SoN’s Members Workforce!

[Ryan - Loki]

As you now all know an email went around to ALL of your email addresses, plus I made an announcement saying the same as well. The title of this thread just simply a fancy name for me wanting to know who’s actually around and who cares enough to want to stick around and get down to some good, old fashioned fun and writing.

So basically this is a site census, of sorts, but we don’t want to JUST know if you’re here and planning on sticking around, we also want your feedback on how the site stands and what YOU think can be done to improve it! Like I said it’s you, the members, who truly make the site.

Please post within this thread giving your ideas and improvement suggestions. With each different person who posts I’ll check them off the census list – I do hope every single one of you decide to stay, and that those of you who have gone decide to return!

SoN Current Members:
Aion
Archer
Echo
Gareeku
Garoten
Gray
Icarius (Brandon)
Jayne
Kaworu – Horatio
Kham’sin
Ray
Rizuk
Ryan – Loki
Seath
Sen – Agatha
Tidus
Vahn
Vespa
[The Demon]

[Aion]

I'm here, and plan to stay as long as possible.

As for improvements:

Advertising: We need to hit the most popular topsites. As long as we're all active and dedicated I don't see much of an issue with gaining a few new members.

Build on what we have: We could work on making each race more unique by giving each upgrades here and there. Moves, transformations, etc. that are gained through post count or credit. The same could be done with the Arcane Academy....except with no race restrictions there. It'd give people some incentive to become students...

[[The child]]

I'm around as well, just my mind is 'blah' right now. I'll probably have my char join the current running saga for the sake of being able to rp.

My suggestions:

Advertise: I know it takes a while, but advertise the hell out of us. Find any site, plaster an ad on there, then go on the next one.

Make everything shiny: This one isn't a self-explanatory. One of the common tactics in advertising is make it where the person has no choice but to look at it. This is by making the ad and site skin beuatiful [not saying the current skin is bad at all, I personally like it] and professional looking [no errors in spelling in the ad, for example; I didn't notice any though in the current one].

Point out the important fact of the site: I think you could appeal to people more, or at least our range of audiance, by pointing out this is an original plot, original char site. Not only you have different races that you can play with, but with unique attributes and cultures [which they do have, and is awesome that someone took the time to put in that detail into that]. Even if we end up with only ten members; the fact is if we are all willing to stay loving to come on to rp in this world, isn't the site worth it then?

[Vahn x Dimitri]

Present!

Suggestions: Well, I know we need advertising more than anything. That's really my main concern at the moment but I would like to urge all the members on the site to help us in this too. The best way to advertise something is by word of mouth. Ever have a friend who you used to rp with? Let them know about us. It never hurts to ask a friend and most importantly, they are close to you so they may give us a try, and if they don't at least you asked. If you are on a different site, mention us on there. I've already brought us up to two sites that I am/was a part of and may get at least one person, but I'm not sure. Still, word of mouth is key!

[Echo]

Okay so Im technically not a member yet but you know me it's not like Im some new person any ways here's a suggestion for ya. I'm midway through filling out the app and I have to tell you guys compared to other apps I've filled out for rps, yours is a bit confusing. I'm looking at the class one section and there's so much info in that at once that it's overwhelming and Im like what? Its a bit confusing and that may turn off potential members. Maybe you can find a way to simplify a bit. Just a thought.

[Ryan - Loki]

All have been good points, not to mention points that are correct and do need addressing.

I think Advertisement is an obvious problem we’ve had in the past. Several different methods have been taken to break past this problem; we’ve had spurts of advertising on other RPG’s, we’ve posted our site up on topsites, we’ve even gone as far to designate an official advertiser for the site. All of the above went well, for a period, and then fell apart - reasons varying.

As suggested I think what we need is to all take a small portion of this responsibility; tell your friends about the site, encourage other people to give it a look and join, post up the site advertisement (which can be found in our own advertising section) around on other RPG’s. Myself and Vahn will be looking into different topsites to see if that’ll help bring in some new members, and I am current in the midst of having the site affiliated with another RPG I am part of.

So that’s a good start on the Advertisement side of things, I think.

