E07 Forums' Importance, Class 1

Monte Ozarka

Monte Ozarka

TNPer
Class for this course doesn't actually begin until tomorrow, but I figured that I might as well throw this up here.

Introduction

Hey there and welcome to Forums & their Importance in NS I!

If you take a look at the RMB and WFE, you'll see that the citizens of this region are constantly hawking the forum URL all over the place. Why do we care so much? Why do we try to get more people (like you ;)) to come on board here?

Well, we must first realize that the region is at the same time a community and a place for communication. Neither communal bonds nor effective governance can be established when the Regional Message Board only shows the 10 latest messages from people. In order to create a strong, united region, its individual nations must first form the bonds to join their efforts together. Without some sense of community being formed, each nation will go their own way, and the region itself will be rather insignificant.

Forums, therefore, provide a cultural and historical basis upon which community and an effective region are built. The flexibility and data storage that they bring to a region are invaluable to this end.

Of course, forums also provide a way for nations not in the same region to communicate publicly with each other. Inter-regional organizations, as well as many alliances, could simply not exist from lacking a mode of effective communication.

To emphasize the importance of forums to a region, throughout the course of this class, we'll be looking at various examples of where forums have had an impact on the region, as a whole.

The syllabus for this class is attached in the post below.

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I believe that AP3 10 is the only one in the class this semester, so we'll be getting pretty cozy. :P

I sometimes tend to be wordy and go on and on and on, but I'd really appreciate it if you would ask me questions about whatever you're confused or interested about.
 
Syllabus:
E07 Forums and their Importance in NS

Instructor: Monte Ozarka
Office hours: Anytime. Feel free to personal message me on these forums.


Meeting times: There are three lectures. Lectures will be posted Monday evenings (Pacific time), and discussion can continue indefinitely. So, feel free to ask questions about anything
Course description: Hello and welcome to the class. In this course, I hope to outline some of the very important functions that forums serve in a NationStates region. This course will emphasize the purpose of forums and how they can mold, foster, and even dictate the region's growth. The class will largely consist of my discussing the various aspects of forums and their interaction with the region that they serve, as well as examples of successful and unsuccessful forums and those that have left a lasting impact upon the NS world. Classroom discussion and critical analysis is highly encouraged.

Grading information: Your grade will be based by and large on a final paper. I believe in Dead Week, so the paper prompt will be assigned Monday night after lecture on July 2nd and due July 8th. (Don't worry; it won't be anything really painful.) Furthermore, I will be giving bonus points based on class participation in both asking and answering questions. Please refer to the final grading information here.

Class schedule
  • Class 1 (June 18): Development and maintenance of regional culture
  • Class 2 (June 25): Bureaucratic management
  • Class 3 (July 2): First glances are important: Legitimacy

Final paper: Although the essay prompt is not finalized, you should expect a prompt that asks you to use a broad array of your learned knowledge and apply it in a practical fashion. (Nice and vague, eh? :P) There will be no word minimum or limit, as it's an artificial gauge of literary worth created by lazy English teachers. Write as much as you feel is worthy to be written, and I will grade what you have on content and merit.
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Culture and "regionalism"

In order for a region to be strong, internally and externally, it must first have a community of nations that care. Without a dedicated population of nations or at least a core group of motivated individuals, the region will never really come together and develop an identity that the members of the region can share and take pride in. In short, one needs to instill a sense of nationalism (regionalism?) into the member nations.

How did nationalism work? Governments and individuals took various forms of media (like art) and made them cultural icons; they made them and the ideals they represent as exemplars to motivate the population to action.

The same applies in NationStates. Although we lack as much geopolitical intrigue due to limited game mechanics, the principle still applies--in order to motivate people to a common goal, you must first unite them under a common culture. Fortunately for us, "culture" can be defined quite broadly. It can be based on such things as a love of Zelda (as in the region Hyrule), a hatred for the United Nations (a la Gatesville), being enraptured by the sound of your own voice (like The New Meritocracy...kidding! :P), or even simply a common desire to create an internationally important region.
 
Culture through accumulation

I guess we should first consider how a "culture" is brought about.

Culture can't be forced upon a population like a set of clothes. It must be eased into the population so that the nations or regions can be inundated in it and come to accept it of their own accord. The main thing to remember is that in order for a culture to take hold, the members must be completely immersed in it. In short, culture must be based on some sort of accumulated history.

A fledgling culture may spring up out of anything from dedicated political discussions to random OOC conversations. As the members get to know each other, a culture begins to form out of their interactions with each other. These interactions turn into friendships, and when you have a bunch of friends sharing a commonality (i.e. their region of residence), you get a full-fledged community that has the power to take steps to do something with their little allotment of virtual land. For example, it might even result in a region united by a common trait, upon which it can base its direction for the future.
 
