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Associations!

Samantha - see page to know who to contact directly! September 1st, 2013 1:09:57am 4,333 Posts

As everyone knows, we have been trying very hard to make clubs and associations more active because they're a good community feature and there's a lot of potential in them to create more activity on the game and keep people online for longer playing and entering contests and such. However, it seems like no matter what we do, people still aren't interested. And I think a lot of that is to do with the fact that we have both clubs and associations and there's just not a big enough market on the game to support both. So for awhile now the staff has been thinking of ways to make them more different from each other, and asking members on surveys and in forums topics, etc. But no one seems to have any good ideas when it comes to associations. So, this has been running through my mind for awhile, but it should obviously be a community decision, how would you feel about just getting rid of associations? If you're unsure, here are my thoughts: 1. With no associations, there would be more incentive to run for president in the clubs, which would mean more competition and more activity. 2. They obviously need to be redone anyway, but we have no solid ideas, and not having them re-programmed leaves a lot money open for other features to be revamped (like the graphics auction) or things added in. 3. For current association owners, there would always be the option to keep the ones you have, or maybe we could offer you some sort of compensation to give it up. I don't know. If you think they should not be taken out, please let me know why you think this. I am listening to all suggestions. Also, if you're in favor of them staying, how do you think we could boost activity in them? If you think they should be taken out, do you think there should be another upgrade feature to replace them? Please let me know and discuss below!

 

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a z a l i e - 🌵 livin the dream-blitzy still watching- September 1st, 2013 8:53:41pm 1,855 Posts

Just get rid of the associations all together and add more clubs

 

Concourse [I'll rise up, I'll rise unafraid] September 2nd, 2013 1:52:28am 2,849 Posts

I say keep the associations. Personally I think getting rid of breed specific ones would be a good idea. I would keep the Breeders Alamac, Bookworms, other things that you won't find a clubs. I think non-hp related things should be allowed so we can better come together as a community

 

~*s+ephanie*~::.starcrossed renting.:: September 2nd, 2013 2:31:22am 1 Posts

i like associations for the fact that they are a major point booster for me. I only register my "project animals" in clubs and assoc. which are only about 2-6 animals per breed. I try to enter contests and at least give my input when I have the time. (Currently I've been pretty limited, sorry ): ) my club/association animals get about 200k+ extra points at retirement than my non registered animals. If there was a way to redo things but still somehow keep the point gains, I would be for it. But for now, I'm attached to the associations bc it helps points so much :P

 

CopperMoments || Making Graphics Again September 2nd, 2013 2:47:28am 146 Posts

By removing these"-Remove all breed/discipline specific associations. Big Dogs, Arabian Breeders, Magnificent Ladies...-Remove all associations that have NOTHING to do with HP or sim games. Bookworm, Traditional Artist, Gamers Allied..."You take away the right to come together as a community and discuss other things that aren't game related and or the freedom of being able to run the association YOU want to run.Yes I agree not everyone pays attention to associations or clubs. But its a two way street, you have those people who spend millions in hpd offer up there rld to get upgrades as prizes, advertise like crazy and still no one enters. Registration should be allowed in associations because its something people with accepted dogs/horses can use to boost their points. I personally love associations, as of late i have not been super active in them but that is going to change. Clubs have there own way of posting under the clubs alias, what if associations could do that and advertise from a link that goes directly to it like clubs so people do go hunting for it and get lost?Now I do agree with what navi said, I dont think there should be one player with 10 different associations because they have the upgraded accounts to do so. If it was made were you were limited to one association per player [may make some mad] you would eliminate a HUGE list of associations where 10 belong to one person.With associations and even with clubs what if each month you spotlight one of each and get the attention out there for it, or what if you allow one of each [picked at random of course] to run a site wide contest that is posted in the news? We post site wide contests to get players to be more interactive why not take it to highlighting some contests from these to areas?I personally think associations should be kept but find a way to revamp them and boost them [clubs should be boosted too as far as find away to make them active]

