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Cold Calls

how do you do it they avoid my like the plague it seems especially with my writing and grammar problem.
 
No idea. I think maybe it's because I'm always popping in to check my rp's so I always appear online.
 
Ok, so this person joined the month before I did. So technically the person has seniority.

However, they only have three posts. Three! I have over 300! And I was greeted like a newbie. Wow. Just wow...
 
I am mean to most of them... but that is because they send me a PM that simply says "Hello, how are you? I need a friend!" or "Hello, I read your requests. what are you craving?"

Wow.... Firstly, I'm not here to make friends, I'm here to write and I like to think I write well. I don't want to waste my precious time on the likes of someone kicking back and wanting to JUST talk. More than likely I will ignore the PM because well. I make friends with my partners, but it's NEVER and instant thing and well, being a sub-admin for the site I'm leery of those wanting to be 'my friend'.

Secondly, if you read my request thread... then you know what I'm craving. It's their way of saying I want to work with you but your ideas are garbage and I'm trying to be nice. Or at least that is how it comes off to me. Also, I have rules in my thread and if I get something like that I follow it back with "Hi, it's obvious to me that you didn't read my thread. Good luck with your search!" Typically they come back with the thing they forgot and an apology and then a plot of all things.... makes me laugh.
 
Mr. Sanderson said:
nmorgan - you're on a male profile, she's on a female profile, that's how.
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This! Rp forums are a lot like dating sites; girls get as much action as they want and guys have to fight for it.
 
I was cold called, not the other way around. The person sent a "hey wanna rp?" -like message, but included a "Welcome to Bluemoon" in the middle of it... And, again, I point to the fact that this person has 3 posts.

Sorry, I just found it to be really annoying and I had to vent about it.
 
Already this has happened to me! I just signed up yesterday and posted my introduction tonight, but before I even posted an intro thread or anything, someone messaged me with, basically, "Welcome to Blue Moon! Wanna plot/RP?" No plot ideas, character ideas, no... anything to go from at all, really! The guy had two posts and no request thread. It just seems like terrible etiquette and being generally very inconsiderate.
 
Squishypink said:
Mr. Sanderson said:
nmorgan - you're on a male profile, she's on a female profile, that's how.
Click to expand...

This! Rp forums are a lot like dating sites; girls get as much action as they want and guys have to fight for it.
Click to expand...

Yeah that bothers me... I'm female myself but I'm always dubious about starting RPs with other women as they're used to having guys fawn over them and spoon feed ideas and lead conversations whilst only getting 1-2 line replies - which is something I refuse to do. If I wanted something one sided I'd cut you out and write a story and save myself the bother of waiting for you to reply.

Anyway more on topic and back to the thread at hand...

It is bad etiquette yes, but I wouldn't really consider it inconsiderate since if you want you can just ignore them. Personally if someone messages me with something like that I just delete the message without a response. If then they send a second message asking why I didn't respond I just add them to my ignore list. Harsh - but fair.

That or since I almost exclusively do MxM RPs, if I assume someone is straight I will send them a very graphic description of an MxM scene if I'm bored in a sort of 'revenge' for them wasting my time. Nothing more fun than grossing out a squeamish straight guy if he won't stop pestering you.
 
Cold calls can be ridiculous, but at least they serve their purpose. 90% of the time if there is a lack of effort in the call, then there will be a lack of effort in the posting. However, there are other things that can prove more frustrating from me. Getting a cold-call that is mildly interesting enough to reply to, and then receiving nothing in response even after seeing the read receipt. Or cold calling with the require details, proffering characters, and a plot, again seeing the read receipt and receiving no reply. I too have noticed the lack of "qualified posters" in terms of numbers, but it seems BM has shifted from a mostly thread based RP system to a mostly YIM/PM/Skype type of RP system where unless you are online for hours devoted to short posts that hardly require any thought you won't find anything worthwhile.

Though there are diamonds in the rough thankfully, very thankfully.
 
Just got this one. I won't throw names around because that's a bitch move, but here's the entire contents of the PM.

"Would you like to start a human and shifter smut but where the shifter can't turn human? I mean as beastiality."

What is this? I don't even... No, just no. I don't even know where I have posted anything on the site that would leave anyone to conclude that I might be interested in this sort of thing.

Don't get me wrong, I can understand cold calls - heck, I have made them before on sites like Blue Moon, but only to people whom I have seen around and only if my idea is something that I think that they would like based on the other work that I have seen them collaborate on. Also, I always make sure to give as much detail as necessary to at least make them want to respond with a "Thank you for the interest, but I am full on role plays at the moment," sort of response. This kind of stuff... There's so little effort there that I don't even feel obligated to say, "No thank you."​
 
I saw that in someones request thread too. That's all it was, or ever will be I think.

