Reviewing and Rewriting a Biased Survey

Bias happens. We see it every day in our news, our social media, and among our friends. I feel we should all strive to be more aware of our biases, especially when gathering and presenting data.

The following documents are my comments on a biased survey, and my proposed rewrite. I have worked as a textbook editor for more than a decade, and I believe that every call for correction should incorporate a solution.

This survey was originally published at https://surveys.eastkingdom.org/index.php/313648?lang=en, and was taken down after an overwhelming number of complaints.

Biased Survey With Notes.PDF

Rewritten Survey.PDF

When this survey was first published, I responded to it on this blog, and those posts are Reviewing a Survey for the SCA and Rewriting a Survey for the SCA.

Reviewing a Survey for the SCA

In 2015, the Society for Creative Anachronism created a Peerage (the highest award) for Fencing. Previously, the Peerages had been for Armored Combat, Knowledge, Service, and Royalty. Four years later, a Peerage is being discussed for Archery, Equestrian, Siege Engines, and Target Throwing.

This post is a question-by-question breakdown of a survey shared with every person involved with the Society for Creative Anachronism, which has over 30,000 members around the globe. This survey was at https://surveys.eastkingdom.org/index.php/313648?lang=en I have listed each question as it appears, with my comments in blue text.

0. Are you a member?
Asking this question sets a negative tone for the entire survey, implying the Society of Creative Anachronism only wishes to hear from its paid members. This is not a good way to approach new members and people who participate infrequently.
A better way to approach this is to include a follow-up question for non-members, asking how long they have been involved with the Society, and why they are not paid members, due to constrains such as lack of money or lack of time due to education or multiple jobs.
o Yes, I am a member.
o No, I am NOT a member.
If yes, please tell us your member number and enter your expiration date: ________

1. Do you believe that the addition of the Order of Defense has been a good thing for the Society?
This survey is focused on the creation of a new Peerage. Opening with a question about a different Peerage suggests this survey does not care about the creation of a new Peerage, and is only going through the motions of asking for Populace feedback. Asking if the creation of the Order of Defense is “good” for the Society is vague. Asking specific questions about participation and membership would be better.
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

2. Have you seen an overall increase in activity since the Order of Defense ‘s Creation?
This is an impractical question to ask the Populace. Sending a request to each Barony’s Seneschals and Armored Combat and Fencing Marshalls would be the best way to find information about each group’s membership, practice, and event attendance from the past five years.
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

3. Did you become a member of the SCA to participate in fencing activities since the creation of the Order of Defense?
This question’s audience is members who have joined the Society after the Order of Defense was created in February 2015. That information should be included in the question.
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

4. Have you seen a notable increase in the crossing over of Rattan Fighters into the Fencing arena?
This is a very complex question. Many crossover fighters focus on one martial art for years, only changing to another once they have mastered the first or need to change their martial participation due to illness, injury, or age. The creation of the Order of Defense does not impact those life changes.
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

5. Do you believe that any other areas of the Society suffered due to the attention that the Order of Defense has placed on fencing in the last two years?
The phrase “other areas have suffered” implies a negative response to the creation of the Order of Defense. An unbiased way to phrase this question would be, “Has the creation of the Order of Defense taken time and focus away from other activities?”
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

6. Do you believe there has been a notable crossing over from other medieval groups, such as HEMA, since the Order of Defense’s creation?
Unlike event and practice attendance, there is no metric to measure group crossover. It will be interesting to see if the Armored Combat League’s Knight Fights television show will lead to an increase in Armored Combat fighters and overall Society membership.
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

7. Do you agree with this Statement?: “Persons who were fencers before the Order of Defense’s creation are taking a more serious approach to the Society now that there’s a Peerage for their focus’ activity.”?
How can “seriousness” be measured? By the historical accuracy of arms and armor? By the study of period manuals? Or does this question about how people feel fencers impact the Society?
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

8. Has membership has gone up in your local group since the Order of Defense’s inception?
Just like Question 2, this is an impractical to ask the Populace. Sending a request to each Barony’s Seneschals and Armored Combat and Fencing Marshalls would be the best way to find information about each group’s membership, practice, and event attendance from since 2015, when the Order of Defense was created.
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

9. Do you agree with the following: “Superior martial skill at a martial art, such as archery, thrown weapons, siege, and equestrian, deserves recognition with a Peerage.”
Asking agreement puts implies there will be a positive response to the creation of a Peerage for Archery, Combat Archery, Equestrian, Siege, and Throwing. An unbiased way to phrase this question would be, “Does superior martial skill in Archery, Combat Archery, Equestrian, Siege, and Throwing deserve a Peerage?”
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

