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You Give, We Give!

Postby .:The Marketplace:. » 12/23/2016 11:23 PM

My word, look at all that money. And just think, every single keystone (well, except 100 since everyone starts with 100) is from you guys. Since the time this account was started, you've sent me over 30,000 Keystones and over 300 GT. With the holidays approaching, we've started thinking about how it might be time to give some of it back. I'm not just going to hand it out though. No, no. We make people work for things around here! But I promise it's not hard work. We'd just like you to answer a few questions for us, and then I'll give you a nice chunk of change! 100 KS to be exact. Won't make you rich, but perhaps it'll be enough to help you get a giftbox or changes made to pets, or maybe even buy pets.

This will be running until January 15th at 11:59 PM. All you have to do to get your KS is answer the questions provided below, and we'll send you your moolah. But wait, that's not it! Once the answering period is over, we're going to raffle off 20 GT (in 4 batches of 5 GT). With that said and done, let's move on to the questions at hand! You can answer them in a paragraph form, bullet list, or however you want, so long as you make sure not to skip one.

1.) How did you find Evelon?

2.) How long ago did you join Evelon?

3.) What has kept you on Evelon for however long you've been around?

4.) What would you like to see for the future of Evelon?

5.) What do you think we could do find and retain new members?
Please do not send me any PMs asking questions. If you have any questions about the Marketplace, post them in the help section or message a staff member. This is only an account used for sending out Marketplace orders and collecting your delicious currencies.
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Re: You Give, We Give!

Postby Sarah » 12/23/2016 11:35 PM

1.) How did you find Evelon?
I saw the Fenling pet in more than a few peoples signatures on different websites that I played on.

2.) How long ago did you join Evelon?
I joined six years ago!

3.) What has kept you on Evelon for however long you've been around?
I love writing, and I always have. Evelon was the first writing webiste that I joined that wasn't about warrior cat fanfiction. I loved (and still do love) the art and the universe so much that I got sucked in.

4.) What would you like to see for the future of Evelon?
IDK yo, I'd like to see us keep a friendly and active userbase <3

5.) What do you think we could do find and retain new members?
Maybe advertising on other roleplay based sites. I know we've put up some stuff on chickensmoothie and flightrising, but I think sites that are based purely around writing would bring in more people.

[KS sent!]
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G̵u̴i̶d̶e̶ m̸̹̍e̶̫͝ ȋ̴͙̗͒͗ņ̸̈͂ţ̶̯̣̥̦̎͗͒ổ̴̭̙̻̄̉ D̸̡̛̦̗̋͗̊̃̌̕͜ä̴̡̳̬͔̩̳̫͔̯̙͔̬͉̱̯̊̄̒̏ŗ̷̟̱͚̻̠̠͔̥̺͔͔̰͙̝͉̃̆͊̉ͅk̸̡̡͔̫̼̱̬̭͓̮͙͔̀̑̇̊̐̊͆̍̏̃ͅn̴̢̫͔͕̤̖̳̠̘̩̙̍͋͌́̍̊̈̓̂́̈̕̕͘͝͝ȇ̶̢̢̡̛̦͓̟̾̈̐̐̈́͊̑͠͝s̵̢̧̛͉̼̮̫̝̰̟͙̭̦͇̮̥͈͖̅͋͑̾̈͋̐͘͝s̴̨̢̧̨͚̗̗̹̱̞͉͖̻̰̹͓̲̎̊̒̈́̿̏͑͝͝
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Re: You Give, We Give!

Postby crow » 12/23/2016 11:41 PM

;v; Hooooo boy this couldn't have come at a better time. I need me that KS.

1.) How did you find Evelon?

I'm one of those people who were around way back on HxR, so I got acquainted with Evelon through those forums. I'm a relic from the past, ohoho!

2.) How long ago did you join Evelon?

Uhhhh wow that's. Hmm. I actually can't remember the exact year... Somewhere in the neighborhood of 2007-2009? A really long time ago, at any rate. Like I said, I was here when it was still a part of the old HxR forums, though I was also around when Evelon first got its own boards.

3.) What has kept you on Evelon for however long you've been around?

Ahaha, funny story, that. I faded off a long while back, and kept popping back in and out and not really sticking? Part of it was that I couldn't get any RPs off the ground when I did come back, and I couldn't quite get into the swing of the community either. In 2014 was the comeback where it stuck, which was probably because that time around I actually managed to make friends and keep 'em. Plus I do believe I'd by-and-large missed the melodramatic teen phase of the community, and by then both me and Evelon as a whole had mellowed out, so the timing was right.

The pets are also fantastic, and I love having the freedom to write whatever I want. I'd been getting pretty bitter about the whole writing/creative process in the past five or six years, since academia really killed my love of it, but Evelon and my friends here have rekindled it a little for me.

4.) What would you like to see for the future of Evelon?

Hmmm... I'd like to see events and stuff go through faster, I guess? Though as part of the mod team I realize this is also a cue for me to pick up some slack x3;

5.) What do you think we could do find and retain new members?

