2011 - Revitalization

[Ronove]

Revitalization
re·vi·tal·ize - [ree-vahyt-l-ahyz]
–verb (used with object), -ized, -iz·ing.
1. to give new life to.
2. to give new vitality or vigor to.

Hey fellow Spongies! How has it been? I noticed it's been a bit on the quiet side--both for silly topics we can laugh about and for posting projects and such. Even people looking at what people have created has also been quiet, but I know people are looking. Blogs have been quiet too--occasionally can get a peep out of that too.

So, I wanted to know, what's up? Are we just being quiet because that's how it flows, or is there something you wanted to let us know?

It's 2011 now, and Spongen has been around since 2007. :omfg: We've gone through ups and downs, but now we've hit a nice streak where we've leveled off a bit (this is good and bad, mind you). We've had to deal with a stagnant site layout because of other problems, but we are working on that. We're doing our best, of course, and doing it for you.

Is there anything you guys would like us to do more of in the future? Any ideas to keep growing or any ideas for anything you guys want that we can use to just give Spongen a little revitalization? Or do you think we're fine and it being quiet is just one of the things of a smaller member base?

We're listening and would like your input. :vhappy:

[Cup o' Wisps]

Are we just being quiet because that's how it flows, or is there something you wanted to let us know?Apparently I've been less active on the internets, I've just grown bored. Happens every now and again. Happens and then goes away.

I think I noticed a lull in activity a monthish back, but I always chalk it up to the holidays. Busy time for lots of people, some people get depressed at about the time, and so on. It's like how in September internet forum activity drops because of school, and then come November/December it happens again, cause of the various holidays clusterdumped together. Then again in July/August cause of the nice weather.

As for ideas - I personally got nothin'. Like I said though, I'm bored of the internet XD

[Professor Yoshi]

People always bring up the site's mortality, but I've never seen a problem with it. I know I don't post much, but I always read the new topics and replies each day on all the threads.

If you're saying we need more people, well, I think our member count is quite healthy. Maybe people don't post as much as they should, but that's not really a problem. If you're looking for suggestions, I tend to bring this up quite often: Make the forums public, forcing people to register (and post) to read the generation forums is a big turn off.

[Ronove]

I'm just making sure no one's having any problems! If you are all fine, then I'm fine too.

[Euphony]

Right now, the only thing I can think of is some kind of event where the Spongie commoners can participate with the new forum skins. I love seeing the new skins and I would love to see what more Spongies outside the administration could come up with, if we could just be instructed on how to help. :D

Other than that, I can't think of anything at the moment. The end of the year definitely seemed a little slow, but IRC in general seems to be keeping everyone in touch and that's really my favorite part of Spongen. And I think the new year will definitely bring some general activity back. The end of year gets bogged down in NaNo and all the holidays and such, nothing unusual IMO.

[Cup o' Wisps]

forcing people to register (and post) to read the generation forums is a big turn off.Cha.

[Ronove]

Right now, the only thing I can think of is some kind of event where the Spongie commoners can participate with the new forum skins. I love seeing the new skins and I would love to see what more Spongies outside the administration could come up with, if we could just be instructed on how to help. :D.

I actually like that idea. I'll see if I can figure it out, because right now you need to be able to get into the admin panel to do any changes yourself, but I think I can set something up where you design it and I do my horrible best at implementing it. :D

[Alpha-Mad]

I know my activity comes and goes, but I do like the small time feel of this place. It gives it a nice homely atmosphere. Sometimes you want to go, where everybody knows your name and they're always glad you came. You wanna be where you can see, our troubles are all the same. You wanna be where everybody knows your name.

[Kojo]

I've been on Spongen for a long time, as many of you have, and we've seen threads like these come and go. I understand it's important to keep our community fresh and new, and I encourage everyone to make as many interesting projects as possible, and document them to completion. Then post them. And then we shall discuss them. More than that I cannot ask for more. Tell your friends about Spongen, invite them to be a part of the community.

