and security problems from people who maybe would have supported a more vocal and straight forward virtual safety office.
I think the thrust of the post is interesting, and may have some truth to it. The piece probably needs more polish, especially the title (It seems to overshadow good points in the piece).
You guys are so mean.
“You guys are so mean.” is also typical playground language.
There are two groups of kids one who just cant get away from the gang and another group of kids who no longer will let the kids take their lunch money for their “collective” for free.
There are some kids who “like’ the gang leaders and as the gang leaders have not really taken the money of these girls (probably friends of their sister(msdt)).When these girls see the group(ocs) standing up to the gang(when no one had ever done that before) exclaim “you guys are mean, don’t be mean to my nice friends”.
Some kids who play soldier(nomadic ambassador ,country ambassador) begin to realise that there is something really really wrong here. The kids who play President have totally different ideal from the ideals which make the soldier work hard to make the country and world better(marketing the site),using the other kids money to party and get drunk all year round and being mean to the others who wanted to play.
Some of the kids playing soldier (lei) begin to voice out “hey this is not what i signed up for!!”
But the gang leader are having so much fun and so many new kids want to be cool and are join up to do the dirty work of the soldiers they could not care less.
Some old buddies of the gang leader (bontour) try to make them make the game fun like in the old times. But the leaders have new friends now so the old friends should just rack off.
On the ambassador group a recent post by one the the gang leaders who goes by a name sounding like the movie star Triple XxX praising the foot soldiers(amb) for holding the big parties and giving the group huge publicity (which will help the leaders get more new kids to donate lunch money to be part of the cool gang).
I really disliked this post. I just discovered this site and I’m sympathetic so some of what you say – I’m a loyal CSer and I’m not involved at all in admin or anything, but I have noticed some things that aren’t democratic that I think should be, like how ambassadors are chosen, and I would also like to see better reporting on exactly how the money is spent (to increase transparency.) Anyway my point is that a post like this, which is in my opinion an absurd analogy and is really just ranting, doesn’t make me inclined to be involved in your campaign.
ok I’m willing to see that this post may be tongue in cheek, but as it’s only the 3rd or so post I’ve read on this site I don’t really have any perspective. In my opinion if you want more people to be involved in your campaign you should be more careful about how a post like this is viewed by a new visitor to the site.
@Mary
I understand your confusion. Just to make it clear (this is being stated many many times on this site), OCS is *not* an organization. Look at it as a public, uncensored message board where you can safely discuss CS without the typical social pressure. This does give OCS a few typical characteristics:
- People can be genuinly angry at the way CS is run and will sometimes post quite radicalized blog posts.
- Because we allow relative anonymity, a lot of people that defend CS do so anonymously. Why? That’s a very interesting question, but to me it tells me they are not willing to own up to their behavior. Combined with the previous point, don’t expect too much polite discussion. It’s there, but you have to look for it.
- Too much aggression solves nothing. Too much “let’s all just get along” solves nothing either. The things you have just recently noticed were noticed by many many people for almost two years now. There is no clear solution, even with dozens of people trying in about a hundred ways. OCS just keeps the pressure on and makes sure that less is lost to the sands of time and CS’s legendary amnesia.
Look through our Wiki, look at older blog posts. Undoubtedly you’ll find authors that might shock you as well, but because of what you will learn and not because of how they write things.
Mary has just joined the playground and has just noticed a group of kids who are not with the cool kids (the only kids she knew).She has her loyalty shaken by seeing the improper selection of the soldiers(army) the use of the lunch money .She still wants to believe the gang leader are nice .So she marches up to the other kids(ocs) and tells them “I’m a loyal soldier and I’m not involved at all in gang leader General stuff”
“In my opinion if you want more people to be involved in your army(she has not realised there is NO army and the group? are sick of the army game) you should be more careful about how a post like this is viewed by a new kids to the playground”
Just to point out to newcomers that this comparison of the CS organizational structure to the children’s game of war is only the latest in a long list. Previously, similarities have been noted with:
pyramidal hieracrchies,
dictatorships,
tyrannies,
feudal kingdoms,
the Catholic religion,
the Bush administration,
cults,
gangs,
schoolyard bullies,
among others.
I’ve found some of these comparisons illuminating, others entertaining, but all at least interesting, if not always polite. One thing everyone (including CS management) agrees on is that CS is NOT a democracy.
I wish this site were organized in a way that made it easier for a newcomer to quickly and selectively access topics like this one and others (such as legal issues and proposed solutions and alternatives), and that the information was ranked by a thumb up/down feedback so that the cream rises to the top. Otherwise, a newcomer can easily be put-off by the first post they read, if it happens to offend them, and look no further. But at least this site provides an uncensored forum and archive to the hospitality community.
