Officer Position: WESTSIDE REP. [nominate within]

[Mike_Moss]

With the recent appointment of former Westside Rep. Jeff (midnitehour), we are currently accepting nominations for this role.

As you may or may not know, the Toronto Protege Club is completely run by active member volunteers who wish to give back to the club they enjoy being a part of. If you've ever been interested in helping run the club and you're located in the Westside, this is an excellent way to get involved and gain some insight in the club.


Officer Position: WESTSIDE REP. [nominate below]


POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES: Organizing monthly (at minimum) Westside Mini-Meets Organizing Westside Clan Pre-Meets for Official Club Events Helping with club events, promotions, etc. Welcoming new members to the club Moderating the forum as required


NOMINATION PROCESS: Anyone is free to nominate themselves or any other TOP member (must be Westside) TO NOMINATE: simply post the member's user name (reason optional; please refrain from posting the same name twice) TO ACCEPT/DECLINE: if you have been nominated, please accept or decline your nomination (reason optional) QUESTION: once a nominee has accepted, feel free to post relevant questions to the new candidate REPLY: candidates should reply to any questions in this thread


NOMINATION CLOSING: March 6, 2009

After Nominations close, the position will go to vote amongst the Officer Team.

NOMINATION ANNOUNCEMENT: March 16, 2009 (or earlier)

[DanTheMan]

02Silver (Gianni) :D

[02Silver]

02Silver (Gianni) :D

Thanks, I accept.

I would like to nominate The Destroyer (Jon) for this position, being he is one of the most active members of Westside.

[The Destroyer]

I would like to nominate The Destroyer (Jon) for this position, being he is one of the most active members of Westside.
Thanks Gianni. I accept the nomination!

Was going to vote for you as well but Dan beat me to the punch. :p

[midnitehour]

I'd like to nominate keika, dj_baby_tenshi

[ProBoy]

I nominate iJay.

[iJay]

Baud Thanks Craig, I accept!
I doubt it will go anywhere past this.

[Junior]

I would like to Nominate Cruisinblackp5 aka Jesus.

[cruisinblackp5]

On that note Id like to nominate Jr for west rep again

[dj_baby_tenshi]

I'd like to nominate keika, dj_baby_tenshi


Thank you and I will gladly accept :)

[iJay]

After further consideration for this postion and taken a look @ my commitments I would not have the time required to make this a successful expirence. Thanks tho Craig.

[starscream]

QUESTION:

1. The Westside crew is a tight knit group, what will you do and how will you make newer members feel welcome/comfortable and 'apart of the group'?

2. Hypothetical Situation: If a member PMed you about concerns about the way another member is treating them, what would you do? and how would you resolve this?

[02Silver]

Easy Sauce,

1. Spotting new members at meets is not a hard task as they are usually the ones who may talk to one or two people only. Just as it has been done previously, approcaching them to intoduce yourself and ask some questions about their car (ie: what mods or plans have been done to it or are planned?), while also introducing them to "the circle of members" and cracking a few jokes has always been the excellent and simplist way to break the ice.

2. Responding to a PM from a member about how another member has treated them would have to be assessed first. These situations have occurred in different ways, ranging from members who "razz" someone for kicks, down to those which would get teeth knocked out if they were to say it to your face. In the case of the later, I would have to react based on the scenario at hand, including all underlying factors. The basic principle would be to message the individuals involved and resolve the conflict before it goes any further.

[The Destroyer]

1. The Westside crew is a tight knit group, what will you do and how will you make newer members feel welcome/comfortable and 'apart of the group'?

Well with any new member during meets, the best thing I would do is to welcome them by asking for their real and board name and then by going around introducing them to everyone else at the meet as they come and go so they pick up on everyone else's name and get acquainted to them through casual conversation. During the warmer months, its better to walk around to the different groups that form around the cars to immediately get into the conversations that pop up so the other members can get a good feel of how that person is and it also helps the new members get the nerves out through casual talk.

In the off months it's important to invite them into the Boston Pizza or Timmies and go around the tables to ensure that everyone else gets a chance to introduce themselves right away so that it's not too awkward for them to start off. By having conversations with the majority of members at the meet, the new member will feel more welcomed and the majority will enjoy the jokes that go around and as a result will have a good time. For some members that might not pick up with the talk as easily as others, it's important to come up and make them feel more apart of the meet by asking them how everything is. I might bring up some talk about their car and its future, and then bring them into a conversation with some other members to help ease them into the group.


2. Hypothetical Situation: If a member PMed you about concerns about the way another member is treating them, what would you do? and how would you resolve this?