The holidays are hard for a lot of us to post and be active in. I've got family, friends, parties, illness, surgery, life, and death all going on around me right now and it's hard to contribute.

I can start up a few threads, but I don't feel that any of my current projects are ready for that. Perhaps in a week or two.

[Ronove]

Let me try rephrasing. I think what I'd like to know most of all is if there is anything you guys want Spongen to do more of. Like games, like the contest skin thing Euphony mentioned, etc.

[Kojo]

Simple contests, community challenges, collaborative efforts are all something I'd like to see.

[Alpha-Mad]

More forum games would be fun.

Oh, and more free shiz

[Malignanttoe]

I don't get onto forums much, if at all, while at home. I'm too WoW addicted. I need to calm down on that too though so I can get some writing done ><;;

Oh and HI!

[Euphony]

Didn't Barbatos have a liar game or something that he had an idea for? Some non-Doubt games like that would be spiffy~

[Ronove]

Yeah, he did. >:T I wonder where that went Died!

[Euphony]

LET'S MOB HIM AND FORCE HIM TO DO IT, I SAY.

[Kojo]

Yes, let us do that.

Let's also beat him with sticks.

I've got an idea for a contest that I'd like to try. It would be fun. But we'll see what my schedule looks like.

Oh, and here's a bit of two cents on activity and revitalization to be on topic: There's nothing more the mods really can do (Short of Community-Sponsored Contests, Games, Collaborative Projects, but then it would only be support in name, not really a direct thing) the real revitalization will have to come from non-staff members like myself. So if anyone else out there wants to join the Spongen Brigade of activity and post content daily, then we can try that out as long as we can sustain it.

[Raven The Dark Angel]

I liked playing games like i-draw stuff that we had done a while back but I don't go to the irc anymore. It'd be nice to do games like that and other games that we schedule to happen on certain days and times. I think it'd be a lot of fun.

Back in the day there was Bomberman we played together as well as tetris. Maybe we can get those back or some other games similar to the large group aspect.

[Barbatos]

No Liar game until we upgrade to vbulletin4 and get a vbux plugin. Will probably happen sometime this year though!

Also, we need more kicking Kojo in his tiny nuts.

[Lene]

I missed the idraw phase...someone bring that back. Or set up an oekaki or something.

[Cocoa]

I haven't been on the forums very much, and most of the time I lurk in IRC- But the one thing that made my pop my head out was the Secret Santa. I don't think I really did much concerning Spongen in the past, but I've changed quite a bit since I was last active.

What I really enjoy is non-competitive events where we're encourage just to make something. Just something that is along the lines of "Here's a goal, do something creative towards that goal, and post it here".

[Malignanttoe]

Events are good.

[Malignanttoe]

bump.


Wake up folks!

[Ronove]

I'm busy with school but the other mods and stuff are free to organize something.

[Cup o' Wisps]

I see irony here.

[Ronove]

I KNOW IT'S TERRIBLE. I HAVE BEEN BUSY. I do want to do Euphony's idea of a forum skinning contest tho, so you guys can start thinking of that.

[Kojo]

I've been working in a remote location, as well as going through a big trans-United States move. Then I work on a 3D Feature, maybe we can talk in a month or two. I'd love to help, but these things never come along when I've got nothing going on.

[Wings]

The main problem for the site's inactivity still remains an issue. It isn't a question of whether what features should be seen as priority or how they are displayed to the viewer. The real issue resides in cyber management and those members who were recognized...and practically worshiped, for lack of a better word, who are no longer active in the day to day processes. Simple logic will tell you that not everyone is capable of running a successful website, it's the ideas, loyalty, member-base, dedication to time and money which proves ideal for expansion.

But we've stagnated. We've become a wonderful community full of wonderful people, but we haven't seen any growth in our originally stated direction. I'm not talking about membership growth, but rather growth in the sense of what we offer. We don't offer anything unique, and thus we'll eventually fade away unnoticed.

