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Kylin · **05-16-2012, 08:57 AM**

The first yearly census is here! Well, sort of. Before we start gathering information, I'd like some suggestions as to what should be added to it. The purpose of this census is to provide relevant and up-to-date information about the RP community as a whole. Linkshell leaders will be asked to gather this data and report back to the Roundtable their findings. We can then relay the organized information to the rest of the community so newcomers and oldies alike can get an accurate picture of the community. This can in turn help "balance" the RP community better and help fill niches that may be overlooked. The census can also simply be an interesting view at the current RP community as it evolves over time.

Statistics will be revealed in percentage form when all is said and done.

Please add suggestions in your comments as to what you think should or shouldn't be on the census. Suggestions as to how to properly gain the information is welcome as well. When we're all set, I'll create a new more official thread and leaders can officially start gathering the info for everyone! Here's what I have so far (please note that, while this info is gathered OOCly and used OOCly, this is aimed at -characters-, not players). Suggestions (especially additions) highly encouraged!

Spoiler: show

Obviously there's room for a LOT more. But I wanted to hear from everyone else as to what to add/modify before adding more and making it official.

Riik · **05-16-2012, 06:27 PM**

What about alignment? That could be useful information.

Eva · **05-16-2012, 07:02 PM**

I like the idea! The last category about linkshell affiliation seems a bit confusing to me. The rest of the questions seem to deal directly with an individual character's traits rather than affiliations. Being that characters may belong to more than one group, it seems to muddy the waters a bit.

Another question I had - while the census is for characters and not players, is it being conducted in an in-character fashion? I'm sure some characters might willfully fib about themselves so I can see where this might not be such a good idea if you're looking for accurate results from it. Also I'm not sure anyone, in-character, would check off something like "Secret Society" if they meant to keep it a secret.

So I'm guessing this is about characters but directed to players? Just wanted to be sure.

As for suggestions, maybe something about hair color, eye color, height, weight, etc? You have tattoos down there as a yes/no, so maybe some other physical characteristics. These might be harder to manipulate from a web form if you were trying to stick with radio buttons, checkboxes, and drop-downs. Just thinking out loud though. But I do think it's a great idea!

Riik · **05-17-2012, 12:06 PM**

I think it is directed as players about there characters, because the census would be to collect accurate information, and characters lying would just spoil that.

Smiling River · **05-17-2012, 01:11 PM**

I am not quite sure what the use of this would be after everything is gathered. Can someone explain?

Riik · **05-17-2012, 06:02 PM**

Well for one, it could help those who don't know what kind of character to make... help them decide on a role that may be less popular with all the current players, thus improving diversity. It'll also help those making alts know what gaps to fill to make more interesting RP.

Smiling River · **05-17-2012, 07:15 PM**

Alright, so the info will be processed and summarized then? Sorry it's the first I hear of this idea... kind came out of the blue, unless I missed something.

Aysun · **05-17-2012, 07:40 PM**

I'm thinking someone will compile the data gathered into a database. Statistics. I think it'll be interesting! Probably not very useful for anything other than looking at the variety in the community (or lack thereof).. but I like this idea, just to see the results!

Kylin · **05-17-2012, 09:46 PM**

Here's how it would essentially work. Linkshell leaders would gather the information within their own linkshells and report their statistics to the other leaders in the Roundtable. Then all of the data will be combined for presentation to the rest of the community (possibly including other fan sites like Zam). That's the basics of it. And as stated above, the info would be used for a couple of reasons: One, to show newbies what's popular and what's not in the RP community and, as Riik stated, hopefully increase diversity. Two, it would give us oldies a more vivid picture of the overall community and possibly help with future storylines.

While the information gathered is done all OOCly, it is aimed at your characters. So if I were filling out the info myself, I would place everything as honestly as possibly about my character OOCly (since doing so ICly would cause too many problems all over the place).

Census Preparations

RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes