Tips on Keeping Your Team Engaged
May. 23rd, 2012 10:21 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
playerprophet posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
palhonchopartyhouseHello, palhonchos!
A lot of you have been having trouble with teammates who have put in little to no evidence of their presence. I am, admittedly, a bit of a pessimist about these things! There are so many people who signed up for the HSO this year, that there are bound to be a lot of people who just drop off the radar. They sign up, then lose interest and disappear. This is unfortunate and as palhoncho it is most likely not your fault. The HSO takes a surprising amount of dedication! And it's on the internet where people can silently flake out on whatever they please. So don't blame yourself if you lose teammates along the way! Odds are it had nothing to do with how you run things.
Although it won't save everyone, a good strategy in keeping your teammates interested is keeping them engaged. It's been a long boring couple of weeks since people even signed up for the HSO. Your teammates may reappear when the main rounds begin! But here are some tips that will hopefully keep them around.
Acknowledge everybody!
Intro posts are great, but make sure that each teammate who has come forward has been spoken to. Take a peek at their art, and say something nice. Or strike up a discussion on things you have in common - old fandoms, headcanons, etc. In talking about themselves you might get them more interested in starting a friendship with you.
Teambuilding Exercises!
This can come in many different forms! Every Sunday my team gets together and I livestream some of Jake's terrible movies, and sometimes also Parks & Recreation. Last weekend we watched Avatar. It was terrible. Next week I'm hoping to watch Tomb Raider. I've seen many other teams also interested in hosting movie nights! Another thing I've seen teams doing is hosting specific times where everyone meets on Skype to discuss things. Hang out, and get to know each other! Maybe you'll see your teammates make friends on their own!
Discussion Posts!
Luckily you and your teammates all already have something in common: Homestuck shipping! Hopefully they're all there because they love your ship! Open some discussion posts on headcanons, relevant music, favourite fan works on your ship, potential ideas for the main rounds and bonus rounds and so on. This is material that they're sure to get excited about, so talk about it! On a DW post or in chats, whichever. There's a lot to talk about.
Hopefully this will help to keep your teammates engaged. I think it's best if you keep them talking - but obviously you all have other things to do as well so don't overdo it. Being a palhoncho is hard work! Don't feel obligated to put more energy in than you're capable of.
A lot of you have been having trouble with teammates who have put in little to no evidence of their presence. I am, admittedly, a bit of a pessimist about these things! There are so many people who signed up for the HSO this year, that there are bound to be a lot of people who just drop off the radar. They sign up, then lose interest and disappear. This is unfortunate and as palhoncho it is most likely not your fault. The HSO takes a surprising amount of dedication! And it's on the internet where people can silently flake out on whatever they please. So don't blame yourself if you lose teammates along the way! Odds are it had nothing to do with how you run things.
Although it won't save everyone, a good strategy in keeping your teammates interested is keeping them engaged. It's been a long boring couple of weeks since people even signed up for the HSO. Your teammates may reappear when the main rounds begin! But here are some tips that will hopefully keep them around.
Acknowledge everybody!
Intro posts are great, but make sure that each teammate who has come forward has been spoken to. Take a peek at their art, and say something nice. Or strike up a discussion on things you have in common - old fandoms, headcanons, etc. In talking about themselves you might get them more interested in starting a friendship with you.
Teambuilding Exercises!
This can come in many different forms! Every Sunday my team gets together and I livestream some of Jake's terrible movies, and sometimes also Parks & Recreation. Last weekend we watched Avatar. It was terrible. Next week I'm hoping to watch Tomb Raider. I've seen many other teams also interested in hosting movie nights! Another thing I've seen teams doing is hosting specific times where everyone meets on Skype to discuss things. Hang out, and get to know each other! Maybe you'll see your teammates make friends on their own!
Discussion Posts!
Luckily you and your teammates all already have something in common: Homestuck shipping! Hopefully they're all there because they love your ship! Open some discussion posts on headcanons, relevant music, favourite fan works on your ship, potential ideas for the main rounds and bonus rounds and so on. This is material that they're sure to get excited about, so talk about it! On a DW post or in chats, whichever. There's a lot to talk about.
Hopefully this will help to keep your teammates engaged. I think it's best if you keep them talking - but obviously you all have other things to do as well so don't overdo it. Being a palhoncho is hard work! Don't feel obligated to put more energy in than you're capable of.
no subject
Date: 2012-05-23 05:38 pm (UTC)One thing I'd add in to acknowledging/discussing is something that really helped my group: a skype voice chat. If your teammates are comfortable with it, I found it helped break the ice a lot faster than text talking. It was particularly great for getting everyone more comfortable around our more tumblr famous artist. After you hear each others' voices derping excitedly about updates and other silly things, just IMing each other is waaay easier. That made everyone happier!
no subject
Date: 2012-05-23 08:03 pm (UTC)I think I might have to try that streaming idea...
no subject
Date: 2012-05-23 11:39 pm (UTC)Also, I have a teammate with a lot of parental restrictions on her internet access... apparently too young for both tumblr and Skype... She sadly might be hard to include in teambuilding events.
no subject
Date: 2012-05-25 05:57 am (UTC)Good luck with your younger teammate!
no subject
Date: 2012-05-24 02:14 pm (UTC)Additionally, as feedback from last time when I was asking for stuff along these lines, my team is more engaged now: I've still got one or two people who just don't seem very eager, but it's definitely an improvement. :) At least they're willing to talk to each other a bit!