If you are reading this, then you have almost certainly read about and discussed the coming changes to the judge program.  Now that a bit of the dust has settled, I wanted to take a few moments to present a few thoughts on the topic.

First, as you likely already know, I will not continue as RC (or as Community Manager) of the USA – South region after October 1.

I had to give it a lot of thought. The combination of the current USA – South and current USA – Southeast regions is a much larger area for one Community Manager, meaning a wider area of responsibility. Also, getting a new program structure off the ground will be a challenge (to say the very least), and I would feel a heavy burden to get as much as possible right.  I wasn’t sure that I could allocate as much time as I feel it deserves. Taking the role also would have required committing for a longer tenure than I was comfortable promising.  When added up, it didn’t seem right to take on that role. I was (and am) a little sad about that decision (along with a few aspects of that choice, such as not getting to determine the timing), but I’m sure it is the right path both for myself and for the community.

I am happy with the selection of Nicholas Zitomer as Community Manager for our new combined region, and I will work with him to make the transition as smooth as possible.

With that said, I am not going anywhere.  I’ve put too much into this program to not be a part of it through this transition.  Conference support (yes, I mean foils) is guaranteed through the end of the year. We are working on plans for a large conference, and there are several mini conferences in various states of planning as well. Stay tuned, and watch for apps notifications for these events as we get them posted!

With that covered, I will move on to comment on a few aspects of the new program.

I want to start by saying that I have a lot of faith in the people who are at the helm of this new organization.  I’ve known them for a long time, both in reputation and in person.  I have a high level of confidence that they will do everything possible to do what is right, and not just what is easy or what is the most profitable.  They have high standards, and they set high standards for those they work with. That said, I recognize that most others don’t have this same experience or knowledge.  I feel that some skepticism is totally understandable and even healthy.  I just ask that you keep an open mind and help to make things better. Ask your questions on the AMAs, email Nicolette, hang out in our slack #change_chat channel, discuss with others you know and trust. It’s important that you get the information you need in order to be comfortable with the new organization.

More than a few of us have discussed membership fees and the possibility of a self-supporting judge program.  Over a great many years, some have even taken time to hire legal counsel to discuss what such a change would require. There is a lot of work that happens behind the scenes that is not compensated.  The JCC, the PCs, the RCs, the JudgeApps team, and even the JudgeApps infrastructure are just the tip of the iceberg. The bottom line is that, with the very close tie between WotC and the judge program, it has not been feasible to properly compensate people for the work they do. Suddenly, it is not only possible–it is a reality.

Which brings me to my second comment on this change.  The timing is awkward and hurried, yes.  And this is why you will get a lot of partial answers. The Program Coordinators go into this timing in a very succinct manner, but they can only graze the surface of the complexities involved. Frankly, I think what Tim Shields and the others have achieved so far is very impressive. It’s even more amazing given the short timelines forced on them coupled with the complexities of budgets and international boundaries.

I have a lot more I would like to say on this, but I will move on to the elephant in the room: foils. Many people are hyper-focused on the fees, the foils, and the relationship between them.

Part of this is that foils have become something that people feel entitled to receive. (One only needs to look at comments on the Exemplar Program to see this, but I digress.)  To that end, specifically providing foils as a known and understood commodity and benefit is a smart move. It is my understanding that there is something in writing to ensure future flights of cards are also highly desirable–which is something that has never been guaranteed in the past.

Although I think that the fact that your fees can be viewed as a cheaper way of getting some fantastic cards is an pretty awesome, I think that this is the wrong way to look at the membership fees. While foils provide a tangible benefit, I feel that viewing them as the primary value is a disservice both to the program and to yourself.

Above, I listed just a few components of the program that cost money.  I would like to emphasize that these things are currently part-time. Yet, we operate in a world that is 24/7, international, and thousands of members. That’s just not OK.  This organization needs to grow and to develop into a fully staffed and coherently organized program. That evolution requires both time and money. The real benefits of a paid membership are that the organization continues, that training and testing are available, and that certification is truly meaningful.

I’m not going to sugar coat things.  I do think that there are going to be a number of missteps, flubs, and likely even some utter failures as we move forward.  BUT… I want to be clear that I believe this is both necessary and that it will be for the best in the long run.

Thanks for reading, and my deepest regards for all of you in my Magic Judge family,

–Hibbs