Great - Please put in a request to join on our Steam group, and I'll approve
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May the non-English speaker join your group?
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Yes absolutely! Please go to the Steam group page and click Request to Join button. After that I will accept your request.
I can't say no to those big eyes.
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Thanks for your interest, but your Sent CV is lower than your Received CV. Feel free to reapply when Sent is greater than Received CV!
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They are nearly the same (6600 vs 6400). But no problem. Thx for a answer.
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Hi, the guild recently updated our new member rules around CV requirements, and I noticed you have a high Value Difference in at least one group. So if you would still like to join the guild, just put in a Steam request through our group and I'll add you: https://steamcommunity.com/groups/BAGuild/
The initiation GA is now more flexible:
In the month of June create group-only one time 20 Point or higher GA or two 15 Point or higher GAs, post it in our forum (members only), and have a verified winner for each GA.
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Thank you for this post. Of urse i will be happy to join.
Yes I always try to be fair with groups (and will be ok with rules in your group too).
Unfortunately i think you need to invite me as i can not request again as i have info that was refused (on first try).
EDIT: I just accepted invite (ok it was invite for your freind list :) - was too fast :). Thank you very much. Today will make my first GA/GAs
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What happens if you end up with the worst average? Will you purge yourself? :)
So or so, not applying. While it makes sense to have some incentive for giving, with those rules it seems as that the group will turn exclusive very quickly. Meaning that around the first purge, it seems likely that there will be x members with each at least e.g. +200 value (and a huge gap, and purged members with -200 each, who at some point realized that they can't keep up with those x members on them x safe spots, in terms of making GAs, and ended up not making any GAs). And every new member after that point would have to reach +200 quickly to not be purged next round (even if they didn't win anything and made 10 GAs meanwhile). Of course, it may end up more balanced than described, but considering that x members are likely to giveaway bundle-leftovers others of the x members already have, it seems more likely that new members will be facing a huge wall to overcome to get to one of the x spots, which doesn't seem nice for x members to cherry-pick from the GAs new members will be making in an effort to get there while likely to be purged in the name of exclusive number of x members.
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I don't really care for all that but I want to know how is this a simple and flexible group with all those rules.
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Doesn't seem to be any more flexible or free than any other groups I've seen.
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I have the same reply for you as I gave alexan310.
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Of course this guild is not as simple and flexible as public groups. This guild is meant to be something different and a happy-medium or light when it comes to rules - It is not trying to be everything to everyone, aside from balancing average entries. When I say "more gift & entry freedom" that is implying a relative comparison that the guild has more freedom & less rules than a number of other non-public groups with rules. I admire what many other groups with more rules and their own sites are trying to accomplish (I'm even a member of some!), but while I remain a part of those, I'm just trying something different with the new guild I've started.
For instance, let me break down the rule counts of current group recruit threads with comments in the past day:
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4 non-public groups range from having 10 to 19 rules, two groups of which require use of the group's proprietary web site.
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One invite-only group has vague rules about "if you have not been active lately. If you do, you will be kicked out of the group." and vague rules about getting an invite: "We only invite users to the group...analysed on a case-by-case basis."
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One public group had no rules.
My guild has 4 rules for staying a member, 8 at most if you count how to join the group, empirically having less rules than most currently active groups. "Be reasonable with GAs" is a broad guideline and not a collection of rules, hence "Don't post a ton of...".
I welcome suggestions on how to accomplish a sustainable SG group that answers the 3 questions above with less rules.
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I do enjoy discussing what works & what doesn't for groups, which I started discussing in a different thread a month ago before my group & others created in April & May started showing up in SG. Before that, I did try starting a topic to understand more about the Group Stats (Sent, Received, Gift Diff, Value Diff), but that didn't yield much discussion. So my response below is as much or more of a thought exercise for myself as it is for anyone else. That way, we can look back at our theories and learn how right, wrong, or different they end up being.
What happens if you end up with the worst average? Will you purge yourself? :)
Yes, in the highly unlikely event that I have one of the worst CVs in the guild, I would leave, and there would be at least one guild admin to take over. I will appoint other guild leaders as the group progresses. Until then, I am accountable to the group and people like you from the SG community who keep me accountable.
with those rules it seems as that the group will turn exclusive very quickly.
It will certainly have seasons of being non-exclusive (getting started and for at least 2 weeks after every purge) and some brief seasons of being exclusive (no recruiting when Average Entries >= Targeted Average).
For my full theory, see the bottom of the guild's full FAQ.
Maybe purges could be different (more/less often, more/less members purged) or requirements to join could be higher to decrease how long the exclusive seasons might be, but I'm trying to avoid the latter - Any suggestions? These group rules are kind of an experiment of sorts, so I may tweak them based on what actually happens, but I have to start somewhere to test my hypotheses given the goal I have (manage membership based on Average Entries & Value Diff).
Meaning that around the first purge, it seems likely that there will be x members with each at least e.g. +200 value (and a huge gap, and purged members with -200 each, who at some point realized that they can't keep up with those x members on them x safe spots, in terms of making GAs, and ended up not making any GAs).
Where do you get 200 from? BTW I wrote "20P or higher [mandatory one-time] GA" in my post as in "20 points" which can translate to "+$20.00" value difference. I have updated the post to clarify it as "20 Points".
Anyways, I see two assumptions you have written that I disagree with:
Assumption 1: Giving and winning is a zero sum game.
It is not that simple because of things like the fact that <5 entries results in 0 CV Sent and presumably +0 VD for the GA creator (hopefully that happens less than 5-10% of all 20+ Point GAs), BUT still results in X CV Received and -$X VD for the GA winner.