In regards to giving our current races some new racial abilities, I’m all for this. I will attempt to think of some nice new abilities for each race, but of course if any of you have any suggestions or ideas for racial abilities then please, don’t hesitate to put them forward. There is no such thing as a bad idea. Like I said before, a good site runs because of its members, not solely because of its staff. Your ideas and input is as welcome and as important as mine, Vahns or any staff member.

Crista, I thought someone would mention something to do with the application form. I had feared it was a tad bit complicated and bulky. How exactly would you suggest we improved on it? There’s always the taking out of some of the content, but what I’m asking is what content within the application form do you feel (as someone who is currently filling in an application form) is unnecessary and doesn’t need to be there?

[Kaworu - Horatio]

*Raises hand* Reporting for duty sir

I'm here and still willing to stay for ever use and or help I maybe

Suggestions...

Well I think a lot of it's been said already and such like up our advertising compaign and trying to rake in new members at every possible avenue, and the advertising on other RPG sites is a good idea as well and I was going to suggest to advertise on another place I inhabit. But like you'd expect they ask you to affliate with them and show their button on your site for showing yours on there's, but they do have a reasonable amount of people that hang around on a regular basis so who knows we may get some people migrating over here and yes they have an advertising section as well.

And no this isn't the same place I spoke of earlier it's a one type RPG place unlike the other place I tried to advertise which I'm unsure if it got any members or not, and I figure topsites have already been invested in and I could suggest putting links into people's sigs. But not all sites like that and those members doing so with us might have some troubles depending on where they are and the rules said forum has.

Site Wise

I'm not really sure as like I said alot of things have been said already in relation to maybe allowing upgrades for races and or make the place look more inviting, but also I know we can't help it but the inactivity of our site when people look at it kinda makes people wanna not join because they think they won't get anywhere.

But like I said I don't know how we can help that, as for more I may come back later when I have more time and think of other things that may not of been said but I am present and accounted for.

[Ryan - Loki]

EVERYTHING that has been stated so far are good points, really. I and Vahn have begun speaking about each and every one of them, whether in the Admin section of the site or via messenger when we catch each other online. We’re hoping to come to some solutions in the near future that will hopefully improve upon how the site currently stands.

PLEASE do take part in out Graphics competition as well! If you’ve not seen anything on it, it’s posted up in the Multimedia section of the site for ALL members to take part in. As soon as the competition is complete we’ll have an Affiliation button, which will help us in terms of advertising!

Also, if you know anyone who was previously a member on this site and still speak to them (whether it was back when the site was LoD, or even when we re-started as SoN) then why not ask them to come back and give the site a look over?

One idea that has been bobbling about for some time now, an idea that had been at the edge of conversation since the re-start began, is the possibility of bringing back a ‘Main Site’ for Secrets of Noria.

What’s everyone’s opinion on this? Do you think it’s worth it? Do you think it was the main site that made LoD attractive to join? Do you think things are better run from simply a forum? Whatever your opinion, please share your thoughts!

[Vahn x Dimitri]

I think a main site would be a good idea for us so that we can pick things up and give a nice front to present for all the new people who are interested in joining. I would design one but my web design skills are crap and the only reason I was ever able to run a site at some points was cause geocities is the easiest system ever to work with.

A main site would add a lot of flavor and it would also mean we could clean up some board clutter and move the rules, races, and form to the main site and keep the boards strictly for the OOC, RP and Archives.

[Aion]

A main page is a good idea, just for the reasons Vahn stated, but I doubt it'll help much. As much of a fan I am of the current look, the forums need to be updated a bit. Running everything from here might be a little easier as well.

[Ryan - Loki]

Well in regards to this I have recently spoken to a dear friend of the site, we all know him, and I was discussing the idea of possibly bringing back the main site, and fixing up the forum as well. He put forward a radical idea, one that I didn’t think was possible – and one that is outside of my skills.

The idea is to transform the ‘website content’ area of the forum into a main site, but within the forum, not to mention a new forum skin.

I’m unaware as to whether or not this little project has been started yet, but it’s likely to be a summer project for him, so will take quite a while I would imagine. However, it’s likely to be a prototype to see how well it will work.