10. Do you participate in the following?
This is a useful question!
Select all that apply:
o Archery
o Armored Combat
o Combat Archery
o Equestrian Activities
o Fencing
o Siege Engines
o Thrown Weapons
o None of the above
o Prefer Not to Answer

11. Do you think there are enough peerages?
This is a vague question. Many people only care about a thing if impacts them. For people who are not involved in Archery, Combat Archery, Equestrian, Siege, and Throwing, the only time other peerages would impact them is during Court. Specifically, when a new Peer is Elevated, a member of every other Peerage speaks for them. Noting a significantly longer court for multiple new peerages is critical, and has not been addressed anywhere in this survey.
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

12. How do you believe displaying skills in equestrian/archery/etc. should be recognized?
This question asks about the creation of an all-in-one Peerage, individual Peerages, and if non-martial Peerages should cover martial actives. This should be three separate questions.
Check all that apply
o Within a shared peerage (all in one peerage)
o Within their own individual peerage (several peerages)
o Within the Laurel
o Within the Pelican
o Within the Chivalry
o Within the Order of Defense
o Do not recognize
o No Opinion/Prefer Not to Answer

13. Do you agree that a Peerage for a specific skill will increase participation in that activity?
I would like to see how Peers answer this question in comparison to non-Peers.
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

14. Do you agree that a peerage path for Archery/Equestrian/Thrown Weapons/Siege will encourage cross-over from other SCA martial disciplines?
This question asks for agreement. It should be worded, “Do you feel that a peerage path for Archery/Equestrian/Thrown Weapons/Siege will encourage cross-over from other SCA martial disciplines?”
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

15. Do you perceive that participation in Archery/Equestrian/Thrown Weapons/Siege has suffered in recent years because of increased focus on other martial pursuits?
I am interested to see how these responses correlate to each Barony or Shire’s membership, practice, and event attendance numbers.
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

16. Do you believe that a Peerage path for Archery/Equestrian/Thrown Weapons/Siege will attract membership from other recreation groups?
If the Society wants to grow larger, we must focus on encouraging new members to join and have fun.
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

17. Do you believe that a peerage path for an Archer/Equestrian/ Thrown Weapons /Siege will make those persons take their participation in the Society more seriously?
Is the goal of the Society to be serious, or to encourage existing members to participate while incorporate new members? Also, how can “seriousness” be measured? By the historical accuracy of arms and armor? By the study of period manuals? By the study of how period materials and tools were created and used?
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

18. Do you believe that Additional Peerage(s) will increase membership?
Membership will be increased if people are enjoying themselves and having fun. I am interested to see the comparison between how long people have been members of the Society and how they answer this question.
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

19. Were you a member of the SCA when the Order of Defense Peerage was created?
The Order of Defense was created in February 2015. Its first two responses should be, “I was a member before 2015” and “I joined the Society during or after 2015.”
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

20. Did the creation of the Order of Defense make YOU more or less likely to participate?
This question would be an excellent follow-up to Question 3. Another good follow up question is: “If you were not fencing before the Order of Defense, did the creation of a Peerage make you interested in fencing?”
o More
o Less
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

21 What is your current Kingdom?
This question is useful for gathering data across Kingdoms.

22. What is your level of recognition within the SCA?
This question is limited because it lists four non-Peer ranks and nine Peer ranks. This list should include the Peer-in-training ranks: Squire, Cadet, Protegee, and Apprentice. If the number of Cadets has increased from before 2015, the is a strong argument that the Order of Defense has encouraged fencers to become formal students.
Check all that apply
o Member
o Award/Grant of Arms
o Court Baronage
o Knight
o Laurel
o Pelican
o Master of Defense
o Landed Baronage
o Viscount/Viscountess
o Count/Countess
o Duke/Duchess
o Prince/Princess (current)
o King/Queen (current)
o Prefer Not to Answer

23. What is your age?
This is useful information to compare responses.
o Under 20
o 21-30
o 31-40
o 41-50
o 51-60
o Over 60
o Prefer not to answer

24. How long have you been in the SCA?
There should be an added option for people who have been in the Society their entire lives.
o Less than 2 years
o 2-5 years
o 5-10 years
o 10-20 years
o 20-30 years
o 30-40 years
o Over 40 years
o Prefer Not to Answer

25. How many family members participate in the SCA?
o I am the only one
o My spouse/significant other and I
o Family with children
o The whole family
o Prefer not to answer
o Other:

26. If a new peerage is considered for any endeavor, how would you like to hear about it?
This question should a short write-in option.
Check all that apply
o Email to all members
o Kingdom Chroniclers
o Kingdom newsletters
o Kingdom website
o SCA Website
o Social Media
o Mailings to members
o Prefer Not to Answer

27. How can this process be made more transparent?
This question should be broken into several questions about concerns for the creation of a new Peerage, how people can support or not support a new Peerage, and if there should be a single Peerage or four separate Peerages.

