NationStates Jolt Archive

Bu dum tush.

When our region was younger so much younger than today,
We never needed anybody's help in any way.
But now half our members are gone and we're not so secure:
Now we find, we're all dying, despite an open sign on the door.

Help us if you can, our numbers are down,
So we'd appreciate someone sticking around.
Help us get our feet back on the ground:
Won't you please, please help us?

And now our cabinet has changed in oh so many ways,
Many ministers just vanishing in the haze.
We just can't think of any kind of cure:
We just think we need help like we've never done before.

Help us if you can, our numbers are down,
So we'd appreciate someone sticking around.
Help us get our feet back on the ground:
Won't you please, please help us?

When our region was younger so much younger than today,
We never needed anybody's help in any way.
But now half our members are gone and we're not so secure:
Now we find, we're all dying, despite an open sign on the door.

Help us if you can, our numbers are down,
So we'd appreciate someone sticking around.
Help us get our feet back on the ground:
Won't you please, please help us, help us, help us.
Oh.

Seriously. I feel like reporting all our ex-members for spamming regional happenings. It's ridiculous. We've lost something like 14 nations in 2 days...and there are plenty more headed that way. What's more, we were pretty active: over 1500 posts on our forum, and not all of them 'cesque', either. We had an active delegate, lots of elected positions, a lovely map, we were getting a RP going...everything was swimming.

But now, our UN Delegate, Vice-President, Speaker of the Senate, Foreign Secretary and Secretary of Defence, not to mention members of all 4 political parties, various Senators and Supreme Court Justices, plus Freedom Forces members and ambassadors have ALL ceased.

So, firstly: if you would like to join Malibu Islands, we'd really like to have you. WE'RE STILL A GREAT REGION TO JOIN. (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=447640)

After that, though, a question for successful region owners. We're not looking to be huge, to be great, to be anything: we just want to keep our region going. What tips do you have (other than recruiting like fuck) to help with this?

Any input gratefully received.

Well...recruiting like fuck is good, but you really need to work like fuck in general, not just recruit. I'll give you a list of tips, but you're already doing several of these things so I think you're on the right track. Keep in mind that some regions just die out eventually despite our best efforts. It happens.

List of Tips For Maintaining an Active Region

1. Common Interests: Y'all should have at least one common interest, preferably several. Maybe all of you like to roleplay. Maybe you're all members of another forum that doesn't relate to NS. Maybe y'all like to skateboard. Whatever it is.

2. Recruit Like Hell (or Fuck): The only additional tip I can offer here is to be somewhat selective and make sure to personalize your recruiting telegrams.

3. Opportunities: Make sure that everyone has an opportunity to get involved and feel like they're contributing meaningfully and/or make sure that there's something fun for everyone to do.

4. Communicate: Regular communication is critical to maintaining an active region. Start with welcoming each nation to the region by sending them a telegram (and be sure to personalize it). Make sure to occasionally drop a line to other folks in your region and ask them how they're doing. Maybe take a page out of my Delegate's book and congratulate them on each population milestone they reach. Do something to show the members of your region that you remember them and care about them.

5. Shared Activites: Make sure that everybody's not off doing their own thing all the time. Do a few regular communal activities, whether it be UN debates, political discussions, chatroom times, etc.

Well...recruiting like fuck is good, but you really need to work like fuck in general, not just recruit. I'll give you a list of tips, but you're already doing several of these things so I think you're on the right track. Keep in mind that some regions just die out eventually despite our best efforts. It happens.

Ready and willing to work hard. We want this region to succeed.

1. Common Interests: Y'all should have at least one common interest, preferably several. Maybe all of you like to roleplay. Maybe you're all members of another forum that doesn't relate to NS. Maybe y'all like to skateboard. Whatever it is.

Yeah, I suppose that's one problem. We're not really bound by a common interest. But, we all seem to get along, and we'd rather be as inclusive as possible.

2. Recruit Like Hell (or Fuck): The only additional tip I can offer here is to be somewhat selective and make sure to personalize your recruiting telegrams.

Mmm. We haven't resorted to RMB spamming yet, basically because we know how much it must annoy the Pacific residents. I do TRY to be inventive...but there's a limit to how much you can personalise a TG to someone you know nothing about.

3. Opportunities: Make sure that everyone has an opportunity to get involved and feel like they're contributing meaningfully and/or make sure that there's something fun for everyone to do.

Well, given that half our cabinet is dead, that shouldn't be a problem. We've tried to be fair with apportioning responsibilities, land and so on.

4. Communicate: Regular communication is critical to maintaining an active region. Start with welcoming each nation to the region by sending them a telegram (and be sure to personalize it). Make sure to occasionally drop a line to other folks in your region and ask them how they're doing. Maybe take a page out of my Delegate's book and congratulate them on each population milestone they reach. Do something to show the members of your region that you remember them and care about them.

Good idea. I always find NT's population updates terribly sweet: so much so that I don't think it's something we'd want to steal. But we will try to communicate more.

5. Shared Activites: Make sure that everybody's not off doing their own thing all the time. Do a few regular communal activities, whether it be UN debates, political discussions, chatroom times, etc.

We do have some...but not everyone's on the forums.

Anyway, thanks for the tips.

Anyone else? We really do need some help. (Although we did get 2 new members today.)

I've got a puppet nation that I really don't do much with in my main region. It has no real alliances, and truth be told I was looking for a more Republic Rome Region for it. However If you're game, then I'll be glad to send it over. Your region sounds like fun. I am a American Civil War buff(Cump Sherman is my hero). Malibu Islands huh, I'll look it up.

Sure, send it on in. We're not really a Republic Rome/American Civil War region, so feel free to move on if you ever do find somewhere more to your tastes. But we'll try to be accommodating.

Well our region up and disappeared so we have two homeless nations. We are not UN members though and refuse to be. Does that matter?

Absolutely not. We have several very anti-UN nations. We do, of course, debate UN resolutions, but you do not have to be involved at all. We welcome non-UN members wholeheartedly: Malibu Islands is a free and open region to all, regardless of beliefs.

Ok, so we have a few new members.

But, aside from HotRodia's input, are there any additional tips we might find useful in terms of keeping our region active?

That is quite possibly the best recruitment post I have ever seen. Congratulations!

As you might notice, there's actually a real recruitment post linked.

I am, quite genuinely, asking for advice. I haven't been here long, but there are regions that have been thriving for 2-3 years. How do you maintain activity, and keep things going this long? Or, are such dips - population boom and bust, if you will - just a part of the course, and to be weathered?