Building a Community

[Buster's Uncle]

Whatever would be most accessible/best return on your effort.  Probably just re-narrate in Russian, post, and crosslink.

[JarlWolf]

Eh. It'd be more time consuming to re narrate plus its more editing/video file to deal with. I talked to my daughter and adding captions and the like on youtube video's isn't too hard: so I think going that route is better. It also makes sure that if I was commentating with you folks that any Russian viewers get to hear your voices and thoughts, rather then me just voicing everything. (They can read and match, and the majority of Russians who would be into SMAC or catch onto to it have a knowledge of English anyways.)

[Buster's Uncle]

I look at all the activity in Modding lately, of people helping each other out with feedback and how-to tips, and I'm reminded of the value of our online community.  We help each other out; we spread knowledge.  We enable each other to do better work.

I see people generating base names in Theory of Everything, making possible a more satisfying future gaming experience on large maps, where "Gaians 54" bases are so much less likely to ever happen.  The AC2 Wiki continues to accrue content, and that's a resource for everyone forever.

I see a lot of conversation about all sorts of geeky goodness happening in Rec Commons.  It's fun to talk about that stuff with bright people.

I think about CGN shutting down, and the loss to the over-all AC community.  A healthy AC2 is more SMACers contributing, more potential people posting at CFC or Apolyton AC.  Likewise, the reverse.  Many of us are multi-forum, and I've posted at CFC's and 'poly's AC forums in just the last two weeks, as it happens.  We need to all be regularly checking those places and speaking up when we have something to contribute.  Newbs are our future, and it's good for the community to have more places for lurkers to find and decide to get involved.

We're involved in a good thing, here; we help each other, and that raises the level for everyone.  It's working, and it's still growing.

Keep up the good work, people, and please forgive yr. humble cheerleader for shouting "MOAR!"

[JarlWolf]

Your our resident Morale Officer, so its expected.

On that account, I personally think the more ways we offer easy interaction to people, the more people lurking are tempted to join our community. Getting people interested is half the battle; getting people involved is the other half.

[Buster's Uncle]

We've got a good collective attitude, yes.  We've got such an impressively diverse membership, and literate, too, and I LOVE! how much I learn from all of you.  And when I commenced this project, I never would have BELIEVED how little moderating I have had to do in over a year-and-a-half.

Why can't everywhere on the internet be like AC2?  That sounds like public self-fellatio, but go look at comments on almost any YouTube video, and then come back and look around here.

Fellatio for everyone!   AC2!  AC2!  AC2!  AC2! 

[JarlWolf]

Two reasons:

1. SMAC is philosophical game that is old. Anyone who is devoted enough to join a community for it has to be mature on some level, or at least devoted. Look at comments on Youtube for SMAC video's, even there the comments are more intelligent then the rest of Youtube. The game itself is one of the biggest reasons, it attracts a certain community.
2. While new people do find SMAC, SMAC/X's community is still rather tight knit. Many of you know each other in real life or have been acquaintances beforehand, and the rest of us form a rather tight knit community both due to the common interests of the community and the general size of the community.

[Buster's Uncle]

Mostly 1., I think.  SMAC(X) rewards patience and meticulous attention to detail, and being receptive to the wonders of the universe, too.  It tends to draw, as a result, people of, as you say, a certain level of maturity higher than a real time shoot 'em up does.  It's also, with all the backstory and the datalinks and interludes, more rewarding than most games to literate people.  So we get members who care about their spelling and grammar.  I like it that way, and think literate writing makes a better forum browsing experience in a very important way.

And 2.?  We've got a wide range of community experience here, with the majority active at most points tending strongly to the newer side.  That's, by and large, a good thing, too.

[BU Admin]

Hello.  I've mentioned a number of times, posting from my main account as BUncle, that I want people to ignore my Admin status most of the time.  Well, thing is, that tends to be wishful thinking on my part.  Much as I want to be listened to as a citizen, not The Guy Who Can Ban you, and be able to relax most of the time, it's not going to happen unless I make everyone really aware of the difference between my normal mode as BUncle, [modhat off], and when I'm being The Boss - something I avoid as much as possible.  I accept that I have duties here, and my status doing the work of taking care of forum business and ultimately having the final word on issues of enough importance thrusts me into a leadership position. 

But - I have some serious issues with authority.  I hate The Man.  Finding myself The Man is uncomfortable, and I am as gentle in that role as I can humanly manage - but it's impossible for everyone to ignore that The Man is The Man when he talks.

Uno made a very helpful suggestion about handling this problem - make an account to BE The Man with. 

So when you see that hat, well, [poop] just got real, or whatever.  I expect the Hat isn't going to be a big presence on these forums, but I'm going to have to use it a lot more than I'd rather just to keep the membership aware of the difference.  Maybe I'll try to remember to put on this DL for the cheerleading speeches in this thread, and when I make policy announcements in the future.