The loyal soldiers(loyal CSers) are still playing their role without even realizing that the Gang Leaders(LT) have Stopped talking to them lowly soldiers and the soldiers no longer have the right to speak to the leaders as they are surrounded by various rings of middle men who insist that the soldier have to channel all their queries through them to their leaders. This is also not obvious to the kids playing the united nations role(country ambassador).Those kids just feel it is a nice badge to get girls.
The soldiers (loyal csers) also have no idea that the gang leader (generals/LT) have changed the game getting soldiers from outside the playground(volunteer posts on other sites), financing and marketing like a commercial entity.
apparently a pretty big group of new soldiers(new city ambassadors) has joined us today – austria alone has gotten five new soldiers(ambs!)
Congratulations everyone!
Flapic from Rome, Italy gang recruiter
united nations security council in charge of recruiting soldiers (AMT) will end toggling everybody they will post on the united nations general assembly(AMT public group)
Almanya Avrupa sampiyonu oluyor!
The global gang recruiters the greek thung, the austria jamican ,the italian mafisio are very careful who they recruit.They have to see that those who are recruited at united nations ambassadors do not cry or make a noise when their lunch money is misused. The UN ambassadors should be party people with lower than normal intelligence and qualification.The should not be people who think too much or contribute too much (as the ambassador group shows).They should have deep pockets and keep giving more than the basic lunch money to the leaders.
They should also be able to go into the larger local community and collect more protection money (verification money).They should show their local members that by paying protection money and getting a green lock badge they too can get the flag badge someday.
The brain behind the gang hierarchy a university lecturer realised that the united states version of democracy would not allow control over the kids all over the world .And also giving power to the local community would make the gang leaders lose power and protection money (which would have gone to the local community).This would have meant less free ice creams(free airplane tickets ,free food for the gang leader closest buddies).
So the leader chose the communist for of hierarchy.Where the party leaders at the center were supreme and all protection money and local goon appointments have to be made from the leaders at the center (alaska) who approved their trusted lieutenants(greek,austrian,italian) choice of leaders all over the world.
“Gods in the Vitrual world ,losers in the real world”
great topic.
exactly for this i have always heavily opposed the online jockeys who refuse the bigger picture.
i would draw the line between virtual and real world differently though, make it “gods in cs, losers in life”, which is more reflecting the real situation.
By the gang leaders own admission it is clear that protection money will not protect the gang members at all
The Generals are always looking for new kids who can form a protective shield around them and can make the kids playing soldiers believe the generals are using their lunch money for their own good. These people have to keep the kids playing soldier happy and also keep the kids playing the united nations ambassadors happy.
They found a new person a smart talking aussi Mandie for the job.Mandie also knew she had hit jackpot with a free place to stay and free food (paid by the lunch money).Now she had to convince the kids that she was the one who would give them the news .The Generals were “too busy” .She also set up the channels and used the best bureaucratic jargon like
She never really knew much about the way the army game worked but she knew she was between jobs and all the mattered was the free food and free lodging and the parties .Now she was so busy eating the ice cream that she forgot she had to “communicate ” with the kids playing the united nations ambassador and went silent for 20 days. She still does not know where the kids talk(brainstorm group) so she could not be bothered as she is not buddies with the generals who have not cut off all communications with the soldiers and talk to a few kids who play the united nations global ambassador roles.
correction “so she could not be bothered as she is now buddies with the generals who have cut off all communications with the soldiers and talk to a few kids who play the united nations global ambassador roles.”
Mr Collin the honorable bodyguard hoodwinked the papers and told them couch surfing was completely safe and there has not been a single incident on couch surfing.All the while the MSDT were hushing up safety cases left right and center. Rape cases have been hushed up and are being done so right now. This is done to show the members that their protection money is REALLY keeping them protected.
Hello everyone, thought I’d drop in to say hello.
Looks like I’m one of the “losers”
Most of you don’t know me. I used to be a CS Amb (Czech Country Amb then Nomadic) until I decided I needed time off to detox from CS politics and do other things for a bit.
(A little about me: I’ve lived in 7 countries (4 continents) and visited about 23 countries (many thru CS/HC). I’ve got a double-degree in Marketing/IT and currently work for a software company in Toronto. I recently got married to a beautiful woman, who’s studying culinary arts (so I get to eat lots of yummy food!). Hmm, if this is what means to be a “loser”, then bring it on!)
