Site Poll

[Lexi Rodriguez]

This my answer on:

My least favourite aspect of HNZ is ... PLASTICS!!! (get that right)
One major thing I think should be pushed for, for HNZ's future is... BE AN OFFICIAL ROLEPLAYING SITE (but not gonna happen)

That's all...

 

[Nicolas King]

My least favourite aspect of HNZ is ... PLASTICS!!! (get that right)

Do you mean people who are fake? What do you mean by that?
If you do mean fake people, I'm sure you'll find people that fall in to that archetype everywhere.

One major thing I think should be pushed for, for HNZ's future is... BE AN OFFICIAL ROLEPLAYING SITE (but not gonna happen)

It'd be wonderful, but you're right - it's probably never going to happen. Especially considering how much we allow to stray from canon and how the premise of the site itself is a bit unbelievable. (Hogwarts opening a second branch? The sorting hat being at both schools at the same time? It's all a little disjointed if you put it under a microscope, but tonnes of fun regardless. )

 

[Lexi Rodriguez]

Fake people, yes, and you can find them here in this site too ... they are irritating and annoying.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

I have basically gone boggley eyed from reading this... all of this and what I would like to say first is thank you. To everyone who has taken the time and patience to vote and to really think about the votes they made.

I am sorry to hear that some of our new members feel excluded and will try harder to make sure you guys feel more welcome I know we have the welcome area for you and sometimes when a new member pops into shouty or spam {or whatever it's called at the time} it can feel extremely daunting as even I, after two years of being on this site, feel as if I have walked into the middle of conversations. More times than not I say hello and just go about my GM duties or rp before popping back in again. Other times I stay to chat it up some. Make good use of the OOC area, play the games, post in the discussions. Jump into spam and shouty and just give us all a and say hello, you're almost always guaranteed to get one back

I don't believe for a second that there are cliques here and it actually upset me to think that someone stated this to be so. I have to agree with Cyndi on this, I've never felt it. Sure when I first joined here, I joined the same time as Brian and for ages wouldn't really speak with anyone else in spam but him because I didn't feel I knew anyone. Eventually I came out of my shell (yeah like I ever had one) and got to know more and more people. I have a small little group that I msn with and others I pm and basically everyone I 'spam' with but though many of us know others outside of here, we don't purposefully try to make ourselves into cliques or plastics or anything else. Like always gravitates to like - it happens.

Site Wide Plots -- the dreaded SWP the walk on Obsidian was my brain child, I had posted it in the plot development area and in the DE brainstorming idea. Many said they would participate but I think as soon as they knew they couldn't start blowing things up and killing people the march of mourning fizzled out. It had great potential for shopkeepers and ordinary witches and wizards to simply jump in and rp horror and fear about what they were seeing and for a whole bunch of DE's to just get together but sadly it is still wide open and even Thorine is dead now
~Another SWP that went downhill - the murder of Scott Anderson - that part went off without a hitch but the spectators and ministry officials gathered around the body again fizzled out.
~TWT - don't get me started! am leaving it there on that one
~Centaurs in the school - that basically just happened, there was no warning or anything but ... the threads leading up to it - Bang Bang Baby (Halloween) and ALL the detention threads before it had all been posted in the BWU and even when the centaur thread did begin, it made it to the next BWU - it's very title was wide open for participation and kudos to those who did join it.

I am looking forward to the MoM campaign and seriously hope that more of you will give it your all!

I put other in my Least favourite things about HNZ and basically my least favourite is members who knock this site. We are a wonderful community who are supportive and friendly, who encourage and listen when we can. There are always those few on every site who moan and groan about the way things are run or the way members behave, or the way there isn't enough plots to go around and yet never do anything about it, other than complain.
Well I for one am extremely tired of the gripers - either stand up and be counted as a decent member of this community and add to it instead of detracting from it or be less aggressive with complaints made and stop upsetting other members!

I love the character spotlight
And even though Andromeda won it ages ago, looking at all the amazing bio's the past few months when we've been making selections for the CS, has made me wince at the state of hers now. So I've been slowly updating. Shaming me the lot of you are but I appreciate as do all the staff and members the wonderful job you all do on your biographies, relationship threads and CD's.

If I've anything else to add I'll pop back again

 

[Mike Gray]

So here's my two cents.

I've been a member of HNZ since March 9th 2008, so thats 2 years and a 3 months exactly today! I have to say that I have enjoyed my time with you guys of both past and present, and cannot imagine what I would be doing right now if I never knew about HNZ.