One of the main reasons why I decided to come back to the RM community is because of that lady right there. I have been around (as for a few of you) since .net and lord gradient were running the show but eventually branched off due to administrative concerns over the domain and the sporadic appearances of his majesty. Those who remained loyal to the sub-administration then moved to rmxp.org where the site cultivated mass amounts developmental resources, be it private or open for use. Then that's when I disappeared for several years due to personal hardships, coming back to find the destruction of .org and another small burrow of members who I considered to be longtime friends (spongen).

Interesting where life will take you in any given moment, isn't it?

In conclusion the ideas presented by ccoa well over two and a half years ago seem to be in part, a viable solution to a overwhelming problem. This in return will provide me with the avenue of possibly remedying the situation as a whole once a general consensus has been made on the future of this website. What does that mean for SponGen? I am willing to fund restorative treatment to the website through the time we decide to get off our butts and start doing what we once loved to do. We were at one point a pretty tight knit family, what happened?

[supershigi]

It's like clockwork... Every year or so someone who has barely any posts comes along and talks about 1.) how the site is dying, and 2.) how they have a grand scheme to "fix" a problem that doesn't exist. I'm sorry, but if you have 10 posts here you are not in any position to be assessing the overall quality of the site. Spongen isn't trying to be a big RM site if you haven't noticed... it's a small closely knit community where people share a variety of creative projects, play games, post everything from recipes to suggestions for how to get grad school housing. People said the site would be dead years ago, yet it's still here.

Another thing to note: Since you seem to be glorifying ccoa's suggestions many years ago, I guess you didn't realize one critical shortcoming in your logic. If you actually read the variety of threads she posted concerning how to improve the forum's activity, you'd notice something very important (which is pretty much a testament to the fact that you spend virtually no time here):

In conclusion the ideas presented by ccoa well over two and a half years ago seem to be in part, a viable solution to a overwhelming problem.

It isn't a question of whether what features should be seen as priority or how they are displayed to the viewer.

Do you even realize what her "ideas" were? That whole subject started because she was advocating implementing new forum software. Her justification for it was that the forum would be dead in a year. So actually, according to her it was a question of features... Additionally, the forum didn't die. It's still here. And it's everything it claims to be: a small creative forum with a closely knit community. But then again, you wouldn't know that, because you have 10 posts.

Given this topic has been brought up at least 3 times, and each time we arrived at the same proven conclusion (the site's not dead, nor has the activity or overall number of active members decreased since any of these "doomsday" threads), if you continue to post inflammatory things, the topic will be locked and you will be issued a warning. Like I said earlier, you have 10 posts and are in no position to assess the quality of the site. If you are so personally concerned about the activity, I suggest you be the change you want to see and post more.

[Cup o' Wisps]

Damn. Or phonetically, to assess the reaction to that shigipost: DAY-um.

I love how when the site's "dying" or whatnot is brought up, Shigi's right there to whack the thread's nose with a rolled up newspaper, before rubbing it's nose in it, saying "No! Bad thread!"

I didn't see this as a "doomsday" thread though. The site was stagnant at the time the thread was posted, hello new years day. But it was the holiday season, and all that. From me to Volrath to Ronnie to like -at least- a third of the active members in the states were struck with god awful amounts of snow, and it wasn't really "creative" season, ya know.

I think what a lot of people miss is where a lot of the community/social value lies in this site. Lots of it is in places you wouldn't see just hitting the site and looking at the forums, or even blogs. From IRC to PMs to profile messages, the community is active (even if the site doesn't look it at times). I mean, I haven't posted damn near much at all this month, and haven't been on IRC at all I think, and still have had quite a few PMs. Or even MSN and Skype with site members.


I don't like "tight knit" communities. Sounds suburban. Like 8 bleach blonde middle aged women trying to play off calling themselves cougars and hanging around in their backyard, err, I mean patio, next to some bush, err, I mean hedge that's squarer than my 2x2 lego block, drinking orange alcoholic beverages they can't pronounce properly.

Tight knit communities are as xenophobic as Suzy Q. Just me, mayhaps, but tight knit groups belong in junior high. High school if you're really deplorably slow on the uptake.