I honestly have no idea. I don't think there needs to be a major change in the community... but I haven't tried joining a new anything in a long time.

... Actually, you know what would be great? Is if we made our group chatting venue more visible. As it is, I feel like new members might have a hard time making connections, and I generally never see them pop into the IRC, where the majority of our group socializing seems to happen. And then it can feel hard to break in since everyone seems to know each other and have friends already, y'know?

[KS sent!]
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Re: You Give, We Give!

Postby zapdragon555 » 12/23/2016 11:51 PM

1.) How did you find Evelon?
This is a toughie to remember, but I'm fairly sure I found it via either a Fellox or a Yonyuu in someone's signature on what was probably a Warrior Cats forum.

2.) How long ago did you join Evelon?
February 24th, 2009, so that would be... almost 8 years, come next February. Wowza. 8U!

3.) What has kept you on Evelon for however long you've been around?
Initially I was definitely excited about the pets, which makes sense considering I was 12 at the time, approximately? But then I started writing, and I slowly grew from 3 sentences per post to frankly an unnecessary amount of sentences but internal monologue is just so dang fun am I right-- anyway ahh I think if I had to pick one big factor about this place that kept me here, it was the people in the community. I took a hiatus at some point between 2009 and 2014 (can't recall when or how long, but I know it was fairly long), and then on pure happenstance I was checking my old email (the one that was attached to my account that I never used anymore) and saw that Pickle had sent me a private message that was recent at the time. I easily remembered my account info and logged back in and like. I dunno. She just convinced me to come back and that was really dang cool. She also offered a Lucain in exchange for some Kuhna I wasn't using; that Lucain is now Cyril, one of my most beloved characters, so like... what brought me back additionally was the realization that I could bring all my characters to Evelon and RP them here. I'd been RPing a LOT outside of Evelon and I really loved it, so like... I dunno this place raised me as a writer and that meant a lot to me. You guys rock, all of you. :'| <333

4.) What would you like to see for the future of Evelon?
Ahh gee I just love things how they are because folks are so dang nice and cool. Maybe more events? I love me some events. The war is also a big draw for me but I'm actually glad it's going so slowly so I can have a chance to keep racking up that BP. xD! Hmm. Yeah, like, I remember back in the day we'd have art contests and make-your-own marking / species contests and such, and those were super duper cool. I love the Quests a lot, and those are a great idea and great activity to do every month! So like, things of that nature are pretty rad. Always up for side-wide plots, too, tho I know those are hell to come up with. xD

5.) What do you think we could do find and retain new members?
Telling friends about the site seems to be a pretty good starting point--and maybe just encouraging folks to keep putting Evelon pets in their signatures on other sites? The pets are gorgeous and that alone is enough to pique anyone's curiosity. We've tried advertising on tumblr and chickensmoothie, and really, we could keep doing that. Maybe a deviantArt group, too? If one doesn't already exist? :0 Those seem to be fun draws for folks.


[KS sent!]



But there will come a time
You'll see, with no more tears
And love will not break your heart
But dismiss your fears
Get over your hill and see
What you find there
With grace in your heart
And flowers in your hair



"Tomorrow will be a good day."


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Re: You Give, We Give!

Postby Kitsumi » 12/24/2016 12:02 AM

Well, here comes the long-winded ramblings of a Phoenix xD

1.) How did you find Evelon?
I found a big list of roleplay sites when I first started roleplaying. Evelon was on the list, although I didn't join at first.

2.) How long ago did you join Evelon?
5 years ago!

3.) What has kept you on Evelon for however long you've been around?
The artwork and customization of pets was a big factor, and the fact that literally everything (from breeding to buying things) was focused on writing. I'm inspired visually, so having pets to inspire me for characters definitely helped me stay around and keep writing!

4.) What would you like to see for the future of Evelon?
I'm...not sure? Looking back on how things were when I first joined, it already seems sooo much smoother/more fair in terms of the marketplace/breeding/etc. It's hard for me to imagine what changes might come next xD (Although tbh, I've always had a secret wish for another continent to be discovered with new places to roleplay. Not that there aren't enough places already, I just think it would be exciting to have new areas to 'explore') EDIT: Oh yeah, and I'd also love to see the Sekudui Farms be used as farmgrounds once more, as mentioned by ToxxicRenegadeAngel.

5.) What do you think we could do find and retain new members?
I agree with what Sarah said, advertising on other writing sites is a good idea. As for keeping new members, I think that's kinda based more on the community? I mean, the site's already very friendly to new users, allowing them to jump into things with plenty of free pets. But keeping them kinda depends on the other users I think. I know a lot of people have trouble with self roleplays, so having plenty of people willing to partner up with them for plotting and such would definitely help, I imagine.

[KS sent!]


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Re: You Give, We Give!

Postby Night » 12/24/2016 12:05 AM

1.) How did you find Evelon?
Like Crow, I am an ancient relic from a bygone era. I was around when Evelon was still a part of the hxr proboards forum. So old.

2.) How long ago did you join Evelon?
Long ago enough now that I also can't remember the precise date - 2006? I was 12, and I'm twenty two now, so at some point between nine and ten years ago.