Onto the matter (s) at hand:

Site Changes

Most of the changes have been great! Such as the Galleons on the user-profile, as Gringotts was heavily under pressure and Pat had so much to do on top of real life as well. The OOC text box was nifty and has proved useful in some situations!"

I also like the changes to the applications forms, which made it a helluva lot easier to apply and presumably for the admins to sift through them.

I feel that my feedback is appreciated and dealt with in a nice manner, and looking through the suggestions and feedback area, it seems everyone else's feedback is again appreciated and the replies from the admins' thought about.

I disagree with a majority vote on the Site Plots in my opinion. I form this basis on the fact that they haven't gone to plan every time. I know I was somewhat to blame with the TWT, but the right person won, in which Lin put lots into making it fun and entertaining to take part in both IC and OOC. Site Plots always raise the issue of Death Eaters attacking Hogwarts etc, which as Nick and many other users have pointed out that their are only so many times that you can do this before it gets dull and repetitive and raised some IC issues from the Ministry.

I would love to see the Ministry become more active. Again my ministry characters are generally active, but it would be nice to see more members such as the "newer" ones create some for departments that only have one or two members. It would be great for them to develop their RP skills in a different part of HNZ rather than with their students.

Nick, remember that form that I think Alicia created, outlining what each department could do? Is there any chance you've still got it and could possibly update it giving us something to rp with throughout the departments?

I always look forward to the Bi-Weekly Update. It's fun and informative and it's good to see what we can be expecting that week/fortnight and what we have to look forward to. I think it should be kept bi-weekly, as if it was put weekly, then it would be a hassle for the Admins/GMs to write up and there wouldn't be as much to write about. Monthly would be too long and taxing to remember what to include. I feel every Two weeks is just right.

With the character spotlight, I can't say I'm enthusiastic about. I can't say I read other peoples' biographies about their characters or can I say that I take the time to sort mine out, making it informative as others. However this is on my to-do list this Summer, which should get me appreciating the Character Spotlight more.

I like the Birthday Celebrations. They're simple yet effective. They really do make your day.

I am totally looking forward to the election of a new Minister of Magic. This is going to be awesome!

I love lots of stuff about HNZ, but I feel it's the Community itself that is the icing on the cake. Without you lot HNZ wouldn't be what it is today

The cliques don't generally bother me. I know who I get on with and I know who I don't get on with for whatever reason. I understand for the newer members that it can be difficult and hard to "fit in" but I feel that I should be more welcoming to the new members to help make them feel comfortable like members, past and present have done for me.

Again I like the OOC superlatives. They're fun and make you feel good about yourself, and I understand if you're popular with most people then you have more chance of winning, however it's nothing to lose sleep over. It's just a bit of harmless fun.

I think that Emma's idea about putting information about yourself on the Wiki is a good idea except tis information about yourself being put onto the internet where anyone can see it? Would privacy settings be applicable? I don't mind putting information about myself on the iterwebz, but some people might.

Overall HNZ is too awesome for words to describe and I want to stay on HNZ... forever

 

[Riley Sparkles]

I don't believe for a second that there are cliques here and it actually upset me to think that someone stated this to be so.

Oh man, I'm feeling extremely guilty for saying there are 'cliques'. I am now taking it back! I agree with you guys, it's more of the fact that it's daunting, and as a new person, it's scary to just jump right into people's lives. I wasn't trying to be a downer, or diss anyone.
When I joined, I knew nobody, and so, especially seeing the tight groups around, I felt that I wouldn't be able to get into the group. I have been proven wrong.

Make good use of the OOC area, play the games, post in the discussions. Jump into spam and shouty and just give us all a and say hello, you're almost always guaranteed to get one back

I agree with this too, they are awesome ways to get involved.
That is all [/font]

 

[Nicolas King]

Oh man, I'm feeling extremely guilty for saying there are 'cliques'. I am now taking it back!