I’ve been away from CS for about 9 months, only to return to see not much has really changed. For the record, I do not blindly agree with either side – I’ve met Kasper, Callum, Mikky, Duke and enjoyed their company. I decide if I like people based on their individual merits, not their ideology or brand of hospitality.
Anyway, after so many months away from all things CS – I went to a CS gathering in Toronto a few weeks ago. It felt like I was home with my people. It could have just have been a BeWelcome or HC gathering.
My point is what I like about travel communities is that you actually meet & hang out with interesting, positive and open-minded people in real life.
This OCS blog however, I dunno. It seems to fester so much hostility and negativity. I understand that you guys want to be the checks and balances to the LT – just do not let it make you the anti-thesis.
Anyhoo, hope you guys are happy wherever and whatever you are up to.
Give me a shout if any of you come to Toronto!
Roy
Get. A. Life.
From the ambassador public
Thank you OH Gang Recruiter for making me fell i belong somewhere now.
Thank you for voting I will server the united nations well and will bring world peace. Will spend less on airplanes and give more to the poor .I will use less dope and use that money for good. I will stop getting drunk and use that alcohol money i am using to get wasted to really improve someone else life.
What do most Americans on couch surfing have in common with most Americans who supported President Bush when he decided to bomb iraq?
Both groups of Americans feel their leader is going a good job.And will defend him against all criticism.
“Looks like I’m one of the “losers”
Most of you don’t know me. I used to be a CS Amb (Czech Country Amb then Nomadic) until I decided I needed time off to detox from CS politics and do other things for a bit.”
good job at showing how you dont get the whole point in your first sentence already. as it might have occured to you, most people here are/were volunteers and involved heavily and for a long time.
“(A little about me: I’ve lived in 7 countries (4 continents) and visited about 23 countries (many thru CS/HC). I’ve got a double-degree in Marketing/IT and currently work for a software company in Toronto. I recently got married to a beautiful woman, who’s studying culinary arts (so I get to eat lots of yummy food!). Hmm, if this is what means to be a “loser”, then bring it on!)”
wow you are a real winner, can i suck your dick? you will get a cookie aswell. apart from my admiration for you, i have to tell you though, by even mentioning a marketing degree you discredit yourself from being taken serious.
“I’ve been away from CS for about 9 months, only to return to see not much has really changed. For the record, I do not blindly agree with either side – I’ve met Kasper, Callum, Mikky, Duke and enjoyed their company. I decide if I like people based on their individual merits, not their ideology or brand of hospitality.”
its not about feelings or ideology but about simple and normal proceedings and operations of companies or organizations that can be checked and verified according to the accepted norms and standards
“Anyway, after so many months away from all things CS – I went to a CS gathering in Toronto a few weeks ago. It felt like I was home with my people. It could have just have been a BeWelcome or HC gathering.”
your point? apart from being a bit of a superficial type who seems to feel at home with strangers?
“My point is what I like about travel communities is that you actually meet & hang out with interesting, positive and open-minded people in real life.”
so enjoy ocs, the most positive, interesting and open minded bunch, where people constructively approach issues and solve them.
“This OCS blog however, I dunno. It seems to fester so much hostility and negativity. I understand that you guys want to be the checks and balances to the LT – just do not let it make you the anti-thesis.”
negativity from ocs? i dare you, point out a single instance where the “negativity” originated from “ocs pirates”.
all the waste and frustration of volunteer workforce by bad management is “negativity” that you seem to attribute to ocs, start thinking where it comes from.
applying your logic, lets close down all education centres on genocide, after all, they fester so much hostility and negativity. who would be so stupid to come up with a way to fight genocide from happening, when forgetting about it is so much easier. thanks for leading me to the obvious, god i am such a moron.
“Anyhoo, hope you guys are happy wherever and whatever you are up to.
Give me a shout if any of you come to Toronto!”
i am happy from having being led to wisdom by a marketing guy, whoo!!
Responses like this are why people will never feel this is a safe place to discuss anything and it will never be considered credible critique of anything! Kinda reminds me of a bad knock off of Fox News. We will point the news we feel is important, but lets get enough people who will (almost too) freely give their opinions (generally one sided) so that any other opinion will look inherently flawed.
“wow you are a real winner, can i suck your dick?”
Thanks for the offer zak0r, but sorry I’m not gay. I can see how desperate and sexually frustrated you must be, because with your kind of personality no woman would like you.
Gosh, it’s pretty scary to think a social retard like you is on hospitality networks. People like you and “Jerme” (or is that you as well) are OCS’s biggest enemies.
—————————
Callum – Is THIS what you want OCS to be mate? This has convinced me that the LT are the lesser of two evils. Sorry mate, this site is dead now. I’m out of here.
