*** Granted, though as another said later, any competent person with lots of time on their hands can run a Search. Takes interest and experience and general high level of energy. But if there's good experienced support and a gold-rider willing to listen to ThoseFromAfore, having done it helps but is not vital. Sides they might come up with something Different. *hee*

Skin of steel. Ever-present knowledge that it is just a game. A love and enjoyment of the game. Good people skills. Decisiveness while also being open to other ideas; adaption and compromise. A weyr is not a democracy, but general feel goes a long way -- you can't pick a WL if you hate him and everyone else loves him, for example Different. *hee*

Oh yeah. And gut instinct is good, too. :) But not always infallible -- you're first opinion isn't always the best.

*** Nuffi'd stress the being open and being flexible. Yes, a true democracy is near-impossible anywhere, but everyone should have a voice, a say, a stake in the weyr. IMO makes it more cohesive, not to mention tweaks people's interest when it comes to needing help gitting things done.

One of the more important points about goldriding that relates to something Kira(HT) said about people being afraid to RP with you.

The thing that bugs me the most about RP as a goldrider is, say, you see this really cool bit of RP going on somewhere via a FL so you decide to go visit, get to know some people. The minute you walk into the room, one of 2 things happens: a) everyone stops or b) everyone shifts All Their Attention to you. So you don't get to RP that at all becuase they've deemed you more important. Now, granted, it is nice when someone will expand their sphere (my pet peeve is people in a public place who don't even acknowledge someone's entrance, if even by posing that they don't see them) to include others, but there is no need to completely stop.

**** Well Nuff's an rp Twit and tends to run people down, gold-riding or not so as Nuff I've never run into this problem. *hee* But yes, it does happen. ugh. Only it also happens to bronze-riders.. blue riders, green riders, brown riders... Riders in general with non-riders.. Just with metallic its more evident.. also alot more butt-kissing goes on which I still dont'understand, OOCly, cause just what do they think its going to get them? Certainly not a dragon... anwyays.

It's as if people will feel that you will get offended if they don't focus completely on you. Ugh.

On the duties of a WW: Organization! It's the planning of events, the delelgation of responsibility, the being there to just listen and be active (the most important! how can you have a happy area without active, interested leaders who obviously want to be there?). You give up your own prsonal time to RP with other folks in the weyr in public. A lot of LC chit-chat or open sessions somewhere else. Dealing with mail foo. Ad actually it is some mediation of disputes, epecially in terms of the weyr. Sometimes you get a say over other areas (well, at least, I do sometimes, mostly though that's because I talk on a regular basis to most of the other leaders of the IC areas on DF Opinions, if nothing more. I'm an opinionated, loudmouthed, !shy cuss.

One thing that's difficult about goldriding, too, is that it's very hard to be effective unless you do have that goldriding personality. IC and OOC. OOC is more important, but it's hard to make people feel welcome if your character is shy and doesn't talk much. Given how people will already be afraid to RP with you after you impress because you're Big and Important Scary Leader being shy makes it even more difficult.

**** Again Nuff was thrown in as a dichotomy essentially because she is NotNOtNot at all a gold-rider, ICly. Which means she should not, on Anne's Pern, have impressed... also makes Nuff's player's life easier because Nuff is such a Twit that people dont'have that MightyFearOfNuff cause she's a fat-harmless-Idiot. Sides its alot more fun to play than trying to emmulate Lessa.

Goldriders are, really, in charge of the weyr -- much the same as a LH or a CM is in charge of their Hold or Craft. Others help, but there is that... authority. It's not for the power hungry, because that can be easily abused, but it's the responsibility of the WW frequently -- and is pushed on her even if she doesn't try for it -- that the good appearance of the weyr is her responsibility. So iformation from the weyr, contact, knowledge of what is up is definitely vital.

***** Listen. Know you don't need to show of your power or even excerise it all that much, in fact not handing out Royal commands from on-high is a very very GoodThing. But you do know how to use it without offending people or coming across as totally B****. And sometimes that is not easy, because sometimes NotNiceThings need to be said. This I don't like about gold-riding, but I'd rather take the crap then let it hit Others. WHy? Cause I signed up for it impressing gold. It doesn't bother me cause on the whole I won't let it. Need to know how to Balance things, and filter things and not take things personally ever. Being touchy and reactionary is very very bad.

By the same token, so is encouraging others to do things. There's no way that you can do it all yourself, and if you try -- unless you have 80 hours a week to devote -- you'll not see any RP, really. I don't know anyone who has quite that much time. And that'd get old too.

*** Hehe. Yah. Getting things started is very good, just be willing to let them grow and expand beyond you... and be willing to sacrifice, on occasion, more than you might like to for the sake of a Happier/Easier Future.

Why d'you think so many goldriders have escape characters? It's to escape the OOC leadership foo -- unless they're insane and enjoy having fingers in every pie and being in charge of everything. That's spreading yourself too thin (I know a few who do that, to varying degrees of success).

*** No comment. I'm a snoop. Sides, I like pie.