Applejack
04-27-2009, 02:34 AM
Okay, now I know there are some of you that think this is a fool's errand. Well I fancy myself a pretty big fool, so why the fuck not. I am suggesting that we attempt (whatever number attempt this is now) to revive this forum and with it, potentially gather a new user base. Summer is fast approaching for me and while I will be spending a lot of time with friends and at movies and stuff, it is also a time for me to get a lot of writing done. And I see RPs as a way to enhance writing ability.
I've been thinking about it and I've come up with some ideas that might help this forum become active.
1: Ideas Lead to Creation
We all have ideas, so why not turn some of those into potential RP fodder? Yes, there are many that like to have RPs set within an established universe or things of that nature, but that doesn't mean we need to be restricted by such things as limitations. An original RP about, I dunno, political strife in a fantasy world, could easily be as popular as an RP taking place in, say, the Naruto universe (not saying here, per se, just elsewhere on the internet). From what I've seen of other RP forums is that people are afriad to post their ideas simply because it is not as popular or something like that. Don't be afraid to post an RP idea. You never know, it might take off.
2: An Ideas topic
Going with the first point, a topic devoted to posting an idea for a new RP could certainly help to garner interest and possibly help it get off the ground. One of the most disheartening things about RPs is having a really great idea only to have no one else be interested in joining. An ideas thread could certainly be beneficial in this case.
3: RPs Are Not Self-Insert Fanfiction
Another problem with RPs that I have found are RPs set within other established universes, be it anime or video game or book or whatever. While this isn't a bad thing (hell, it could be great if a lot of people share an interest in the original source material) it could easily become nothing more than an excuse to have a character that is essentially you running around. It very rarely leads to anywhere and more often than not the RP ends up looking like some crap you would find on fanfiction.net. If you want to write fanfiction, don't hide it behind the disguise of an RP.
Networking Works
There are LOTS of RP sites out there. And if there is one thing RPers like it is finding other new good RPers to RP with. I'm not suggesting some sort of affiliates network, but it could certainly be beneficial to post a link in your sig at another forum or something. You'd be surprised how many people respond to that sort of thing. I'm not saying to turn RPing into EF's main draw, but if this actually works it could certainly be something to get a new crowd of people. And I guarantee that at least 3/4s of the RP crowd also enjoys video games or anime, which are also things we discuss here. It is a win/win situation.
That's all I have at the moment, but feel free to pipe in with your own ideas. I really think we can get this going again.
I've been thinking about it and I've come up with some ideas that might help this forum become active.
1: Ideas Lead to Creation
We all have ideas, so why not turn some of those into potential RP fodder? Yes, there are many that like to have RPs set within an established universe or things of that nature, but that doesn't mean we need to be restricted by such things as limitations. An original RP about, I dunno, political strife in a fantasy world, could easily be as popular as an RP taking place in, say, the Naruto universe (not saying here, per se, just elsewhere on the internet). From what I've seen of other RP forums is that people are afriad to post their ideas simply because it is not as popular or something like that. Don't be afraid to post an RP idea. You never know, it might take off.
2: An Ideas topic
Going with the first point, a topic devoted to posting an idea for a new RP could certainly help to garner interest and possibly help it get off the ground. One of the most disheartening things about RPs is having a really great idea only to have no one else be interested in joining. An ideas thread could certainly be beneficial in this case.
3: RPs Are Not Self-Insert Fanfiction
Another problem with RPs that I have found are RPs set within other established universes, be it anime or video game or book or whatever. While this isn't a bad thing (hell, it could be great if a lot of people share an interest in the original source material) it could easily become nothing more than an excuse to have a character that is essentially you running around. It very rarely leads to anywhere and more often than not the RP ends up looking like some crap you would find on fanfiction.net. If you want to write fanfiction, don't hide it behind the disguise of an RP.
Networking Works
There are LOTS of RP sites out there. And if there is one thing RPers like it is finding other new good RPers to RP with. I'm not suggesting some sort of affiliates network, but it could certainly be beneficial to post a link in your sig at another forum or something. You'd be surprised how many people respond to that sort of thing. I'm not saying to turn RPing into EF's main draw, but if this actually works it could certainly be something to get a new crowd of people. And I guarantee that at least 3/4s of the RP crowd also enjoys video games or anime, which are also things we discuss here. It is a win/win situation.
That's all I have at the moment, but feel free to pipe in with your own ideas. I really think we can get this going again.