[quote=@MechonRaptor]
Waiting for the OOC is probabaly the best option at the moment, as there is a difference between expressing interest and making a character. A lot of people, at least from what I've seen here, don't make a character once the actual OOC appears. 
[/quote]

This statement should be enshrined somewhere.

I'd say maybe a quarter of people I've had interested in my games ever made it to the OOC.