If nothing out of my now outdated Unions: Version 2 thread is used, at least do this one thing, probably the most important feature unions could have right now, and in my opinion, one of the easiest features to implement. Allow people the option to receive updates from the unions they've joined. Here is a concept image...
I'm not sure how GameSpot would handle this. They could either include the union updates under the game updates section, or as I show in the concept image above, they could keep union updates separate from game updates. This is something Facebook utilizes. Anything you "Like" will allow you to receive updates from it. This same feature needs to be used for unions so that members can be kept updated on all union news. Allow them the ability to opt out also, just as Facebook does. The benefit for members is so that they can be kept updated of union news. The benefit for union leaders is so that we have a way of keeping in contact with our member base other than using the union telegram system.
I've recently reactivated The HeadCrab Union only to find out that the main communication line with my members "The Telegram" has been cut off from me. I have over 5,000 members, and I'm guessing because of this high number the telegram system fails to send the message to all my members. Instead, the message gets sent to about half the members before a white error screen pops up canceling the remaining telegrams that still need to be sent out. This is completely unacceptable. I as a leader should have some way to communicate with my members. Besides fixing the telegram system, this is the next obvious step to establish better communication between a union and its members.
The main reason for this upgrade though is to increase union activity. Most unions are now dead as I predicted would happpen and GameSpot has only made a bad situation worse by removing even the little advertising they used to have. They've tucked unions away somewhere on GameSpot where even I don't know how to find them if I was looking for them. I'm not making that up either. I've just come back to GameSpot, so I'm sure I'll find a link to them somewhere if I keep looking, but it shouldn't be this hard for people to find them in the first place. No wonder they're inactive. This feature would provide a constant connection between unions and their existing members, maybe even helping to turn some people who joined a union and never came back into regular members. It would be up to GameSpot however to spread advertising for unions on this site so that we could bring in new members. For now though, give us the ability to remain in contact with our existing members.
Because my union enhancements thread was created almost five years ago with absolutely no changes made to date, I and other union leaders in the GameSpot community have very little faith that this upgrade will take place. Carrying this out would do a great service to instill confidence in GameSpot's ability to care for its union community. Giving a response to this suggestion would also help, so that we have an idea of GameSpot's opinion on this.
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