Post by V I N N Y on Dec 31, 2011 2:01:51 GMT -8
Additional site protocol not otherwise listed in the rules. These have been generally established by the Staff and Senior Members. Think of these as "The Unwritten Rules" written down which will be added to and expanded as the need for such arises.
1. Do not Argue with Site Staff! This is generally a no brainer but some people seem to need to be reminded of this.
2. Do not question the Site Staff. Giving the Staff the third degree over anything is simply rude and likely to get you banned for your effort. They have earned their positions based on skills/qualifications and should not be required to prove/explain themselves to new members. Asking questions regarding site information and how to go about doing things properly is expected however.
3. Let Staff handle questions and disputes. New members should not be answering questions for other members, leave such things to the Site Staff. If no Site Staff are available, then Senior Members can answer questions but must defer to the Site Staff once one becomes available. Treat Senior Members like you would the Site Staff (same protocol as with substitute teachers in school) and listen to them as you would Site Staff if they make requests.
4. Site Rules apply to the Chat Box and all IC and OOC boards. Another "Well Duh" some people seem to need to be reminded of.
5. Do not volunteer Answers, Suggestions, or Opinions unless specifically asked. This applies in particular to new member questions and when brief impromptu Staff Meetings are called in the Chat Box to quickly hash out an issue or question that needs resolving. The Site Staff do not like having to hide their meetings from members as we feel the members have a right to know what is being decided and how. Sometimes the Staff will ask for input from certain members and holding brief meetings in the Chat Box allows us to do this. But Wait For The Staff To Ask For Your Input! Butting in when not invited to do so will at best get you banned from the Chat for the duration of the meeting (if warnings/requests to stop are ignored). Please do not force the Staff to isolate Staff Discussions away from members view because you are incapable of controlling yourself. If necessary, minimize the window or do something else until the meeting is over if you can not resist the temptation to speak out of turn.
6. Keep personal Drama out of the Chat Box and off the Boards! If you have an issue, send a Private Chat or PM message to a Staff Member. If the issue is between you and another member, take it to Private Chat. Drama Baiting and Drama Mongering in public view drives away established members as well as new or potential members. If you have Real Life issues that are preventing you from posting regularly (minimum twice a week, this is a very active board), post a thread in the Leave A Notice with your Member Account ONLY! If you are simply having a bad day/week/whatever, do not take it out on others. While we do offer sympathy to those who are having an especially hard time, airing one's dirty laundry continuously is rude and annoying.
7. You are not the Site Therapist for the Staff and Members. Please do not act like you are. Telling people what to do with their problems/lives is generally rude and frowned upon. Some members trust certain members more than others and will sometimes need to vent a bit just to relieve some stress. It is encouraged that this be done in private rather than open chat but sometimes advice is requested of more than one specific individual. If such discussions do take place (since not everyone has Skype or other instant messenger they can use for a group conference), please keep out of the conversation unless invited in. You may sympathize, but don't butt in, some people take offense.
8. Stay on top of posting. This means checking threads you are in regularly to see if it is your turn to post. A thread tracker can be a useful tool to help with this and can be a simple list of threads your characters are in and links to them, or as detailed as you wish to make it. Please do not overload yourself with too many characters or too many threads. If you can't keep up, do not add more to your list and do not enter threads uninvited or without clearing it with those involved first. Most don't mind and will say yes if you ask. If you are in threads with others, do not make them wait or they will not be as inclined to RP with you again. Temporary slow downs or absences are accepted but must be posted in the Leave A Notice board with your Member Account to warn other members. If you can not keep up with posting on your normal schedule, try not to give yourself so much work to begin with.
9. One-Upmanship: Just don't do it. Pulling the "Yeah, and my character can do this" attitude and continually trying to One-Up other people's characters makes the rest of us want to either not RP with you or leave the site entirely. It is as immature as God Modding and refusing to let your characters be damaged by enemy fire.
10. Stay informed. We expect you to keep up with all pertinent announcements and have read the Site Guide. Constantly having to remind members of what's going on and what is expected gets taxing. Along with keeping up with posting, the most important thing you can do to help save the staff stress is read the information we provide you before asking questions.
