And a constructive idea, and this might have been discussed already, but have a feed on the side or somewhere that has the latest posts from the main forums. While people are posting in their clan forum, they might look over and notice a topic that intrest them and can click on the link to the topic and contribute.
Fantastic Idea. Done. You'll see topics with the most view/comments per day.
And a constructive idea, and this might have been discussed already, but have a feed on the side or somewhere that has the latest posts from the main forums. While people are posting in their clan forum, they might look over and notice a topic that intrest them and can click on the link to the topic and contribute.
Fantastic Idea. Done. You'll see topics with the most view/comments per day.
I think this may need a bit of tweaking.... With the racing groups going public and them being such a large, active group, the trending forum topics will just be full of 2o4forza/race topics (like it is now)
While that's great for them, it kind of defeats the purpose of getting site wide discussions going, no?
And please 2o4forza/race peeps, don't take this as an attack or anything.... you guys are just really active
And a constructive idea, and this might have been discussed already, but have a feed on the side or somewhere that has the latest posts from the main forums. While people are posting in their clan forum, they might look over and notice a topic that intrest them and can click on the link to the topic and contribute.
Fantastic Idea. Done. You'll see topics with the most view/comments per day.
I think this may need a bit of tweaking.... With the racing groups going public and them being such a large, active group, the trending forum topics will just be full of 2o4forza/race topics (like it is now)
While that's great for them, it kind of defeats the purpose of getting site wide discussions going, no?
And please 2o4forza/race peeps, don't take this as an attack or anything.... you guys are just really active
Yeah, he;'s right. I just saw this a few minutes ago and commented on it in our own sandbox as well.
Yeah, he;'s right. I just saw this a few minutes ago and commented on it in our own sandbox as well.
Yep, Racing just wiped Halo right off the map. Not that I mind, since we've only had this feature a couple of days. Maybe doodirock can add in a caclulation to balance the entries or only allow one or two topics per division/group to be shown.
Yeah, he;'s right. I just saw this a few minutes ago and commented on it in our own sandbox as well.
Yep, Racing just wiped Halo right off the map. Not that I mind, since we've only had this feature a couple of days. Maybe doodirock can add in a caclulation to balance the entries or only allow one or two topics per division/group to be shown.
I think this would work well if it can be done. That way, we get a sample from each of the divisions, and the user can browse from there. Also, if it's possible, could the name of the division/subforum below the trending topic be a link to that division/subforum?
Yeah, he;'s right. I just saw this a few minutes ago and commented on it in our own sandbox as well.
Yep, Racing just wiped Halo right off the map. Not that I mind, since we've only had this feature a couple of days. Maybe doodirock can add in a caclulation to balance the entries or only allow one or two topics per division/group to be shown.
I think this would work well if it can be done. That way, we get a sample from each of the divisions, and the user can browse from there. Also, if it's possible, could the name of the division/subforum below the trending topic be a link to that division/subforum?
As Johnny says this will probly be the best way to do things if you can?
That way you wont be full of Forza stuff all the time.
Each clan forum has 10 or so threads that are "public" anyone can walk up and view and chime in.
Maybe a couple more lead into as Stickies to give the person visiting more than a 4 line BLURB about what the clan is about and their active game times.
People can get a better feel for the clan community they may be interested in, talk to some people in that clan. Maybe that new person finds a couple of friends in that clan but decides he doesn't want to join. Goes to another public face and finds a few more.
I had more thoughts on this idea but can't really explain how to impliment them.
I know when I first posted, nothing really came from it and it was awkward for me to involve myself in the discussions which people who obviously knew each other were having.
This +1000. We have had the exact same issue in our clan forum before. In fact, at least one clan was formed from former members becasue they felt that they weren't part of the group even after they'd been in the clan for a YEAR! Unfortunately, this is not a solvable problem. The beauty of friends is that you develop a shorthand based upon shared experiences. Newcomers have to be willing to go through a period where they don't get every joke or reference, where they might not feel like one of the cool kids for a period of time, and that's actually a lot to ask.
