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On My Own Again. . . .


Uaithne
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So I'm pretty much the only person on my site right now.  Everyone is either taking breaks or vanished.  [Side note: If you're one of my members who is taking a break, that's fine.  I'm just here for advice, not to blame anyone or make anyone feel guilty at all.  Stuff happens.]  I have one member who was pretty active until about a week ago, and then she slowed down and hasn't really come around.

 

. . . What do I do?

 

I'm sitting here scratching my head trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong.  Horror isn't the most popular genre out there, but it's not niche.  I'm constantly trying to fix things up and keep things going, but it doesn't seem to be enough.  I've advertised, I've reached out to new members as they join to offer a hand / offer to RP, I've placed up wanted ads in places, I've asked for site feedback, I've looked for affiliates, I've tried to post my ad in different areas where horror might grab attention, I've posted in RP requests on directories, etc.  I have a Discord and there are a few people who chat in there, but most of them are casual lurkers who just chill in this part of the community (which I don't mind).  Every couple weeks, I'll get people who join, but then they post their app, maybe make a thread, and then vanish without warning.  I haven't really had a new member who has actually been involved in the community in quite some time.  I've tried to RP with myself, though I find it exhausting and I can't keep it up for too long.

 

But this is a great site (I think), so I don't want to give up.  I just don't know what to do from here.  Normally my sites are really super popular so I don't have this problem, or I've already given up, so this is a bit of a new position for me.

 

Is my site not appealing?  Am I not appealing, like people are scared of me or annoyed by me or something?  Have I accidentally broken some ancient taboo rule that I don't know about?  Maybe people need their applications approved to feel at ease.  Maybe my activity rules are too relaxed.  Maybe I'm too wordy in some regard, or too confusing.  Maybe my site doesn't have attractive graphics.  I just don't know where to go from here, though I know that I don't want to give up.

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It happens more often than you think, Dec! <3 It's called holiday slump.

 

Keep advertising, and wait for your dedicated members to return. "What have I done wrong?" is a question I also ask myself so often, when other sites thrive (and others do close down, but I was taught to compare myself to the good ones, not to the bad ones), being exactly what I would have wished for my site. After seven years of studying various sites, I arrived to the conclusion that sometimes you haven't done anything wrong, and things have no rhyme no reason. You can be the most dedicated and active administrator and you still might not be able to inspire your members to be the same. And there are sites which thrive with administrators not as dedicated - just because they have dedicated and active members. 

 

Ultimately, I arrived to the conclusion that we can be the change we wish to impart - and we should be - but if for someone writing doesn't come from within himself, as a wish to set the story free, then nothing exterior can motivate them to write and be active. 

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At a glance, it looks fine to me. We're having a slump as well, so it's more than likely a holiday thing.

 

Just keep pushing. You've probably seen this guide elsewhere, but I feel it's very applicable. You're not doing anything wrong, it's just a slow time of year, and things will pick up. You just gotta hang on until they do.

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the australian potterverse | we're back in black

 

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Much appreciated. But how does one keep a site looking active and happy when there is only the admin, and that admin can't post enough with itself to keep everything looking appealing for potential members? One can't blame everything on "that time of year" because it's pretty much always used as the reason for inactivity regardless of when in the year it is. School starting, school ending, midtems, finals, Christmas, Easter, vacation, etc. There is always stuff that will distract members, and a site must be active and strong enough to keep chugging through lean times.

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In such times, write the character journals you have neglected to write, the missing scenes between your own characters, etc. Prepare next twists and keep advertising.

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@Uaithne I have the same exact problem as you. lol. So I'm partially tagging this to lurk for advice myself. Partially to give words of encouragement. You've had people join and then disappear, so that being said if there's something you update that you think is noteworthy, an option could be to send a nice little Mass Email to your members just detailing all the recent updates and noteworthy plot happenings from the last....lets say 3 months. 

 

I used to do that several years ago on a long-standing site I was a part of: once a year I'd send everyone a mass email newsletter just highlighting new things or updates. A few times people who had disappeared and forgotten about the site came back for a while. Some longer than others, but it let everyone know that were still "alive".  

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Keep it up. 

 

Post what your changing in news. I do a giant misc updates thread to catalog all the little changes like patch notes in games. This shows stuff is still happening even if the chat is slow. 

 

 

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This is my problem too. And I did highlight the updates monthly in the Chronicle. Lately, since it is so slow, I told them that since January, the Chronicle will be issued every 2 months.

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First, I need to say that I really like the way your site looks. It's simple and easy on the eye, and, for me, that's a big bonus.

