Post by Typhon on Sept 25, 2015 21:58:51 GMT -5
Hey all! So I'm shifting gears away from wanting to create a ghost pack and instead trying to focus on ways to improve our site. As we all know, everyone has been busy with school, work, real life, etc. and we haven't been very active lately, but that doesn't mean we can't make an effort to boost activity and get things rolling again.
So I've compiled a list of things that I think need to be done, at the very least, a few times a month to once or twice a week. I think that once things start going again and we get a sort of 'update schedule' going, and get into a rythym, it should be easier to continue with the extras and hopefully pull us out of this funk! These are by NO MEANS the only things that are lacking but I think they are a good way to start, and I of course welcome ANY AND ALL INPUT from everyone because the site is a community and we should all be on the same page! Additionally, I hereby officially volunteer to help in any way I can (talking to you Uruviel, @zenith, Severus, Zohartze! Let me help!!) considering I have so much free time I can't even stand it.
First thing we should do is update the stats. There are so many discrepancies in the numbers for packs, pups, wolves, etc. that it gives potential new members a very skewed view of our site. The newest activity check obviously helps, but without updating in a central place, it makes things more difficult.
With that comes the updating of pack pages. Alphas have changed, wolves have moved around or died, and again the numbers are way off. Obviously the pack pages are mostly the responsibility of their respective alpha's players, but I'm sure there are plenty of people willing to help in an effort to keep things updated (again, see: me).
One more vital update: The sidebar! We need to change our open thread links, alter the pack stats (once the pack pages and activity check are all accounted for), and get the member / character / couple / thread of the month going again! Those spotlights are an EXCELLENT way to get people new plots, new character ideas, new friendships, etc. I think that they would really boost morale as well, which is a big deal.
Moving finished threads to the archives and dead characters to the graveyard would do a lot to help clean up some of the boards. We also could move some of the 'frozen' or 'on hold' threads until their respective players come back from their hiatus, just to keep things more organized and make everything easier to find.
I also think it's high time we develop a site-wide plot. I've been here several months, and there haven't been any huge plots since i've joined, and I think we need one! Something to bring us all together, get everyone plotting and interacting with everyone else instead of in small groups. It will obviously be a challenge to get something that we all can agree one, but even just TRYING something would help boost spirits and get people thinking, and that more than anything would help the site's activity.
There are always things we can do such as have activities or incentives for being active (posting contests like we've had in the past, advertising contests, plot contests, etc.) but I can't think of anything right now so if YOU have any ideas, LET ME KNOW! Let anyone know! Anikira is an amazing community, so lets do everything we can to boost it!
EDIT 9/26: We should also make an effort to change the seasons / weather on the sidebar more often. Even once a month for weather would be good (and of course once every couple for the season, we all know how nature works!).
So I've compiled a list of things that I think need to be done, at the very least, a few times a month to once or twice a week. I think that once things start going again and we get a sort of 'update schedule' going, and get into a rythym, it should be easier to continue with the extras and hopefully pull us out of this funk! These are by NO MEANS the only things that are lacking but I think they are a good way to start, and I of course welcome ANY AND ALL INPUT from everyone because the site is a community and we should all be on the same page! Additionally, I hereby officially volunteer to help in any way I can (talking to you Uruviel, @zenith, Severus, Zohartze! Let me help!!) considering I have so much free time I can't even stand it.
First thing we should do is update the stats. There are so many discrepancies in the numbers for packs, pups, wolves, etc. that it gives potential new members a very skewed view of our site. The newest activity check obviously helps, but without updating in a central place, it makes things more difficult.
With that comes the updating of pack pages. Alphas have changed, wolves have moved around or died, and again the numbers are way off. Obviously the pack pages are mostly the responsibility of their respective alpha's players, but I'm sure there are plenty of people willing to help in an effort to keep things updated (again, see: me).
One more vital update: The sidebar! We need to change our open thread links, alter the pack stats (once the pack pages and activity check are all accounted for), and get the member / character / couple / thread of the month going again! Those spotlights are an EXCELLENT way to get people new plots, new character ideas, new friendships, etc. I think that they would really boost morale as well, which is a big deal.
Moving finished threads to the archives and dead characters to the graveyard would do a lot to help clean up some of the boards. We also could move some of the 'frozen' or 'on hold' threads until their respective players come back from their hiatus, just to keep things more organized and make everything easier to find.
I also think it's high time we develop a site-wide plot. I've been here several months, and there haven't been any huge plots since i've joined, and I think we need one! Something to bring us all together, get everyone plotting and interacting with everyone else instead of in small groups. It will obviously be a challenge to get something that we all can agree one, but even just TRYING something would help boost spirits and get people thinking, and that more than anything would help the site's activity.
There are always things we can do such as have activities or incentives for being active (posting contests like we've had in the past, advertising contests, plot contests, etc.) but I can't think of anything right now so if YOU have any ideas, LET ME KNOW! Let anyone know! Anikira is an amazing community, so lets do everything we can to boost it!
EDIT 9/26: We should also make an effort to change the seasons / weather on the sidebar more often. Even once a month for weather would be good (and of course once every couple for the season, we all know how nature works!).