[Aion]

So today I had a couple of friends over. For the sake of keeping this short, and making this a bit easier on me, they used to run and help with a couple off pretty big rpgs; of course, finally realizing their knowledge might help us a bit, I asked them for suggestions on SoN. While some stuff we'd heard before, simplifying the application and advertising for example, there were a few other things they brought up that might be helpful:

1. Find your identity: This one, I'm in the middle on, but thik it's a fair point. Are we an anime rpg? Fantasy? Political? What? As was pointed out, Naruto, DBZ, etc. are an easy sale...you know what you're going to get there when you join. Original rpgs are a different beast. And while it may be obvious what we're aiming for, for newer members it may be a bit hard to tell. This'll probably be the hardest for us.

2. Make that identity your strength, build on it. This doesn't need too much explanation, as it's pretty straight forward.

3. Make a storyline that is linear, but allows for more freedom and customization. To be clear, I think we've got a good storyline, I think it's more unique than a lot of what's out there, and there's nothing that needs to be changed there. However, we may benefit from simplifying it a bit and setting a path for users to follow.

4. For old times sake: Abandon "sagas", replace them with "events". I'm sure we've all been or are part of rpgs that do this, but for whoever isn't: An event would effect the overall story of the rp in the same way a saga would, but is shorter in length...and also releases some stress. We'd likely not be held down if a saga host is forced to cancel due to real life issues, and if it happens the issue's a quick fix.

My suggestions:

1. While we may be a mixture of things, we are more similar to a fantasy rpg; just less strict and more anime influenced. I'd say that's what we play to, obviously. This is also a good thing because we can pretty much enter any popular topsite without issue.

2. Our originality has always been our strength, for me anyways. From the LoD days up until now, our races have their own original lands, culture, appearance, and so on; which by large helps change the world. While I wouldn't suggest building on that alone, that's one place we should focus on.

3. As for the story, like I've said nothing needs changing, but tweaking a few things to make that suggestion work wouldn't be tough. One idea would be to continue the The Arcane Academy vs Resistance storyline, and make it the main storyline, but under a new direction.

Basically, revive the rivalry between the Academy and Mekleor; making the resistance group Mekleor led. This could still continue during Noria's time of peace and blow over into a full blown war a couple months later, allowing us an easy transition and to keep most of the current story intact. The only real probelm is how one sided it would be. In that case I'd suggest making the Nethians and Pariahim either neutral parties that could be swayed to either side over time, or largly in support of the resistance.

4. Pretty straight forward...nothing to add there.

Bonus, bonus, bonus!

5. There are about five of us here who currently post. While I respect the "keeping of a balance", maybe we should just be promoted to mod and/or admins. With the users consent, of course. Personally, I'd take a mod spot, as it would allow me to help out, but free me of the responsibilities of an admin...can't really make that commitment right now.

6. It's been proposed before, and now I'm starting to understand the view...a move. Perhaps it's time for us to really pack our bags and move to another board or just close down for a month and revamp.

[Kaworu - Horatio]

All those are good ideas Aion except that last one because frankly I don't see the point in moving because we'd still have the same problem which is lack of activity, although I can say that the idea of uping some of the people still here in way of rank can and does sometimes work as I've been on a forum that has had to do so.

And I have no problem helping out since I'm here quite often but anyway back to my point which is that changing our location and or board won't make any difference, as we still need people to notice our advertisements and apply to this forum as well as staying to play the game out as long as they can.

So yes we may need to revamp things a little bit but I seriously doubt it's a big enough problem to have to turn the board off for any period of time.

[Aion]

About moving, it's a mental thing. It just gets rid of any negative stigma, makes it seem as if we're starting anew. I agree, we might have the same problems, but it's a solution that works with some people. Just thought I'd throw it out there.

As for closing, it's really just to get things organized so we're all on one accord. We could probably handle it without closing, but I just thought it be a decent idea. Since there five of us here...there's really nothing to lose from a short break.

