A new currency for the Chronicles forums?

Post by **deer of the dawn** » Sat Jun 30, 2012 9:36 am

There was discussion lately about how slow the SRD Books discussions are. In order to stimulate participation, I was wondering if a new high-value "currency" (a la WGDs and Tokens) could be concocted to reward posting in those forums, with items purchasable with only that currency? Just an idea.

Aliantha berries, perhaps?

Post by **wayfriend** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 1:49 pm

If we need to encourage people in this forum to discuss the Chronicles, we're in trouble.

Post by **Ananda** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 2:48 pm

wayfriend wrote:If we need to encourage people in this forum to discuss the Chronicles, we're in trouble.

Discuss the what?

Post by **deer of the dawn** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 3:32 pm

Ananda wrote:
wayfriend wrote:If we need to encourage people in this forum to discuss the Chronicles, we're in trouble.
Discuss the what?

My point exactly.

That woman needs some aliantha, STAT.

Are the stats for the forum publicly available? Because I do think we're "in trouble". Stats from a Yuku forum:

Stats:
Founded: 02/28/00
11041147 Total views
1149395 Total posts
5094 Total topics
3 Posts per day
126 Visits per member
1867923 Total visits
Posts in the last 24 hours: 0

This was a forum that was so well-visited at one point, cross-posting was a constant problem, and the games could rack up 1000 posts in a day. (This board had an earlier incarnation with ezBoard that had even more members and posts.) Yet there have been no posts there in 2 weeks now. I guess I just assume that will be the case here in five years, unless SRD keeps writing new, brilliant fiction forever. (May he live a long and productive life!!)

Post by **I'm Murrin** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 4:09 pm

kevinswatch.ihugny.com/phpBB2/statistics.php

We peaked in 2008.

Post by **MsMary** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 6:53 pm

deer of the dawn wrote:
Ananda wrote:\ (This board had an earlier incarnation with ezBoard that had even more members and posts.) Yet there have been no posts there in 2 weeks now. I guess I just assume that will be the case here in five years, unless SRD keeps writing new, brilliant fiction forever. (May he live a long and productive life!!)
The EZBoard forum did not have more members nor more posts than this incarnation of the Kevin's Watch forum.

And forums do go through random fluctuations. There's a core group of us who have been here all along. We may be pretty much talked out on some aspects of TCTC. But we have developed relationships that I think are equally important. And sometimes RL gets in the way of posting on internet forums.

We do pick up new members on a regular basis. I expect there will be an influx of members when the last of the Last Chronicles books comes out.

I don't really find much value in comparing this board to other boards, though.

Post by **Avatar** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 4:25 am

She meant the board whose stats she posted MsMary.

And yeah...I'm not too worried.

Yes, we slowed down some. We'll pick up again a bit in the run-up and aftermath to the last book. When I joined there were less than 1,000 members.

People keep discovering or rediscovering the books, and some of them will always end up here. Most won't stick around, some will.

That's the way it happens. We'll be fine for as long as people want to participate. And if they don't...well...that's life too.

--A

Post by **MsMary** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 4:33 am

Avatar wrote:She meant the board whose stats she posted MsMary.

She means the Yuku board whose stats she posted had an EZBoard with more users and stats? That totally wasn't clear to me from the way it was phrased.

And yeah...I'm not too worried.

Yes, we slowed down some. We'll pick up again a bit in the run-up and aftermath to the last book. When I joined there were less than 1,000 members.

People keep discovering or rediscovering the books, and some of them will always end up here. Most won't stick around, some will.

That's the way it happens. We'll be fine for as long as people want to participate. And if they don't...well...that's life too.

--A

Yup, exactly.

Tue Jul 03, 2012 10:28 am

The currency idea looks good, it likely won't make the dissection discussions really much more popular, but may help.

But Jay or Vain have to implement it, and also add new items for that currency...

Post by **I'm Murrin** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 12:01 pm

It'd make sense to just move WGDs to only the book forums, since a) they're already themed just right, and b) all the books-related items are already on that currency. Either make a new currency for the general areas or don't have one at all (doesn't seem like we need the incentives for people posting in those areas).

Post by **Ananda** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 2:40 pm

But people use those wgd thingies for contests and stuffies. Making them only available in the book forums would affect the activity other areas. They are pretty useless otherwise.

Post by **aliantha** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:56 pm

Murrin wrote:It'd make sense to just move WGDs to only the book forums, since a) they're already themed just right, and b) all the books-related items are already on that currency. Either make a new currency for the general areas or don't have one at all (doesn't seem like we need the incentives for people posting in those areas).

This idea makes me nervous. I think we'd be opening the book forums to a flood of off-topic posts, just so people could keep running up their WGD totals.

Post by **I'm Murrin** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 4:30 pm

Why would they want to?

Post by **aliantha** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 4:53 pm

Murrin wrote:Why would they want to?

I dunno that I can answer that without naming names.

Post by **wayfriend** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 6:22 pm

Any names that you could name should be sent over to win the money of someone else I could name. Hint hint.

YouTube · Post by **Menolly** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 10:53 pm

wayfriend wrote:Any names that you could name should be sent over to win the money of someone else I could name. Hint hint.

Speaking of which, how long before the five contestants of the current competition are named?

Tue Jul 03, 2012 11:11 pm

I don't think it's a good idea to leave the non-SRD forums without currency. Also, I think it won't help the dissections much, most people have already bought what they wanted, unless it's that same ring) I'd rather go closer to the initial suggestion and make a new currency, with really awesome new items for people to buy with it.

Post by **[Syl]** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 11:23 pm

This place is held together by chewing gum and bailing wire, is one failing piece of duct tape from a hull breach, and you guys are talking about putting in a new AC unit.

Now, in the good ol' days, we had banks with some serious interest and later, some nifty effects we could put on our names and titles. That was cool.

Really, though, I think this kind of proposal is a band-aid. If you want more activity, make it. Build it and they will come. As for me, I've been burned out on most of it for a long time, sticking around like an old guy in a retirement home whose kids only visit on father's day, trying to talk everyone into another game of bingo.

Post by **Ananda** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 11:24 pm

Effaeldm wrote:I don't think it's a good idea to leave the non-SRD forums without currency. Also, I think it won't help the dissections much, most people have already bought what they wanted, unless it's that same ring) I'd rather go closer to the initial suggestion and make a new currency, with really awesome new items for people to buy with it.

I think just getting the site moved to an updated platform due to the db stability issue should be a priority if someone would spend technical time on the site. This currency thingie would have to be updated into the new phpbb version and hopefully even still viable.

YouTube · Post by **Menolly** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 11:36 pm

[Syl] wrote:As for me, I've been burned out on most of it for a long time, sticking around like an old guy in a retirement home whose kids only visit on father's day, trying to talk everyone into another game of bingo.

For me, what is special about the Watch is that while I, too, am tired of TCTC talk, the caliber of readers who search out such a forum is what makes the rest of the Watch the special place it is. If you have read the chrons, you'll fit in these forums somewhere, even after discussing the chrons potentially fades in ones interests. chrons talk will wax and wane; but the Watch will continue for as long as there are intellectual active members who visit and post throughout.

...and ~jay continues to foot the bill.