Changes to Elf Membership Levels

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We are pleased to announce some enhancements to the Tracker Elf program in advance of the Christmas 2025 tracking season. These enhancements have been included in a recent overhaul of the SantaTrackers.net website, which you have no doubt noticed.

After hours of discussion with Santa, and hearing your feedback as asked for in my last post on May 5th, we present the following changes:

1. New elf registrations at SantaTrackers.net will be set as “Junior Tracker Elf”. This will give new elves a chance to learn the art of Tracking Santa for Santa. If after six months at that level and successful in their efforts, their Elf Supervisor may extend to them an invite to join the Elf Community as a North Pole Tracker elf.

2. The existing community of tracker elves – now known as North Pole Tracker Elves – remains a small and dedicated group. All accounts previously inactive since January 1, 2025, have been removed. If you had an account used before that date, but not since, you will need to re-apply as an elf to begin again as a Junior Tracker Elf.

3. The freelance elf community remains unchanged. Freelancers who choose not to participate in the Elf Community or to become a North Pole Elf can continue to track Santa for Santa without having a login in for SantaTrackers.net. As with others who track Santa for Santa, they can read instruction from their Elf Supervisor and submit reports that aid Santa. But as before they will not be able to participate in the Elf Community or advance to a North Pole Elf experience.

Santa and the North Pole support team of SantaTrackers.net remain committed to providing a free and orderly community for believers out there with a desire to become an elf at the North Pole.

The Internet presents challenges in maintaining such an online experience. We believe these new changes will improve that experience to ensure our ongoing operation.

These changes, as well as other updates to the SantaTrackers.net website, are effective immediately. Having completed them we can now move forward with the business of tracking Santa for Santa 2025.

Elf Crash Murphy and the Elf Supervisors, as well as the North Pole News Department, will from this point forward, resume their duties at SantaTrackers.net.

We welcome your comments and questions below. Our thanks go out to you for your patience and to Elf Max and his team of web experts for their good work in implementing these changes.

Thank you.

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Membership Update

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Here’s a little reminder that Membership routines continue even as Elf Max revamps the website.

We are at the time of the month where we give a cleaning to our membership roles, meaning those accounts who have not logged in for 90 days get deleted. This practice, while frustrating for some elves, is necessary to keep the most serious elves among us. So, as we frequently experience at this time of the year, you will see our numbers dwindle before they expand.

When will we open the gates of registration again for new elves? That is a topic of much discussion among elf leadership. Even Santa is weighing in on it. I have no news at this time to share but as soon as I do, I will let you know.

As always, we encourage every elf to have a complete elf profile. Elf Max assures me that the work is done on the new set up for profiles. He made an adjustment to elf names, leaving just one field to set up or edit in your profile. Where it says first name, just put in “Elf” and whatever your elf name is. You can look at my profile as an example. It says simply “Elf Moe”. That’s how we want every profile to look.

We remind you that you need a “cover” image and an “avatar”. There are many examples of elves who have done this correctly. I believe the new elf profile interface makes it clear and easy to do this. But if you need help, just let one of us know and we’ll assist.

We strongly encourage ALL active elves to update their profile with the new set up and freshen up the look you have for yourself.

Finally, as you work to get your profile the way you want it be sure to look at the little images to the right of your name. We want to get those right for every elf as well. If you are missing the red check of a verified elf or other designation please let me or Max know. Those images are pretty cool – if you hover your cursor over them a little text box pops up to explain what the image means. We want that for every everyone, so let us know what you’re missing and we’ll get it working.

While we anticipate a lot of adjustments to the website still in the coming weeks we anticipate more bugs and fixes. Please do not be shy in testing things out and sharing what you find. We want to fix everything and make it better and we believe it is going to take the efforts of everyone to get it right.

Thanks!

 

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Elf Community Upgrades Begin

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The first in a series of Elf Community upgrades is in progress. As you login you might notice some new features while other regular site offerings are suspended.

