Dispatches and Telegrams

HumanSanity · July 14, 2023, 4:28am

I wanted to make another thread to build on Pronoun’s thread about the Discourse Wizards and Integration to talk about our on-site integration features - i.e. Dispatches and Welcome TGs.

The PM and my goal for the end of the term is to have a scaffolding of what the purpose of our welcome TG, Dispatches, and any follow-up engagement TGs ready for the next administration.

I’ll start by outlining my vision.

Welcome TG

Encourage nations to join the WA and endorse the Delegate + Coral Guard
Emphasize the importance of the forum and regional government, plus that RP is on the forum
Offer them someone to contact with questions - perhaps tie this into the existing mentor program @griffindor?
Show them something fun about the region

Follow up TGs
In my ideal world, we have a set of API TGs that trigger based on a variety of activities a nation can take in-game to point the nation to becoming more involved in the community. These include:

Logging back in after 3 days (to say ‘hey, thanks for sticking around’)
Joining the WA (to encourage endorsing the Delegate + CG)
Endorsing the Delegate (to encourage endorsing the Coral Guard)
Endorsing the Delegate + Coral Guard (to encourage endorsing everyone)
Posting on the RMB (to encourage joining the forum as a more robust platform for conversation)
Posting a Dispatch (to encourage involvement with RP, since many new nations use the Factbooks/Dispatches feature to build their lore)
Buying/Selling a trading card (if we have a trading card program)

Welcome Dispatch
To me, the point of the welcome dispatch is to have one, easily digestible Dispatch, with the main options for getting involved in the community clearly highlighted in it. I liked the direction of @KrisKringle’s Dispatch rewrite before he discontinued work on it, and may still try to get a version of this out the door by the end of the term. My main concern with our current structure is that it’s simply too much. We can’t (and shouldn’t) explain everything in the initial Dispatch we show people, the point should be to get them the initial information they need to get more involved in our core areas (government, RP, Discord, RMB, etc.).

Anyways, I’m open to people’s thoughts on this broad set up, and then after we discuss we can flesh it out a bit more

Pronoun · July 14, 2023, 5:29am

I’m somewhat wary of the API telegrams, because they are a finite, strictly limited resource — the way the rate limits work out, each day, we only get to send up to 480 recruitment telegrams or 1,440 non-recruitment telegrams. That’s not nothing, but for comparison, NationStates as a whole has gotten over 2,000 foundings a day on average over the past week. There’s a point where we have to weigh the trade-offs, because we could always, for example, be running API recruitment 24/7; every API telegram has an opportunity cost.

Telegrams also aren’t our only avenue of communication. For instance, SWAN already puts out dispatch mentions to encourage joining the WA and endorsing the Coral Guard, and there are other options, like mentioning new nations on the RMB to welcome them into our community. The API endpoints available for things like that offer much higher rate limits and far less opportunity cost.

I do think our current welcome dispatch could be simpler, but I also think that we keep talking in circles about simplifying our dispatches and that we’re missing the bigger picture. I’m reminded of a flowchart I created during my stint as Minister of Engagement (which isn’t perfect, I’m sure someone can critique it ):

A lot of the complexity here doesn’t really come from our welcome dispatch per se, it comes from not having well thought-out connections between these steps in our integration process. Not to toot my own horn too much here, but I think I did a pretty good job with the welcome dispatch… if it existed in a vacuum. We can tighten up the wording, but it pretty much just tells people what things are, why they should care, and how they can get involved — which, in my opinion, are generally necessary somewhere in the process. If we don’t think about that process as a whole and just set a goal of simplifying our welcome dispatch, I think we need to be careful not to end up going purely with our instincts about what feels necessary and what doesn’t.

HumanSanity · July 22, 2023, 2:57pm

I don’t have too many thoughts on the rest of your post, but did want to target this:

It’s most definitely true that API telegrams are a limited and finite resource. However, we keep saying that as a region our goal is to integrate players rather than attract new ones. There’s no way, no matter how complex of a system we develop, that we’d be sending more than 1,440 non-recruitment TGs to our own members. Especially since we get so many more of those TGs than recruitment TGs, and since we should really be trying to set up infrastructure to send recruitment TGs through other means eventually (i.e. manual), we should prioritize non-recruitment engagement TGs. And then if we have any API TG spots to spare, a few recruitment TGs wouldn’t hurt, but they’re not the priority of API.

