So i guess everyone is leaving..?

Nami wrote: That's true, but not everyone starts the IP or makes an introductory post.

Understood.

Drop me a PM, I'd be happy to offer you any assistance I can with the IP etc

Trisskar wrote:

Nami wrote:

Trisskar wrote: I created a thread reaching out to all members in need and didn't receive any requests save a bunch of banter about my choices.

How can I, an Apprentice, better reach out to you new members Nami? Asakura Shoji? Private PM's? Most times I rarely know who is new and when. "Member" and "Guest" status holds both new and old member's and I hate to pry/nag So just trying to figure out how I can be of better help if/when there is a next time.

Keep an eye on introductory posts.

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This was a very "Jedi" response *Triskar, thank you for being an example.

Gotta also remember we are all volunteers and have personal lives and our training too and when there's stuff like this going on it consumes a lot of time too. Heck I got 3 jobs and still put a lot of time here but I have my limits too.

Until today hardly anyone was doing anything. So many people have stepped up to the plate now. I appreciate all of you who stepped up. I have a lot more hope in this place now than I did this morning.

Here comes a Knight to barge in on the conversation! :ohmy: I do have access and answers that many here don't have, so please, ask away and I will try to answer.

I will do my best to address a few points here from a Knight's perspective and as someone holding an office here. To begin with, this Temple is not "in flames" or collapsing. Everyone is not leaving. There are transitions and changes being discussed, but they are due to this place growing, not dying. There are logistical matters (membership processing and rank updates), legal matters (bylaws to be updated as we are a 501c3 charitable organization bound by the laws of Texas and the U.S.), website and server matters (our server is in France and we are bound by international laws as well), I.T. matters (as of now we have one guy doing all of the work to keep this site secure from hacking and functioning correctly), and more.

Yes, some people will be frustrated with all of this bureaucracy and leave, but others will arrive or return. A Jedi's path is ultimately their own, and we all have to decide where the Force is leading us. As of now, my place is still here, but that doesn't mean I can't also be elsewhere.

I have been on this site for four years. When I joined, there were far fewer members and this place would be a ghost town some days. My introduction post received just six replies on my first day as well, and there was no IP Team or welcoming committee or any of that. I had to click on the FAQ and find my own way for a bit. We've come a long way in that sense, and we continue to strive to improve.

That being said, we are an online church with hundreds that arrive here monthly. Let's compare that to an actual church. If I were to walk into a Catholic church for the first time on Sunday, I may or may not be greeted by six people. I might not be greeted by anyone. I would take a seat in the pews and hopefully get to know someone sitting near me. The point is, it would be on me to introduce myself and make my presence known. I would need to ask the questions I have, not wait for someone to ask me. This might not be the most compassionate way to welcome new members to a Catholic church, but it is the reality I have experienced at many of them. Here at TOTJO we are trying to be better.

Now consider that we are a worldwide organization of Jedi speaking many languages, from varying cultures, with a huge variety of baggage that we each bring with us. Some come in like a wrecking ball and others are very quiet. We do our best to accommodate both, but the loud ones tend to require more of our attention. It is disappointing that we have failed some new members and I am not here to make excuses. I simply ask for your patience as we try to make a spiritual home that is welcoming to everyone.

As Jedi, we are to be compassionate and helpful, but we also walk our own paths with self determination and courage. Use this opportunity to help us make this place better. Join our ranks and give us ideas. Welcome newcomers you see who post an introduction. Be the change you want to see and we will notice.

My PM is open to anyone who ever feels in the dark or left out. I will tell you everything I can share and I will be honest about it.

Yea....I stopped responding to Introductory Threads because nearly 80% of those new members don't even stick around for the first or three days.

Its a hard balance but with communication and trial/error im sure we will find solutions!

Trisskar wrote: Yea....I stopped responding to Introductory Threads because nearly 80% of those new members don't even stick around for the first or three days.

99% arent here after six months - three months even.
Chicken-or-egg conundrum? Maybe, but I think people tend to go where they want to be, those who want to be here will stay and those who dont, wont.

OB1Shinobi wrote:
Same. 98% of you wont be here in six months. Maybe retention would be higher if more people converged on new members. Chicken or egg conundrum? Lets talk about it after youve been here for a year or so and seen how many people come through.

You won't know unless you try. Even if people don't stick around, I refuse to believe that putting time and effort into people who are interested in this church would be anything but beneficial. We need to show people that we care, for the sake of caring.

Nami wrote:

OB1Shinobi wrote:
Same. 98% of you wont be here in six months. Maybe retention would be higher if more people converged on new members. Chicken or egg conundrum? Lets talk about it after youve been here for a year or so and seen how many people come through.

You won't know unless you try. Even if people don't stick around, I refuse to believe that putting time and effort into people who are interested in this church would be anything but beneficial. We need to show people that we care, for the sake of caring.

Agreed. I find those you put time into, the ones you greet and help in those first few days stick around. If not for Avalonslight, for example, I would not have stuck around for long after joining... and well, now look at me.

It is simply good etiquette to greet new people. This is a small thing that I do to make people feel welcome. I greet every person who posts in the introduction thread since I returned from my overseas deployments. It does not take very long to write a simple hello, and I get tells from people with questions, probably because I am one of the few Knights who do greet new people coming in the door.

The newcomers, guests are getting a lot more attention that it used to be. It has gotten better. It could always be better. But as has been said, this is our own Journey, our own Path and we must take ownership of it. If you need aid, have questions, never wait for the answer to come to you. It may or may not. Seek it out. Ask any of us, Knights, Apprentices, Novices, Initiates, members, Guests, wisdom and insight may be gleaned from any rank.

Send any of us a PM, ask in the forums, start a topic, we are all here to help each other grow.