NationStates' limitations

However, as is often a theme with this addictive game, we are stymied in our efforts by technical limitations.

We take a look at the RMB. Only the last 10 posts from members are posted. Anything older gets bumped off, never to be seen again. Well...this isn't too conducive to carrying on any sort of decent conversation, let alone anything else. Telegrams could work, except they're wholly limited to the two participants on either end of the line and they're further hampered by a 15-message inbox. Ultimately, there's a few tradeoffs, but it's still the same old amount of suck. With nowhere else to turn, the players must resort to regional forums that are wholly off of the NationStates site.
 
Forums to the rescue!

Forums step up to the plate nicely. They provide a detailed, almost-permanent repository of what has been written by the players. People can click the "Previous page" button and see what was written way long ago or before their time. They can reminisce about the good ol' times. They can make inside jokes and obscure references, but it's all good...because the record of its inception exists. Oldtimers can show the hilarity of it all to the newbies and prove that they're not all simply crazy. In a way, forums allow what had been said to be passed on and provide a way to enshrine a region's culture. Through this mechanism, culture can be passed down and maintained through time.

Furthermore, most forums are far easier to use and to customize than the NationStates RMB. When given the option of talking on the RMB or talking on the forums, most people in an established region with a forum will likely prefer talking on the forums. The ability to edit, format, add pictures, and otherwise add a personality and face to a nation's words is infinitely useful. And if you make it easy for nations and players to communicate to each other, the more likely they are to communicate in the first place. More communication leads to more bonds being formed, and that just leads to a generally stronger region.
 
A sense of virtual self, a sense of history

In this game where, at the regional level, almost everything is done with words, our words become who we are and what we have done. In short, our words are our history. Likewise, the words of a region's members are its history, in large part. And so, when practically all those words are shared on a regional forum, one becomes quite attached to it. The forum is the repository of the region's history. It is vital not only in sustaining regional culture and events but also in maintaining the NS identity of each player.

For example, here in TNP, we've had a bit of a turbulent history. One of the aftereffects of that is that we have had to endure changing forums several times. Each time, we are hesitant and avoid doing it until the circumstances force our hand. Why? The forum is a home. It is our past, our arguments, our solidarity, our silly games, our obscure inside jokes, and our stupid quibbles. It's not the governance that makes us unique but rather the players. And when we just start over, the community loses a bit of itself, as not everything can be saved or recovered.
 
The main idea

So...um. Yeah. Forums are important. And spiffy. They make region STRONG! No, but seriously. You gotta bring people together to get them to set a direction for the region. And even if the region is uninterested in that, a forum gives them a handy place to shoot the breeze.

You'll find that little more than hanging out can be accomplished in the region without a forum. But, that'll be the topic of my next lecture. Essentially, having a repository of people, words, and events is immensely useful and absolutely critical if you wish to accomplish anything decently organized.

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That was...lengthy. Anyways, after you read that, I'd like to hear your opinions on the importance of regional culture to various types of regions, i.e. ones focused on roleplay, internal politics, interregional politics, common interest, etc. It's only logical that they all differ in needs somewhat.

Got any questions? I'll be happy to answer.
 
Once more well done, so stirring for some one that once tried (and sort of finished) to copy over the entire history,format and ideas of a region (Hethrum) from an fully working, but admin-less forum run by (deleted) and (deleted) to a shiny new one run by AP3 10 and (No takers yet). Funny how one acts when they have nothing to reply to except themselves and dusty people.

So my opinions?

Well I personally have a rather limited history, but my region, one the other hand has accumulated quite a bit in its time. I feel this history,culture,shared values,etc is important, not just because it effects today but because it reflects the hard work,interests and personalities of those before us. Today it became clear that i was the oldest nation associated with Hethrum on the RMB (founder died) but for me that means little, after all its just a game and i can always convince myself that i am as young as i used to be, but the most important reason that i am still around (despite the fact i'm still young) is that I had a faith in the region i felt i had chosen. This still gives me optimism that decay can be averted.

Why is this?

During my time on NS i have come across many determined and hard working skilled inderviduals, much of the forum materials that hold value to me were crafted, yes crafted and I still can find new in the posts of 6 months ago. I am a Hethrumite, yet also i display interegionally the signature (ex-TAA), this shows my continued attachment to the region of The Anumist Alliance, considering i chose to leave there this is something.

To finish i would apply a logic which many recruiters out there would relate to:

To become a remembered Nation one must:

10.Have Internet (1/6)
1.Find NS (how many search words do you know)
2.Create Nation (0.00000019/6)
3.Find Region (1/11,279)
4.Register on a/many forum(s)
5.Post regularly on many subjects
9.Not lose interest (2/3 do)
6.Inspire others
7.Cause Change
8.Defend Tradition
11.Be seen as reliable
12. Believe

Out of a real world of 6.2 billion you would think that even these twelve (plus some others you will post) would occur often. But they don't, much like a recruit would celebrate a success rate of 3%, truly constructing any form of culture, on a forum used by a community is rarer and worthier than one might think. Whilst many such as 5,8 and 11 are relative and are achieved by what others reading a forum think This rarity and the share of ideas gives each Nations forum posts value and collectively makes a forum valueless.Or at least thats what i tell myself.