Want to know how you can mitigate it though? When someone is new, simply quote them and reply. Frequently. Deceptively simple. it still works on me today, in this very thread. I've been quoted a couple of times in this thread and each time it makes me think, "Someone read my post - yay!" [i]rest of awesomeness clipped for brevity[/i]
Getting both quotes in there as they touch on the same issue: the behaviour of new people in a new group. What's described is what happens in any new group with a new addition, whether it's a job, a new team in an existing job, being introduced to new friends, or being someone's date at a family function where you've never met anyone else before, the same thing happens: new person needs to get accustomed to the group norms.
Now, it's not just on us as the group being joined to bend over backwards to accept new people, new people have to make the effort as well and get over the feeling of being an outsider. Quite frankly, if a new person expects a ticker-tape parade for every new post (including their first one), that's a bit unreasonable and they can fuck right off. It's best for us. Why? Because that's not who we are. We're, generally, low-maintenance people that want other low-maintenance people to hang around with. This is why we have a "don't be a dick" policy, and why none of us miss posters like Deadwhateverthefuckhisnamewas. (the person in the pic that people have been linking .... yes, I said 'his name')
That's not to say that we should just sit around and not acknowledge new people, because that's just dickish. Which is why I really like the point Webmonkee makes in his post: being quoted and replied to is an easy and effective way of making new people feel welcome in an online social setting. It's the social equivalent of meeting a new person at the party that's being introduced around as new and looking them in the eye, shaking their hand and saying "hi [new person's name], I'm Plato, nice to meet you". (As an aside, try that when new people are introduced, or if you are the new person. I've done that everytime I've been new some place (my school schedule for the past 3 years has put me as the new person each year) and as someone that was painfully introverted, I've managed to ingratiate myself into groups fairly well)
This does bring me back to the idea of having a vision for 2o2p posted, what we find ideal and what we strive to be. Maybe putting a post in the Newcomer's forum, detailing steps on how they can jump in, such as quoting someone and replying. It's effective, and it works both ways. Also, by codifying it in a post, it helps even those of us that are shy by establishing a "do this to get this" kind of cheatsheet.
This brings me to a few of GunnyBass' points:
GunnyBass wrote:
I'm not as eloquint nor do I have the vocabulary as most of you do so please be patient with me.
At the risk of sounding cheesy, we're all friends here. No one should really have to worry about vocabulary before speaking up in an post, unless they consistantly post like "NE1 want 2 play wif m3??!?!?" in a non-ironic way, because "Don't be a dick" policy or not, I reserve the right to be a dick in that case (and that case only - we have many members for whom english is not their first language. No one here is going to make fun of them for how they post.)
GunnyBass wrote:
I also agree with the 80/20 statement. It is the 20% generating 80% of posts/trafic. I see the same names all the time. How do we fix it?? IDK. Incentives?? My personal incentive to being active is to continue to have a healthy viable site that the family I have here can continue to migrate to and enjoy. A site where I can come to vent, brag or boob at fellow gamers/friends who are of the the general same age and life experiences. I can get advice or be told to STFU. Do I agree with everybody?? Absolutely not!! But I often find things I have not considered brought up by someone else. Just like this thread!!
Here's another incentive...we have a huge niche community here. A place for gamers 25 and older. We have individuals running it because of their passion, not because it's their business. We are proud of that right?? Dont we as members owe the site a bit of loyalty?? Should we not take care of something because it has taken care of us? Why is that not incentive enough to step out of our dark little corners and pitch in?? Maybe that's where I'm not understanding the disconnect or lack of traffic/volunteerism. I hear folks speak of pride of belonging yet are unwilling to come out and manifest it to fellow members and new guys publicly. Bottom line, it takes effort on EVERYONES part to be a successful family.
