Greetings BI, long time no see for many of you. Quick message here from someone who is not an official BI member, but received the email that no doubt everyone in the list got.
I've been in the situation before where a club/clan faces its demise. It's easy for members to blame the leadership, and its also easy for the leadership to blame themselves. After all, when you've been a part of something for a while and tried to do your best to steer it and keep everyone happy, its difficult to even consider closing it down.
Ultimately however, its not those at the top who are to blame, but the members themselves. If the members don't want to take up a new game that others are playing, you can't force them. If you host an event but your members don't want to take part, you can't force them. if they don't want to contribute financially (or can't) to the clubs needs and running costs, then you can't force them. As easy as it is to lay fault at those at the top, you all have to ask yourself, what have I done to help out and encourage other people to stay active?
Now I'm well aware that various people here have different opinions of me, I get on well with most while others are determined to do their best to try and pee me either to get a reaction or because they figure its the best way to look big on Teamspeak when in game. But that in itself kind of goes against ya. During the FS events when people have been utilizing (and many thanks for providing it) the BI TS server, how does it reflect on you as a group when pubbers see how you decide to group against any one individual, or begin verbally abusing them amongst yourselves? You cant expect to bring in a great deal of new blood if you give the impression of a club that participates in actions others don't agree with or perhaps even find offensive or just downright out of order. And again, it comes back to how the members rather than the leaders/admins conduct themselves.
BI is in a unique position right now, in more ways than one. You have the membership, experience and facilities to promote First Strike and ensure its continuance, yet from what I've read many of you have already decided that its dead or only has months to live. You had the greatest membership of any other clan that played FS and regularly turned out to play it, either amongst yourselves for the giggles, or during the community nights/clan wars etc to face off with the pubbers. Now, I don't know if its just personal circumstances among each other, or if its how certain actions and individuals have been met from the FS team, but that's dwindled sharply and I don't mean recently. But I think that now more than ever both groups could benefit greatly from each other. Your presence on the servers will help promote FS as having an active community, while at the same time may rejuvenate BI's gaming spirit and camaraderie.
As I said, I'm well aware of how some around here view me, so I expect to receive some flak back disagreeing with elements or denying anything ever took place on either side. But if your that deep in the poo maybe now is the time to remove the blinkers and decide on a course of action together.
