RECRUITMENT

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How big would you like the WOK active community to be?

A. About as now, familiar people and close-knit, 25-45 actives,
4
17%
B. A bit bigger, 50 -100 actives, maybe double current size.
10
42%
C. As big as poss, the more the better.
10
42%
 
Total votes: 24

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Dameon
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Post by Dameon » Wed Oct 06, 2004 4:36 am

That's really great, Han. I know I haven't been all that active in this thread, but that's mainly because I don't have too much to say here. I think Donut said it best when he said the best way to get new people on board is to enlist personal friends. I must say, though, that I for one found this game through online advertising- I'm curious to know how many others did, as well.
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Post by Duke » Wed Oct 06, 2004 7:32 am

Add me to that list. Found it on www.pbem.com

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Post by trewqh » Wed Oct 06, 2004 9:53 am

Duke wrote:Found it on www.pbem.com
Me too.

trewqh

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Post by Hannibal » Wed Oct 06, 2004 11:31 am

Thanks, guys. I hope it helps a bit to keep up or increase the numbers.

Of course, you and I realise that it's only PART of recruitment, not the whole deal. We still need to drive people to the site in the first place!.... or they'll never even see the intro/welcome.

But I thought it was the first thing to get in place, so that anyone who is directed to the site gets a spiel about what it's like, what fun it is, and how to join in. I know that some of you aficionados, if you happened upon the site, would suss it out in minutes without such help.....but you're not necessarily normal! :D I suspect that many visitors directed here, less brilliant than you, would just feel they'd landed in the middle of something, unable to gauge the game or see how to join in. There's an element of having to write it for "all levels", clear enough for the least experienced gamers, yet not too klutzy for those who know their computer gaming inside out. And I tried to slip in a bit of positive discrimination......no, not that......I mean encouraging those who are suited to this kind of 3-8 week game, with signals to turn away those who were expecting something faster, so that they don't waste our time and our game-slots.

But it can only work on people who come to the site in the first place. Now to get them visiting us!

Great to hear that we got people via that pbem site.....could someone volunteer to check out that we're still on there, that we don't look out-of-date there, that it gives the right sense of us, and that we;'re as prominent as we could be?....and report back? I'd do it, but a) we want more people pushing the cart on recruitment, and b) I have a poor perspective on how we compare out there, not being finger-on-the-pulse on these areas myself.

Also we need people to actively go out and get us linked/listed on OTHER relevant sites. Any volunteers?

And someone to tackle general search engines such as Google. Search on "Computer games" + strategy, and you get hundreds of matches....I didn't read them all but didn't see us. Are we on there at all? And on other search engines? Who knows their way around these? Tricks to get us higher up? Maybe the solution is to "invent" national Kaomaris "clubs, just to get a striking listing (they don't have to actually mean anything by way of national clubs, just serve to direct people to the site......). A person who knows how to get the most from search engines?

For those who have a tendency to look for gaps to make a point, let me say that I fully agree that the route of MOM (member-get-member - marketing speak), is always the pro-rata best of several avenues, I appreciate that. It is much to be encouraged, but is limited by a low growth rate off a low starting-base. So we need to do that AND MORE, imho.

Let's drive people to the site, hopefully my intro pages will help enthuse and recruit the right people, and turn away the wrong people, and we'll get the active membership up to the ideal, even if we disagree on what the ideal max active player-base is (see poll).

Volunteers doing active stuff much appreciated!

~ Han
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Post by Donut » Wed Oct 06, 2004 2:32 pm

I've noticed a fairly large number of new members signing up on the boards... Anyone know where they're from. If the champs would end I'd be happy to open another group for them to all join. I was at the Wargamer site quite some time ago and noticed that our review wasn't that great and that everything was pretty well out of date. I think Al suggested that we wait till Kaobase 2 is done to re-submit ourselves for grading but maybe it's time to do it now.

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Post by Hannibal » Wed Oct 06, 2004 3:42 pm

Great! Where have you noticed this? do you mean from the memberlist...does it have lots of new people (I don't think I have access to it). If so, somebody needs to contact them and make them feel welcome? ....already done by the Clanleaders that they must have registered through? Maybe a mail to direct them to the new "New visitors" page, and to ask their interest/timing availability for a new game for beginners?