3.) What has kept you on Evelon for however long you've been around?
Honestly I left for quite a while whenever the new site came around. I had a lot of real life things get in the way of having an internet presence. What initially drew me to it was the kuhna, and when I came back rather recently I was still attracted to the wonderful art and the easy atmosphere.

4.) What would you like to see for the future of Evelon?
I would love to see another site particular event, particularly since I wasn't around really for the war. Outside of that, I would love to see more pets get updated. One of my favorite things about coming back was getting to see things that I loved and recognized had gotten revamped and were still relevant while moving forward with the rest of the forum.

5.) What do you think we could do find and retain new members?
Crow's idea for a more accessible chat would be a good place to start. When I first came back, I had absolutely no clue what I was doing and knew very few people, and I actually had to be pointed in the direction of the chat in order to meet others. As far as finding new members, advertising is obviously key. I also know that a lot of sites offer small perks to members that are already signed up if they bring in others, which would give a bit of incentive for users to share their experiences.

[KS sent!]
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Re: You Give, We Give!

Postby Flame » 12/24/2016 12:40 AM

1.) How did you find Evelon?
Oh boy, it's been SUCH a long time since I joined Evelon, since back in the Hidden Crossroads days, haha. I actually don't honestly remember exactly how I found the site - I believe it was one of the original pets that linked me to the forum. It might have been from Neopets? Gosh, I honestly can't say with 100% certainty that I know, but the important part is that I found my way here, and I never intend to leave. <3

2.) How long ago did you join Evelon?
Again, I don't know exactly when it was since it was so long ago, but since it was back during the Hidden Crossroads days...well, over 10 years. Wow, how the time really flies! :O

3.) What has kept you on Evelon for however long you've been around?
For me, it has definitely been the community and the close friends which I've made over the many years on this site. If it weren't for them, I probably would have been gone a while ago, but you people keep me coming back, even after months of being on hiatus. That, and this forum has always felt like a safe place and a home away from home for me, especially when I was going through some really tough times. The friends I had here as well as the outlet through which to channel my energies honestly kept me sane through those years. As long as I have people to write with here, I'll be here forever. Plus, those pets are just too darn awesome not to love (and now I'm very attached to my pixel babies, haha).

4.) What would you like to see for the future of Evelon?
I'd like to see Evelon continue to grow, and to see the same community base stick around like it has so far. It's been all these years, yet there are still a lot of old, familiar faces around, and honestly, that's what makes this place feel like a second home. I'd like to see the pet base continue to grow, and hopefully perhaps more mods and artists will join the team as well, since I know that our current mods and artists are quite swamped with the needs of the community. We have a great community though, so I think it's just a matter of maintaining this environment where everyone feels welcome and free to be themselves, and garnering more like-minded people and writers.

5.) What do you think we could do find and retain new members?
The previously mentioned ideas are all great, especially the idea of advertising on other writing sites/forums. I feel like it's harder to find new members than it used to be, as it used to be more common in the past to have pets from other pet sites in signatures and the such on all the pet sites out there. I don't know if it's just due to the sites I now frequent, but that doesn't seem to be a major form of advertisement any more, so I think to gain new members, we'll have to make more of an effort to target our advertising towards people looking for a place to write. The great thing about Evelon is that you're free to write whatever/however you like, unlike other more specific forums, and I think that the key factor in retaining new members if making them feel at home on the site and comfortable enough to reach out to new, potential writing partners and getting involved in the community here.

[KS sent!]
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Re: You Give, We Give!

Postby ToxxicRenegadeAngel » 12/24/2016 2:35 AM

1.) How did you find Evelon?

I googled online pet site, looking for something like Aywas, and it was one of the top results.

2.) How long ago did you join Evelon?

About five and a half years ago.

3.) What has kept you on Evelon for however long you've been around?

Honestly, the community keeps me coming back - I've had a few short breaks, but I always miss it too much to stay away. Even though I'm not the most active or social person on here, I love to see everyone else interacting and the way the events are run makes me feel very included.

4.) What would you like to see for the future of Evelon?

I'd like to see more people active on it, but I think everyone wants the same.

Thing-wise, I would like to see GIMP-friendly PSD files as the program doesn't like standard photoshop PSDs much and deletes half the layers and contents.

Event-wise, I'd like to see another scavenger hunt or egg hunt - things like that. I would also like the Sekudui Farms area to be used as a farming ground - I recall a few ideas were tossed around for it, but as far as I remember nothing got implemented yet.

5.) What do you think we could do find and retain new members?

This one's the hardest question. It's harder for me to keep up now that I'm older and working full time, never mind how hard it must be for those who have to commute to and from work, or those who have children to take care of.

I guess the aim would be to target more young people online - maybe more publicity would help? Evelon's a lovely place, but it's not really advertised outside of its personal social media and those of its members.

As for retaining them, having more mods to balance the load would probably help - it would leave each mod with more time to take care of their duties which would make things faster, and let more events be carried out. Having said that, I am aware it would require a bigger community to balance the mod/player ratio, so...

