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Started by Coasterfreak on 19 Jul 2004, 03:48 UTC · 59 preserved posts
67-106196056519 Jul 2004, 03:48 UTC
Due to excessive posts with one sentence in them, I have locked down all active threads and have asked the Administrator to make this forum require approval from a Moderator. Only this thread and the big cat thread will remain unlocked and their posts will be approved assuming the rules are followed. All other new posts and threads will be rejected.
Let me make this clear: This is not IRC or IM chat. It is a message board. You are expected to post a quality RP post that moves the story along. One sentence posts are unacceptable.
If the thread starter wants his/her thread unlocked, he/she may contact either CWTyger or myself by PM. No thread will be unlocked until the thread starter posts an approved sample RP post to this thread. Then the thread will be watched by the Moderators to see if it will remain active.
The Moderator approval will be lifted in time if the rules are followed.
To be fair, I have posted links to quality RP threads below. They may take some time to read, but they are good examples of what a quality RP thread should look like.
In the service of Her Majesty...
The Forgotten War\n\n
83-106196071619 Jul 2004, 04:28 UTC
I think the rules are pretty fair. This section has remained unmoderated for much too long now. It's time to once again raise the quality of the posts here, and around the boards in general. A few quality posts are worth more than an infinite number of quantity posts.
83-108518858919 Jul 2004, 15:58 UTC
I don't want to sound like I'm causing trouble, but I have to point out that no where in the rules or in the faq's was there anything about only making one sentence posts. I speak for quiet a few people who frequently post in these forums. That it's not fair for us for you guys to lock down all of these active threads without at least giving us a warning. If somewhere in the rules/faqs there was something about making nice long posts then that would be fair enough. But I have checked them and double checked them and no where does it state anything of the sort. So I must ask permission that the most active threads be unlocked. Please don't take this as a cause of trouble, I am merely pointing that out.
80-108034711819 Jul 2004, 16:49 UTC
BlackFire walked out the Radioactive Rp and sits next to Shadow and said "i am argeeing and taking her side,.. once you rp, and later on you will get addicted to it, it is filled with fun, humor, etc, and i read the fags/rules, there were not any rule of that "one-sentence thing", and i remember the best rule of all, you go read the rule number 23. please?
68-108707261919 Jul 2004, 16:57 UTC
I guess some people make a few mistakes. But, Shadow's right.. I didn't see anything about 1 sentence rules. But, I'm not being a threat. It's just now I can't role play my little human pup. The one sentences is my fault basically.... 
70-106196059219 Jul 2004, 17:08 UTC
It does say in the rules however this:
21. Please keep up with the annoucements, they're usually important.
These changes have been announced and the rules will be updated. Change is often good and things should be continuously updated to keep the board flowing.
Also these are Silver's boards and she actually pays money for them so as far I'm concerned she can change what she wants.
83-108518858919 Jul 2004, 17:12 UTC
True enough and I accept that. But in an rp there are times when you can really only post a few words, because you have to wait for somebody else to reply. Like in Wolf Rp. On the last page it had BlackFire(PhycicFox2303) and Shadow, myself, asking Hawk(Aypuyi) to tell them what is wrong. We can really only ask "What's wrong?". Because we have to wait for Aypuyi to reply. I understand perfectly well, how this might be annoying to some ppl and sometimes it annoys me to, but there are times when you really only can post a few words.
65-107836033819 Jul 2004, 17:56 UTC
I say you unlock em now!Or I'm outta here!I've always loved RPG's and the ones here are the best.Sure,it's hard keeping up with them,but it's not fair!And mods are suppose to be fair to others!If you close every rpg,then a ton of members will leave,Silver.I'm warning you.
65-107836033819 Jul 2004, 18:01 UTC
Just to warn you,I'm not trying to ban myself.I think it's not fair.Without RPG's no one will stay at TIB.I practically live off the rpg's here.If you don't let us continue 'em,I'm not coming on this site as much.And I'm not kiddin'. I don't care if I'm banned,just turn on those rpgs. 70-106196059419 Jul 2004, 18:09 UTC
I don't frequent the RP boards much, except to peek in once in a while, but as Coaster said, the *chat style* RP is annoying. RP is meant to be just that.. role playing, not one line to ask *whats wrong*?? It takes ability to create a beleivable character, and ability to type in coherant sentences which keep the RP going...why do you all think the two examples Coaster gave lasted so long? Because they were QUALITY RP...look at all the threads started recently and died within days, or hours. The quality was not THERE...
