Claimed:Activity and the VHLM: Part 2 - Narcissism [6/6 FINAL]

[AIM-11 134]

 

“I don't care what you think unless it is about me.”
― Kurt Cobain

 

 

Last week I examined the issue of VHLM activity in a general, "fly by" sort of way.  I examined a few different ideas, laid out some things that could possibly increase activity in the VHLM, and ultimately increase the numbers of members that the VHL retains past 100 TPE. 

 

This week let's drill down into the specific tactics a little closer, and see if we can't flesh out some strategies and ideas.

 

People love themselves more than anyone else and want to believe you do too.

 

One of the primary ways of keeping people engaged in the league is to constantly have them believe that they are of the utmost importance to you.  At our very core as human beings, we are purely selfish beings.  Dale Carnegie commented that “A person’s name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language.”  To truly connect an individual to the greater community here in the VHL it's important that they feel like they are valued, or even better, that they are adored. 

 

Currently there are already some solid initiatives going on in this regard.  VHLM This Week is a concise and clear way that Jalodolar is engaging new members.  Using quick bullet points, and brief mentions, he is able to allow new members to see their name being mentioned, and make it known that their role is important in the league.  On a more polished, though no more important note, On The Rise also does a great job of accomplishing the same thing, but in a more verbose fashion.  While this has the downside of mentioning less people, it does a great job of really highlighting VHLM members in a deep way. Both of these initiatives should be applauded for their work.

 

While those are all solid ways that GMs and other members are hopping on board the narcissism train, there may be a few ways to take things to the next level.

 

1) Send off Quick Private Messages to any member being mentioned in an Article, or Graphic.

 

The forums can be an overwhelming place for anyone who has not been around for quite some time.  With a constant stream of new threads popping up, and a myriad of conversations happening around the league, it can be near impossible for all but the most dedicated to even know that they have been highlighted somewhere.  All of the recognition and attention in the world is useless if the target of that attention does not even know about it.  A quick piece of advice for anyone writing about a VHLM player, or a new members, is to send out a quick Private Message to whoever is being featured.  Even if it's a simple one liner in a message somewhere, a quick note to that player which says 'Hey, thought you might find this interesting!' could go a long way.

 

2) Provide a little extra incentive for people to write Media Articles about VHLM players.

 

While the VHL main league should always be the focus for most things, perhaps there could be a small incentive for anyone who chooses to write an article which focuses heavily on first gen players.  A token TPE boost of perhaps 0.25 TPE could provide the carrot that us Media Article donkeys need, to focus more on members who are new to the league.  The bonus should not be too high, so that discussing first gen players does not become so commonplace that the rest of the league is ignored.

 

3) VHLM GMs could have an internal Newsletter that highlighted members of their team.

 

VHLM GMs have a decent amount on their plate already, so I am hesitant to suggest any more.  However, the potential payoff for a newsletter, or internal article, could be quite large.  If a VHLM GM decided to write an article in their lockerroom each week that was simple, focused on member accomplishments, and engaged their members, my guess is we would see a serious spike in member retention.  The article would not need to be incredibly in depth, but might merely mention the point tasks that the members took part in, the TPE they earned, some accomplishments they had in the VHLM games, and perhaps some suggestions on what to do next.  A team which is led by an active GM who seems to truly value the long term welfare of his/her members, will be an All Star GM in my books.

 

At the end of the day, we need to be realistic about the power of puffing up our new members.  It might seem shallow or hollow, but it does work.  World Class salesmen know the power that merely speaking someone else's name has, and that same power could be used in the VHL as well.

[Victor 10,580]

If there was always a guaranteed one MS about the VHLM featured in the VHLM mag that could help as incentive.

[frescoelmo 1,225]

Content: 3/3 - A lengthy piece about different concepts the league could integrate to further retain new members and continue to develop the talent we get here.  This read very well for the most part and super-organized.  Nice work ~810

 

Grammar: 2/2 - Good work!

or a new members, = or new members (?)

lockerroom = locker room, locker-room (marginal)

 

Appearance: 1/1 - Yep

 

6/6 Final (ya hurd)

[eaglesfan036 4,585]

I like you idea on weekly reports on players on my team. I would consider doing that for my media spots if I wasn't already in the mag, and I'm sure everyone doesn't want to read my Yukon homerism in the mag every week :3

[James 77]

Claimed