The problem that I can see is that a lot of pet sites nowadays are focused on minimal effort and instant gratification. Flight Rising, for example, is entirely click-based with optional RP-ing in the forums. Most people just don't go for what they see as taking too much time or effort, no matter how nice the reward might be. I'm not saying Evelon needs to change - that would defeat the purpose of it - but I think it relates to what I said about publicity.

Maybe the target audience needs to be revised? Rather than aiming for general recruitment, it should be aiked at recruiting young people on other RP-sites, or forums discussing things like it (e.g. warcraft forums, DnD forums etc.) - people who already like RPing and aren't afraid of putting the effort in. Maybe even story-writing sites, like Fanfiction.net would be an idea.

Another thing that may put people off is the delayed registration (bear with me here, it may have changed since I signed up). Most people expect to get login details instantly, as with other websites. Though I agree with the delayed login for security purposes, it can be off-putting to those who don't want to wait for it. Perhaps it could be revised? Maybe a CAPTCHA or email verification link could be used instead?

[KS sent!]
"I remember who I was, who I've always been. Sometimes I forget I'm not that person any more."

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Re: You Give, We Give!

Postby Isalynne » 12/24/2016 5:14 AM

1.) How did you find Evelon?

I knew Evelon from when it was back on HxR - so that was the place that introduced me to it!

2.) How long ago did you join Evelon?

I came to the site when it was first made, so.. a long time ago, on my old account.

3.) What has kept you on Evelon for however long you've been around?

I've been very on-and-off with my appearances on the site, mostly because of being drained from school and such, but even after all those years of absence (literally 7+ years), I was very excited to come back when Silver spoke to me about it. I love the freedom that Evelon affords, as well as the generosity and community spirit that I see so often. People try their best, the staff are always kind and happy to help.. it's an all round lovely place to be, and it's hard to not want to be here all the time! I think that the regular updates, functional breeding, etc. contributes massively to my desire to stay as well, because a lot of other sites have fallen flat due to their lack of working systems.

4.) What would you like to see for the future of Evelon?

I am so very contented with things the way they are, but I would love more events! Themed events are always a lot of fun - I like the idea of things like Millie's Christmas event in particular. I also love the farming idea that has been mentioned. Anything that can reap little rewards boosts enthusiasm to play!

5.) What do you think we could do find and retain new members?

I'm.. not going to be much use here, since I've stuck with the communities I know and I don't really go seeking out new ones myself. However, I do think advertisement on roleplay orientated sites is a good shout. It's important to target the groups of people who would be more likely to find enjoyment here, and writers are a prime candidate since they have free reign with their characters and can interact with plenty of others to develop them. I also agree with having a more accessible chat venue; it is a little bit tricky to find!

[KS sent!]
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Re: You Give, We Give!

Postby Freezair » 12/24/2016 6:28 AM

1.) How did you find Evelon?
Despite how long ago it was, I still remember this. I used to be a big pet site junkie and spent a lot of time on new ones from a virtual pet site directory online. I was pretty into one called "Creature Breeder" for a while which, amazingly, still exists. I was on the forums one day and saw someone make a thread about this site, showing off their Fellox. I clicked over and fell in love with the pet designs immediately.

2.) How long ago did you join Evelon?
Fun fact: I actually didn't want to join the forums at first since it had been so long since I last roleplayed when I found the site, but I bit the bullet anyway. I actually found the site RIGHT as the old forums were being removed and this current forum being set up. This was all the way back in 2006. I think I ended up being one of the first "new" members at the time before a bunch of the OLD oldbies rejoined.

3.) What has kept you on Evelon for however long you've been around?

You guys. It's cheesy, but it's true.

I've never been a part of an online community as long as I've been a part of Evelon. It really is because of the people. Most other communities I've been with have fallen apart eventually due to drama or disinterest. And yeah, we've seen our fair share of drama. Even I've been an argumentative so-and-so before.  :oops: But somehow we've always managed to pull through. We've all kind of grown up together.

It also helps that I've built up a stable of characters I truly LOVE here. I think I've done some really wonderful character work with my pets here, and even if I don't get to RP them all the time, I at least get to keep them in my mind by being here.  

4.) What would you like to see for the future of Evelon?

I'd love to see the streamlining of some of our more "gamey" aspects. I admit, I lost interest in the numerical aspects of our RPs a long time ago just because they got so annoying to manage. I know that codebashing isn't easy and requires a lot of free time, but I think it would really make me more interested in playing with the "game" aspects here and trying more DnD-ish roleplaying if managing the numbers was easier. I know that someone--Kreepy?--was working on a levelup calculator, and man, I'd love it if that came out one day. I will admit, it'd also be rad if it were possible to actually add our pets to our accounts, but I understand that's not easy to program. But man, if we're dreaming...

5.) What do you think we could do find and retain new members?

I dunno, man, I just live here.  :| But if we're being serious? I... actually do think streamlining certain things would help attract more people to sign up and check things out. It would make the site more convenient to use.