 

Second, it is that time of the year indeed. Even those who don't celebrate anything (my case) are busier, either with the end of school term (if they are on the South Hemisphere), or just more to do at work before they close for the holidays, for company that do (my case at the moment), or planning trips, or pretty much whatever people do during the pre-holiday season. There will be times of the year when every site will become inactive. Maybe pre-plan for those times so you won't feel as anxious? (aka, these months are exempt on activity checks, if you have one, or at least make a note for yourself so you know there's nothing wrong with the site)

 

As for keeping the site open, is there a friend you can bring in to do a plot/thread for a while? Just to keep things rolling while everyone else comes back? It doesn't have to be a big, site-changing plot. Just something to keep you busy. I'd look into that, offer some personal plot, and see if there's a taker.

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Shady McShaderson

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I think I'm going to rearrange some of my forums so that they're not visible to the public, or so that they're combined with other forums.  That way I don't have to keep quite as much looking active at all times.

 

I'm also using this opportunity to reformat some of my documentation information.  I tried to put everything into one thread for ease of reading, but now I'm thinking I should split some information into separate threads so that I can deliver more information.

 

Edit - I posted at the same time as @Shades.  Sadly, I don't have a friend to have join.  One of them is swallowed by real life, and one of them was already on the site but is taking a break.

Edited by Uaithne
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6 minutes ago, Uaithne said:

Edit - I posted at the same time as @Shades.  Sadly, I don't have a friend to have join.  One of them is swallowed by real life, and one of them was already on the site but is taking a break.

 

I would say then try to post requests for smaller/personal plots? I'd say it's easier to get people on board for those. I'm not sure it's just me, but I'm much more likely to join a new site with a personal plot and expand from that than join it already involved in a wider one.

 

Also, I have to admit when I read your rules, I was a bit... I can't really find the word, but maybe confused about the activity requirement. As a slow poster, I read "our ideal activity goal is several times a week", and even though there is a comment later on about how there isn't a specific requirement, I almost bolted without reading the rest. So maybe switch it a little? Let people know first that you know real life comes first and that for this reason you don't have a strict requirement, but it would be nice if people posted often? Just a suggestion, I hope I'm not overstepping.

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Shady McShaderson

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Not at all, @Shades.  I appreciate the suggestion.  The activity rules drive me insane.  Like I want people to be able to post when they're able and not be punished for taking a step back when needed, so that's the atmosphere that I'm trying to get across. But then people just . . . I don't know.  Vanish.  But still appear every now and again.  And it's like, Dude people need to post.  That's how roleplays work.  So I'll clear up the rules so it's not so confusing.

 

Do you (or anyone) have advise for personal plots?  I've done the whole "find an RP Buddy" thing on directory sites, but it doesn't really work out well.  People only want others to join their own site, not to join other people's site (though I can't complain too much since I'd be doing the same) or to do 1-on-1 RPs.

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1 minute ago, Uaithne said:

Do you (or anyone) have advise for personal plots?  I've done the whole "find an RP Buddy" thing on directory sites, but it doesn't really work out well.  People only want others to join their own site, not to join other people's site (though I can't complain too much since I'd be doing the same) or to do 1-on-1 RPs.

 

Do you have any characters who would benefit from another specific person around them? A spouse/SO, a sibling, a child, a best friend, someone with whom they have close ties and you can offer a plot direction to go with this person? An example would be "so, this character hasn't seen their child in 15 years, and now they're back and want to rebuild the relationship". Of course, that's a general idea, but it gives the elements of a good request: who is asking, what other person they need, and what you can expect from the plot - and it still gives both people involved the ability to direct where the plot will actually go themselves.

 

I'm not very good at it, but it's a good starting point. And with this example in mind, that would mean the characters would slowly come in contact with others (each other's families, for instance) and slowly build a 1x1 plot into a group plot, and then a plot that involves them with the rest of the site.

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Shady McShaderson

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Post the plot ads on the resource sites anyway because although you might not get someone respond the first time you post one, there might be people who are looking for just the plots you're offering. I check them occasionally myself for that reason.

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Guest BETA BLUE

I know you hate games but they help show activity when you are slow, posting updates, doing little holiday things,  doing a gossip page with events that happen on the site (treat it like a look who's doing this but sassy,) It's fun and my members have always enjoyed it. Plus, without reading everyone's thread, everyone gets enough of information about what's going on the site. 

 

There are always updates you been meaning to do.  Writing open threads, posting new plot ideas in member plotters for when members come back, new skin, new ad, and such can really help. 

 

 

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