The following is my personal response to Question 27:
The word “transparent” is used to show how visible the process of creating a new peerage is. This survey has shown many things, including bias, poor planning, and poor editing. It heavily implies that the of the Order of Defense took away from the seriousness and enjoyment of non-fencers in order to acknowledge Fencing as a Per-worthy Path just as the Order of Chivalry is the Peer-worthy Path of Armored Combat.

Of the twenty-six previous questions, 10 concern the Order of Defense, 9 concern Peerages, 8 concern Activity, 4 concern new members, and 2 concern the seriousness of the SCA. This survey claims to concern the creation of a new Peerage, but the repeated references to the Order of Defense make this survey less transparent.

For this process to be transparent, this survey must be completely re-written to remove any and all negative biases regarding the Order of Defense.

My opinion is: the addition of the Order of Defense Peerage has not taken away focus from the other Peerages. Instead, it has allowed Fencers to be recognized for their deeds and skill. The creation of the Order of Defense has allowed fencers to be made equal to the Orders of Chivalry, the Laurel, and the Pelican. Creating a new Peerage to empower people who are archers, throwers, equestrians and siege engineers will not take away from the other Peerages. The Society is a volunteer-run organization. We recognize one another’s deeds with Awards and in Courts. Providing a new way to empower our members will not weaken us. Any person who thinks the addition of a new Peerage will take away from theirs needs to ask themselves if they are peers or peers-in-training because they want to support the Society, or if they only want the prestige of new awards.

With this breakdown complete, I have also created My Rewrite of the New Peerage Survey. I have spent over a decade editing textbooks, and I feel that if you have a problem with how something is done, you should note it, and propose a solution to the problem!

In closing, I would like to say I did not realize how much work goes into creating surveys! I thought this would be an hour or two of work. Instead it has turned into several days’ worth of work as I analyzed the original survey and re-wrote it. I also want to thank Schwarzer Turm Herald Ulric von der Insel, who proofread my original analysis and gave excellent feedback.

I also rewrote this survey, removing question bias and grouping personal information and actual survey data separately: Rewriting a Survey for the SCA.

Rewriting a Survey for the SCA

In 2015, the Society for Creative Anachronism created a Peerage (the highest award) for Fencing. Previously, the Peerages had been for Armored Combat combat, Knowledge, Service, and Royalty. Four years later, a Peerage is being discussed for Archery, Equestrian, Siege Engines, and Target Throwing.

This post is my re-write of the Society for Creative Anachronisms Peerage Survey that was at https://surveys.eastkingdom.org/index.php/313648?lang=en

I have a breakdown of each question on this survey on my post Reviewing a Survey for the SCA.

Part 1: Peerages

This survey asks questions about the creation of a new Peerage or Peerages to cover the martial arts of Archery, Combat Archery, Equestrian, Siege, and Throwing. Some of the questions in this survey cover the Order of Defense, the Fencing Peerage that was created in 2015. These questions are included as points of reference.

1. Do you participate in any of these activities?
Select all that apply:
o Archery
o Combat Archery
o Equestrian Activities
o Fencing
o Armored Combat
o Siege Engines
o Thrown Weapons
o None of the above
o I prefer Not to Answer

2. Do you feel superior martial skill in Archery, Combat Archery, Equestrian, Siege, or Throwing deserves a Peerage?
o Yes
o No
o I have no opinion
o I prefer not to answer

3. Currently, the Peerages in the Society are Chivalry (Knights), Laurel, Pelican, Masters of Defense (Fencers), and Royal Peers (Companions of the Rose, Duke/Duchess, Count/Countess). Do you feel these five Peerages are enough, or should more be added?
o The existing Peerages are enough.
o One more Peerage should be added.
o More than one Peerage should be added.
o I have no opinion
o I prefer not to answer