The following are features not currently operational that will return very soon:

– Elf University
– Tracker Reports
– Elf Jobs
– Tracker Elf Registration
– Elf Points Summaries (points building has returned and is being renewed)
– Sector News Pages

The Elf Community software has been upgraded and these new features are now active:

  • All new Elf Wall
  • All new Elf Groups
  • All new Elf Events
  • New profile features and upgrades
  • New messaging system
  • New friends and followers features
  • New News Page
  • New Podcast Page
  • New emojis and elf role icons

Our desire right now is to continue working while the Elf Community is open. We have spent the past two days working to get to this point, but we know a lot of work remains to be done.

We encourage you to help with this project doing the following:

  1. Update your profile. There are many new items not previously available.
  2. Update your avatar. (Many have lost the avatar they were using)
  3. Update your profile cover image to something Christmasy.
  4. Try everything. Tell us what works and what doesn’t for you.
  5. Ask questions.

We greatly depend upon your feedback to test everything out as we go along. Don’t be shy in posting on the Elf Wall or sending me a message.

Thank you!

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Stick to News and Reports

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Elves,

Please stick to using the site right now JUST for news and sending in reports. A LOT is going on and we need your cooperation.

Elf Max is working to restore a working Elf Wall and he’s attempting to do this while the site is “up”. If he closes it down, nobody gets the news. But, he’s working on live pages – things that some of you are accessing, such as the Elf Wall, which he’s working on.

It is creating issues.

Max says he can get things rolling if he just gets some time. But if we’re conflicting with his efforts by using the very features he’s working on. I do NOT want to shut the site down so Max can do this. This week is too important.

So please help and give Max room to do his job.

For now, please just check the news (you can comment on articles and ask questions there for now) and send in tracker reports. All the links you need are in the top menu.

Thanks,

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Community Site Issues and What to Do About It

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Trackers, on Friday we experienced some technical issues with the website. A combination of events are responsible, namely:

  1.  The site has been under attack from hackers who are determined to interrupt Santa’s operations this year
  2.  Routine security updates, designed to thwart hackers, have interfered with certain site features.

Elf Max has been working with developers and programmers to address the issues and thanks to their good efforts the site has remained “up”.

However, there are still many problems to work through, especially with certain community functions such as loading posts on the Elf Wall. It’s a terrible time to have these kinds of issues, with Santa’s launch just a week away.

In order to keep our focus on the job at hand of tracking Santa for Santa, I have asked Elf Max to disable the community functions of the site. For now, access to the Elf Wall, Elf Groups, Elf profiles and Elf messaging has been suspended. 

This week is too important to implement changes that may take several days to work through and could interrupt with the business of tracking Santa for Santa. After all, this is by far our most critical week of the year.

We can still, without issue, do the following:

  1. The chat with Santa today is still scheduled and can be held in Elf Chat.
  2. Each Elf Supervisor, myself and Elf Max can still post news and updates.
  3. We can track Santa for Santa despite not having all community features on the site working.

Elf Max, Elf Moe, and all of the Elf Supervisors remain at their stations to answer your questions and deliver critical news.

PLEASE USE THE COMMENT BOXES BELOW THE POSTED NEWS TO COMMUNICATE FOR NOW. 

If you cannot read the news, send in reports, or otherwise follow along with what needs to be done, please use the site support page to communicate your needs to Elf Max and team.

Thanks!

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Getting Your Elf Profile Right

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Fellow Elves in the Service of Santa,

We’re getting busier. With new elves comes a bit of chaos. There are questions and concerns. I appreciate the help of elves who have been here in years past to help bring the new elves up to speed.

As we work with new elves I’m asking ALL elves to please do the following:

1. Update your profile. To do that, go to “Elf Profile” under the login button at the top.

2. On the submenu bar click on the down arrow on the right and select “Profile Settings”:

Profile Settings

3. On that page select the green icon for “Profile Avatar”. This is the little picture that represents YOU. Every elf needs an avatar. If you can’t find one or don’t have one, please let me or Max or really anyone know, we’ll help you get one.

4. Once that is set up go to the pink icon on the Profile Settings page. This is the “cover” for your profile – the long horizontal picture that serves as the background on your profile header. That image needs to be larger than 1350 px wide and at least 350 px tall. Again, if you don’t have one, let me know and we’ll help you get one.

