Can I add in my two cents?
(Warning: Wall of text)
I just wanted to say that by merging, the negatives seem to outweigh the positives. I mean, how can people even be sure that someone would want to merge with us? It could mean that the project ends up in exactly the same position, just with different people (and potentially more/less) to account for.
I think what we have to be careful about here is the whole 'one person doesn't take on heaps of tasks' (unless if they really want to/have the time to) - my only reason for saying that is that it would be a lot on their shoulders, and that pressure may or may not be appreciated. This could be one of the reasons why it seems like we've hit a weeny bit of a bump at the moment. It seems like we have a substantial amount of 'staff' (Is that what we'd call ourselves? ;P) in some areas, and then not enough in others - we all have seen this.
I think more work could be done if we try and 'fan out' this, trying to get a more diverse range of people in different areas - even if it meant potentially teaching the basics of things to some people, or getting them to help out with something that anyone could do - which may save time.
On the other hand, potentially teaching members something they're not familiar with could be a time waster, but, can we overlook that because it's the group connecting and working together to produce something we all love? It's just a sticky situation because the diversity of our skills and knowledge on software and whatnot all differ. So that's something to potentially think about ;D
To get back on track, to merge now almost seems like defeat, or giving up. Like some have already stated, people will lose their jobs - these could be people that we've grown close with. New-found friends. Now we're just going to potentially leave them behind? I think if we really get down to the nitty gritty, we'll find a way to pull through.
If I could suggest, one thing that may help organise things a wee bit better, is how we use Skype. I think a lot of of us go on there and we use it to just catch up and talk - as well as discuss the project. However, because there are a lot of people in there, as well as a lot of messages, so it gets hard to filter through and catch up on potentially important messages.
Maybe we could make two different Skype groups/calls. One entirely for talking about the project/designs/art/anything related to that? For example, drafting ideas, discussing ideas, then potentially posting a more detailed and rough outline on here. Then another for more Off Topic content? I think this may filter things a little easier and there won't be people coming online saying "What did I miss?" and then having to find anything super important in a stack of messages.
But yeah - in short. No. I think we're doing pretty well as is. So good job everyone, keep at it ;D
Corr! That was a lot.
TL;DR - No. Too many negatives. Find a way to get more people into different 'departments'. Merging is almost like giving up. We can organise things a bit better - possibly two Skype groups: One for the project, one for Off Topic talk. Good job guys - Woo hoo
