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Hello everyone! I'm Ebony the Peacian, the NSTG's Captain. I'd like to thank you for coming to our second NSTG Meet & Greet. We're so happy to have you here, and we hope that you take this opportunity to learn more about what it means to have a position of leadership in the NSTG, either as a Crewmember or as a Crew Assistance Program (CAP) Volunteer.

During this presentation, please remain silent and keep all comments or questions until the end, when we open up the panel. When we do open up the panel, please "raise your hand" like so, RAISE HAND and you will be called on to ask your question. Thank you!

That being said, I'm going to provide you with quick descriptions of both programs: the NSTG Crew and the NSTG Crew Assistance Program. NSTG Crewmembers are expected to perform regular crew duties -- moving threads, enforcing guild rules, etc. -- and to sign up for and serve ONE Crew committee per month. Crew committees organize our efforts in reaching certain goals, such as putting together and maintaining events, projects, or programs. Every NSTG event from the last two years has been the fruit of the hard work of these committees. NSTG Crewmembers are also expected to post 20 times per month within the guild in order to socialize with all of you and be a more visible and and active presence within the guild community. If a Crewmember does not satisfy both requirements for two consecutive months, he or she is demoted. In the NSTG, demotion is not meant to be seen as a method of punishment; rather, we want to make sure that you all -- our members -- can contact any Crewmember at any time and expect a timely response. Also, if a Crewmember is demoted or abdicates their position due to inactivity or time constraints, they will be repromoted if, in the future, they should find the time again to be a part of our Crew -- no questions asked. We figure that, if we promote you, we are already familiar with your work ethic and qualifications, and there is no need for you to submit another application.

The second program to which you can apply is our Crew Assistance Program, or CAP. The CAP does not have any required activity levels; once you are accepted, you are invited to contribute only when you can. Through this program, members like you can take an active role in helping us put together an event. Raise your hand if you've been visited by the NSTG Fairy before ... PAUSE Great! We need Fairies for every event. If you apply for the CAP, you could choose to do that! Or you could choose to host a contest, game, fundraiser, or plan for a Towns party! The sky is the limit. And the best part is that by hosting a contest/game or by being a Fairy, the NSTG treasury will compensate you! You'll be given a pretty generous budget, and as long as you stay under that budget, the NSTG will pay you back in full! That's right: Neither CAP members NOR Crewmembers are EVER expected to take money out of their own pockets for an event. All we need is your talent and your time.

Before my colleagues tell you about what it's like to be on the NSTG Crew, I would like to say something very important about applications. I cannot stress enough how important it is for you to submit your application -- for Crew OR CAP -- the right way and to fill it out completely. This is your chance to brag about yourself. If you're a really generous person who has given back to the NSTG community -- or an outside Gaian community -- we want links to charities, contests, etc. If you've been involved with NSTG events or projects, tell us about your experience and, most importantly, what and how YOU would contribute to these events and projects. And just as importantly, be an active and dedicated community member. We get applications from individuals who have less than 10 posts in the NSTG; maybe they're the most awesome volunteer in the world, but how can we really KNOW that unless they can prove it to us with the amount of time and energy that they've put into the NSTG? The answer is that we really can't. So if you're new to Gaia or the NSTG, or if you're not too experienced with events, that's ok! Post a few times a day here; start a charity; host a small contest or game thread during one of our events. Learn from your peers. Build up a STRONG application so that you can show us how awesome of a candidate you are for either program. I think that it is also worth mentioning that it is no accident that many NSTG Crewmembers have gone on to become Gaia Online Moderators; there definitely IS a relationship between your ability to work as a team and contribute to a great guild environment and your ability to do so on a larger scale on other parts of Gaia Online. So if that's something you're considering, I wholeheartedly believe that this is a great opportunity for you to build up your experience and qualifications.

That being said, I pass the torch to my colleagues here, who will tell you about their experiences from being on Crew and on the CAP, what you should expect, etc. I can only give you my perspective, but they're here to give you their perspective, too, because I know that that's what y'all want to hear. Thank you!