User blog:Ildsjel/An Open Letter

To whomever it concerns,


 * In truth, I was reluctant to publish a blog that, for so many, could be interpreted as problematic. It’s not my wish nor is it my goal for anyone to feel like they have been blamed or accused of anything unsavory. What I hope to achieve with this letter is a better understanding of the current state of DARP. It’s been a difficult year filled with struggles and busy schedules, making it nigh impossible for many to put in as much effort into DARP as it deserves. However, this lack of effort had given way to something else entirely: a lack of interest. The amount of ongoing RPs are dwindling and the time lapsing between edits in recent activity is escalating. Normally, I’d attribute it to school restarting and continue my merry way, but this has been ongoing for a long time now, and I’m beginning to worry this is the new normal for a community that so many people grew up in and devoted so much of their time to. First and foremost, I’d like to acknowledge my own shortcomings. I’m not naive enough to presume I can help a website as big as DARP become as active as it was two, three, four years ago without contributing more than I have as of late. As I rectify that, however, I’d like to do so knowing I can count on an active userbase where everyone will pull their own weight. Worth noting, however, is some users have, as a matter of fact, lingered and done what they can to ensure we don’t leave this wiki in the dust. You’re some of our most devoted users, and I’m proud to be a part of the same website as you. DARP wouldn’t be what it is today without the joint effort of the tens upon hundreds of people that have come and gone. From our RP location codes to the wikia background image to the logo to even the sorting forums. Everyone contributed one way or another. If we could do that then, when we didn’t know each other as well as we do now, then why can’t we come together one more time and make DARP as lively as it once was?  Where have we gone wrong? Does DARP needs a facelift? For as long as I’ve been here, DARP has had the same beige scheme going on, and while I fully support it, do we think a  makeover would be refreshing? Sometimes, modernizing websites is all it takes for an increase in traffic. In more serious cases, as it has been in the past for DARP, it waters down to poor leadership and failure to devote the necessary amount of time into such an influential, and thus highly demanding, website. Is that the case now? If so, what can we do? Do we need to reassess the decisions we made and the people we put in power? How can the administration reinvigorate its userbase? How can we make sure your interest doesn’t slip through the cracks? Do we need to be heavier on user-administration interactions? More inclusive? Does it have to do with Discord?  In the past, there have been many attempts at ‘spin-off’ communities. Some have been more successful than others, and some are still running to this day. Many of these are related to the Potterverse, but some of them don’t. In truth, I can’t judge anyone for it. I’ve done the exact same thing, many times over. However, each of these communities have surged for one recurring reason: there are people that don’t think DARP is good enough. Why? Why are we not good enough? In what areas are we lacking? Don’t say we aren’t; the numbers are more than enough proof we’re falling short somewhere, and I just hope this blog reasons with you enough to make you wonder where things went wrong. I also hope it reasons with you enough to become a part of the conversation. We all need to rely on each other and communicate better in order to establish a more consistent stream of activity.  Why is it that new users join and end up leaving within a few days? Are we not a welcoming enough community? If we are, does it have to do with how well we do or don’t communicate? I know there are users that don’t think it has to do with the initial welcoming, but rather everything that comes after that. Once the novelty of these new users wear off, I’ve witnessed the amount of help they receive gradually decrease. Others have noticed. I would really love to say it’s normal for people to feel welcomed in DARP, but if experienced users like myself and some of my closest friends are struggling to feel any sense of belonging, imagine how new users must feel. Three days in and they’re already being ignored? What does this mean? How can we fix it? Should we implement a big sibling program?  There are many things we need to regard when it comes to these drops in activity.  Gradually, each drop has become steeper, sharper, and lasted a whole lot longer. How can we avoid this? Obviously, the spotlight brings good traffic, but why haven’t we been able to maintain it long-term? Does it have to do with the user guide? Are the instructions not clear enough? Or does it have to do with the policies and how outdated they are? However, just as we have many problems, we have many steps we can take to freshen the wiki and make it as interesting as it once was. It’s just a matter of committing to ensuring it happens. So… the next question goes: how can we make sure our userbase and our administration team is committed to the success of DARP? I’ve already received some feedback on this, and a solution suggested was that bureaucrats and administrators should undergo reelection at least every six months. We were put in power for a reason. If we don’t live up to users’ expectations, then they need to have the ability to vote someone else in. There are, of course, more options, but it's up to us as a group to figure out what we should do, how we should do it, and why we should do it.  Don’t take offense to this. Please. That wasn’t my intention. I just want to start a conversation on how we can get better. I’m tired of sweeping these problems under the rug. It’s time we do something about it, no matter what it is we have to do.

With love, Jaye