Scratch

Hello, I'm NeilWest. Not in real life, but today - I'll tell you how to get your collaboration up an running. All it takes is some perseverance and patience, and maybe some skills too. First up, you'll need a catchy name. Look around the forums and find a name you like, then mix it up a bit to suit your needs. For my company (NWProductions), I used my username - shortened it, then added Productions to the end. Professionalism. Next, you'll need a logo. You could use a paint editor like Paint.NET or GIMP - or make the thing yourself in Scratch. Then, upload via. a image sharer, like Tinypic or Imgur. Feel free to ask for any links to any websites that I mention. Be sure to include your logo name - and maybe a motto. Make it easily customizable, seasonal logos help keep your company professional looking.

Maybe save a Halloween version, a vanilla (non-edited) version, a Christmas version and a Easter version. Add more depending on the nationalities/religions of the users that you hire. Or, to save you trouble, you could have 'creating contests' where you staff and outside users work on festive versions to save time. However, keep in mind that this may get a few members procrastinating - so don't do it too often. You can also included these on your future website, if ever you can get one. Next, hire some members. Make a thread which includes important features like a list of staff, current projects, future projects, announcements section and most importantly; an application form. You can also add more to your main thread when it is necessary.

Leave this thread for a few days and see who fills in your application. 4-5 would be an ideal number. If not, then make signatures and showcase them on the thread, and use one yourself too. You can make these using which program you desire, but it will need the logo and 'click to join' on it too. Hopefully, this should encourage more applicants. However, if not, take advertising on the website to the next level. What you'll need to do is make an Scratch project advertising your collab. Add the logo, cool music and a link to your main thread in the description. If this doesn't help, then advertise in an advertising thread on the forums.

So by now, you'll have a workforce. You should have gave job options on the application - and if you want to know what an application form looks like, then look at a thread on the forums and take ideas from them. You should have some ideal jobs available like programmer, ideas producer, sound manager and artist. Add more depending on what kind of projects you hope for your team to make. Try and add some restrictions too though, everyone could want to be programmers. Next, make a seed project from an idea from the ideas producer that everyone has agreed on. This could be a gameplay engine (which the programmer will improve) or a menu. Make these appealing to the other team members as much as you can, so they can get to work improving it.

You may need to further the project at some points, but that is only if you're team is suffering temporary inactivity-itus. That's bad though. To deal with the problem, add a B team and hire some members for it. They can carry on the work until the A team is active again. Once the project is completed, create a Scratch account with the name of your team to host it - that way, no-one can argue on who hosts the final project. Make the artist make signatures to advertise the project, and use them. Let a member ask for it to be featured and request for it to be curated on the curator's curation project.

Repeat these steps for your next few projects, and also proceed to put them all in a gallery. Hopefully, your reputation should be growing - and if not, simply improve your advertising. By now, you should be having more members to sign up, put them in more teams when your current team become inactive. Also, they can work on other projects too. I suggest that you have up to 3 members for each job, or less. Remember, you still need to give some input into the work as well - no one likes a lazy boss. Now, for the website. You don't need a domain (unless somehow has the know-how and can make one for you).

Before you do anything, ask any members of the team(s) if they can create a website for the team, if there isn't anyone available, make one yourself using a website designer. You can use Weebly or Google Sites, though I'd suggest Weebly. The instructions are explained and you can buy a domain too. Thanks for reading, and I hope this has gotten your collaboration from thread to website! If you'd like to know anything else, then feel free to leave a message saying so.
NeilWest

Last edited by NeilWest (2012-10-27 10:47:23)