Changes to Elf Groups

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Changes to Elf Groups have been happening since the first of the New Year.

It is likely you have seen some groups disappear while others have been consolidated or changed.

The decision to do this by Santa’s Council is based on the mandate given by Santa to focus the features of the elf community to be more mission centric.

Eliminated groups were those that lacked activity or support of their managers.

Modified groups are groups that were active but fell under various management entities or were designated as “private” or “hidden”. All groups, except for Santa’s Council, will be public going forward.

All groups now have centralized administrative control. Elf Max, under the direction of Santa’s Council, will administer the groups for uniformity and compliance.

Much discussion has been had over what constitutes “mission centric” topics of each group.

It was decided that elf discussion on things such as Christmas Baking is healthy for the community and should continue, even though not specifically relatable to Santa tracking.

Thus, if new groups are wanted for other Christmas topics – decorating, Christmas movies, Christmas music, etc – it will be possible to form them. Interested parties in forming new groups should contact Elf Max.

Going forward all groups will be monitored by Santa’s Council who will occasionally review group activity, relevancy and contribution to the Elf Community.

We expect the elf community to continue to grow. This change to elf groups is just one of many adjustments being made this year. Further detail of the formation, administration and future of Elf Groups will be included in a new feature called Elf University, to be released soon.

Feel free to add questions, comments or suggestions below.

SantaUpdate.com - Tracking Santa Online

Elf Chat Scheduled for Monday, February 21st

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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.

SantaUpdate.com - Tracking Santa Online

Four New Senior Elves

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We are pleased to announce the addition of four elves to Santa’s Council. As a Senior Elf, each of the following individuals will have administrative-level access and authority on SantaTrackers.net. They will work alongside Elf Max to support the community through new elf training, moderation, verification and other tasks. Likewise their influence will be felt with new elves as well as other elves who work in Santa’s Council.

They are: Elf Jacob, Elf Cookie Dough, Elf Hannah and Elf Sugar Cookie.

Please note that not ALL of the Senior Elf positions are yet filled and that I continue to hold conversations with several candidates. We expect more announcements of additions to this group in the days ahead.

Santa’s Council is a group comprised not only of the new Senior Elf team here on SantaTrackers.net but also members of the Executive team and the Operations team from the North Pole. The council is headed by Santa himself. They worked together to address difficult issues that come up in the Elf Community and to decide policy as it relates to Tracker Elves.

The Senior Elves at SantaTrackers.net are a vital addition to Santa’s Council and they are making history with their inclusion in that group. They are the “voice of the Tracker Elf”, being the first-ever elves not from the North Pole serving in this capacity. Santa feels these Senior Elves and their opinions are critical to shaping the Tracker Elf program going forward.

These elves are trusted with helping to shape the Elf Community going forward. They will continue, as they have naturally been doing any way, to mentor new elves and those who arrive with questions.

Each will retain other elf jobs they presently fulfill and are welcome to take on additional responsibilities as new jobs become available and as they have time to contribute.

Please join me in congratulating them on this new assignment and in wishing them well in their new roles.

SantaUpdate.com - Tracking Santa Online

When Plans Fail

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Here in the new year, dear reader, you’ll see a lot of changes to the Santa Tracker Herald Star.

That because your intrepid editor – me, Elf Harold Star – is finally back on the job.

Just to introduce myself, I’m an old time news man with year of experience in the North Pole news business. I’ve done work with the North Pole Gazette, North Pole Radio News on Kringle Radio and even some work with North Pole TV. Last year I was tasked with taking on new editorial work here on SantaTrackers.net and SantaUpdate.com.

We launched this little page, interviewed all kinds of new elves and set out to have a good first season of Santa tracker news.

Then it all fell apart.

I got sick. Really sick. Like go-to-the-hospital sick.

Everything here subsequently failed. I didn’t answer my messages. My new reporters floundered without direction. And this page hardly changed beyond what poor Elf Max was able to do on his own while trying to keep the website up as Flight Command tried to recruit 200 million new elves.

It was a nightmare.

Our little plan here completely failed.

I started getting a little better in December and by mid-January I was finally well enough to get out of bed and into the world a little bit. Everyone was so very kind to me. But when it came time for me to visit with Elf Ernest and Santa for my annual reviews I became quite depressed. How could we review what never really happened?

Well, they honestly didn’t dwell on it. Elf Ernest, in fact, tried to take the blame all on himself because he felt he should have had one of the elves who work over at SantaUpdate.com fill in for me and that never happened (honestly, Ernest didn’t have an elf to spare).

Santa didn’t even want to talk about it. He just asked how I was feeling and when we could get moving.

Well, we’re moving.