I don't think it's a good idea to create an expectation that everyone needs to post or welcome new people at some point. Not everyone is like that, and as we're all here for a hobby, for some people that would cause a level of stress and pressure that would be antithetical to what 2o2p is supposed to be. At best, Doodi could expect to get 30% contributing 60% or so (just to demonstrate a narrowing gap, not real percentages), as there will always be a small group of passionate and dedicated individuals that contribute the what the rest consume. It's just natural. The issue really becomes how to solve turnover in that 20%, as opposed to the entire site. How do you attract and retain the 20% of people that are inclined to create the content that others consume and contribute to the shared experience of being in 2o2p? Small bites, like how you eat an elephant ;) (just to make sure not every post I make is irrelephant )
I'll keep typing it until I'm blue in the face: the most effective way to increase motivation is to create a vision those people can get behind. Once people know the roadmap, and that they're encouraged to undertake their own initiative to help us get there, motivated individuals will do it on their own.
After that, recognition of their efforts will encourage them to continue. It can be as simple as monthly highlights of contributors, giving them public props for a job well done. Not flashy, just a public "hey, thanks, your work is appreciated".
Once the 20% keeps creating, you drive traffic among the consumers or people that simply reply to threads. That makes it appear more busy (because it is more busy), and gives new people a chance to work themselves into the group as a whole before finding niche interests, which are best championed by Clans.
After that, it's primarily creating new ways for people to create content. Posts and blogs are great. FIR3's blog about recreating some of the old Halo video's and tutorials is a great example. (Fun fact, despite all of Fire's help and attending the open rooms, after Halo2 I could never regain any semblance of "skill" in Halo. So I play WoW now, it's slower).
I'd also suggest "official" 2o2p twitter accounts for various groups, such as FPS, RPG, WoW, with volunteers designated as "champions" to post interesting info or links to relevant blogs or forum posts, both within 2o2p and out in the communities (so that when 2o2p'ers go to those outside sources, if they reply they may attract like-minded gamers to 2o2p).
Remember, if we contribute and create outside of 2o2p in a manner that isn't obvious membership whoring, but real contributions to other communities, people we want will follow us back here. Social media at its finest.
I think what it boils down to is giving new people a reason to stay. I know when I first joined, I was a little shy about joining in. Went through a clan or two and just didn't click. I blame myself because as I mentioned earlier, I am shy at first. It was also my first experience with anything online and I just kept to myself. The good thing is I stuck with it and now call this website home. I have made some friends here that i feel closer to than most of my real life friends. I don't know what the answer is but this thread is a good start.
They appear to help IMHO. I'm assuming by "help" we all want more participation and eyeballs on the main forums and clicking on the podcasts, maybe an ad now and then. Doing stuff to sustain what you've built here. I do think that 2o2p benefits from newbs like me cruising thru to see what older gamers do, and I'm not sure what could set 2o2p high above the norm if the option of clans wasn't there.
I'm also not sure how many different platforms and different games older folks play at one time? I'll play some adventure single-player game, and hit the Haloz so I'm watching Halo Fails and maybe reading threads on Halo changes. I'll look for info on my other titles if I'm stuck or something. Is that typical?
I can understand the dilema of catching members with a wide net, only to then risk them swimming in a bowl on the desk. I think more options on the site is always better.
So...how much a week for you not to post?....I say this in the spirit of good fellowship and the knowledge that not even an angry Panda can bite through plate armour
So...how much a week for you not to post?....I say this in the spirit of good fellowship and the knowledge that not even an angry Panda can bite through plate armour
As someone who isn't invovled with a clan from this site, I would like to add something. If what you guys are saying about there being SO much more traffic in the clan forums, it might be worth it to open up those chats. The reason I say this is that for a site that boasts a 15k+ member count, I usually only see a few dozen people who actively post in the open forums. I started to think the site was dying off due to lack of participation. The point is, if the open forum areas are not very active, you won't be able to draw new members in. They'll come in and say "Oh, there's only a few active threads, I thought this was a pretty busy site. Oh well, maybe I'll try another one"
Not sure if someone stated this already, was too lazy to look through 200+ responses
You should ask clans to have a requirement that new members must post 40-60 times in public forums before they can join a clan. It would be help the new members get comfortable with posting in the forums and it would show clans that the new member is serious about wanting to be an active member of the site and of the clan. You see alot of new members join clans then disappear.
