Joining the Community

Day 1,071, 21:22 • Published in Japan Japan • by Sophia Forrester

For the last few weeks, I've only been able to check in every now and then. Have worked most days, fought in a few battles, and left some scattered comments in various articles, but I haven't been able to call myself active, as I would define it.

This week, I've decided that I again have the time to rejoin the active community of eJapan. Yesterday, I stopped by the IRC channel to see a very active ATO effort that cut the PTO presence in Congress almost in half. This was also made possible by the admins' timely action in banning some of the most notorious multi PTOers. This is especially encouraging because I'd been hearing things like "there are only five active players here anymore" -- an idea proven wrong just yesterday.

Seeing this sort of vibrant activity makes me want to again be part of it. It also encourages me to offer the following call to action: Newer citizens, those who may not yet have become active in the game or community, please join in and tell your stories. eJapan needs each of you. We are rebuilding from what will likely be one of the sparsest periods in our history, and we need as many active and committed citizens as possible.

For those who may not be familiar with the forums -- most of the national activity takes place there or on the IRC channel, with the in-game media typically being less active than either. I am not all that "chatty" a kind of person, so IRC hasn't really been my focus. I will leave it to one of the regulars of our channel there to explain it. However, we can definitely use more citizens in the forum, which is the seat of deliberation for our Imperial Diet (otherwise known as Congress) and a social hub for the community in general. You are certainly welcome to step right in at http://nipponblog.net/forum/ and look around. For the less forum-savvy, though, I've prepared a short tutorial.

In order to post in the forums, as well as see the private citizens-only forums, you will need to register a user account at http://nipponblog.net/forum/ucp.php?mode=register , or by clicking the "Register" link at the top of the forum webpage. You will be shown the standard Terms of Service agreeing not to post any objectionable or illegal material. Click on "I agree" to confirm. Next you will see the registration screen. You are prompted to select a username, which will be your forum login. Most citizens use their eRep citizen name, although there is some variety. You are also asked to supply and confirm an email and password, select a timezone, and provide the link to your eRep profile.

Once you go through the automatic signup, you can post in the public forums such as Open General (http://nipponblog.net/forum/viewforum.php?f=60), but to see and post in many forums you will still have to be verified as a citizen. In most cases, this will happen quickly as a matter of course. If there are security concerns for whatever reason, it may be delayed. However, that's unusual.

Those who are already citizens should post in the Welcoming Hall signup thread at http://nipponblog.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=2 The first post shows the format for signups. Click "post reply" and post your information. Those who are applying to immigrate should post under Immigration: http://nipponblog.net/forum/viewforum.php?f=59 Post your name, a link to your citizen profile, and your reason for coming to eJapan.

Once your citizenship is verified or your application approved, you will be able to join the political discussion in Congress: http://nipponblog.net/forum/viewforum.php?f=6 Congress debate open to all citizens although only the elected Represenatatives may vote. More general chat about eRep takes place in General DiscussIon: http://nipponblog.net/forum/viewforum.php?f=2 There is also an Off-Topic forum here: http://nipponblog.net/forum/viewforum.php?f=13 The sky's the limit in Off-Topic for whatever you'd like to post about.

I hope to see many new faces on the forum, and looking forward to a growing eJapan!

Edit: I could have sworn the links worked when I posted it, but now, the next day, they don't. Hope they're fixed now at least.