Assumption 2: New members will have too much competition with existing members.
The above <5 entries scenario alone will shift the distribution of VD among members to slightly more negative than positive. I have looked at stats of various groups that do not enforce ratios or playing wins, and it seems that groups with roughly 100-300 members have an Average Entries of 30-60.
At the bottom of full FAQ, I have added why I doubt that the number of purged members would only result in positive or neutral VD members remaining.
Anything I laid out that seems unlikely in your opinion?
considering that x members are likely to giveaway bundle-leftovers others of the x members already have, it seems more likely that new members will be facing a huge wall to overcome to get to one of the x spots
Likelyhood of new members' GAs getting entries is worth considering. I think the psuedo revolving door of recruitment after purges & lower average entries can bring in new members that want to enter in GAs for said bundle-leftovers. The lower level requirement this group has (level 3 unlike other groups needing 4 or 5) helps open the door to that as well.
EDIT: Moved some parts of answers to "not-so frequently asked questions" part of FAQ for others' reference.
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Yes, please request to join the Steam group so I can add you
EDIT: Added, please sync :D
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I'd like to join if possible, I hope this group can become a success.
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Thanks, please go to our Steam group and click Request to Join button in the top right so I can add you
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Right on, just request to join the Steam group so I can add you
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I'd like to join - request sent through Steam. Thanks!
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Hi, I would like to join if possible. I already sent a request and everything.
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A polar bear has been added to the guild - Friendly gifter, not a biter
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June is going to be an awesome first full month for the guild!
Just look at some of the GAs already queued:
- Outcast - Second Contact
- Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3
- Hard Reset Redux
- Clazer
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Thanks for your interest, but we currently have a requirement of new members that you dont yet meet:
Have more Sent CV than Won CV on SG.
I'll let you know if that changes in the future.
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I dig the (relative) simplicity, requested to join :]
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We welcome typjk as our newest member who is another SG veteran of 7 years!
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Quick Links: SG Group + Giveaway list / Steam Group & Forums / Member List & Stats
Status: Closed enrollment. Group officers with prior officer/admin experience wanted.
Most popular recent exclusive GAs: Dishonored 2, Outcast - Second Contact, Battle Chasers: Nightwar, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, The Stillness of the Wind
Do you want simpler group rules with flexibility on what and how often you give? Do you like having a decent chance at winning GAs and freedom to enter any GA at anytime? Do you want most of your group GAs to get 5+ entires so the CV counts?
Its in the BAG!: Balancing Act Guild
Rules for staying a member are relatively short:
Be excellent to each other and follow SG/ST rules (because guilds have merchants)
Do not add any other groups to your GAs for the guild, but up to half of the guild GAs you create can include your whitelist.
Each month ends with removing 1 member with the worst negative Value Diff and/or SG members who show "Last Online" 4+ months ago. So try to keep a decent "Value Difference" in our group: Sent minus Received CV. This is the balancing act folks (Easily check your stat here anytime in SG.)
Be reasonable with your group GAs - Make sure at least 50% of them are NOT: No value (Red ** when creating), 1-5 $/points, region restricted, <1 day GA length, or level restricted. Some of those are ok but such restrictions are more what public GAs are for ;)
After initiation giveaway(s), there are no other mandatory or monthly GAs, gift when & what you want! Initiation GA(s) are designed to mitigate becoming a CV Negative Nancy after your first wins from the group.
Life can be a balancing act - We make things simple for our members to gift & win games as they choose so they can focus on just having fun!
Joining the group is simple:
In general, have more Sent than Won CV (regular or real) or request further review (give group names where you have a positive Value Diff, etc).
Be Level 3 or higher on SG with recent activity and in good standing with SG/ST.
Visit our Steam group and click "Request to join" button and post to this recruit thread with a meme or something...or don't meme - You be you.
After joining the group, you have 2 days to create group-only no-whitelist one time 20 Point OR two 15 Point or higher GAs that are not "No Value". These giveaways must end with verified winner(s). Feel free to post your GAs here to the guild forum's new member thread.
See full FAQ for details.
Former members wanting to rejoin must make up their negative VD and meet other requirements in the FAQ's "Rejoining the group" section.
Tweaks to rules may occur in the future but are transparent, and everything is at leaders' discretion: Such things will be announced through this page, the Steam Group's announcements & private forums, and/or leaders' group GAs, etc.
We hold monthly contests where the winner wins a game outright from me and becomes the Steam Group's "Player of the Week" for 1 month. Past winners chose: Styx: Shards of Darkness, Book of Demons, Whispers of a Machine, Invisible Inc, For the King, and many others.
Group leaders have tools that regularly monitor all initiation and on-going GAs, far beyond the simple group user stats, managing the group's own balancing act.
Perhaps the most important question & answer: How do people increase their group Value Difference or number of entries received?
Gift back more or higher value games to the group, and maybe your heart will grow 3 sizes that day.
Check the group's wishlist here, and gift things near the top to get THICC entries. All you need is one verified winner for your GA to count toward group VD. # of entries only matter only if you want the CV to count on your profile (5 entries are required for that).
Check your position in the group's user list sorted by VD - In this case VD positive is a good thing! To see the guild's lowest Value Diffs, go to the last page of that user list.
There are multiple ways of getting notified when a purge may happen: Enable group announcement notifications using Steam Chat's Friend List settings under Notifications, enable it in the Friend Activity list by navigating to [Your Username] » Friend Activity » Friend Activity Settings within Steam, or subscribe to the group forum's Moderation Log (visible to members only).
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