Wake Up, Pirates!

[Captain Del]

Ahoy Pirates of POF,

I'm sure that many of us have noticed over the past few weeks and months that activity on the forums has not been what it used to be. These past few months have definitely been the slowest months on record for as long as I have been here, and as much as I would love to solely atest that to the fact that it's in the middle of the school year, we all know that's not necessarily the case.

I've had this feeling for the past few months that the community of these forums has, for the most part, deteriorated. This is in no way the fault of any particular member or group - instead, it's just been a general drift that I've seen in the between all of the pirates that inhabit these waters. Perhaps this can be blamed on the current state of the game, which I'd describe as equally monotone - but even at that, in times worse than the present for this game these forums have thrived as a center of communication and interaction between pirates.

Safe to say, I do truly miss the days of these forums when members would openly make a move to become a larger part of those around them. Even comparing the forums from a year ago to this day with the present, you would see that many pirates were making moves to become more involved with others - through open sailing events, parties, celebrations, and all that hullabaloo. Where that all has gone has become relatively apparent to me recently.

I feel that over the course of the past few months, all of us on these forums have been drifting apart because we choose to do so. Pirates become discouraged to take part in events with other pirates because nobody ever makes a move to do so (you can imagine how disheartening it must be for a pirate to host his first event on these forums, only for nobody to show up.) We shouldn't be so afraid to throw ourselves out there and take advantage of the beautiful structure of these forums, which is essentially designed to bring us all together. I admit this may be easier for me to say than others, but even the newest, youngest pirates here on POF should never be afraid to make a move and throw yourself in to the community!

I believe that we, as members of this forum site, should make the move to open all of ourselves up to new opportunities - to new friendships. The key to making this forum site thrive even as it does in the summer time is to make sure that every pirate here feels welcomed and encouraged, and that means putting ourselves out there. Pirates shouldn't be complaining about having nothing to do when there are so many possibilities when interacting with the hundreds, nay, THOUSANDS of pirates on these forums, but this can only be achieved if we make it so that there is no reason to complain.

That's why, as a member of this community, I'm calling on all of my fellow pirates to do the following things to help bring these forums back to life:

1. Put yourself out there! Don't be afraid to host your own sailing or looting night, to promote your new guild, or to just look for more pirates to hang out with; when we say on those welcome threads (which every pirate should make a move to make, by the way!) that every pirate is welcome to take part in the community, we mean it! Take the initiative to make the Caribbean a more fun, active place by putting your hand in to creating and participating in other pirate's events.

2. Make a move to make new friends! Sometimes I like to send messages to pirates on these forums who I've never met before just to get to know them. Even if you don't know somebody very well, and you want to be friends with them, take the liberty of sending them a private message telling them about yourself - you'd be surprised at how friendly some of the pirates on here are!

3. Bring others here! The great thing about these forums is that they are made for every kind of pirate, not just a specific group or kind of pirate. I'm encouraging every pirate to, from now on, invite other pirates to come and here and take part in the discussion. Friends, guild mates, even pirates off the street - all it takes is a simple "Hey, you should join Pirates Online Forums!" and you'll not only be opening them up to a whole other level of fun in this game, but you'll be deepening your friendship with them by being able to contact them in more ways than just in game (while still staying within the boundaries of the game! That's kind of awesome, hmm?)

4. Explore! Don't be one of those pirates that comes here just for the Guilds Section, or the Activities Forum. Take your time to adventure through every part of these forums, and throw yourself out there! Why not voice all of your opinions on New Articles, opt to join in on somebody's Boss Battle in the Crew Section, or maybe even take up writing your own Story or Blog? There's a lot more to this site than you think!

5. Become a larger part of the forums! You can rely on the members of these forums for a lot - advice, tips and tricks, help with quests/adventures, etc. Always make an effort to welcome new members, help others looking for help, and even asking for help yourself! These forums are your greatest tool when it comes to enjoying the Caribbean to the fullest extent - so, use them!

Just by doing these simple things, YOU will be able to help drive life back in to these forums. These forums are built for every pirate, and every pirate should make the effort to use them as they were intended! So, speak up, delve in, and become a bigger part of the community; and with your help, we can recreate the atmosphere that the Caribbean needs.

Drink up me hearties, yo-ho