You should ask clans to have a requirement that new members must post 40-60 times in public forums before they can join a clan. It would be help the new members get comfortable with posting in the forums and it would show clans that the new member is serious about wanting to be an active member of the site and of the clan. You see alot of new members join clans then disappear.
You should ask clans to have a requirement that new members must post 40-60 times in public forums before they can join a clan. It would be help the new members get comfortable with posting in the forums and it would show clans that the new member is serious about wanting to be an active member of the site and of the clan. You see alot of new members join clans then disappear.
What about displaying what games do members play at the moment? Make a survey, ask clan leaders what they actually play, whatever and make a banner on the front page with the data you've collected. This way any visitor could have an idea of the size of the community and be assured to find players sharing the same interests.
Sorry forcing people to post before they get to do what they came here for? are you mad? come on how many of you are members of other forums? got a farcebook account? google plus? Those that are comfortable posting are posting, remember the 80/20? put a gun to peoples heads to post and 80% feck off straght off the bat. Sorry I thought the prime activaty of gamers was gaming, to lock people out of that is like I say madness. I tell you this if that had been in when I came, "Oh sorry you can't race untill you have posted 50 times about stuff you care little about...and I've looked and posted a couple of things...but I would not be here.
Sorry forcing people to post before they get to do what they came here for? are you mad? come on how many of you are members of other forums? got a farcebook account? google plus? Those that are comfortable posting are posting, remember the 80/20? put a gun to peoples heads to post and 80% feck off straght off the bat. Sorry I thought the prime activaty of gamers was gaming, to lock people out of that is like I say madness. I tell you this if that had been in when I came, "Oh sorry you can't race untill you have posted 50 times about stuff you care little about...and I've looked and posted a couple of things...but I would not be here.
To be fair I don't that is what LegendcalledJim is saying. No one would stop you from playing any real video games. I believe what he meant is just a trial period, which clans use anyway. It doesn't effect any ability to actually play games with who you want. Also, remember they're just ideas. I'd rather have more ideas than a discuss that goes in circles with 0 solutions.
Sorry forcing people to post before they get to do what they came here for? are you mad? come on how many of you are members of other forums? got a farcebook account? google plus? Those that are comfortable posting are posting, remember the 80/20? put a gun to peoples heads to post and 80% feck off straght off the bat. Sorry I thought the prime activaty of gamers was gaming, to lock people out of that is like I say madness. I tell you this if that had been in when I came, "Oh sorry you can't race untill you have posted 50 times about stuff you care little about...and I've looked and posted a couple of things...but I would not be here.
it doesn't say you can't race, you just can't be in the clan.
i agree with you that the number is way to high. 20 would be sufficient in my mind.
take someone like me. the only reason i joined this site was because i was told i couldn't be in 2o2pHalo unless i was a member here. i didn't join this site and then find a clan.
i found 2o2pHalo first. they were exactly what i was looking for. i spent months trying to find somewhere i fit in and finally came across 2o2pHalo. i found their website, not this one. i was joining a clan and this site was nothing more than a formality for me and i didn't really care whether or not i was on the site. i probably would have done whatever requirements were asked of me, but i also already knew what i wanted was behind these pearly gates.
this seems to be more what happens in the forza group. many of the members already know what they want from here, and that is the only reason they came here. for those people, you are now putting up obstacles in the way of them getting to their goal.
i'm not sure really how to address this, just saying what happened with me and my observations of what's gone on since i got here.
i guess i should also mention that i'm really glad i had to join here because i love this place as well as my clan.
esp given that many of our clan were playing with us before they knew about this site... only after we played with them for a while and liked them did we tell them to go sign up out here...
considering this is my second account on this site I dont know if I have 50 posts in the public forums total.. (first account was deleted YEARS ago)
why? cause I dont mix well with people who have twistable panties, if I posted in the public areas all the time I would be banned in a week or less... so I stick to where the other assholes hang out.
