hey let's talk about clique issues!
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first off, what exactly is a clique on this site? I'm a bit of an old grandma lol
but yes, I do agree that we should be more inclusive to newer people.
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I try my best to acknowledge everyone on the chat thread but that's definitely something that could be worked on. Is there any particular examples of cliquey behaviour you would like to point out, Anna?
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i agree there is a clique-y issue but i think it's because as ridiculous as it sounds, blizzardclan is too fast paced. people can feel left out when other roleplayers continue the thread without the more slower paced writers so once one tries to join into the situation again, so much has happened that it's too late to join in and "fit" in. since blizzfam is very active, for one to feel like part of the group then they have to be around a lot for quite a while to begin to fit in. there are group of friends here and they mostly mingle better so it maybe it makes people who aren't in a group to feel out of place ooc. especially with the whole 1/2 thing squad thing, I feel like it alienates people even more but I know that people don't mean any harm with it. sorry this is a mess of an explanation of mine, i'm in a hurry and on mobile.
a clique is like a tight knit group of people that don't really allow newer people to join in although sometimes it's unintentional
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Unfortunately, the cliquishness of Blizzclan is,,,, real.
Cheeters said it quite well, the clan is just so incredibly fast pace dit's hard to focus on slower threads when they get shoved back so quickly. It doesn't help that there are so many closely knit squads/families.
Newer characters are finding it difficult to make relationships and older characters tend to already have the relationships void filled so they don't interact. It's rather unfortunate
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Well cliquey stuff is just like people being a bit neglectful of new members and ignoring them
Well, I've just noticed threads not being replied to (not my own), or getting like one or two replies especially with development threads when it comes to new people. People not plotting with new people and sticking to older members, in the chat threads people focusing on current plots and current ships instead of reaching out to the new members who don't know what's going on and just want there character to be celebrated too. Just little things, I guess.
And yeah basically EVERYTHING that number 1 and cheeters said
And I love the fast pace and I love the tight knit community but even when I was a little sproutling joining blizzardclan it was like this but I ended up just pushing on through
✩ des perles de pluie
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Unfortunately I'm not sure how we would address the fast-pace of BlizzardClan; some people like faster clans, some people enjoy something more moderate - in general people just look for different paces, not everyone is best suited to a particular pace.
I think what would be great is if people started responding to the REQUESTING RESPONSES THREAD more often.
It's not advertised well enough and the few times people do use it, it's mainly the same people responding to the threads posted over and over again.
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I uh, know I'm not apart of Blizzfam anymore but thats part of why I stopped roleplaying with Marisol here. I wasn't able to devote all my time on here to her so what ended up happening was I felt like I was looking through a window while being here. Like I wasn't actually a roleplayer of Blizzardclan and I was just a wannabe. I know that in fast paced clans cliques are inevitable but when people never actually get to address them, we can become blindsighted to them. I know that's happened to me a few times, so I don't blame anyone for it getting this way. Its really easy for things to get out of hand right under your nose.
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oh that makes sense
so how should we try and fix it?
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so i play sera here and i've kind of noticed the cliques, but i agree that they are pretty hard to avoid in such an active, and old clans! as a newbie myself here, I've found that the ooc community is super welcoming, and when i post in open threads it's pretty good, but i think a lot of the trouble rests in the fact that there isn't much for actual plotting between new and old members. i think a useful tool to aiding in softening cliques would be to get members replying to plotting threads and taking the initiative to offer/take part in plots. honestly, even simple interaction threads between new and old members can get a charas foot in the door i think! <3
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In terms of getting responses for threads, I think everyone should track this thread
It'd be great if everyone started using it more often and returned the favour for each other
OOCly, I would continue to encourage friendly interactions and conversations and bonding between our members. I know a lot of people are shy about reaching out to plot with strangers - be they new or old to the clan - but I think it would be really beneficial for everyone to start posting in the plotting threads of people they don't know as well, to reach out of their comfort zone and meet new people/characters. I know everyone here's pretty friendly and there shouldn't be any fear of rejection when it comes to reaching out to plot.
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Like Pen just said, there's a response request thread that she linked a few posts up, and that could definitely help.
In real life, there are friend groups and this is just a fact. For a friend group or in this case, friend group of characters, to completely ignore anyone is unacceptable, but to expect to be the 'in' crowd the second you're around is unreasonable. Developing bonds both ICly and OOCly are fun and just part of life. Maybe send a conversation to some of the roleplayers that you'd like to get closer to and strike up a conversation. This can lead to you two plotting together with your characters. Starting a plotting thread is always good, and being active in the chat thread is key.
I hope this helped.