4. Instead of creating a new Peerage for Archery, Combat Archery, Equestrian, Siege, and Throwing, should these martial activities be covered under an existing Peerage?
o Yes, include them within the Laurel.
o Yes, include them within the Pelican.
o Yes, include them within the Chivalry.
o Yes, include them within the Order of Defense.
o No, they should not be recognized.
o I have no opinion
o I prefer not to answer

5. Should there be an all-in-one Peerage created, or should Archery, Combat Archery, Equestrian, Siege, and Throwing each have their own Peerage?
o Create an all-in-one Peerage.
o Create individual Peerages for each martial art.
o I have no opinion
o I prefer not to answer

6. Do you feel a Peerage for a specific skill will increase participation in that activity?
o Yes
o No
o I have no opinion
o I prefer not to answer

7. Do you feel that a peerage path for Archery, Combat Archery, Equestrian, Siege, and Throwing will encourage cross-over from other SCA martial disciplines?
o Yes
o No
o I have no opinion
o I prefer not to answer

8. Do you feel that participation in Archery, Combat Archery, Equestrian, Siege, and Throwing has suffered because of increased focus on other martial pursuits?
o Yes
o No
o I have no opinion
o I prefer not to answer

9. Do you feel that a Peerage path for Archery, Combat Archery, Equestrian, Siege, and Throwing will attract membership from other recreation groups?
o Yes
o No
o I have no opinion
o I prefer not to answer

10. Do you feel that a Peerage path for Archery, Combat Archery, Equestrian, Siege, and Throwing will encourage more people to participate in these martial arts? Will it also encourage more studies of period practices, more classes, and more tournaments?
o Yes
o No
o I have no opinion
o I prefer not to answer

11. Do you feel that additional Peerage(s) will increase membership?
o Yes
o No
o I have no opinion
o I prefer not to answer

12. Since the Order of Defense was created in 2015, have you seen more crossover between the Armored Combat fighters and Fencers?
o Yes, I have seen more crossover.
o No, the crossover has remained about the same.
o I have seen crossover depending more on age and physical condition than on the creation of a Fencing Peerage.
o I have no opinion
o I prefer not to answer

13. Since the Order of Defense was created in 2015, have you seen notable crossing over from other medieval groups, such as HEMA, since the Order of Defense’s creation?
o Yes, I have seen more crossover.
o No, the crossover has remained about the same.
o I have no opinion
o I prefer not to answer

14. Has the creation of the Order of Defense taken time and focus away from other activities?
o Yes
o No
o I have no opinion
o I prefer not to answer

15. Has membership has gone up in your local group since the Order of Defense was created in 2015?
o Yes
o No
o I have no opinion
o I prefer not to answer

Part 2: Who are you?

This section gathers information about who you are and what you like to do in the Society.

16. Are you a member of the Society?
If yes, please tell us your member number and enter your expiration date.
________

17. If you are not a member, how long have you been a part of the Society?
________

18. What is your current Kingdom?
________

19. How long have you been in the SCA?
o Less than 2 years
o 2-5 years
o 5-10 years
o 10-20 years
o 20-30 years
o 30-40 years
o Over 40 years
o Lifetime member
o I prefer Not to Answer

20. The Order of Defense was created in February 2015. Did you become a member after that time?
o Yes
o No
o I prefer not to Answer

21. If you became a member after February 2015, did the creation of the Fencing Peerage called the Order of Defense effect your choice to become a member?
o Yes, a Fencing Peerage encouraged me to join the Society.
o No, a Fencing Peerage did not influence my choice to join the Society.
o I prefer not to Answer

22. Did the creation of the Order of Defense make YOU more or less likely to participate in the Society?
o Yes
o No
o I have no opinion
o I prefer not to answer

23. What is your level of recognition within the SCA?

Non-Peers	Peers Mentored	Peers	Royal Peers
o Member	o Squire	o Knight	o Count/Countess
o Award of Arms	o Apprentice	o Laurel	o Duke/Duchess
o Grant of Arms	o Protegee	o Pelican	o Pince/Princess (current)
o Baron/Baroness	o Cadet	o Master of Defense	o King/Queen (current)

24. What is your age?
o Under 20
o 21-30
o 31-40
o 41-50
o 51-60
o Over 60
o I prefer not to answer

25. How many family members participate in the SCA?
o I am the only one
o My spouse/significant other and I
o Family with children
o My extended family
o I prefer not to answer
o Other: ________

26. If a new peerage is considered for any endeavor, how would you like to hear about it?
Check all that apply
o Email to all members
o Kingdom Chroniclers
o Kingdom newsletters
o Kingdom website
o SCA Website
o Social Media
o Mailings to members
o I prefer Not to Answer
o Other: ________

27. How can this process be improved?
________

28. How can this process be more transparent?
________

In closing, I would like to say I did not realize how much work goes into creating surveys! I thought this would be an hour or two of work. Instead it has turned into several days’ worth of work as I analyzed the original survey and re-wrote it. I also want to thank Schwarzer Turm Herald Ulric von der Insel, who proofread my original analysis and gave excellent feedback. I have spent over a decade editing textbooks, and I can honestly say that everyone needs editors. This includes editors!