I agree with the 80/20 and I am part of the 80....
esp given that many of our clan were playing with us before they knew about this site... only after we played with them for a while and liked them did we tell them to go sign up out here...
considering this is my second account on this site I dont know if I have 50 posts in the public forums total.. (first account was deleted YEARS ago)
why? cause I dont mix well with people who have twistable panties, if I posted in the public areas all the time I would be banned in a week or less... so I stick to where the other assholes hang out.
I agree with the 80/20 and I am part of the 80....
Q
well lets face it, most of us post in our clan forums because those are the people we like and that like us(at least enough not to kick us out,, lol) many of my clan now would not be able to be themselves if they had to post in public view, 99% of our clan posts should have NSFW on them and even if they did not start NSFW at some point one of the random posts would push it into the NSFW area...
most of PPC is EX navy, army, marines, etc
hell. I have to remind myself the whole time I post in public that some people actually have feelings....
so without knowing any of the site build and what it would take to change anything, I will throw in my 2 cents on ideas.
starters the hot topic area on the right needs to be someplace else, its too low people can still miss it without trying, needs to be some place they have to see it, top of the page or higher on the side, hell move gaming news, people are more willing to go out of their way to find out the gaming news...
make another banner that shows hot clan subject lines with a post count (not the whole post) this will just show that clan posts are going on and maybe the new people will get an idea of clans they may be interested in if they saw the topic(if nothing else it will drum up intrigue) clans will need to be warned about this so they know a subject line can be seen by all... ( I see some clans having fun with that I see some "doodie likes goats" subject lines hitting high numbers.. LOL
make a way to make a "spoiler hidden text" type thing for offensive posts, not sure if I am explaining this right, mods on some forums will make a text hidden with a spoiler alert, so you have to take the extra effort to click on that knowing that its a spoiler... make something like that for offensive posts so the mods cna hide a post they think has worth but is offensive in nature so that people do not have to read it unless they want to and then they have to go through the effort to click the warning to view it... (give this ability to the posters too so they can hide their own text if they know why are being an ass) kind of like the option to make something bold or to quote text...etc...
give the clans the option to make their forum public viewable., OR the ability to make posts as public viewable, this would make it so new people could see some of the things the clans talk about or at least the informative posts, maybe give that ability to the clan mods, so they can make some worth while posts public... hell if thats is doable can you make it so a post can be marked so it shows up in two locations? one public and one clan only? so that if a post is copied to a public area the clan post can still be privately posted on in the clan area but the public copy can be posted by all? and then make a new area where all the public clan posts go?
just throwing ideas out there do with them as you see fit... (back to my clan forums to talk about your love of goats)
How I came back into the thread today.
I think this may need a bit of tweaking.... With the racing groups going public and them being such a large, active group, the trending forum topics will just be full of 2o4forza/race topics (like it is now)
While that's great for them, it kind of defeats the purpose of getting site wide discussions going, no?
And please 2o4forza/race peeps, don't take this as an attack or anything.... you guys are just really active.gif "106")
Yeah, he;'s right. I just saw this a few minutes ago and commented on it in our own sandbox as well.
I think this would work well if it can be done. That way, we get a sample from each of the divisions, and the user can browse from there. Also, if it's possible, could the name of the division/subforum below the trending topic be a link to that division/subforum?
As Johnny says this will probly be the best way to do things if you can?
That way you wont be full of Forza stuff all the time.
What if Clans had more of a public face to them?
Each clan forum has 10 or so threads that are "public" anyone can walk up and view and chime in.
Maybe a couple more lead into as Stickies to give the person visiting more than a 4 line BLURB about what the clan is about and their active game times.
