I would like to preface this by saying that this was written before we asked you all to submit your surveys. Nevertheless, this update underwent several drafts, each getting longer and longer, in response to the 24 of submissions we received. Thank you to those who sent in feedback!

After speaking with the staff about a variety of topics (mentioned and not mentioned in the surveys) and reviewing individual member surveys, I would like to be transparent with everyone about the changes that will be present in the upcoming term and make some clarifications on how certain matters will be taken care of for the foreseeable future. These changes are happening for a number of reasons. We wish to make a few adjustments based on your feedback; we have noticed a decline in activity and are responding to it accordingly; and we feel that there are some matters that need to be addressed.

Lessons: The staff will continue to host two lessons for their subject areas, though this term we want to try having lessons be open for 10 days at a time -- at most 3-4 lessons will be open at once (this has been the norm for YEARS, just so you know), though this will depend on when they are scheduled and there may be a brief period of 5 lessons being open at once.

In the past, there have been many comments about lessons going too quickly, so we are adding on 3 days to the original 7. This is being done to slow things down a notch and allow everyone to enjoy the lesson and better explore our characters as they progress through the lesson components. The extra time will primarily be used for the parts of the lesson that are worth more points (i.e., when your character isn't answering questions). We encourage characters to ask for help, make mistakes, interact with others, etc. We have extended the number of days so you can be involved and have plenty of time to do so. You are a big part in what makes our lessons successful; without you, there is no point in planning and hosting our lessons.

If activity does not improve in all of the available subjects, then we will try other alternatives that the staff and I considered. If a change needs to be made, then we will adapt accordingly. Either way, please be patient and work with us as any change with lessons need to be done on a trial-and-error basis.

Seminars: A few of you mentioned in your surveys this time around (and last time as well) that you would like to see seminars come back again. In spite of this, I feel that right now our focus needs to be on the actual lessons that the staff work so hard to put together -- this is one reason why they haven't been done for several terms now (other reasons that put an end to seminars and have been keeping them at bay: accusations of "favourites" being picked and drama being caused when certain topics were chosen over others). There are a number of subjects that do not get the love they deserve, especially when a lot of effort is put into them. If we see an increase in lessons across the board, then the staff and I will discuss possibly bringing seminars back in the future. Until then, we hope to see you playing in and enjoying the lessons held throughout the term as well as participating in the plot and interacting with each other through your characters.

Extra-Curriculars: For over a year now, the staff and I have been working very hard behind-the-scenes to bring extra-curricular classes, games/sports, and organisations to the Hogwarts RPG as they are part of the HP and/or SSRPG canon. Because we already work hard on our lessons and activity often fluctuates, it has been decided that we will provide an IC reference of extra-curriculars -- once the school opens, there will be a reference thread that will contain a listing of all the available extra-curriculars and a staff-approved Google Spreadsheet for you to sign your characters up. The purpose of providing this list is simply to provide a listing of who is doing what IC, and from there members can create their own role-play opportunities and interactions in the school. The classes and organisations to be listed on the spreadsheet are not required to meet officially on-site like with subject lessons (Flying will be the exception) unless the staff member "in charge" of that class/organisation wishes to go above and beyond their current duties to provide the additional RP experience.

• Duelling Club: Based on the turnout in Duelling Club that has been decreasing over the past few terms (i.e. a large number of members signing up for it, though the number of posts in actual duels lacking in general to justify the amount of work put into preparing everything), it has been decided that the duelling tournament and club meetings will not be present in the Hogwarts RPG next term until committed interest in it returns and activity in general increases. For now, the club will remain in the IC extra-curricular reference list.
  
  
• Gobstones: A few terms ago, Gobstones was removed from the school forums. It was noted that few participated in the game and many members did not seem to enjoy it because of the slow trivia aspect and so few people playing it. Since being removed, the game has been under revamp. Though we have a completely revised Gobstones ready for launch that has nothing to do with trivia, we will not be bringing it back this term as we want lessons and the plot to be everyone's focus. For now, the game will remain in the IC extra-curricular reference list.
  
