Promotion of your game, your community!

[Jamin]

Comments?

Sorry Ninja, I can see your enthusiasm for this idea but I have an email address for everywhere I join so all the unsolicited spam n crap they all send me can be auto binned by hotmail because I don't want newsletters, poll results, reminders I'm still a member, etc. If I'm here it's because I want to be here, other communities I've been a part of but rarely/never visit anymore is because I choose not to go there, not because I've forgotten about them. The only thing I can think of that's acceptable to spam people without annoying them further away is if there's a significant event happening such as a competition or a server for a new game is up, but I wouldn't get it anyway.

Of course this is my own opinion and I could be the only person whos unsolicited emails have a negative effect on the sender.

In the time it took to write this, Ninja posted

an HTML email

no way Jose, hardly anyone uses the features of the new site so why do more bells and whistles look like a good idea?

If members are going somewhere else then the grass must be greener over there for them. Perhaps you should be looking into why members stay around and build on that. As for dMw news, I get it from the forums already.

[Gone_Away]

In the time it took to write this, Ninja posted  

no way Jose, hardly anyone uses the features of the new site so why do more bells and whistles look like a good idea?

If members are going somewhere else then the grass must be greener over there for them. Perhaps you should be looking into why members stay around and build on that. As for dMw news, I get it from the forums already.

Hi Jamin,

Thanks for your input.. especially as you've indicated it took over 90 minutes to construct.. (lol)

The reason I said an HTML email opposed to a plain text one is that you could add graphics to it and make it look a bit more interesting.

I agree with you to a certain point. People leave for their own reasons. It could be more exciting or rewarding elsewhere but some also just get busy with RL and drop off. I sincerely miss the antics and comments of your predecessor and I hope that he's doing well. I'd also like to hear from him now and again.

Same goes for Sadako, Soony, Oth and the like.. I'd like to hear from them all.

I was thinking what would make someone come back... If it wasn't out of curiosity, why would someone? Then I was thinking that what if we told them once in a while (say once a quarter) that we're still here and that we'd like to hear from them. Perhaps we could run a CSS night and see if we could tempt back some of those have moved on for Old Times sake.

What I do know is this. If we don't actively promote our sections and our community, we will fade away. If we don't constantly renew ourselves we will get stale and boring and yes.. People will move on.

I'm not sure if your section is running at full tilt all of the time but you have maintained a good following from what I can see and that is great! (honest!) However, as a Community, we have a large membership but only a small percentage of active people. I'd like to reach out to those people and not only let them know we're still here but also that we care but most importantly, we're moving with the times. I'd like to keep the community going and growing.

Like you, some of the attempts could be caught in spam filters. However, even if 25 people came back, started playing and posting then I'd consider the effort worth it. Also, I didn't think it was manditory for all GL's to contribute so if you'd rather not than I can totally respect that.

What about the rest? Blunt? Toby? Benny?

[Blunt]

I thought that it wasn't a half bad idea.
I get the odd reminder from other forums that I was once active on, and I drop by for a look-see.
Maybe we could advertise a reunion Css week-end or somesuch for the old-timers?

[TeaLeaf]

As Jamin said, very little of the new forum functionality is actually used currently, but I think this is something we're trying to change.   If we have the content then there is little lost to remind those people irregularly of the changing content or the new things we are doing.  I used to take a similar approach to Jamin and have a specific email address for each site I registered for, but tbh over the years that has fallen by the wayside for me and I just use better filtering at my email client end to sort my emails - and I certainly don't mind when I get an email from a non-profit community giving me a brief update, so long as the frequency of those emails does not get too high.  We've done it a couple of times in the past and there has been a noticeable bump in activity in the short period after the email, so it can and does work.  The challenge is as I said above, the content needs to be right as there is no way we'd send out an email whose content was poor.  Generate news-worthy content and the email would be welcomed.  Send out non-newsworthy content and it will be seen as spam and an annoyance.

[Gone_Away]

I'm off camping again this w/e but I'll sit down on Monday and try to knock out a few ideas. Outside of yourself and Pen, is there any other folks you'd like me to send this to? Is a forum thread better?
 
NF

[TeaLeaf]

If you mean BC2 content, then send to me or Pen.  We can then sit back and try and assess if it meets the need - and that will not be easy.  Ideas and discussion should remain in this thread.

