I Came, I dAmned, I Founded 25

In this ongoing series of articles, we probe the minds of some dAmn's
channel founders to find out what makes them tick, how they've made
their room a success and what tips they can provide to budding channel
owners.

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This month is LiliWrites and :#SolutionsRus:

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1) First off LiliWrites, can you tell us a little bit about yourself!

My name is Lili and I live in North Carolina. I have been on deviantART for about 6 years now (previously as KneelingGlory) and have grown a great deal as an artist in my time here. Most people find it curious that I am 6'3" tall, but don't particularly enjoy basketball. I'm a nerd at heart.

2) When did you first discover dAmn, and can you remember the first room you ever chatted in?

I think I first discovered it when someone I watched posted a poll inviting people to come join a chatroom. I don't recall what room it was, but I remember I discovered a very silly, fun, entertaining atmosphere that was unlike any other chat places I'd been to - mostly because the focus of the room wasn't on "hooking up" but rather on just being silly.

3) What prompted you to create :#SolutionsRus:? Did you feel dAmn was missing a room on a specific topic? Did you think other rooms weren't catering to a user's needs? Tell us all!

I created :#solutionsrus: specifically for the group SolutionsSanctuary. We were planning to host a big event with a lot of CVs present. namenotrequired suggested using the communityrelations chatroom, but I didn't get a note in to ask permission for it in time. So I decided to create a new room that could be used for that event, plus any other events that SolutionsSanctuary might host in the future.

4) When you created :#SolutionsRus:, did you promote it, and if so how?

The chatroom wasn't promoted directly because it isn't meant to be a huge gathering place except for special events. The event was very well advertised thanks to the help of all the group admins, hats, and members that helped spread the word. We ended up with close to 100 deviants joining the chatroom to attend the event. If/when we use the room again, I'm sure we'll have a great turn out once more.

5) Have you ever held any contests or events in :#SolutionsRus: in order to generate more exposure and more traffic? If no, why not? If yes, what sort of events / contests?

I think I already explained that, but here's a link to the transcript of the event if anyone is curious: fav.me/d4yjjp2

6) Do you have any advice for new room owners? Should they collaborate with existing rooms? Should they pester their friends to help promote?

I always suggest researching before you create your own area. Chances are, unless your purpose is very specialized or the room is for a specific group, someone already has a chatroom designed to meet your needs. I think it is always better to volunteer a helping hand where a room already exists than to try to make a competing room. That's just in the interest of good community involvement, and if you have a chatroom, it seems like you want to be involved in the community.

If you have made a new room, I suggest making sure that your rules are clearly posted - if there are only a few you can use the room's topic or title settings to post them. If you have a number of them, I suggest making a journal and linking to the journal in the room's title or topic. It is important that you enforce these rules, too. Don't be afraid to use the kick function when necessary so your room remains the way you want it to remain.

7) Has the Groups platform aided you in managing your chatroom; if so, how?

Not particularly, though someone with a chatroom designed to be a general hangout might find it helpful because of the backroom communication available. It would be much easier to keep a schedule of who is supposed to be managing the room, events the room is hosting, etc in a box or forum thread in the admin area of the group.

8) Anything else to add?

Something that came up in the chat that we hosted in :#solutionsrus: was that people can be intimidated by a big chatroom. I encourage anyone like that to just jump into that room and say hello, start asking people how they're doing today, and generally create your own conversation. People come into a room to chat, have fun, relax, meet new people. If you are a force that aides in that process, you'll soon find yourself in the center of a community you'll grow to love.

Also, dAmnit! is the best place to get your lulz ever.


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Thank you :devKneeling-Glory:  and everyone be sure to check out :#SolutionsRus: on dAmn!

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If you are the founder of a chatroom and would like to be interviewed for
the "I Came, I dAmned, I Founded" articles please contact the Community
Volunteers Team by noting the #communityrelations group.