The first step to building our army is to recruit and lately we’ve been doing lots of enthusiastic recruiting. We have been successful in getting new recruits into ACP chat, but once we get them in, I see many problems that are making them leave. We must identify and address these problems if we want to get our new recruits to comment on our JOIN page and become a valuable, active soldier in ACP.
Problems
Many recruits are coming from trackers to our chat to be instantly kicked or banned because they don’t know our chat rules. Give these people time to learn our rules. Instead of kicking and banning, we should welcome them, warn them, and educate them on what is not allowed, such as too many smilies or language. Perhaps warn them and direct them to our chat rules. When we instantly ban them, they go back to their trackers and word gets around about how they were mistreated. Believe me, word-of-mouth is a powerful thing, it can make or break ACP. Many chats are not as strict as ours and we need to give them some time and guidance to adjust. Warning them and educating them first can generate conversation and a feeling of acceptance or wanting to belong, plus they get to see how friendly and fun we are.
Many recruits come from trackers to our chat and ask for mod or owner. Instead of kicking or banning, we should use this opportunity as a way of educating them on our policies and procedures. Tell them that just as in their tracking chat one can earn mod by finding a CP character, we earn mod and owner through participation, performance, effort, contributions, loyalty, and attitude. Encourage them to have fun, give them suggestions and motivate them to do things to work towards their mod in ACP. Assure them that one day soon they will earn mod and invite them to participate in our next event as their first step towards their desire.
It’s also important that when we see a bunch of people in our chat that we do not recognize, we don’t be insulting them and calling them “noobs” or making remarks about “noobs” as I have recently witnessed. Who wants to be in a chat where they immediately get insulted? We also need not talk about ACP in a negative, degrading manner ever in public view—especially from the high ranks. You are allowed your opinion and yes we have freedom of speech, but something negative about your own army in front of new recruits and other CP army members should never happen because new recruits will leave. I suggest if you feel the need to express your anti-ACP statements, you do so in private chat (PC) for the good of our army.
I do encourage everyone that if you see someone in our chat you do not know, to address them by name, welcome them and talk friendly to them. Get them involved in the conversation. Make them feel wanted and appreciated. Be helpful and direct them to the JOIN page and ask if they need help with their uniform. These behaviors will certainly motivate them to join ACP and be loyal and active.
So please, let’s not chase our new recruits away. Let’s welcome them and educate them during their transitional time and assimilate them into our great army. A great army is built from the ground up.
