Activity 2: The Art of AIM (republicans) + Results

[Judge Sam]

The Art of AIM

Activities are small, additional events during the game. It may be a discussion topic, a challenge, a poll, or any other of many creative twists. This Episode's activity is a poll and discussion topic.


AIM chatting is essential to Spies, as I'm sure you've noticed. It takes effort and work to have a good chat on AIM. I'm sure already you've experienced dead-end conversations, boring chats, and laconic characters. This activity will do what we can to change that!


A good conversation is a two-way street, of course, but a good rule of thumb is that you should put in more effort than the other person. If everyone did that then conversations would run very smoothly.


Of course not every AIM conversation is going to be a humdinger but here are some tips to get the most out of each conversation:

• Try and continue the conversation by asking more questions, even if they have little relevance to the current topic. Keep a repertoire of questions in your head that you could ask, or post some in this topic for others to keep in mind.
  
  
• Be random! Start up a random thread of conversation, anything works!
  
  
• Try and maintain a maximum of 2-3 one-on-one conversations at a time. I know that's the most I can comfortably conduct at the same time. Any more, and you don't really remember what each conversation is about, and you take 3 minutes in between responding each time. Don't be afraid to say, "I'm in a lot of conversations right now, could we talk in the group chat or maybe talk later?"
  
  
• Use your spies8democrats or spies8republicans group chat to chat with everyone at once.
  
  
• Be sure to say "bye" when you leave, or "brb" and put up an away message if you are busy. It's frustrating to IM someone and not get a response.
  
  
• Of course it's good to talk about who is a Spy, but don't feel restricted from just relaxing and chit chatting about general life or random things you like talking about. It makes the game more fun.
  

I'm sure there are many more tips for having successful AIM conversations ~ please post them here to share them with your teammates! If you like, you can also give targeted advice to specific people.

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Okay, now the poll part ~ all players please vote in your own team's poll before Exile 2. Poll results will remain hidden until Exile 2. Please vote for yourself, and then vote for up to 5 other people who you enjoy having AIM conversations with. It could be for any reason - maybe you like their character, maybe they are talkative, maybe they are good at getting information out of people.


You may change your vote before the Exile 2 deadline if you wish.


That's it! You are also required to give your opinion on this topic ~ make at least one post on how you think AIM conversations could be done better. Ways for yourself or others to improve, how to have better conversations, or ease the flow of communication.

[Hambone]

How AIM conversations could be done better:

I believe it was Tina or Nita (I get you two confused sometimes) who told me that if your conversation is ever lacking, just ask "why" or something else to further the conversation. This will lead to a new topic and that will lead to a better discussion. Also, I've gotten into the habit of not talking to everyone, and I plan on starting to chat more with people that I tend to ignore. I think this is a good suggestion for everyone. A conversation is a two-way street, they don't always IM you, because you can message them!

Ways to improve myself:

Personally, my biggest weakness in AIM conversations is when I get angry. I'm a professional untrained stunt double with a big temper and a short fuse. When I find myself enraged with anger, I sometimes just go off on people (See: Dane for an example). I think what I need to learn to do is just count to 10 when I start to get very angry and irritated. If I do that then maybe I will catch my breath, let my heart slow down a little, and I can then perhaps cool my mind. That way, instead of having everyone in the chatroom watch me fight for 30-45 minutes we can spend that time on better things.

Ways to improve others:

Always ask questions, and try and have fun with it too. And if all else fails talk about ANIMALS and FOOD, because everyone loves animals and food!!

To Dane - Stop being such a douche and a prick... King Prick for that matter! My suggestion to you is that before you send any message or post any comment to please read it over very quickly. Everything you say has a hint of annoyance in it, and I'm finding it very annoying and bothersome. I highly doubt you will follow this suggestion though, so right now I'm probably just wasting my time.

[Jenny]

Don't wait for people to talk to you, just jump right in and talk to them! It seems like a lot of people just wait for folks to come to them, don't be afraid to say hi!

Also, it's not helpful if you just cut yourself off from talking to somebody, even if you really don't like the person. You never know, maybe that person knows something that could tell you who a spy is!

[Savannah]

Don't be boring and let a conversation die! Talk about interesting things that are happening, whether game related or not. We are all people behind these screens after all!

[Themba]

* Don't be afraid to ask questions due to the idea that the person you're speaking with might think you're dumb.

* Try and make a joke now and then. This is a game after all - it's supposed to be fun.

* If you're tempted to fly off the handle, take a deep breath and think it through.

[Dane]

Dear Hambone:
No.

[Hambone]

You forgot to say "The End," Dane

[Owen]

AIM? This is terrible. You probably shouldn't ask people for their suspects unless you want a stray vote. Learned that one the hard way, and as I teacher, there's nothing more I love than letting others learn from my mistakes.

I'll echo some of the things already said -- don't always just sit back and wait for others to IM you, mix in some casual talk so everything isn't always so intense, and keep a good sense of humor. A good attitude and a good sense of humor can go a long way. Be APPROACHABLE; you'll have a hard time in the game if you're not. Not everyone is always going to get along, but cutting off ties completely is a mistake.

And always count your calories.

[Stephanie]

I enjoy talking to people who listen.

[Nita]

When you talk to someone be smart bout it. Why you talkin to them? Think bout what you want to get out of the conversation. AIM ain't just here for fun. It's a tool.

It also a way to get a group of voters together. Y I'm guessin that's a lot easier to do if you makin friends than not. Maybe I take my own advice, si?

[Zedekiah]

Think things through in several ways, in my opinion it don' hurt to say any possibility, even if your scared it's not likely. The whole reason yer workin' with others is 'cause you by yourself may not know the whole story.
also, make dang sure ye know how t' turn off chat when yer done talkin' with everyone

[Tina]

AIM is best used to get real time information from others, this does not mean you have to be afraid of it. While it is primarily a tool, it can be used for just making small talk from time to time. People need to not be afraid to use it for either.

[Dane]

It's fine to try and provoke a reaction, but do it smartly. If you want to try to catch someone off guard, ask a few innocuous questions first before hitting them with a big one.

[Bizarrondak]

When talking to members of another species, please do not point out. Some members are especially sensitive for being the elf in the room. It hurts this certain member's feelings. He would like to be more a part of the group.

This same member also realizes that conversation is a two way street, and hopes to sincerely start galloping on his side.

Also, those interested in inter-species erotica should contact this certain member of the party.

Farewell, adventurers.

[Kiara]

talk, even if its about not game stuff. im of the opinion that there is not such thing as meaningless conversation. if you get a sense for how someone acts when the pressure isnt on, it can help you get a read on them when more serious matters are at hand. it may just not feel right, and as sam said in the imprisonment story 'never ignore a gut feeling but never believe that its enough'

[Gabriel]

aims all about being there, being engaged, and being awake (which is an issue for me sometimes cause i tend to fall asleep at the keyboard <_<). be fun, intersperse humor with your suspicions. dont be all cut n dry and leave talking a drag!!

[Allan]

I enjoy Aim conversations that can be efficient, but fun!

[Themba]

Jun 24, 2010 20:38:41 GMT -6 Allan said:

I enjoy Aim conversations that can be efficient, but fun!

Get on AIM you.

[Judge Sam]

Results revealed.