 

Chippewa Downs || I’m Baaaaaaack || RIP HP Moosetress September 2nd, 2013 2:51:20am 81 Posts

As an association owner with the intent of getting more people to participate, I guess I wouldnt be heartbroken if they were to go away, but I do like that there are more ways to add shows, I think if every ujpgraded member made their shows every week, this would eliminate a lot of the problem, overflooding is a huge issue I think. I create as many as I can remember to do, both private and public (I have a horrible memory) and I think this is a side perk to doing associations. While I do agree participation, even in clubs, is horrendous, Im all for 'pruning' to make sure owners are taking every advantage of 'saving' their association, getting those contests up and doing a lot of work to get people to participate. I do agree a pruning is in order, but I agree with Icy, the non HP ones are fun. Im not a big GA participant, but for those who enjoy it, its something to tie them to the game thats not JUST horses or dogs. I think instead of doing pruning once a month for associations though, there should be a failsafe in place so we know people are doing as much as they can for associations, the ones who work the hardest usually participate the most. ~Chip

 

Fantasy German Shepherds - Back? September 2nd, 2013 3:53:31am 49 Posts

I am for keeping associations but limit the amount of associations a player can have. 1 association may be to little maybe have hte limit of associations per player to under 5. not have one single player have like 10 or 20 associations, Maybe also limit the breed specific associations and keep the ones that allow a large number of different breeds to be added.

 

Blitz -- Stellar Gypsy Vanners September 2nd, 2013 1:45:38pm 1,309 Posts

Why does everyone want to limit the number of associations someone can have? If you're willing to own one, and make shows and host contests, who cares? -confused-And again, getting rid of them would still allow people to make similar things on their accounts - the community will still build. And the forums here offer huge changes for that, people just don't use them as much as I'd like. :( (people, come talk to me more on the forums!!).So far the biggest reason I've seen people say to keep them is because of the shows, but that is by far the easiest thing on the game to fix -- and trust me, it's still super easy for a player to get an animal to one million points on just public shows, regardless.

 

Blue || The Original || check page for services September 2nd, 2013 3:39:19pm 51 Posts

Maybe we could morph associations and clubs into one. I personally don't run in clubs for a few reasons:1)I'm not interested in most of the club "topics"2)I don't think you should have to wipe out your bank account to be president of a club3)After you do wipe out your bank account you have no money to offer for the contests that no one is going to enter. Associations offer a variety of ideas to the member base where as clubs are basically all the same thing, they're all horses/dogs. Granted that's what we're here for but it's also something fun to do when there's nothing else to do. Associations could become clubs only wayyyy less of them. We delete clubs except for the main ones (All horses/dogs, possibly a couple others)And from there on instead of associations being accepted they go on a list to be voted on by HPs community. One new association(which will now be the new clubs) will be added once every 2/3 months or however long seems fit and it will be the one with the most votes. The clubs will be ran in terms as is and maybe add more shows, more points, and maybe a registry system IN the club so animals can be auto-accepted if it fit the requirements and achievements can be awarded for registered animals and points could be awarded to registered animals as well. So simply put, erase the associations and make the clubs more interesting by changing the topic of the club. Such as a graphics club, high pointers club, top trainers club, etc. Something other than the boring clubs we've had since HL started. *** Also in reply to a few people: associations that serve more of a public purpose such as the breeders almanac, services, etc. should be in a resources category. not a club or an association. Theres a little grey area as to what and what is not a resource but like a few people said the Breeders Almanac is a TON of information collected over time and having it deleted every few months for a new term would be devastating to Trig and all her time and work put into it. Public listings and players willing to spend the time to run something useful to the community like i said above should have their own category.

