Let’s all put our minds together, RPMN Blog Carnival anybody? Social Media and its impact on RPGs!

Please note that this post first appeared on the Role Play Media Network. If you want to participate in the proposed Blog Carnival please link back to the original post. Thank you!

Building off form Michael’s earlier post today, I think that collaborative endeavors like Blog Carnivals are a great way to build a sense of community, start discussions and collaborate in some way despite distance, differing views or tastes. How does that sound to you?

Since this network  is a RPG themed social media outlet I propose our first topic should be the impact of social media, firstly in the RPG hobby, and secondly how the evolving social media changes what we do as bloggers, podcasters, etc.

As a relative newcomer to the blogging scene I have just plunged right in to all the possibilities. At the moment I am just blogging, but I’d love to podcast and here in the RPMN participate more activelly and help promote a sense of community, or partnering up, to not only cheer each other on, but to help and aid each other when we need technical help, inspiration, discussions, etc.

Personally I am also using social media to keep in contact with my gaming group. I use a combination of e-mail and Facebook posts to remind players of our game schedule, distribute information about the campaign and do some campaign upkeep between sessions or when sessions need to be reschedules or cancelled. On the off week when we can’t meet I can use Facebook to do some light role playing and keep the events of the campaign fresh on the player’s minds despite interruptions.

I have even used my posts on Stargazer’s World to showcase fiction about an upcoming campaign, granted with limited success, but experimentation is part of the social media experience. You have to try it out and see if it works. I’d love to try Wikis and maybe a dedicated forum for my long running campaign, but not all my players are as interested in social media as I am. Any idea how to motivate and involve players in the experience to enhance RPG games more?

We even have used social media as a way to bring together the role playing community in Puerto Rico where I live, and through online forums and groups organized RL activities like geeknics (picnics for geeks) and demonstrations at local conventions. A stronger, better informed and more unified RPG community, virtually and in real life, translates to a more vibrant and involved hobby.

How does that sound, any takers? Doesn’t have to be everybody… If we write it they will come!

Feel free to join in and offer your views and opinions on this matter. Make sure to link back to this post so we can hear what everybody has to say. Thank you in advanced for your participation.

Have a good day everybody.