Instruction Challenge: Sewing a Viking Hood

As a Viking reenactor, one of my challenges is recreating garments worn centuries ago, with no instructions on how they are put together. I read through several sets of instructions for how to make a reproduction of the hood found in Skjold Harbor. After several tries, I now understand how the squares and rectangles work together.

Explaining how to assemble this hood requires both color-coded diagrams and photographs of the assembly process. The photo on the right shows my completed hood.

The pattern is deceptively simple: two rectangles (1-2 and 3-4) form the hood and sides, and the front and back panels are squares half the size of the rectangles (5 and 6).

I have colored each section’s edges to explain which edges should be sewn together. Black edges indicate the outer seams of the garment, and the dashed black line shows where the fabric folds.

Suggested dimensions for the hood are to make each colored length one foot, requiring a rectangle of material two feet by three feet. If you have an unusually large head or are making a child’s hood, cut a brown paper bag and hold it behind their head. The square should be a few inches larger than their head.

The hood is tricky to assemble because the edges align in an odd fashion.

First, join the two purple edges of (2) and (3) together to form a very long rectangle. Another way to make this hood from a piece of fabric one foot wide and six feet long, removing the need for the purple seam. The purple edge can be a fold or a seam, and sits over the top of the head.

 

 

Next, join the two red edges of (2) and (3) together. This seam sits over the back of the head . The black edges of (2) and (3) are the open front of the hood.

 

Starting at the end of the red seam, pin  and sew square (6) to the back to the hood. You will need to align the orange edges of (1) and (6) as well as the  brown edges of (4) and (6). Don’t start at one of the corners with a black edge, because the fabric can slip and misalign the entire hood.

 

The next step is the hardest. Carefully align the front of the hood to sew the front seams. I like to pin the open front of the hood (the black lines of (2) and (3) closed so they align. This ensures the front square (5) will align with the back square (6).

 

Finally, sew the blue edge of (5) to the blue edge of (1). Now you only need to finish the seam around the open front of the hood and its outer edge.

It looks strange, doesn’t it? When flat, the hood will look like this. I have drawn a person in the hood so you can see how it sits. The dashed lines indicate folds.

 

Explaining Fractions with Apples

Fractions occur everywhere in our society: in cookbooks, at grocery and hardware stores, and in the classroom. But what is a fraction? What do the numbers above and below the bar mean?

A fraction represents part of a number. The lower half of the fraction is the whole number, and the upper half is how many pieces of that whole are present.

The most common fraction is 1/2, or one half. Having a half means there is one piece available out of two  pieces that make the whole. Here is an example of an apple cut in half.

If two friends want to share one apple, they can cut it in half, each taking one piece of the two pieces available.

If one friend leaves with their half of the apple, and another apple is bought, how many half apples remain? The key to solving this riddle is that whole things can be broken into pieces. If a whole apple is cut into two pieces, then there are two half apples that may be added to the original apple half.

To add two fractions, they must have the same whole number in the base. How can one whole apple be added to one half of an apple?

So one half of an apple plus two halves of an apple equals three halves of apple.

Mathematics can be frustrating because many textbooks assume students understand basic principles. I created this exercise because I did not understand how fractions worked until my senior year of High School. Once I fully understood the math, I was able to tutor classmates and went on to be a math textbook editor after I completed my undergraduate degree.

Short Story: Going Up

I am a technical writer, although I also write fantasy, science fiction, and superhero stories. This story was a writing exercise focused on dialog: two people are trapped in a broken elevator. After the exercise was complete, I chose to return to it and add a some setting details to make it a complete story. I wrote this in 2009, before the Marvel Cinematic Universe made superheros cool to non-geeks.

Going Up?

