Kathana! We have a problem here...

[Guest Karana Majin]

There is already confusion amongst the newbies. People are posting aspirants to such and such an ajah when they mean the RP and not the Community. What are we planning on doing about this? The lines are blurred now that all are on the same board and the dichotomy is not so noticeable.

[silhouette]

I think it's just a matter of people getting to know each other. Right now we're all just a bunch of new faces. I think after a month or so we'll be able to tell who's who in RP and Community land.

 

I think the confusing siggies will stay though I guess no one really feels like putting community or rp in their sig all the time :P

 

(but maybe there's a way to add little titles to the left? that might keep the confusion at bay)

 

~Nyssa Deschain

RP Gray Sitter + SC

[Niamh Sedai]

I know we have org and stuff next to our board names...

 

Maybe we could put detailed information in the new members board. Or maybe on our own boards. At least that way we are trying to make a clear distinction...

[JenniferL]

*nods* Alright, what do you recomend we do? Besides titles under the names, because that is an insanely stupid amount of work and none of us are going to do it.

[Matalina]

My suggestion:

 

Politely remind new members This is an Org and we don't not RP here and point them to the Correct RP forum.

 

By being mean you lose members to your own org.

 

Posting information on the new member board is also a good idea. It's going to take a while for people to get use to this, but in the long run it will provide DM with a better cohesiveness.

 

Mat

[Cleopatra Narisse]

I think Mat's idea is best. Not to cause disruption, but I've welcomed many RP peeps over here but I also know, they aren't comm "regulars". But, there is some confusion I'll grant that.

 

I think the confusion comes when RPers venture into Ajah's and such. We have no problem with that of course, but maybe they can add something inside their siggies better defining their "side"??? *shrugs*

That comment sounds pretty bad, but I hope you all know that I mean not to separate any one person. Just to identify them better.

[Matalina]

Why can't the Orgs put it in their sig? Why are you singling out the fact that the RP are the same rank, look at it from their side, you are the same as them, why can't you put Org in your sig? Set the example.

 

Mat

[Jaydena]

*laughs and points at own siggy* I was afraid this was going be a problem so I just put rp or ooc, over here we are ooc and over there I am rp! I think rather than making a bunch of work for our admins we just need to add it to our siggys. Even if you have a text only siggy you should have room to do it.

[U4ea]

I don't suppose there's a way to put more of a physical seperation between the boards, is there? Perhaps something in the coding that opens the forums page already collapsed, like they do when you click one of the links up at the top? Or a physical seperation between categories of the forums instead of them being a continuous line of forums? I doubt you're going to get much more nesting in the forums than you've already got, so that's probably out, too. I'm just tossing out ideas, of course, since I don't know how this coding works. *chews her lip* that's all the ideas I have from building my own forums...sorry, ya'll.

 

I don't think the sig issue is going anywhere, mainly because if we all added everything we RP'd on top of what we do on the Comm side, it would be twice as confusing, not to mention a few would have problems with the sig regulations and fitting it all in there. *shrugs*

 

I know it's confusing for the newbies, though, since I've had a few people already asking me questions about it.

[Guest Karana Majin]

Well, I'm sure this is going to be one of those issues where, a month or 6 months from now we look back and wonder what everyone was so riled up about. But there is bound to be a lot of confusion right now, and I don't want newbies to get confused OR overwhelmed.

 

I think u4ea's ideas are good. Can there be any more physical separation between the fora? I am NOT trying to discourage intermingling, just something that makes it a bit more obvious that there is a separation, and you have to step from one side to the other.

[Sirayn]

If people want it to be clearer whether they are roleplay or community, can I echo Matalina in asking them to lead the way? Taking a random selection, everyone on this thread who mentions a roleplay rank in their sig has specified that that is their roleplay rank. It's only the community members who haven't specified that their rank is from the community. Perhaps you could all add community into your sigs to set the right example. :)

[Matalina]

First of guy and gals, the Community does NOT equal the Orgs. The Community of Dragonmount is the Discussion Groups, the PSWs, the Orgs, The Book Theroies and everyone else who lurks at DM. PLEASE stop referring to the Orgs as the Community. You are a sub community, DM is the Community!

 

Second, no, I cannot do any more sepearation of the boards. I did the best I could at giving the RPers the best way to access their boards because they are at the bottom, that is the best I can do for any of the board issues. I can't separate them I can't make two separate boards. There are too many problems with that solution. You are just going to have to explain to the newbs. There is a thread on the New Members board "Division versus Organization" where I've detailed a list of differences, i'm sure I missed something. If you are concerned about this then I seriously suggest you read it and add to it.

 

I'm sorry I'm sounding like a bitch in this, but there is nothing technically I can do to make this any easier. It has to be done by word of mouth. That is how a community works.

