In my opinion, if you compare the beginning of 2005 in the OAOAST with the end of 2005, it becomes obvious the federation has taken a downward spiral. I'm not saying this to put down anybody in particular -- specifically, Popick, who has done a better job with the title than I had expected at first -- but it just seems evident to me. There are less great writers here, less exciting angles to work with. Hell, the atmosphere in the OAOAST folders has taken a hit, with less people seeming to care than they once did. There isn't the same type of joking around and bonding there once was. There are certain steps the OAOAST should take for 2006.
First off, this Civil War angle has left the federation stagnant. I spoke out against it months ago when I felt it was falling apart, and I'm speaking out against it now. You could put some of the blame on Hoff or myself if you want, and that's fine, but the thing has been pretty directionless from Day One. There were never really any set money-making angles that were going to come from it, there were never any important results that were going to come from it -- hell, up until I lost my modship in August, no one had any idea who was going to win or where it was going. I was one of its main proponents in the beginning, until I realized the mastermind behind it had no plan what he wanted to do with it besides have it be big and huge and involve everybody in the federation. When I left the OAOAST in August, I realized fully that the angle was directionless and that this lack of direction was not going to change. It still seems to be that way, sweeping the majority of wrestlers along with it. I would think the angle should be dropped -- or at least, quickly ended -- in the first month or two of 2006 and pushed aside for something else that can drum up interest. This clearly isn't doing it. It not only hasn't inspired any writers of value to join the federation, but it's actually lost several prominent writers because of how it has damaged the OAOAST. It's silly to cling onto something that I'm sure, if everyone took off the blinders and looked at it for what it was, could see is not working. Drop it and build something else.
Second, I do see where Adam is coming from with the "too-many-mods" tidbit. When I wanted to make my return back in May, I had to do a lot of work to make sure the bare minimum of people knew. I couldn't post it in the GCF folder because then, instantly, 95% of the federation would know what I was doing. In January, when I had AJ Flaire reappear as Drek's mystery opponent, I posted about it in the GCF Folder days before the angle was posted. What happened? There was a total lack of surprise in the revelation, which seemed to lead to a lack of interest in the program. What good does it do if everybody knows the inner workings of each angle? There's no need for all the mods, since it only seems to hurt things rather than help it. By posting up polls in the GCF Folder and asking all the mods to respond, you're only restricting two or three OAOAST members from the conversation anyway. You might as well post it in one of the federation public folders and let everybody take part. Everybody contributes to the federation equally, albeit with different measures of quality.
Third, I've always been known to be a gigantic whore for this, but I'm going to mention it again. Feedback. With the exception of certain shows, the feedback for many HeldDowns and Pay-Per-Views has been lacking severely. I know for myself, and for various others as well, if no one leaves their thoughts on something I write, I have less inclination to put as much devotion into it in the future. Take a couple of minutes out of your day and just leave some thoughts for the stuff people write. That's always been an issue here, but it's especially prominent in the OAOAST's current state.
If I think of more, I will definitely post it. But these are some of my initial thoughts on how the OAOAST could improve in 2006.
