EDIT: Nevermind! It’s been brought to my attention that there *is* in fact an all healer community in existence that’s been around under my nose for the longest time. Light Natured forums appear at first glance to be what I’ve been looking for. The community forum’s been broken down by class and has some extra sections devoted to general discussion and UI’s and such. How I’ve never found this place, I will have no idea. Obviously I didn’t look hard enough =). They need to do a better marketing and promotion job. I guess I’ll have to flex my blogging and WoW Insider muscle and raise some awareness. I do seem to be suffering some performance issues on the forums. They do take a while to get into the different sub sections.
This is one of the few pleasures I get from blogging. My interaction with readers sparks ideas. Sometimes they’re bad, sometimes they’re good, and sometimes I come up with a “EUREKA” of an idea that would’ve done Archimonde Archimedes proud.
Tonight I had a discussion with neutralise as we were discussing the impact of a raid wide Prayer of Healing. Somehow, my brain went off on a tangent. I wondered if there was a community or forum specifically devoted to Holy Priests who would discuss their trade (similar akin to the Shadow Priest.com forums). After some quick searching, Twittering, and general asking around, I was amazed to discover that there wasn’t a community already in place.
Not only that, there doesn’t seem to be places for Resto Druids, Holy Paladins, or Resto Shamans specifically either.
The only place that I know of that represents anything close is the Elitist Jerks forums. I’m not going to lie. Every time I go there, I feel fairly intimidated. There’s also a lot of information to wade through to get an answer you’re looking for.
My vision
Seeing as there doesn’t seem be a local healer community, I thought to myself why not start a healer community?
Financing is not a problem. One of the reasons I run affiliate advertising on my blog is so that I can take what I earn and invest it directly back into the community. Heh, like it or not, money makes this world go round.
I’m picturing a discussion board where healers of all shapes, sizes and progression levels can:
- Exchange ideas and tips amongst individual classes
- Ask for help and advice during PvE content
- Discuss upcoming healer changes
- Interact with other healers overall
- Come for early advice and support on getting started with end game
I’d handle the maintenance and logistics of the project myself including hosting, software and such. The design and structure would be an interesting challenge to undergo.
My obstacles
Moderation – It’s a no brainer that a community like this would most likely attract some big time morons. As much as I’d like to, there’s not a chance in hell that I’d be able to completely police the place. I’d have to realistically turn to volunteers that have proven themselves fair and in possession of a back bone.
Structure – Organization of this community would have to be done properly. Like boss fights, it’s one thing to know what to do. It all comes down to execution. If I can pull it off right, I have no doubt it would be a great community. Done incorrectly, and it would just be another failed startup project. Razorbax suggested a Forum/Wiki combination but I have my reservations about that. I could go forums first and then “immortalize” epic posts after into its own Wiki for easier navigation and access.
By the way, that quote Razorbax listed? Not me.
I swear.
Name – You guys might think this is silly, but the name is important. I don’t simply want to create forums and slap World of Matticus forums on it. A day might come where I won’t be around and it’d be nice for this community to be able to stand on its own. I’d sponsor and support it, but it should have a distinct brand of its own. The challenge here is to think of a name that’s catchy, easy to remember, and isn’t already registered on the WHOIS database.
Interest – But right now, I’m getting ahead of myself. What’s the point of establishing a community if there’s no one interested in it? I ran it by the night owls still awake in BA chat, and they seemed receptive and encouraging of the idea. Still, I’d rather ask you the community in general and get your thoughts.
Any ideas, feedback, questions, or comments would be welcome. But do answer the poll first below =).
Would you participate and be interested in a community aimed for healers?
- Yes, absolutely! (92%, 82 Votes)
- No, not really. (8%, 7 Votes)
Total Voters: 89
I still think that it is a great idea! I have to agree, EJ scares the pants off of me. It would be great for healers to have somewhere where they would feel free to ask questions and discuss things ‘safely’. And after all… we all like our healers feeling safe and confident in their work!
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As I told you in chat I think this idea would be excellent and I’d help out in any way needed. Blahblahblah, I’ve pretty much given you my views on this topic and my enthusiastic support.
I just like voting on polls. :p
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Awlbiste: I’ll make more polls and things you can click on then ;).
Matticus,
I do have a low level healer and would be interested in such a community board. Also, I would be able to moderate if your in the need to have someone.
I think this is a great idea. A simpler website (compared to EJ) to refer to for healers who don’t get off on number crunching, could end up being a great tool for the community.
While I don’t write on my blog anymore, I do troll blogs for 8 hours a day at work, and keep up on my reading. Reading and providing feedback and advice to others is what I’ve been spending my time doing lately. I’d definately be up for participating in a healer-centric site.
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Sounds like a good idea. The warrior forum found has given me great advice. A similar site for my newly 70 holy priest would be great becuase I have a lot to learn.
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Thanks for the support, everyone. Only thing stopping me at this point is a name.
How about Priests FTW!
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You might note that the folks that own shadowpriest.com are the same folks that own lightnatured.com 🙂
Matt