 

H.idden Lotus // farewell taking over\ September 2nd, 2013 4:05:45pm 30 Posts

I do more with Associations then with clubs to be honest. There is a larger variety in associations than clubs. (artists, writers, gamers, animals, etc.) You may find new things to add to associations as well as clubs. But for players that are new or are not on all the time associations should be kept. Lets be honest the majority of club presidents have been presidents (mods, or have been playing the game forever so they are well known) for the majority of the terms because they have the popular vote as well as are able to buy up votes. The associations are a way for other players to feel like they are a key part of the game. I have Gamers Allied, I've done contests in the past as well as I keep an updated game release list up. I'd be pretty upset if it was removed after having it for nearly a year. You may make it harder to own one, delete after they have had no activity for a certain amount of time. but deleting them to increase popularity for clubs no. p.s I'm not trying to start an argument just stating my opinion and I am NOT up for a debate. TIA

 

trig ⨳ 🍒 bomb September 2nd, 2013 7:34:15pm 3,466 Posts

"Why does everyone want to limit the number of associations someone can have? If you're willing to own one, and make shows and host contests, who cares?"I think part of it is that there are a ton of associations right now and if you can limit the number one person can create it is beneficial in a couple different ways:1. Less associations mean it's less overwhelming to participate as some people have stated.2. As an owner you're not trying to juggle 10+ associations. Let's face it, no one can run 10+ super active associations. Just making shows and accepting registrations isn't going to pull anyone into your association. I'm not really even seeing many contest and haven't seen any advertising by players that run 10+ associations. It's just too much to handle. There are like 4 people that run the Endangered Breed Association to keep it at the activity level it's at. Even so, I've noticed it slow down in the past months. 3. It allows newer players a chance to create associations. If a new player tried to create an associations now, most of your breeds/disciplines are already taken. So then you're looking at either figuring out how to make one similar to one already in existence but still able to be created or something totally out there.

 

𝔖𝔱𝔬𝔯𝔪 ℭ𝔯𝔬𝔴 💀 The Artist Formerly Known as xxCHAOTIC September 2nd, 2013 8:56:57pm 1,853 Posts

"You take away the right to come together as a community and discuss other things that aren't game related and or the freedom of being able to run the association YOU want to run."Who said anything about that? You can still go in chat, hit the forums, message other players. "Taking away the right to come together as a community," would mean removing ALL means of player communication. Removing breed and/or discipline associations would make the clubs and associations more distinct, like they're supposed to be. Changes, whatever they may be, are coming. That isn't up for debate. Removed associations will likely be replaced by re-opening clubs. Nothing that I even suggested (and I think I'm proposing the harshest cuts, short of removing them altogether) said anything about curtailing player freedom to run the association as they please. Removing the animal registries really isn't that big of a change. If they want an "elite" listing, they can always keep a listing by hand. General consensus seems to be that shows would preferably stay, but be made open entry instead of exclusive. Kind of trading purpose with club shows. Not too ground-shaking, and beneficial to all players. Short of what kinds of associations get cut and imposing a limit, no one has even brought up sticking their nose in association business. I, for one, am against removing them entirely and I think a limit would just get annoying for us on staff. No number will be a good number, and then we get to police the associations for people making aliases to get around the limit and just... no. Do not want.I literally do not see where you're coming from. I do believe I've asked for an association alias option before, though. That is something I'd love to see. As well as just SORTING THE DARN THINGS. Break them up by like... breed specific, discipline, type/region, general interest, HP related... I can't stand the wall of text. Link Tree

 

awd [main!] September 2nd, 2013 9:28:50pm 603 Posts

I'm glad to see at least everyone is participating in this conversation ;]I personally would like to see some/most of the associations cut out. I am not going to start naming any because I don't want to step on any toes. However, there are WAY too many associations for each of them to be actively participated in. I do agree that players should be limited to say... associations? The only reason that I think that would work is because lets be honest, ONE player can NOT run a handful of associations at a time and keep them all interesting and different. I have seen way too many associations that have the SAME exact layout information. Registry is the same, contests are the same (if there are any) and shows aren't always made.I do like the idea of changing current associations. - open shows (regular ol' public shows) - registry changed (either eliminated, or changed) - eliminating any and all associations that are similar to clubs in any wayI also like the idea of having some sort of "directory". so say, instead of having associations for things like the breeders' almanac and the designers arena, there would be another place/page to view them. Directories could be added like associations but have specific purposes for each