People can get a better feel for the clan community they may be interested in, talk to some people in that clan. Maybe that new person finds a couple of friends in that clan but decides he doesn't want to join. Goes to another public face and finds a few more.
I had more thoughts on this idea but can't really explain how to impliment them.
So many goods posts and ideas!
A few comments on some of them:
Getting both quotes in there as they touch on the same issue: the behaviour of new people in a new group. What's described is what happens in any new group with a new addition, whether it's a job, a new team in an existing job, being introduced to new friends, or being someone's date at a family function where you've never met anyone else before, the same thing happens: new person needs to get accustomed to the group norms.
Now, it's not just on us as the group being joined to bend over backwards to accept new people, new people have to make the effort as well and get over the feeling of being an outsider. Quite frankly, if a new person expects a ticker-tape parade for every new post (including their first one), that's a bit unreasonable and they can fuck right off. It's best for us. Why? Because that's not who we are. We're, generally, low-maintenance people that want other low-maintenance people to hang around with. This is why we have a "don't be a dick" policy, and why none of us miss posters like Deadwhateverthefuckhisnamewas. (the person in the pic that people have been linking .... yes, I said 'his name')
That's not to say that we should just sit around and not acknowledge new people, because that's just dickish. Which is why I really like the point Webmonkee makes in his post: being quoted and replied to is an easy and effective way of making new people feel welcome in an online social setting. It's the social equivalent of meeting a new person at the party that's being introduced around as new and looking them in the eye, shaking their hand and saying "hi [new person's name], I'm Plato, nice to meet you". (As an aside, try that when new people are introduced, or if you are the new person. I've done that everytime I've been new some place (my school schedule for the past 3 years has put me as the new person each year) and as someone that was painfully introverted, I've managed to ingratiate myself into groups fairly well)
This does bring me back to the idea of having a vision for 2o2p posted, what we find ideal and what we strive to be. Maybe putting a post in the Newcomer's forum, detailing steps on how they can jump in, such as quoting someone and replying. It's effective, and it works both ways. Also, by codifying it in a post, it helps even those of us that are shy by establishing a "do this to get this" kind of cheatsheet.
This brings me to a few of GunnyBass' points:
At the risk of sounding cheesy, we're all friends here. No one should really have to worry about vocabulary before speaking up in an post, unless they consistantly post like "NE1 want 2 play wif m3??!?!?" in a non-ironic way, because "Don't be a dick" policy or not, I reserve the right to be a dick in that case (and that case only - we have many members for whom english is not their first language. No one here is going to make fun of them for how they post.)
I don't think it's a good idea to create an expectation that everyone needs to post or welcome new people at some point. Not everyone is like that, and as we're all here for a hobby, for some people that would cause a level of stress and pressure that would be antithetical to what 2o2p is supposed to be. At best, Doodi could expect to get 30% contributing 60% or so (just to demonstrate a narrowing gap, not real percentages), as there will always be a small group of passionate and dedicated individuals that contribute the what the rest consume. It's just natural. The issue really becomes how to solve turnover in that 20%, as opposed to the entire site. How do you attract and retain the 20% of people that are inclined to create the content that others consume and contribute to the shared experience of being in 2o2p? Small bites, like how you eat an elephant ;) (just to make sure not every post I make is irrelephant )
I'll keep typing it until I'm blue in the face: the most effective way to increase motivation is to create a vision those people can get behind. Once people know the roadmap, and that they're encouraged to undertake their own initiative to help us get there, motivated individuals will do it on their own.
After that, recognition of their efforts will encourage them to continue. It can be as simple as monthly highlights of contributors, giving them public props for a job well done. Not flashy, just a public "hey, thanks, your work is appreciated".
Once the 20% keeps creating, you drive traffic among the consumers or people that simply reply to threads. That makes it appear more busy (because it is more busy), and gives new people a chance to work themselves into the group as a whole before finding niche interests, which are best championed by Clans.
