Barronmore

We'll, I'm not going to say I'm disappointed...in fact, totally ok with it.

But since Dragon Ball has asked us to state what we would like to see, I do have some insights about successful clan systems that other sites have used before. I belonged to a forum board called MKrealms. It was 'the premiere site for all things Mage Knight (a collectible miniatures game that was the hottest game on the market until the creator killed the franchise with bad business decisions). The Realms had an established clan system when I joined the site that had been fully functioning for 2-3 years by then. I was in the clan for 4 years before the site died because the game was canceled.

There were quite a few factors that made the Clan system very successful at the Realms, and when these practices were not in place, the clan system suffered greatly. If clans are reorganized here at AO I would love to see them incorporate all/some of these suggestions.

1. You MUST have a full time administrator over the Clan system. When I mean full time, I really do mean full time. It has to be someone who can devote a great deal of time to the encouragement and maintenance of the entire system. While the Clan leaders admin their respective clans, it's the Clan System admin that sets the contest rules and oversees the smooth operation of everything. It's a big job and requires the full attention of one person to cover. At the realms it was one of the site founders (there were 2+ of them) that oversaw the clan system. It rocked when he had the time to do it...it suffered greatly when he did not have the time to do it. If you can find someone who will have the passion to administer the clan system and will stick with it...then it will be one of the greatest assets AO could have to retain membership. If the admin doesn't want to do it or loses interest, then it's a drain on resources and becomes a resentment among clan members.

2. Clans MUST have a private forum that is theirs. It should not be seen from the outside world and only the site admins (not mods) should even be able to see and post in it. Why? It's a refuge from the rest of the board where clan members can discuss whatever they want...or blow off steam if other site members are annoying them. This privacy is ESSENTIAL for the health of a clan. It was my biggest gripe with the AO clan system.

3. Clans on the realms were general clans. Anyone could join any clan (with approval from the clan of course). There was no 'Fan Fic' Clan or 'games' clan. There was the Draconum High Council or the Order of the Lions. Basically we carved out a nitch of the game or just a fun online "identity" and ran with it. What made the clan system interesting was the variety you would find in every clan. It also made it possible for every clan to compete equally with every other clan on the realms. That has not been possible on AO. As an example, the AO Fans have had a devil of a time finding a graphic artist so they can compete in mandatory competitions. This is a huge problem.

4. Clans on the realms had a minimum and maximum membership count. A clan could not be formed unless it already had 20 committed members at it's formation! This guaranteed a core active group. Some clans were 'unofficial' because they could never meet this number. If a clan fell under the 20 member minimum the clan was instantly disbanded and not allowed to join with any other clan. Disbanded members were free to find other clans if they wished but that was an individual choice. Membership in clans were capped at 50 members. This kept clans intimate and inviting while not overbearing. Very few clans however filled up there rolls completely.

5. Clan members became totally associated with their clan. Each clan member had to wear the clan's avatar (not signature). Traditionally, a persons avatar is their chosen identity, who they are so to speak, and the signature is where they express their individuality. By having the same Avatar, our online identity was that of the clan's identity. Every single member of any clan was proud of their clan and the reputation that clan had. It was in our signatures that we showed our individuality. This, to me, was the biggest problem of our clan system here on AO. I felt no unity with my clan or any real identity with it. Yes, we all had the same signature but our identities were separate. It was not that way at the realms. I was Barronmore of the DHC. I wasn't a member of the clan...the clan was a very serious part of my online identity.

6. All our clan system contests were judged on a point system. You got X amount of points for competing, winning, etc. But we only had mandatory clan challenges about once a year. The rest of the time points were earned by individual clan members for accomplishments that mods/admins felt they needed to recognize. If a clan member helped a newbie with a very friendly and needed post, they could be awarded with points for their clans. If they wrote a great review on a new set of figs for the games, the clans earned points. Our clan competitions consisted more of 'good deeds' and great content then it ever did with playing games against each other (which we also did). As such, we were ALWAYS motivated to compete against other clans by improving the site overall. It was a great system. The front page held a box with the top 3 clan rankings and how many points they had earned. Mind you, you could also lose points for your clan because of your conduct. Any warning points were deducted from your clans total. If you were banned you lost a great deal of points for your clan.

In short, you got 1 point for each clan member and then earned additional points through great posts, good community activity, helpfulness, and official contests. You lost points for warnings, bannings, and poor conduct.

7. Clans were allowed to set their own standards and enforce them. There was only one clan leader and he was in charge of everything from approval of clan members to inner-clan discipline. If there was a problem with a clan member, the admins brought it up to the clan leader (after appropriate actions of course) and left it to the clan leader to resolve it. Between losing reputation among forum members and losing clan points for bad behavior, most issues were solved. If any additional steps needed to be taken by admin/staff members, it was handled completely inside the private clan board.

I'm sure there is actually more. But in short this was really what made the clan system on the Realms rock. I was a member of the realms for a 1½ years before joining the DHC. I don't remember those years at all. But my 3-4 year with the DHC is the highlight of my forum life! They really are family to me and I love every one of them. My identity on the Realms is totally tied to them and the clan...I am no longer Barronmore, a lone wolf. I am Barronmore of the DHC...and I always will be.

That is what I would like to see out of this clan system.

If you have any questions I'll do my best to answer them....

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