 

whoah September 2nd, 2013 11:57:31pm 39 Posts

Charity Chicks helped me a LOT when I was new. I like having both. Clubs are always changing leadership, and when mail comes in from presidents, I don't always know what club it is about. But associations, well, you can get to know them over time. Please don't think that people aren't interested, Samantha. Sometimes a lack of participation is not intentional. For example, I finally had some time to join some clubs and Assns in the past two months and I think I have been in the game almost a year? over 8 months anyway. And I have not even been down the whole list to ask to join. That is because my real life is jam packed. Ok so now I get a LOT of mail in the game, it is really fun. Once in a while I HAVE TIME to answer, though often I don't. I still love hearing all the stuff that is going on and once in a while, I can get involved. Its not for lack of wanting to though. This is a very fun game and I love the clubs and associations. Please keep them both even though I can only participate somewhat.

 

Mobius // is admiring her new layout with her TBs September 3rd, 2013 1:15:32am 316 Posts

I really like CooperMoments' suggestions...just saying xD.The only thing I would say is,if certain associations are removed,that breeders of a certain breed/type would have a more difficult way to communicate with each other.Also,I don't really think it would be fair for only certain associations to stay,and most of the other ones go.Just because players have put money/time into them.If they didn't have to spend money to get the association,then heck yeah delete the needless/similar ones.I do think that a limit of associations per player is a good idea.I see so many clubs that are exactly the same,except with a different name/layout,and it kinda bugs me xD.

 

mouse } spare-ish, probably thoroughbreds September 3rd, 2013 11:25:03am 16 Posts

I just got my association 'the Global Racing Network', and I was super super excited about it. However, there is now a club that kind of covers it, so unfortunately, it will probably be rather inactive. I love hosting contests, and host about 2 bill HPD's worth each term in the Thoroughbred Club, usually with something to suit everyone. Last term, the participation was ordinary, but I simply cancelled them, offered participation prizes to those who did enter, and didn't end up very out of pocket. That said, I agree with the reasoning behind the lack of participation - there are just TOO MANY contests between all the clubs and associations for everyone to enter. Although, I do go through the whole club and association list every week or two, and enter absolutely everything that I feel is worth my time, from lottery's to graphic contests (even when I had to do my entries in paint!), just to show support for the presidents. If the contest prize is fairly small, or there is a participation prize, I usually just tell the president/owner to keep it for the club. The reason that I was so excited about having my association, even though there are clubs to cover most of it, was having it all the time, and being able to run longer contests, and plan well in advance. That is the single reason why I am debating whether or not to ask to have it removed, in light of the new Race Horse Club. Since I've been running the TB Club, and particularly last month, when I had to cancel contests for lack of interest, I have had MANY players mention to me that it is a shame they don't run for longer. If it were me doing the planning, I would: -Remove the ability to make new associations (perhaps replace with something else - an extra public or private show for upgrades, to keep everyone satisfied - not me, I'm super easy to please! :) )-Go through the current associations and contact each owner with multiples, and ask them to condense, or choose their favourite one or two (or choose for them, the most active, and that which is not represented by a club). -Be a little harsher on inactivity. After the first month, make it mandatory to have shows up, pending animals checked at least weekly, and to have a certain amount of contests, + layout (A picture whacked on the page with some writing underneath it will suffice, it just shows interest), and information on the subject available. Like I said, except for the fact that I can run long contests etc, I would be more than happy for mine to be deleted, along with the rest. I would be less happy if it was deleted (especially as I certainly put a lot of time, HPD and RLD into it - or will be), when others are not. So, I guess, after all that ranting, I'm pretty much for the removal of associations, but I would think the following club changes would be appropriate in that circumstance: -Extend the presidency to at least 2 months, preferably 3, so that more time and effort can go into contests. (If president becomes inactive, replace them for the term, just as happens now). -Bring back some more specific breed clubs, ie. my beloved TB Club - Lol. -Allow members to request new breed/discipline clubs when they can prove that a certain number (5? 10? 20?) breeders are interested. -Change what is now the associations directory, to a Services and Suggestions Directory - to include the breeders association/s, services associations, breed suggestions association, clubs suggestion association etc. -Encourage more players to vote for presidency, in order to encourage the presidents to host a good term, and so someone like Bliss, who does a scarily good job over at the 4H association, may be able to keep 'their' club simply dut to popularity, not $$. Anywho, there's my rant. I'm totally happy with how things are though, and pretty happy with the kinds of changes we see on HP too. :)