Thats why these forums have suffered so, and why the changes recently, to bring back the quality to them...there are a million other RP boards out there where the one line or one word posts are allowed...its a good thing that Silver wants to keep hers to a higher standard
67-106196056219 Jul 2004, 18:19 UTC
| Quote |
| But in an rp there are times when you can really only post a few words, because you have to wait for somebody else to reply. Like in Wolf Rp. On the last page it had BlackFire(PhycicFox2303) and Shadow, myself, asking Hawk(Aypuyi) to tell them what is wrong. We can really only ask "What's wrong?". Because we have to wait for Aypuyi to reply. I understand perfectly well, how this might be annoying to some ppl and sometimes it annoys me to, but there are times when you really only can post a few words. |
CW shook his head. "Not so. A good writer (and sometimes the not-so-good) can make a few words into many." At this, the tiger paused, and selected his words carefully. "And what is an RP thread, but a collaborative story? Think about this: you wouldn't hold a deadpan conversation, would you?" At this, he began to pace, and his wings twitched. If he were humanoid, he'd gesture with his paws for emphasis and example. "Surely you've had a long conversation on the phone, and you've shifted position to get more comfortable, and switched ears after a while when the one got sore? Maybe you hung out with a friend, and walked down the street as you talked, and without stopping your conversation, you saw something in a shop window, pointed it out, and continued on with what you were saying, while also commenting that the dress in the window would look rather good at the party tonight? (Phew, that was a mouthful.) What about when you're listening to someone talk, and you notice that their Adam's apple seems more prominent today than it usually is? Or you can see in their eyes that they're tired?"
CW continued to pace. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, an RP is more than just talking. If you wanted to talk, use an instant messenger program." He paced for a short while longer, looking as if he wanted to say something more, then sat and began to wash his paw.
One final thing occured to him, and he paused in his grooming. "If you're just talking, you're being yourself, not role playing." He then grinned at a pun. "Put some action into it. The way I see it, those who add action to their dialogue are action heroes."\n\n
82-106196068719 Jul 2004, 18:41 UTC
Radar looked at CW's post with amazement. She flapped her wings a little as she settled down to thoroughly read his long and interesting post, nodding at the part where CW commented about switching ears while on the phone. She had forgotten how articulate he could be, and how much fun it was to role play. She was flattered by Coaster's using of The Forgotten War as an example. She fondly remembers the fun they had, battling the evil Possum King, and ponders the question...
"Why didn't we finish it?"
68-108173602519 Jul 2004, 19:03 UTC
I know come on thats what makes people love the boards without rps no one will hardly come. I agree I never saw that one sentence rule ethier, I'm not trying to get banned but losing rps means lost of members Sliver.
67-106196056519 Jul 2004, 19:06 UTC
Shadow, I agree with you. It is sometimes necessary to post short posts, but not all the time. A thread should not increase by 29 posts in 3 hours, as the If anybody wants to... thread did yesterday. To me, that seems like spam.
If you are making a reply, try to write out how you character is feeling or thinking, not just his or her actions. For example, the following quote is from an RP post I wrote:
| Quote |
Satisfied, the Seppala Siberian thought about what to do next. I could wander some more and hope that I pick up the scent of another dog, wolf, or fox OR I could just howl and hope somebody hears me, he thought. On the other paw, if I do howl I would be giving my location away to other unfriendly canids. But it is worth the risk to stay put and howl until I get a response. Then I can track the sound back to the source.
