Whoa, got seriously tangled with unions this weekend! Everybody who hasn't already needs to check out the latest union, Portable System Wars. It isn't even 24 hours old and it's already wide open on the throttle. Plus, it's my first officer gig, wish me well! I have really tried to be a viable member of my unions and be an active participant, but sad to say some of them seem to be more along the lines of twitching corpses than well-visited sites.
So far I've gotta give major kudos to The Silent Hill Resort - lustiagamer (sorry Bruno, did I spell that right?) is a totally devoted leader, and he and his officers keeps things hopping even though SH is between releases (a time that can make or break any union!). A few other similar unions I have tried out or just looked at have much larger enrollments but nothing current going on; I'll take a smaller group anyday if the members are really into the topic! Kind of sad when the only activity going on is the game thread...I'm also anticipating great stuff from PSW - stripeknight is a intensely colorful dude with a lot of energy, he's sure to keep things lively, plus my fellow officers seem to be chomping at the bit. Last but not least, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for The Gamespots. This one started up at the first of the year, and has gotten off to a bit of a rocky start, as its leader had to go on hiatus almost immediately after its opening. This union is for the designers out there and offers some great tutorials for those beginning with Photoshop and such. It's got a lot of potential, and I'm hoping we can get past the teething troubles and get rolling.
I've read on several blogs that a lot of you guys have gotten burned out on too many unions, either as members or officers. For a while, I think I was headed that way...not because I had too many but because I put more energy in them than I was getting out. Rule of science, guys - it takes energy to make energy. I took everyone else's stories to heart and avoided turning into a Union junkie, but even with only 6 or 7 I found I had too few relays and too small a generator! The simple fact is this: no matter how great an idea for a union, if you can't maintain the energy, either change the fuses or pull the plug My personal moral - if you invite me to your union, it had better not be a graveside service!
MY GUIDELINES FOR UNION INVOLVEMENT!
1. If the leader hasn't posted in over two weeks without citing a reason (illness, family issues), forget it.
2. Look at the old threads. Is it the equvalent of the canned meat aisle at the grocery store, or is is the butcher's counter? In other words, is it 99% a bunch of buddies swapping spam, or is it people taking a topic and running with it? (And hey, not that some filler is bad - it shows the members know each other and are on comfortable terms. However, if the threads are just a lot of BS going back and forth, look elsewhere)
3. Officers are involved with the union community. I'm proud as heck that I finally made officer, and I love looking at that lil' orange tag, but I'd like to think I got it because I AM an invovled person. Officers need to be there to stir up the troops, help the union grow, moderate, and otherwise do all those little things that keep a union alive.
4. CUT THE DEAD WOOD. Got an officer who hasn't posted in 6 months? If they aren't around online anywhere, put someone there that will do some good. Are you an officer in 20 different unions? If you have lost interest in any of them and the bloom is off the rose for you, resign.
5. Nothing going on but the Tell A Dirty Joke thread? Time to put it out of its misery. If there's only three people out of 100 who bother to post anymore, then good grief just start PM'ing each other and bury the poor thing!

Not that I expect a lot to happen out of this - It's more of my personal feelings than anything. I have enjoyed the heck out of some of these unions, and it's irksome that some people have a great idea but can't get it in gear (ah, the best-laid plans of mice and men...). Just bear in mind that if you want people to spend some time, make it worth their time.