Recruiting/Retention Class/Roundtable: Hosted by Bo

 

You say, "This class is going to be short, to the point, and hopefully I'll be able to cut useless BS to a minimum. I'm sure most of you already have your own techniques of recruiting new players and getting news to stay in Moria, but I'm gonna highlight some of the strategies I use and give some coding tips, client tips, etc.. that may make actually DOING things a little easier. What I'm gonna do, is talk for a little while on several topics. After I'm done with each topic, I'll open up the forum for questions. Regardless, this class WILL be over before 20:00 GT. Sound peachy?"

 

Pough sips at his Canada Dry, "Sure thing, Bo. Teach away."

 

Zig concurs.

 

        Ok. Cool... First of all, I'm gonna talk a little bit about spotting newbies: There are two ways that I know of. First, you can use Morian commands like +Mwho. +Mwho is good because it will give you the names of BOTH specied players AND those who have not yet chosen a species. For example, you'll see if newbs are set Uruk, Quendi, etc... or they are specieless.

 

        The other way is to hang out on <Newbie>. You have to be 'certified' to do this, either an Mhelper or an LA.

 

Zig considers joining <Newbie> ....

 

Zijgrak just got on it recently, Zig...

 

Zijgrak notes that you aren't allowed to recruit on <Newbie>.

 

Zijgrak says, "Or even sway them to a particular race."

 

You say, "Right... that was my other point..."

 

Zijgrak says, "Oh, sorry."

 

Zig says, "Just help them out with the little generic things ... yeah"

 

Pough sips and burps.

 

If you choose to hang out on the Newbie channel, you'll instantly be notified if a player connects to the MUSH. That way, you'll be able to page them fast.... However, the channel often gets pretty spammy AND you aren't allowed to recruit on there (it just gives you the names so you can page and recruit!)

 

If you do choose to do some heavy duty recruiting, and pounce on newbies as soon as they connect, it is often best to create a SPAWN window in your client. What follows are directions on how to make a spawn window for SimpleMU. A spawn window is a separate window that contains all activity on <Newbie> but leaves your main screen uncluttered. I am loggin this, btw, if you wanna retrieve all the coding/client directions I am giving tonight later down the road...

 

Pough says, "Cool, I've been wanting to know how to do this... I'm all ears.""

 

        To make a spawn windown on SimpleMU:

 

        Go to /connections/ then /add-edit sites/. After that, choose the connection you use for Elendor and click /edit/. Now... Choose the tab at the top of the menu that says /spawns/. From that screen you will be able to enter /spawn name/ as <Newbie>. Leave /spawn prefix/ blank. In the field that says /Pattern for Matching strings/, type: *<Newbie>* * ...

 

You say, "Then after that, you click /save/ and then go back out of all the windows. This method can be used for any channel, and can help cut down on miscoms if you are discussing sensitive information. For example, you could use it for <Pit> or <Mad>."

 

Zig would never do that, he doesn't talk about important things anyway. Yay

 

You say, "Personally, I just try and +mwho often and then page unspecied or Uruk newbies with my +greet command, and that's what I'm going to blab about next: Making a +greet command to page newbies quickly and effectively."

 

You say, "A +greet commands works like this: Imagine a newbie X that you wanted to page. You would simply type: +greet X and then that player would get a preset recruiting message. To create a +greet command, do the following:"

 

CMD_GREET [#27431]: $+greet *:page %0=[get(me/greet)]

 

GREET [#27431]: Hi :) Looking for a culture? I'm an administrator from Moria, home of the  Balrog and thousands of cave-dwelling orcs. If you look at +primetimes or +cwho and +info Moria, you will likely notice that our culture is personal and one of the most active on Elendor. That means more opportunities for new players! To reply, type: p bo=<Message>.

 

You say, "First, type this:"

 

You say, "&cmd_greet me=$+greet *:page %0=[get(me/greet)]"

 

Zijgrak says, "And make sure you are set !NO_COMMAND"

 

You say, "That will set an attribute on your character that is the +greet command and calls yet another attribute, called simply greet, and pages a player with it."

 

You say, "Second, type something like this:"

 

You say, "&greet me=<your recruting message>"

 

You say, "Third, do what Zij said. Type @set me=!no_command"

 

You say, "That will enable you to run commands off yourself."

 

Zijgrak oopses and shuts up.

 

You say, "Now, I'm gonna page all of you with MY +greet, and then you can model yours off of it or not. The important thing is that the newbie be given instructions on how to contact you. Most of them don't know the MUSH commands and so can't page you back... Stand by for page spam!"

 

 

 

You say, "Ok.. all of you should be well-spammed by now ;)"

 

Zijgrak hmms...

 

Pough nods

 

Z'macht nods and remembers something. "This is a very simple command. Get in touch with Gulp and he'll show you how to make a command that is VERY personalized and can give countless variations by using random snippets of language..."