Hopefully, this will raise happiness levels for everyone, 'cause me in a bad mood is bad for AC2, and this will hopefully help that a teeny little bit.  I'm not going to slip into this identity for ever little thing that comes up, but when you see me like this, it should serve as a sign that whatever's at issue is deemed important and I'm acting officially in my capacity as Guy In Charge; BUncle is just that guy with no life who's always here, wants to be your friend, and doesn't expect any respect he hasn't earned.  (Though we should all treat each other respectfully as a default mode.)

Please be patient with me while I (and my therapist) work this out. 

[Unorthodox]

I'm not sure the hat fits...

[Unorthodox]

ooo,  kinda goes with the silly face..

[Buster's Uncle]

I'm not sure the hat fits...

I am.  I decided that the whole banhammer theme would be too much for me even for this.  I think the hat is just right.  -And your Thor looks a little too homoerotic for my blood.

Funnier ideas will be entertained, of course...  Captain whatisname is certainly funny, but a bit off the theme needed?

[BU Admin]

You know, I wish there was some way to get everyone to read these motivational posts.

I wish I generated more of them - but there's only so many ways to say "Post!  Post MOAR!  Spread the word!  Get excited and make things!  We're all in this together, we've got a Good Thing going, and we're winning!".  Sometimes I have trouble getting inspired - so when I see people taking the ball and running for the goal, it feels pretty good.  -And I see people doing that, each in their own way, all around me.

We are a thriving community, and the word is getting spread (though we [you] could do even more).  Activity is up, creativity is up, and we've had a mess of signups in the last week, most of whom are human, and have posted.   All these newbs can't be wrong; a community where we're good to each other and take care of each other is hard to beat. 

So keep up the good work, my friends, and see if you can't redouble your efforts during this time of upward momentum.

MOAR! 

[Geo]

Heh. Give us some time to dance and play on Chiron instead of posting. 

[BU Admin]

I just want to mention that Google and other search engines are this forum’s best single hope for getting the word out to the many thousands and thousands of cool SMACers out there who‘ve never heard of the online AC community.  There’s an easy way you can help.

One day in March, sisko pointed out how I could leave over 36,000 copies of our URL laying around for the search engines to find and thereby bump up our page ranking on them a good bit in one fell swoop - change my sig at another place and add a hyperlink.  Naturally, for AC2  I went and did it - likewise at two other forums, getting it to nearly 38,000 copies.  And we’re doing very well on the search engines these days, and doing well for signups from members who googled SMAC(X).  I’m only part of that, but my part matters - most of it, one sig change.

But we could do even better.  Got room in your sig at other forums to link AC2?  Please do, for the SEO.  And if it’s the sort of forum that draws our sort of gamers or actual SMACers?  If you’re a member at Apolyton, CFC or CGN?  Not only flog us in your sig, get involved in their AC subforums.  You’ll have to create activity at ‘poly and CGN, frankly, but that’s good for them and good for us.  This is not a zero-sum game.  I’m a regular at CFC AC these days, just posting when I feel like it, and have posted nearly half the posts made in two months at ‘poly.

Let’s make a project of reviving these once-proud homes of the community - more places for SMACers out in the cold to find signs of life is more online SMACers and a bigger community.  Point them here, of course, but no one has to choose just one forum.  Make those places part of your regular forums you check.  Petek is good people, and we owe him some support back.  And make extra effort at those other places that need it more.  Everyone will  profit in a huge multi-forum win-win.  A rising tide really can lift all boats.

I think it's a thing worth trying, and not so tough to do if several people try at once and keep it up for a while.  And don't forget about those sigs.

I haven't noticed any action on this one; it's hugely important, and many of you have accounts at other forums...  We could have saved CGN, if only, and our SEO could still use those AC2 siglinks mentioning SMAC(X)...

[JarlWolf]

Personally, while I respect authority I find I am the type who isn't really intimidated or even caring for hierarchy, titles or positions of authority at all. I'm a firm believer that the badge doesn't make a policeman: It's the act of properly policing and safeguarding a community that does. A man who beats people or exploits his position with a badge is just a brute.

My disregard for hierarchy is probably why I've always gotten into trouble and why I would never be able to live in a feudal society. I'd be hanged within the hour, some nobleman comes trotting his trousers along and asks me to bend a knee because he came out of a specific woman.

In terms of forums or online communities, its also why I've never joined clans. Authority doesn't come from rank or title in my humble opinion: it comes from the power you have and the way you use that power. And BUncle is proper authority. He may be the friendly benevolent reach out goody guy type but I think there is pragmatism and experience behind that benevolence which makes it solid. Your profile says wants to be your friend but obviously you aren't just here to kiss arse and be friendly with everyone, you do so as to make everyone's experience on the forum much better, its not just a shallow ploy of which I've seen some figures use on other communities.

While the hat may symbolize what mood/status you show BUncle, my position, hat or not hat is the same. But take that as a compliment, you may resent being The Man but there is a wisdom garnered from the burden the authority it gives and enacting it properly, and that's something most people can't accredit for.