[supershigi]

Yeah I didn't view this thread as one of those doomsday threads... I just wanted to make sure it didn't turn into one on account of that last post. A person with 10 posts who hasn't been active in years is in no position to come in and be like, "The site is dying! Do this, and then I'm going to come in and fix things." It's like, um... no. Maybe become a member of the community first and then the things you say might hold more weight.

That's a good point sixty about the new year's thing... you're right that it's not particularly active at that time.

[Malignanttoe]

THE END IS NEAR!

[Volrath]

Owch. My thought process when I read Wings's post was "This again, huh? Well, I have good memories of Wings from the rmxp.org days, so I'll resist voicing my typical disdain for the whole 'oh noes spongen is stagnant' thing out of respect. I hope Shigi isn't too hard on him."

I didn't take his post as inflammatory, but it is true that when you spend enough time on here, you find that the majority of the community is happy with its small size and isn't interested in expanding towards some hypothetical goal which has never really been defined. We have slow periods from time to time, but the blogs section is consistently busy and just wait until you spend a November here....

The fact that Shigi now has a pissed-off looking leeble as her avatar makes it even harsher. :lol:

http://images.cheezburger.com/completestore/2009/9/17/128976845855342061.jpg

[Wings]

@supershigi: through fault of my own I did not in fact read through the entirety of the thread so yes, maybe my foregone conclusion was reached prematurely. However assuming I was posting inflammatory responses in regards to the activity of this site...I find to be amusing. Threats to warn me and lock threads may satisfy your ego but I can guarantee hold no weight with me regardless of my "10 posts". I see it as being extremely rude attacking someone who is offering funding for new ideas but in the words of my father, whatever blows your skirt up.

@Volrath: Thank you for putting the whole into perspective without becoming twisted. When I first popped onto SponGen, Mac had told me that the idea was to remain small for some part, however when browsing through several other topics I saw complaints that the content was still a little weak.

[Cup o' Wisps]

The fact that Shigi now has a pissed-off looking leeble as her avatar makes it even harsher. :lol:Oh god I had to reread that post, and look at that avatar, and the whole thing went from being cute to being very dark and unsettling. Awesomely unsettling.

Speaking of being awesome, we need a new doubt game.

[Volrath]

Avatars are more powerful than they are often given credit for. They tend to impact the tone of whatever is being written. Heh, since you've changed yours, I've noticed that your posts seem somewhat wiser and more sophisticated.

[Cup o' Wisps]

Astute 60, now with more sophistication and wisdom. Brought to you by the makers of Angry Shigi, and Curious Kojo.
A yoshi-corp distribution.
All rights reserved.
*Contains small removable pieces, keep out of reach of young children. Store in a dry cool place. Do not place in direct sunlight or open flame. If consumed, call poison control hotline number provided. Cell phone charges may apply.

Haha, no wonder we keep getting miscommunications. I can't make out your avatar's monotone and deadpan nuance, while my avatar made me an accusational fool.

[Barbatos]

This is the sixty I will always remember:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g147/sixtyandaquarter/sixty/adventuresofsixty.png

[Lene]

...Which reminds me of Professor Dumbledore for some reason.

[Cup o' Wisps]

Professor Cupledore. I elect Barbie as my Voldemort. Diedromort.
Shigi Potter and the Philosopher's Sponge.

[Kojo]

I volunteer to be Weasley

[supershigi]

@supershigi: through fault of my own I did not in fact read through the entirety of the thread so yes, maybe my foregone conclusion was reached prematurely. However assuming I was posting inflammatory responses in regards to the activity of this site...I find to be amusing. Threats to warn me and lock threads may satisfy your ego but I can guarantee hold no weight with me regardless of my "10 posts". I see it as being extremely rude attacking someone who is offering funding for new ideas but in the words of my father, whatever blows your skirt up.