5. Then go into the Elf Info area and add the word “Elf” in front of your name. For example, my name is Moe so my elf info says “Elf Moe” in the name field. Every elf MUST have the word “Elf” in front of their name.

If your profile is not updated to these specs before Sunday October 22nd your account will default to “retired”, which limits your site access. You don’t want that if you want to be active tracking Santa for Santa in the months ahead.

Retired accounts CAN be restored within 90 days. But to restore it you need to be prepared to get your elf profile in line with the above.

Retired accounts are deleted after 90 days.

This is just elf business. It’s nothing personal. Santa likes a tidy house and this just helps keep things in order.

If you have any questions, please ask. We’re here to help.

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Elf PIN Can Now Be Set

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An Elf Personal Identification Number can now be set for every account at SantaTrackers.net.

The Elf PIN is designed as a safety and security feature. Using an Elf PIN will be an added means of us knowing a submission actually comes from you. It will be added to job applications, tracker reports and other submission forms soon.

Fraud in the elf world is rare. But this added feature will ensure the North Pole gets the information that you intend. Going forward, new accounts, both for Freelance Elves and for North Pole Elves, will register with an Elf PIN.

Please set your Elf PIN. You can change your Elf Pin at any time.

For existing accounts, please see this page or fill out the form below.

Thank you and have a nice day.

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Solving Login Issues

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We have been receiving word that some elves are having issues logging in to SantaTrackers.net.

We are investigating why this might be the case. We suspect it may have something to do with some temporary changes we have recently made to registration settings. Early this week, the site fell under attack from hackers in Russia, which caused us to lock down registrations. This may have changed “cookie” settings for site users.

“Cookies” are small files placed on your computer that help SantaTrackers.net remember you. If those files become corrupt, logging in could suddenly become a problem. The way around it is to clear your cookies. If you do not know how to do this, we have set up this page that explains what is happening and how to resolve it. It includes a link to resources that will help you with any particular kind of browser or device.

If this continues to be an issue, please contact me via the site support link in the footer of every page.

 

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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.

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How to Become a First Class Elf

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The Department of Elf Resources has three grades of elves:

Junior Elf, 3rd Class – Elves who are brand new signing up at ElfHQ.com enter the elf ranks in this class. Once they have read the Elf Code and taken the Elf Oath, they become eligible for an upgrade in class as well a new elf job. The vast majority of elves following this path are first assigned or sign up at SantaTrackers.net to become a tracker elf.

Elf, 2nd Class – All new tracker elves are assigned as 2nd Class Elves. This is an entry-level designation. While so classed an elf is expected to go through all the elf training as specified at this link. While in the class elves can move through the Elf Ranks, designated from 1 to 6 stars in their elf profile. Stars are gained in the form of points. Points are gained by activity in the Elf Community, service time as an elf, badges earned, and jobs taken in various capacities. It can take a while to rise from 2nd class to 1st class.

Elf, 1st Class – A first class designation showcases an elf’s experience and knowledge. The following is required to become a first class elf:

  1. You must be a verified elf.
  2. You must have at least 1 year of service as an elf. This requirement can be waived by an Elf Supervisor, Community Manager or the Department of Elf Resources if you apply for and take an elf job that requires 1st class status.
  3. You must pass a comprehensive Elf Knowledge Quiz demonstrating your mastery of Operation Merry Christmas, the Elf Code, and the rules of the Elf Community on SantaTrackers.net.
  4. Having an Elf Rank of 3-stars or greater is advisable.
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Badges, Points, Elf Types and Ranks

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Members of the Elf Community on SantaTrackers.net achieve points for their activities in the community. The intent of the system is to encourage participation. The more you participate, the stronger your standing as an elf becomes.

~ About Badges ~

Badges are special designations given to elves for their various roles as an elf. For example, if you apply for the job of City Captain you will be given a badge that shows on your “about” section of your profile. The “About” section also shows your basic profile information, you points balance and your elf rank.

Badges are not limited to just jobs. Sometimes you can be awarded a badge (and points to go with it) for accomplishing something or for completing a special task. For example, becoming a verified elf will earn you a special badge.

