Since approximately two months Age of Intrigue is handling a Twitter account run by staff (mostly by yours truly) at @AgeofIntrigue. You can click the link in the Newsbanner to see our feed. If you have a twitter account we encourage you to tell us so we can follow you
Q. Why did AoI decide to go on Twitter?
We wanted to increase our presence in social media in general, so we could spread AgeofIntrigue as a brandname. Word of Mouth is our most effective advertising strategy so far and social media could help us with doing just that... making Age of Intrigue talked about without an immediate aim of gaining players. The thought is that if a lot of people in our roleplaying niche have heard of us, when they want their roleplaying fix in PBP gaming they come to check us out.
We already went on Facebook about two years ago, with varying degrees of success (basically spreading the word among my network and that of other players who have liked us). However, resources sites suggested checking out blogging, Tumbler and Twitter to raise our online profile and set our reputation as a trendsetting, quality game.
The Privy Council was not unanimous on this. Not all of us are into social media. However, nor was it so controversial that we couldn't do a little experimenting with it. Instead of adding a wordpress blog and diversifying our message too much, we decided to experiment with Twitter first.
Q. What do your tweets look like?
We try and add original content to Twitter. On a regular basis we tweet the link to our wiki with a little encouraging note. We have also tweeted quotes from the game and even links to particular threads with a recommendation. In addition we tweet real life quotes from our NPCs. Occasionally I might take ten or so tweets over an anecdote in history, in particular of Charles II. They frequently get retweeted or favourited.
We also try and interact with the audience on Twitter. We follow a large group of roleplayers and historical novel writers, professors and history enthusiasts. We even follow the cast of Horrible Histories. That is not something passive. We Retweet (copy and send along with a tag of the original tweep, as a recommendation to your followers) all tweets that have relevance for early modern England. We comment on tweets. We suggest books and venues of research. We banter a lot too, just exchanging witty remarks like I imagine the Merry Gang might do.
Q. What has it gained us?
Reputation. We are regularly retweeted and favourited, even recommended by other users as a good tweep to follow because we provide original content that might interest a certain niche of people on Twitter.
Information. Being in contact with many history buffs means that we more regularly stumble along interesting tidbits that are relevant for our game, in particular interesting blogs which you might otherwise not stumble upon.
New Players? So far we can't say it has directly contributed to gaining new players. Direct advertising and listings in directors etc. is more effective. Remember though that this was not our original goal, though it sure would be nice!
Q. Isn't this wasting staff resources?
That depends on how you define the staff resources employed in maintaining a twitter presence and what you think they would be better spend on.
For instance the time I spend on Twitter would never have been used for writing posts which requires far more intense concentrated thought. I tend to update Twitter hap snap, in between household chores and interacting with my family. A bit like you would employ our chatroom. If I wasn't twittering, I'd be doing something else equally light and chatty, like posting with friends on Facebook (who have seen a slight decrease in the amount of articles I spam on my wall).
In contrast blogging would take away from the time I spend writing, but not here, rather it would take away from the time I spend about writing about metagame issues on other sites like RPGD and historicalRPGS.com. As an experiment in blogging, the mods have decided to blog in this forum, now and again, to see if it is something we'd like to do long term.
So, in short, you are comparing apples and pears if you think that if Fluff spends less time on social media, she'd be writing more posts on Age of Intrigue. They are not the same resource
So, tell us what you think of Age of Intrigue on Twitter in particular and other forms of Social Media in general?
In a future blog I might discuss our advertisement strategy further. If you have specific questions about that do let me know here or in PM.
