What do you guys think about...

[fallon grimwood]

Activity Checks.

I've seen a number of sites that use them to keep track of active members, keep power and position lists up to date, etc.

I was thinking of starting up monthly activity checks. Here's how I would run them:

They would start on the first of the month (or at least the first week of the month) and people would have all month to post in the thread. If they don't post their name would go on a 'warning' list. If the following month they didn't post again their play-by and powers would become available again. If they didn't post for a third month in a row I'm considering deleting the account, but I don't know, that's not really something I enjoy doing, especially if they were to come back again at a later date.

And I was also considering that you don't just pop into the thread and say 'oh hey I'm here' but you have to post a link to your most recent thread, that has to have a last post within the month of the activity check... So like if it was August's activity check I would post the names of my characters and at least one recent thread where the last post made by me was in August (or the last week of July if it's still the first week of August).

I'm hoping this would encourage people to post. I mean you don't always have to have plot threads. You can just post for the fun of it to meet new characters, etc. That's what made the first site so great, not every thread had a point. People posted together just to interact and make friends.

I feel like the site has grown apart and no one knows each other any more. I want to change that. Sooo I'm trying to encourage posting, whether it's plot related or not.

Obviously there would be some exceptions to the recent thread rules, but they would be few and far between, I would expect 99% of the time that people would be posting and not just shadowing the site. Also I wouldn't expect you to post a recent thread for every character. If you wanted to then fine, but if you have multiple characters simply listing the names of all your characters and then one recent thread would suffice. While I'd like to see that all your characters are active I completely understand how that can be difficult (since I have multiple characters of my own and not all of them are exactly actively rping). As long as I know YOU the rper is actively posting as someone on the site, I will be happy.

So what do you guys think? Yes? No? Questions, comments, concerns?

[fallon grimwood]

hello hello... please.. I need your opinions! And if you don't tell me yay or nay I'm going to do the checks, so if you have valid reasons why we shouldn't do them you should tell me now because otherwise the first check starts on August 1st.

[Jasmine Razor]

I agree with the deleting members. I know you don't like to do it, but you're goign to have to. If they haven't signed on in three months, then they probably wont'. And then we won't have to go through the trouble of going to another site, etc. I think activity checks are a good way to weed out the members who really care aout the site. =)

[Janet Numan]

I find deleting members okay, but a little annoying to you. As a co-admin on another site i HATE deleting members, for many reasons. But I have done activity checks and few active posters posted until I nagged them to post on the activity thread.

So Suggestion: Activity board, Admin posts up the month and post by date in a thread. Lock after Post by date (because I also find random people post in a thread that is 6 months old...

On the new month the admin can list those who are active then inactive (I admit there were fewer members on my site, but I found excel worked nicely to sort it out). Members on the active list can reply every other month to make it easier maybe? BUt i find making the list so they know they are on an inactive list helps. Maybe even out a tally next to the name with a note on the bottom like * | = one month so if a member has ||| after their name they will know it has been three months since they have been active.

I know it seems like a lot of work, but I found set up to be the hardest. Upkeep is not bad. (I am huge eon adding coding a lists to things, my site(co admin on) has a Cast of Characters, where I list all past and present characters. ANother thing to think about - also noted that this site has a lot more members/characters)

[Avian Gray]

i kind of would like the idea of turning the activity check into a thread of some sort, that way everyone has to post in it to keep the story going. maybe that way, it'd get people to post for activity and even keep some kind of a story going. and the keeping tabs system would keep people active and posting. it might not work, but maybe itll give people reason to start posting ya know? cuz i hate making new threads, i never know what to post about. its a lot of fun posting in big threads where theres more people and more action goin on.

just my two cents :/

[fallon grimwood]

Funny you should mention the board and activity/inactivity list Janet. I had actually intended to make the Activity Checks with their own board so it was easier to find and manage and I had intended to include a list of everyone who was inactive (in alphabetical order) and use some sort of tally system! It does just seem easier and then people can't say 'oh well you didn't tell me' or 'oh but I didn't know' or 'I couldn't find it'

And I understand that Avian. I never know what to post about either. I think it's the inactivity that does it though because when the board is active I tend to be active, but when the board is dead even if I have things to do it's like I can't remember them suddenly and can't post >.<;; I'm working on it. I try and leave myself notes and force myself to post XD

[fallon grimwood]

Census says Activity Checks are a go so we're doing them. August's is already started.