[Draft] Untitled TWP Article

Attracting members is a region's key to success. After all, a region can’t grow and be successful if it doesn’t have anyone to participate in its community. As one of the feeder regions, The West Pacific (TWP) has an advantage in this regard, yet this does not mean we don’t try to attract players. If players don’t see any growth or activity they’ll move on to other more lively regions. There is a multitude of ways TWP attracts members and maintains its population, most notably our weekly regional message board (RMB) activities, various fairs and festivals (including some involving other regions), and a general atmosphere designed to encourage members to become active in TWP.

The World Factbook Entry (WFE) and RMB are the most important things for a region attempting to attract players, as they act as a window into the region, and a slow, inactive RMB isn’t as attractive as an active one. That being said, TWP has a strict RMB policy. TWP has many weekly RMB activities such as Punday Monday, where nations compete for the best pun; Thank You Haikusday, where members post haikus; and finally Karaoke Friday, when nations post their favorite song lyrics and the weekly playlist is featured. The goal of these RMB exercises is to act as a sort of ice breaker for new nations, a simple way for them to get involved and get integrated with the community, and they’re also fun for players of all ages.

TWP also hosts and joins fairs, the most recent example being the TWP-Osiris prom. This was a way for the two regions to enhance their relationship, but it also provided an opportunity for people to mingle with those outside just our regions. Events such as these also break up the monotony of day to day life in Nation States. They’re a fun event for all to attend and make the region more appealing in general. Other events that celebrate a region’s change or marks an anniversary of some sort are also a good way to set a region apart. A good example of this in TWP was the Three Perfections festival, which was held to showcase the implementation of TWP's regional theme.

Finally, one of the most important ways a region can improve activity is to help others get involved. My job as Recruitment and Citizenship (R&C) Minister is to help guide new players to the appropriate person to get involved, be it the head of the military or diplomatic minister. It’s also my job to organize outreach programs for those just answering issues, or who aren't otherwise involved, and get them involved in other aspects of the region. One of the ways TWP achieves this is by establishing our own Gameside Advocate (GA) program. One of the GAs' jobs is to inform those on the forum and RMB of recent changes and events that are going on. They are also required to be active on the RMB to help new players and answer questions. As a result, they often need a massive amount of patience. Their efforts play a key role in the overall effort to entice players who only answer issues to look beyond their own nation to the community at large. TWP has also been sending out a weekly telegram with two purposes: one, to keep the residents informed on regional happening, and two, to entice them to become more active and to come and enjoy the events.