Tolero
06-23-2008, 02:45 PM
Welcome Adoptive Players!
Every month, user-created events, activities, and guides are abandoned when their owners can no longer take care of them. Left alone and untended, these once beloved contributions gradually become abandoned and, ultimately, obsolete until they are forgotten. Abandoned Project overpopulation is a growing problem, but now you can help give abandoned user-created project a second chance at life by adopting them! For just minutes a day (or week), you can become the proud new owner of an abandoned community project, and provide it with the chance to continue to bring enjoyment to other players! Read more to find out how you can bring hope to an abandoned project in your community today! Check the Eberron Chronicles for projects, guides, threads, and more looking for a new loving owner!
Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions
Question: Why do community projects go abandoned? Doesn't anyone love them anymore?
Answer: There are many reasons why an activity a player started goes by the wayside. Sometimes the original creator may not have the time to keep up with it any more. They may have left the community. They may have even just grown tired of working on the project. No matter the reason, with no one leading the charge of the activity, it slowly decreases in traffic, awareness, and contributions until one day it is full of broken links, broken images, and out-dated material. It becomes like a garden over-run with weeds. Without a grounds keeper, no one is interested in visiting the once beautiful garden.
Question: I've noticed some "stickied threads" in the forums. How do user-created threads become stickied threads in the first place, and why are they unstuck?
Answer: Typically, user-created threads become stickies when:
The thread is a fun and positive community bonding activity (or reoccurring event) that helps to grow the community, and is intended for anyone on the server(s) to participate in long-term
The thread is a frequently updated resource for other players on game, server, or other DDO related information
The thread offers valuable assistance to other players
Stickies evolve over time depending upon the needs of the community. Stickies are periodically reviewed to determine if they are still actively being used by the community. If activity / interest in a sticky drops off, it is considered "abandoned" and becomes a candidates for being unstuck or, better yet, adopted by another user.
Question: What are other types of community projects that suffer from this phenomenon?
Answer: There are many! Guides are the most commonly abandoned community project whether in the compendium, on the forums, or housed elsewhere by players. The second most commonly abandoned projects are player-made events. Last but most certainly not least are player fansites if the original fansite founder is unable to maintain them.
Adoption Questions
Question: I'm interested in adopting an abandoned community project. What are the steps of adoption?
Answer: There are 3 important things to keep in mind:
Does the project already have an owner? It's best to contact the creator of the project to determine if it still belongs to someone already before you try to adopt it! If the creator is unavailable, be sure to check the date of activity on the project, such as when the last edit, comment, or contribution was made. It could be that a new owner took over - players often try to pass project responsibilities on to other users. You very well may be able to adopt the project directly from the current owner if they're looking for a volunteer to take it over!
Is the project right for you? Some community projects require more maintenance than others. If you don't feel you can commit to keeping up with the project, it's best to leave it for other willing adoptive players.
Have you given enough time for a response from the owner/participants? Remember to give it a little time before you dive in taking over the project. Some users log in sporadically, and it may take them a week or so before they see your messages and inquiries. Fellow users can also help indicate if the original owner is still maintaining the activity. The easiest way to get started is to post feedback somewhere visible in the project, such as a comments section or other reply, to let other users know that you're interested in firing the activity back up, and that it's open for business again!
Question: How can I tell if a community project is a candidate for adoption?
Answer: There are several ways you can recognize an abandoned community project. If you see no recent updates, edits, or posting activity in the past three months, the project could very well be in need of a new owner. Also, watch for announcements by project creators or current owners who are looking for a new owner for their activity. You can also check the Eberron Chronicle for activities in need of adoption. Remember, though, that so long as a project is relevant and accurate - as related to the game or community - it may not need updating or adoption. Popular guides, forum thread stickies, and other community projects are periodically reviewed by the DDO Community Team to determine relevance and community interest levels. Remember that official activities created by Turbine are not available for adoption unless otherwise indicated.
Question: How are new activity owners determined?
Answer: Adoptable user-created activities are available on a first come, first serve basis. If you're interested in a project, but it already has an active owner, you can offer to help them out. Many users would love an extra pair of hands to help keep the activity alive, active, accurate, and fun!
Question: Can I rename my adopted activity, or have it pruned/restarted?
Answer: This is dependent upon the activity. Some projects are easy to start over from scratch, while others rely on the contributions of visitors over long periods of time, and removing that history could be detrimental to the project's health or fun. Talk with your Community Team representative to determine what is right for you and your newly adopted activity for the benefit of everyone involved!
Activity Owner Questions
Question: I have a community activity that I maintain, but I just don't have the time or energy to keep up with it any more. How can I give my project up for adoption?
Answer: Finding a new owner for your activity is easy if you're looking to pass it on to the hands of the community! Simply make a post in your activity somewhere indicating that you're looking for a new user to take up the torch, select your volunteer, and communicate with them to help get them started with taking it over.
Question: I like a community project, but I'm worried that one day it will go by the wayside! How often do we need to work with a an activity to keep that from happening?
Answer: This depends on the activity and where it is being kept! If it is a guide in a blog or in the compendium these are easily maintained and passed on by players. Activities that are referenced in Turbine indexes and threads that are "sticky" in the community forums are periodically evaluated by the Community Team. If they are no longer maintained or relevant, they may be removed from sticky/reference points. Some projects require much more maintenance than others. Some users spend a few minutes a day, or even hours per week, working with their activity to keep it current, active, and accurate. Other users update their activity once every couple of months as needed. For example, activities that involve volunteer work, or involve updating lists, require much more upkeep. It all depends on the content of the activity. So long as there is interest and activity, your project will enjoy a long and happy life with the community!