 

Mat

[Lyanna]

Well, I think just pointing people the right way is the way to go. There will always be confusion I think , no matter what you do. I mean, you could technically start to work with usergroups (register with the RP side and you see the RP boards, register with the Org side and you see those, register with both and you see all) but then you will undoubtedly get newbies asking how that works so you will then have to explain THAT to them.

 

*shrug*

We were together before the split and it worked, hell we were even adamant that we don't split back at that time. And now that we are being shoved back together we create problems there... I know that when I first heard that RP and Org were being put back together I raised my eyebrows. But recognized that as a fear of change. I think we need to let that go.

 

Put up clear information on what to do and where to go on the Newbie board, and maybe appoint a Welcomer or two to tell confused newbies what's what. That will bring you a long way.

[Matalina]

Wendy if we used the user groups then the RPers couldn't go visit the org boards to see if they clicked with any of them before joining and the org folks wouldn't be able to come read our wonderful rps. yes it could be done that way, but the point of having these boards all public to everyone is to promote integration. We aren't trying to make ppl see and use the other side, but if you are curious we want it to be easy to see.

 

The links at the top are the best way to get ppl to see what they do or don't want to see. I can't make it user selectable with out a major code rewrite and we didn't do this to rewrite code it's as out of the box as we can get it.

 

Mat

[Liitha]

I don't think the sig issue is going anywhere, mainly because if we all added everything we RP'd on top of what we do on the Comm side, it would be twice as confusing, not to mention a few would have problems with the sig regulations and fitting it all in there. *shrugs*

 

If you want to fit it in then its a mather of beeing stuborn...mayhaps is mine a litle crowded...but i descided one way or another i was gonna make room

[Lyanna]

Mat: nods .. I see why you'd want to keep this general and not usergroup controlled. Well .. then there is nothing else to it but point pple in the right direction ;)

[Guest Celes]

Maybe if more Org ppl joined the RP and vice versa, we'd not have to be physically apart? :)

[Muirenn]

I totally agree with that Celes. One of the reasons for the consolidation is so that the RP and Community would intermingle.

 

I think this is just something that will sort itself out in time. For now, I'd just suggest that the Org and RP people both put qualifiers in their sigs.

 

So for instance, Karana could put 'Head of the Brown Ajah in the WT Org' and Raeyn could put 'Head of the Brown Ajah in the DRPSW'. Aspirants can put 'Aspiring to the Brown Ajah in the WT Div/Org'.

 

Kinda the same thing we Incarns already have to do to designate which PSW we oversee. :)

 

Also, character names help. If there's a name in someone's sig that is different than their DM handle, I assume it is an RP character, and no further designation is really necessary. The Org people usually have all their affiliations listed under the same name.

[Andrew]

Sounds like a good idea. Must be why I had no say in implementing it. ;)

[Alarwyn Liande]

But then, you already see signatures longer/bigger than they should be by the instructions...

 

Besides, it just looks so clumsy to have ORG or RP in the sig. :P

 

Maybe if more Org ppl joined the RP and vice versa, we'd not have to be physically apart?

Not everybody has time to roleplay. It takes much more time than skimming through the organization boards every once in a while... While I do admit that it's nice to read them when I do have time. :)

[Cleopatra Narisse]

I know that it may seem a bit... crowded but the siggy images that we make, can include all this info, if Kath allows for a tiny bit bigger siggy. *G* Which would allow for both siggie identifiers (Comm & RP if they are both) and less work and headach for Mat.

 

I say take the easiest road, and we are all very good about giving directions to the usergroup area.

[Matalina]

Why does it matter who is who and what their sigs say? I mean we are all one big happy family so what they say they are a member of the White Ajah. Do you know them? If the answer is no then chances are they aren't part of your little niche.

 

Mat

[Liitha]

actualy there is place enough...i found it for both the orgs i joined as well as my 4 divs and for expressing my staff position...its just a mather of showeling around things

 

i do not feel the need for a bigger sigie...i still can exchange the two links bellow my sig pic with 2 lines of info...

 

...i think its a mather of will if you want to absolutly fit every scrap of info into the sig on what you have as rank etc in the sig then give up a litle place for pics ...but generaly most peoples here in the org has plenty place either to add info on the sig or in a line or two bellow :D

 

another option is puting it in the avatar...specialy if you only frequent either RP or org

[Muirenn]

~seconds on the avatar bit~

 

I definitely think that Org Leaders and Div Leaders should use an avatar that makes them easily identifiable to their members/potential members. But again, this is a personal preference thing of mine and we all know I tend toward the anal retentive side of things. :P

[JenniferL]

You have PLENTY of room in your siggies for whatever NECESSARY information you need to provide. The problem comes when people are trying to cram in too much information. Prioritize a bit and you should be fine.