Roleplay

I love my roleplay*. I only wish there were more and better forums, better moderated. Also, there should be a global organization that identifies all the small entity forums and allows them to link and search throughout. Anytime the word "roleplay" is googled, this parent organization should pop up as the first choice, and then the link should blink in bright, neon lights, "HERE IS ALL THE ROLEPLAY YOU'LL EVER NEED, SORTED, FACILITATED AND MODERATED FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT!"

Small forums could apply to the parent organization, which would then sort the forums by topic, world setting, maturity of content, population and other categories. Forums would receive ratings for quality, participation and ease of play so that roleplayers would know what to expect when they sign up.

For example, as a roleplayer, I want to know just how often to expect a reply to my thread. Currently, I can sign up to a thread, but my only idea of how active it may be is to search through old replies for the dates of individual posts, a tedious process to say the least. Also, I always have this feeling that the perfect world is out there, hidden in an obscure, roleplay forum, one which I'll never find in this vast network of websites, blogs and forums. Another roadblock I've found is the requirement for niggling bits of computer apps. When I run into that, I simply stop the registration process, but maybe, just maybe, what I want is over that wall!

I'm not complaining. I'm making a suggestion for how to improve the ability of roleplayers to find each other and increase the quality of play once we do. Fortunately, I am currently participating in two (or three), fantastic roleplay threads that I love to write and to read, so I'm personally satisfied.

But what about when they run out? Then what? I'll have to wade back into the surf and see what I can find. And...they always do run out. There's no forever (or at least I haven't found it) in a roleplay. The dread of finding and beginning another makes me want to nurture the two (or three) stories I have and enjoy. And with that said, I have someone waiting for a reply...
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*Roleplay: Alas, the general population may not be aware of this utterly fascinating activity, so I'll define it, if such a beast as amorphous, polymorphous and/or omnimorphous can be described. It comes in many forms, which is a good thing and a bad thing, as reflected in this post. The basic play begins with an individual imagining a character s/he would like to act out and in what world setting they'd like to place their character. I won't describe the process of finding a partner(s), the lament of the above post, but once other individuals with similar tastes are identified, they each take turns advancing a written story, usually through posts on a forum, although there are other formats such as Second Life and MMORPGs.

Disclaimer: If a D&D'r ever reads this, I didn't forget you, I just didn't think going into your game and its influence helped define what's happening currently on the web. You esoterics may jaw about that history over cognacs, because I've already written too little about a topic that's too large.