To see the badges you have, just click on the Badges page in your profile.

~ About Points ~

Points are a way of tracking your activity in the elf community. There are several kinds of points:

  • Membership Points
    • Registration as an elf gets you 50 points
    • Every year you are an elf gets you 500 points
  • Participation Points
    • Site Visit – 5 points
    • Viewing Posts – 1 point
    • Logging in – 10 points (per day)
    • Comments on posts – 5 points
    • Elf Wall Posts – 5 points
    • Making Profile Verified – 250 points
  • Promotion Points – Every time you receive an elf promotion for a new job points will be added by the Department of Elf Resources. These are never revealed in advance and are solely up to the discretion of the ER Department.
  • Merit Points – Any member of the staff can award up to 250 merit points based upon your contributions to the Elf Community

These are just some of the points available to you. There are lots of other point opportunities. To see how points are being credited to you, please visit the “Elf’s History” page in your profile.

~ About Elf Types ~

Elf “types” are different than elf rank. An elf type just designates your standing based upon time or assigned position. Here are the elf types:

  • 2nd Class Elf or Tracker Elf – All elves begin at this level.
  • 1st Class Elf – More experienced elves are given this level after at least 1 year of service or when obtaining certain elf jobs
  • Elf Trainer – Elves who train other elves are given this designation
  • Elf Supervisor – Elves who moderate members, events and activities in the elf community
  • Senior Elf Management – Elves who plan or headline events or represent Santa in select elf community activities.

Elf types are generally assigned and not “earned” positions. Points have no bearing on the type of elf you are.

~ About Elf Ranks ~

Elf ranks are all about points. The more points you gain the higher in the ranks you go. Here are the ranks:

  • Newbie Elf: 0-999 points
  • Tracker Elf: 1000-1999 points
  • Veteran Elf: 2000-2999 points
  • Pro Elf: 3000-3999 points
  • Elite Elf: 4000-4999 points
  • Altair Elf: 5000+ points

You can only go up in rank, never back. In the future, it might be possible to exchange gathered points for special elf prizes or products. If you expend points for these purposes you will NOT lose your rank.

Your current rank is listed in the “About” page of your profile.

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Becoming a Verified Elf

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Becoming a “verified elf” is part of our process of properly setting up our elf profiles on SantaTrackers.net. A verified elf has a check mark next to their name where ever they appear on the site. For example, this is from Elf Sandy Claus’ profile:

Verified Elf - Profile

This image shows all the elements we want to see in every elf profile:

  1. The Elf Title – Notice that her name is not just Sandy Claus but ELF Sandy Claus. Titles are VERY important to Santa and he wants us to use them. The title “Elf” needs to be in front of your elf name.
  2. The Elf Profile Picture – You should have a unique image for your profile picture. It can be your actual picture, taken with your phone or webcam, or it can be an elf representation, similar to what Elf Sandy is using. You should NOT be using the same image as another elf.
  3. The Elf Cover Image – This is the background image, here it shows as green with a festive Santa and snowflake pattern. It is sized 1350×350. If finding such an image is a challenge for you please let us know and we can help you with it.
  4. The About Me Tagline – this is your elf job position. Most of you can list your job as Santa Tracker Elf, or City Captain if you are one, or any other elf-appropriate title.

Once your elf profile properly reflects these attributes you can apply to receive the check mark next to your name and acquire the Verified Badge, which will show on your “About” page in your profile.

This is the member’s page view of what a proper profile looks like:

Verified - Members View

Notice that this shows the profile picture, the cover image, the Elf title with the name, the check mark, and the “About Me” tagline.

Also note that below the tagline are small images that represent the badges that you have earned.

Here’s a view of what the check mark looks like on the Elf Wall (from a post I made).

Verified Elf - Wall

As you can see, the site looks a lot neater when elves have a “Verified” badge. We want to see as many elves get this badge as possible.

Once you have made the necessary adjustments to your profile you just talk to one of our staff about getting the blue check-mark. Or, we will try to mark you as verified once we notice your profile is complete.

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