This thread sure does hit home... *rubs temples* While I dont have the experience many veteran staff do, I've been staffing furry cons over 10 years and I volunteered at my very first furry con ever. I wish people wanted to help more than they wanted to complain. - ThreadSky

galefrostbane.bsky.social • 1 day ago

This thread sure does hit home... *rubs temples*

While I dont have the experience many veteran staff do, I've been staffing furry cons over 10 years and I volunteered at my very first furry con ever.

I wish people wanted to help more than they wanted to complain.

Reposted from bangaroo, the fish admirer

i am going to be honest, ever year working cons gets way harder.

it has literally nothing to do with the amount of work or the kind of work. it's literally just how you're treated. ten thousand armchair quarterbacks just endlessly complaining and name calling.

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rikmccloud.bsky.social•1 day ago

Been volunteering at cons for 10 years now in various different roles and outside of the people who are throwing shade, usually online, I have also seen what the media can do and it is horrifying.

rikmccloud.bsky.social•1 day ago

The comments I have read from people who believed the clickbait that was spread about Scotiacon were despicably vile as were the articles that got progressively worse and worse. I saw the effect it had on my friends. We were being painted as sexual deviants on blast in front of the nation.

rikmccloud.bsky.social•1 day ago

We wouldn't do this if we didn't find it fun and enjoyable. Seeing people in-fighting when we need to support one another from the ignorant, bigoted arseholes who are trying to prop up their dying industry with sensationalist, regurgitated, ill-informed opinions framed as "news" depresses me.

rikmccloud.bsky.social•1 day ago

In a world where everyone is increasingly on edge with each other as each day passes, we need to stop and think before being reactionary. We need to remember how to be rational and shut out the corporate pricks who pit us against each other for views.

equussilvermane.bsky.social•22 hours ago

Also I used to talk shit about cons openly...then I staffed them. Now I find that behavior exhausting.

equussilvermane.bsky.social•22 hours ago

As I always tell people....no one on con staff is out there scheming to make sure attendees have a bad time. Quite the contrary.

mediar.bsky.social•1 day ago

Yeeeeeep, this is why I no longer staff conventions. I do my own thing within them (Waffle Doughnut Party) but I probably won't ever be an official staff member again.

maney-boi.bsky.social•1 day ago

Even goes for community help. There are people bending over backwards to help their community while there are people complaining who CAN help. Crazy when our country and propaganda breeds individuality and selfishness we get rude, selfish people who only care about themselves and their money. 🥲💔

tehstormy.bsky.social•1 day ago

So many people do not understand the absolute work that goes into it and I completely wish more would take a step back and take a look the work involved. It definitely can cause burn out and it's why I'm only staffing one. I did volunteer a few others, but I wish more people would give it a shot.

tumblemutt.bsky.social•1 day ago

The fandom and cons get bigger and bigger, people forget that cons are run by people, not CORPORATIONS and get more and more entitled.

Can we go back to when most people didn't even know what furry was?

trigodergo.fursona.club•1 day ago

This! I’m all for criticism and transparency with cons; but the issue I keep seeing is it’s rarely ever constructive and ends up being downright mean. 99% of the time too it’s from folks who’ve never even gone to the cons they’re complaining ab and tho they have (cont.)

trigodergo.fursona.club•1 day ago

no problem bringing up issues, they almost never have solutions to the issues they sling at the targeted cons / individuals.

I will say, my main issue with cons is rarely will the folks who *want* to help ever get real responses unless it’s to just be a general volunteer, regardless of experience.

trigodergo.fursona.club•1 day ago

To play devils advocate tho I have seen that with the post-Covid era of cons there has been an uprise of fingers-in-ears attitude from con staff when it comes to community complaints and I feel at least that’s where some of the frustration and tension have risen from in collective aggression. (cont)

trigodergo.fursona.club•1 day ago

Valid complaints or no, there should be at least some consideration taken if it’s consistent across enough an audience or if said issues are persisting year after year and especially if the complaints are severe enough. (Eg: MFF walkways becoming a literal biohazard from CO2 buildup)

trigodergo.fursona.club•1 day ago

I think at the end of the day, a large portion of the community has given cons a higher standard with the explosion of popularity in the fandom and as such at the very least (from what I’ve seen/heard) want some modicum of responses or statements made instead of waves of ghosting and silence.

galefrostbane.bsky.social•1 day ago

I will 100% agree many cons have issues that are proving very hard to solve and that current in place solutions arent popular, but much of that if not all is due to cons getting too big too fast with not enough people stepping up to help and furry cons wanting to stay affordable

torriadore.bsky.social•20 hours ago

Doing stuff rather than complaining? But that takes effort, dedication and more self awareness than a slime mold. You're just not respecting my opinions because they're right! (they are not)

otterchipo.bsky.social•1 day ago

What's sad about this is I'm looking at how people talk about video games being arm chair devs, then reading this & its the same sad thing.

Someone spends a ton of time and energy making something happen for others & people outside of it all just take huge dunks on it like they 100% know better.

salthethird.bsky.social•23 hours ago

Believe me, if I could, I absolutely would at the first opportunity I get

jaylawolfess.bsky.social•22 hours ago

For what it's worth, every con you've been part of bringing to life that I've been to was all the better thanks to you and your staff. Hell, staff at FWA this year had their work cut out for them but I could tell staff was making the best of it for how busy it was, definitely deserving of praise ❤️

tokyozilla.bsky.social•1 day ago

I barely have any experience with helping run *anything* and even with that, I see how much organizing anything definitely is a very thankless job ;_;
I do hope people do learn to be a lot more kind or more constructive with their criticisms so that they help with building up our community -

tokyozilla.bsky.social•1 day ago

instead of rushing to bash folks who do what they can to provide a space for us to be ourselves

takkattack.bsky.social•1 day ago

Until last year I worked in senior/management positions in the medical team across all UK furry conventions. It burnt me out hardcore.

Heading to AC next week which will be my first con as an attendee and not staff since about 2018!

galefrostbane.bsky.social•1 day ago

Really hope you enjoy yourself then! There's so much great stuff to do and good food to eat around the con and my gosh the waterfront at night is a sight to behold!!!

bsham.bsky.social•20 hours ago

I want to help in some capacity

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