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Libby
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Ok, so let me preface this with: We are very aware its a niche genre/concept.

 

In January, we had an idea for a lovely game, set it up, did all the lore etc. and opened. Lord help me I can't get people interested in it. I've done the usual ads on other site, resource sites, etc. We started writing just the pair of us, hoping that people would join in... nada. How do you keep on keeping on three months in and not a single bite? When do you just throw in the towel and say it is just not going to fly?  Or do we try again, revamp the lore to be less niche? (Honestly, I didn't think it was that odd)


The past is a place of reference, not residence.

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Yes, we're having a lot of fun, and we have absolutely no problem telling all the stories. I guess its just frustrating feeling like we're failing 😛

And yes, we've had a review done, and appreciated all the feedback we got. ❤️

 

Thanks!

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The past is a place of reference, not residence.

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As long as you're having fun you're not failing! It's great when other people want to join in on our stories with us, but the measure of success is definitely our own happiness with the stories we tell on a site. Hang in there and your passion will eventually pay off one way or another. 

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I feel you so much, right now. I'm about to open my own brand new, niche market, role play site. Like yourself, it's me and one other person. A third has expressed interest.

 

Now, I plan to go about it in much the same way: adervtising on other sites, advertising on directories etc, etc.

 

However, I'm going to take the time to work out Tumblr and start advertising there too. A lot of role players are coming over from Tumblr, these days. Also, new resource sites spring up frequently and it's always worth advertising  on those. Anything just to get your site out there. 

 

I know it's a pain and highly frustrating. But just keep at it. There's bound to be someone out there with the same interests as you. Good  luck! 

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Something I always tell my fellow staffmembers is the size of the site is not important, but the quality of story told is where I count our victories.

 

As long as you are enjoying writing, keep doing it. When good people come by, get them involved, too. Keep doing it, keep yourself out there, because you never know when the flood might happen - or when your single awesome new addition comes by as a lone drop, for that matter.

 

Don't compare yourself by the metrics of other site activity or memberlists. Only ask: am I proud of what I'm doing, and is it worth doing for me?

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3 hours ago, Spirit Caller said:

But one thing I have to keep reminding myself is not to get discouraged whenever someone joins and then leaves IT IS NOT MY FAULT. It's the nature of the RP community. People join, look around for a bit, start to make a character, then change their mind and ghost. I have to remind myself not to let that discourage me. I'm a little new to being an Admin so I'm kind of sensitive about it. 

 

This entirely! I'd been roleplaying for years before I opened my first site. And while just a regular member of other boards, I didn't really notice just how many people joined only to vanish soon afterwards. If I did, I pretty much forgot them as quickly as they poofed and carried on as normal. But, when it was my site, I thought it must have been something I said, or did, or my site sucked and I should pack it in etc, etc. 

 

You're absolutely right, though. It is just the nature of what we do. 

 

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I think its that frustration of having to repeat "It's ok to wait for the right players." This is our first step outside of a popular genre (up to this point I've run almost exclusively supernatural/wolf type games) When we started the project we wanted to do something new and different for a reason. It's just an adjustment going from a game that could easily attract 30+ people in its first week to something that you slow burn the kind of writer that wants the 'different' angle. 

We have, however, realized that game to game ads aren't yielding enough prospective players for the time/effort cost. Resource sites (like this one) seem to be far far more effective. So I'm hoping we can switch up our efforts to help get the word out. I am curious about tumblr ads, I haven't seen this but I do love tumblr so... Help me obi wan, you're my only hope!

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The past is a place of reference, not residence.

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1 hour ago, Libby said:

I am curious about tumblr ads, I haven't seen this but I do love tumblr so... Help me obi wan, you're my only hope!

 

There are a lot of tumblr pages dedicated to RP ads. Twitter is also a pretty good ad source through following the various resource sites and updating what's going on with your site. 

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Honestly - if you're 3 months in without a bite, you should reassess the way you're advertising. Tumblr and Discord can bring in a lot of traffic. Throw your affiliate button into your signature on resource sites. Get on Twitter. And give your site something that really makes it stand out from the others in that niche category (i.e. a forum feature or something fun).

 

My site just opened and, prior to opening, we had exclusively advertised through tumblr and discord. We've been open less than a week and we already have 26 members. Most of them came around before/into our soft opening. Now who knows if they'll stick around, but hey, it works!

 

Game to game ads, while they yield a small return, aren't something you should give up on. But also look into affiliates. People love to click a cute button, so make sure yours is real cute.

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Someone needs to write a guide to tumblr advertising lol

 

Keep playing amongst yourselves! Talk about your site. Join discussions. Watch "looking for" rp ads on resource sites. I almost always find an influx of players when I've answered ads like that. Not always the person I reply to, but people notice that you are actively looking for members rather than being passive about. But make sure you are thoughtful in doing this. As a member I find it distasteful when sites plug their ad even though it is against what the player is requesting. If you don't ping all the checks, still try, but when your site flies in the face of all of them, move on.

 

And keep on having fun! Its why we open our sites, isn't it?

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I totally agree with what @dusk said! Be intentional about the way you go after new members. Ngl, when I'm looking for new sites, I'll browse other people's "looking for" requests. 

 

Also - join some directories and actually update your ads regularly. Don't just post in a directory and let it sit. Set calendar reminders or something so you remember to go around and do the things.

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