Staffing How do you handle the "I need to post" crowd that never does?

[KainZilla 17]

These "Gunnas", as @Dusty put it, can put a damper on things. When it is once in a while or there is an actual reason behind it, then whatever. I make the statement every so often to let people know that I do want to post but that something is keeping me. I'm also mindful, however, to ensure that I don't do it too often because repeating the same things to the same people comes off as just looking for attention. Is that always the case? No, not necessarily. But it IS what gets communicated.

 

The trick is to identify who are the chronic "I need to post" staters. Some people need a note of encouragement as others have mentioned. The simple "Awesome! Can't Wait!" lets them know that you are excited and you WANT to see them write. Sometimes that little bit of encouragement will do the trick. The problem is that a lot of people will state that they need to post or they should post with absolutely no intention of even starting to do so. They are using it as an excuseless excuse. They want to just hang around the cbox but don't want to just SAY that.

 

You don't need to make an excuse to hang out with others.

 

Yes, others are counting on you to advance their own stories but saying "I need to post" to them constantly isn't fooling them.

 

I used to snark at these people. That sort of reaction, while personally gratifying, is shooting yourself in the foot. You may enjoy it. You may enjoy the reaction it gets from other people. But for every person who gives you a thumbs up on your awesome snark, you have someone else (besides the GUNNA) who thinks you're a jerk. Or maybe you have a guest who does not yet know you and your mannerisms and they see that? They think you're a jerk and they don't join. Even if your public shaming ends up passive aggressively getting the 'GUNNA' to leave, you've probably done more damage than you know.

 

So I take it in one of two ways:

1) Ignore it. Sometimes the other members will give them the attention that they want. Eventually they usually get wise, too. 

2) Confront them privately. Be supportive. Be reasonable. Don't be a jerk. Ask them if there is something you can help with. BUT, make sure they know that their constant 'GUNNA'ing is impeding an actual dialogue from forming. Worst case scenario, this person leaves in indignant rage. You have to accept that as a possibility. By doing it privately, however, you've likely contained the damage to one person.

 

 

[Patrick 66]

On 1/21/2018 at 1:26 PM, BETA BLUE said:

Maybe I'm cynical but I just roll my eyes depending on the person. I know a few people that try when they make the statement and others just say for attention. I'm tired fo fluffing feathers to tempt people to post.

 

 

It's even more eye-roll-worthy when they DO finally catch up on all their posts after months and months of bemoaning getting around to it... and then none of their updated posts actually contribute to moving any of the plots along.  

[nyx 164]

Honestly, it gets to a point where I ignore these types of people. At first sure, I'll try to encourage but if they aren't going to take the initiative to at least try to do something then I carry on. I would prefer if the person would just say they don't have time instead of dragging it on indefinitely.

[Elena 546]

Lately I have become that one  And I wasn't... all those who know me from a few years ago know I wasn't like this. Now I need to post, or to write for my novel... and I am watching FB instead, or listening to music and staring at the pages.

 

And, because @Sage raised a valid point, I don't think in my case it's about motivation. Brainpower to focus, words to channel, yes... I know what I want to write, but the words don't line up if I haven't had enough time to think, to be mentally disconnected from other things... which don't allow me this favour

Edited March 17, 2018 by Elena

[StormWolfe 557]

*whines* I need to post! I really, really need to go post. I owe  so many posts (3).

 

*Ducks and waits for people to hurl overripe veggies*

 

Sorry! Couldn't help myself.

Edited March 16, 2018 by Stormwolfe

[Sage 289]

Oh wow I'm totally one of these people!! I'm always drowning in replies (I think I'm 25+ replies deep right now and a lot of them have been sitting for 30+ days bc im trash). I always say how I'm drowning and I need to post, but I get distracted by like FB or Imgur or Netflix or Spotify or housework or something else unrelated that requires minimal brainpower or is more pressing on my immediate situation. I'm totally a "Gunna" and it's not something I'm proud of! But I never mean it to come off as a complaint - I'm happy to be drowning and have all these threads I'm involved in. But I get that me coming in and saying "ugh i need to post" can be annoying to others. Honestly, just tell me to stfu. Or ignore me. Don't reward my behavior by acknowledging it.

