Staffing Stimulating site activity

[Elena 546]

We are usually told that activity breeds activity, and in any lull we should post more in order to encourage others to post and to give them a good example. I have seen this advice on resource sites several times. However, in my experience the administrator's activity doesn't make much difference. It doesn't count, because it is one person vs many others, and no "incentive" in the world would really make people change the way that they're approaching it.  I am opening new threads, promoting new plots or twists to the existing plots - also asking my members what they would want to see/ take part in/ feel more inspired with. In the past I used contests too, but the ones who were active were winning them, and the ones less active weren't stimulated to be more active by the contests.

 

What's your opinion? How much do you think that "Activity breeds activity" is true and why yes or no?  Which are your solutions for stimulating activity and enthusiasm? 

 

[Deep Sea 326]

I think it’s absolutely true that activity breeds activity, and I’ve also run into the same issue where after a certain point you’re simply rewarding the people who don’t need rewarding.

 

I personally keep running into this issue where I try to cater to the less active roleplayers, and the threads I make for them wither away because… no one’s active. So I cater to the most active and vocal players instead, and then the quieter groups complain that I’m not catering to them, and just… ugh.

 

That’s why I have half a mind to shut down my superhero RP thread, I think it’s gotten too big for me to handle and needs a hard reset so that I can go enjoy something else. But that’s neither here nor there.

 

Maybe some sort of randomized feature is the way to go? Perhaps a randomly featured user of the day who is picked from a pool of users who have logged in in the past five days. Usually, if you can at least people to visit the site once a day or so, then it’s not too much more difficult to get them to participate in some sort of thread.

 

In marketing we call this user retention, and I consider it a dark magic beyond my capabilities.

Edited July 28, 2018 by Deep Sea

[Huskerdust 625]

New.

 

New things always seem to stimulate me and a lot of the role-players I know. Sometimes, things feel stale so we do something new. A new character, a new big plot, a new event, whatever. Something NEW that gets people feeling all excited again. And letting people talk about their characters and plots. Some people discourage that stuff from their chats but I'm like BRING IT ON. I love it when people talk about their characters and plots. 

 

I don't know about activity breeding activity though. I used to believe that but now not so much. I used to work my ass off to keep sites active even if it meant writing one shots with myself or whatever. Now I'm just like, let the members create stuff and make up stuff too and make sure they know they're important whenever you plan to do something big. I get my users' feedback now before I do anything drastic because I care more about the people on the forum than gathering new people. 

 

Some sites still chug along even when there's only a post a week. I think as long as people are around and interested, that's activity. I have also seen sites where there are 50 people online at a time and constant new posts! I think the community usually creates the kind of activity that community likes. They group together and find each other. 

 

Now I'm rambling. ANYWAY. Sadly, there is no magic button for activity. People either want to do a thing or they don't. 😕 

[Rivfader 76]

I also think activity definitely breeds activity, but I don't mean spam the place with open threads. Just keep responding to your current threads and plot with people who aren't getting as much action if you have the time. Quality trumps quantity in this scenario too!

 

If I notice someone isn't posting or plotting at all but they're logging in a lot anyway, I'll hit them up and try to plot with them or ask if everything's alright. If that leads to nothing, wellll, I did try. I can't hand-hold everyone and if the interest isn't really there on their part, there's not much else I can do imo. At this point I'd focus more on the active members and make a real effort to keep threading and plotting with them. Hopefully that way you'll attract new blood to replace the old people who aren't taking part as much.

 

If you're honestly stuck and no one is posting no matter how much you do, I'd take a step back and assess the situation. Be up front and message your members. Say something like 'hey, I've just noticed recently that there's been a lull in activity and I was wondering if you're all busy or is it something to do with the forum itself? Is there anything you'd like changed/added?' Maybe they don't feel comfortable being totally honest until they're actually approached.

