After review from Santa’s Council we announce new Elf Community Standards. This effort is a result of difficult activity experienced over the past year as more new elves have joined. We hope all elves will review these.

Community Standards are rules and policies related to how the Elf Community here on SantaTrackers.net is managed. They are designed to guide elf behavior and aid in keeping SantaTrackers.net a safe place.

While these policies and rules are now clearly stated you should not expect to see a big change in how the site is operated. We have always operated by the standards. We issue them now to be clear about how we work and what expectations are of you.

We also want to be certain to communicate that this list can and likely will change over time. We welcome your feedback and suggestions as we further work to maintain the community.

A special event featuring Elf Roger Star has been scheduled in Elf Chat for next Monday, February 21st at 12pm EST. Elf Roger will discuss the calendar of events for Santa Trackers at SantaTrackers.net this year.

He will also answer questions posted by elves during the course of the chat event.

Elf Max is also scheduled to host North Pole Chat at SantaUpdate.com the same day, just a few hours later at 3pm EST. He will be discussing updates to SantaTrackers.net and take questions.

These chats are the first opportunities elves will have to directly address plans for the upcoming year.

Other elves that might be in attendance for these events include Elves Frank Myrrh, Crash Murphy and Elf Sandy Claus.

Elf Ernest might also be able to attend both chat events. Questions for these elves specifically would be welcomed.

Unfortunately, Santa will not be able to attend these chats. He has indicated that a chat scheduled with him will be coming soon.

Several weeks ago Elf Max made a short statement on the Elf Wall about new features, changes and revisions being made to SantaTrackers.net. He mentioned that efforts were being made improve the site experience to be more “mission centric”. One of our astute elves asked, “What does that mean?”

To be mission centric is to be more focused on our main purpose.

What is our “main purpose”? Or, better said, what is our mission?

After a lot of discussion, this sums it up: Our mission here at SantaTrackers.net is to help Santa get around the world each Christmas and to get him safely back to the North Pole.

You can read our full mission statement at this new page just added to the website.

When we say we want to make each feature, each page, each post, each little wall posting more mission centric it means we want it to contribute to the thing we’re trying to accomplish.

Last year we did it. All 200+ million of us.

It came after a very full year of preparation, of discussion, of recruiting, of training and of just being elves together. We got Santa around the world, delivered Christmas and got him safely back home again.

Can we do better?

Oh yes. Of course. We all can do better.

That is the aim of what you are seeing Elf Max and his team doing right now. There are a lot of changes to the website. Lots of tiny adjustments and many bold new ideas being put into place. Our goal – which is part of our mission – is to improve on the great work already done.

Understanding our mission is something we are asking all elves to work on.

We want everything you do here online on SantaTrackers.net to somehow help the mission. Think hard before you post. It’s not always easy to do what we are asking here.

Simple things, like answering a question for new elves, are pretty simple. Of course that helps the mission.

But what about other things we’re doing here. Do we really need to post things about our hobbies, our hometowns or stuff that doesn’t relate at all to our mission?

That’s what we’re talking about here.

Elf Max is showing you how it is done. Every part of this website is under review. He is trying to make it apply more to our true mission. He wants every feature, every post, every word serve the mission better than it has in the past.

So that’s why you’re seeing some changes.

There are many more of them coming. Between now and June 1st, we expect them all to be put in place. Elf Max and his team are working every day in ways you may not see yet to improve things.

You can do that too. For now, your help will be in answering questions that Max might post. Like always, your help is appreciated in recruiting and training new elves. In the months ahead, it might mean taking on new jobs to add to your elf resume.

There are lots of ways to help accomplish the mission.

For now, read the mission statement. Ask whatever questions you might have. Think about what else you can do to help accomplish the mission.

Thank you.