 

Hera --Basset Hounds-- September 3rd, 2013 4:18:36pm 81 Posts

I like the associations, when I first discovered HP at the end of January 2013 I thought the associations were a really cool idea and personally had never seen a feature like that on any other game. I like the consistency they bring, one person runs an association where as the club pres. are always changing and the clubs are run a little different with each pres. I regularly use club and association shows, and I try to participate in as many club and association contests as I can, but I am busy being a wife and mother and HP is not my first, (or 3rd or 4th) priority in life. We need more players to make HP more active in general, I think both club and association participating will go up with more players, and maybe the associations could be revamped to make them a little more different from the clubs, but I don't think we should get rid of them.

 

trig ⨳ 🍒 bomb September 3rd, 2013 4:53:48pm 3,466 Posts

I would prefer shows not be open registry. Otherwise why pay a joining fee and register animals if you can do it for free?I ask that all member of the Almanac limit their entries in shows and for the most part everyone does. It gives your animals a little (very little haha) boost in points each week due to the show being "unflooded" and it's just nice to have that extra perk for the members.

 

tronic ϟ love me back to life ♥ September 3rd, 2013 6:10:57pm 4,524 Posts

As an active association owner my knee jerk reaction to cutting associations is an immediate no. I pride myself in being a very active and community oriented association owner. I have helped several people along the way get their breeds recognized and added to the game. I think losing that would be a huge disservice.I am guilty of holding the same old contest every week, but I am adamant about holding it. I get entrants every week, and people actively trying to guess the breed. I also, get people wanting to advertise their association contests and what not. Some association owners are really trying to gain community support and activity. I myself would be sad to see them go, but I am sure others who have spent more time and effort would be devastated. I have really grown to like my association and the members that come with it. I think the associations could really use a prune. However, there is no easy way to go about it without stepping on toes. Perhaps we do a community vote and the top voted for 10-20 associations get to stay? I don't know just brainstorming.I know there are certain things that I would really want to keep such as:� Mass messaging (I use this weekly)� Linked account (makes everything so much easier, and myself easier to contact)� The chat box (easy communication for all members)� Shows --- This is not detrimental though. I myself use assoc shows for my personal training, but it wouldn't kill me to see them go. I would rather make these public than loose my assoc as a whole.This is a hard problem to address and anyway it is changed someone is going to be upset. You aren't going to please everybody, but you can please most. I am happy everyone is putting in their input.

 

Ris › Appaloosas September 3rd, 2013 7:20:09pm 30 Posts

I never have had much use for clubs or associations but I'll toss in my two cents. The clubs are difficult because, as many have already stated, it takes an arm and a leg to run them and have a decent term. I also don't participate much in the Associations because a few times they've been removed since real life stuff happens and people fall behind with them. At least with Clubs, the next term will prove to have a fresh start with a different user and they won't get removed for inactivity. Then you have the players who have dedicated a lot of time and HPD who would probably be furious/frustrated to lose such a valuable item on HP. I can't see much of a win-win situation either way.

 

Citlali redeemed September 3rd, 2013 9:55:20pm 15 Posts

I want to keep the associations, I like the contests and the ability to have my own association.

 

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