After that, it's primarily creating new ways for people to create content. Posts and blogs are great. FIR3's blog about recreating some of the old Halo video's and tutorials is a great example. (Fun fact, despite all of Fire's help and attending the open rooms, after Halo2 I could never regain any semblance of "skill" in Halo. So I play WoW now, it's slower).
I'd also suggest "official" 2o2p twitter accounts for various groups, such as FPS, RPG, WoW, with volunteers designated as "champions" to post interesting info or links to relevant blogs or forum posts, both within 2o2p and out in the communities (so that when 2o2p'ers go to those outside sources, if they reply they may attract like-minded gamers to 2o2p).
Remember, if we contribute and create outside of 2o2p in a manner that isn't obvious membership whoring, but real contributions to other communities, people we want will follow us back here. Social media at its finest.
I think what it boils down to is giving new people a reason to stay. I know when I first joined, I was a little shy about joining in. Went through a clan or two and just didn't click. I blame myself because as I mentioned earlier, I am shy at first. It was also my first experience with anything online and I just kept to myself. The good thing is I stuck with it and now call this website home. I have made some friends here that i feel closer to than most of my real life friends. I don't know what the answer is but this thread is a good start.
They appear to help IMHO. I'm assuming by "help" we all want more participation and eyeballs on the main forums and clicking on the podcasts, maybe an ad now and then. Doing stuff to sustain what you've built here. I do think that 2o2p benefits from newbs like me cruising thru to see what older gamers do, and I'm not sure what could set 2o2p high above the norm if the option of clans wasn't there.
I'm also not sure how many different platforms and different games older folks play at one time? I'll play some adventure single-player game, and hit the Haloz so I'm watching Halo Fails and maybe reading threads on Halo changes. I'll look for info on my other titles if I'm stuck or something. Is that typical?
I can understand the dilema of catching members with a wide net, only to then risk them swimming in a bowl on the desk. I think more options on the site is always better.
I'm part of another forum that has a "View new posts" thing-a-ma-jig at the top of the page. Click on it and profit! all the new posts
Bring back Mike James drunkfest...
Best Suggestion ever
So...how much a week for you not to post?....I say this in the spirit of good fellowship and the knowledge that not even an angry Panda can bite through plate armour
1) Consolidate the open forum
2) Welcome Liason's and Recruiter's (tough job with Timmy
3) Bring back clan recruitment subforum, and have each clan with clan feeler threads.
This. Stuff like this would probably help.
As someone who isn't invovled with a clan from this site, I would like to add something. If what you guys are saying about there being SO much more traffic in the clan forums, it might be worth it to open up those chats. The reason I say this is that for a site that boasts a 15k+ member count, I usually only see a few dozen people who actively post in the open forums. I started to think the site was dying off due to lack of participation. The point is, if the open forum areas are not very active, you won't be able to draw new members in. They'll come in and say "Oh, there's only a few active threads, I thought this was a pretty busy site. Oh well, maybe I'll try another one"
Not sure if someone stated this already, was too lazy to look through 200+ responses
You should ask clans to have a requirement that new members must post 40-60 times in public forums before they can join a clan. It would be help the new members get comfortable with posting in the forums and it would show clans that the new member is serious about wanting to be an active member of the site and of the clan. You see alot of new members join clans then disappear.
Another very good idea
I will plus one on that front.
What about displaying what games do members play at the moment? Make a survey, ask clan leaders what they actually play, whatever and make a banner on the front page with the data you've collected. This way any visitor could have an idea of the size of the community and be assured to find players sharing the same interests.
Sorry forcing people to post before they get to do what they came here for? are you mad? come on how many of you are members of other forums? got a farcebook account? google plus? Those that are comfortable posting are posting, remember the 80/20? put a gun to peoples heads to post and 80% feck off straght off the bat. Sorry I thought the prime activaty of gamers was gaming, to lock people out of that is like I say madness. I tell you this if that had been in when I came, "Oh sorry you can't race untill you have posted 50 times about stuff you care little about...and I've looked and posted a couple of things...but I would not be here.