 

Zijgrak says, "... and mentions how great the TS is in Moria..."

 

You say, "Ok. At this point I'd like to open the floor for any questions or comments :)"

 

Magog says, "By the time you've written up your masterwork that just drips of your writing style, the orc's gone Mordain. A macro's great."

 

You say, "Speed is the main issue."

 

Zijgrak hmms again.

 

Hykhert says, "GG has a point."

 

You say, "That's why <newbie> is great if you can hang out on there and wade through the spam."

 

Magog says, "Manic use of +mwho will also give you a jump."

 

You say, "Yep."

 

Blak says, "How do we get approved to be on <newbie>?"

 

Zijgrak says, "Plus it keeps you active. ;)"

 

You say, "Anyone have any questions or wanna mention some techniques they use?"

 

Pough hmms

 

Magog says, "When I recruit I use a similar method. Hit them with the +greet as soon as they go orc (others recruit without a species). Use +viewcc so that I'm in the recruiting room as soon as they finish creation"

 

Pough has nothing to say as this whole recruiting thing is all new to him.

 

Bozblot says, "I just try and seem really interested in what they want, but steer them towards moria no matter what"

 

Zijgrak hates being annoying...

 

You say, "Great lead in, GG :) ... Next topic on the table is 'What to do After You've Got the Newbie's Attention'"

 

Blak says, "Anyone going to answer my question?"

 

 

Bozblot says, ""So you like plants and the out doors? GREAT we have lots of moss in moria""

 

You say, "You have to be a Mhelper to get on <Newbie>"

 

Blak is an Mhelper, and can't join

 

Zijgrak says, "you have to be approved for it."

 

Zijgrak says, "Mostly only LAs can be on it..."

 

Magog says, "You require special approval, yes."

 

Zijgrak says, "For some reason, I am..."

 

You say, "Ok. There ya go then :)"

 

Zig has disconnected.

 

You say, "I think they want to make sure that you're not just blatantly recruiting on there."

 

Hykhert has disconnected.

 

You say, "Ok.. so we've made first contact with the newb, and started talking to him/her. Next thing to do, if the person is still in chargen, is use the command +viewcc, like GG said. The syntax for that command is: +viewCC <player's name>. It will show you the exact screen the noob is on so you can help him."

 

 

        After talking to the newbie, being extremely friendly, and trying to make some 'bond' between the two of you by giving him advice and help in Chargen, the newbie will likely end up in the recruiting room. At this point, if you are hardcore recruiting, it may be a good idea to actually join the player. That's right: get right up next to him in the same room. To do this, you can type +RR (and be taken right to the recruiting room) or just find the newbie the old fashioned way. Why would you want to do this? Well, there is a theory that says a person is more likely to do what you want them to if you are face-to-face. Why should it be different on a MUSH? ;)

 

        Regardless of whether you join the recruit or not, it is detrimental that you waste NO time selling the culture. If possible, drop hints about 'bloody battles', 'assasinations', and 'travel' to them... Most uruks are in it for the action and adventure. Wet their whistle a little bit. Furthermore, try to cater to what they want in a culture. Find out what they like and dislike. Mention our awesome LA staff and how active they are :P Describe all the opportunities for quick advancement, etc... This is all common sense. Then - pop the big question.

 

Chukk arrives from Middle Earth.

 

Chukk has arrived.

 

Magog says, "It's best to do this in a romantic setting...candles, dim lighting. Drop down on a knee"

 

 

Zijgrak hehs.

 

Bozblot says, "You like plants and animals and the outdoors? EXCELLENT, there's lots of moss and bugs in moria! Come on down."

 

        If you don't get a 'yes' right off the bat, the battle is not lost. Offer the newbie a chance to trounce around in Moria. Play up the scenes from the movie and make the caves sound more majestic than they are ;) Mention the fact that secret passageways and other such brainteasers abound in the mines (or will shortly!). At any rate: Get them on Morian turf.

 

        There are two ways to do this. First, have them look at the Morian poster in the recruting room, follow the directions, and then type 'friend.' When they do this, the player will get taken to the Uruk lounge, from which point he can enter the mines and have access to the help files.

 

You say, "Second, you can set yourself enterable and have the newbie enter you, then you just go IC. To do this, type @set me=enter_ok followed by @elock me="

 

You say, "After all of this effort, and you are still not getting a yes, you may want to have other Morians page the player. They can feign innocence, or admit they are in league with you, but perhaps you can find strength in numbers and they will 'cave' :P"

 

You say, "That about ends it for getting someone to accept a +culture..."

 

You say, "Woops, nearly forgot..."

 

Bozblot says, "getting our culture's webpage more spiffyriffic wouldn't hurt the cause"

 

Magog has disconnected.

 

You say, "When a player uses a +join command, it is best to page them with a message simply asking them if they would like to be Morian. Usually, they will say 'yes'. As soon as you get this affirmation, it is ok to get an LA to +culture them."

