So, with all the discussion, dissension and occasional heartburn this past week over the future of the RPG Bloggers Network, we saw Berin Kinsman of Uncle Bear try something new--the Role Play Media Network.
This network is not a feed aggregator, nor is it a replacement for the RPGBN. It's a social networking site, which is going to turn some people on and some off. It's a site for bloggers, podcasters, writers, publishers, artists, and game masters can get together. You can upload music, add your blog's RSS feed, take part in a forum or live chat, personalize your own page, add special interest groups, and more.
It sort of has the feel of a mini-Facebook. And all those bells and whistles have people trying it right now--it's when the shine wears off a bit we'll see its success or failure for gamer networking.
Back to the creating groups bit for a minute--I've been puttering around on there (my page is here), and I've created several discussion groups. Here are just a few--we'll see how much interest or utility they hold in the long run: Small Press Advocates, Classical D&D, Traveller, Hoosier Gamers, and Midwestern Gamers. For fun, I joined a World Creation group, Pathfinder, Savage Worlds, Gaming Podcasters, and several others.
Either way, we already know it'll be better than Gleemax, and it loads faster than ENWorld. (Then again, I could load up the most graphics-intensive site on the internet with my old 1996-era desktop, and it would still load faster than ENWorld).
We should also hear something by week's end on the fate of the RPG Bloggers Network. Either way, should be a busy week all around. And if you do check out the Role Play Media Network, make sure to say hi!
10 comments:
Thanks for noting the Hoosier Gamers group, I don't think I would have noticed it on my own!
I'm still testing it out but I can say it's not quite what I expected. To me it feels like a facebook but just more narrowly focused. This isn't a bad thing especially, with what it's trying to do, but just feels like it's missing something.
I signed up for it. Curious though - I can't find any place to add my own blog's RSS feed so it pipes through. What am I missing?
I like the Facebook feel of the Role Play Media Network. I think its a good idea and I'm sure it will continue to grow and develop.
To add your RSS feed, go to the left-hand side of your page and drag the RSS feed to the center. Then just edit it. That’s all—most of the stuff on your page is drag n’ drop.
Since I had totally missed the discussion about RPGBN, the fact there was one was interesting news!
For me RPGBN is a RSS aggregator (yeah, there might be more, but I've never understood how, when and why) and I really don't see a need to make it anything bigger and grander. I get many visitors from the network and for me it's just a way of getting exposure.
A RPG Facebook just seem odd to me.
Well, more power to those who make things happen, I guess.
i haven't checked it out yet, but i will will immediately after i post this comment.
but from what you've described, what is the difference between this and RPGBOMB.com?
I'm afraid I fall onto the more skeptical side. More and more I'm beginning to subscribe the the philosophy of the "attention economy". My attention is finite, it is a fixed resource that I spend across my day. I could, for example, affix a cost of about $20 for every hour I spend on something.
With the RPMN, the question becomes: is this worth $20 of my time a week? I've already made a commitment to Twitter and, unfortunately, to Facebook. I've gotten my attention's worth with Twitter, for sure, and Facebook mainly so I can keep track of my friends and family who aren't real geeks.
I was disappointed to see WOTC build a Facebook-style site instead of something that embraced existing social networks. Even they seem to be schizophrenic - they post to Twitter, to Facebook, and to their own site.
It really comes down to something Neal Stephenson said. I can spend time surfing fifteen social networks, accepting friend invites, reading hundreds of message threads, hunting down status updates, and tracking yet another place to store blog posts
Or I can be making things. I can write articles for my own site or come up with more tweets for my feed or making my own home game more fun. I can spend time creating instead of consuming.
That, to me, is where I want to spend my attention.
Frankly, I just don't need another social presence to maintain. It's not worth the drag on my limited attention.
@Mike: I actually understand. And once the shiny wears off, we'll see how many people (including me) stick around. Time is a valuable commodity!
@da trux: I have only a little experience w/ RPGBomb, so I couldn't provide a very good answer there.
@da Trux: Purely subjective and my opinion but RPGBomb always pissed me off fundamentally from a user interface and usefulness kind of place. I find RPMN to be easier to user, faster to load and generally stacked with people I know. Again, all of that is subjective and IMO.
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