Something that does occur to me is DeviantArt. I know adoptables and roleplay groups associated with them are very popular on dA these days. I wouldn't want to splinter our communities, but if we could find some way of advertising ourselves within dA adoptable and roleplay groups, we might get some new, experienced-in-adoptable-RP members that way. Didn't we have a DeviantArt group? What happened to that thing? Who was in charge of it?

...

...

...Oh, right. Me.  :wha: Guess who's the wo-oooorst!

[KS sent!]

I'm so cool (too bad I'm a loser).
I'm so smart (too bad I can't get anything figured out)!
I'm so brave (too bad I'm a baby).
I'm so fly
That's probably why it feels just like I'm falling for the first time!

I'm so green (it's really amazing).
I'm so clean (too bad I can't get all the dirt off of me)!
I'm so sane (It's driving me crazy)!
It's so strange
I can't believe I'm falling for the first time!

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Re: You Give, We Give!

Postby ToxicShadow » 12/24/2016 7:25 AM

1. How did you find Evelon?
Back during my Wajas days (which really didn't last very long), I happened across a Fellox displayed in another user's cave (profile) and it sent me to the old freewebs site. I spent a bit of time gawking at some of the pets, thought they were neat/cute, and just wound up finding the page with the link to the forums. As someone who was already roleplaying (though usually through Neopets and offsite with people I met on Neopets), there was hardly any question when it came to joining.

2. How long ago did you join Evelon?
According to the wayback machine's copy of the olden forums, I joined 30 Apr 2007. It'll be my tenth Evelonniversary pretty soon. Ten years. I can hardly believe it, but here I am.

3. What has kept you on Evelon for however long you've been around?
Evelon is my home. My home in the online world, anyway. At first, it was just a fun place to get together to write. Prior to Evelon, I had only roleplayed in Neopets and offsite free forums created for roleplaying groups and guilds related to Neopets. So it was just a wonderful place to meet, write, and connect with other people. And, let's be honest, even a number of old-art pets are adorable. I soon developed a number of characters here that I fell in love with, and I had so much fun working out new character ideas and such.

There was a point, for about a year, that I was scarce, around 2009, I believe. Much of that came from a falling out from a close friend in real life that I introduced to Evelon and heavily plotted with. She often said that Evelon wasn't really her cup of tea, but stuck around because I liked it so much. But a lot of my characters had stories deeply involved with some of hers and, afterwards, picking up the broken pieces and trying to rework my characters just kind of killed my desire to use them. My absence might have been a good thing, though, since that was when there was a big period of drama on Evelon that was grossly unnecessary and awful.

Eventually, my mind basically went, "Forget all that crud. Do whatever you want with YOUR characters." So, my love for characters and my wanting to keep writing stories drew me back to Evelon, and kept me here. That, and the friendships and stories of made, too. Overall, in spite of some drama, we're still a warm community, and that's hard to find elsewhere. I could never quite put it down, even when I wasn't around much, still checking in often.

4. What would you like to see for the future of Evelon?

I want the farms back, too, yo.

I also like the idea of more events, because who doesn't love those? Sure, it creates more work for us, but I love them, too.

Another KS sale for custom breedable pets. It happened only once, in the far distant past, but it was super nice for users that were unable to spend cash on Evelon. Now, I know that could put a larger workload on Baal and she's still catching up with orders from before. But, for this event, the art staff could be employed. Art staff usually creates the customs earn from A Licences and bred babies, so it's not as though they aren't capable of it. It would also be very limited, such as one of each species (or just three total, regardless of species) per user.

Or even just a regular sale. Half off sales used to happen, but it has been AGES since that time. Again, it could be limited to only a few pets per user, to keep from getting too swamped.

Other than that, actually... more user activity? From both a user and mod's perspective, our community is not anywhere as active as it once was. Not even close. Yes, part of that is because the majority of us are busy adults leading our adult lives, but as a staff person, a lot of my motivation comes from seeing users really getting out there and having fun.

A little while before becoming staff, I actually made a post in the chatter section that addressed our lack of activity and, at the time, that spurred some activity (which included the revamp of the breeding system that Omni came up with during the discussion), but it has, once again, faded off. Like I said back then, if we take the time to read a message, why not take that extra few minutes to reply, too? We kind of seriously lack visible, open user interaction, and I think it is that part that makes it all the more difficult for new users to feel included. Where do they go to get to know people? Often times, the IRC is pretty empty, even if they happen to find it. But chatting on the forums, well, it's always there. People can post, and then someone can reply an hour or two later when they see it.

Heck, we don't exactly have "Open," roleplays anymore. I see them everyone once in a blue moon, but then... no one joins them? I understand that plotting is nice, but just jumping out there is fun, too?

So... More activity all around. More user activity generates more events, more events generates more activity, and on it goes in a beautiful cycle, keeping us alive.

And, okay, full disclosure. Sort of. Keep in mind, I love being on the staff team, but I think the experience can be improved.

