I've already expressed a couple of comments earlier about AC and so forth. I'll keep them to their own place there. This is a different kettle of fish.
First, we have become, or are in grave danger of becoming, That Game Where You Have To Have Plurk To Get CR. From my own perception, a huge number of our posts -- particularly our closed or semi-closed posts -- come from "let's do this" or "I will make this post" discussions on plurk. This is not in and of itself a bad thing; plurk is a useful communication tool for exactly that purpose. But as this very post evinces, we have great ideas that are not being communicated to each other for stuff that can happen. Plots get bogged down because there isn't a central place to discuss them. People get worried about contacting people through other means.
People have proposed things like the watercooler post, but I agree with the earlier-expressed sentiment that they usually only result in the same people talking to the same people. So the question is, how to address it?
For one, I suggest adapting the contact list to somehow indicate what a preferred method of communication should be. I myself feel awkward looking at someone's email and wondering if I should use it - or should I IM them, but maybe they don't recognize my SN and will ignore me -- or should I plurk them, but hey, the contact list doesn't HAVE plurk. In lieu of that uncertainty, let's ask everyone "how should we contact you?" and clearly mark that so I know what the best way to get in contact with the other person is, and have alternate ways to fall back on if I need to.
For another, possibly a separate plotting community would do us good. Someplace we can just toss out ideas, or say, "Hey, I'd like to do an open post with X, would anyone be interested if Y scenario happened?". We could always use the OOC comm, but I feel that the greater volume might drown out what are otherwise important notices such as hiatuses or mod communications, plus there's a certain hesitancy to just post this sort of thing to an 'official' comm, if that makes any sense. This would be a free-posting, no-judging comm. Imagine it like plurk or a chat room, just... on a comm.
My other point is something I feel needs to be said but hasn't yet: all our problems and the solutions we're discussing, be it increased AC or better ways to discuss plots or how to keep people active in plots or all of this... it's all just symptoms of the greater problem, which is that people aren't posting and aren't tagging at anywhere near the volume this game should see, and HAS seen, at its numbers.
We're trying to encourage that -- hell, we're even trying to force it, and I don't say that negatively, because I'm in favor of increased AC -- but ultimately, if people don't find the desire and motivation to bring themselves back to activity, then it will be all for nothing. This, then, is my plea: if you aren't as active as you'd like to be, or ought to be, then please, take a moment to figure out why that is. And if it CAN be addressed, then let's address it.
If you aren't clicking a character, let's find a place for them. If you're swamped OOC, well, that's understandable, we can tell the difference between an active but slow person and a person who's just dipping in, if rarely, to make AC. If the spark has gone out of the game for you, let's figure out why, and what we can do to get it back.
Changing the game in the ways we have proposed treats the symptoms. The cause needs a treatment too. Let's not lose sight of that.
no subject
First, we have become, or are in grave danger of becoming, That Game Where You Have To Have Plurk To Get CR. From my own perception, a huge number of our posts -- particularly our closed or semi-closed posts -- come from "let's do this" or "I will make this post" discussions on plurk. This is not in and of itself a bad thing; plurk is a useful communication tool for exactly that purpose. But as this very post evinces, we have great ideas that are not being communicated to each other for stuff that can happen. Plots get bogged down because there isn't a central place to discuss them. People get worried about contacting people through other means.
People have proposed things like the watercooler post, but I agree with the earlier-expressed sentiment that they usually only result in the same people talking to the same people. So the question is, how to address it?
For one, I suggest adapting the contact list to somehow indicate what a preferred method of communication should be. I myself feel awkward looking at someone's email and wondering if I should use it - or should I IM them, but maybe they don't recognize my SN and will ignore me -- or should I plurk them, but hey, the contact list doesn't HAVE plurk. In lieu of that uncertainty, let's ask everyone "how should we contact you?" and clearly mark that so I know what the best way to get in contact with the other person is, and have alternate ways to fall back on if I need to.
For another, possibly a separate plotting community would do us good. Someplace we can just toss out ideas, or say, "Hey, I'd like to do an open post with X, would anyone be interested if Y scenario happened?". We could always use the OOC comm, but I feel that the greater volume might drown out what are otherwise important notices such as hiatuses or mod communications, plus there's a certain hesitancy to just post this sort of thing to an 'official' comm, if that makes any sense. This would be a free-posting, no-judging comm. Imagine it like plurk or a chat room, just... on a comm.
My other point is something I feel needs to be said but hasn't yet: all our problems and the solutions we're discussing, be it increased AC or better ways to discuss plots or how to keep people active in plots or all of this... it's all just symptoms of the greater problem, which is that people aren't posting and aren't tagging at anywhere near the volume this game should see, and HAS seen, at its numbers.
We're trying to encourage that -- hell, we're even trying to force it, and I don't say that negatively, because I'm in favor of increased AC -- but ultimately, if people don't find the desire and motivation to bring themselves back to activity, then it will be all for nothing. This, then, is my plea: if you aren't as active as you'd like to be, or ought to be, then please, take a moment to figure out why that is. And if it CAN be addressed, then let's address it.
If you aren't clicking a character, let's find a place for them. If you're swamped OOC, well, that's understandable, we can tell the difference between an active but slow person and a person who's just dipping in, if rarely, to make AC. If the spark has gone out of the game for you, let's figure out why, and what we can do to get it back.
Changing the game in the ways we have proposed treats the symptoms. The cause needs a treatment too. Let's not lose sight of that.