Pronoun · August 2, 2023, 6:23pm

Adding this to the conversation — I’ve put up the work that Kris completed here. All credit goes to him

ProfessorHenn · August 8, 2023, 2:12am

Worth noting this is the current welcome telegram, as created by Sporaltryus.

Welcome Telegram


Every nation starts out in a region, a community of nations — and lucky for you, the South Pacific is one of the oldest, largest, and most powerful regions in the world! In fact, we’re [i]the[/i] oldest democracy in all of NationStates; we’ve been around since [b]2003[/b], and we’re still going strong. And we’d love to welcome you into our community as well!

Wondering what to dive into first? You can check out what our region has to offer you [url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1192500][b]here[/b][/url], but here are some highlights (green text means clickable links):

[list]
[*] Join our regional legislature, [url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1192506][b]the Assembly[/b][/url], and draft, debate and vote on laws that govern this region, as well as elect our leaders!
[*] Help defend the weak, fight off invaders, and have a [i]very[/i] fun time in the process by joining our regional military, [url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1188941][b]the South Pacific Special Forces[/b][/url]!
[*] Roleplay your nation in our roleplay canons: Pacifica, our modern-tech canon ([u]thesouthpacific.org/c/pacifica[/u]); A1-0, our sci-fi canon ([u]thesouthpacific.org/c/a1-0[/u]); and Aurora, our medieval-era fantasy canon ([u]thesouthpacific.org/c/aurora[/u])!
[*] And so much more, which you can find by joining our [b]regional forums[/b] ([u]thesouthpacific.org[/u]) and [b]Discord server[/b] ([u]discord.gg/qEjy2uG[/u]).[/list]

I also strongly encourage you to [url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1042647][b]join the World Assembly[/b][/url], which will give you important rights, privileges, and influence within the region and on the world stage that you can't otherwise get. We have plenty of World Assembly members in our region who will endorse you and this is a great yet easy way for any nation to contribute to our prosperity!

After you have joined the WA, [b]please endorse Delegate [nation]Ebonhand[/nation], and all member nations of [url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1398091]the Coral Guard[/url]![/b] (How to do it: Scroll down on a nation's page and click the Endorse button) Doing so will help keep the region safe and increase our power in the world. If you have endorsed them, thanks, they’ll endorse you back soon! You will also receive a special award for your contribution at the end of this month.

I do so very much hope you will stay with us as you forge ahead with your nation. It's an exciting time filled with endless possibilities! If you're hungry, there's cake and South Pacifican Iced Tea (SPIT) waiting for you at the Lampshade Bar & Grill over there.

I know you’re probably getting a lot of telegrams right now, but I’m a real person, I promise! If you have any questions, any at all, do feel free to simply reply to this telegram, drop a line on [url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=display_region_rmb/region=the_south_pacific][b]the Regional Message Board (RMB)[/b][/url], or join our regional Discord server: [b][u]discord.gg/qEjy2uG[/u][/b].

I hope you enjoy your time here and all the best!

P.S. If you want to stop getting so many telegrams, you can adjust your settings in the [url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=tgsettings][b]Telegram Preferences[/b][/url], under Recruitment -> Block All.

Mavenu · August 8, 2023, 2:56am

Thanks for this default message; I was going to post asking what the default was. i hope to do an endo sweep soon as I’ve dropped below 200

Griffindor · August 8, 2023, 3:49am

This was added as the new Welcome TG moments ago.

I think it is important to personalize it and keep it basic, which is what this does. I attempted to put myself in a new nations shoes while drafting this. What are they experiencing right now? Why did they come to NS?

Updated Welcome TG

Howdy, [b]%NATION%[/b]! 

Welcome to your new home, [url=https://www.nationstates.net/region=the_south_pacific][b][i]the South Pacific[/i][/b][/url]!

My name is [b][nation]Ebonhand[/nation][/b], though most people know me by my alternate name, [b]Griffindor[/b], and I am the current Delegate of the South Pacific!

I am going to take a guess and say that you searched for a "nation simulator" game, and this was the top result. Am I right? That's how I found the game, at least! In any case, we are happy to have you here!