 

With others that do the same thing, I'm sympathetic toward it (and agree with them bc obv I'm in the same boat), but I also reward actually getting posts with praise and excitement! Or like, if you give me x, I'll give you y. I don't condone holding out for a post from them and keeping things as sort of revenge, but rather sharing motivation. Like if you want y and I want x, let's work together to make us both happy! But if that motivation just isn't there, honestly it's not worth anyone's time so move on. And if they see you moving on, maybe they'll give you a post! If not, well, it's their loss. You got other things to occupy you.

[Quell 249]

😡🤬😠 <- this can properly summarize how I feel about this crowd.

 

As a Member: I have called people out before on it (not publicly), but I usually let it slide. But it pisses me off beyond words. If you're going to talk about doing posts, I should see at least one post completed by the end of the night. Capiche? Otherwise, don't mention it and get people's hope's up.

(Keep in mind, I have never been on a site that doesn't have a pretty solid activity expectation. Like 1 post a month per character is horrifically slow in my mind, and I've only been on a board that is technically 1 post a month in a situation where people regularly post incredibly quickly.)

 

As a Staffer: As a staffer, people are allowed to "cry wolf" for lack of a better phrasing in the cbox. I let them do it and I don't bother them. Ark is a little accidentally intense about it, because we're all pretty fast posters, so when someone says they're going to post sometimes the question is "for who" or "with who" and that person then gets excited and kind of bounces in their seat waiting for posts -- soooooo. It's in kind of bad form/taste due to our site culture.

 

But officially, I don't/wouldn't do anything about it.

[Bishop 172]

This is the one time I super miss Slack, it had this bot that would let you program in things to say and when someone wrote this it always cracked a whip. Other than that? I don't do much. They can either post or not.

[Lucky Cat 83]

So far, at my site we encourage others to post (unless something is wrong like they're sick or they have to seriously sleep to go to work in a few hours, etc.). We also have a "no activity check, but you gotta post throughout the month" policy in which if people don't ICly post in X amount of days/weeks (I don't tell them how many days/weeks so they can't find a way to circumvent this the same way people circumvent activity checks by posting the day before their time is up) on any of their accounts even if they pop up in the chat, then they get archived and lose certain privileges if they weren't active before hand, like being unable to take on canons (which are vital to plot progression). We've only been around for a month and a half, but I'm finding it's proven effective so far.

 

Toxicity/negative behaviour is also against our site policy so if the complaints like that were persistent, they'd be given a private warning.

Edited March 30, 2018 by iota

[Winter in Bohemia 19]

I think one of the things I find about this is that it's the same people that moan about needing to post, spend about six months before they do post and then suddenly they want to spree all the posts and complain if you've not done a reply in two days. It's a headache a lot of the time.

[Kraken 8]

I guess it depends. If I'm not personally waiting for a reply from said person then I just keep on scrolling. You're gonna get those members regardless of where you go. 

If I am? Then yeah, I'll send them a pm, check up on them in case there's a reason they haven't posted. I'll usually step back and let them take the time they need, but if it gets out of hand and they continue to winge about needing to post and don't, then I'll just get to a point where I feel it necessary to drop the rp. 

In a group dynamic, I tend to use a post limit such as at posting at least once a week etc. 

But yeah, those members are unavoidable - life happens. 

[Shattered-Universe 7]

As an admin and a GM, you have to be patient with people. There will always be someone that might need to be gently reminded to post but if it holds up the actual flow- I recommend writing around them or saying, "Hey, it's been a while, so let's get back to it when you are more free" and then move forward. Sometimes rp threads just die because people get stumped OR people aren't interested in the current plot and don't want to own up to it. Being too aggressive puts people off from wanting to talk to you. 

 

You should make an attempt to know who your community members are so you have an idea of them as people and not numbers. I have seen players dehumanized and it splinters a community. People have issues, life, etc. But communication goes both ways. Have you asked them how they are feeling? What's going on with their life? You might be surprised at what people will tell you when you ask. It is also important to let people know when you aren't feeling well or are not in the mood for roleplaying yourself. Roleplaying and collaborative writing is a hobby that we do for fun. It isn't a job. People don't need to punch a time clock to play. 

 

If you have a limit to post requirement, you should let your players know your expectations at the beginning or remind them. If they go over the time limit and haven't given you a heads up, you can gently NPC them off screen or just ask to write them out. Not everything has to be linear either. If the character locks the plot down, you might need to come back to that bit later or rethink your plan. 

 

It really comes down to: you can't make people do anything. If they are holding up your plot- you'll have to move on without them.