      I missed the bus, walked here in the rain, and now I’m late for work, Amy thought. I don’t need anything else to go—
      A lycra-covered hand caught the elevator door as it was closing, letting a man in a blue-and-silver bodysuit on.
      “Why are you taking the elevator, John? I thought you super-powered had a more direct way of getting to your stations?” she asked.
      “The High Command suggested that those gifted with powers should use ordinary means of transport when not on assignment. But I’m not fooled. You machine-dependent Techies complained about how inferior you were feeling, didn’t you?” he replied.
      “I’m sure you’d feel pretty inferior without the heat-trapping materials we designed for flyboys like you. Stormbringer almost froze his—“
      “Why are we stopping?”
      “You’re the one who can fly. Why not lift the elevator up to your floor?” she suggested.
      “Do you know how much an elevator weighs? I’d need super strength to lift this much steel! You’re the Techie, why don’t you find the emergency override or whatever you call it?”
      “Sure, now you want my help. You never bothered to read the manual, did you?”
      “Well, err….” he began.
      “If you’d read it, you’d know that there’s an emergency panel in every elevator. It pops off like this and conceals the mechanism that opens the safety hatch in the floor. See?”
      “I do see. Now I shall bid you—Hey! Let go of my cape!”
      “Oh no you don’t, John. I showed you how to get out of here, but you’re not leaving until you’ve been a ‘gentleman’ enough to give me a lift down to the emergency ladder.”
      “Oh, very well. I suppose I must return the favor and provide you with a lift. Here you are.”
      “Thank y—”

SCREECH!

      “Amy! The elevator’s falling down the shaft!”
      “Get me to that override two floors down! No, wait! Dammit, John, watch your hands!”
      “Do you want me to drop you, woman!?”
      “No! Just hold me steady! I’ve got the panel—almost there—HA! We’re out!”
      “Heh, a daring rescue and a narrow escape. I believe that’s two thank-yous you owe me, little lady.”
      “Too bad you weren’t squished, flyboy.” she replied. “You’d be stuck in that elevator without my help!”

The wall panel chimed.

      “Quite right. You worked well together under duress. Both of you will report to my office for you next assignment—as a team.”
      “But Director—” Amy began.
      “Ma’m, if I may—” John started.
      “I shall accept no arguments on this,” the director continued. “Report immediately. Oh, and take the stairs.”

Building my own Brand

I am an unusual person: whenever presented with an either-or choice, I almost always choose both. I am editor and a writer, a problem-solving engineer and an artist. Sometimes job hunting frustrates me, because many companies want a person to do just one thing, but I do that thing and more. Communicating this on my resume is a challenging.

My other challenge is my name. Anakin is my first name, Steuart is my middle name, and Michele is my last name. I have been mistaken for “Michele Steuart” many times, including the DMV and voter registration. To make life easier, I started using Ana Steuart as a pen name, because it’s a recognizable first name followed by a recognizable last name. This can cause confusion when someone is trying to connect Ana Steuart with Anakin Steuart Michele.

I was looking through examples of resume layouts when I stumbled across this design. The vertical name stands out, but does not distract from the text of the resume.

 

My old resume used Microsoft Word’s table tools to create a graphic header, but the color combination made it distracting.

I played around with table settings in a Word document, rotating and enlarging the text of my name to resemble the example I found. My true breakthrough was the realization that I could use back and gray text colors to separate my full name from the short version I use professionally:

Once I had this graphic element, everything else fell into place. I removed the old heading image from the top of this blog. Then I cloned and edited my professional writing posts from my hobby blog.

Finally, I created a matching set of business cards. I liked the sweeping blue background of this VistaPrint design. I enjoyed the challenge of fitting the rest of my information around the card’s graphics.

Some artists prefer to create everything themselves, controlling every aspect of their work. I prefer to work with what already exists, creating a harmony between what is there and what I can add to the piece. My inclusive thinking makes it easier for me to work within a team.

Heraldic Graphic Design: My Vector Art Contributions

I work as a volunteer for the Society for Creative Anachronism. The SCA is a non-profit group that teaches living medieval history, with modern safety and health concerns.

In the SCA, I am an Art Herald. This means I sit down with clients and help them choose what image should be their household arms. (This is choosing to have a color scheme and design such as House Stark or House Lannister have on Game of Thrones.) Once the client has a design to register, I draw it for them.

When I started working as an Art Herald, the best art resource was the Pennsic Traceable Art Project. It was created by enlarging images on a photocopier, and the image quality is poor. Two years ago, I asked the other Heralds for permission to completely overhaul it. I envisioned a completely digital version of the Traceable Heraldic Art Project. Not long after I began working on it, Mathghamhain Ua Ruadháin stepped in to help. He has software that can convert line art into vector art, and the server space to host HeraldicArt.org.