His mind made up, Coasterfreak tilted his head up and let out a 30 second howl then carefully listened for a reply.
|
I could have just said the following: Coaster howled and waited for a reply. But by posting his thoughts, I made the story better. It also gives clues to other posters about my character�s personality
I am willing to make a compromise: If the members are willing to post something more like CW just posted, or what I have in my quote, I will unlock one thread for a trial run. 67-106196056219 Jul 2004, 19:10 UTC
The above double post by Ayipuyi uncovers a small flaw in the RBF. In the past, we've encouraged members to edit their posts if they have something else they want to say. But in the RBF, with the new stuff installed, a member can't edit their post in the RBF until it's approved by a mod/admin! If there was a way to allow a member to edit their own post while it's still in limbo, that would be great.
Anyway, Ayipuyi, we're not trying to say that you can't RP here anymore. We just want an RP to be quality. We'll probably allow one of the threads to be unlocked again, eventually. Just... be patient. We're still testing the waters, so to speak, and trying to introduce a few new guidelines for posting. Vesta's right, Silver holds this place to a higher standard, and doesn't want it to become just another clone site.
76-108980141719 Jul 2004, 19:30 UTC
I've pretty much sat on the sidelines of this one, but I was reading some of the RP threads, and considering joining in just before this blew up, so I am interested in getting things resolved.
As a relative outsider, I'd say we're dealing with two different styles of RP.
Shadow and her friends have become used to a fast-flowing MUCK style of RP in which things almost literally happen in real time. This style obviously lends itself to quick exchanges, and whereas it doesn't preclude longer narrative passages, it certainly doesn't encourage them (incidentally, as someone who for several years wrote only plays, I have some sympathy for the idea of dialog alone carrying a story for substantial periods)
OTOH the admins clearly prefer and remember a less frenetic, more thoughtful and literary style of storytelling which is a long way from the MUCK/MUD variety. This style emphasises narrative, plot, planning and development more than spontaneity and banter.
On reflection, I have sympathies for both camps. On the one paw I find the frantic exchanges of short pieces of dialog a bit bewildering, and easy to get lost in unless you're online more or less at the same time as the other writers. Stories (to me anyway) can seem to meander around with no over-arching direction, or at least it's just hard for me to pick it with so many short posts.
On the other paw - wait... on one of the other paws, I have RP'd the slower, more narrative-driven and constructed type of stories, and have been frustrated by huge chunks of narrative which advance the plot in unexpected directions just as you'd planned out your own next installment. This type of RP also seems to encourage people to 'write' each other's characters to an extent that I find annoying (put it this way, when someone wrote my character to the extent of killing him off by having a damn piano fall on him or something, I was annoyed).
I can see why the 'live' style of RP would alienate some. I can also see why the more 'crafted' style would seem stultifying to someone used to a more interactive form (you can't get much further from 'live' than waiting for each post to be approved, and it can't be that thrilling doing the approving part either.)
Absolutely, the board owner has the right to decide as they see fit, and I understannd the frustration if a fora slips away from its original intent or style (I'm assuming RP'ing here used to be different in character) As a former mod on another board and newsgroup, I can appreciate that you feel an obligation to do the right thing by your citizens, even when things drift from what you consider ideal.
What good is all this blather? I'm not sure. Perhaps I can't help it. I have Mercury in Libra. Does that make sense? This is a good position for those who have interest in diplomacy Thank you astrological person in italics.
Is there a middle way? I don't know, and I'm certainly not saying that the forum owners should follow it if it did exist. But it might be worth looking for. Can threads be tagged as 'live' or 'narrative', or would everyone just choose not to play in narrative threads? Could the pre-approval restriction be lifted from individuals if they displayed a willingness to meet you halfway, slow down and think a little about the destination of the story? This would lift a workload from mods, too.
My real concern is that RP will simply dry up. Perhaps those interested in the more literary style (assuming I've characterised it correctly) could start a thread in that style. Personally I'm not committed. I'll wait and watch and hope sorts itself out.
Apologies if I have ruffled ruffs on either side.