Every nation (like yours) starts out in a region, a community of nations — and lucky for you, the South Pacific is one of the oldest, largest, and most powerful regions in this virtual world! In fact, we’re [i]the[/i] oldest democracy in all of NationStates; we’ve been around since [b]2003[/b], and we’re still going strong. And we'd love to welcome you into our community as well!

The first thing you will likely start experiencing in a few moments is a large number of Telegrams from various other nations and regions in the game. Those can get pretty annoying, so, at your leisure, you can adjust your Telegram settings in the [url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=tgsettings][b]Telegram Preferences[/b][/url] area by changing the Recruitment Type option to the "Block All" option.

You'll notice that the game provided you with a couple of "issues" to decide. You will get more issues to decide every few hours. Answering these issues will affect the statistics of your nation and is the most basic method of playing the game. This play style is fun, but can quickly get boring if nothing else is done. That's why, over the years, new avenues of gameplay have been created that the average player can take part in while they play the game. 

Wondering what other avenues you can dive into? You can check out what our region has to offer you [url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1192500][b]here[/b][/url], but here are some highlights (green text means clickable links):

[list]
[*] You can join our regional legislature, [url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1192506][b]the Assembly[/b][/url], and draft, debate, and vote on laws that govern this region, as well as elect our leaders!
[*] You can help defend our region (as well as other regions) from attack by invaders, and have a [i]very[/i] fun time in the process by joining our regional military, [url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1188941][b]the South Pacific Special Forces[/b][/url]!
[*] You can roleplay your nation, its history, and its future in our roleplay canons: Pacifica, our modern-tech canon ([u]thesouthpacific.org/c/pacifica[/u]); A1-0, our sci-fi canon ([u]thesouthpacific.org/c/a1-0[/u]); and Aurora, our medieval-era fantasy canon ([u]thesouthpacific.org/c/aurora[/u])!
[*] And so many more things, which you can find by joining our [b]regional forums[/b] ([u]thesouthpacific.org[/u]) and [b]Discord server[/b] ([u]discord.gg/qEjy2uG[/u]).[/list]

I also [i][b]strongly[/b][/i] encourage you to [url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1042647][b]join the World Assembly[/b][/url], which will give you important rights, privileges, and influence within the region and on the world stage that you can't otherwise get. Joining the World Assembly is probably the easiest way for any nation to gain influence in the region, while also contributing to its overall security!

In order to maximize our region's security, after you have joined the World Assembly, [b]please endorse me, Delegate [nation]Ebonhand[/nation], and all member nations of [url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1398091]the Coral Guard[/url]![/b] (How to do it: Scroll all the way down on any World Assembly member's nation's page and click the "Endorse" button, it's literally that easy!) Doing so will help keep the region safe and increase our power in the world. Once you have endorsed them, they’ll endorse you back soon! You will also receive a special award for your contribution at the end of this month. You can also endorse any other nation in our region, and many of them will also endorse you back!

I do so very much hope you will stay with us as you forge ahead with your nation. It's an exciting time filled with endless possibilities! If you're hungry, there's cake and South Pacifican Iced Tea (SPIT) waiting for you at the Lampshade Bar & Grill over on our regional forums and Discord Server (links above!).

I know this is a lot to take in, and you are getting slammed with a lot of information, but I’m a real person, I promise! If you have any questions, need guidance, want to talk to someone, or need anything else at all, do feel free to simply reply to this telegram. If you need help down the line, you can go to my nation page and send me a Telegram, or send me a message through the [url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=display_region_rmb/region=the_south_pacific][b]the Regional Message Board (RMB)[/b][/url], or join our regional Discord server ([b][u]discord.gg/qEjy2uG[/u][/b]) and talk to me there.

I sincerely hope that you enjoy your time in this great region, and remember not to be a stranger! For making it to the end of this Telegram, I would like to give you a free slice of cake to start you off: 🍰

All the best in your new adventures!

[i]Always and eternally yours,[/i]

[b][nation]Ebonhand[/nation]/Griffindor[/b]

[b]Delegate of the South Pacific[/b]

Griffindor · October 21, 2023, 2:53am

I updated the Welcome TG to reflect the citizenship/legislator break. I also made some adjustments here and there to the remainder of the TG. Let me know if you think anything else should be included, changed, or removed.