I wish they would create a request board that required some sort of authentication to be able to post in.

- Players in this board posses average-to-above average literacy. Because let's be serious, other than the few actual authors that float around, if any of us were experts we would have published works.
- Players in this board have well fleshed out kinks, pairings, cravings, and a minimum of 2-5 amount of plots available.
- Players in this board state equivocally in their thread title where they write. (Boards, PM's, IM)
- Players in this board have been recommended by previous board members. OR Players in this board have passed a review of 3 previous board members.

I know personally this would not stop me from trolling (in the fishing sense, not internet sense) for more diamonds in the rough, but it would help those looking for actually experienced RPers to write with.
 
I could get behind that idea, save for the requirement for "X" amount of plots in the thread. I know that I have made threads before that were specifically designed to find a partner for a singular plot. We wouldn't be able to post such threads in this proposed forum at all, regardless of writing proficiency due to that one seemly arbitrary rule. Still, it would cut down on a lot of the clutter that has absolutely zero interest to those seeking more advanced partners.

On the other hand, it would make much of the bard feel aliened, I believe, and the beauty that this forum has over every other one that I have ever seen is that it does not have such cliques, nor promote them. Getting PMs like that is irritating, I'll admit, but they are easy enough to ignore. A drop in membership and activity... not so much.

Just my two cents on both sides of the coin there.​
 
The_PG said:
I saw that in someones request thread too. That's all it was, or ever will be I think.

I wish they would create a request board that required some sort of authentication to be able to post in.

- Players in this board posses average-to-above average literacy. Because let's be serious, other than the few actual authors that float around, if any of us were experts we would have published works.
- Players in this board have well fleshed out kinks, pairings, cravings, and a minimum of 2-5 amount of plots available.
- Players in this board state equivocally in their thread title where they write. (Boards, PM's, IM)
- Players in this board have been recommended by previous board members. OR Players in this board have passed a review of 3 previous board members.

I know personally this would not stop me from trolling (in the fishing sense, not internet sense) for more diamonds in the rough, but it would help those looking for actually experienced RPers to write with.
Click to expand...

It looks good on the surface, but then what about people like me? I'm new here, and my request thread does all of that save for the "where they write" part. (I was not even aware of that, now I am, thank you.) If the "elites", or cream of the crop, were given their own section to participate in, what would new people like me do if we were only surrounded by primarily folks who have no idea what they're doing? I mean, I'm more than happy to slowly teach and improve someone's comprehension of English, or teach about stereotypes, tropes, writing conventions, and so on to new people... However... I also like seeing the other veterans who have been around for a while. I picked up on their formulas and what they did to succeed, to create something clear. For instance: Colours. This might sound silly but I noticed the stark contrast between my initial request thread, which looked black and white, bland and uninteresting, comparatively to something which used colours, bolding, text size, and so on, to draw attention and generally just make it look more aesthetically pleasing.

It's nice to see myself on an equal playing field to the people who have been here for months or even years. I mean, yes, I know, I'm new, and I have to prove my ability through actions, not through boasting... However, how can I prove myself in a medium where I need a writing partner competent enough to play off of what I write, and for me to play off of what they write? This is like a dancing competition where you are trying to enter the higher echelons, but your only partners are sixth graders. Sure, they're trying their best, and you can appreciate their vast skill... For a sixth grader. Not for someone trying to enter into a professional dancing team.

Plus this adds additional infrastructural work on the moderators/administrators to verify who can and cannot post. Even if we go with the council idea, now concern nepotism: Who would choose who is on this triumvirate? As for the invitational idea, what's to stop one person from willy nilly inviting dozens of people they think are good, but who contaminate things instead? Go back to square one, purge and repeat?

Admittedly a big part of the reason I'm even replying is because I need ten posts to have a signature, which I'll use to plug my own content (because egotism and marketing, whoo~) but this did catch my attention. As good a concept as it seems, splitting the community like this is only going to make it harder for newcomers like me to 'earn' our reputation, to get good writing partners, to just... Enjoy ourselves, on our own terms.
 
Eh, I don't think it would have that large of an effect on the board overall and here is why:

The board would only be off limits for those not accepted to POST in. They could still browse, shoot cold-calls to said writers, and even if the mods wanted to they could allow everyone to post on the boards, but only those accepted to create new threads. I also was throwing out ideas, I'm sure the limits & requirements to be adjusted, no reason to quibble over all of them. Even a modicum of limitation could improve the quality of the site overall. There would be no reason to make it elitist, just moderated to some extent.

Perhaps the rule to post on the board would be as simple as making sure the thread itself met certain requirements. A standard format, or whatever, that would have to be approved to be posted on said board. I understand it'd make for more work, but the easy remedy for that is giving willing members sub-board moderation abilities. Five or ten active people would easily be able to keep up with the volume.