Loop
Loop
83-108518858919 Jul 2004, 21:18 UTC
Loop you represented some good points there. It's true, I do enjoy Muck rp rather than I do with long narritve passages. For me its a little easier to understand. But sometimes narritive rp's can be nice as well, but sometimes it's just a little to full of deal tails. And for people like me, who have only a limited amount of time on the computer and you have a whole bunch of other stuff do to online as well, you can really only type one or two sentences. Then you have to move on to your other buisness. But about the quality of some. We've kept up If Anybody Wants to for almost a month already, deffinately one of the longer lasting rp's and the others that are active are getting to be quiet a few weeks old. CW, on Ayipuyi's post, I have to say that in a way she's right. Silver will be losing a lot of members if you guys don't put the rp's back. Some of us, like Aypuyi and myself, that's oen of the only reasons we came here. You say that you'll consider opening the threads, but what are we to do till then? Well, I know what I'm going to do, but for Ayipuyi for examle. She'll have to keep getting on to check to see if you guys have reopened the forums and sometimes that can be a hassle for people. I agree with Aypuyi that I might not keep coming back here as often because you guys have closed down the forum. But I accept that I will have to go by what ever you guys come up with.
~Shadow
116-106196084619 Jul 2004, 22:29 UTC
The only flaw with sypathy to those who are used to MUCK or mIRC RPing in this case is that this is not a MUCK or an mIRC chat room. It is a forum. If they want to participate in MUCK or mIRC RPing, the best thing to do would be to start a topic in the "Whatever" forum and start a chat up with other members. In fact, this was done before, creating (though not for the same exact reasons) the TIB Fallout Shelter.
These mIRC chat-style RPs are what keep me from reading this section anymore... I can remember enjoying the great RPs of the past when the posts were well written, not just plopped out from boredom.
Also, there was no rule about this "live" RPing simply because we never had a serious problem with it before. Does this show people's interests have changed, or most members are getting careless and are abusing their freedom? I don't know, but it was an unwritten rule to post with quality. This has not been met, and now it must become a rule since most seem not to have the decency to apply it on their own.
68-106196058520 Jul 2004, 00:32 UTC
I try to keep myself out of major debates unless I feel my opinion is actually needed. It may not even be needed in thsi case at all, but I feel like voicing it in any case.
Personally, I agree with everyone who has said something along the lines of this place not being any sort of Chat room or thusly related area. This is a message board, and thusly more is expected than mere "quickie" entries. Instant messaging programs are to be used for that sort of real-time, rapid-fire roleplay. However, here at TIB, you are provided not seconds but minutes, even hours if you need them, to write a thoughtful and meangful type of RP. There's no rush, and thusly anyone who does an entry as though there were is in the wrong place, methinks.
And if the idea of actually having to write out a well-thought, or at least well-presented, RP extemporaneously makes anyone here wish to have nothing more to do with these fine boards, then I say "Be gone, thee of little meaning." There are stil lthose of us who don't mind seeing a good RP come around. But in the end, what is good can only be judged by what is most meaningful for those involved. In which case, I say these new regulations are perfectly fine in mostly all aspects.
LONGEVITY FOR LIVELY ROLEPLAY, BOYS!!! CHEERS! ^_^
83-108518858920 Jul 2004, 03:19 UTC
Ok, good points Dunder, but look at it this way. How many people actually participate in the active rp's? As far as I know there is Dark Wolf, Roxi, Summer, PhychicFox, Ayupuyi, and myself. We personally are fine with the way we rp. If we the creatators of those threads are ok with them, then why does anybody else have to be concerned about how long our posts are or stuff like that. As long as we follow the main rules of the board, why shouldn't we be aloud to make small threads like that? As far as I know, nobody seemed to mind about it until CoasterFreak started looking around at the threads. And being a moderator and a member he has the right to do that. But a full lock down of this forum, over some posts, that they never even paid much attention to until now is going a little over the extreme. 27 mentions quality. The rp's we have going and have kept active to us, the role players, are quality. Why should it matter what those who don't rp think about the quality? The only people who can tell you is not the admins or the mods, or really anybody, except the people who are involved in that role play.
69-106279399520 Jul 2004, 03:59 UTC
I, myself, am not much of an RP'ing type of person. It has interested me once and again, and I have occasionally considered joining in. You may have noticed that I have not joined in on a single RP to date. Why, you might ask? For the very reason of this debate: lack of quality. This, Shadow, is one of the reasons there are only a few active RP'ers. Yes, those of you posting may feel that your post are of high enough qualtiy, but others look upon them and become discouraged and unwilling to participate.
