G+ is Dead, and RPG Blog Community
There are less than 60 days until Google+ shuts its doors and the RPG Blog Alliance community is no more, and I for one am extremely sad to see it go. This is where my blog actually got its start. Among this group were the first people that I didn’t personally harass that have read an article on roll4.net. I’ve learned to write better, give my articles more voice, and have more fun writing them each week.
As many other G+ RPG communities are scrambling to find a new home, so must the members of the RPG Blog Alliance. Follow Me and Die explains the difficulties of finding a new home for these communities. However, unlike other RPG communities, ours is one that I believe has more specialized needs than the others. As a group of creators, we can leverage the power of a community site created for us in order to help us create.
It Must Be Collaborative
A blog community’s primary goal should always be to keep each other motivated and have tools available for interaction. A community where articles can be liked, commented on and shared, as the G+ Community was able to do. It must also have capabilities for us to talk to each other, via private messages, status updates, and conversations. Many places will be able to fulfill these requirements, but for a blog community, this just isn’t enough.
It Must Be Accessible
A community for creators should also be able to help the creators drive traffic to their content. Articles shared on the site must link back to their originating blogs, podcasts, and growing their brand. Many social media platforms are already able to do this, but it comes at a cost. Oftentimes, it’s only view able to members of that social media platform. I was writing articles for two months before I stumbled upon this G+ community.
We are posting our articles together. In one unified location. This alone is a great resource not only for us writers to show our best to the public but also to everyone that is searching for RPG tips, setting ideas, and unique magical items. These articles should be easily searchable and have simple homepage navigation directly to your articles on your website.
It Must Work For You
A blog community should not only foster a connection between blogs themselves, but also blogs and their readers. It must do this without the need for readers to sign up for a service just to get to your content. A community should also aim to expand all of our readerships. Furthermore, it should do so by connecting not only us but our communities to each other.
A Solution
I’ve searched for a few alternatives and found all to be excellent in terms of community tools, but none that fulfilled the other aspects that I felt are truly important to a community of creators. It’s for this reason that I created the RPG Blog Community. A site created by an RPG blogger, for RPG bloggers and their audiences. Unlike other social media sites, its homepage requires no login, where our articles are proudly displayed and searchable. When a new post is added to the blog community, we will tweet out your article, linking a larger audience pool back to your blog.
For blog members, there will be the ability to link to your posted articles, send direct messages to other creators, and connect in conversations through the forum. You will also be able to access exclusive forums that are only shown to bloggers to ask questions, discuss, and collaborate.
I’m not sure if you’ve found a new home to continue where the RPG Blog Alliance G+ group left off, but if you ever find that new home lacking, the RPG Blog Community will be here for you.