Elf Trixie posted up her first North Pole Rumors column the other day. I have it on good authority that Elf Ed Zachary is going to publish something next week. And heavens knows there’s more news that usual coming out of the Tracking Department in the early going of Operation Merry Christmas for this year.

So, let me just apologize for the very delayed start to things here.

As Santa said to me, when plans fail we just pick up the pieces and get to work. We turn the ashes of disaster into the roses of success.

In the coming months we’ll have lots of roses here. I promise.

The Santa Tracker Herald Star is intended to be YOUR news – stuff beyond the stuff of just tracking Santa. That other stuff is important, yes. I don’t mean to diminish it. But WE know you want the news of being elves. And that’s what we do.

It’s no longer just the plan.

It’s what is happening.

The Bearded Elf

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A Cheap Way for Some Free Time Off

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Howdy, elves. Welcome to my new column here at the Santa Tracker Herald Star.

It’s a new assignment I’m just silly over. I get to tell you what I’m hearing in the way of rumors and gossip at the North Pole.

How cool is that?

Anyways. What kind of North Pole dirt do you want me to spill?

Something about the Claus family? Well, there’s a new cat there. I don’t know her name. But rumor has it the Claus dogs (there are several) are not happy.

Ok, I know. That’s a lame thing to start with.

So let’s talk elf stuff. You’re all elves, so you will understand this.

Elves here are starting to buzz about a cheap way for them to get some free time off. Not that working for Santa is bad or anything. But it’s February. Things at the North Pole are wildly busy right now.

Some elves, despite the early January break we all took, are hankering for vacation. But believe it or not, we’re still in the “holiday hold”. That’s what they call that time of year when none of us can take vacations.

Anyways.

Sit tight for big news from The Big Guy soon.

It’s not a shocking thing, ya know, it’s happened before and it’s something traditional. They are just looking for a way to get remote elves involved (yes, tracker elves, looking at you here). That could happen any day now.

Too vague for you?

This is the world of rumors. That’s what this little column is supposed to be about. So bear with me.

Hey, I also have heard some new stuff about Valentine’s Day next week.

Kinda weird for a North Pole holiday, if you ask me. Elves – especially the North Pole boy elves — are notoriously shy and geeky. That makes Valentine’s here so w-e-i-r-d.

Come to think of it, that could be why Halloween is so over-the-top here. Everyone gets to wear a mask. Nobody really knows who is behind the costume.

I think what we need to do is to combine Halloween and Valentines and it would be just about perfect. Hallowtines? Valenween?

Haha. Anyways.

I know there are three elves who like me. I won’t mention their names. But – they know I know they know that I know, ya know? So Valentines can be especially, uh, awkward this time around.

Meanwhile, I’m just as bad. There’s this elf, you see, in the Tinsel Department who is…golly.

Anyways, I don’t exist to him and Valentine’s Day is going to….nevermind.

I shouldn’t do rumors about me.

Let’s talk Santa, shall we? No Valentine’s weirdness there. Seriously. Santa and Mrs. C are the cutest couple. They never even fight. Santa opens the door for her and insists that everyone call her Mrs. The other day I saw him tying her shoes. I mean, how cute is that?

I wonder if Santa has a brother?

Anyways.

Another hot rumor: the North Pole is getting a water slide.

Well, maybe.

There’s all kinds of talk about it happening in time for Christmas-in-July.

Yeah, cause I know you’re gonna ask, does it still snow here in July. Heck yeah, it snows. Just not as much.

So yeah, that water slide is going to have to have heated water. But what’s the big deal about that, right? They heat pools. Why not water slides?

So this could be interesting.

The dunking booth is always one of the big attractions at Christmas in July. If they combine the dunking booth with the water slide I think it will be more popular than ever.

Go ahead. Ask me questions.

Elf Trixie

SantaUpdate.com - Tracking Santa Online

First Senior Elf Named

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The first senior elf has accepted his position and joins the all-new Santa’s Council, which is in the formation process.

Our first senior elf is one you know well, Elf Max.

Elf Max is the most important elf on SantaTrackers.net. He works tirelessly 365 days of the year to make this site and community work. While we do not want to add to his workload there is no way we can proceed without his voice on Santa’s Council.

There are several “Santa’s Council” groups. We have one at SantaUpdate.com, at the North Pole, at North Pole Flight Command, etc. These are groups of senior elves that meet with Santa on occasion to discuss difficult issues and to resolve them. The elves included in these groups are approved personally by Santa and are highly trusted.

In forming a group of such elves here we will be including elves who serve in various important capacities first. You know these elves already. Elves Ernest, Frank Myrrh, Harold Star, Sandy Claus and Crash Murphy will, by the nature of their existing positions and how they work within the Santa Tracker community, will be part of this group.

I am in the process as well in interviewing several other elves to be part of this group. It may take me a few months to get through this process of interviewing, identifying and inviting new elves to join Santa’s Council.

