Interactive Fiction Wants You
To be honest, it was much easier to get noticed when I joined what was then EarthBound.Net. The site was a lot smaller, and the people who were here were younger, and as a result--let's be honest--the bar was set lower, although I still managed to trip over it. Now, with incredible fanart and engrossing fanfics and... er, more flukes, "What can I do to get noticed around here!?" has become a constant refrain for some. What I'm proposing, then, could be called the Quantity Method.
First, though, we should distinguish between Good Notice and Bad Notice. What you don't want to do to get noticed is spam the forums, particularly if grammar and coherency aren't your strong points. (The key to success in the forums is to gradually keep posting well until people remember your name in a good way, but I digress.) Sure, people will remember your name if you end every post with AND THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE, BECAUSE STONE COLD MR. SATURN SAID SO, but it won't be the way you want to be remembered, unless you're a masochist.
So open a forum account and maybe join #earthbound, remembering to learn the rhythm and style of each before you jump in full throttle, of course; but what about the site itself? Well, just because you aren't Vincent Van Gonmon or Michael DePalma Crichton doesn't mean you can't contribute fanart or fanfiction; one of the best ways to get better at either discipline is to practice it constantly.
But just remember, this is a really big website. There's a lot of stuff to do, and one of the things probably corresponds to something you're good at. Are you funny? Well, the flukes section is just now being set back into motion; download the Weirdo Maker, look at some of the best flukes out there, and emulate them. Or perhaps your parents have made you take piano or voice or--in my case--trombone(!) lessons? Mess around with your instrument of choice until you figure out how to play your favorite song from EarthBound. Starmen.Net has a place for aspiring poets, artists, programmers... basically, if you have a hobby, I'm sure you can find a way to tie it in with our favorite video game. Just be a well-rounded Starmen.Netter.
And between submissions, just keep active; it doesn't take long to post in the forums, or say hi on IRC, or write a letter for the Mailbag, and the more people see you the easier it will be for you to cross that vaunted, rumored pass from "newbie" to "regular."
Most importantly, write articles. Every single day.
To be honest, it was much easier to get noticed when I joined what was then EarthBound.Net. The site was a lot smaller, and the people who were here were younger, and as a result--let's be honest--the bar was set lower, although I still managed to trip over it. Now, with incredible fanart and engrossing fanfics and... er, more flukes, "What can I do to get noticed around here!?" has become a constant refrain for some. What I'm proposing, then, could be called the Quantity Method.
First, though, we should distinguish between Good Notice and Bad Notice. What you don't want to do to get noticed is spam the forums, particularly if grammar and coherency aren't your strong points. (The key to success in the forums is to gradually keep posting well until people remember your name in a good way, but I digress.) Sure, people will remember your name if you end every post with AND THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE, BECAUSE STONE COLD MR. SATURN SAID SO, but it won't be the way you want to be remembered, unless you're a masochist.
So open a forum account and maybe join #earthbound, remembering to learn the rhythm and style of each before you jump in full throttle, of course; but what about the site itself? Well, just because you aren't Vincent Van Gonmon or Michael DePalma Crichton doesn't mean you can't contribute fanart or fanfiction; one of the best ways to get better at either discipline is to practice it constantly.
But just remember, this is a really big website. There's a lot of stuff to do, and one of the things probably corresponds to something you're good at. Are you funny? Well, the flukes section is just now being set back into motion; download the Weirdo Maker, look at some of the best flukes out there, and emulate them. Or perhaps your parents have made you take piano or voice or--in my case--trombone(!) lessons? Mess around with your instrument of choice until you figure out how to play your favorite song from EarthBound. Starmen.Net has a place for aspiring poets, artists, programmers... basically, if you have a hobby, I'm sure you can find a way to tie it in with our favorite video game. Just be a well-rounded Starmen.Netter.
And between submissions, just keep active; it doesn't take long to post in the forums, or say hi on IRC, or write a letter for the Mailbag, and the more people see you the easier it will be for you to cross that vaunted, rumored pass from "newbie" to "regular."
Most importantly, write articles. Every single day.
