What is your best technique for finding an RP partner on BM?

[Brokk]

I'm referring to searching through the ads to find a good match. Not posting ads to attract someone.

I typically look for a story/plot that interests me, then I look at who they are as a writer, check for previous posts to get a feeling for how they actually write and if I feel there is a match, I will send them a PM.

I'm looking for longer form writers, but it seems like nearly all the ads are from folks looking for 200 words. With the frequency of bumping I feel like I'm looking at the same ads over and over, so I'm just wasting my time doing that.

I figure I am missing something and there must be an easier way to go about this process.

What are your best techniques for finding what you are looking for?

 

[Revelations]

As lame as my advice it, it's going to be 'Don't be afraid to approach'. If you think you'll vibe with a partner, message them. You miss every shot you don't take.

 

[Brokk]

As lame as my advice it, it's going to be 'Don't be afraid to approach'. If you think you'll vibe with a partner, message them. You miss every shot you don't take.

Thanks. No fear here. I am used to making the approach. I'm just having trouble finding folks that would be a good match for story interest and writing style. I'm now trying to search by tags to see if that simplifies things.

 

[Komari]

Don't be afraid to go back even further into the pages! If you see something that interests you there, still message them even if they haven't bumped recently, granted they've not edited to say no longer looking already. As long as you're polite, acknowledge that fact they've not bumped recently, and so on, it's not really harming anyone. Worst they can say is no!

 

[Chrysalis]

I was just wondering this, myself! Thanks for asking the question

 

[Siph]

As long as you're polite, acknowledge that fact they've not bumped recently, and so on, it's not really harming anyone. Worst they can say is no!

100% recommend this. Although it could feel like a waste of time when it turns out they're no longer looking/active, some of my best RPs have spawned from people reaching out about my older threads, and from me reaching out about theirs.

I'm referring to searching through the ads to find a good match.

I'm gonna say exactly what you're not asking about, but if you can't find what you're looking for, it's worth putting out a thread of your own highlighting exactly those things. It's very likely that there are plenty of people who share your interests, but who don't necessarily advertise them in their RTs, if they have an RT of their own at all. I've had some very niche cravings in the past that I could only find a partner for because I made a thread for it.

With the frequency of bumping I feel like I'm looking at the same ads over and over, so I'm just wasting my time doing that.

If you keep seeing the same threads from the same people and you're certain you'll never ever want to play with them, you can simply ignore those users. I prefer to think of this as a last resort, however, as this also means you won't see any of their future posts and they won't be able to DM you. Unfortunately we can't ignore single threads, yet.

 

[Brokk]

100% recommend this. Although it could feel like a waste of time when it turns out they're no longer looking/active, some of my best RPs have spawned from people reaching out about my older threads, and from me reaching out about theirs.

What's reasonable? I tried tag searches, but I'd get 1/2 dozen hits spanning the last 7 years. I can also look to see if people have posted recently, but if they seem inactive for months/years... I doubt they would even check the site for new messages.

I'm gonna say exactly what you're not asking about, but if you can't find what you're looking for, it's worth putting out a thread of your own highlighting exactly those things. It's very likely that there are plenty of people who share your interests, but who don't necessarily advertise them in their RTs, if they have an RT of their own at all. I've had some very niche cravings in the past that I could only find a partner for because I made a thread for it.

I have the opposite problem. I don't have a niche craving. However, if I don't have a solid plot idea and they don't have a solid plot idea... It's extremely rare for me to plot something from scratch with a brand new partner and have it work out. 9 out of 10 times it's a huge waste of time and effort for both of us. If I find a plot that I like, then we already have a common match, a few tweaks and the magic happens. It's like fitting gears together. Heck, even if we have enough overlap in themes it can be OK.

My one RT post, looking for Novella partners, I either got folks with no common interests or people who average a couple hundred words in their replies. I hate turning people away. I'd rather look and approach once I've already made sure we are a good match.

If you keep seeing the same threads from the same people and you're certain you'll never ever want to play with them, you can simply ignore those users. I prefer to think of this as a last resort, however, as this also means you won't see any of their future posts and they won't be able to DM you. Unfortunately we can't ignore single threads, yet.

I think I did that a bunch early on. Blocking their ads for people where we would never match. Like you said, then I won't see their posts anywhere. They might be delightful to chat with in public threads but I would never see them.

 

[Siph]

I tried tag searches, but I'd get 1/2 dozen hits spanning the last 7 years.

Not a lot of people use tags for their threads. I'd recommend instead searching for keywords here (also accessible by clicking at the top right, "Advanced search"), and make sure you've selected the appropriate forums/prefixes. Or is this what you referred to by tag search?

 

[Brokk]

Not a lot of people use tags for their threads. I'd recommend instead searching for keywords here (also accessible by clicking at the top right, "Advanced search"), and make sure you've selected the appropriate forums/prefixes. Or is this what you referred to by tag search?

I'm also doing that.

You were right with the first assumption. Actually searching based on a tag. Which as you guessed was not very useful.

 

[Zephyra]

I would say that you might want to try checking out people's profiles, maybe take a look at the people who post frequently in the forums and specifically those whose vibe/aesthetic appeals to you. Whether they're posting stuff in OOC discussion, or it's someone's journal that you found interesting, or even a roleplay in the threads that interested you and you liked their writing. I guess what I'm saying is that the request threads aren't the only place you could be going to search for potential partners. I've clicked on people I saw talking in chat or sharing their opinion on a forum only to then check out their RT from their profile and I've found multiple people I've thought would make great partners; it's even how I connected with one of my current partners as I saw them posting elsewhere and noticed they were also bumping their thread so I decided to contact them because of it.

Of course, it's not a perfect method because your pool of writers will be smaller and they may not even be looking for partners in the first place. That being said, it never hurts to send a message expressing interest in writing with someone even if they might not currently be searching - maybe mention that you'd love to start something when they have space and come to them with your ideas. I've been persuaded to start another roleplay even when I considered myself full before because the pitch really appealed to me and I figured, yeah, I can make room for this person. It may not work on everyone, but most people won't turn down someone that they feel is really compatible with them or perhaps willing to fulfill a craving of theirs.

My one RT post, looking for Novella partners, I either got folks with no common interests or people who average a couple hundred words in their replies. I hate turning people away. I'd rather look and approach once I've already made sure we are a good match.

I do agree with others here that posting your own thread is the best way to get exactly what it is that you're looking for, but I think if you're constantly running into the problem where you have to turn people down because they didn't read through it properly, then I would say you could maybe make the language in it a little more direct. Like, establish what your definition of a novella writer is by laying out a minimum word count or setting a ballpark, and have a rule that you will ignore any messages that don't clearly address the content of your thread. You can be strict about what you're looking for without being rude, and there's nothing wrong with having expectations and preferences. If someone blatantly ignores them then they don't deserve a message turning them away in the first place. You're taking time out of your day to roleplay, so it only makes sense that you should be picky about who you'll do it with.

That's just my two cents, though. Honestly, a lot of it also just comes down to luck, like you never know when the perfect partner is gonna post or bump their RT. It could happen at any time of day and maybe you won't be online for it, or maybe you'll skip over it because the title looks uninteresting, or any number of other reasons. It takes time, but it's worth it to keep looking.

 

[Seranda]

If I'm looking at a RT and the title is somewhat interesting, I'll take a look. If images accompany the idea it helps me understand what the prompt is going for.

I try to do the same in my thread for people who peek in. Give a generally good idea of what exactly I am looking for, though many of the characters I place are basically placeholders.