[Jamin]

Hi Jamin,

Thanks for your input.. especially as you've indicated it took over 90 minutes to construct.. (lol)

In that 90 mins I was putting together a quote for a kitchen and bathroom, setting up a comp for folding and mowing the front lawn with a strimmer to pacify the missus amongst other things.. (lolol)

Doorman left to setup his own community and took most of dMr with him, what I inherited is what's left, which is a few members and a dying game. I have looked at the LFS player stats and our forum "last logins" to see what absent members are doing and have found nearly all of them don't play LFS anymore, but a few still visit the forums from time to time, occasionally some drop into the server for a race or two citing real life as their reason for not playing much but when they want to race they come to our server.

I was thinking what would make someone come back... If it wasn't out of curiosity, why would someone? Then I was thinking that what if we told them once in a while (say once a quarter) that we're still here and that we'd like to hear from them. Perhaps we could run a CSS night and see if we could tempt back some of those have moved on for Old Times sake.

I have also thought about what would make someone come back, but it wasn't along the lines of that someone sitting around pondering what to do with their spare time waiting for a reminder that we are still here and are doing the same as every other community. My thinking is that online gaming is a new thing with no proven path yet so I only have my experience to draw on. I played CSS, I tried the dMw server once but left to play somewhere else after abuse from dMw members, so I try to make sure that no dMr members abuse visitors to the LFS server. In my work life we keep our customers happy as it's easier than trying to find new ones, plus they bring in new customers. At a time of massive unemployment within the construction industry, we are still working and getting new customers due to our reputation, if you're at the point of mailing old customers then it's too late, you've lost them.

If we don't constantly renew ourselves we will get stale and boring and yes.. People will move on.

I agree, in fact this is one of my points, where do newsletters come into this?, before you mail them you need some content to put into the newsletter, otherwise it's just spam. The time and effort needed to create and maintain a newsletter could be used to better effect.

Like you, some of the attempts could be caught in spam filters. However, even if 25 people came back, started playing and posting then I'd consider the effort worth it.

What if 25 people were annoyed at the spam Deadmen just sent them?

Also, I didn't think it was manditory for all GL's to contribute so if you'd rather not than I can totally respect that.

Sorry if you feel I'm ****ing on your chips, it's not personal, I just don't like spam, it's the most basic and laziest form of advertising and I feel it will have just as much a negative effect as you think it a positive one. If TL says it can work then I suppose it will happen, I was posting my opinion as requested.

[TeaLeaf]

I don't think offence was intended to anyone and if it was given I am sure parties will forgive & forget.  So let's reflect on the facts please and not let it get personal.

The main thrust I wanted to get over was that we have content 'gaps' here on our server which we could use.  If we're not using them then any mailer is pointless as Jamin refers to above, by then it's too late.  So if we get content up & running and are therefore keeping current users happier, then any additional step might add to what we have, but as Jamin says (and I was trying to alude to) we need to work with what we have before going out to the fringes where the marginal returns will be smaller.

I'd like to see more content on the website.  Only then can we talk about any mailers.  

So here's the challenge.  Please can all GLs try to think about want sort of content is relevant or helpful for their section.  Then perhaps try to draft something and send it to me:  admin@deadmen.co.uk   for privacy, or just post it up in your game section for review.   You may conclude 'nothing' is the right content for your section, but if so I'd like to know your reasoning please.  There's no right or wrong, but I'd like to see it discussed - heck you could even farm out the drafting to your game admins!

Let's see if we can add content for current users and keep them happy first, then we'll work on the others.

[Gone_Away]

@ Jamin - Sorry it was only meant in jest.. Also, I think you've put together some fantastic arguements and points.
 
I agree, we need to make our current customers or user group excited about what we're doing and offering within the community. I also think we need to do self promotion outside too, including old members.
 
@ TL - Fantastic idea I'll start working on my section with the admins.
 
NF

[Penfold]

Aye, we're all on the same side

I'm off camping again this w/e but I'll sit down on Monday and try to knock out a few ideas. Outside of yourself and Pen, is there any other folks you'd like me to send this to? Is a forum thread better?
 
NF

Just a heads-up that from Friday I'll be away until the end of the month on holiday. I'll have sketchy internet access but won't be around to delve too deeply into things you may send.

Thanks

[Gone_Away]

Guys,
 
Almost finished my BC2 "widget" info for the front page. To Whom do I sent them to? (word dox)

[TeaLeaf]

Just upload here and we'll move them to the Forum Admin section for action.

[Gone_Away]

Here you go.. Let me know if you require anything else.

[TeaLeaf]

Noted, ignore the PM.

[Whitey]

The sections have been created and the content added.