I'm thinking of starting up a PbP game for the thrid time and could really use some help on how to create and run it. My other campaigns have all ended because 1. players began to lose interest 2. I quickly began feeling overwhelmed.
I want to make a fun, long term game, but worry that I'm coming at it all wrong.
Help me obi-wan kenobi!
1. Make sure your players know when you're going to update. At one point, interest in my game seemed to be slipping, so I instituted an update schedule. At that point, everyone got back on track. If the game falls to page 2 or 3 after you update, but before the players look at it, they may assume it was not updated if they aren't expecting it.
2. Use house rules, or at least different rules. The most successful campaigns I have seen have offered something that no other campaigns have offered- different choices, unusual settings, and things like that. This keeps players interested even though there are dozens of other PbP campaigns out there.
3. Don't force PCs to work together. In tabletop games, it's basically required, because the DM only has so much time. In PbP, however, you sometimes end up with PCs who do not like each other, or simply have different goals. In this case, let them separate, as you can effectively work with all of the groups at the same time.
4. Have spare PCs. You don't want to be in a position where one player leaving will wreck your entire campaign. In tabletop, more than 4 or 5 PCs is generally too many, but in PbP, many games work fine with 10 or more.
As I said, I'm not an expert, but there's my advice. Use or ignore it as you see fit.
Realize players will disappear, so do not create a campaign that needs a specific character and leave yourself the ability to replace players if need be.
Encourage your players to roleplay amongst themselves. Let them roleplay while setting up camp or getting into town. This gives you time to work out what happens next. But also keep things moving as well, because the longer they sit the more they are going to lose interest.
You don't need to post something every hour. Post at your own pace, so that you do not burn yourself out.
This is some of the generic advice I give to any DM at Real Adventures that comes to me wanting to run a game but unsure if they can.
Now for more specific help to your problem:
What kind of game were they?
Was their anything specifically that made you feel overwhelmed?
Is there anything else you can tell me about the two previous games?
If you want advice from a plethora of PbP DM's you can always ask for advice at the Real Adventures Tavern. They're a real friendly bunch and can offer more than just advice from my point of view. :D