Editing Buddy Club (section)

== Buddy Club Roles ==
=== New Member ===
A New Member (NM) is a fresh-faced Signaleer ready to explore all that Signal Cartel and New Eden has to offer.  Buddy Club exists to serve New Members by helping and supporting them during their early days of corp membership by pairing them with an experienced Buddy.

=== Buddy ===
A Buddy is an experienced Signaleer who partners for '''one month''' with a New Member and provides general guidance to the New Member.

Every New Member Buddy request is posted by the [[#Club_Officers|Assistant Manager for Matchmaking]] in our <code>#buddy-club</code> Discord channel, and a Buddy is free to accept or reject it.  Once the assignment is accepted, the Buddy contacts the New Member and introduces themselves. An assignment is limited to one month during which the Buddy should make themselves available during their chosen activity hours for communication with the New Member. The Buddy is expected to answer questions and provide advice on Signal Cartel corporate matters and, depending on experience, on EVE Online gameplay. If the requested information is available in Signal Cartel's online resources, like this wiki or on the forums, then the Buddy may provide relevant references.

It is understood that Buddies may not be available at designated time slots due to real life matters. As usual, such matters are given priority over any in-game commitments. Buddies are expected to inform the [[#Club_Officers|Manager]] and their assigned New Members of any unavailability, except in emergency situations.

Buddies are also highly encouraged to actively participate in our Discord channel <code>#buddy-club</code>, which aims to provide updates, coordinated support, and encouragement for all Buddies.

==== What Are the Requirements to Become a Buddy? ====
* [[Policy:Corp_Admin_Info_and_Policies#Member_Levels:_C1.2FC2_Titles|C2 membership level]]
* Six months in Signal Cartel (cumulative)
* A willingness to help our New Members 
* A positive attitude doesn't hurt either.

==== How Do I Become a Buddy? ====
# Meet (or exceed) the requirements noted above.
# Contact the Club's [[#Club_Officers|Manager]] either through Discord or EVEmail.  This is currently [https://evewho.com/character/2115100793 Drer Aideron].  
# A sign up sheet will then be sent via Discord to the prospective Buddy requesting the following information:
#* Days of the week and hours in the day when they are available for communication with New Members.
#* Time zone.
#* Spoken languages.
#* Maximal number of New Members they can support at a time.
# Still not convinced? Then watch [https://forums.eve-scout.com/topic/9530/teeny-weeny-problem this].

=== Club Officers ===
There are two officer roles: Manager and Assistant Manager for Matchmaking. They are chosen from the members of the Club for a fixed period of time. Each officer has specific responsibilities but is also expected to be available as a Buddy.

==== Manager ====
The Manager is responsible for the Club's overall operation. The Manager must ensure that the Club members are engaged, seek feedback from both Buddies and their assigned New Members, and drive changes that will improve the quality of their Buddy Club experience.  They are also expected to advocate, advertise, and actively recruit new Buddies for the Club to ensure that the number of Buddies available in each popular time zone is adequate to provide quality service to our New Members.

The Manager must maintain an up-to-date list of current Buddies in a shared document.

==== Assistant Manager for Matchmaking ====
The Assistant Manager for Matchmaking is responsible for pairing New Members with Buddies.  The Assistant Manager for Matchmaking is also affectionately called "The Matchmaker". 

The current New Member-Buddy pairing procedure is this:
* After receiving a request for a Buddy from a New Member, the Assistant Manager for Matchmaking will post in the <code>#buddy-club</code> Discord channel a "New Member Buddy Request" with the relevant details regarding that New Member.
* Club members will then have a 48-hour window to volunteer to be the New Member's Buddy.  (This window gives everyone a chance to see the post regardless of their schedule/time zone.)
** If after 48 hours, there are multiple Buddies that volunteer for a given assignment, the Matchmaker will randomly assign the New Member to one of these Buddies.
** However, the Matchmaker has ultimate discretion and can "tilt the scales" a little based on the current # of Buddy/New Member pairings and language/time zone considerations.
* The Assistant Manager for Matchmaking will then post the New Member-Buddy pairing in the <code>#buddy-club</code> Discord channel.
* Lastly, the Assistant Manager for Matchmaking informs the New Member of their assigned Buddy via in-game EVEmail with relevant instructions/expectations.

In cases when a Buddy becomes unavailable for an extended period of time, the Assistant Manager for Matchmaking is responsible for finding a suitable replacement Buddy.

They must also maintain an up-to-date list of the current New Member-Buddy pairings in a shared document and track the duration of the one-month assignments.