Depending on the situation and it's severity, I would PM the other member(s) in question and ask them for their take on what has happened just to hear their side of the story but without jumping to any conclusions. Once I hear more about the situation and why it has happened, I will discuss it with the members in question and just remind them to treat everyone in the club with equal respect and dignity as we are all human beings. Almost always there is some kind of misunderstanding that took place causing the members concern, so it can usually be resolved by informing them what caused the other member to say what they did and ensure the issue will not occur in the future.

Members can put the wrong point across at times but that's just the way some of them are. It's important to relay that message to the members voicing the concern (usually the new member) so that they don't take anything others might say about them on the forums to heart as everyone is entitled to their own opinion. We are all here to have a good time and learn some things about our cars in the process, so it's important every so often to point out the rules to members in order to ensure they are followed.

[RicecookerP5]

Westside has always been a proud clan. The "In your face" attitude and swagger seems to have died down. How do you plan on reviving the rivalry?

[The Destroyer]

Westside has always been a proud clan. The "In your face" attitude and swagger seems to have died down. How do you plan on reviving the rivalry? In coordination with the Events Coordinator and other Officers, I plan to help organize the official meets and get together's to be more eastside versus westside and farmside versus central oriented. Possible events for these match-up's are through sporting events, go-kart meets, paintball, show and shines, amongst numerous others. I believe this would help bring back that attitude through the pride of suiting up for your respectable side in hopes that your clan pulls through. Of course this all depends on the participation numbers of each section but there would always be a way to provide these matchup's and make it a fair and enjoyable outing for all sides.

[raghtal]

Can anyone ask a question of those nominated?

If so, I'd like to ask the nominees about the challenge they see in the geography of the Westside, which claims clan members from as far as Kitchener, all the way in through Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville and Mississauga. Many members find the trek to the weekly Westside Tim's meet to be a bit of a challenge, but would like to be more involved. As Westside Rep, how would you deal with this challenge and do you propose any changes to where events are held in The West?

[02Silver]

Westside has always been a proud clan. The "In your face" attitude and swagger seems to have died down. How do you plan on reviving the rivalry?

The other clans aren’t even on the radar. Come to think of it, the Westside is the only clan with active weekly meets as far as what’s seen on the board. When we see some other meets to go to, we’ll be there to rep. the West. Until then we’ll assume everyone’s with there moms watching Golden Girls. These haters know there role and “shout from the rooftops” when they wanna call us out, instead of actually stepping up at a meet. The swaggers not gone, we’ve just put it on the shelf.

Represent


I'd like to ask the nominees about the challenge they see in the geography of the Westside, which claims clan members from as far as Kitchener, all the way in through Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville and Mississauga. Many members find the trek to the weekly Westside Tim's meet to be a bit of a challenge, but would like to be more involved. As Westside Rep, how would you deal with this challenge and do you propose any changes to where events are held in The West?

This is a good suggestion in my mind. It seems as though Westside meets are held as they currently are to accommodate the majority of clan members geographically. I would strongly welcome the option for those with requests for meets in specific cities or towns to PM me. In return I can use the most popular suggestions in a poll to allow for voting, to which naturally we could schedule an upcoming meet(s) at one or more of the most popular location(s). Suggestions made would also be reviewed based on the suggesting members participation in existing Westside meets to ensure equal consideration for the “regulars” as well.

[Cocco]

Why do you feel you deserve to be the Westside Rep? and what do you have to offer to TOP and the Team of Officer's?

[02Silver]

Why do you feel you deserve to be the Westside Rep? and what do you have to offer to TOP and the Team of Officer's?

I am a regular face at the weekly meets, so everyone knows me by name and I'm not just “the redheaded guy”. The truth is that I would love the opportunity to rep these clowns and goons. Since I have been active, this has become an extension of my social life, while the Westside meets have allowed us to share many-o laughs, seen the rise of “the file” and made friendships with the homeless.

I can offer an alternative opinion for the club as I like the thought of bringing new ideas to the discussion. Having ‘nother I Tie as an officer can’t be such a bad thing either. I can vouch that I am one who will live up to expectations and responsibilities, while also offering my time to assist in general discussions and the planning of events.

[-RJ3-]

I seem to see Perma a lot in westside meets, and has helped out little or big... I nominate him.

[RicecookerP5]

^Perma is currently the Creative Content officer.

[Perma]

Thanks for the nomination, RJ3. But as I am currently serving as the CCO, I respectfully decline.

