I think I was in a nostalgic mode and remembering all of the nonsense we had to deal with over the years when I wrote that post two weeks ago.
Regarding the discussion of storyline content, I agree that it's probably going to happen no matter what, and forum etiquette or even a set of rules or policies in place to keep them from getting too heated would probably be a very logical idea that could save a lot of grief in the long run. Also Mason makes a really good point in that people who want feedback can post as such. Would that make it inappropriate to discuss someone else's RP? Something to think about. I know I've offended someone in the past for writing a post which had spurned a discussion about a story post someone had made. Or do you put yourself on the chopping block the moment you post a story thread?
Again speaking only to what I know, in Crystalline we adopted a policy where the author of such a post could opt to create such a feedback thread. Most of the time they would just get some typographical/grammatical suggestions or an 'attaboy' but once in awhile it would spurn some interesting conversations about character behavior and such. While a lot of people were open to criticism and expressed as such, people either found nothing to criticize or were hesitant to do so.
I suspect that in a larger group such as the RPC with a more diverse crowd, and much more differing opinions, the reservations for criticism will be more diminished. I'm more concerned about the "loose reins RPers" with the blue skin and the ability to fly. Criticism of such things may not be perceived so much as insulting to the individual author so much as to the community which supports those rules. I can foresee groups of people getting upset that someone from a more rigid group is insulting their ways.
The 'RP Critic', while not a character type, has definitely become a cliche personality type I've run across on a number of occasions. These instigators actually RP very little (possibly out of fear of being criticized by others) and spend most of their time looking down on others' actions and words and casting insults around.
On a completely different vein, will there be any rules in place about the content? While some LS's may not support graphical scenes depicting a violent rape, for example - others might. On some boards this might be okay, but some people may have a problem with this sort of content being copied over to the RPC forums. While I don't like censorship, perhaps some sort of warning on both the subject line (i.e. - [EXPLICIT]) and in red text at the top of the post itself may be warranted in such instances, unless the RPC plans on taking specific measures to limit such content. While some RPers might be put off by these limitations, their other forums would likely allow it, and such posts might not reflect well on the RPC for new and prospective members coming to visit and experience what we're about. Just something else to think about.
Finally in regards to meta-gaming, it's not so much that I'm afraid about it - and I apologize if fear was the emotion I conveyed. I think concern was what I was aiming for. Most RPers have the iota of common sense to avoid acting in such a way. I just didn't think such a policy should be 'inferred', and something should be written up in forum guidelines. There are likely to be novice RPers who do not know about meta-gaming and this would be to their benefit, as well as anyone that they RP with. That is all.
Regarding the discussion of storyline content, I agree that it's probably going to happen no matter what, and forum etiquette or even a set of rules or policies in place to keep them from getting too heated would probably be a very logical idea that could save a lot of grief in the long run. Also Mason makes a really good point in that people who want feedback can post as such. Would that make it inappropriate to discuss someone else's RP? Something to think about. I know I've offended someone in the past for writing a post which had spurned a discussion about a story post someone had made. Or do you put yourself on the chopping block the moment you post a story thread?
Again speaking only to what I know, in Crystalline we adopted a policy where the author of such a post could opt to create such a feedback thread. Most of the time they would just get some typographical/grammatical suggestions or an 'attaboy' but once in awhile it would spurn some interesting conversations about character behavior and such. While a lot of people were open to criticism and expressed as such, people either found nothing to criticize or were hesitant to do so.
I suspect that in a larger group such as the RPC with a more diverse crowd, and much more differing opinions, the reservations for criticism will be more diminished. I'm more concerned about the "loose reins RPers" with the blue skin and the ability to fly. Criticism of such things may not be perceived so much as insulting to the individual author so much as to the community which supports those rules. I can foresee groups of people getting upset that someone from a more rigid group is insulting their ways.
The 'RP Critic', while not a character type, has definitely become a cliche personality type I've run across on a number of occasions. These instigators actually RP very little (possibly out of fear of being criticized by others) and spend most of their time looking down on others' actions and words and casting insults around.
On a completely different vein, will there be any rules in place about the content? While some LS's may not support graphical scenes depicting a violent rape, for example - others might. On some boards this might be okay, but some people may have a problem with this sort of content being copied over to the RPC forums. While I don't like censorship, perhaps some sort of warning on both the subject line (i.e. - [EXPLICIT]) and in red text at the top of the post itself may be warranted in such instances, unless the RPC plans on taking specific measures to limit such content. While some RPers might be put off by these limitations, their other forums would likely allow it, and such posts might not reflect well on the RPC for new and prospective members coming to visit and experience what we're about. Just something else to think about.
Finally in regards to meta-gaming, it's not so much that I'm afraid about it - and I apologize if fear was the emotion I conveyed. I think concern was what I was aiming for. Most RPers have the iota of common sense to avoid acting in such a way. I just didn't think such a policy should be 'inferred', and something should be written up in forum guidelines. There are likely to be novice RPers who do not know about meta-gaming and this would be to their benefit, as well as anyone that they RP with. That is all.
"One of the deep secrets of life is that all that is really worth doing is what we do for others." Â ~ Lewis Carol
Eva's Journals  |  Eva's Wiki Page (coming soon)  |  RP Handbook
Eva's Journals  |  Eva's Wiki Page (coming soon)  |  RP Handbook