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 Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2009 6:31 pm
I'm sorry Angel, but I have to agree with Envy on this point. This ball DESPERATELY needs to change. Anyone who looks at the past ball can see that the numbers have been dropping steadily for awhile now. If things keep progressing as they are, the ball will be dead in no time.
It is true that stickied threads are easier to find, and people can pick and choose as they see fit, BUT the problem that really seemed to spike last year is that people were intimidated by the stickied threads and a lot of people decided not to post in them. I had a lot of people tell me that, and it may have contributed as to why there were only 7-10 regular people in the stickied threads. Even i can tell you, the threads didn't move as fast as they should. Heck, i didn't even get to do all the contests i wanted to do. If you looked at the non stickied threads though, there were a lot that had higher post counts then the actual plot, which is kind of disheartening.
It's like Envy said, this is not about you or me, or anyone here in the thread right now. It's about the community, and like it or not they will do what they want, regardless of what we try to do for them. So don't you think it's better to do a community project that encompasses their ideas as well, and not try to form them to our ideas?
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm all about the traditions too. The stickied threads do have sentimental value to them, but they aren't what makes the ball special. They are just what makes the ball seem official. While it seems that the rp's in them are more professional, all it really seems like is that we are elitists who want to have it our way.
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Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2009 9:59 pm
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if I had to perish twice,
Valiae says...>> Hey everyone! I feel like I've been gone forever. That had something to do with the combo of my birthday, driving school, a riptide, a sexy lifeguard, my job and my parents. Aaaaaanyway, I shall not elaborate more than that. And, lucky for you guys, I am far too exhausted for a wall of text. *yawns*
So down to business. Since I missed nearly 9 pages of this thread, and a few here and there in other threads, I just spent the past hour reading and catching up. (see how dedicated I am?) XD
Worry not about dolly, I have talked to her. Once she gets back to me one more time, I will let you all know what is going on. I could tell you all now, but then I'd have to kill you ;] <--- That was an example of horrible "humor" that results from sleep deprivation.
But I digress... In short: Yes, I think that the balance of power and system of organization for the ball needs to change. At the moment, I'm not quite sure how I feel about removing the stickied RP threads. I love the idea of incorporating "live action" aspects such as towns and rallys. Troll blocking techniques need to be employed- as Envy mentioned. As for the whole boardgame/labrinth idea, I have to say that I don't like it very much. I'd much rather have a simpler theme that would require SO much less staffing, behind the scenes work, and preliminary planning and setting up than the labrinth sounds like it needs. I shall elaborate on this late---- *snore* 
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
~Robert Frost
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Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2009 10:23 pm
 ♥♡♥♡♥♡♥
'Lo Val!
Welcome back!
<3
Panda~
Your friends were intimidated by the threads?
Really, how?
I thought they were nice and friendly.
I see everyone's points about trying to get more traffic, but I think making people go through a link would get even less.
♥♡♥♡♥♡♥ 
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Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2009 11:00 pm
Congrats on becoming hostess Val and it sounds like you had a lot of fun!
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Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2009 11:26 pm
@Val: Sexy lifeguards? O_o And you're hostess? Congrats! ^__^
I know I really don't have any say, experience, or ground here, and I know I'm not really one of the more interesting people or driving forces here, but I'm just going to post anyway.
I do agree with Angel. I know she does not represent the majority of the users in this community, and nor do I, but we were both guests. And I guess that MAY have allowed us to experience the past ball in perhaps a slightly different perspective, versus those who were working behind the scenes. Hypothetically, that may be the reason why there are some clashing opinions. The sticky threads were are quite dear to the ball and those that chose to attend, for all the reasons Angel listed. I'd be sad to see them go.
However, Envy and Panda are right about the stickies. The attendance has been rapidly declining, yet I don't think closing the stickies is the way to go. But you guys had the right idea; revamp, change, improve, and add.
Adding the Towns element to the ball, for example. That is a good way to compliment the main forum threads. Adding, not subtracting.
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Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 7:31 am
i would like to suggest that next years theme be more... sailor moon-y, most people underestimate sailor moon, but it's actually more popular than you think.
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Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 8:06 am
@Val: Congrats, but I didn't see anything about hostess in there....O.o
Anyway, I think the ball needs to change, obviously. I'm just not really sure how.
What if there was some way we could get people to take a survey? Of if they posted, or if they didn't, then why they didn't.