[The Destroyer]

If so, I'd like to ask the nominees about the challenge they see in the geography of the Westside, which claims clan members from as far as Kitchener, all the way in through Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville and Mississauga. Many members find the trek to the weekly Westside Tim's meet to be a bit of a challenge, but would like to be more involved. As Westside Rep, how would you deal with this challenge and do you propose any changes to where events are held in The West? I'm all about setting up more meets elsewhere to help accommodate more members. I setup a Georgetown meet over the holidays for some of the guys that couldn't make it out to the Westside meet regularly and it was a good time for all. If there is interest for a meet by several members in an area that works, then others will make the trek as well. This will help some of the new members in these outer areas meet a few faces which would hopefully lead them to make the trek out to Dixie and Aimco on Thursdays.

Why do you feel you deserve to be the Westside Rep? and what do you have to offer to TOP and the Team of Officer's? I feel like I deserve the position because I try my best to make a weekly appearance at the Westside meet as well as all the Official meets that I can. I also try to help out on the forums on topics I have experience with as much as I can. I'm very dedicated to the site and want to use the relationships I've made through the site to get more feedback from members to help bring more variety in the site's events. The Westside meets are solid as they stand now and is a great tradition, but the one thing I will do is be as comforting to new members as possible and ensure they feel apart of the group and have every reason to come back to future events.

We are all apart of a great community and by following the tradition of past officers in this position, it will ensure the site can continue to thrive and grow as much as possible and I would just love to be apart of that. Many people have gone out of their way to help me and others on the site and I just want to give back to the site for the good times and experiences I've had.

[dj_baby_tenshi]

I will be posting up my responses to the questions tonight :)

[tiffers]

Can anyone ask a question of those nominated?

If so, I'd like to ask the nominees about the challenge they see in the geography of the Westside, which claims clan members from as far as Kitchener, all the way in through Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville and Mississauga. Many members find the trek to the weekly Westside Tim's meet to be a bit of a challenge, but would like to be more involved. As Westside Rep, how would you deal with this challenge and do you propose any changes to where events are held in The West?

Hamilton Meets on Sundays :D woot Beach meets!! cant wait :D

London every second Tuesday

Kitchener tuesdays.



Ok back on topic.


Do you feel you can maintain the professionalism and maturity needed to be an officer and be someone that can lead by example for the newer members and someone older members can respect??

In saying that Im all about having fun but do you know where to draw the line?



Also how will you deal with conflict of interest... meaning if something big is discussed in the officers forum can the officers and members alike trust you not to spill the beans? OR if a member is selling something or whatever can we trust you not to attempt to use your position as a means to gaining an advantage over another in a sale or etc.



My question to the Officers.... Why can't members vote on their reps?? :P PSSSSSSSSSSSSSSt VOTE KEIKA!!!

[02Silver]

Do you feel you can maintain the professionalism and maturity needed to be an officer and be someone that can lead by example for the newer members and someone older members can respect?? In saying that Im all about having fun but do you know where to draw the line?

I have always been one to act out, the thing to remember that there is a time to play and a time to work. My day to day job requires interacting with others in a politically sensitive manner, this is no different.


Also how will you deal with conflict of interest... meaning if something big is discussed in the officers forum can the officers and members alike trust you not to spill the beans? OR if a member is selling something or whatever can we trust you not to attempt to use your position as a means to gaining an advantage over another in a sale or etc.


The only way to really give everyone a piece of mind in this matter is to say I will deal with every situation in the best interest of the club. I understand that some discussions occur which are kept secret for obvious reasons. Gaining an unfair advantage over a sale by using my position does not seem to be a realistic scenario in my mind since I really would have no direct influence over the seller.

[Junior]

My question to the Officers.... Why can't members vote on their reps?? :P PSSSSSSSSSSSSSSt VOTE KEIKA!!!

Thanks for your question and I think I can answer this question truthfully and honestly.

In all cases where an officer's position is available, the members are able to nominate their peers for the positions. Officers are also members of the forum, that have previously been elected in, at one point or another. They have been selected by their peers to represent all it's members.

Member votes for officer's positions haven't been used to this point, as they can turn into popularity contests, as opposed as to 'the best person for the job'.

The current system allows peers to nominate who they see fit, and then give ALL members a chance to question these individuals and we can all see the responses. Based on those responses, the officers can discuss and review and debate as to who would be most fitting (judging by those responses) for the role.

[dj_baby_tenshi]

QUESTION & ANSWERS:

1. The Westside crew is a tight knit group, what will you do and how will you make newer members feel welcome/comfortable and 'apart of the group'?