  
• Quidditch: It has been 3 years/10 terms since Quidditch was removed from the SSRPG both IC and OOC. For many terms, a lot of us have wanted Quidditch back IC -- a number of us (myself included) actually pretend it's been back because it makes no sense for Quidditch to be disbanded from Hogwarts for so long because of a threat that was never resolved IC. Quidditch will be on this extra-curricular reference list, but it will not be coming back in the form of an OOC trivia game -- we have not forgotten the drama that was caused over it and are not going down that path again. We know that there are several members out there who will not like this, but a decision has been made and will remain so until something better comes along.
  
  With the intent of bringing Quidditch back for Term 48, captains and team players will be chosen based on one's activity in the Hogwarts RPG. Captains will be appointed by the Flying instructor and Hogwarts RPG Admin based on activity and maturity in the Hogwarts RPG and across SS in general; the selected member for each House will be responsible for being present IC as the captain -- they will host RPed tryouts, hold at least one RPed team practice, can team up with another captain for a friendly scrimmage/unofficial practice match, etc. If you have further suggestions on captain responsibilities, feel free to PM the Flying instructor AND the Hogwarts RPG Admin.
  
  Team players will be selected by the Flying instructor and Hogwarts RPG Admin based on the completion of an OOC survey about your character and their interest and experience with Quidditch. From there, they will select who makes the cut based on one's activity in the Hogwarts RPG and what their team position is based on the contents of the survey. This survey will need to be completed each term, within the allotted timeframe given, as team spots are not guaranteed.
  
  When it comes to who is winning matches and by how many points, the Flying instructor and Hogwarts RPG Admin will use a similar process to the Ministry and how they figure out the Quidditch League standings. Again, this is for IC purposes.

Detention: The Dungeon Five forum used in the past for detentions is no more. Two terms ago, we played with the idea of allowing a member to post their character in other areas of the RP even if they were serving detention because prohibiting someone from participating in other areas of the RP whilst in detention is more of an OOC punishment rather than strictly IC. Now we are going one step further. When a student needs to serve detention for breaking a school rule, the staff member that puts your character in detention will make a personalized thread and scenario for your character (polishing the school trophies, writing I must not tell lies lines, scooping up dung in the creature barn, etc.). We do not want detention to be seen as a bad thing that should be avoided; instead we wish for more RP opportunities to be created through it.

Hogsmeade: Hogsmeade will continue to be open twice throughout the term at the discretion of the Hogwarts RPG Admin. Rather than staying open at one-week intervals, Hogsmeade will now remain open for two OOC weeks at a time with an IC weekend date being posted in the common rooms ahead of time.

From this term until decided otherwise, however, Hogsmeade will be limited to ONLY Hogwarts characters that are played on and off-site (off-site characters need to be listed in your profile) as well as the Hogsmeade shopkeepers. I understand that there will be a number of you that will not like or agree with this, but Hogsmeade is a Hogwarts RPG extension -- the reason why we have a forum for Hogsmeade is because of our students, so we're going back to those roots. Doing so will 1) make it less confusing with everyone playing a student (it was confusing in the past because many people did not update their profile information, which resulted in it being difficult to monitor and differentiate between student vs. graduated/adult characters) and 2) allows for us to easily carry some aspects of the Hogwarts RPG plot over to Hogsmeade if we wish to do so. You can still play your non-Hogwarts characters in Diagon Alley, in the Ministry, and in the Knockturn Alley forum at any time during the term -- those places need your love too.

Inclusiveness: There were a number of complaints concerning inclusiveness last term. Many felt that the spotlight had been put on those that were selected to compete and everyone else was left to their own devices. While I am sorry that some of you felt this way, I would like to point a few things out to you:

1. A magical competition IS going to spotlight certain characters. That is inevitable and is something we all just need to accept. As for those who were selected, they were chosen based on their activity in the Hogwarts RPG -- we did not pick "favourites" and never will. I am the one who made the IMPS competitor selections, so please retract any "the staff picked their favourites" accusations because they didn't. If you wish to do so, you can express further comments about this directly to me by PM or simply let it go.
   
