There are many communities built around playing, creating, and sharing in LittleBigPlanet. Each have their own focuses, themes, and atmospheres. However, it can be challenging to find fan communities that are safe, fair, and engaging. To help, we have created a brand-new community-first program for our Discord server called the Pathfinder program; we’ve brought you a brand-new community forum for sharing your creations and hosting community contests; we’ve curated an LBP Discord Server Directory to help you find the best LBP servers that adhere to a high standard of safety, fairness, and engagement. Let’s talk more about the LBP Community Wellness Initiative.
The Problem
We hear a lot of discussion about safety, fairness, and engagement in the LittleBigPlanet community. Fans don’t always feel safe or comfortable when interacting with others. They also sometimes feel like community leaders treat them unfairly. Finally, they don’t feel like the community is as engaging as it once was years ago.
Although these are problems that may first seem out of your control, we have the solution. The LBP Community Wellness Initiative focuses on giving you the opportunity to make your community a safer and more positive place through the Pathfinder program. By helping you find Discord servers that focus on integrity and wellbeing, fans can enjoy community spaces that they can rely on. With the LBP Union Forum, you can pave way for a new generation of activity and engagement in LittleBigPlanet.
Pathfinder Program
The Pathfinder Program is a unique community-first engagement team that’s being piloted on the LBP Union’s Discord server and later our forum. Its primary goals are to lead by example, empower users to make a difference in their community, and to maintain integrity.
Most Discord servers appoint a team of members called moderators which enforce rules with moderation action such as muting, kicking, banning, and warning members. Although our server has a team of moderators with these same responsibilities, our primary focus is on our Pathfinder team. As part of the Community Wellness Initiative, the Pathfinder program is an alternative to this traditional method. When we emphasize safety, security, and fairness, the first image that comes to your mind is a police officer. However, there is a problem here: law enforcement officers have power. If that power is used inappropriately, it can create serious problems. The same can be applied to moderators. With the ability to kick, ban, and mute others, it’s no surprise that server members often feel nervous or afraid to speak up to raise their concerns to moderators.
Instead, Pathfinders on the LBP Union Discord server do not have any moderation powers. They are not police. Instead, they serve as guides and resources for the community. They help encourage members to move to the appropriate channels, remind them of where they can find the rules, and elevate serious issues to our moderation team.
Without moderator powers, Pathfinders must find other ways to help keep a better atmosphere on our Discord server. Server members also feel more comfortable engaging with them because they know that they are there to help them, not to berate them for making a mistake.
Pathfinders are the face of the LBP Union’s Discord server staff and are expected to follow the same rules as everyone else. If our staff doesn’t follow the rules, what reason does anyone have to take the rules seriously and treat everyone else with respect?
Anyone can apply to become a Pathfinder via our sign-up form. Pathfinders can also later be promoted to Peacekeepers, which are our moderation team that take corrective action against infractions and help manage the server.
Forum
Our forum is one of the first of its kind since forums like LBP Central and LittleBigForum. Discord is a chaotic place that can make it difficult for people to talk about a particular topic or share something that they care about. With our forum, you can engage with the community at your own pace.
The forum is a great place to post your creations and talk about events and projects you are hosting and looking for help on. It’s also great for talking about specific topics like news, asking questions about LittleBigPlanet, and sharing concerns and recommendations about the LBP Union website and community.
Our next goal is to increase engagement with the forum to the point where we can expand the Pathfinder program to the forum. We believe that this will provide a unique and engaging experience not seen before on a LittleBigPlanet community forum.
Discord Server Directory
Left to right: Dreamiverse, LBP Union, LittleBigHub
Although the LBP Union’s community is an excellent place to play, create, and share with fellow fans, it certainly isn’t the only place. Each community and group has its own themes, niche, and atmosphere. We have taken an effort to curate a Discord Server Directory to gather together a list of servers that we think you will enjoy.
We have taken care to curate this directory with safety, fairness, and engagement in mind. On the directory page we have listed a number of requirements to be featured on the directory. If your server is not listed and you would like to be listed, please reach out to us!
Thank You For Being A Part of the Community!
Underneath it all, you are the creative engine of your community. Regardless of what environment, staff, rules, and resources there are in your community, you have the power to make the change you want to see. What will you do to make your community a better place?
Thank you for reading, and if you have any experiences or ideas that you’d like to share, please leave a comment!