No reason for you to feel bad at all.
It's a loaded word on HNZ, I fear, and nothing for you to feel bad about. It's something I expected to come up and hoped to address somewhat with this poll.
What the complaint seems to be against, at least for myself, if not Linda and others as well, is when people use the term 'clique' and just throw it about and act like the whole site has wronged them or something. Complaints come up that admin only approve applications from people in our "group" (which has always been news to me, because I try pretty hard not to have a 'group' - especially not on the board), and that we promote GMs because they're our friends and things like that. Wild accusations with no backing up to be found for them.
If you want to read a bit more about it, I blogged about it here: http://blog.hogwartsnewzealand.com/2010/04/cliques-clicks-wait-who-started-this.html
But as I said, definitely nothing for you to be sorry about. There is an innocent use of the term, which I know you meant, and there is the loaded use of the term which a few too many people on HNZ have used in the past simply because they didn't get exactly what they wanted, how they wanted it.
[/my take]

 

[Maddiie Holland]

Okay just to let yall know I didn't read the whole thing and I have yet to submit on the poll part of this (YIKES!)
But I do want to say a few things:
I'm really impress by all the work you guys do! And it just keeps getting better every time I log on (LOL) but there just a bit I need to take back. I am guilty of abusing somewhat of the site. I hardly would say I put my part unless I suggest something, in which I do often but than I miss the whole point of the site! I think everyone those and it kills me because I ♥ HNZ! I mean this suppose to be a wizaring world and I hardly get to see magic unless its being done in lessons. (Which I recently got back into doing on Jacob Account!) and WOW did I miss a lot! And its hard to work around what can be done and can't be done on here. For example submitting plot approval can be dreadful and taking place on big events! That's even hard when people don't put their heart into! But you have to understand some are afraid to join these plots because their not used to role playing with "that person". Or everyone so used to rping with a good two or three people and they neglect the ones to at least try and say "hey I don't mind rping with you!" I mean I miss back than because I wasn't judge by the way I rp. I just rp and it was fun. I didn't have to give it my all and when I first started I was just a two liner, the most a paragraph! When I rp I like to have fun with it and I do! Especially when it continues on and the person doesn't stop. I also love to use magic! MAGIC AWESOME! I rp with Victor seeing two quills fighting against each other inside the shop. I thought it was funny, to funny and I'm like hey this is magic world right? Why not! What the hell wrong with that? (LOL) and lately I've notice the character development just another dating site! Its true but its funny as hell! And I'm sure I'm guilty of abusing that part but at least I try or at least I try. I can't believe nobody knew about Poor Jareth! I almost cried reading that rp and when it was announce I posted as my character. I was sad! (Poor Jareth!) had nothing to do with my character but I was there. Come on people just a little help at least! I mean even with Link (that arse hole!) I posted at the tournament as attendee even if his character not into that I still posted my guts out! And I do this MOSTLY over my phone! So yeah just wanted to say how I felt LOL

Other than you GM do your best and Nick kick arse any time! And I love the new idea (I actually read the blog like OMG Maddy ...) Its seems like the site moving on! But still remember its magic folks! The magic world!

Ps. ♥ U Nick

Madz

 

[Amelia Andrews]

...the sorting hat being at both schools at the same time?...

Heh. Because of the time-differences between NZ and Scotland the sorting hat is perfectly plausable

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The cliques thing.. pfft. The word actually makes me want to cry (but meh, coz I over-react a lot). As sick as I am with the term, for some people they just can't help but notice this stuff. But I have to say there are cliques, or at least two of them-- people who'll spend days planning and hours writing out applications with every single detail, and the people who mightn't 'know their character' very well. Personally I commend the admins for trying to avoid sticking with groups of people, and suggest that other people maybe.. try a bit harder and tink everything through.

And I don't exactly sound very nice when I say that, I know. But without actually seeing your applications it's hard to be nice about it. And I fail at taking a neutral approach [/rantover]

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Admittedly, HNZ seems.. different from when I first joined. But I'm still trying to work out how. Just felt like sharing that.

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[Elspeth Brookes]

Okay, I only joined HNZ in January, but I really love it here, and I'm on here WAAAY too much. It is a bit daunting joining in the OOC chats, but once you're in it's really fun. I really like the changes (unlike facebook ) and they make it easier and more fun around the site, as well as presumably removing some of the admins workload. I really like the idea of an area where we can talk about ourselves, a 'Behind The Characters' area, I think it was called. There are a few things I still don't understand (and probably never will, like the relationships area. ) but apart from a few small complaints, I HNZ!

 

[Nicolas King]

Thank you all for your ideas, feedback, suggestions and just taking the time to vote in the poll.
I'm closing this topic now and archiving it. I'm mostly contented with the results of the poll and will be sifting through what was suggested/said here, discussing things with Livvy and the rest of the site staff, then hopefully implementing some changes and ideas that were brought up here.