Staff salaries? At this point, staff motivation is literally seeing the user base happy. Which, that's great. I always wanted to be on the staff team for Evelon. I'm happy to do it. But, again, less activity tends to equal less motivation. (Poor RE2 worked hard to revamp things and make hunts more accessible, and users like the wild pets, since I have seen many Lost Pets on wishlists this year, but the number of hunts hasn't really increased, so I'm sure their motivation wanes terribly.) However, I can't think of any other website/forum that I worked on (there has been a few) that didn't give some sort of semi-consistent compensation for work, even if it was strictly basic site currency. Well, okay, to be fair, we each get a Lord Baal tooth once a year, which is a neat pet customization item, but...that still boils down to one extra custom pet for a year's worth of whatever work we do.

I think that art staff should get the GT/KS used for the pets they create, or at least a chunk of it, since they're putting in the time to do it. I've always thought this, even prior to being on the team. Back in the day, when Tick-Tock was the one doing custom pets, she was the one that got the cold, hard cash (since GT hadn't even been introduced yet), and the price for custom pets was far more expensive than now, with a base price of $15. And the art staff does get to keep the KS or GT they earn from running an add on shop, so... why not when they make the customs?

In the past, there was an instance of regular users that were temporarily hired to update ownership records when they were a mess and were paid in KS for their work.

I'd be happy with something like a small KS allowance for a month or a few GT. Like, hot dang, I can go buy myself a Breeder Booster with the GT I earned from working? What a happy day! Or, as my husband has said, "It'd be cool if you guys got paid even $5 bucks here and there. Cover the cost of kitty litter after a bit or stash it into the little one's savings." Of course, cash is always a stretch, since that is only generated on Evelon through users buying customs or other cash pets/items. But, then again, every staff member has created at least one custom pet by now, including the non-art folks. I honestly find the Lucain and Soveris files the easiest files to work with and fastest customs to do, since all the markings are preset. And just selling two custom breedables a month would net $5/5 GT per staff.

There really aren't a whole lot of perks to being on the staff team, outside of getting to design our own breeding litters (which is a super brand new thing for non-art staff) and the Lord Baal Teeth, but we give up hours of our time working on Evelon instead of enjoying it as our hobby in an attempt to make it enjoyable for others. All while also being regular functioning adults, be that jobs, parenthood, housework, etc.

(EDIT: I mean, look, I just spent over an hour giving well thought out answers for 100 KS.)


5. What do you think we could do find and retain new members?

When I was actively advertising on ChickenSmoothie as a roleplay and pet adoption site, there was definitely an increase in users creating accounts. However, I don't think any have really stayed. So, it's not exactly advertising that is our problem, although advertising is super scarce. At this point, it might be worth looking into placing actual ads? Of course, that requires money.

Another factor is that random people (non-Evelon users) aren't just seeing our pretty adoptable pets, collecting them, and throwing them up somewhere for all to see. Like that random person whose Waja's cave had a Fellox that drew me in. Nor do I believe that the majority of us spend a lot of time on other sites, where advertising it makes sense. I certainly don't spend any time in any other community primarily dedicated to roleplaying.

And I absolutely agree that the sign up requiring activation from staff makes signing up for Evelon a chore more than anything. There has got to be a better way, like making the automatic message sent to new users request that they reply to the e-mail with even just a single sentence as to why they want to join Evelon or how they found it to show proof that they are, in fact, human? Then, BAM, we can activate them right away, and they feel more included in the process instead of just blindly waiting for something to happen.

I think general activity may help to retain new members. You know, if users roleplay with them and chat with them, but that requires getting out there and creating new threads and posting in threads. We just need to be more inclusive, over all.

And, let's face it, starting at 100 KS doesn't really... pay for much of anything on Evelon. So they have to work, a lot, right away to accomplish anything. There isn't any "instant gratification," like someone else mentioned in their post.

I'd seriously move to making a new user's first regular custom pet free, since designing the custom, picking out the pet species they really want, and the colors and markings, it automatically gets them involved in creating something from the start. It would likely help to pull them in and, after the pet is created, they'd likely be excited to get out there and roleplay with it.

Come to think of it, having a "welcome PM," sent to every new user would also be a step to including them. Right away, they've received some form of interaction, even if it's just a "Hey, welcome to Evelon, here are the things you may want to look at to help you get started!" And, if we give out a free newbie token, it could be delivered with the message. Just stepping out into the wilds of Evelon, blind, without direction, is hard and not every person is comfortable with a lack of direction. I'm a person that is usually comfortable with being self taught and learning on my own how I should do things (so that made me perfectly fine back when I joined Evelon, with no directions), but that's not the case for everyone.

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Re: You Give, We Give!

Postby Middy » 12/24/2016 11:29 AM

1.) How did you find Evelon?
I believe I saw a yonyuu in someone's signature on Valenth. I followed the link there and adopted some pets to put on my silly little webpage to display. Upon further investivation of the Evelon site, I found the Avalanche Panzer and decided I had to have one. So I joined the forums, introduced myself, then started an open RP in Basantha.

2.) How long ago did you join Evelon?
2008, eight years ago. Hard to believe I was 17/18 and still immature. I have really mellowed out since then.

