[Ansteorra] Participation vs. Recruitment

[barrett1 at cox.net]

Two comments to the following below...

" If we do not encourage Kingdom level play at the Local level and in turn send 
those kingdom players home to encourage more of the same we lose in every way. 
With the economy, gas prices, ipads, and the World Wide Web available at a 
glance everywhere we go, if we are not active at every level we can and 
will take a back seat to all of these things and more. We know that local 
players and local weekly events are our main recruitment points and have been 
for years, but we also know that membership numbers are down. Is the answer 
local or kingdom? I think both. 
  
 I think I will close this by saying, "I believe we should all participate at 
whatever level we deem appropriate while seeking ways to encourage both 
ourselves and others to greatness without limiting ourselves or others through 
action or inaction." 
  
  
Lochlan  "


This is well worth considering, but it brought to mind two things.

One, our presence on the Web is miserable. 
One of the very first things someone does upon hearing about our organization from a friend or coworker is check us out online.
What do they see?
The most important form of modern communication is barely acknowledged by the SCA, from the Main website down to kingdom and local level websites. I personally think that the Web Minister is as important (if not becoming moreso) than the Chronicler, simply because the Webminister can reach far more people than nearly anyone else in the group.

They keep websites up-to-date, usable, informative and they decide where links to that website get posted or mailed.
Well, they're supposed to, anyway.
I feel the SCA ignores the web to its detriment, and the nice local sites are the rare exception, not the rule.

This directly affects Local vs. Kingdom play. Someone getting to know their local players may be interested in going to events further afield, and may find the information lacking, incomplete or presumptive (ie, everyone visiting the site is presumed to know the nature of the event, what the focus of the event is, etc.)
Local players get a lot of info via word-of-mouth, because it is the only reliable source of info they have access to. 
A number have not been tweeted or sent messages on Facebook or recieved an email from a mailing list because they haven't gotten that involved yet, and many times want for a source of info.
Plenty of newcomers have shown regret that they missed an event simply because they didn't get any heads-up, and todays generation get their "heads-ups" via the Internet.
A number don't go because the website of the group hosting the event wasn't updated with any usable info until 1-2 weeks before the event - too short notice for people on a budget.

As for the larger issue of encouraging Kingdom play, I see it play out differently. Once newcomers decide they like the SCA locally, generally they will start spreading their wings and checking out events beyond their own back yard. I think Local players generally try Kingdom level play at some point to some level. May only be 1-2 events a year, maybe be a dozen.

Once they find that thing that inspires them, that really fires them up and gets them excited, they will start looking for more of it.

~Finnacan