   
2. Just because you/your character aren't front and centre does not mean there are no other ways for you to be involved in the plot -- the title of the term's plot was Guests from Ilvermorny, not The International Magical Pupil Standoff. This term you were allowed to play an Ilvermorny student (note roughly 50 of you posted a biography, though only a handful actually played the Ilvermorny student regularly); you were able to interact with each other throughout the term, explore both your Hogwarts and Ilvermorny characters through a limitless combination of interactions, react to what was going on, etc. The RP experience is what YOU make of it. The staff doesn't always force things to happen; we wanted YOU to have creative liberties beyond the basic plot that was planned (this past term: the competition and a very subtle thing on the side involving certain professors that purposefully was meant to leave you OOC wondering what was going on as all good story-telling does; we're not done with this narrative arc) and we will continue to do so. If you didn't/don't take advantage of that, then that is your loss.
   
   
3. The staff and I played various Other Character accounts throughout the term (the magical creatures, the ghosts, Peeves, Hogsmeade shopkeepers, etc.). A lot of the time those opportunities are not snagged or quickly died because no follow-up response was given -- I can provide several examples, but I won't because directly calling people out is not the way to go about this. This also applies to members in general; they provide the opportunity for interaction, but that opportunity is not seized for whatever reason. At the end of the day, it is important to realize that this happens ALL of us because we forget, are busy with RL, etc. It is not just a staff thing. The staff also makes conscious efforts to post our professors about outside of lessons, whether they involve crashing your RPs or being left as open posts. Some more than others, but the opportunities are there nonetheless. It is something we are willing to put more effort into if you are willing to take advantage of the opportunities that are being thrown out there.

Two Hogwarts Characters: There is always at least one person each term who suggests allowing everyone to have a second character in the Hogwarts RPG, and it has been considered on numerous occasions as it has been requested for many terms. It has been mentioned that it worked for the Ministry, but it is important to remember that Hogwarts is NOT the Ministry. It works well for the Ministry as employees are placed in one collective user group and do not have a point system to worry about. Logistically for Hogwarts, allowing two students would involve a lot of work when it comes to House user groups and forum permissions, making who's in what House easy for everyone to differentiate, reworking and figuring out how to award House points when a member is playing two students, etc.

Furthermore, last term we played with the secondary character idea by allowing everyone to play an Ilvermorny student. It was observed that, out of the 50-some members that posted a biography for an Ilvermorny student, few played both characters consistently; most members played one over the other the majority of the time because it was difficult keeping up with two characters, they weren't sure what to do with the second character, they lost interest in the other character, people did not claim open posts with their other character, etc. The most significant observation that was made was that interaction with each other did not increase when this temporary second character was allowed. We fear that, at the present time, this pattern would be the same with two Hogwarts characters. With all of this said, we will continue having ONE Hogwarts character played on SS for the foreseeable future.

Extending the Term: Another common request is that the term length be extended. This will not be happening for a number of reasons: 1) extending the length of the term (i.e. slowing down the SSRPG timeline) means extending it throughout all SSRPG areas and is a decision that all three Wizarding World Admins have to agree on -- it is all or nothing; 2) changing the RP timeline means that sortings, placements, etc. will happen less frequently and unsorted members will have to wait longer for these occurrences -- making our new members wait longer for these already limited opportunities is not something we want to do; and 3) activity is low or ends up dropping in places with the terms already lasting for roughly 3.5 months -- it would be a different story entirely if that were the complete opposite.

Twitter Drama: There is and has been a lot of Twitter drama going on, something that is, to be frank, immature and incredibly disappointing. At the end of the day, if you are causing or being involved in drama, then that is your choice and is something only you are responsible for. The staff and I cannot do anything about it, especially when most of the drama is happening through private Twitter character accounts, which ironically consist of primarily OOC comments. Just know that we do hear about it one way or another. If you can't be nice off SS, know that we do take that into consideration when it comes to selecting people to be involved in key components of the plot, when we ask people to join the Hogwarts staff, etc.