Hell, one other alternative would be just to create a board or sub-forum that is intended for serious writers only with no permanent restrictions for posting in it, just with a note that reads something to the extent of: "This board is for those wishing to start a serious role play. No instant messaging requests allowed." That'd weed out quite a few easily.
 
Are cold calls really such of a big deal, that the entire rules of the community need to be changed? Personally, I find them quite humorous, and they give me an opportunity to perfect my sarcasm.

I'm not really keen on the idea of needing a certain number of plots, or requiring threads to be set up in a certain way. What works for one doesn't necessarily work for all. Plotting, from a blank slate, isn't a strong point of mine. There's so many possibilities, and each leads to another, that I find it difficult to decide on 'just one'. It's something I do much better at when feeding off a potential partner, where my thoughts can be more easily focused in one direction. That collaboration, to me, is what differentiates roleplaying from 'story-writing'. I don't base my decisions on if I'm interested in playing with someone on the plots or pairings they have on their thread, but on the 'feel' I get, in regards to the personality type of the characters they play, over-arching themes they enjoy, and what they like to write about. The actual plots and pairings are secondary, and moulded to fit the theme, rather than the other way around. It's very rare that I end up playing a plot/pairing that is pre-set by either partner.

My own preferences have changed markedly since I joined the site. I was originally one of those 'IM players', as I'd not previously done much, if any, writing, and had never even come across these types of forums before. If the suggestions above were put in place, I'd most likely never have moved to PM's, and become more serious about it. Also, I've found quite a few hidden gems on the site. People who don't have a thread of their own, aren't active on the boards, (either because they play purely through PM's, or limit the number of roleplays they take on), and don't have a lot of information publicly available. People whose existence I wasn't even aware of until I received a cold call, but who have serious roleplaying/writing ability. I credit the 'advanced' partners, and the opportunity they gave me as a novice, for the increased confidence in my own ability.

In a way, I find too much information on threads can be limiting, or on occasion not actually tell you anything (particularly when it comes to pairings, as any pairing can be played in an infinite number of ways), and deter potential partners. If someone isn't suitable, or doesn't meet your requirements, that soon becomes obvious, either in their initial approach, or through conversation. I'd rather take the few seconds to say 'no thanks', than to change how the system currently works, and potentially discourage people from wanting to improve/become more serious about it.
 
I never mind cold calls from potential partners as long as they accept "no" graciously. And I confess that I do send out my own cold calls from time to time, ala,

Seeking literate partner to write paragraphs to every line I write about filling my squashy kumquat with your purple pole of passion. Please provide several neatly formatted writing samples and references from prior role play partners. Ideally incorporate toe sucking into most paragraphs. NO NEED TO SEND an F-List! I only want squashy kumquats, purple passion poles, and toe sucking. Character development critical; I don't want a smut fest!
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Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. So far, everyone has been very polite in turning me down and I appreciate it.
 
I have not yet experienced these "Cold Calls" here on this website, but it was quite the problem on some other sites that I have been on. They're often times a mild annoyance, but I have never really viewed them as a problem.

I've even netted a couple of wonderful writing partners from both sending and receiving them.
 
I've found my solution for the really weird cold calls. I'm saving the ideas to be brought into other RPs as jokes.
 
Okay so now I keep getting cold calls from like a dozen alts of this one guy who won't stop making alts that get banned because he was banned then made alts to not be banned. Then they get banned really quick. So much banning. Please, mister banned dude, stop sending me random invites to RP.
 
Rhia said:
Already this has happened to me! I just signed up yesterday and posted my introduction tonight, but before I even posted an intro thread or anything, someone messaged me with, basically, "Welcome to Blue Moon! Wanna plot/RP?" No plot ideas, character ideas, no... anything to go from at all, really! The guy had two posts and no request thread. It just seems like terrible etiquette and being generally very inconsiderate.
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This is what I find really annoying whether it be a "Cold Call" or me responding to someone's request thread or vice versa, if I feel like I am going to be the one to do all the work, come up with the stories, the characters, the plot etc etc than I bail really quickly. If I wanted to write by myself I could, if you are going to approach someone to RP than bring something to the table that suggests you might be a decent RP partner.
 
I haven't gotten any cold calls on here yet, but back in the day on fetlife I did get hit with "Hey, is a Pazzo anything like a pizza? Because you look delicious and I just want to eat you up..."

Squishypink I just noticed you don't have any links to a req thread or an f-list on your profile or signature. That might help weed out the cold calls
 
Whenever I join a site the first thing I do is tick the box that says "Do not appear in the who's online list" - zero cold calls.
 
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