Vector art is different from scans of line drawings because it is scaleable. A physical photograph brought to a copy shop can make it twice as large, but some of the details will blur due to the limitations of the DPI (Dots Per Inch) of the photo. Vector art is different because it consists of completely computer-draw lines. Vector art can be scaled from minuscule thumbnails to multistory billboards without becoming pixilated or blurry.

This project is enormous. It incorporates most of the old traceable art, as well as all the backgrounds for heraldic shields . Additionally, we are including heraldic pieces drawn and donated by artists around the world.

One set of artistic compilations was created in 1994 by Herald Torric inn Bjarni. His work is incredibly detailed, but his use of shading and hatching are difficult to translate into vector art. One of my tasks as an artist is to take his artwork and turn it into drawings that are easily converted to vectors. This is a huge project, because he compiled his drawings in a way to save space and paper, often using dashed lines and small notes to indicate how alternate versions of a creature would be drawn. These are scans from a few of his drawings. He also included other scraps of art that allow different creature variants to be drawn.

Note how the dragon has four legs, while the wyvern has only two. Additionally, Torric made notes on basilisks and cockatrices, which I also drew. These combinations resulted in drawing a baker’s dozen different variations of the same dragon.

Here are the first two dragons. The dragon on the left is Sejant, or in a seated pose.

The dragon on the right is Sejant Erect, or sitting with a raised limb.

 

In contrast, these two wyverns have only two legs. They are also displayed as Sejant and Sejant Erect.

 

 

With Torric’s note of the cockatrice head and the beginning of wings in the thumbnail drawing, I was able to piece together drawings. A cockatrice is a wyvern with the head of a cock.

 

A basilisk  is only different from a cockatrice because it has a dragon’s head at the end of its tail.

 

After drawing eight pictures of similar creatures, I was delighted to draw these dragons Couchant, or crouching. The right dragon is Coucant Erect, or crouching with one limb raised.

And here are another two versions of the Couchant dragons, with their wings folded. Having many variations of heraldic animals can be critical when artists are placing images within limited space.

Finally, here is the dragon Dormant, or sleeping. The Hogwarts motto “Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus” seems appropriate here, since you should never tickle a sleeping dragon.

EKwiki Part 3: Adding Personal Information

This article covers what information can be posted on your East Kingdom Wiki page.

If you need to make a page, please refer to EKWiki Part 1: Why a Wiki?
If you need to add images to your page, please refer to EKwiki Part 2: Adding Photos and Images

This post covers:
1. An overview of what to add to your EKwiki.
2. How to add your personal information to the wiki.
3. An explanation of the wiki formatting tools.

The final part of your EKwiki page is adding your persona information. In some ways, this is the hardest part of creating your EKwiki. I can write technical instructions all day, but choosing what to share with the Society for Creative Anachronisms is less cut-and-dried.

Describing your persona is helpful for people who want to get to know you better. If you haven’t created a persona, you can list your favorite activities. If an artist is drawing a scroll for you, they can personalize the artwork. Even just listing your favorite colors is good.

There are Categories listed in the “edit” tab at the top of the page, which are noted with pairs of equals signs:  ==  == . You can create or delete any category you wish. If you’re a newcomer and haven’t worked as an officer or created any publications, you can simply delete those lines of text. I removed the ‘officer’ section from my EKwiki and replaced it with a section on my heraldry.

To link to another page in the EKwiki, you put that page name inside two sets of brackets. My consort’s page links to mine with the code “In Case of Court, please contact [[Thory Vedardottir]].” The link displayed on his wiki is this.

If you want to link to a different website from the EKwiki, put both the website text (called a URL) and a description of the website in a set of brackets. Be sure to leave a space between the URL and the first word of the description, or the description will look odd and the website will not load. This is what the typed text linking to my local group looks like:

To make a bulleted list, simply make each item on the list begin with an asterisk (*). This text is on the left and the result is on the right:
*Please do not surprise due to anxiety.
*Please summon to RP event in advance or use a writ.

Finally, there is the category called, In Case of Court. It is a new addition to the EKwiki created by Duke Brennan, and is very helpful. The problem with awards is that award presentation has several aspects.

Awards are bestowed upon people who volunteer for the society, and as such receiving an award is often a surprise. (Awards are not like elementary school trophies, and are not handed out for merely participating. Awards are intended to be given to people who are helping for the sake of helping, not merely chasing prizes.)

