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I went through the Citizenship list tonight, and as usual I noticed that the vast majority of people who had their Citizenship revoked had only one post...the post that they applied for Citizenship with. I think one of the points of Citizenship is to have people be more committed and involved in the region, so I was thinking...what about an additional requirement of five non-spam posts before they could have their application considered? It would either encourage them to interact with the community a bit, or deter people that have no intention of doing so...but either way, I think it's an idea worth considering (and not just because it's mine ).

Also would be a good time to discuss any other ideas to get new Citizens more involved.

I think this would be a good idea! Even a post requirement of 5 or 10 would ensure at least some level of activity from them without (hopefully) putting them off. I guess its then building on that 5/10 posts of activity to keep them here.

It's late, but I'll try and come up with a few ideas tomorrow maybe a forum theme revamp? Also capitalising on RMB activity will be a big thing.

On the post requirement... I'm not so sure... I mean I only have my own anecdotal experience to rely on, but for me applying for citizenship was a big scary thing I wasn't entirely sure what I was doing or if I was doing it right... I was very hesitant to get involved with things and wasn't really sure what I was doing

The idea of being under scrutiny kinda puts me off (I've been kicked off of things after just joinjng before, for not obeying every rule in a massive list appropriately) so I can imagine hearing that I would need to make so many posts before I was actually a citizen would either lead me to make pointless posts, or in my case more likely mean I was less inclined to apply 

I would say, instead of it being an immediate requirement for citizenship, it might be better to have a check, after like a one month period or something if they still only have 1 or 2 posts including the application then they can have it revoked, and inform people about this maybe in the application.
I can see that as a better way of working it.

I mean I only have my own anecdotal experience to rely on, but for me applying for citizenship was a big scary thing I wasn't entirely sure what I was doing or if I was doing it right... I was very hesitant to get involved with things and wasn't really sure what I was doing

At least I wasn't the only one who felt this.

Actually, I'm not completely against it.

Let them post around a bit on the forums and get a feel, and five posts (one of which already would be their application) isn't too much to shoot for.  That's literally 4 posts in the dumping grounds, or 4 posts anywhere else on the forums, and then the 5th being their application.

If anything, encourage people to post up an AMA thread or introduction thread when they join, that's another post right there.

I'm afraid I have to side with Hannah and Sapph on this one. Making the jump from NS to the forums is a bigger commitment than I think we realize, or remember taking ourselves.  It can be very intimidating to people who may never have been exposed to online communities before.

What if the mentor program was mandatory - in that every new citizen received a PM from a mentor after their application was approved?

If anything it'd be:

*Encouraging them to make an Introductory thread (1 post), or we make a welcome thread where people can post their hellos and be greeted.

*Encourage members to post in the Frostwake Orphanage and seek being adopted into a family (1 post)

*Encourage members to post in "Say what's on your Mind" since it's a pretty simply thread (1 post)

*Encourage members to post an Ask me Anything thread (1 post)

And then the application thread.

It's the 4 least intimidating threads that don't require any specific requirements, and likewise are very relaxed as far as posting lengths, since the first is up to them on how long it is, the 2nd is literally just saying they want to be adopted, the 3rd is literally just saying what they want, and the 4th is literally just telling people to ask questions.

With the current trend for people hosting forum games and stuff, it's never been easier to get involved. It's not like we're asking people to reach 500 posts or something. 5 posts just makes Wintermoot's job so much easier, and all the gruntwork that goes into reviewing citizenship applications, and then later having to revoke their citizenships, could finally be cut out and the energy expended in that thankless task could be put to much more efficient use elsewhere.

I'm for this.

There is a bit of a problem with people signing up and disappearing. I think that this might help with that.

This also eliminates the need to add a post requirement for citizens to enter the Storting according to the Open Assembly bill, because it will have already been incorporated in earning citizenship.

That being said, there will always be the work needed for citizenship checks because nations will still cease to exist or move to other regions in spite of "background checks", but at least this lessens the load due to needing to check fewer citizens and ensures at least a basic level of commitment.

I'm against post requirements, but I think we could instead focus more in encouraging new members along the lines Pengu illustrated. We could compose a regularly updated welcoming message that gets posted in each and every citizenship application (getting told "go read these lists" is as bad as "do these things if you want in").

What comes to Wintermoot's burden, to ease that I'd instead suggest looking into the possibility of having one or two other people with the access to change the groups (are they called masks?), or at very least we could look into delegating the checking process completely or partially to somewhere else.

In an extension of my thoughts I have posted this proposal.

I'm against post requirements, but I think we could instead focus more in encouraging new members along the lines Pengu illustrated. We could compose a regularly updated welcoming message that gets posted in each and every citizenship application (getting told "go read these lists" is as bad as "do these things if you want in").

What comes to Wintermoot's burden, to ease that I'd instead suggest looking into the possibility of having one or two other people with the access to change the groups (are they called masks?), or at very least we could look into delegating the checking process completely or partially to somewhere else.

In an extension of my thoughts I have posted this proposal.

I was going to suggest instead of posting such a welcome message in every application thread...what about updating the automatic PM that Wintermoot sends out to new citizens that join the forums?  That way, they're getting those suggestions right at the very start.

Establishing a welcoming message for the forums would encourage the shift from NS to here. If someone has questions about a telegram they receive, they are most likely to respond to the telegram = a shard of integration with the forum environment is lost.

There's also the issue that a telegram sent by Wintermoot can only be sent.. well, by Wintermoot. In NS that works greatly in our benefit nothing really rivals getting a telegram from the monarch, but that's not necessarily the case here.

Having to go to NS for a list of suggested places to start with around here is not very efficient. If we want people to stick around, let's keep them around.

That telegram Wintermoot sends is extremely important, but what happens here is easier for us to improve, so that's where I think we should focus right now.

I think you're confusing what I mean.

I don't mean the telegram on NS.  I mean the Private Message that is automatically sent on here, the forums, by him when a person joins.

In other words, altering this:

Welcome to the Wintreath forums, Tredania!

As Monarch of our region, I'm happy that you have decided to make an account with us! You've taken the first step to getting to know our region and the people in it better. From here, there are two options for you.

Apply For Citizenship - If you're here as a resident of the region, you can apply for Citizenship! This will give you all the rights and protections of the Fundamental Laws, our regional Constitution, such as the ability to take government office, to vote in elections, and to take part in Citizen-only discussions.

Apply For Ambassadorship - If you're here to represent another region, you can apply as an Ambassador and/or request embassies between Wintreath and your region. This essentially means that our regions will have relations, and occasionally share news and updates with each other.

You can apply for either status here. Just find the right form, fill it out, and submit your form as a new topic. Once you submit it, it may take some time for us to review your application. While you wait, feel free to join any discussion in the Howling Wind Tavern, General Discussion, or Valley of the Spammage forums, all of which are open to non-Citizens!

I hope you enjoy our region and our community. Please message me back if you need any help getting started here on the forums.

Warm Regards,
-Inric Nordrim Stark (Wintermoot of Wintreath)
-Monarch of Wintreath

with the different suggestions.