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Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 9:34 am
♥♡♥♡♥♡♥
Val - Congrats if you are hostess! You'd make a super-excellent one! <3 Though I didn't actually hear you say it yet. >w<
Crystal - Thanks for summing up what I said in an easier to understand manner! <3
Forever - We've talked about an anime theme, but there might be copyright issues. A plot like sailor moon but not using the name or characters might be doable though, but could you please elaborate? ^^
Sabs - I think a poll would be a great idea! ^^
♥♡♥♡♥♡♥
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Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 10:57 am
Psycho Sabs @Val: Congrats, but I didn't see anything about hostess in there....O.o Anyway, I think the ball needs to change, obviously. I'm just not really sure how. What if there was some way we could get people to take a survey? Of if they posted, or if they didn't, then why they didn't. Only issues with surveys is that they're only useful if you encompass a wide enough target audience. We already know that the guests who were there enjoyed it or enjoyed it to an extent that they participated in the threads-- but generally the best way to survey things of this nature is to listen to feedback and actually ask people who may not have attended why they did not, too. I'm only basing my suggestions on the feedback that I received-- and again, its of no way to ensure that it represents the audience the ball caters to. However, if this ball is primarily to be an RP forum event than it is likely that it doesn't matter if the vast majority of Gaians want something else. I've generally found the best way to set up an event is to first determine your target audience.
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Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 11:05 am
@Angel: Yeah, I'm all about simple. xD
Great idea, Sabs! Maybe a poll and/or thread in the GCD or something, asking questions about the ball, and what they think should be improved, etc. It would sort of be like one of the threads from this guild out there, since they might like to post their opinions, but don't want to join the guild. That might help, too, although it only depends on whether or not people would even be interested in clicking it.
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Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2009 4:59 am
i need the teme for the music playlist so ill know wat to get stressed
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Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2009 5:57 am
♥♡♥♡♥♡♥
Well the ball doesn't start for almost a year. ^^ So we have plenty of time to get all the music! I'm excited to find out the theme as well though. ^^
♥♡♥♡♥♡♥
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Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2009 8:28 am
I finally started getting those creative wheels spinning and I have some fresh ideas to share with you. They're in a whole new wave of thinking from the one we have been on.
These themes are generally based on the numerology significance of the year we will be hosting in, 2010, the new decade of the millennium.
A Back to the Future Theme - going back to 2003 (Most are always hinting to how they miss how things were-- we'd strive to recreate that.) This could either be going through many years or specifically 2003, when Gaia and the ball was formed.
Pre-historic Ball - this one wasn't mine, but how I got to thinking on that ^ one.
Olympic Themed Ball - The ball is suppose to be held in March. The Winter Olympics and Paralympics are also being held in March 2010.
It can be so hard in planning things so far in advance without knowing what might be the buzz topics at that time. The world advances so fast now, but I'd encourage many of you into looking into major world events that are going to be going on during that time-- as well as minor things like movie releases, game releases, and topics that gaians enjoy that might be able to inter loop with the time we will be hosting the ball.
The wiki leads me to believe that there are some major space events that will be going on at that time-- but I'm not very hip to topics like that to know their level of significance.
I'm also inclined to agree with smfanforever, doing major anime knock-offs could be something to consider. Another thing could be item knock-off themes. There are items like nartian rock and reve that have some intense background stories to them. Forming RPs around Gaia staples would likely reach a higher level of appeal to the general Gaia audience.
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Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2009 4:09 pm
Following up on Envy's idea of significant events of 2010, I decided to use the googler. Here are some events I found out are coming up-
-Longest lasting annular Solar eclipse of the 21st century.
-The World Expo in Shanghai
-Conjunction between Jupiter and Uranus. Second conjunction of triple conjunction Jupiter/Uranus
-The Space Shuttle program will be retired by NASA and replaced by Project Constellation. This project will include new space vehicles called Ares I and Ares V launch vehicles, as well as the Orion capable of traveling to the Space Station, to the Moon, and eventually to Mars.
Those are some I pulled from Wikipedia. Apparently there's a lot of space stuff going on in 2010! razz
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Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 3:02 pm
I haven't been here in awhile, and apparently I missed some interesting stuff =0 Before I start spitting out comments, congrats Val on being our hostess. I enjoyed working with you in the Witches Tower and I think you'll do a great job.
Now then....I really like the idea of theming the ball around a rl event that'll be happening around the same time. I only caution that, should we choose such a theme, we make sure to choose an event that will be well known to many Gaians. We have to remember that gaians come from many different countries, age groups, etc etc.
I worry about doing item knock-off themes because this could alienate newer members who aren't familiar with the items and their background stories, or members who can't afford the items and therefore don't bother to learn about the stories. However an anime knock-off would probably be accessible to many more members, as long as the anime is as well-known as something like Sailor Moon. (which I love, and we'd be able to get support from several Sailor Moon guilds...)
*deep breath* Sorry for the uber long post. One last point - let's keep this fun! I know we're all in for a lot of hard work, but it's also important that we have fun. If we're all stressed and treating this like a job we'll lose sight of (what I believe is) the point of this ball: for lots of members to enjoy themselves while hanging out w/ friends and meeting new people.
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