 

You say, "Good idea, Boz. I've had players comment on that... It would be nice to get the help files on there."

 

Bozblot says, "not necessarily help files, but some cool logs"

 

You say, "Any questions or additions?"

 

 

Bozblot says, "maybe some player profiles like the warg, and trolls, and some battle logs"

 

Z'macht nods. You should +mail MAD-BB about that stuff, Boz.

 

Bozblot says, "k"

 

Zijgrak says, "or better yet, do it yourself! :)"

 

Bozblot says, "well i cant upload to the moria page and tinker with it"

 

You say, "Slo does the webpages."

 

Bozblot says, "or i'd love to"

 

Zijgrak says, "Talk to Slo about it, man."

 

Bozblot says, "I have a question..."

 

You say, "Shoot."

 

Bozblot says, "is there some kinda uruk name generator you guys got a link to?"

 

Bozblot says, "or at least an uruk dictionary"

 

You say, "I know that Morbeth dictionaries are online somewhere..."

 

You say, "Just search Google for Morbeth"

 

Bozblot says, "this is for the newbies orcnames"

 

Z'macht doesn't use them, personally.

 

Bozblot says, "ok, everyone +mail me when you get the chance, all the gross sounding orkish syllables you can think of, and ill make a list"

 

Z'macht chuckles.

 

Bozblot says, "and i can add to a command a list of syllables they can mush together for their name, if they really cant think of one on their own"

 

Bozblot says, "In the past I've just been paging newbies with lots of different ork sounds"

 

Z'macht thinks it's a good idea, Turd. I like German syllables myself :P Now, I'm gonna go ahead and talk briefly about retention of newbies and then we'll be done ;)

 

Zijgrak waits... ;)

 

        The biggest factor in newbie rentention: ATTENTION!!!! That's right - lavish new players with attention. Page them every time they connect and start a personal conversation. Get to know the people, where they live, hobbies, age, schoolwork, etc... If players start to form chumships with people online, they will be more than likely to come back.

 

        Always reward a newbie for a good deed either with praise, or by notifying an LA (and notifying the newbie of the notification!). Good deeds are connecting, RPing, improving RP, being active on <MORIA>, making bb posts, making TPs, fullfilling requirments on +MNEWBIE, etc... The point is: Make the player FEEL GOOD when they are connected to Elendor. They will come back for more ;)

 

You say, "It's like giving animals rewards to train them ... same type of thinking :P"

 

You say, "But the reward is attention (via page) and praise (via page or over one of the coms)."

 

You say, "Now for a few words on +MNEWBIE...."

 

Mugruk has arrived.

 

Bozblot says, "good job Mugruk, thanks for joining. You're doing really great!"

 

Mugruk kicks Boz in the junk

 

Bozblot says, "Good kick! I just told te las how great you kick."

 

Mugruk just shakes his head

 

        +MNEWBIE is a command that can be used by everyone (when they are on Morian turf) to track the progress a newbie is making (or you're making - if you're a nebie). Type +mnewbie to see it now. However, only Mhelpers and LA's are able to alter the information in +MNEWBIE. After culturing a player, he/she should be entered by typing: +mnewbie/enroll <name>. After that, you can add to the newbies record by typing: +mnewbie/pass <name>=<Criterion> ... The critieria are listed upon typing the command itself. Examples are 'read +moria', 'find a tribe', 'find a job', take written test, take RP test, etc....

 

You say, "Always try to point out +mnewbie to new players and explain how it works. In theory, this is supposed to be a motivational tool to see how newbs are progressing compared to their temporaries. Always push new players to get combat registered as soon as possible. After they've done that, records show, retention is much higher."

 

You say, "Contemporaries rather :)"

 

        Finally, I need to mention what I call 'Personal TPs'. These are "missions" given to newbies, that often have a TP-like flair to them that keep the newbie involved and doing something meaningful. For example, in the past I've ICly ordered newbies to arrest people, act as messengers, spy, etc... After they've done this, as always, they should be rewarded OOCly or ICly with praise, equipment, etc...

 

Zijgrak nods and will work on that.

 

Bozblot was just told to arrest someone... HMMmmm

 

Zijgrak says, "In fact, if you ever see a Thrak newbie, just give me a quick +MAIL to let me know they need a 'mission' and I'll try."

 

You say, "That's all I have to say tonight. Basically, recruiting/retention is like defense in basketball: there are a few basic techniques you can use, but aside from that, how effective you are depends on how aggressive you are. It's a numbers game, and 'he who contacts the most newbies' wins :)"

 

Z'macht Nods to Zij. "That's it ;) Short and sweet... I guess we can sit around and BS now :P

 

Bozblot says, "we tagteamed tazglok pretty well the other night eh bo?"

 

You say, "Heh. Yea. We will be good I think."

 

You say, "Experienced."

 

You say, "Experienced MUSHers are always a prize."

 

Fin