Maybe expanding AD/D or even creating a brand new realm-wide discord server which has all the resources for all kinds of roleplay? A merger of all the class/race/location discords to make it easier for new players to discover RP hotspots and guides.
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And so did I, so its clear more people are interested in this idea. Lets:clap: make:clap: that happen 
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im sh1t at posting
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Big ups to this idea. Sort of want to tack on to this that I feel the goal of this approach shouldn’t just be to shame and force action but also to open up a dialogue. While I would never claim to speak for anyone other than myself I don’t think I am the only one with the feeling that Blizzard has somewhat failed the RP community and RP realms with their draconic moderating methods. We are more often than not left to our own devices to police situations and diffuse them, or escalate using an frustratingly rigid report system which, as linked in the OP, turns out to be unfit for purpose as GMs don’t get to the ticket until well after griefing has occured.
The result is an increasingly frustrated Roleplayerbase that have lost all faith in the systems put in place to uphold server-specific rules, and those who are there to enforce those systems, coupled with antagonistic elements who will continue to abuse and break those rules because they know they can get away with it without repercussions.
Reaching out to these outlets to discuss things like rampant ERP, the impact of streamers disrupting the server and the apathetic response from the customer support team could be a useful stepping stone to reforming the report and moderating procedures. The one-size-fits-all approach does not fit for roleplaying realms, but there’s only so much we can do in terms of regulating our image without input from the company itself.
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When Ashes of Draenor was featured on MMO-Chump (kkkcch, I crack open my second boomer energy drink over a hot grill) it was generally highly regarded and seen as “cool”. Though I honestly don’t know how that managed to gain traction, it’s the only RP thang i’ve seen roll that big really.
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Focus our efforts; form the great anti-ERP action of our time.
Finish what Bury the Buried started (the great Darth Vader of our time).
~ https://i.gyazo.com/637a03a458a4bdd67f7de7a5c3bc3450.png ~
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Still can’t believe blizz ripped it off for their hearthstone expansion wtf 
If we look generally at the two issues raised in the OP, what they have in common is that these are issues that arise from players having inadequate tools to avoid unwanted situations, in addition to inadequate moderation on Blizzard’s part.
For either of these issues to be handled whatsoever, I agree with others in this thread who have already mentioned that attention needs to be raised, to basically force Blizzard to deal with it. The idea, then, is to get loud enough to be heard, and to be heard well enough to be taken seriously. Nothing is going to get done if this all comes off as a bunch of forum warriors memeing at each other and getting into the same little scraps with the same individuals over, and over, and over again. Which is unfortunately the impression I’ve got of this particular discussion as it has existed for the past two months or so. This thread is a welcome and, in my view, necessary step in the right direction from that.
I am curious what the discourse is on other roleplaying realms. The US ones in particular. If we can branch this out to be more about an issue with roleplaying servers in general rather than just this particular one, that would definitely help in boosting the message.
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I think someone mentioned this above, but I believe putting out positive press (screenshots, commentary, etc) especially of larger events, is a first step.
Getting RP recognised as a positive thing on social media can start increasing the eyeballs on what we’re doing and why it’s fun - then we have a platform to build on what people are doing that ruins it.
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Just poppin in here to say
if you want change, you have to cry loud and do it lots
it is exactly what works.
at the hight of the social justice movement, whenever they didn’t like a thing they cried out and lots, and guess what? it worked a good amount of the time.
when a business does a whoops, people cry and do it lots, and it works most of the time.
When we wanted no sharding we cried loud and did it everywhere to whoever would listen, and it worked.
In short, if we want something done, we have to take a page from the whiny crowed and be loud to whoever we can reach, be loud on twitter, be loud on reddit, be loud on different forums, be loud everywhere you can get away with it.
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Related to this, but not entirely would be reviving the RP type in hotspots OOcers (such as those we don’t mention by name) decide to visit.
If for example you take Cathedral Square and start hosting some dedicated events there on a regular basis, be they semons, a weekly fayre/market or something (something that doesn’t stop people just mulling about there as they do now) it then becomes increasingly clear to the external observor that when visitors decide to show up for one evening only, they’re directly ruining something which has some kind of precedent on the server, conforming with server philosophy.
If nothing else it forces them to confront the fact that what they’re doing isn’t in good faith and make that apparent for all the world to see, which makes it then easier to try and resolve it through official channels.
So yeah, reclaming OOC spots and then “letting conflict ensue” is actually a pretty sound strategy. So long as the RP in these spots doesn’t literally restrict anyone going about OOC business (i’m not sure how it would) , and the RPers involved keep a cool head and refer to calm phrasing and don’t devolve into twitch-reponses also, it could have an effect if enough people get behind it. It does require that people “don’t give up” however in the face of being trolled and keep at it because the whole exercise becomes undermined if you end up moving somewhere else.
There is no good reason why Hus’lah the Troll shopkeeper shouldn’t have a daily stall in the Valley, it’s where the traffic is after all, and all the player is doing is RPing on an RP server without providing any impediment to OOC players whatsoever, in fact, they’re simply “adding colour” - so any conflict that ensures makes it absolutely clear what the problem is; players actively going out of their way to be disruptive. If there is no conflict, the RPers win away, as they go about their business. But if Hus’lah moves because someone is OOC trolling him, then that gives the impression it’s not that important he’s there which is absolutely not to be done- remember there is NO GOOD REASON why he shouldn’t be there, so he musn’t move under any circumstances. The problem is with the people who want to make him feel unwelcome and it’s only through staying there is that illustrated properly.