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Maybe you could implement an IC buddy system. New members are paired with Old members to learn the ropes in character, and plots can develop from this. It forces the walls between the two groups into the ground and can provide friendships and even rivalries.
but on what copper said, you can't expect to be 'in' immediately. Yet at the same time you have to respect the fact that not everyone here can devote their entire time online to just Blizzardclan. If they can't always be in the chat thread or can't always reply to the threads made by Blizzardclan's 'famous' characters, you can't just, close them out when they try to do that.
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Oh BTW Pen I 100% don't blame you for even a second because I remember being the deputy of a cliquey clan and feeling so awful about it so just like not your fault !!
So how we should fix these problems? Well, first of all I don't think the fast pace is necessarily an issue? I mean if you can't keep up with it you should go to a slower clan, right? This is for the people who can keep up. However I think the issue is as Alberta said, mixing the old and new together so there isn't such a wall between the two. Maybe making it clear that helping new members will help with promotion and making that a large chunk? Or perhaps people getting warnings for not being inclusive OOCly since some characters are just grumpy and stuff. Encouraging people to pm you for plots is something I always like to do though not currently because muse. Is. Dust. Yeah! I can come up with more stuff.
Oh and the request thread is wonderful and a really fantastic idea
And also yeah you can't always expect to be the most popular but it is a rather small group of roleplayers in blizzardclan so its not like 1,000 kids in highschool just like a couple tens
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Copper and coffee there shouldn't be an "in" crowd in the first place. i think that's the problem. it's inevitable in the real-world, but in an online forum for fantasy animals, it doesn't seen as unavoidable if that makes sense? with my character, i made multiple 'plot w/ vega" threads and also reached out to plenty of people.
i was here for more than three weeks and was never excepted fully.
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I don't think thats something anyone will be able to 100% fix in any clan sadly because it just seems to be a thing people do on instinct you know? But I agree an "in" crowd is not a good thing for anyone. I mean I've been here for like... I dunno a month? A couple months? I'm time illiterate so idk, and sometimes it still feels like I'm not wanted either. Sometimes it takes a long while and things won't work out how you want it. I came here hoping to make Zeke happy, but I mean that was a flop wasn't it?
Anyway, another idea I like is what Coffee mentioned, the buddy system, though that always seems to fall through. So maybe for a little bit a couple older members could offer assistance and the duos get tasks of some sort, like weekly tasks ehcih can be private or open threads. Once a character has been in a duo for more than three weeks they have to move on for the new new members? Idk just tossing ideas.
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A buddy system sounds like an interesting idea - I actually implemented one of the first ones on site, if not the first one, in the Insignia back in 2013. However the idea wasn't very popular amongst new members - hardly anybody actually signed up and it was very difficult to follow through communication wise. Could you be more specific in what you would like to see from an implementation of the Buddy System perhaps?
A lot of my promotions are based off IC activity and OOC inclusivity; it's the traits I look for when I'm choosing promotions but I also am mindful of people who are more quiet and shy and who don't actually frequent the chat threads or even participate in the OOC community at all. In fact, the Ranger title's often a title given out for people who demonstrate OOC friendliness rather than IC, considering that not all characters can be cheerful and friendly.
//ninja'ed
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I'm willing to help with buddy system BTW! And maybe I could just pm new members the thread link and an explanation of it so they don't like see the title and wander off? Add some other things like the thread request and stuff? Like a little news letter for new people or something haha. Something I've noticed is that buddy systems tend to be way too loosely goosey so it ends up like "what am I supposed to do? I have a buddy know what?" Maybe a couple goals for when you sign up? Like, you have a thread a week where you and your busy work together, pm your buddy and strike up a chat, things like that maybe.
✩ des perles de pluie
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personally blizzardclan is a very welcoming group, ooc and ic. in the chatting thread, even though i have been inactive with my o/c, i am still very welcomed and the people there are very opening and actually strike up conversation including the diverse characters in blizzardclan, it's really fun to see. i think pen's solution with the respond thread is very good but i think people feel awkward of having to actually ask for responses to their thread so they don't exactly post there.
maybe in the buddy system, they could have duo ooc prompts for characters?? this could lead to people getting to create conversations and plotting on how they should work out the given prompt?? also the idea of new members being placed with older members sounds like a good idea to get a deeper interaction with everyone although i understand some characters just don't "connect" due to their differences and preferences but that could just develop into friendly rivalries/enemies/etc.
lmao ninja'd
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By the "in" crowd I meant people that have been around for a while and occupy HP positions, names an outsider would recognize.
And I understand people can't spend all their time online, I was just suggesting that when you are online, to work on building bonds with other rpers. Plots come naturally when you have friends who roleplay in the same place as you!