3.) What has kept you on Evelon for however long you've been around?
To be honest, I was going to quit after a member that is not here anymore decided to be very rude to a question I had regarding calamikuhna. I was just going to leave the site until Ari plopped a wockee on me saying I should stay, and I subsequently did get my calamikuhna from him later. I did manage to turn it into a panzer and got the avalanche one I so desired, but then the boards got wiped. I still need to get that back on my records after figuring out the lineage and such. Getting the keystones was a pain, but I did so by making my own adopts that went over pretty well. Wish I could have that kind of success again, maybe I will try.

Otherwise, I went through some... interesting moments on Evelon. I got into tiffs here and there since I was not really mentally mature by any means, and kind of shoved my weight around to get things. I really began to RP more with others, still really nervous to do so in fear of doing something wrong. I did snipe a lot of rooms and shared them, reaching out to people to try to make friends.

I did make friends though, but then there came a time when I had a falling out with one. That was an ugly moment, but thankfully Omni was there to try to diffuse it. Then I had another big fight kinda recently with another member who left who Omni again helped me through.

Over the years I have changed a lot, but I still feel rough around the edges in my mind. However, the friends I made here, and the love and support I have received have kept me here. I never really took long breaks from the site, but I did slow down tremendously now and then, but I was still here lurking. I never can see myself leaving this place.

Besides, I found the love of my life here, who has helped me through so much. We may have started as friends then RP buds, but she is one of the many reasons why I am glad I stayed here. I love all of you guys, and I love the friends I have made here too. Here's to many more years with my family on Evelon.

4.) What would you like to see for the future of Evelon?
I am pretty happy with how Evelon has evolved, the breeding room change, kuhna revamp, PSD availability,m user addons, quests, and custom tokens have been more than amazing. However, I notice that keystones can be tricky to get now.

Maybe some more incentive to RP, I know we get 5ks per post, but maybe add random finds of keystone caches (ranging from 10 to 25 ks or more?) it might be more work on the mods though, having to sift through RP posts to just randomly add these, but it might be fun.

Another thought from when I was on FF14, they had a mentor system to teach new players the ropes in dungeons or just in any situation. Maybe we can implement something like that where a person can help a new member and maybe get rewards for the both of them while showing them how Evelon operates, or even have them RP with their mentor. I dunno, it would be kinda cool to opt into something like this.

I also want to see more active user events. I know making prizes for them is more work on the mod staff, but I think those are always fun too.

More raffles! I love raffles, and not just the quest ones. They don't have to be fancy, maybe raffle 5GT or KS or more. Have more breeding room keys tossed out, since those are always nice to have when you are short on KS. Maybe even just raffle off normal kuhna, or custom tokens. There could be all kinds of things.

Also the farm, I never got to play with this much and would love to see it make a comeback.

5.) What do you think we could do to find and retain new members?
I like the idea of advertising on RP boards for one, or other adopt sites that are not FR. I remember a lot of activity on Wajas, but I don't think it's too popular anymore. Other sites might be RP groups on Deviantart, but I have mixed feelings there too. There must be a way to keep any trolls of the site, since I know they lurk out there. Word of mouth, or text in this case, is a very powerful thing. I works for restaurants, but we need to give a first great impression. I think we already do to be honest though.

We already have so much for new members, rentals, custom tokens, etc. but maybe we can offer more starting KS like Toxic suggested. Prices have really changed from when I first started (being low, then raising really high, to being in-between) so that should give them a change to grab something nice to start with. I do love seeing that they have many options open to them, so maybe some more of some kind. Maybe find some incentive to keep them RPing? I think this really depends on the individual though, some people flit from site to site, joining and checking it out, and just leaving (I did this a lot tbh)

That's all I think! Haha

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Re: You Give, We Give!

Postby Thunder » 12/24/2016 10:09 PM

1.) How did you find Evelon?
I think I actually saw a pet in someone's signature on a Warriors Cats forum too, just like Zap (which leads me to think maybe we had been on the same forum???). I don't remember what pet it was, but I'm fairly certain it was one of the mammals. I liked the look of the pet and voila!

2.) How long ago did you join Evelon?
June 7, 2007! I found the exact date by using Wayback Machine : P

3.) What has kept you on Evelon for however long you've been around?
When I was younger the art played a huge role in keeping me around. I really liked Baal's art style and it's been awesome seeing how much it's developed over the years. Now, it's basically all you guys <3 I've made so many good friends on this website and it feels like a second home to me on the interwebs. I feel blessed to know everyone : )

4.) What would you like to see for the future of Evelon?
I agree with Zap that some more contests would be neato. I miss those old ones we had, though granted, I don't know if I could participate now that I'm staff xD I'd also like to see the return of the farms and more special events for sure. In particular, I think we could do more stuff over the summer? Since summer doesn't really have any holidays we have to prepare for, and people generally have more free time during the summer (or the younger folks do, at least).

Of course, all this means mod work, and I know things have been a bit slow on our end lately for various reasons (school, computers breaking, life stuff in general, etc.). So, I'm hoping we can eventually find some more people who may be qualified for staff, or at least see if we can transition certain smaller duties to users like we did with the ownership records. My biggest fear is that Evelon will eventually shut down just because the staff no longer has time to manage things, and maybe that's inevitable, but I'd love to keep things running as long as they can.