Of course by reading this you show that you fulfil 7 of the criteria...
 
Excellent response. I wish you luck in the rebuilding of your regional forum. It's hard to move, but sometimes, you just have to... :/

Back during the day, TNP had a period of really bad delegate troubles. Wars, proxy wars, and massive intel campaigns ensued. However, most of that was hidden or sporadic. The only way the war was visible was the battle for the RMB. After all, one of the first (and most damaging actions) a feeder delegate can do is to change the "official" forums in the WFE. All of a sudden, a community was cut off from new blood, from reinforcements, from those willing to listen. All of a sudden, the community was wholly stranded as if on an island. And thus, with the WFE lost, the public battle for TNP's liberation was largely a fight to keep the forum address of the community up on the RMB. A terrible and frustrating time, indeed. Especially since that was one where one would inevitably be on the losing end of. Slowly strangling to death--not a good fate.

I have been part of several organizations and regions throughout my NS life, and although some are long dead, I do still look fondly back upon those memories. And frankly, much of it isn't about legislation or wars or whatnot, but rather about stupid shit that gets said. I really do hope that others are much the same. :)

On another note, I have to say that I have to admire and wonder at userite region-founders and forum-founders. I've been a feederite most of my NS life (and previously, I was in an RP region that recruited off of International Incidents), and obviously, the challenges that we face in a feeder are oftentimes very different from those that you face.

Especially for small regions, it's hard to get a forum started, I imagine. A big, organized forum with room to expand can probably seem like an empty cavern, devoid of all life and people. But, I think that when you can recruit a good foundation of people willing to pool their efforts together, you'll have the catalyst for a strong region and forum. It seems that recruits to user-created regions oftentimes have more to contribute and will stay for longer than the average nation. (You speak of 2/3 losing interest, but here in a feeder, far more than 2/3 of all nations who sign up on the forums just disappear after a few posts. I'm pretty sure that we here in TNP would loooove to have a 1/3 retention rate. :lol:)
 
Response to Monte Ozarka

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As you say the actual enviroment of a forum has a great effect on the people that use it, if there is a special area to contact the admins with ideas, people are more likely to share them and such things amplify the nations of regions
for a small region it's hard to get a forum started, I imagine
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Also the idea of a 'cavernous' forum is very,very accurate. The stalling of our old forum, the split of many into 'New Hethrum' and the loss of the founder had left a long shadow even into today over our forum. When creating a new forum based on the needs of nations past,in the hope of attracting the new, you find a lot of empty areas, quoted quotes, spelling mistakes and no change for days on end; it is not untill such areas become active that a forum can evolve with new areas formed and old merged, that forsight can be tested and returning good times can be celebrated.

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the challenges that we face ...very different from those that you face.
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Indeed, but such perils of a userite help to create the culture and build up a forum.

For Instance in my regions forum, the founder held a high office, while expecting power to lie with the people, though the regional council and elected leaders. THis made the founder powerful in the way of a royal (eg. British Crown) rather than despot. For us this was a benefit of the forum, making us fairly unique, allowing us to split power/authority between offices and ultimatly to continue as before after the Founder left (although even now,(in a new forum) Niploma words are echoed in most places). This system is held together by the reality formed by the forum, whilst allowing us to face challenges such as instabilty,dispute,etc. Before the founder moved on, i suppose we had the best of both Userite and Feederite in terms of strategy.
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When Considering the inportance of Forums I look at how they change in response to the user and how the user changes in response to the forum, as well as the significance of the posts,user numbers and age.
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Perhaps the most significant challenge a userite-forum helps with is recruitment. While a feederite regions sucess is mainly bound to the popularity of the game (which would seem to respond negativly to the onset of summer 120,000-89,000) , wheras for a userite region its bound to the sucess of recruitment strategies, but of most importance is the efforts made by the recruiters themselves. If there isn't recruitment activity capable of replacing losses (sheer number of telegrams) than a region is doomed, the forum allows recruiters to share messgages, train new nations in the art and also to give them the will to want to do so. If a region is uninteresting than not only are recruitment gains lesser, but recruitment attempts must fall, as less are bothered enough to get new people unto the forum.
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The idea of losing the link to a forum
the war was visible was the battle for the RMB
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had not occured to me before, that must have been quite a conflict, how did you win?. In fact i think i will suggest a discussion on its implications back home.

Perhaps i should enrol for NP History next semester.

I have posted an hethrum law idea at home http://hethrum2.6.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?p=777#777
 
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