Board specific helpful tips.

[BeckyAnnn]

Good afternoon all,

       Today I made a post trying to share some board specific tips only to have the post moved to a different board where it seems to me it will be much less effective. 

      I have discussed this with a very capable Satyr and, while I do not agree with him, I do very much appreciate the time he spent discussing the issue with me.

     Here is the post to which I am referring...

https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=208689.0

Now I bring this here because the title states that we can suggest anything here. 

So here is my suggestion...

How about a staff post at the top of some of these threads (particularly the rp request threads)  where little tips like this can be posted and be easily found?  I think members (especially new members but some older ones as well) might find such tips helpful.

What do you think?

[Beguile's Mistress]

Good afternoon all,

       Today I made a post trying to share some board specific tips only to have the post moved to a different board where it seems to me it will be much less effective. 

      I have discussed this with a very capable Satyr and, while I do not agree with him, I do very much appreciate the time he spent discussing the issue with me.

     Here is the post to which I am referring...

https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=208689.0

Now I bring this here because the title states that we can suggest anything here. 

So here is my suggestion...

How about a staff post at the top of some of these threads (particularly the rp request threads)  where little tips like this can be posted and be easily found?  I think members (especially new members but some older ones as well) might find such tips helpful.

What do you think?

Meanwhile you can add the link to your signature as well.  That way your first post on each page will display it and give it more coverage.

[BeckyAnnn]

Meanwhile you can add the link to your signature as well.  That way your first post on each page will display it and give it more coverage.

As soon as I figure out how I did it with my A & As and my O&Os I will.   

[Beguile's Mistress]

You can go to the Account Settings in your Profile page and see the coding you used.

[BeckyAnnn]

You can go to the Account Settings in your Profile page and see the coding you used.

Working on that now.


*not the most computer savvy person in the world   

[Beguile's Mistress]

Let me know if I can help.

[BeckyAnnn]

Hey, what do you know?  It worked!

Now about the suggestion?

[Beguile's Mistress]

I like your idea a lot and think it would be helpful to a lot of people and should have said that first but just had to get my own suggestions first didn't I?

[Nico]

Many people already do put that in the thread title, too. If I look over only the first page on the board, about each second thread has this in the title, or at least what they are looking for.

[Chrystal]

*giggles*

I told you to talk to Nic, Becky lover.

Anyway, I think this is an excellent idea. There is already a "Rules" post pinned to the top of each board, why not a publicly accessible "Hints" post on the two "wanted" boards.

I can actually think of a hint some people should take ... Like why not look at the threads that are already there before posting "I'm looking for a RP".

No, seriously, I have seen a post which said exactly that! "I'm looking for a RP". I posted to suggest the OP look at other threads because there are a lot of other people looking for RPs too. Didn't go down to well, for some reason, even though I was polite...

[BeckyAnnn]

*giggles*
I told you to talk to Nic, Becky lover.

Oh but I did talk to Nic.  We did not agree but still he was extremely polite and supremely patient with me even though I am sure I was annoying the hell out of him.   

[Chrystal]

Oh but I did talk to Nic.  We did not agree but still he was extremely polite and supremely patient with me even though I am sure I was annoying the hell out of him.   

That's why I told you to talk to him, remember?

*hugs Nic*

[BeckyAnnn]

I have to admit though that I was more than a little nervous at one point when nI saw him AND a goddess in here.  hehehe

[Chrystal]

I do think, though, that a "hints and tips" thread, stickied to the top of the request boards would be handy for some people...

I just looked at a request thread which said "I'm looking to start some one-on-one roleplays, please send me a PM if you are interested". Seriously, that person needs to be advised to either look at everyone else's ideas threads - there are no shortage of them, after all - or post some actual ideas to try and attract people.

In the group games area we have the GM's corner, with plenty of advice and help available to anyone who asks for it, and of course Moraline's ever helpful checklist that I use nearly all the time.

There is nothing like this for one-on-one requests at all.

[Oniya]

You mean like this thread in the Tutorials?

[Chrystal]

Yes, exactly!

That is tucked away and has 3000 views on it! It has been there three years!

The post relating to the bumping policy has 15,000 views on it!

My ideas thread has more views that that tutorial and I haven't bumped my ideas thread in over a year!

Heck, Pony Palace has nearly 3,000 and it's only been up a month!

If that tutorial were placed in a sticky on the requests boards, people would read it!

[Oniya]

We put the Tutorials in the Tutorials section because they are useful for all the request boards - not just one on ones.  Consider it the Elliquiy Manual.

[Chrystal]

I can understand that. But my question to you is, when was the last time you picked up the manual for something and read it?

And if you say you always do I will say that you are very unusual. The expression RTFM came about because people don't read manuals. My dad was in the Royal Navy in WWII (just to give you a perspective on his age) and he used to say, "When all else fails, read the instructions". My point being that people have NEVER read the manual.

I used to work for a shop that sold fireplaces and woodburning stoves and gas fires. These all came with instruction manuals that I know for a fact were never read, because people would ring up and ask why the things weren't working, and the answer was 90% of the time something they were doing wrong that if they had read the manual they would know!

I have never seen that thread before you pointed it out. I wouldn't have known where to look.

The tutorials forum is tucked under the "Help!" forum. Most people will not admit to needing help even when they are struggling! Why would they look at a "Help!" forum, ifthey assume they don't need any help?

What I am saying here is, that if this post were placed somewhere more accessible, more obvious, and labelled as something that didn't threaten the ego, like "tips on finding the right partner", people would read it and maybe act on it!

[Kye]

Not many more would read it, and for newer members they can, and usually do go to their mentors with questions about finding games.  People do not read stickies most of the time considering the number of people I have to point towards them for minor rules infractions.  We have a section for tutorials, if we split it up and put them in their corresponding forums they would likely be viewed even less. 

I understand that things like: "I'm looking to start some one-on-one roleplays, please send me a PM if you are interested" bother you.  I'm sorry that it does, but everyone has a right to do what they wish with their request threads. 

In short I don't think it would actually accomplish what you want.

[Beguile's Mistress]

It might help to advertise the tutorial forum in the forum headers or in a sticky in each forum.  It might help those who  haven't found it yet or don't realize what it's for. 

[Chrystal]

Um....


15,000 views in five years against 3,000 views in three years? That's five times as many people viewing the sticky on the anti-bumping policy as have viewed the "how to find a partner" post.  And three times as many per year.

I thus respectfully dispute your statement that "not many more would read it", because the facts show otherwise.

And it's not so much that this type of post bothers me, as that I really want to help these people... But without knowing what they are looking for in a story, it's impossible for me to even know whether they would write F/F, let alone whether they have any ideas that would interest me. (Never mind the fact that I am always totally overloaded).

I'm not trying to be deliberately obtuse here, I am genuinely trying to find some way to help other than actually PMing them and offering advice - which never goes down well no matter how good one's intentions are!

Anyway, it's 1:20am, so I think I'll call it a night!

It might help to advertise the tutorial forum in the forum headers or in a sticky in each forum.  It might help those who  haven't found it yet or don't realize what it's for. 

*GLOMPS BeMi and kisses her ALL over*

[Beguile's Mistress]

*laughs*  That's made the day lots more fun!