Not only are we looking for the right mix for Santa’s Council we are looking for new Senior Elves to fill special assignments within the tracker community. It will take time to recruit such elves, train them and get them up to speed on their duties.

But adding Elf Max to this group is a logical first step and one we hope you approve of.

Expect more announcements of this type over the weeks and months ahead.

SantaUpdate.com - Tracking Santa Online

Understanding Our Mission

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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.

SantaUpdate.com - Tracking Santa Online

Tracker Elf Conference Agenda

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The Tracker Elf Conference is scheduled for this Saturday at 10am EST and it runs for two hours.

Santa to Address Tracker Elf Conference

During these two hours we will hear/see presentations from the following Santa tracking experts:

  1. Elf Frank Myrrh (North Pole Radio News anchor) – The Tracking Santa Show on Kringle Radio
  2. Elf Roger Star (International Director of Santa Trackers) – How You Help Santa on Christmas Eve
  3. Elf Buck Sanchez (Flight Director, North Pole Sleigh Port) – What Really Happens on Christmas Eve
  4. Elf Hugo Slavia (North Pole Post Master) – How Messages Flow at the North Pole on Christmas Eve
  5. Elf Max (Tracker Elf Trainer) – Timeline of Tracker Activity
  6. Santa (The Big Guy) – My Message to Tracker Elves

As you can see, there are a lot of presentations to make. There will be a brief period after each presentation for questions. It would be helpful, however, if you could submit any questions you have ahead of time so that maybe answers can be put into the presentations (this saves time for everyone). You can submit them below:

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SantaUpdate.com - Tracking Santa Online

Elf Questions and Answers – New Tracker Podcast

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Santa Trackers Podcast
Santa Tracker Podcast
Elf Questions and Answers - New Tracker Podcast
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Elf questions and answers are the topic of a new Santa Trackers Podcast just posted by Elf Frank Myrrh.

Elf Questions and Answers

There are many new tracker elves joining our ranks and they have questions. In this new episode we take a stab at answering a few of those questions.

This biggest question in this episode come from Elf Frankie in England: What do I do if I see Santa in my house?

Frank and Crash do not necessarily agree with how to best answer this question. Crash thinks Frankie should say something and Frank — well, Frank just can’t handle it.

This episode also features a special message from Elf Crusader about the care and feeding of Reindeer.

Frank and Crash also discuss how to help young, talent elves develop in their elf careers.

SantaUpdate.com - Tracking Santa Online

Santa Headlines Tracker Elf Conference

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Santa Claus will address the 2021 Tracker Elf Conference it was announced during the Elf Supervisor chat held yesterday.

Santa to Address Tracker Elf Conference

Santa wants to speak directly with those who will be tracking him in an official elf capacity. Attendance for this event is expected to be robust and there will likely be more questions for Santa than he will be able to handle. There may be a process set up so that Santa can answer the questions more efficiently.

The Tracker Elf Conference is an annual event to inform tracker elves of last minute instruction about Santa’s flight and the responsibilities of trackers. Other speakers have been selected for this event and the agenda for the conference will be released soon.

SantaUpdate.com - Tracking Santa Online

Let Us Post Your Photos For You

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We have received requests for an alternative way to post the Thanksgiving Day Elf Parade photos that elves around the world share. Some do NOT want to put them on the Elf Wall.

That’s okay – we appreciate you sharing them with us. Just use the form below or click on this link to upload them to us:

 

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SantaUpdate.com - Tracking Santa Online

Huge Gains in Elf Count Seen Daily

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Historic gains are being made daily as tracker elf sign-ups surge all over the world. The numbers for the last 30 days are in and Sector 4 – South America – showed the largest gains last month, much to the surprise of nearly everyone at North Pole Flight Command.

World wide, the total elf count jumped nearly 25% to 98 million, leaving just 102 million elves yet to recruit in the month ahead.

Sector 4 saw the largest increase at 50.9%. They now have more than 18.5 million elves total.

Sector 5 also had another large increase last month at 36.5%. They lead the world with 45.6 million elves. North America is expected to show the largest increase yet in the month ahead.

Sector 1 increased 2.1% to 9.1 million total elves. They need to really put in an effort this month. Their goal is better than 19 million, so a lot of work ahead for them.

Sector 2 in Asia and the Middle East improved 1.5%, the smallest increase on the month for any sector. They have 3.6 million elves and need a total of 11 million.

Sector 3 in Africa and Europe improved 3.6% to 19.5 million. They need 36 million elves by the time Santa launches.

Most analysts at the North Pole are pleased with this positive progress. Keep recruiting new elves. Every day that passes now sets a new record.

 

SantaUpdate.com - Tracking Santa Online