#i am a jcink promoter

[blithely-blue]

Dev Log #2

This is sort of a double-post but I was already looking at the website build earlier today and I discovered yet another issue with the guestbook for the site. it is now resolved! but it took some reworking.

I've had something of a nightmare trying to put together a functional guestbook for this game. The first thing I tried was coding an actual embed for it but no matter what I did, it would not accept the scripts I was attempting to use. I'm sure there's a trick to running scripts on neocities but as far as I'm aware there's not a user forum, so I wasn't sure where I could go to ask for advice on that topic. So I just ended up pivoting to other options.

The second thing I tried was linking to a free-use "poll" site (like strawpoll) just to collect multi-choice answers to a couple different opinion questions (rather than make it free-response.) Eventually I decided there was too much risk associated with the built-in-ads on free poll sites (like, straight up malware "click here" type of ads) as I expect at least some percentage of the players to be kids (since I'll be planning to advertise the game on petsites and other game forums.)

So then a few days ago I found a really cool website that allows you to create your own free-response form and post it to collect replies. this I felt was similar enough to google-forms to be user-friendly while also not actually being google-forms (I am like hardcore trying to avoid forcing people to supply personal info like real names and email addresses.)

lol turns out it was too good to be true though, as the next time I logged into this place (this morning) it informed me that their free-plan only allows for 10 responses and that you have to pay to collect more than that - and I very much hope that more than 10 people will play the game. also their payment plans were prohibitively expensive. I might have lowkey considered it if it was like $5 a month or something. but it was $25 a month at the absolute lowest lolol. (this website was called "typeform" btw. I feel like if you need something like that and you're not specifically trying to avoid mandating emails you're better off just using google-forms since it's free.)

so finally. finally. this evening I think I found the endgame solution. I sat down for a couple hours and created/customized a small forum on jcink host and enabled it to receive guest replies. it's a little old-fashioned but it serves the basic purpose of being a free-response form that doesn't require personal information nor promotes malicious advertising. hopefully I'll get some comments here and there from anyone interested enough to check the guestbook out. :]

[thehollowrp]

While this RP will continue on as it has, I'm also going to be working on a jcink version to take over where this one is now. Those who have characters here will be grandfathered in if they wish to continue on to the jcink version as well. I do not plan on closing this out and the promotion will stay going as I am not sure how long it will take me to get all of that in order (I am very new to it) but I just wanted to say I love this world too much to let it fall by the wayside. Thank you so much!

p.s. If anyone interested in this concept has experience with creating a jcink please let me know, thank you.

[heartbsl]

perks of jcink for rp

i’ve seen a couple of people in the rpc interested in jcink rping and as someone who’s been rping on the platform for 5+ years, i thought i would make a list of some perks of the platform that i believe lends itself to a good rping experience! 

i know jcink can seem intimidating so this is not a tutorial on how to rp on jcink but rather maybe some reasons to check it out! a lot of jcink rps are guest friendly so you can just poke around them and see all the accounts & current threads to see how it might look in action. i’m also happy to answer any questions you might have, i’d just love to see some new people trying out jcink!

jcink is rper friendly

the creator is super responsive in support forums and is well aware that rpers make up a large member base

they often add features over time that help make rping easier!

much more stable & reliable. i have never heard of boards getting randomly deleted like what is happening with tumblr right now

account creation & account switcher

accounts on a jcink site are incredibly easy to create. you can reuse the same email for multiple accounts 

if you have multiple characters you create separate accounts for each of them and they can be linked to one parent account

there is a drop down menu to switch between all your accounts and when you are posting you can select which account to post as

all notifications for sub accounts can be sent to your parent account to have it all in one place!