My message to those of you that brought it up in your survey and to all members in general is this: ignore the rude or stupid thing someone said and don't get involved. I understand that bullying is not okay, but there isn't much I can do about what you or someone else does on Twitter. Know that you aren't being forced to speak with or follow certain people that you know push your buttons or make you uncomfortable. It is a very simple thing to ignore, unfollow, block, or report someone -- not doing so is your problem. Also, check yourself before pointing fingers at others (many of you, whether or not you mentioned the Twitter drama and the people involved in your survey, are not innocent of the drama that is happening on Twitter either -- most of the time it is a case of the pot calling the kettle black). You being involved in any way isn't making matters any better either. Be the bigger and better person by not getting sucked into the very Mean Girls world that exists there.

Moral of the story here: Just. Be. Nice. Treat others how you want to be treated. You're only hurting yourself by starting and/or being involved in drama.

Complaints: It has become very present to staff and members alike that Twitter and various instant messaging platforms have become a safe haven for a handful of members to complain about what is happening or should be happening in the Hogwarts RPG -- the plot, whether there is enough/too much going on, decisions that were made as a staff team, something that a staff member or non-staff member posted in the RP, etc. The staff and I will NOT be making changes in regards to the Hogwarts RPG based on complaints being made off-site, even though we do hear about it one way or another and know exactly who it is coming from.

If you have something to say that you actually want considered or resolved, then simply mention it in your member survey at the end of each term or, if it cannot wait that long, bring it up directly to the Hogwarts RPG Admin by PM in a respectful way. If a complaint is not brought to our attention in the two ways described, then there is nothing we can or will do about it. End of discussion.

Questions and Concerns: In the event that you have a question or concern about something -- such as wanting general clarification about a lesson/something going on in the plot or questioning a post that may potentially break a site rule -- there is a proper way to go about expressing your question or concern that involves more efficient and accurate results. Sending out your questions or concerns through Twitter, etc. is not the way to go. Your non-staff friends (even ones that were once on staff but are not anymore) don't 100% know the answers and cannot do anything about it whereas a staff member would and are more up-to-date about what's going on and how to take care of things behind-the-scenes.

If you wish to seek clarification for something that a staff member posted in their lesson, please contact that staff member directly by PM (or IM if you know their handle). For questions or concerns about non-lesson/non-subject specific matters, PMing the Hogwarts RPG Admin would be the best course of action. If you come across something in the Hogwarts RPG that (potentially) breaks a site rule, then contact an available staff member and/or the Hogwarts RPG Admin immediately by PM.

Suggestions: If you have suggestions for the Hogwarts RPG, there are many ways in which you can share your ideas with the staff. Whether about a potential plot, the layout of the Hogwarts forums, etc., we can guarantee that you will be listened to (otherwise we wouldn't have provided you with numerous opportunities to do so). If you have something you wish to share, there are sections in the member survey available at the end of every term that would be perfect for communicating your ideas. If you cannot wait that long, you can always directly PM the Hogwarts RPG Admin or even leave a post in the Hogwarts RPG suggestions thread that has been open since 2006. We are not mind readers and are not going to hunt for suggestions on Twitter. There is no excuse why you cannot share your suggestions with all of the opportunities available to you on SS. So, whenever you have a suggestion related to the Hogwarts RPG, simply speak up in the methods described or forever hold your peace.

Be Appreciative: At the end of the day, it is important to be appreciative of what the Hogwarts RPG staff does and what we all currently have in this RP experience. This is not something we get paid to do; this is a volunteer job that requires a lot of time and effort on top of everything else going on in our lives outside of SS. Nevertheless, we do it anyway because it is fun for us and we do it for you. Complaints about how things are or the way things should be, low activity, etc. are discouraging, but we know that it is inevitable. However, it means so much knowing that our efforts are appreciated through your involvement in our lessons and the plot, wanting to RP with us OOC and our staff characters IC, and interacting with others simply for the joy of RPing. There are many things being planned behind-the-scenes that we, specifically to the Hogwarts RPG and throughout all SSRPG areas as a whole, would love to launch, but that relies on activity levels and member attitudes. So, with that said, make the most of everything and have fun with each other.