Every month, user-created events, activities, and guides are abandoned when their owners can no longer take care of them. Left alone and untended, these once beloved contributions gradually become abandoned and, ultimately, obsolete until they are forgotten. Abandoned Project overpopulation is a growing problem, but now you can help give abandoned user-created project a second chance at life by adopting them! For just minutes a day (or week), you can become the proud new owner of an abandoned community project, and provide it with the chance to continue to bring enjoyment to other players! Read more to find out how you can bring hope to an abandoned project in your community today! Check the Eberron Chronicles for projects, guides, threads, and more looking for a new loving owner!
Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions
Question: Why do community projects go abandoned? Doesn't anyone love them anymore?
Answer: There are many reasons why an activity a player started goes by the wayside. Sometimes the original creator may not have the time to keep up with it any more. They may have left the community. They may have even just grown tired of working on the project. No matter the reason, with no one leading the charge of the activity, it slowly decreases in traffic, awareness, and contributions until one day it is full of broken links, broken images, and out-dated material. It becomes like a garden over-run with weeds. Without a grounds keeper, no one is interested in visiting the once beautiful garden.
Question: I've noticed some "stickied threads" in the forums. How do user-created threads become stickied threads in the first place, and why are they unstuck?
Answer: Typically, user-created threads become stickies when:
The thread is a fun and positive community bonding activity (or reoccurring event) that helps to grow the community, and is intended for anyone on the server(s) to participate in long-term
The thread is a frequently updated resource for other players on game, server, or other DDO related information
The thread offers valuable assistance to other players
Stickies evolve over time depending upon the needs of the community. Stickies are periodically reviewed to determine if they are still actively being used by the community. If activity / interest in a sticky drops off, it is considered "abandoned" and becomes a candidates for being unstuck or, better yet, adopted by another user.
Question: What are other types of community projects that suffer from this phenomenon?
Answer: There are many! Guides are the most commonly abandoned community project whether in the compendium, on the forums, or housed elsewhere by players. The second most commonly abandoned projects are player-made events. Last but most certainly not least are player fansites if the original fansite founder is unable to maintain them.
Adoption Questions
Question: I'm interested in adopting an abandoned community project. What are the steps of adoption?
Answer: There are 3 important things to keep in mind:
Does the project already have an owner? It's best to contact the creator of the project to determine if it still belongs to someone already before you try to adopt it! If the creator is unavailable, be sure to check the date of activity on the project, such as when the last edit, comment, or contribution was made. It could be that a new owner took over - players often try to pass project responsibilities on to other users. You very well may be able to adopt the project directly from the current owner if they're looking for a volunteer to take it over!
Is the project right for you? Some community projects require more maintenance than others. If you don't feel you can commit to keeping up with the project, it's best to leave it for other willing adoptive players.
Have you given enough time for a response from the owner/participants? Remember to give it a little time before you dive in taking over the project. Some users log in sporadically, and it may take them a week or so before they see your messages and inquiries. Fellow users can also help indicate if the original owner is still maintaining the activity. The easiest way to get started is to post feedback somewhere visible in the project, such as a comments section or other reply, to let other users know that you're interested in firing the activity back up, and that it's open for business again!
Question: How can I tell if a community project is a candidate for adoption?
Answer: There are several ways you can recognize an abandoned community project. If you see no recent updates, edits, or posting activity in the past three months, the project could very well be in need of a new owner. Also, watch for announcements by project creators or current owners who are looking for a new owner for their activity. You can also check the Eberron Chronicle for activities in need of adoption. Remember, though, that so long as a project is relevant and accurate - as related to the game or community - it may not need updating or adoption. Popular guides, forum thread stickies, and other community projects are periodically reviewed by the DDO Community Team to determine relevance and community interest levels. Remember that official activities created by Turbine are not available for adoption unless otherwise indicated.
Question: How are new activity owners determined?
Answer: Adoptable user-created activities are available on a first come, first serve basis. If you're interested in a project, but it already has an active owner, you can offer to help them out. Many users would love an extra pair of hands to help keep the activity alive, active, accurate, and fun!
Question: Can I rename my adopted activity, or have it pruned/restarted?
Answer: This is dependent upon the activity. Some projects are easy to start over from scratch, while others rely on the contributions of visitors over long periods of time, and removing that history could be detrimental to the project's health or fun. Talk with your Community Team representative to determine what is right for you and your newly adopted activity for the benefit of everyone involved!
Activity Owner Questions
Question: I have a community activity that I maintain, but I just don't have the time or energy to keep up with it any more. How can I give my project up for adoption?
Answer: Finding a new owner for your activity is easy if you're looking to pass it on to the hands of the community! Simply make a post in your activity somewhere indicating that you're looking for a new user to take up the torch, select your volunteer, and communicate with them to help get them started with taking it over.
Question: I like a community project, but I'm worried that one day it will go by the wayside! How often do we need to work with a an activity to keep that from happening?
Answer: This depends on the activity and where it is being kept! If it is a guide in a blog or in the compendium these are easily maintained and passed on by players. Activities that are referenced in Turbine indexes and threads that are "sticky" in the community forums are periodically evaluated by the Community Team. If they are no longer maintained or relevant, they may be removed from sticky/reference points. Some projects require much more maintenance than others. Some users spend a few minutes a day, or even hours per week, working with their activity to keep it current, active, and accurate. Other users update their activity once every couple of months as needed. For example, activities that involve volunteer work, or involve updating lists, require much more upkeep. It all depends on the content of the activity. So long as there is interest and activity, your project will enjoy a long and happy life with the community!