I am going to speak from my experiences to when I was a ‘new addition’ to the tight Westside family. I know that it is hard to make that initial connection with people especially when you feel like you are stepping into a group that has their friends established already. And to add to that, there was only a hand full of girls at that time as it was more of a male dominated club that made it more intimidating. With that being said, I know that I had been very welcomed by the Westside rep and have never forgotten how much that meant to me. Therefore, my intention is to do the same with all the new members to this group and the rest of the TOP crew. My focus will be to make sure that they feel that they can come to me and discuss any matter and that they feel comfortable being around everyone. I think this is very important since this can determine whether the person feels accepted or not which will affect their involvement with others and interests in this community.

I am a very shy person but most don’t know it because I have overcome this with the members of TOP since everyone here has been accepting and now are friends of mine. With that being said I will introduce the new member to the crew and the rest of the TOP gang and make sure my focus is to build that rapport with that member and to find out why he/she have joined this group and what they want to personally get back from it. I will personally invite he/she out to all the event/meets to make sure that they get involved and meet the other members. I will ‘break the ice’ of ‘uncomfortableness’ for them so that it will be easier for him/her.

2. Hypothetical Situation: If a member PMed you about concerns about the way another member is treating them, what would you do? and how would you resolve this?

I would really like to stress confidentiality and trust. Many problems can come about when this is broken between members. First off, I will listen to their concerns thoroughly before addressing it. There are many different ways of dealing with various situations. Usually issues can be resolved before it becomes a problem. Therefore, after listening to their concerns, I would try to troubleshoot why they are feeling this way and collect any information as needed. I will talk to the opposing member either via PM or in person to see what their point of view is on the situation. There is usually always two sides of the situation. This information will not be further discussed with any other members as it has been brought to my attention in confidentiality. If the situation cannot be quickly resolved then I would involve the other officers as needed (Unless noted otherwise in the rules of an officer’s role). Once the issue is resolved I will make sure to do a follow-up that everyone is happy and the problem is really resolved. I don’t really believe in quick ‘band-aids’ as issues will always find a way to snowball if not attended to right away and properly resolved.

3. Westside has always been a proud clan. The "In your face" attitude and swagger seems to have died down. How do you plan on reviving the rivalry?

Yes, westsiders are strong and proud to be where they’re from as they should be. If not, then we wouldn’t have such a strong presence and involvement with TOP as we do. I’m not so sure about the perception of ‘In your face’, however it can be viewed in different ways. My question to that is ‘do we need to have rivalry between the areas?’. In my experience, I know that there always have been and there always will be distinctions between the different locations, however, we can all co-exist with limited ‘drama’. No matter which forum or what part of the car scene people are in there will always be people ‘trash talking’, however, its how its dealt with which makes all the difference. I know that most of the dealings in the past and/or present have been all for fun but when it does become an issue, that’s when the officers should step in to take control of the isolated case to resolve things before it gets any worse. A little bit of positive rivalry is all in good fun as it should be as it brings out the ‘competitive’ and motivates spirits.

4. Why do you feel you deserve to be the Westside Rep? and what do you have to offer to TOP and the Team of Officer's?

I am capable and willing to take on this duty as I feel that TOP is my family and I will like everyone else to share the same experiences I have. No challenge is too big and I am a firm believer that I can offer a lot to the table. I can say that I have learned a lot since joining up with TOP in 2004 and met some amazing friends (and each you know who you are!). Those who know me can vouche that I am a loyal, fun-loving, caring person that has a burning passion in the car scene. What I have to offer to TOP is my experience and dedication to this team and to the Team of officers.

5. Do you feel you can maintain the professionalism and maturity needed to be an officer and be someone that can lead by example for the newer members and someone older members can respect?? In saying that Im all about having fun but do you know where to draw the line?

Yes, a prime example is how people precieve me at work. I work for the Gov’t and no one ever guesses that I am a partier and has a hobby of cars. Even to the people that I’ve told they don’t believe me until they see my car. I like that because it shows that I have boundaries and can hold my status when needed. With that being said about TOP, I don’t want people to think that there is a hierarchy between officers and the regular members because everyone has to understand that every person is a member. The difference is that officers have a different responsibilities for the TOP group as a whole.

6. Also how will you deal with conflict of interest... meaning if something big is discussed in the officers forum can the officers and members alike trust you not to spill the beans? OR if a member is selling something or whatever can we trust you not to attempt to use your position as a means to gaining an advantage over another in a sale or etc.

