(08-30-2019, 11:29 AM)amzolt Wrote: I'll be reading these pages, soon:
https://www.orionsarm.com/xcms.php?r=oa-backstory
https://www.orionsarm.com/xcms.php?r=oa-faq
But…
Then…
I still have to figure out how I fit into it all………
Any Suggestions ???
For another rather entertaining summary of the OA setting - as viewed by people who are not all members of the project - , I'd suggest
our page on TV Tropes. It's not 100% accurate in my view (maybe 95%), but is reasonably concise (when compared with the literally weeks that new people often spend spelunking in the EG - although that has a lot to recommend it too
) and kind of fun to read.
In terms of how you might fit into OA...that largely comes down to how you would like to fit in.
Going from one end of the spectrum of possibilities to the other (at least as I see it):
Some people just enjoy reading the EG and lurking on the forum (or the Discord) and watching the OA setting continue to develop and evolve as those members inclined to do so keep adding new content and updating existing.
Some people enjoy taking part in the more casual conversations on the Discord, that may or may not ever lead to new or updated content in the EG.
Some people like to take part in the whatever discussions grab their attention here - offering ideas, new takes on things, observations, and bits of extra information that can fill in (or sometimes radically change) what we are working on.
Some like to offer information and advice to new members or people asking questions about some area of interest.
Some are really good at locating past information in this forum or obscure info in the EG.
Some like to offer more specific and consistent kinds of contributions to discussions within an area they find particularly interesting or have background in due to education or career. They may offer expertise on a particular are of knowledge, artwork, artificial language info, materials science, physics, astronomy, Celestia, engineering, music, or proofreading articles. Along with much else. We don't have a specific list of 'needs' so much as a way of adapting to accept whatever people choose to bring to the party. Or at least we certainly try to as much as possible.
Some like to create new EG articles or update existing ones. Again, this often tends to focus on a specific area that interests them for whatever reason. Some people like to write up planets and solar systems. Some like to play with advanced technology. Some like alien flora, fauna. and sentients (note our criteria for alien races are deliberately tougher than anything else). Or cultures, human and other. Or politics. Or economics. Or whatever else goes into a well fleshed out, detailed, and well rounded universe.
Some like to write fiction set in the OA universe.
Some may eventually volunteer or be asked to become part of the 'staff' of OA insofar as we have one. That can include Editors, Admins, Moderators, and Managing Board members making decisions about the direction of the project and addressing whatever crises may come down the pike.
Basically, there are lots and lots of options and you don't have to pick just one nor are you locked into only doing one thing or doing the same thing forever regardless of what you choose to do initially. There is also no real requirement for scientific know how or a science/tech background. Our membership encompasses a wide range of educational and occupational backgrounds, and if someone has a gap in an area there is often someone who can help bring them up to speed on the topic.
So - where would you like to fit in?
Todd
illuminates itself 
