PWL42 - Article Submission #2

[PaulWallLibertarian42]

Requested/Suggested title: "First impressions"

First impressions are the most important they set the tone for how you interact with someone in the future; Nationstates is not immune to first impressions. When a nation first comes into The North Pacific (refered to as TNP by her natives.) the first impressions they get are from the activity on the Regional Messageboard (RMB).
To TNP natives the RMB is the portal to The North Pacific it's face to new NationStates members. During the campaign for new Delegate there were concerns about the candidates RMB activity. (Candidates RMB Activity Report. ) I recently interviewed that concerned citizen Alunya on how the recent uptick in government interaction is being percieved with the RMB community, their review was less than stellar.

"It's still early in HMS Unicorn's (r3naissanc3r's) administration, so it may be a bit unfair to comment on the game-side approach. The good thing is that there is an outreach effort on the regional message board and that the game-side is not being ignored. But the response is wooden, stiff -- like a tax accountant. What we see from our new delegate so far is very official sounding, which is fine, but it isn't naturally friendly."

The Official Cat of TNP then went to to suggest the game side community may just need an adjustment period, as they were used to the laid back informal attitude of the previous Delegate McMasterdonia. Our friend with the feline persona then went on to add the problem with retaining nations in TNP lies with the offsite forum and not with the RMB community. The offsite forum needs to be overhauled to make it easier for newcomers to access and navigate.

"We don't recruit, so retention ought to be our goal. Until those off-site forum problems are fixed, we really shouldn't make a big push to encourage the game-side community to go off-site. We should engage in friendly banter and provide help and advice on the RMB. Make friends and then suggest the off-site forum when it is a little easier for a newcomer to navigate. And when it is ready, then a marketing blitz for the "New and Improved" forum would be appropriate."

"TNP is what you make of it, have fun, enjoy the place, whether thats regional politics on the forums, or just chilling on the RMB. TNP is what you make it, and rightly so." Opines newest elected Vice Delegate Abacathea

A request for comment from new Delegate HMS Unicorn to address his critics have so far went unanswered.

 

[r3naissanc3r]

Thank you for the article, Paul!

Given that by now this interview is about a week and a half old, and it will be two weeks old by the time it's published, can I ask that you ask Alunya for their comments again? Depending on the responses, you may need to update your article.

 

[mcmasterdonia]

From a formatting perspective - I would also suggest removing the bolded and italics part. If necessary the editing team will add in additional formatting if we feel it is required.

 

[r3naissanc3r]

Given that by now this interview is about a week and a half old, and it will be two weeks old by the time it's published, can I ask that you ask Alunya for their comments again? Depending on the responses, you may need to update your article.

Paul, did you get any chance to look at this?

 

[PaulWallLibertarian42]

I wanted to let everyone know im not neglecting this. I did send a request asking alunya if theyd like to update their comments or not per this topic per the request by the editor staff. So far no response. If i dont get a response soon id recommend running the story as is. Thx.

 

[mcmasterdonia]

Thanks for getting back to us PWL.

 

[mcmasterdonia]

My suggested edit:

Requested/Suggested title: "First impressions"

First impressions are very important and they may set the tone for future interaction. The regional message board and the engagement of the Delegate are both important factors in creating a positive first impression for new nations.

During the recent campaign for Delegate there were concerns directed at all candidates about their activity on the regional message board: (Candidates RMB Activity Report. ) All candidates promised that their activity would improve significantly following their election.

"It's still early in HMS Unicorn's administration, so it may be a bit unfair to comment on the game-side approach. The good thing is that there is an outreach effort on the regional message board and that the game-side is not being ignored.”

He then went to suggest the game side community may just need an adjustment period, as they were used to the laid back informal attitude of the previous Delegate McMasterdonia. The region will need to adjust to the different style of the newly elected Delegate and that the regional forum will have to adapt to retain new nations.

"We don't recruit, so retention ought to be our goal. Until those off-site forum problems are fixed, we really shouldn't make a big push to encourage the game-side community to go off-site. We should engage in friendly banter and provide help and advice on the RMB. Make friends and then suggest the off-site forum when it is a little easier for a newcomer to navigate. And when it is ready, then a marketing blitz for the "New and Improved" forum would be appropriate."

The North Pacific has had an active welcoming program designed for the recruitment of new members well before welcoming was added to the game mechanics accessible by the regional Delegate. TNP has a significantly larger World Assembly population and a significantly large base of WA natives on the forum, as opposed to non-WA citizens. The new Delegate HMS Unicorn has rolled out ambitious plans for his Home Affairs Ministry, which includes multi-layered telegram campaigns designed to maximise the retention of new nations and the recruitment of new members to our regional forum.

Other members of the North Pacific, including newly elected Vice Delegate Abacathea, are more optimistic and casual in their approach and believe that the region provides for the needs of vastly different players:

"TNP is what you make of it, have fun, enjoy the place, whether thats regional politics on the forums, or just chilling on the RMB. TNP is what you make it, and rightly so."

 

[r3naissanc3r]

I wanted to let everyone know im not neglecting this. I did send a request asking alunya if theyd like to update their comments or not per this topic per the request by the editor staff. So far no response. If i dont get a response soon id recommend running the story as is. Thx.

Paul, if you sent your request through PM, it may be worth also sending it through telegram. Alunya usually responds faster to those.

 

[PaulWallLibertarian42]

It was a TG I sent.

 

[r3naissanc3r]

Thanks Paul. While waiting for an update on those, here is a suggested edit:

First impressions are very important and they may set the tone for future interaction. The Regional Message Board (RMB) and the engagement of the delegate are both important factors in creating a positive first impression for new nations.

During the recent election for delegate, a few Regional Assembly members, most notably Alunya, expressed concerns about the candidates' activity on the RMB. All candidates promised that their activity would improve significantly following their election.

A week after the election, when asked about Delegate r3naissanc3r's activity on the RMB, Alunya stated the following: "It's still early in HMS Unicorn's administration, so it may be a bit unfair to comment on the game-side approach. The good thing is that there is an outreach effort on the regional message board and that the game-side is not being ignored."

Alunya went on to comment on the need for changes to the regional forum, to help retain new nations that register there. "We don't recruit, so retention ought to be our goal," Alunya said. "Make friends and then suggest the off-site forum when it is a little easier for a newcomer to navigate. And when it is ready, then a marketing blitz for the "New and Improved" forum would be appropriate."

The North Pacific (TNP) has traditionally placed a strong emphasis on the welcoming and integration of newcomers to the region. This is in part reflected on the significantly larger World Assembly (WA) population TNP has compared to other game-created regions, and the comparatively large base of forum citizens that also have WA nations in the region.

Delegate r3naissanc3r has rolled out ambitions plans for his Ministry of Home Affairs, to build and expand upon the already existing infrastructure. Multi-layered telegram campaigns, both automated and manual, have been implemented, and the RMB frequently features posts highlighting government activities. On the forum-side, the introductory section has been revamped to be easier to navigate, while with the creation of Executive Staff new members are presented with a wealth of job opportunities as soon as they join. Several other initiatives are in the works, but in the meantime these changes have already resulted in a surge in the number of new forum members, and in particular members that get involved in the government.