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Post by Saladin » Wed Oct 06, 2004 3:45 pm

I think it would be good if the memberslist of the forum would be made public instead of just to the admins. It's not like it forms a major 'security' issue seeing that we list most players e-mail address on the highscore list as well. :D
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Post by korexus » Wed Oct 06, 2004 4:53 pm

I think that Donut's referring to the most recent member line at the bottom of the forums page. That certainly seems to be changing fairly regularly. Presumably though, those people are reading the formus and so will see all about the new link themselves.

I agree that it would be nice for the memberlist to be public. I'm not sure how it's set up though, maybe someone should go and pester Rune. :P

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Post by Donut » Wed Oct 06, 2004 6:08 pm

Ahh... but there you are wrong Korexus... Signing up to here is no longer a matter of signing onto the boards. I believe (and I'm could be mistaken) that signing into the Kaomaris page also signs you to the boards.... soo.... That doesn't mean that they are reading the boards.

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Post by korexus » Wed Oct 06, 2004 7:29 pm

It is true that signing up for the site signs you up for the boards too. However, as the only advantages of signing up are posting on the boards, sending private messages and logging into the chat I was assuming that mst of the new sign ups at least glance at the forums...

Oh, and I believe it's "Yes madam, I am drunk. But tomorrow I will be sober. You madam, will still be ugly!"
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Post by Donut » Wed Oct 06, 2004 7:31 pm

That's not the way Dr. Kern said it in class so that's not how it's goin in the signature :P

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Post by korexus » Wed Oct 06, 2004 7:43 pm

Grr! Argh! Where are my forum powers?! I must edit this young heretic's signiture and put him back on the true path!

Oh well, on the bright side, at least I got my skin back :)
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TK
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Post by TK » Wed Oct 06, 2004 11:46 pm

"signiture"??!

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Post by korexus » Wed Oct 06, 2004 11:58 pm

Shut up, I was being harrassed in another window!
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Post by Dameon » Thu Oct 07, 2004 12:29 am

I actually came through pbem.com too, a whit at least seems worth our while to pursue by placing ads there. I used to advertise for Kaomaris there quite a bit, and I do know that if you don't replace your ad every two weeks or so, give or take, it fades out. I'm willing to post some more ads there if I ever find the time, and if Verizon ever gets it gosh darn act together and sends me my DSL modem! :evil:
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Post by Donut » Thu Oct 07, 2004 12:59 am

Jeez Nick... can't you let us stay off-topic!?!?

I think with Han's new explanation of the game with the "New Player Intro" dealy that we may not need the Hand's-On "Go here, click here here and here, and then mail this guy, sign up for this, and wait". I still think retention will be higher for those that are taught the game person to person, but you gotta start somewhere right...

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Post by Mullog » Thu Oct 07, 2004 7:15 am

OK OK!
The members list is now available in the box to the left. But don't blame me if your inboxes are filled with offers for free pr0n and stuff that's better than Viagra.


Aaah! So that is why you guys wanted the list! :)
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Post by korexus » Thu Oct 07, 2004 10:14 am

Couldn't you just have changed the little box icon on the account options at the top? (3rd from left.) Also, what happened to my idea of replacing the downloads link with a games link going straight into the kaobase?
Donut wrote:I still think retention will be higher for those that are taught the game person to person, but you gotta start somewhere right...
Rune and I have some plans for that. In fact, as I'm trying to get him to do work on the site, maybe I should set a good example and do some more work myself...

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Post by Saladin » Thu Oct 07, 2004 10:30 am

Guys if you need some help with the site, i've got some experience with setting up PHP Nuke sites and i've got quite a bit of spare time at work right now. So if i can be off any help just let me know, if not that's cool too. :D
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Post by Donut » Thu Oct 07, 2004 6:02 pm

Here is the wargamer review that I found a while back. The description of the game is actually very good. And it seems to me that most of the problems that he describes in the review have been somewhat corrected. I think that it would be wise to find a way for and update of this review and also to have a review of WOK V posted here. I'm not sure how many people actually make it to W when browsing their game list, and we're probably smack-dab in the middle of World War games... but it won't hurt.

http://www.wargamer.com/reviews/KaomarisIV_main.asp

Donut

P.S. - I couldn't find a way to contact anyone about an update... I'll keep looking.

P.S.S. - Actually... upon further review... it's impossible to find that review without searching for 'Kaomaris' Not sure how anyone could find Kaomaris without knowing it exists... but then you'd just go to the website...
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