The 'Shroom:Issue XCIV/Directorial Address

Directorial Address by

Hello again, wonderful readers! This is, the newly-elected Director of The 'Shroom. Firstly, I would like to thank and, for having led the newsletter for the past year. Being in charge of this project is no easy task; there were likely times when they were proud, times when things went differently than they had hoped, and factors they realized were beyond their control. I have enjoyed working with them in these past several months and wish them the best for their futures. I would also like to thank everybody who supported me and in the election– though we ran unopposed, the amount of votes and feedback that our plans received has made me particularly excited for this upcoming year. We will do everything within our power to make sure that this is the best year in 'Shroom history.

Most of the staff members from last year have decided to continue in their capacities for this upcoming year. has transferred to my old Fun Stuff Director position, and is returning as the Critic Corner Director. These individuals are smart, talented, and have a passion for bettering The 'Shroom that we need. I am looking forward to working with my team for the year to come. The following is the complete staff listing for 2015:

In terms of our future plans, one of our major priorities this year is to expand outreach. Readers will be able to subscribe to our e-mail listing, and follow our Facebook and Twitter pages, in order to stay on top of the newest 'Shroom events and updates. We will use the forum and various wiki templates to attract other members of our community to read the paper and participate in our functions. Feedback Surveys will also be an important way to involve our viewers by finding out what they like and what they do not like. Grabbing the attention of our audience will be a key to ensuring our future success.

It is also important not just to pull in new readers and writers, but to keep them involved. A wiki collaboration will be launched on the forum that focuses on fixing up our archives. We will work with the Awards Committee to host a great set of awards for the upcoming anniversary in August and to improve the voting process. Tournaments and competitions will be held on the wiki and the forum to provide fun events for everyone. The Achievements project will be revitalized, and will serve as a way to honor the hard work that our writers put in. These processes will allow for a level of interactivity that The 'Shroom needs to grow and sustain its audience.

And of course, Issue C will be our best issue to date; it is a milestone edition that must be delivered properly. Not only will the staff begin discussing our plans for the issue immediately, but a suggestions box will be included in every issue from February through June and public chat meetings will be held. We want to tailor this issue to what the readers want, so input is absolutely invaluable for this purpose. It is my hope that the one hundredth issue will be the reflection of our ideas and efforts to make The 'Shroom great again.

I believe strongly that this will be a distinctly new era for The 'Shroom– one of continual growth, of success, and of great potential. We want to get our paper the attention that it deserves; we want to get as many readers and writers as we can to join on to our project. Having started as a small three-section newsletter written by one person in 2006, it has grown to be quite a large project in spite of the challenges presented from time to time. I will do everything in my power as Director to ensure that we continue to grow as a project and fulfill our purpose. Thank you all once again for the support, and I look forward to this next year.