A few short weeks ago, I posted a long message to the mailing list for one of the rooms here on IMC regarding the concept of building a community, as opposed to just a room. When I went back and looked at what I wrote, I came to the conclusion that the words I spoke to them could apply to any community on the site. I made some modifications to my initial remarks, and I present it to you now.

The Concept of Community

We don’t come to IMC to bicker — ultimately, we’re all here to RP. Building a strong community means you’ll have that much friendlier, and more positive, an environment in which to do so. I believe in the hard work all of our hosts, staff and chatters put in to make any of our rooms work, so much that I was motivated to write this in order to offer suggestions that might just make any room  even better.

Any chat room is a community. Every community has its own qualities, and its own values. The staff of a chat room, like the elected representatives in a democracy, is put in place by its members to keep things running the way those members choose.

This is the theory, at least. In practice, it doesn't always work that way. That doesn't mean that a community shouldn't strive to make that theory a reality.

One important thing that I've seen implemented in some chat communities is the members’ ability to propose changes, additions or deletions to the existing community mores. (Or "rules," if you prefer, but I wanted to avoid that word because it seems to have negative connotations of late.)

In American history, there's an aphorism: "One man, one vote." This holds true in communities like this one, as well. Every voice needs to be heard, and evaluated. Sometimes you’ll find that even if you don’t like a person, you’ll agree with what he says.

It’s not always easy to give the same credence to the words of someone you don’t like as someone you do. The important thing is that the Staff and Host of any community must be able to do so, in order to do a fair and proper job of representing that community. Ultimately, that’s their real job.

Roles of The Staff and Host

The role of a staff person or the Host in a room is to maintain harmony. Rules should be put in place in chat communities because the community as a whole wants them. If the majority of the community wants to allow certain things that the Host or Staff doesn't like, it is still the duty of those people job to allow those things.

A staffer may not like the things his job requires him to do. He has the same voice as any member in these cases, and may suggest changes or amendments to the policies of a community the same way anyone else can. The voice of a staffer or the Host in situations like these should be equal to the voice of any member of that community.

Reflecting the Tenor of the Room

It’s fine to speak these pretty and idealistic words, you may think, but what can be done to reflect the community of any chat room more effectively? Here are a few simple suggestions on how to implement a process that gives all the members a voice.

1) Allow your members to see the rules clearly, and ask for their input.

2) Take anonymous votes (by email, counted by someone who can be trusted to give an accurate tally of results) on proposed changes, and go with the majority.

3) If a vote is close enough that it's not clear which side truly is the will of the community, try clarifying the proposal, making it more specific, and do another round of voting.

But, That’s So Much Work!

Yes, it's tedious. It means that someone has to tally all these votes. It means that people who want change will have to make a case for those changes in a public forum like a mailing list or message board. It means the Host and Staff will have to be prepared to implement those changes.

You know what else it means? It means your community will grow stronger. It means that your members will be a part of the process by which the room is shaped. It means people who come there will be there by choice, and their activities on behalf of the room will be reflected in the room's guidelines.

I've seen other communities take up collections for members who needed money. I've seen other communities reach into the real lives of their online community members and make real changes. Most importantly, I've seen communities where people belonged in the most real sense of the world.

The rewards of all this work will become apparent quickly, when you look into your room and see the players gathering there, day after day. Any chat room, and especially RPG chat rooms, are a home of sorts on the ‘net — it’s worth the time and effort to make it a home worthy of settling down for the long haul.

Chance is one of IMC's founding SysOps, and rather opinionated.