The offer is open to everyone. I don't think, with a project like this, it serves a greater interest to be selective and exclusive beyond reasonable levels.
A post quoted without permission from the
SWFans thread:
RPG has stated they'd rather go with a more direct affiliates system on a board by board basis.
Again, no offense, but this isn't a terribly big step for the majority of us to make. Most boards involved already have board by board afiliates programs with either sidebar links or an affiliates page or both. What were are talking about is something larger; a cuommunity hub, a common origin for visitors and wanderers and a common jump point for interboard suggestions and ideas.
Affiliate pages are nice and all, but in my opinion, not terribly effective. I have found that they are most useful when members become frustrated or tired of your board and want to find somewhere else to play. Not in any fashion any ideal situation for any of us.
What we are trying to do is set the groundwork, ideally, for a more coperative and communicative community. This would be but a step... a big step, an element of commonality, a joint project, but hopefully not the last step. Beyond this many possibities exist... a cross board RP, perhaps. TRF has held contests in the past for things like sig design and skinning, maybe we could organize an all boards invited contest to get a little friendly competition going.
I suggest for the time being that, while I understand the hesitation of boards to hop into a project with other boards that we may not like and have legitimate greivances with, that we go ahead and do it anyway. What happened in the past, however recent and hurtful that past, happened in the past. This project is geared towards the future of our communities both as a collective and individually. I propose that, for now, boards apprehensive to associate with others do so anyway. I'm not asking anyone to ignore the past but rather to think of the future and in so doing recognize that if said boards play nice then there is more to be gleamed from them, at least on nuetral and speaking terms, then adversarial ones. I am not saying we issue boards or owners a free pass and allow all to affiliate and reap the benefits despite behaviour. It should be assumed without saying that any trashing or flaming of other boards, members, or staff, by ownership or administration of any board should result in that boards exclusion from the project. That way, those who are willing to work together and move beyond their issues grow and participate and sow the benefit, and those with ulterior and selfish motives whose behaviour reverts to prehistoric levels of diplomacy can be sent back to their insular existance, oppurtunity for community wasted, while the rest of us continue to enjoy our newfound friendship.
This is my personal opinion, not to be taken as the word of the TRF staff, with alcohol, or within two hours of driving a motor vehicle or operating heavy machinery.
OS: In a world of bon-bons, you are a twinkie.
Ahnk: God damn you, I am Count Chocula and you know it.
I'm not spending my anniversary night thumping my head against the wall. - Damalis, on Moderating TRF
Then tell him you want it harder, damnit! - Ahnk, on Damalis