Communities, pt2

So how does one create a somewhat mature working online community? Is there an actual recipe for such a thing? And how does one create such a community in the fine example of Laurelin, that of Lord of the Rings Online server? Well...

First of all, one has to realize that first several months will not be milk and honey. First several months will go into simply rallying people and giving kicks left and right, roaring and cursing. Well, that's not how it goes, but being prepared for the worst generally helps deal with various irritants, and being prepared to become known as a person that WILL react helps make people think twice.

After this awesome realization, it's time to decide on a goal. Let's say the goal would be something along the lines of a small adventurer alliance that is meant to add "realism", choices and consequences and give new RP opportunities. Yay, we have a goal now! Now what?

Now we decide on who we want to be in the group. Shiny nifty people? Shady naughty people? Both? If we want both, then how do we have them both in the thing without breaking people's preferences?

Amrite. That's decided on. What next? Well, next, obviously, we contact these people, tell them about our awesome idea and see what they think about it. If they agree to it being awesome, we ask them to join. Rinse and repeat until desired community size is formed, and prepare for at least 10% of the society of never taking part, and another 10% pulling out, the first ones despite and the second because of your deafening roars.

Next part involves in small community-building events where people get together and get to know each others, establish the "base of operations" and generally interact. At this stage, having a forum and an internal chat channel becomes important. Well, it becomes important at the previous stage still, actually, but now it *has* to be around. And it's time to fully establish community's guidelines and rules. There have to be some definite rules that, upon breaking, the member gets kicked out and possibly anathemated (but more of this later)


Anyhow, that's with the community building. The easy part. The second part is community maintenance, the very hard, very taxing, very irritating business, in the process of which you will hurt random people, people you hate and friends an enormous amount of times in order for one simple thing to make its way through everyone's head - the rules apply to everyone without exception. Only then will they actually work.

Community maintenance is mainly a moderator job, really. In every aspect of a moderator's possible duty. Including kicking people out, banning and - yes! - blacklisting. But Angie, you might say, that is not very liberal! We have no right to blacklist people, do we?

Of course we do. We're a group with set standards, one that offers a lot to the members, but will also require a lot in return. One of such things is being ready to be blacklisted in case you royally mess up. It's simply a matter of who to play with in the sandbox, and some kids out there, we rather not have with us.

Of course, that's still presuming equality and liberalism, which, to be truthful, work online even less than they do in the outside world. Face it. There's no equality. Anyone to have been to school should know this by now. There are smart kids whom people acknowledge and love, there are smart kids that stick to the shades and, when trying to raise the voice on an important issue, are simply ignored, there are dumb but lovable kids, there are bullies, there are the beauty queens and kings, there are leaders and there are people that don't give a damn. They're only equal if you look at them from a master's perspective - yeah, they're all equal to do my bidding. Otherwise, ha! As for liberalism, liberalism is meant to also have the people shoulder their responsibilities - and in the online world, what sort of responsibilities do you really have that can misfire and hit you in the face? Please.

There's no equality, there is no liberalism, there is no wonderful land of flower-sniffing elves. I'd absolutely bloody love it if there was such a thing. I'd totally bloody adore it. But it's not there, and if I can carry my responsibilities and in turn, be a free man through it, it doesn't mean others can. When everyone will be able to follow their responsibilities and not just enjoy their freedoms, then we'll have democracy. Not before that point.

Oh, and carebear societies do not survive in MMOs.