threading

a jcink board is made up of forums & subforums, which are sorted into different categories. there are various forums for actual rping: text messages, phone calls, and locations in the setting (residences, dining, etc) where threads can take place

each thread is created as a topic in a forum where each participant will post replies in back and forth, no reply trimming necessary. this makes it super easy to read and have in one place to return to after it’s been completed as well

topics can be ‘tracked’ which will give you a notification whenever there’s a reply

threads can be any length! while the forum format makes it much easier to write longform threads, there are plenty of jcink writers (myself included) that write shorter “rapid fire” posts which can be anywhere from a one liner to ~250 words

profiles

one of the features jcink added was customizable profile fields. sites can add any fields they want for various stats on the profile view for accounts

because of this a lot of sites have moved over to profile applications which means you just complete the profile as the application. it can include stats, freeform / bio, and even a moodboard depending on how the site has set it up

it’s super easy to see other character’s information because it’s included on the profile view

post templates 

though plain text readability is a huge plus for forum based rp, most sites also have post templates that utilize html to format posts for threads, text / phone calls, social media accounts, and development posts

it is pretty much standard that sites will have their own “code bank” for members to use on site and you won’t have to find or make your own!

these templates can be extremely helpful for things like an instagram account for your character, you don’t need to use a graphics template just plug in photo links to the html template

[blackcatcreations-jcink]

About Meg

Hello! My name is Meg (also known as Luna, Hornet, and Pathos online) and I'm a designer of all things Jcink including skins and templates. I've been coding for approximately sixteen (16) years and specifically on Jcink for seven (7) years. I endeavour to keep up with the recent trends and to make my designs as interesting, functional, and varied as I can, though there are some features that will find their way into most of my skins.

During the day I have a (nearly) full-time job working in payroll; coding is a way for me to relax and challenge my brain. This, and the desire to enhance my skills, lead to my decision to offer commissions. As an avid roleplayer, I also believe that every site needs to look as good as it possibly can in order to promote themselves; they need to be easy to navigate and interesting.

It is for this reason that I attempt to avoid being overly complex in my codes but still attempt to be memorable.

I believe it is important to put out a disclaimer to say that I value originality in my work where possible. I will never knowingly accept a commission that requires the direct copying of codes or designs that are not my own, though I do take inspiration from other people. I also value communication; if you do not like something, then tell me so that we can make adjustments.

I am always willing to provide updates throughout the creation process.

[thebuzzing]

Hello, and welcome to The Buzzing! We’re a Roleplay Resource Blog meant to showcase roleplays that are under construction or are -- pun fully intended -- in the site buzz state of advertising. Continue reading below to get a better idea of what this blog stands for and promotes!

Who can advertise on the buzzing?

Anyone and everyone so long as your potential site fits our criteria for submission. 

While The Buzzing keeps an open mind as far as the content of the site buzzes advertised, we do ask that you not post an ad with explicit graphics or content!

What type of sites can we advertise on the Buzzing?

You can advertise any site that is in site-buzz stage that is going to be hosted on either Jcink/Jcink Premium or Invisionfree/Zifboards. At this time, we are not considering expanding.

What would you consider a site buzz?

I would consider a site buzz to be any prospective roleplay idea that is under construction, but is still actively advertising to potential members. 

What if we don’t have a site buzz on tumblr?

That’s perfectly fine! Just have some sort of graphic to advertise and a link to wherever your buzz is taking place (be it discord, google drive... carrier pigeon?) and we’ll accept it. Given Tumblr’s... love affair with effective tags, we understand that tumblr isn’t exactly everyone’s cup of tea for site buzzing these days.

What about staff searches? Are those allowed?

At this time, The Buzzing is happy to allow you to use us as a medium for staff searches. This may or may not change in the future, but if it does change, there will be announcements and notices.

When am I allowed to advertise?

You are allowed to advertise the moment you feel comfortable starting your site buzz. We ask that you only submit an advertisement once per day. You are also permitted to update your advertisement with a discord drop tag (unless you’re exclusively buzzing via discord, in which case you’ll be doing that the whole buzz).

Finally, you will be able to advertise one more time to announce that your roleplay has opened.

When should I stop advertising here?

You get to advertise ONCE upon your site opening. After that, you will no longer be able to advertise your site on The Buzzing.

Where is your submit button?

The submit button should be located in the top navigation bar. You can also find it here.

Why do you only advertise site buzzes?

I choose to only advertise site buzzes because I feel like there are plenty of places to advertise your roleplay during the site buzz and site opening process, but none specifically catering to just site buzzing as a whole.

Maybe The Buzzing will expand outward to advertising beyond site buzzing, but for now it’s just Site Buzzes.

Who runs the Buzzing?

Hey! It’s me, Imogen. You can find me in MANY places. My full contact information is under the contact page in the navigation.