TheForce.Net - FanForce

Fanforce FAQ

What is Fanforce?
How do I join?
How do I get a free email account?
What is the difference between the TFN Jedi Council Forums and the FanForce Forums?
Why are the FanForce Forums divided into regions?
How do I get my city listed?
How can my city be recognized as a FanForce Chapter?
How can I get involved?
What is Global Support?
How do I inform FanForce of an event or news item?
Do you have a question not addressed by this FAQ?

What is Fanforce?
FanForce is the physical, grass-roots extension of theforce.net's global, online presence. We're about getting fans together and helping them meet and interact with other fans in their "physical" community. Conventions, movie screenings, book signings, etc., can all be a part of the Fanforce experience. If a local a group of fans just wants to plan their own event, then Fanforce can be the place to do it!

How do I join?
Joining FanForce is free and easy! Just click here and fill out the form!

How do I get a free email account?
Getting a FREE web-based email account from Fanforce is easy! Just follow this link and fill out the form. Once, are registered you can check email from anywhere!

What is the difference between the TFN Jedi Council Forums and the FanForce Forums?
TFN Jedi Council Forums are for any and all discussions pertaining to the Star Wars universe, and then some. FanForce Forums, an extension of the Jedi Council, is used by all TFN and Star Wars fans to meet fellow like minded folks in their local, physical community. The FanForce Forums are an online tool for fans to get together, discuss, and plan outings and events in their community.

Why are the FanForce Forums divided into regions?
FanForce is about fans on the local level. Because of this, FanForce is divided into regions to help faciliate the everyday management of FanForce by Regional Support Administrators who over-see their assigned region.

How do I get my city listed?
If you would like to see your city listed here as part of the FanForce, then we would like to encourage you to visit the Communications forum and/or visit your Regional General Discussion forum, and post a topic about adding your city. If you can get enough people from your area to respond and create interest, then the FanForce staff will work on setting up a forum for it. In the meantime, we would like to encourage you to post in the closest metropolitan city forum to you. You never know who you might meet from your area!

How can my city be recognized as a FanForce Chapter?
Well, it's simple. Each metropolitan city is divided into regions. (You can view a list of U.S regions and International Regions here .) These regions are also "categories" on the FanForce Discussion Forums. These regions contain unique City forums, where Star Wars fans come together online and meet fellow, like-minded fans from their area. But FanForce is not about the "online" world. The following is a list of pre-requisites in order for your city group to be recognized as an official FanForce Chapter:

Get to know everyone posting in the forums for your respective cities. If your city is currently not on the forums, start it up! Maintaining a strong presence on the forums is vital!
Start planning group activities and meeting with each other! Communities are not built over the Internet alone!
[IMPORTANT] Your city group must plan and execute three events or activities and have advance notice of each posted on the FanForce Headlines/Main page. We want you guys to build grassroots, self-contained clubs that actually do more than just chat on the forums all the time! Network with your fellow fans! Without the completion of this particular guideline, consideration cannot be given.*
Choose one individual to represent your organization to FanForce. This person will work directly with a FanForce Regional Support Administrator to help you plan out activities, interface with charities, gather sponsors (if and when necessary) and address all issues and concerns regarding FanForce and TheForce.Net in general.
A local FanForce can be run any way the fans of that city wish it to be run. All we ask is that you use our FanForce City Forums as your online meeting place!
*Special consideration can be given to city groups and clubs that have demonstrated a sustained membership and record of activity.

Fanforce has these requirements because it is much more dynamic than just a message board. We want to hear about what you're doing -- whether it's Star Wars-related or not. Star Wars is what brought us all together, but our community involvement with one another is the glue that will keep us that way.

How can I get involved?
As a member of Fanforce and your group, their a few ways you can get more involved. The first opportunity is the City Representative position, or CR. CR's have essentially replaced what are known as moderators. A moderator is responsibl for maintaining their online forum. However, a CR transcends this role because they are also responsible for representing their chapter and its interests.

A CR must be a leader -- capable of organizing and supporting their entire chapter. A CR is elected by the members of a chapter. However, if a group has not yet become a recognized chapter, they may still elect someone to represent them and their interests until said group becomes official.

Another option is serving as Regional Support Administrator, or RSA. The role of RSA varies and is largely determined by the creativity and proactivity of the individual. Nevertheless, there are a set of core responsibilities that must be upheld by any RSA:

RSA's are elected by Global Support Staff.
RSA's are responsible for a region or sometimes an entire country. They must address any and all concerns issued by chapters in their region or country. RSA's do this by interfacing directly with City Representatives (CR) from each chapter.
RSA's assist chapters in devising and helping implement activities. They are also responsible for posting news and event information to the Fanforce main page.
RSA's will engage FanForce Global Support for the escalation of all issues that cannot be directly addressed or resolved on a regional level. Situations in which this is necessary will vary. (For example: No City Representative will be relieved of his assignment without the consensus of Global Support. In addition, no FanForce member will be banned from the forums without said consensus and authorization.)
RSA's will be directly responsible for overseeing the formation of new FanForce cities and chapters. In addition, he/she is required to know and understand the leadership structure of each city in his/her region or country.
RSA's are "moderators" for their region/country's "General Discussion" forum.

Any issues that have not been directly addressed in this document will be handled by FanForce Staff as whole, to deivse a reasonable and fair solution.

What is Global Support?
Global Support is responible for all of Fanforce. It's main purpose is to guide the direction of Fanforce, implement changes and updates as requested by Fanforce staff and members, maintain and update the Fanforce website and work with TFN staff. Global Support is also responsible for appointing Regional Support Administrators and handling the needs and concerns of regions and/or countries that lack an RSA or CR.

Who is on the Fanforce Volunteer Staff?
Because we have a very large staff, please visit our staff page here.

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How do I inform FanForce of an event or news item?
If you have an event or news item that you would like posted on the Fanforce main page, please email fanforce1@theforce.net or your respective RSA with specific information about the event or news item with times, dates, contact info, website link and a description.

Do you have a question not addressed by this FAQ?
If you have a question that has not been answered by the current FAQ, please send email to fanforce1@theforce.net and we will respond as soon as possible!