Sometimes Even I Forget - Roleplaying is for Fun
I didn't really think about sharing this until now but I think it's important that I do. Especially as my role-play has just (not so recently) hit it's one year mark. And the admin I was a year ago certainly isn't the admin I am now. So? Let's talk.
This post wil briefly cover not how to make a role-play "successful", but how to keep a role-play alive-- and enjoy it.
It's All About the Process - Make it a learning experience
A year ago last May, I started a role-play with one faint idea lurking in my mind. It started with the words, "What if..." and ended with me calling on role-players I knew in other forums and groups to join me. I told them the idea, and from there birthed it to life. But the first few weeks were bleak, and held little promise. The three of us, myself and two other admins did our best to set the page up, think about the face claims we would like in the group, post the application, and then waited patiently by for members to come pouring in.
We had a trickle, here and there. A select few. We aggressively advertised in the tags, and I remember checking frequently feeling frustrated when my role-play's promotion would get pushed to the bottom amidst the competition among other groups for noticeability.
And then began the tagging of literally everything. I started out just like anyone else, in which my main concern all came down to one thing members. That meant tagging asks, promotions, text posts, having members tag their posts, tagging, tagging, tagging. And long before I knew about RPCHAs? I even sought out help from other RPGs and requested to be affiliates, thinking that this, as well, would get us noticed.
Then it took one spark. Two members joined whom showed fierce interest into the group, and by word of mouth they had quite a few others that they knew, join as well.
But even as members poured in I still wasn't comfortable. Why was I so worried? Let me tell you why.
When you begin a role-play, you start it with the impression that in order for it to be successful, interest in it and activity = success. However, the longer you admin for the more you realize that this is NOT true. It takes arduous hours and dedication into your group, and it takes a process of trial-and-error to understand how this doesn't correlate. Therefore, it's all about the process.
If I hadn't started out like many other admins out there who are concerned about their role-play and it's success, I wouldn't have learned about what the true meaning of success, is. I wouldn't have spent the amount of hours I did in building up the role-play's hype, or aggressively administering promotional tactics to try and garner interest.
In being an admin, the most important thing is to realize the following: A. Where your values lie B. Why you want this role-play to thrive C. What are you doing this for? and D. Making it a learning experience
Make everything you do as you begin "admining" a learning experience. And the most important thing to not forget? Role-playing is for fun. So relax. Have a good time.
A dead dash IS an okay dash. A dead dash does not equate to a lack of interest. The best advice I've ever been told with regards to activity? It's okay. They'll be on when they have time. And guess what? They did come on when they had time.
Obtaining loyal members and dedicated writers take having an interest in the right thing. What do I mean by taking an interest in the right thing? I mean by administering the following:
Being a polite admin, always.
Being understanding of those that leave or are slack on activity.
Being easygoing but firm. Allow some legroom, but let them know why certain rules are in place.
Being professional where it counts-- don't post personals on the admin page. Focus on doing admin work.
Be approachable. Be inviting to your members and get to know them on a personal level. Whether this is through Skype, AIM, regular chats, or just messages through Tumblr let them know that you're there.
Just because you're an admin doesn't mean you can't joke around or be "one of the gang". Blend in with your members, and hold steadfast to your duties when you must put on your authoritative mask.
Encourage plots. Encourage writing. Encourage roleplaying. Make available resources to character development questionnaires. Build writing prompts for your members to take part, in. Make weeklong event for your members to get excited about. Give them locations to place their characters in. Make available connections, for them. Give them freedom. Give them space.
Be inclusive. Do your best to make posts on the admin page to allow others to find a way to welcome new members into the group. Take polls once a month to try and understand if any issues have arisen. If someone is causing drama, don't take sides-- be a neutral party and look at it objectively. Do your best to not be biased and try and resolve the issue in a reasonable manner. If need be? Kindly request a member leaves if they're only there to stir up trouble.
Learn to differentiate between in-character drama and out-of-character drama. Be understanding on both, and provide those who may be confused with more information.
Resources, resources, resources. Create a resource blog. It sets the expectations for the group and the sort of activities members can be involved in/what they should work on. It allows them to understand the inner-workings of a role-play.
Have fun. As a person who takes myself seriously, I've had to learn what this means and how to relax. At the end of the day, even if you're an admin, understand that you too, need to just enjoy writing and roleplaying and being apart of the group. Let your members have fun, as well. It's not all just rules and regulations-- if they deviate a bit from the rules, it's okay. Let them have their fun. If they're smiling on the other side of that screen, that's what matters.
And last but not least? It's not all about popularity. Let go. Your role-play's success is determined by the people that are involved in it, not the amount of attention it receives.
In the long way I've come from having no members to having a handful, I realized something-- and that is, quality over quantity.
Now, today, I sit with a group of members who have been apart of the role-play for at least a good five months or more. We could certainly have new applications come in, but if they don't? I'm perfectly okay with that. Through the process of becoming an admin and then growing overtime, I've realized it is the writers that make the group what it is. You could have as many members as you like. Twenty, forty, sixty. But none of that will matter if they aren't dedicated to the group. What matters is those that stick around, those that want to be there, those that are falling in love with writing and with the character themselves. What matters is people being there because they want to.
A role-play does not last because it lacks on plot, or lacks on members; it does not last because it lacks the patience and perseverance it requires to run it. It lacks the support group of co-admins who are there to encourage and input their ideas into the group and its vision.
A role-play will always fall through if the admin does not have the perseverance or heart to keep on. Everything takes patience.
I can't tell you how many times I've become disappointed or was fearful of my group "dying". But what's allowed me to keep the faith is not me by myself, but the people who continue to role-play, in it. They're the ones who make the group.
And they're having fun, doing it. These are the people you want to keep around you, admins.
Care about your members and they'll care about you and the group, back. Try hard for your members, and they'll try hard for you and themselves. Set your expectations, and they'll respect them. Love with all your might in both the role-play's vision and the people that can make it happen, and one day...