5.) What do you think we could do to find and retain new members?
While I'm all for trying to advertise more, I agree that our main problem is new users usually don't stay very long. I remember we got that short burst of people some time back and none of them actually stayed around.

I do think the somewhat insular nature of our site contributes to the problem. Like Crow said, there's already a lot of established friendships between users on Evelon, and that can seem very difficult to become part of. It doesn't help that nowadays, users usually just roleplay with their friends or by themselves as opposed to doing open roleplays (which I think we need to encourage in some way, otherwise people will never really do them). This means that if new users don't feel like they've made any friends to interact with, they won't really have much to do and then leave.

The idea of making a more visible/accessible chat could help. Though, I'm not sure how active the chat has been lately since I'm usually too occupied doing other things to really talk in there. I do agree with Toxic that Gossip + Chatter is more visible and also can be posted in at any time (as opposed to the IRC where you have to see if anyone is around to talk), so having more conversation there can make us seem more open and active. I also really like the idea of sending out "newbie PMs" that give them a quick rundown of the site and what things they can do/get right away. There's a lot of content on Evelon and I think that would be very helpful.

I'd also be all for making a user's first custom free. The instant gratification concept that was brought up is definitely powerful, and if we did that, newbies could right away say, "Oh wow, I have something cool!" and feel more welcome. Plus, I don't think that'd increase the mod workload much since we so rarely get newbies.

[KS sent!]
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Re: You Give, We Give!

Postby Moofius » 12/24/2016 11:01 PM

1.) How did you find Evelon?
Subeta Pets! I was on that site and saw a Temple Hollowheart in somebodies signature. I fell in LOVE with the dragon and adopted a few into my profile. :D A few months later I accidentally clicked one and found the forums. Fate sealed.

2.) How long ago did you join Evelon?
Uhm... 8-10 years? I've been on awhile. x'D

3.) What has kept you on Evelon for however long you've been around?
The friends I've made, their permanent fixtures in my life! Also the girlfriend made the site so it comes up a lot. It's hard to forget the place, though I'm not very active as a RPer!

4.) What would you like to see for the future of Evelon?
I love events, but also I am busy with school right now so I can't dedicate the time. Things are better for people with busy schedules, but I find it's harder to connect and meet the new users and potential RP partners. I guess I'd like to see the community interacting more with each other, and like, not just with people they already know really well? So we can all be better connected, because it's the FRIENDS you make, not the pets you own, that keep you on Evelon.

5.) What do you think we could do find and retain new members?
I think visibility. A lot of people have mentionned presence on other sites. Regular updates on Facebook and Tumblr, a presence on DA maybe (Freezy mentionned that but I don't have much of a clue) and advertising, formal and otherwise, on other RPing and pet sites.

[KS sent!]
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Re: You Give, We Give!

Postby Jaden Wolf » 12/24/2016 11:48 PM

1.) How did you find Evelon?
Hmmm. I believe I first encountered free pets posted on...uh, Heartland? Horseland. That's it. I thought they looked AMAZING. After like, 4 or 5 visits to the main site, I discovered the forums. Mind you, the forums were probably brand new, so I don't know if I missed it the first few times or if it just wasn't there? Either way, I was caught hook line and sinker.
EDIT: Just used the wayback machine and the first forums (after hidden crossroads, which I remember people talking about back then) look completely familiar. I think I went to that one right when the update had been posted with the link to a new forum that looked the same. Pretty sure I clicked that link, then joined?
Whatever, I got here. XD;;

2.) How long ago did you join Evelon?
Forever ago. October 2007, apparently. And I've been stuck here ever since.

3.) What has kept you on Evelon for however long you've been around?
Good question. (Haha.) I love the pets, the friendliness of the site users, the constant changes and additions (both pets and content) that keep it alive? I'm barely active, but it's become almost a daily habit to check on it.

4.) What would you like to see for the future of Evelon?
I kind of have the same point for 4 and 5. I've only skimmed a couple other responses, but I agree we should have some way of creating interaction between different users. Maybe some kind of event or contests that requires users to interact with each other?

5.) What do you think we could do find and retain new members?
I totally think that this community (re)building would help a lot for retaining new members. Or, even old ones. I want to RP way more often than I do, but I miss casual RPs that have no particular plot and more than one other user involved. I often surf for open RPs and have posted my own in the past, but there's barely any activity on them. It makes it feel very isolating for those of us who are either new to the site, or no longer have many friends left on the site. If we could somehow boost those kind of threads (and interest in them), I think it could help a lot.

[KS sent!]
You can pretend that when you hear my voice, darling, it's your choice not to fall in.

But it's all an act, 'cause I know exactly what you're wanting. You know it's what I'm wanting

Boy I know what you desire, oh, you're such a bad, bad liar

This could be perfection, or venom dripping in your mouth

Singing like a Siren, love me while your wrists are bound


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