Azarethroy: “I can see how desperate and sexually frustrated you must be, because with your kind of personality no woman would like you.”
Thank you for suggesting that people are gay because women don’t want them. It’s some time since I heard that one. Any news on the earth being flat?
Hmm, you make a really good point Pickwick. I will amend my post….
_________________________________________________________________
“wow you are a real winner, can i suck your dick?”
Thanks for the offer zak0r, but sorry I’m not gay. I can see how desperate and sexually frustrated you must be, because with your kind of personality no one would like you.
Gosh, it’s pretty scary to think a social retard like you is on hospitality networks. People like you and “Jerme” (or is that you as well) are OCS’s biggest enemies.
Hey Roy, I for one actually like zak0r a lot (but not in a gay way). His words are often coarse and blunt. His real-life presence, such as the grin on his face when he says something provocative, makes a big difference. I definitely would not classify him as a social retard. Just somewhat less politically correct than most anglo-saxons.
On the other hand, I can understand a little bit how you feel about this. For instance, I have never met Mikky myself, and he wrote horrible things, to me personally and publicly, but somehow everyone who met him seems to totally dig him.
And, even though I like zak0r, I don’t think he should be spokesperson, “ambassador” or something similar (and he is not in OpenCS, because there are none). Also, zak0r will probably agree with me in this matter. But, in CS people who behave and communicate in similar but slightly less open ways are promoted to global ambassadors or “leaders”.
Well Kasper, since you appreciate bluntness, I will cut to the chase…
The irony of it all is that “Gods of Virtual worlds” come in many forms – Ambassadors, Leaders or even Pirates.
I was trying to say in a kind way that life goes on. Why give so much importance to what a small group of people in Alaska are doing? Are you guys really so fucked up that you’ll be bitching about CouchSurfing for the rest of your lives?? What happened to the new mission of promoting better hospitality networks??
The first time I quit CS (Aug 2007) was because of this OCS/LT saga. Not because you guys were doing such a great job, but because I was so fucking sick of hearing about “CS politics”. It just stopped being fun. I just wanted to meet cool people from around the world, not debate politics. Seriously, CS is JUST a travel/hospitality website – so get over it.
Kasper, I’m glad you like Zak0r. But his attitude is like a cancer. How fitting that the mood of this blog is so negative as well then.
You know, I finally understand what OCS is now. It’s Outcasts of CouchSurfing. You guys aren’t interested in making Couchsurfing more open, or even promoting BeWelcome. That’s all a pretense. All you guys want to do is bitch, bitch, bitch and do nothing constructive about it.
But I get it. Honestly I do. This is your (anti)social network. It’s kinda pathetic, but hey it’s your lives. Enjoy wasting it.
OK I’m done now. Don’t worry, this is my last post on this blog. Goodbye.
Roy
Roy: “Goodbye.”
You’re making more final appearances than an opera diva. I don’t like people stomping off in a huff, because it’s just a manipulative way of trying to have the last word.
“not debate politics”
Who forced you? Everybody is perfectly free to ignore those debates. What you say only would make sense if your desire was also to stop everybody else having them. Why should you have that right?
Apart from that I find this attitude quite shallow. Somebody who just wants to use the facilities of a community is not superior to those who are prepared to take responsibility in it. Politics means participating in the affairs and welfare of your community. Defaming politics as you do, in line with many establishment figures, is incredibly uninformed, naive, and ultra right wing, because it only serves the purpose of excluding people from handling their own affairs.
From the brainstorm group
The way D behaved is pretty typical of “the soldier”. I’d like to be a bit more general.
It seems to be part of human nature to tend to identify yourself with your… nation, company, university, family name, football team… any easily identifiable group that is “us” and the rest of the world : “them”.
And, in the case of a football team fan, whatever the team against, they are evil, and whatever stupid motherfucker is playing in “our” team is the most amazing guy in the world.
This creates a very solid group consciousness that makes it easier to live/work together (it is very much used in big companies). But seen from outside, it is pretty offensive.
This type of behaviour is pretty much recognized as short-sighted isn’t it?
Where does it come from?
In my opinion, it is maintained by the internal communication of CS.
When we get a newsletter from higher-up, it smells like pretty flowers. “Yes! We are changing the world!”, “our wonderful team of only-nice-people” … I’m making it up, but that’s the general feeling you get from it. It sounds to me like the production statistics of a stalinist country (“this year, chocolate production was increased by 1200 % – The Party”).
We can’t blame individual members for their fanatism towards the Cause, but there are ways to make it more, or less likely to happen.