I've observed that, of the three forums where URPG currently resides, one forum has by far the most activity, while the others seem to bring in lasting members more consistently. I believe others have noticed this as well. I'd like to propose one idea with the intention of boosting activity across the board.

The Great URPG Cross-Post Initiative

Any content-creator in URPG may cross-post their work to the forums where the work was not originally submitted, in return for a small monetary reward. In order to be eligible for the bonus, the work must be clearly marked as a cross-post (to avoid confusing graders/curators). The author may claim their bonus immediately upon posting, but must clearly state they have done so in the post.

Some thoughts:

Like the Monthly Theme in the Art Gallery (which you should all totally participate in), the original post would not need to pass in order for the content creator to claim the reward. This does open up an opportunity for abuse, but given the low response to the monthly Art theme so far, I don't foresee this becoming an issue.

Until now, it has been tacitly considered taboo to post in a story/art thread unless you are the original content creator or the grader. Since cross-posts are not meant to be graded, they could be used as jumping off points for discussion! This opens up the opportunity for even more activity. For example, the post that generates the most buzz in a given month could earn an extra reward. Then someone from URPG times gets to come along and write an article called "URPG Buzz" detailing the big discussions of the month. Or something like that, just spitballing here.

What are some ways we can expand this to sections other than stories and art? In the National Park, for example, a ranger might cross-post a particularly cool excerpt from a Park run, where both ranger and trainer get the reward (since they both produced the content). Battling is a little tougher since the only things close to content-creation in that section are exhibition matches, which are rather cumbersome.

I'm imagining a new kind of battling content. If y'all have spent any time on Smogon, you may have seen people post annotated copies of their Pokemon Showdown transcripts, where the poster describes the thought process that went into each decision. Some of these were really well-written and fun to read! Obviously I've only got the basis of an idea here, but I think it's something we can work with to make it fit the URPG. For example, we'd probably want to, uh, encourage people to write about more two-sided battles to avoid hurting feelings. This is the sort of thing that could also spark discussion and be posted to all forums. Plus, it would be another way to introduce new players to our battling system.

The main idea here is that x-posting is a zero-effort job, so people are more likely to do it. While some may balk at the idea of essentially giving out free money, I feel that the potential increase in activity is worth it. Even content that gets cross-posted without sparking discussion will make the content sections on all three forums look more active, which is important for attracting new members. I'd also point out that in order to take advantage of this program, people do still have to create the content in the first place, so they are putting in work even if the act of cross-posting itself isn't particularly grueling. We could also impose a limit per month to encourage content creators to repost only their best content.

In keeping with the spirit of this post, be sure to check out the conversation on our other forums!