To be fair I don't that is what LegendcalledJim is saying. No one would stop you from playing any real video games. I believe what he meant is just a trial period, which clans use anyway. It doesn't effect any ability to actually play games with who you want. Also, remember they're just ideas. I'd rather have more ideas than a discuss that goes in circles with 0 solutions.
it doesn't say you can't race, you just can't be in the clan.
i agree with you that the number is way to high. 20 would be sufficient in my mind.
take someone like me. the only reason i joined this site was because i was told i couldn't be in 2o2pHalo unless i was a member here. i didn't join this site and then find a clan.
i found 2o2pHalo first. they were exactly what i was looking for. i spent months trying to find somewhere i fit in and finally came across 2o2pHalo. i found their website, not this one. i was joining a clan and this site was nothing more than a formality for me and i didn't really care whether or not i was on the site. i probably would have done whatever requirements were asked of me, but i also already knew what i wanted was behind these pearly gates.
this seems to be more what happens in the forza group. many of the members already know what they want from here, and that is the only reason they came here. for those people, you are now putting up obstacles in the way of them getting to their goal.
i'm not sure really how to address this, just saying what happened with me and my observations of what's gone on since i got here.
i guess i should also mention that i'm really glad i had to join here because i love this place as well as my clan.
esp given that many of our clan were playing with us before they knew about this site... only after we played with them for a while and liked them did we tell them to go sign up out here...
considering this is my second account on this site I dont know if I have 50 posts in the public forums total.. (first account was deleted YEARS ago)
why? cause I dont mix well with people who have twistable panties, if I posted in the public areas all the time I would be banned in a week or less... so I stick to where the other assholes hang out.
I agree with the 80/20 and I am part of the 80....
Q
well lets face it, most of us post in our clan forums because those are the people we like and that like us(at least enough not to kick us out,, lol) many of my clan now would not be able to be themselves if they had to post in public view, 99% of our clan posts should have NSFW on them and even if they did not start NSFW at some point one of the random posts would push it into the NSFW area...
most of PPC is EX navy, army, marines, etc
hell. I have to remind myself the whole time I post in public that some people actually have feelings....
so without knowing any of the site build and what it would take to change anything, I will throw in my 2 cents on ideas.
starters the hot topic area on the right needs to be someplace else, its too low people can still miss it without trying, needs to be some place they have to see it, top of the page or higher on the side, hell move gaming news, people are more willing to go out of their way to find out the gaming news...
make another banner that shows hot clan subject lines with a post count (not the whole post) this will just show that clan posts are going on and maybe the new people will get an idea of clans they may be interested in if they saw the topic(if nothing else it will drum up intrigue) clans will need to be warned about this so they know a subject line can be seen by all... ( I see some clans having fun with that I see some "doodie likes goats" subject lines hitting high numbers.. LOL
make a way to make a "spoiler hidden text" type thing for offensive posts, not sure if I am explaining this right, mods on some forums will make a text hidden with a spoiler alert, so you have to take the extra effort to click on that knowing that its a spoiler... make something like that for offensive posts so the mods cna hide a post they think has worth but is offensive in nature so that people do not have to read it unless they want to and then they have to go through the effort to click the warning to view it... (give this ability to the posters too so they can hide their own text if they know why are being an ass) kind of like the option to make something bold or to quote text...etc...
give the clans the option to make their forum public viewable., OR the ability to make posts as public viewable, this would make it so new people could see some of the things the clans talk about or at least the informative posts, maybe give that ability to the clan mods, so they can make some worth while posts public... hell if thats is doable can you make it so a post can be marked so it shows up in two locations? one public and one clan only? so that if a post is copied to a public area the clan post can still be privately posted on in the clan area but the public copy can be posted by all? and then make a new area where all the public clan posts go?
just throwing ideas out there do with them as you see fit... (back to my clan forums to talk about your love of goats)
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I see that as being a huge limiting factor as well.
[spoiler]We've at least got the spoiler thing already. :) [/spoiler]