# Best practices for simulation building

## Best Practices for Simulation Building

* Create the actors first.
  * Be creative but not TOO creative. Aim for believability.
  * Remember who your target audience and participants will be.
  * Be consistent!
  * Use profile images that are not easily found on Google Images.
  * Don’t be too perfect! Most people don’t fill everything out completely.
* Then, create posts for your actors.
  * Use (or get) your own images that look “real” and not easily found online.
  * Be consistent! Two bots can’t have the same kitchen if you haven’t stated somewhere that they live together, etc.
  * Be fun and create a story for your bot. What is their day like? What do they post? What do they like?&#x20;
  * Spread out the timing of posts and follow the same rules you listed for participants (remember these bots should look and act like other participants in the study).
  * Create some spam/political infighting/internet drama/web trash as no site is perfect.
  * Think about “likes” the posts get, what is popular on the site, what is not.
* After creating posts, create comments on these posts.
  * Be quick and short.
  * Positive but not too positive.
  * Role play as your actor, do all your comments for one actor at a time, role-playing as that actor.
  * Have some small conversations between actors in the comments.
  * This is where we create “community”.
* Define actor behaviors (liking, reading, commenting) in response to participant behavior.&#x20;
  * When making comments in response to a participant's posts, make it super generic. It should be a comment that could apply to ANY photo.
  * Make a few, but not too much (no more than what you have created as normal for other posts on the site already).
* Write together as a research team.
  * If you are creating and writing a simulation collaboratively, upload the CSV files to Google Docs or Box. Makes it much easier to edit together.
* Test test test!
  * Live in your simulation and experience what feels real or fake.
  * Test with those who have not used your simulation before, and get their opinion on the realism and believability of the simulation.
