RolePlayGateway: WeBlog!

Due to some issue we’re having with our server, we were forced to take down our chat for the time being. The same links will all work - but will redirect everyone to a Java client for our IRC room on SurrealChat.

Please hang tight while we work to resolve these problems.

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I’m sure everyone has noticed how slow the site has been getting. Pages sometimes take a very long time to load, and it’s making your role playing experience a bit less awesome. This slowdown can be attributed to the massive growth we’ve been experiencing in the past six months. We’ve had an average of nearly ten people per day registering for the site, and the total amount of activity on the forums has been skyrocketing.

While we’re not going down any time soon, we’d like to make your time at RolePlayGateway as epic as possible, and part of this involves being ready for more growth. To do this, our server needs to be upgraded to handle how awesome you are.

We’re currently accepting contributions towards this upgrade, so if you feel so inclined, by all means donate to our fund. Be sure to spread the word to your friends, as even the smallest donation will make a big difference! You can use the big button on the right to chip in to the fund. There is also a similar button on the top of all the other pages on the site, so you can do the same thing there.

Thanks a ton to everyone for being so supportive and making RolePlayGateway so successful!

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In many online communities, like our beloved role playing forum, member activity often slows to a drip, and can risk being shut altogether. There are tons of methods of addressing this, but we’re going to address one particular facet.

Make A Commitment.

Get your members to commit to something simple and attainable. In our case, I’d like to make the challenge to all of our members to commit to dedicate one hour per day to the forum.

Encourage your members to set their own goals, too - but be sure to give them solid standards and pushes for the direction you want them to go. Your goal is to drum up activity, so push them in that direction using a guideline, or a pilot commitment.

So what can you do in one hour?

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RolePlayGateway is a great place to roleplay, talk about roleplay, and simply hang out with other roleplayers. Of course, it’s not all roleplay all the time, but it sure is a lot of fun, whether you roleplay or not. However, not all is perfect — people still turn away from the community in favor of other ventures.

Why is this? Sometimes the claim is that the community is too new to roleplaying to be worth someone’s time. Other times, the claim is that the community is too advanced for new players to jump in and play. These are diametrically opposed views, so which is accurate about RolePlayGateway and the roleplaying community?

Both.

Wait, what? Yes, that’s right, the roleplaying atmosphere of RolePlayGateway is both too advanced and too close to a beginner’s level for many people. This is one of the problems that plagues us right now, and there are a few solutions.

It is imperative that first and foremost we focus on the community and the user experience. We need to be sure that everyone enjoys themselves and the activities they participate in while on RPGateway. The RolePlay Gateway Staff play a very important role in this, but perhaps the most crucial role is player by the average members of RPGateway. These members, collectively, are what define the community and ultimately, what make the experience a memorable one.

At RolePlay Gateway’s Welcome Desk, new members get the chance to introduce themselves and to be welcomed by existing members of the community. The members do an amazing job at welcoming these users, and while they could do a better job at capturing the interest and captivating them in discussion, we do tend to get an excellent turnover rate for people who post these welcome threads.

There’s always the ongoing issue of bad apples and trolls who seem to be dedicated to turning the community into a flame war, and some of our new features should help members report these items to moderators more quickly. For the most part, our moderators are dedicated and passionate about their task, so again, the members have the most power here, in reporting offensive posts and potential powderkegs to the moderators using the functionality provided. Knowledge is power, and if you inform the staff of problems, I promise, we’ll fix it.

Moderators additionally have the task of making things happen, such as organizing events that keep the whole community involved - such as the infamous word games (and other random non-roleplay fun) and more on-topic helpful threads that help people get involved in games. We’d love to see more of this, indeed. But we’d be happiest to see all members giving their most to the community.

The bottom line is that every member plays an integral role in the great machine. If you complain about something yet aren’t willing to help work toward a solution, you don’t belong here. Be passionate about what you do, and the entire roleplaying community will benefit.

This applies not only to our online community, but to all things that you do. Take it to heart, and you’ll be a better person.

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