Originally Posted by
Sathyre
I'll vote "both", but with a caveat: the site needs to become more user-friendly first, and not just in terms of guides and wiki info and in general things being hopefully put in one place, though that, too, would be very helpful. The issue I have with both of the suggestions, though I like both of them, is that mentor/mentee systems and academies and things like that - they look formal! They still look intimidating. They won't encourage most new people to jump in and play.
In this stage of the global roleplaying community's life, most people who will look for a roleplaying community are ones who have already had experiences with RP, whether it's forum RP, IM RP, or even fooling around in a chat with asterisks and ecksdees, which... isn't strictly roleplaying, but that's beside the point. They are the ones you need to work to convince the hardest - most communities out there are significantly more accessible. They are friendly and informal right from the get-go. They look casual, colorful, "jump-in-and-play" at its utmost, and that's what most users will be accustomed to, and that is what most users will want. Althanas' apparent focus on serious writing and bettering your skills is not encouraging for users who just want to have fun without being judged.
I've only recently unlurked. I've been very indecisive about joining, because the formality and seriousness of the site terrified me. ^^; It felt less like I would be heading in to have some friendly RP fun, and more like I would be writing as a job - that's the kind of atmosphere I picked up on. Walking into the chat made me a lot more comfortable, but most lurkers won't unlurk after this initial impression, unfortunately.
That's just my two cents, though. I've never managed a community, I just have opinions.