I wasn't "assuming" your intention was inflammatory, this beaten dead topic however is... I was also pointing out the obvious: That with only 10 posts and zero activity in the past few years you are in absolutely no position to assess the quality of the site, and I find it rude, assuming, and rather audacious that anyone (not just you) would do that without becoming a member of the community first. After all, how can anyone even assess the community when they aren't part of it? Did you participate in our Nanowrimo, Doubt Games, holiday activities, etc.? Do you talk on IRC or leave feedback for folks who have posted their art, music, and games? How are you in any position to say the community is dead?

And this has nothing to do with ego, nor were you being "personally" attacked. As Volrath mentioned, this gets brought up like once a year and it's always by people who are not a part of the communtiy here, and it always leads to unncecessary division. I don't get my kicks from banning people, we have however made it very clear that posts from people who are not part of the community who show up merely to criticize the activity level despite their own obvious lack of activity will not be tolerated. Another staff member actually PMed me about how this topic was once again being inapporpriately brought up, and I think it's good that now you know a bit more about the history of this topic.

I understand that you probably don't realize this topic has been beaten like a dead horse and has caused all sorts of unnecessary division in the past, so we can overlook that. But even that in and of iteself is yet another reason you shouldn't be posting these sorts of "I know how the community is even though I've never spent time here: it's dead, I'm gonna fix it" posts... Now that you do know, if you're truly interested in improving the community I again suggest you become a part of it first. Post more often, get to know some of the folks here that you don't know, participate. It's much more effective than an ego-driven "I'm gonna rehaul this site now" post out of the blue after years and years :)

[Ronove]

;_; I made this post just to make sure people were fine with how the site was and if anybody wanted anything. Not as a thing OMG IT'S DYING. Just an FYI, I'm sure I've mentioned this before in the thread, but I will say it again because considering where this is going, I think it needs to be said.

Also, I want to add. I don't want to be a site where we'll be HUGE AND OMG and all that. HUGE AND OMG fall down hard and end up a lot of scraps. Even if we may never get as many people to join, I always do my best to make new people feel involved or give them a friendly welcome. I do like the close knit community we've created and if we worry so much about being passed by unnoticed, then we lose who we are. I know I won't forget about you guys here on Spongen--even if one day it ceases to be. It's our close community that keeps us together. And you guys should get on IRC more. I miss talking with a lot of you (though I can't get on now because of my hospital woes.)

[supershigi]

Yeah totally understood... I mentiond that earlier, too. This thread was in no way meant to be an "OMG IT'S DYING" thread at all. It was a thread for suggestions on how to make the place better :)

[Cup o' Wisps]

Ronnie, feel better and get back soon. I'll even come on IRC again to 'me/ huggles, not tackles' the ronniebear.

See, this is why I like spongen. That's twice in a row today (if that last comment of Ronnie's included me) that I was told, or at the least, was said to get on IRC more. I don't get that, or even seer that, at any other site unless it's to an op to stabilize e-dramas or some crap.

[Ronove]

Yeah I figure the best way I've gotten to know you guys is through our forum games (whether it be annoyances or what have you) and our time we can actually chat keyboard to keyboard. And we're all creative minds so we work together to bring ourselves up to our creative potential as much as possible--be it in threads or in IRC when going on about it.

[Barbatos]

It should also be important to note that while Spongen did have funding issues in the past, that is no longer the case, since the site's new owners (shigi and trick) are both millionaires~

[Lene]

trickster is actually deigning to drain his swimming pool of golden coins to spend on this place?

:O this is my shocked face.

So, trickster...I gotta family that needs saving, help a sista out.

[Kojo]

Wait... They're the sugar daddies behind this? If it's a problem, I'm sure there's some other spongies who'd be willing to chip in.

[supershigi]

Trickster's favorite activity is swimming through his gold coins.

http://topcultured.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/scrooge-mcduck-make-it-rain.jpg

[Cup o' Wisps]

That pile he's sitting on, that's the pile he made as khaled mardam-bey, whoring mirc out.

[Ronove]

SHIGI HE ISN'T WEARING PANTS. WHAT IS THIS FILTH. /jk