Advice/Help why nobody likes my roleplay threads?

[TheWeapon]

hey guys, im here to ask you all a question that made my mind busy for some few days.
Im a new forum roleplayer, maybe im not a new user but i don't have any serious experience about forum roleplay, i learned how to rp at all in a roleplay game so i found here and decided to rp here to have some fun. At first it was awesome for me but because i don't know the right way of how to rp here, im going to be bored slowly.
I spent like two days to make this roleplay thread which is zombie apocalypse roleplay, i tried to do my best about template, story and etc... but after some days as you see only some few people joined me, (however most of them are inactive) so that made me bored here and after some times i saw only myself roleplaying there, alone.
look: Zombie Apocalypse: Death Road To Canada [IC][OPEN!]
i posted one thread to let people see my roleplay too and when i saw that useless i tried to pm people randomly and ask them to join me, got ignored 100 times.
i want to ask some questions about these things i told you all, How can i find some people who may like roleplays like this?
i only like realistic roleplay, but not that romance things which making me cry (lol). Sci-fi and fantasy rps can be boring for me thats why i tried to make rp like this and play in my own.
second question, how can i be a user got a thread for roleplay with like 10 active rper? should i post anything anywhere to let others know about it?however i did it one time as i told and nobody interested. are they blind when i put [OPEN] on it and they ignore but when i pm them they say "wow i interested?" , this is gonna be weird.
don't get mad from me im just newbie here give me some tips to start. thank you.

 

[Jules8008]

I think the main problem may be as simple as: The first post (You know, story, infos, etc.) isn't good to read. I know what you wanted to do with the code, but...it is hardly readable. If, at all. Can't speak for everyone, but I had trouble reading the first post. As I actually avoid using code, I can't really give any tips on it. Only the basic "Don't use newsletter articles as the background, maybe just use a white color"-
And, potentially, even your grammar. it isn't too hard to spot that english doesn't seem to be your first language, which isn't bad at all.
And maybe it is your IC posts. Your sentences don't really make...sense, if you get my drift. Grammatically, in this case. Sometimes, you start sentences with verbs, for instance, "Turns on the flashlight [...]." A lot of people avoid GM's with bad grammar, or roleplays where people don't use good english.

 

[The Fabulous Emerald]

PMing people randomly isn't exactly helping, either. PMing random people to join a RP is basically the equivalent of people in the street coming up to you to sell insurance, phone services etcetera - it's annoying and no-one likes it. Other than that, I also agree with Fatalis - the starting post is unreadable and your posts don't exactly scream quality. I see that English isn't your first language - fair enough - but even still, people like it when they can read the important GM posts and understand what is happening in the roleplay.

Now, for your questions: -

1. You may want to post an 'Interest Check'. There is a section in RPNation that is specifically for advertising new roleplays, which then get shown on the front page. Also, since Interest Checks have been around for ages, most people typically look for new roleplays in Interest Checks as opposed to the actual roleplay sections. Typically, a roleplay will last longer and have a less bumpy start if you have an interest check for it. Also, this allows people to stick around for a while - maybe see what the CS is all about - and decide to leave before the RP begins, without causing any issues to the roleplay as Interest Checks are usually made at least a week in advance to the roleplay starting. Making an interest check will also allow the GM of the roleplay to see exactly how many people are interested in the roleplay, allowing the GM to make an introduction when they see that enough have joined.
2. Frankly, this second question is completely unreadable. But, after far too much effort, I assume you are asking 'how can I get 10 active roleplayers interested in my RP?'. If so, then an interest check is the best way. See Point 1 for a bit more detail.

Now, a few tips.