I have addressed this question above about confidentiality so I won’t be adding it to my answers here. However, I will just emphasize again that confidentiality should never be broken because it will have a ripple effect. Rapport and trust would be lost and friendship could be broken and it doesn’t affect just the individuals but all of the TOP members.

As for the second question, if an officer is doing something that they shouldn’t be with the example stated above, they are abusing their privileges of their position and access they have on the forum. I don’t think this activity should be tolerated in anyway unless it was a private deal which will entail that the item was never posted on the forum for others to purchase. I am a first believer of the dibs system where the seller has the obligation to fulfill their duty to sell to who posts up first and the buyer to follow up if they are to put dibs on the item unless there are unforeseen circumstances where the dibs are retracted in which case the seller should update the thread accordingly.

7. I'd like to ask the nominees about the challenge they see in the geography of the Westside, which claims clan members from as far as Kitchener, all the way in through Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville and Mississauga. Many members find the trek to the weekly Westside Tim's meet to be a bit of a challenge, but would like to be more involved. As Westside Rep, how would you deal with this challenge and do

I will again speak from my experience. I have live(d) in Hamilton, Guelph and Oakville and although it doesn’t go as far as Windsor I have definitely had many road trips to most cities from there and in between. Therefore, I know that it is hard to get out to ‘sauga for the Thursday meets (although I used to for many years from Guelph).

When I was fairly a new member I even hosted a successful beach meet in Hamilton. I will try to spread out meets amongst the various Westside locations to be fair for all members and encourage members to cruise up with their various clans to unite. Plus it will be fun to have summer cruises to check out various locations and have day trips to experience what other cities have to offer. In this I will liaison with the Event coordinator to set up fun cruise/events for all to be a part of.

[The Destroyer]

Do you feel you can maintain the professionalism and maturity needed to be an officer and be someone that can lead by example for the newer members and someone older members can respect?? In saying that I'm all about having fun but do you know where to draw the line? Personally I always try to put forth a professional look in all aspects of my day-to-day life whether it'd be for school, work or social means. I enjoy having a good time whenever possible, but when it comes to acting out on the forums as an officer of the site, it's important to notify members and deal with issues privately in order to ensure the site runs smoothly. Not everyone may agree with things you say as an officer, but its important to be as helpful as you can on the boards and leave the fun for the off-topic forum and weekly meets.

Also how will you deal with conflict of interest... meaning if something big is discussed in the officers forum can the officers and members alike trust you not to spill the beans? OR if a member is selling something or whatever can we trust you not to attempt to use your position as a means to gaining an advantage over another in a sale or etc. Whatever happens in the officers forum stays in the officers forum simply put. If a topic is meant to be posted to members, then it will be posted after it has been discussed with the other officers. I'm aware of the rules when it comes to forum management as I've been promoted to a moderator on a few other forum sites as well in the past.

I don't see why I would ever use the officer position on the site to my advantage in any future sales. Sales are usually first come first serve and it is entirely up to the seller with how they want to go along with selling their goods whether it be via dibs list or cash is king rules. Everyone has an equal right to any sale that pops up, but given the age of our cars at this point in time, I don't personally see myself going aggressively after any items in the future so this will not be an issue.

[Hwy Demon]

Yo I nominate myself cuz Im the ***king SHIT .,

[02Silver]

Yo I nominate myself cuz Im the ***king SHIT .,

Do you need some time to think it over before you accept? :p LULZ

[Hwy Demon]

I thought it over after I nominated myself and decided to reject my own nomination. I simply dont have time. Between my Porn career and now my kid, its tough. Im always on the go and always filming myself banging chicks. Its tough. Sorry and thank you for thinking of me.

[dj_baby_tenshi]

Q to all nominees:

How would you try to get the TOP name out to public/car community to ensure that we continue to grow? What methods would you try?

I know that word of mouth definitely goes a long way and referring friends helps a lot. Tagging cars and having the toprotege.com stickers on our cars gets the word out geographically as most of us commute from city to city on a daily basis. Since I've started doing car shows, I've noticed that the car show community is very small and interlinked. Being at these shows and having my TOP stickers have shown my support for TOP, as well as, for others to see that we have representation in the car show world as well. With my experiences with modding/showing, I can help other members who have interests in seeing this side of the car community and help them along the way.

[02Silver]

I also think my raging homosexuality will help promote the club with the gay community at large. Dude, WTF? LOL.

I said I wouldn't remove it, but the war is on Eastsider! Sorry, I don't swing that way.
Next time be upfront with the guys you try to pick up instead of stealing their phone.

[starscream]

Nominations Closed....Deliberations will begin!