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I don’t think the super anti OOC agenda is healthy for the realm in the long run. Everyone was an OOCer at some point and started RP by discovering it. One should give people a chance to get into it without forcing them to immediatly ditch their whole playstyle they have had before. It’s a slow adaption and learn process. The amount of roleplayers is slowly declining (natural process/real life/burn out) and you need new players to fill in. You can’t expect from a player to immediatly accept a weird perception of this game. Saying “We welcome everyone who is willing to learn” is nice, but this immediatly creates pressure to fit into an imaginary circle that enforces certain behaviour that is not regulated by Blizzard.
When I started RP in Classic, and people were as they were today with their rules and principles of how RP is supposed to be executed/handled, I would have for sure never tried it out at all. It scary to come to a realm with the intend to try roleplay when people are so radical against anything else. 99% of the playerbase does not pay their 13€ to solely roleplay. And even if it is accepted to also play the game normally (which it is and that’s cool!), the bitter taste is still there and the pressure to fill in a weird comunity that makes it hard to find personal space when you want it. It’s too “all or nothing”.
Then let’s not forget, there are many ways to roleplay (where I actually agree with Asmon here). You CAN decide to play the “AD Meta” aka Pen and Paper Style Lore Character, but for many people (and this happens on other RP realms all the time) roleplay means playing the game normally and “adding spice to it” for example: “I, mighty hero of the alliance am looking for other heros to get rid of the undead plague that has manifested in Stratholme”. Then make the group and play with added immersion, slower pace, chats in combat and so on. I’ve had so much fun with this “style” of roleplay in the past. But the “meta” has killed this entirely to a point, where people refuse to see this as roleplay.
Roleplay is more than a comunity coming together and playing Pen and Paper with the engine as a visual aid. There are many approaches to it. And that is the purpose of a roleplay realm. A place where someone can roleplay. As they want to. There’s no right or wrong in roleplay, just different opinions and tastes. And all of these should be respected 
If I solely RP alone, which is also valid, I should be allowed to play on a roleplay server. That is exactly where Blizzard doesn’t give us rules of how to behave in roleplay, because there are many paths a player can go.
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As well… use this as a chance to introduce new folk. If someone starts clearly trying to RP albeit clumsily this could be what tips them over to joining in properly.
This can lead to directing to the aforementioned guides and documents!
We are not expected to all be teachers. I do not have such patience. But being accomodating of utter RP newbies where possible and directing someone the right way is miles simpler.
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I know we oft bump heads, but…
You get a like.
And I’d throw my 2 cents in by saying that in the case of being ‘loud’, if not entirely annoying, Twitter may be the platform to wield like a spiked mallet toward the hind quarters of suitable blizzard persons.
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Reclaim Goldshire!
I have to agree with this. When I was doing Shattered Halls with two buddies of mine, one of them DC’d and while waiting for him, we started RPing. We eventually got the other two random people to join in. The dungeon took about twice as long, but it was A LOT of fun. I never knew that yelling at some fel orc NPC was that much fun.
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ANother cool way (which would take a lot of dedication plus some very based players behind it) would to be to set up a kind of “IC 4th Wall” type figure in both capitols, whom camps out (can be shiftwork) in heavy traffic areas like Trade/Valley, and they behave as an “info kiosk” of sorts, all done IC mind, existing to help direct players who look new to where RP often occurs, help answer questions etc. By IC I mean like
Vulpera RP-newbie clearly wandering by or standing near Rp event but not interacting
Hel’pah the Info-Troll : “Hey you dere, Fox mon! Come ova’ ere!”
Noob nervously walks up
HIT: “Ya look a lil’ lost there, maybe I can tell ya about some events we got goin’ on in Orgrimmar today?”
Noob: “Umm sure”
HIT: “Well; in da Valley of Strength (event) be goin’ on, it’s (description), also I hear dat (location) be a great place ta go if ya lookin’ for sometin ta quench ya thirst.”
Noob: “Okay, thanks” still nervous
HIT: “Did ya want me ta show ya where it is and maybe introduce ya to the organisers?”
Noob: now peppy “Yes, that would be great, thank you!”
HIT: “Follow me mon” (makes small RP talk on the way there, when arrives introduces the noob to the organisers or someone involved whom isn’t currently engaged and communicates the noob’s interest on their behalf, thus mediating the initial “nervous joining” on their behalf)
As said it would require some real dedication from people prepared to commit entirely to a support role, but if developed enough it could be something that becomes a stickied “check these people out” as advice for NEW RPers and it clears up/helps navigate some of the initial nervous bits whilst doing so in a way that is somewhat/largely IC to get the feels across.
Perhaps a tad unrealistic, but that’d be a really nice role to play and given my inability to stick with a dedicated RP concept (largely because of how specific my concepts are and the trouble of finding guilds/groups) i’d be really happy to occupy such a role about supporting the community and newcomers.
Yes OOcers would be a consistent trolling thing, but it’d be able holding firm and maintaining the “i’m invting you in” language, because they’ll either get bored and lost interest when it becomes clear you’re not triggered, or they may actually take up the offer.
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I think good media is really helpful. People should be sharing screenshots about what’s happening in game - ideally with dialogue and emotes too - routinely in their guild and campaign threads.
Lots of people share screenshots of large formations and battles, and these are very cool, but they often don’t show the great writing that accompanies them - everything from witty exchanges to creative descriptions of locations to the scenery chewing monologues of event villains. Screenshots like this will give people more insight into what roleplaying actually looks like.
Accessibility is important too. People shouldn’t have to search too hard to find roleplayers. We need guilds that take part in fun, spontaneous roleplay - rather than being too event-orientated. Most new starters will want to dip their toes into roleplay in a relaxed setting before they involve themselves with guilds and events - we need to cater to this. This also means not forsaking Stormwind City because the roleplay is bad - major hubs are the first places people interested in roleplay will visit, so we need to be there often enough to ensure they get a good impression.
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Occupy Trade District.
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I have to admit… I like this idea.