Surprise awards can be tricky because the people who recommend someone for an award may not know how to ensure that person will be at an event to receive it. By listing a friend, mentor, or partner in your In Case of Court, it is much easier to receive an award. The double brackets [[ ]] let you link to their page.

For people who do not like surprises, or have anxiety when they are called before a crowd, they can simply write, “Please do not surprise due to anxiety”

Thank you for reading my  post on what to put on your East Kingdom Wiki page. If you need to make a page, or are wondering why having an EKwiki page is useful, please refer to  EKWiki Part 1: Why a Wiki?

If you need to add images to your page, please refer to EKwiki Part 2: Adding Photos and Images.

EKwiki Part 2: Adding Photos and Images

This article covers how to post photographs and other images on your East Kingdom Wiki page. If you need to make a page, please refer to EKWiki Part 1: Why a Wiki? If you have photos and images uploaded and linked, you can go to EKwiki Part 3: Adding Personal Information.

This post explains:
1. How to upload a photo of yourself.
2. How to upload other images.
3. How to edit your EKwiki page to show these images.

The best thing you can do with your EKwiki page is to post a photo of yourself in garb. This will help both the people who are nominating you for an award, and the people who review the nomination.

To upload a picture, use the “upload file” button on the sidebar of the EKwiki page, or go directly to https://wiki.eastkingdom.org/index.php?title=Special:Upload

In the Upload page, select a file to load from your computer or phone onto the EKwiki. Click “Choose File” button to begin.

If you have a photo, you can choose it, and that photo will be uploaded (make it a part of the EKwiki until it is actively removed). This screenshot shows where the Downloads folder is in Windows:

If you do not have a photo ready, you can  download one (move it down from the internet and put it on to your device). On a computer, you can right click on a photo on FaceBook or another site, and choose the option “Save Image As”. This saves the picture to your Downloads folder, or whatever location you have set as the default. If you are working from a phone, the photos you take may be in a folder called Photos. After you have downloaded your photo, note its file name. In the example, that is “IMG_20171027-163334”

You should upload an image that includes your SCA name, so it is easy to find. You should not upload your image with the file name “Photo needed.jpg” or “Device needed.jpg” This will alter every filler image in the wiki, causing confusion.

FaceBook is an excellent place to ask for help if you have a hard time uploading photos. One thing that makes wikis easy to use is that anyone can upload photos and images to any page.

After the photo is uploaded, you can upload an image of your heraldry. Herald’s point provides submitters with a paper copy of their devices. If you have misplaced the paperwork, it is displayed on the Oscar database and your local herald should be able to send you the image file or upload it to the EKwiki. (If your local herald isn’t familiar with Oscar, you can ask for help from the baby heralds FaceBook group.)

After the images are uploaded to the wiki, link your page to the images. Click on the “edit” tab at the top of the page. This function allows you to edit the entire EKwiki page, including the images on the side bar that display your photo and heraldry.

If you only need to add a little information, such as describing your persona, you can click on the [edit] in brackets beside that topic.

Clicking the “edit” tab at the top of the page displays a text box, shown on the left.

Replace “Photo needed” with your file name, in this example “”IMG_20171027-163334”. Note that you will need to replace only the characters in “Photo needed” – if you replace even as much as the colon (:) after the word “Image” the EKwiki page will not load properly.

Do not upload an image with the file name “Photo needed.jpg” or “Device needed.jpg” This will alter every filler image in the wiki, causing confusion. Include your name in the file name.

If you use the Preview or Save Changes option and your photo takes up most of the page, you have an error in your code. Make sure you have listed “200px” “thumb” and “left” in your code, like this:
|photo = [[Image:IMG_20171027-163334.jpg|200px‎|thumb|left]]

If you have received awards or are working as an officer for your local barony or shire, you should include that information on your page. For complete list of these codes, go to the Awards & Templates List.

The awards and officer positions are encased in two sets of curly brackets {{ }} . These brackets act as a type of code for the EKwiki. Just like HTML bracket issues, if your EKwiki page looks visibly wrong, it is likely caused by a missing bracket.

After you have entered any Awards or Offices, click Save Page at the bottom. When your page displays, you can verify that the images are correct.

To add personal information in the body of your EKwiki,  please visit EKwiki Part 3: Adding Personal Information.

Thank you for reading my  post on what to put on your East Kingdom Wiki page. If you need to make a page, or are wondering why having an EKwiki page is useful, please refer to my post EKWiki Part 1: Why a Wiki?