Edited July 28, 2018 by Rivfader

[Kazetatsu 263]

rather than activity breeds activity, perhaps it should be enthusiasm breeds enthusiasm, while the opposite is also true. people rub off each other for good and bad, as players can become bored together much like they can be excited together.

 

as for stimulating activity, I agree that something new can help, especially if its something everyone can jump on. I've also seen that often the pace of events has to also move faster than I find organic just to keep everyone excited and on their toes.

[Elena 546]

44 minutes ago, Kazetatsu said:

I've also seen that often the pace of events has to also move faster than I find organic just to keep everyone excited and on their toes.

 

Unfortunately, my experience is that the pace of events is set by the members, because no matter if the staff posts immediately, the members may be much slower than I'd find organic...

[Quell 249]

I think it's less activity breeds activity and more like minded people crowd together. At least that is what I have noticed. 

 

I generally post daily. If I'm running SUPER SLOW, I'll post weekly, but that speed is what draws people of that speed and keeps them around. 

 

I stress people who post once every few months out (or they stress me out) because we just dont have the same expectations. Over time, those people wander away from the site (or when I'm joining a board, I walk away). 

 

While activity checks are not everyone's cup of tea, it might be worth tossing in a note in the rules to say what "normal" activity is on the board. Not a "will you delete my accounts" but rather "can I fit in with this community."

 

All that said, if you've got a buddy or two who will post with you, that always helps. Because I always find posting open threads, or rping with oneself a turn off. But even if all 5 of the active threads are the same three players, I'm more likely to be drawn in.

[Icewolf 258]

On 7/28/2018 at 8:28 PM, Kazetatsu said:

rather than activity breeds activity, perhaps it should be enthusiasm breeds enthusiasm, while the opposite is also true. people rub off each other for good and bad, as players can become bored together much like they can be excited together.

This!

 

I was in an art group recently and one person posted something about not being fit for the group because they didn't have the experience/skills as other members. A few hours later, someone else posted something similar and so on... Negativity seems to pass on to others, especially if a person is having an horrible time in RL, or don't feel confident over their hobby. That then makes other people feel bad about being in the group. So... I would say try to focus being positive for your site, and if you need to find out why people aren't posting, try to use positive language as much as you can.  In the end, the reasons for inactivity might not be as bad as you think they are and it's too easy to give the forum a bad atmosphere if you 'create' an issue where one probably didn't exist, leaving people wondering what the problem is.

[Sage 289]

I do think activity breeds activity, but only to an extent. I like what @Kazetatsu said, "enthusiasm breeds enthusiasm." I think that's more true. People more excited about things going on in the forum are more likely to post more. Something new can definitely help, but this something new doesn't have to be a giant thing. You don't have to be stressing that  people post threads, you can also focus on developments and games, too. Stimulate discussion about lore or events (past, present, or future). It can be in general discussion threads or the chatroom. Encourage people to share inspiration (playlists, pinterest boards, tumblr things, etc.). Do some dev challenges or something. During quiet times, any kind of discussion about the forum can breed inspiration, which in turn breeds tangible activity. You're all on the forum as creatives, so facilitate the environment that makes them want to create!

[Elena 546]

@Icewolf and @Rivfader, I have talked with them a few times. The reason for getting slower is being busy, in the most cases (demanding work, children), and health problems, in a couple of others. Most of the members have been with us for several years, and they used to be more active before having children/ changing jobs/ etc. If they felt bored, they would have left. They chose to stay, just that from posting weekly, it got to posting monthly or so...

 

Those who joined later, though, got bored when not receiving posts as often as before/ as they wanted (if they weren't before to know it) and left, because the site was too slow for them. Sometimes it feels too slow for me too, other times I am among the slower ones as well, for being too tired...

 

I think I am being realistic more than negative, and I wish I find a way to attract more members, because I think this would be the recipe for more activity. Our stories are interesting, we take into account everyone's proposals and we try to make them fit into a bigger story...

Edited July 29, 2018 by Elena