• Don't PM people randomly. First off, that's pretty rude. It is basically the equivalent of someone going around knocking on doors to sell vacuum cleaners or something - it is annoying, invasive and honestly disgraceful. Not only does it count as spamming (I believe - may want to get a moderator to check, though) it is also pretty silly from your point of view. How does contacting random people help better advertise your RP? A lot of people here only do one on one RPs, and the rest tend to be split in between the other categories on the website. The actual chances of you finding people legitimately interested in your idea are fairly slim. Just make an interest check, as that will attract people who wish to join the RP without shoving it down their throats.
• When in doubt, don't code. There is nothing wrong with coding, of course, but if it is unreadable and unnavigable then people will just leave. You can see why, too - would you want to spend forever trying to read something that is essentially light grey on white? Especially when it is not guaranteed that it will be worth your time? Sometimes, it is better just to leave the code out of it - maybe just a few images and a little layout management - to allow people the ease of being able to actually read what you are writing.
• Don't spam the IC. Nothing says 'desperate' to me than the GM making post after post after post trying to bump the RP so that people will join. And I'm pretty sure I am not the only one with this viewpoint, either. Instead of whipping a dead horse, try rebooting the RP or perhaps simply waiting to see if anyone would like to join. Not only that, but you seem to be pushing the plot in each and every post that you make - which doesn't exactly make it easy for others to drop in. It's the beginning of the RP - take it slow for a while, until people get established.
• Improve your posts. Again, I understand you are not English by default - that's fair. Not everyone can be born and raised in an English speaking country. However, since this is an American website and gets a lot of attention from the Brits (like myself) then it is safe to say that most people on the site is probably going to speak English as their primary language. Looking at your posts, on the other hand, it doesn't actually matter which language is the player's primary language as the posts seem unreadable to every language. Try using a program to help with this, if you are struggling - Grammarly is a good one, I believe. But yes, being able to read a GM's post - which are the most important (especially in a plot driven RP) - is pretty important, and most people don't want to have to decipher what each sentence is saying. Heck, even reading your questions on this thread alone was a bit of a nightmare.

My recommendation (although, this is my opinion - take it with as much salt as you'd like) is to create an Interest Check and close the RP (or maybe even delete it) until you have gathered enough interest to verify starting the RP properly. Not only does that give you time to prepare (perhaps by writing readable code or something) but it also gives others time to find and develop interest in the roleplay. As new Interest Checks are displayed on the front page, this will help you greatly. I also recommend taking time with your posts so that they can be understood - perhaps by downloading some help programs - which will greatly increase the quality of the RP. Finally, don't spam people's inboxes with desperate attempts to get people to join. Not only will it not work, but it will create a nasty reputation for you on RPNation which will hinder you in the future.

This is all my opinion and I have said this from my mind. I am not technically qualified to say this - I am an engineer, not a writer or moderator - but as someone who has roleplayed on this site for a couple of years now I feel like I have explained and the major outstanding issues I see, and given some advice to combat the problems you seem to be facing. Again, this is my opinion - you can take as much of this into your thoughts as you would like. It's up to you, in short.

 

[rae2nerdy]

Also breaking up your paragraphs makes it a little easier to read your post. I had to struggle a little with the first one because it was all squished together.

Everyone above gave good advice so I'll try to do something new and that is : Network and Organize.

Group roleplays are hard to run successfully for anyone. If you are looking to get ten people involved you're going to have to be very patient. It will take you a long time to get that many people interested in any roleplay. And if you do get them involved keeping them all interested and posting takes quite a bit of work.

I think people see roleplays as - I have an idea. I ask people to join. They join and we roleplay.

It's a good deal more work than that. You have to have enough experience working with people to keep your players motivated and to deal with any lack of activity or fighting that breaks out. You have to have a story that is robust enough to keep people through the inevitable boredom or down times when some of the members get busy.

Expecting instant results or super active people is a recipe for disaster, especially in a new roleplay.

I would say first and foremost look at similar roleplays. Try to join one or two of those. This will help you improve your writing and get in touch with people that like the same kind of roleplays you do. Maybe even PM one of the GM's of these roleplays ( an active one with a lot of players ) and ask them for tips.

DO NOT try to steal players from another roleplay though. That would be very rude. But if you really want something to do write now I'd just join an existing group so you can get a feel for them and try starting your own roleplay after you have some friends on here who can help.

 

[Kalika]

For myself personally zombie apocalypse role-plays have just been overdone, they don't intrigue me anymore. There have been so many of them and the first looks like the last to be honest. It's nothing personal, I just enjoy more so unique role-plays.