I'm late to the discussion, but I think having it twice a year is fine. I don't believe it will have any actual effect, positive, or negative, on activity, however, so I'd ask what the rationale is for having it less often in this particular instance. Four years ago, I'd have said "definitely, 100% only have it twice a year", but now, I find myself wondering if there's any point to only having it twice a year.

Tour de Vizzed months, statistically, should be the most active months, so it would stand to reason that having more of them now, in a period where activity is completely gone, would be more likely to bring a 500 post month from the site. You could even make an argument for having it twice as often as it was previously, simply because of how little activity there actually is.

If the goal is an increase in activity, I beg anyone reading this to think rationally about how you are going to increase said activity.

Merely changing how often a competition that newbies never cared about in the first place isn't a way to get newbies to stay, and a lack of new users posting is the most obvious difference from times of good activity, vs. times of bad activity.

Only 2 people with at least 5 posts in the past 30 days have signed up in the past 3 years. None have signed up in the past year, or even 2 years. The rest of the posters with 5 posts (roughly 25 of them) in the past 30 days are people who have been here 4, 5, or 6+ years.

Newbie retention needs to be stressed like never before, which requires effort from the ENTIRE site, not just the staff. That includes you, random trusted user reading this.

Davideo7 :

This goes to you, specifically, because this could be one thing that actually helps newbies figure out where they can go.

The current "chat room" link at the top, links to a defunct chat room that literally nobody uses. Either stress the importance of using that chat room (I do not advise this, as it would receive blowback from the community), or replace it with a page that has the server link for the Discord chat (since you can't link to Discord directly on site).

I do not know the permanent link, but I imagine

Vanelan :

does.

Having the Discord server being publicly known about on the chat room page (seriously, get rid of the current chat room page, basically all of it) is only contributing to confusion among newbies who MIGHT want to get involved with the community but have no way of doing so, since the chat rooms linked are completely, and always dead.

This may also be an outside the box suggestion, but really push the Discord server, even on RGR pages. I forget if the current RGR plugin has chatting capabilities but I'd similarly mention the Discord server's link either existing on a different page (that you can link to) or by mentioning that more users are available in the chat rooms (through which they'd discover Discord).

I'd push this, not just to newbies, but in whatever newsletter you send out (I don't think I've gotten one ever so I don't know if you have). Letting old veterans know, who, like me, may come back once in a blue moon, about the Discord more publicly (presently, it's only really available if you go looking for it in General Chat, and are lucky enough to be online at the same time as a mod who can grant speaking privileges) can go a long way to at least preserving Vizzed.

This is just my two cents, but for as much as I personally loathe Discord, it might be the best shot of actually boosting activity, at this point. If that was your goal with making the TDV happen less. I reiterate, I don't think the amount of times the TDV happens matters anymore.

From what I've heard from NUMEROUS sources, the discord server is rampant with foul language, flaming, bashing users behind their back, the list could go on but you get it. This site needs to stick to its OWN server. Period. The fact that admins, moderators, elite and trusted alike push newbies and returning vizzed vets to go to another site to chat is deplorable, and was at one time a bannable offense. (advertising another site) You want Vizzed to get activity? Be active on Vizzed. Simple.