[Admin] Should we move to a more active site

[The Scythe]

So I want to propose that we either move to a more active site, or do things to gain the capabilities that other places have.
Part of the reason that stories die is that things go so slow that people get busy with life and the stories die.

-We need conversations
Our characters mainly talk past each other and refer to each other, but don't actually talk to each other most of the time. Now that I've seen the live chat at Dragonsmark, and I've seen how people go off to other chat sites, I know that they do a lot of dialogue real-time, and then post it in sections. I really want to include that. Although it's possible to do it by email, it works much better in live chat. I use Discord for that for doing other games with friends, so that might work. https://discordapp.com/

If you guys have chat programs that you use, they would work too.


-I really want the stories to be able to move more quickly sometimes
Like right now. [A Frozen Vesper] is basically at the end, and it has been for a couple months now. When the time is right, a story should be able to be advanced more quickly. Maybe not all the time, but there really ARE times when it works better. It's pretty frustrating. I really love the Frozen Vesper story and all the things we're writing, but I want it to be finished and done.


These other things are minor, but would be cool.

-I want a map
like this one: http://rdi.dragonsmark.com/map/index.php


-I want to be able to see the characters
Here are my characters over there. It's so neat to be able to see who we're talking about. In their live chat you can see their profile and your character can "See" the person and know a lot more about how to interact with them.

Troshen
http://rdi.dragonsmark.com/forums/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&u=193387

Wulf Canavar
http://rdi.dragonsmark.com/forums/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&u=193714

We could get all of that if we move over there. I'm also going to check out the Yahoo group and see what they're like.
People on Dragonsmark use other sites to host their pictures and character stories and such. If we end up staying here, I think I'd like to do stuff like that.

So think about it. Not something that needs a decision right away, but I would like to get your guys' thoughts about it.

Especially ShadoJohn, since he's seen Dragonsmark somewhat.

[Janessa V.]

It would be great to have more integrated action, especially for battle scenes and convos. I've gone the e-mail root; it works ok if everyone is on-board, but I doubt everyone would want to do that if there are shorter means to the same ends. I guess I would move, though that makes me sad for some reason. 2015 was the first time I had tried to find the inn in 15 years; I was shocked and excited to see a dozen writers with fresh posts on a half dozen threads, some of them from the day before! I put up a character and waited with baited breath. That was almost literally the very moment when most of the activity just...stopped. I want the old writers back. I want people to care about how characters affect each other. We are basically the only ones here right now. Don't get me wrong, you guys are great; we seem to work well together and I genuinely enjoy the dynamic we've been establishing through Frozen Vesper, but I agree we should try something. I'm not a huge fan of having to pick something to download, for reasons already explained privately and because I just don't know much about what's available, but I also generally go along with a consensus unless I have strong reason not to. Reasons that are better than selfishness, anyway. The truth is I hate technology and generally only get involved with things that have the smallest learning curve. I'm not always that reliable myself, since I have so many different interests, but I'd like to keep up a presence if I can, and I definitely want to pick up with the other characters I have up here as well as the Frozen Vesper ones. If that means making a change, then so be it.

[Jace Draccus]

Yeah, it'd be nice to have more people and some variety going on, but I'm not sure I could keep up with a site as active as Dragonmark sounds.

Could always give it a try, I guess.

[The Scythe]

2015 - I know! Isn't that weird! I know exactly what you mean. One thing I think we should do is get their emails from here and contact them directly.


Things really did die beacause of the lack of those other features.


I had thought to maybe contact Dave Womack again and see if he'll let me take it over......Now it looks like maybe I could buy the domain name...... But it's so tempting to have a community that's already there like Dragonsmark. I really like the reunion idea, if we can pull that off.


Live chat option:
Last week I was experimenting with Chatzy here. We could experiment with that.
http://www.chatzy.com/



"Don't get me wrong, you guys are great...."
! What ! Are you saying we four aren't evnough!? </sarcasm off> <grin>
That's really cool for you to say that. I a lot of times worry that I'm bugging you guys. On the other hand, I know it always helps me to have reminders from other people, so I always hope it's a good thing.


As far as learning curve, there definitely IS one with Dragonsmark. But Shadojohn and I have already learned it and could help with that. This Chatzy one is super simple, but doesn't have all the options and such that Dragonsmark has. I really think the benefit of that learning is th ability to create a living community. But Chatzy would provide our own space easily, without having to learn their rules and such.


If we went somewhere else, we would put pointers from here to there.


If we tried it here we could pick which capabilities we want to have, and add them piece by piece.


No reason not to try them all out, but over time.

I'm hearing we want:

To "get the band back together" I think some kind of a reunion is in order.

Willing to try out live chat.



Live Chat:
I'll send you guys an email about getting together a live chat.


Reunion:
I would like to create some kind of an Alt.Dragons-inn reunion. I'll make the plan and contact people. Anyone available to go through old posts and build an email list I can send to?

[Eva]

I want to second Discord - I absolutely love it. It can function both as a live chat channel, and, as a here and there post when is good type of place. No reason there couldn't be rooms set for live chat and other rooms set for more traditional newsgroup style writing. That, and it's possible to access on a desktop or mobile device. And it gives alerts. Not sure how effective the alerts are on the desktop version, but... they are pretty good for mobile. I think discord or something like it would be a good medium between here and something as busy as Dragonmark. If ya'll wanna explore I created a room: https://discord.gg/S7PePSc

Bias aside - I think ya'll are on the right track. When I was in college and writing here, I had one (maybe two) emails and everything funneled through them. Now there are multiple feeds and places and alerts... and something that unreliably (if at all?) sends emails to alert people kinda... gets lost.

[ShadoJohn]

OK Eva, you are one of many people that has recommended Discord lately. I am new to it but I followed your link and signed up.

Shado John

[Troshen]

Sweet, Eva. I'll join the Discord too.

[3373...@gmail.com]

Just remember me and the fact that I like to write. I don't get the time to do this every day as I work, but I love Dragon's Inn and want to continue and perhaps expand my participation in my own way.

JanisN

[Troshen]

Neat!

I apologize for not responding to your posts with Rupert. Let me see what I can do.

Does that mean you don't have Discord? It's pretty good to use.

Robert