[Ryan - Loki]

1) I think fantasy anime is a perfect spin for our little site, in fact, I think that’s pretty much what we were aiming for. I mean I know a lot of the magic aspect of the site currently revolves around the Elementalists (bending the elements) but I’m moving to change this to make it much more of a wider experience. Our site used to be more Dragonball based, which is why we decided to change things up and give it a new spin – because frankly, DBZ doesn’t have the same drive as it once did. So yes, I agree, we should focus on these two aspects and drive home with them: Fantasy Anime.

2) Our originality has always been a key factor in why I love this site so much, for all the reasons Aion explained. Currently there is still a lot of work to be done in terms of site content (such as country descriptions, for example, and Arcane Academy information too) and that will all add to the original experience that we are trying to offer! More work has to be done towards this, of course, but it’s work in progress.

3) The main storyline that was suggested, The Arcane Academy vs Resistance storyline, is a good one to follow – it makes the most sense, obviously. Also, reviving the rivalry between the Academy and Mekleor (making the resistance group Mekleor led) is another great idea that makes perfect sense. I agree that this is the path the site should go down, but as said, this would be the main storyline, something major that happens in the background, it will not negate the fact that everyone has the freedom to move about and do their own thing, their own storylines, at the same time!

However, I think the main problem with our site storylines in the past is activity of the people running them. Now I know the events idea is supposed to rid us of this, but I still have some doubts, as in it will still happen to some extent. We tried to rid ourselves of this problem once by creating a Saga Mod position, who would make sure all sagas moved along smoothly, but the Saga Mod left >_> I still think the Saga Mod is a good idea though.

4) The story has always been a problem for this site – I even think we’ve only ever had one or two ‘sagas’ that have ever been finished properly, without problems. I think moving from the long, drawn out sagas to something smaller and more compact like events is a great idea. Hopefully it will help rid us of our usual problems.

5) This isn’t an idea that anyone has put forward before, and I can honestly say that it isn’t an idea I’ve thought about before, but it is a good idea that potentially could work well. You’re right, currently we only have about five active members (and even those five have a tendency to go inactive for periods) so promoting everyone, or the majority, to staff status could benefit the site in countless ways: people could find a new found incentive to post with their new found responsibility, not to mention it could help take a load off of the Admins too. Of course I’ll need Jason’s opinion of all of this, though like always, if he takes too long I’ll put this into place myself >_>

6) Hmmm...my only fear about closing is losing some of the current five members with have when we return I mean we've lost some old members along the way who I thought would never leave (Kilix, Rizuk, even Zolomon and Robbie too), I wouldn't want to risk losing any more.

As with moving as well, I can see the pros for it, but I can also see the cons (cons being why it wouldn't make much of a difference, if any at all). I mean I could understand perhaps moving forum if we had a new layout ready, etc. but as it stands we don't, so it would basically be moving to a new forum and just re-using what we currently have lol not much change. I think the moving forum topic is one to re-discuss at a later stage, when we're more prepared to do something like that.

Ryan’s add-ons:

7) As far as profiles go Vahn and I have been working on simplifying the profile layout. Now, there’s been a few bits that we’ve just got rid of completely (mainly because they weren’t being used, or because we thought they weren’t needed) but it’s still quite lengthy – which I know can sometimes be a problem, looking quite daunting. I’m going to posting it up over the next day or so, so if everyone could have a look at it and give some more suggestions on how to improve it, that would be great.

Also, in regards to everyone’s current profiles in terms of the layout changing, me and Vahn are going to make all of the necessary changes to everyone’s profiles for them, to save hassle and you all having to the jobs yourselves. It should mainly be a few tweaks here and there, but any MAJOR changes that need to be made we will contact you before making them, ok?

8) The Arcane Academy is currently going through a bit of a re-vamp. By re-vamp what I mean is that the information is being tweaked, more details are being added, new sections, etc. there’s a lot more information to type up still, but we’ve been working on it. Hopefully, with some new help with new staff things may be finished much quicker!

9) Most importantly, though most obviously, the main thing we need to focus on (besides advertising) is being active. I know we can’t always make a post every day, but without everyone here posting the site will never take off and reach its full potential. I mean it’s already been said that we only really have five members.

That’s all I can think of right now!