Red Team: State of the Community

[Sam_AMD]

June marks the end of the first half of 2022 or the beginning of the second half! Either way, it’s been an exciting time for us, your new Community Management Team.

As some of you may recall, the Red Team Community has gone through numerous changes. From deploying the new platform, updating its structure, and utilizing its features to the re-launch of contests and sweepstakes, new groups and discussion types, and new team members including our trusted volunteers, the first half of 2022 has been great. And it’s just the beginning…

With the above in mind, I wanted to provide you with an update on what we’ve accomplished, what we’re working on, and a glimpse into the road ahead.

Where We Were (2021):

• We hired our first dedicated Community Manager @Ashley_AMD! Ashley has been an invaluable member of my team. She quickly proved to be the perfect match and plays a key role in helping with the all-things community (learning the platform’s inner workings was no easy task). We are lucky to have her!
• While we worked on improving the platform’s structure, security, features, and IU we learned about the Flood Control Tool issue some of you were experiencing. With your feedback, we promptly addressed it, updated its settings, and continue to fight spammers. About features, after weeks of testing, we deployed the Private Messaging tool, which is a great way to contact us and folks you’ve met here privately. 
• We delivered a more consistent layout across the platform. For example, they all feature a banner, have widgets placed on the right and/or the bottom of each page, the buttons are a bit more intuitive, and navigating from one category to another is easier. Plus, the platform branding matches our website (www.amd.com).
• Speaking of our website, we revamped the Red Team Home page. Thanks to your responses to the Red Team survey, we changed most of the content to be more community-centric, and updated the layout, while minimizing the number of marketing banners.

Where We Are:

• On January 5^th, we launched the Red Team Monthly Sweepstakes and the Rig of the Month Contest simultaneously. Ashley and I had a few meetings about these activities and, simply put, we decided to start the year on a fun note with you! Be sure to subscribe to these posts to stay in the know!
• Before I left for PAX, I remember reading a few posts about the limited-edition AMD Radeon™ RX 6900 XT Halo Infinite GPU, specifically how some of you felt we needed to give everyone here a chance to win one. I wholeheartedly agreed, and after a few meetings, and thanks to our friends in the marketing team, I was able to secure a couple for you! By the way, you still have time to get your hands on one!
• For the first time since 2019 we returned to PAX (PAX East in Boston) where I had the chance to meet some Red Team members and our partners, and sell our products at MSRP! What a blast! It was great to be at an event in person again.
• About selling our products at MSRP! As we continued to look into ways to share the PAX East experience beyond the conference, we gave you the opportunity to buy an AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, AMD Radeon RX 6800, or an AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT – which are no longer available to the general public – at MSRP!
• On May 31, after a poll, a few discussions with you, and the results from the survey, we launched the Red Team Overclockers Group. If you are interested in learning about overclocking or offering a few tips to fellow members, this is the place to do it. Just join the group and have at it, and don’t forget to include images and links to videos as these are always welcomed.
• For the first time, we added two volunteers to our team to help us with moderation! If you haven’t yet, please be sure to say hello to @blazek and @kingfish.
• Last but not least, we hired our second team member @Amber_AMD! Amber has dived into everything we’re doing head first and proved to be another great match! Like Ashley, we are lucky to have her!

Where We are Going:

(Disclaimer! I can’t predict the future, nor control the universe! Some of the “things” in this section may or may not happen).

• Part of our responsibility is the optimization of our platform. To make it as easy and intuitive as possible for everyone to use. It’s not an easy thing to do since there are always numerous moving parts (you, time, budgets, resources, approvals, development/programming, testing, security, structure – you get the idea), but we love the challenge and continuously drive to make improvements where possible. Simply put, optimization is an ongoing process for us. We’ll be sure to make announcements and/or start discussions with you as we deploy new features or improve them.
• PAX West, PDX LAN, and CNE Gaming Garage are a few of the events we have on our radar. I can’t wait to attend them as I believe events are the best way to meet new people and catch up with our partners. Plus do fun stuff like game on the latest and greatest PCs, conduct raffles, and mingle with Red Team members…in the new Red Team Lounge!   
• New Red Team Modders Group! After a few meetings with some members, we’re looking into launching the group later this year. The group will offer a dedicated space on our platform for modders to not only share their creations but to help those who are interested in modding. Plus, we may do a few contests or giveaways just for modders!
• I almost forgot. We are looking into bringing back our V-LANs. With any luck, we’ll have one around the holidays.

All of this couldn’t have happened without your commitment and continuous support of AMD. We have made new friends while reconnecting with old ones. We have improved thanks to your dedication. And now we have a great journey ahead of us, together we advance_

Thank you Red Team!