Welcome TG V2

Howdy, %NATION%!

Welcome to your new home, the South Pacific!

My name is Ebonhand, though most people know me by my alternate name, Griffindor, and I am the current Delegate of the South Pacific!

To start, I am going to take a guess and say that you searched for a “nation simulator” game, and this was the top result. Am I right? That’s how I found the game, at least! In any case, we are happy to have you here!

Every nation (like yours) starts out in a region, a community of nations — and lucky for you, the South Pacific is one of the oldest, largest, and most influential regions in this virtual world! In fact, we’re the oldest democracy in all of NationStates; we’ve been around since 2003, and we’re still going strong. So welcome into our community!

The first thing you will likely be experiencing in a few moments (if not already) is a large number of Telegrams from various other nations and regions in the game. Those can get pretty annoying, so, at your leisure, you can adjust your Telegram settings in the Telegram Preferences area by changing the Recruitment Type option to the “Block All” option.

Starting out, you’ll notice that the game gave you some “issues” to decide. You will get more issues to decide every few hours. Answering these issues will affect the statistics of your nation and is the most basic method of playing the game. This play style is fun but can quickly get boring if you only do that. That’s why, over the years, new avenues of gameplay have been created that the average player can take part in while they play the game.

Wondering what other avenues you can dive into? You can check out what our region has to offer you here, but here are some highlights (green text means clickable links):

[list]
[] You can apply to become a citizen, which gives you the ability to vote in and stand for elections within the region!
[] After you have become a citizen, you also have the option to join our regional legislature, the Assembly, and draft, debate, and vote on laws and treaties that govern this region, as well confirm the appointment of various positions in our region!
[] You can help defend our region (as well as other regions) from attack by invaders and have a very fun time in the process by joining our regional military, the South Pacific Special Forces!
[] You can roleplay your nation, its history, and its future in our roleplay canons: Pacifica, our modern-tech canon (Pacifica - The South Pacific); A1-0, our sci-fi canon (A1-0 - The South Pacific); and Aurora, our medieval-era fantasy canon (Aurora - The South Pacific)!
[*] And so many more things, which you can find by joining our regional forums (thesouthpacific.org) and Discord server (discord.gg/qEjy2uG).[/list]

I also strongly encourage you to join the World Assembly, which will give you important rights, privileges, and influence within the region and on the world stage that you can’t otherwise get. Joining the World Assembly is probably the easiest way for any nation to gain influence in the region, while also contributing to its overall security!

In order to maximize our region’s security, after you have joined the World Assembly, please endorse me, Delegate Ebonhand, and all member nations of the Coral Guard! (How to do it: Scroll all the way down on any World Assembly member’s nation’s page and click the “Endorse” button; it’s literally that easy!) Doing so will help keep the region safe and increase our power in the world. Once you have endorsed them, they’ll endorse you back! You will also receive a special award for your contribution at the end of this month. You can also endorse any other nation in our region; many of them will also endorse you in return!

I very much hope you will stay with us as you forge ahead with your nation. It’s an exciting time filled with endless possibilities! If you’re hungry, some cake and South Pacifican Iced Tea (SPIT) await you at the Lampshade Bar & Grill on our regional forums and Discord Server (links above!).

I know this is a lot to take in, and you are getting slammed with a lot of information, but I’m a real person, I promise! If you have any questions, need guidance, want to talk to someone, or need anything else at all, feel free to reply to this Telegram. If you need help down the line, you can go to my nation page and send me a Telegram, or send me a message through the the Regional Message Board (RMB), or join our regional Discord server and talk to me there.

I sincerely hope you enjoy your time in this great region, and remember not to be a stranger! For making it to the end of this Telegram, I would like to give you a free slice of cake to start you off:

All the best in your new adventures!

Always and eternally yours,

Ebonhand/Griffindor

His Most Benevolent Cakeness, the Delegate of the South Pacific

Griffindor · April 28, 2024, 4:08pm

This is the Welcome TG that was uploaded after the previous one was wiped by the sever crash. It is the same as the previous one! (I just wanted to bump this back to the top in case it was needed again.)

Welcome TG V3