The mods' method of filtering those types of posts does seem harsh at first. If the new rules are followed I'm quite certain that most of the restrictions will be lifted.
Remember this: When sanding a car or wood to remove a blemish, you do not begin with a fine grit sanding paper but with a coarse grit.
83-108518858920 Jul 2004, 04:40 UTC
True enough, but first of all I have to say that if people want us to have higher quality rp's then tell us. And when I say that I don't mean, locked all the threads, cause that only gets us pissed off and we won't listen. And if people want higher quailty rp's then make them, state that you want it to be longer passages, but let us go on having our own rp's the way we like them.
83-106196071620 Jul 2004, 05:02 UTC
You can grumble at Coaster all you like, but remember, I am the one who gave him permission to lock all of threads. He suggested locking them, which sorta swayed me away from deleting them all together. The fact that the posts were all one liners, and not contained to a single thread was too much to bear. One thread grew by 56 pages in less than a few weeks! If that's not spam I don't know what is. All all of those posts were in the style of a chatroom RP. As it's been said several times before, this is a message board NOT A CHATROOM. If you want those kinds of posts, the you're in the wrong place. Quality of posts are valued over the quantity of them. All of the topics were locked to grab your attention. We are willing to open them back up, if you can approve the quality of your posts.
Did you ever stop to wonder why the new hacks were installed? You know, the ones that don't allow you post under 15 letters in a post an the ones that limited posts to 15 per day? Because I thought it would be fun? NO! The quality of recent posts at TIB have been extremely subpar. In fact, they don't have any quality at all. A post that's simply says "Okay.", "Sure." Or "Blackfire wagged his tail." are just quantity posts. There was a level of quality that used to be here and is gone now. Which means, more rules will be written in light of this problem.
And you say TIB will lose a lot of members. In case you haven't noticed we have already lost a lot of members. Why? They simply refuse to come here because of the poor quality of the posts. Did that ever occur to you that perhaps people don't like one liner RPs? (This is one big reason why I don't RP on TIB in my free time anymore.) If I lose some members because they can't understand that this is a message board steeped in quality and not quantity of posts, then so be it. We're not asking for perfect grammer, perfect spelling or dotting every "i" and crossing ever "t". If you hate the idea of a quality post that consists of more than one line, in a chatroom style, then you'd be better off reviving a dead message board or creating your own.
Because I'm putting an end to the sorry state that TIB has recently fallen into. If you hate me for it, then that's your problem not mine.
67-106196056520 Jul 2004, 05:54 UTC
(An RP look at my life over the last 48 hours)
Coaster's mind was troubled. Reading the RBF forum on the evening of July 17th, he decided he had enough of the IRC-style posts plaguing the forums. The forum, as far he was concerned, had gotten out of control since it was largely unmoderated. Something had to be done.
It was a Saturday Night and most of the now familiar crew was at weekly The Balto League chat. Eager to try out ChatZilla, a part of Mozilla 1.7, he joined the chat. He knew that this was the place to go when he wanted to RP in real time, not RBF. As he entered, the discussion was on a recently suspended TIB member. That eventually lead to other problems on TIB including RBF.
Coaster noted to Silver that the RBF should be better moderated. She asked him if he would like to moderate the forum. Do I really want to do this? he thought to himself. I am already busy as it is. I have a Calc.2 exam on Monday and a Final Exam on Thursday. I know I am going to Idaho for MPC training the week of the 26th. I know that things are going to get hectic at work very shortly. Hmm, maybe I should suggest CW? No, he is already a Mod. Something has to be done. Alright, I guess I will take it. Coaster accepted the postion on the condition that he could opt out in a week if he did not feel like it was for him. Little did he know of the events of the next 36 hours.
He woke up late Sunday morning, checked the forums, and then had the Notebook run CHKDISK while he got ready for the day. That afternoon he studied for the Calculus Exam and periodically checked the forums for new activity. Around 3:30 or so, he noticed that the If anybody wants to... thread had ballooned by 29 posts in 3 hours. He was shocked by this and knew something needed to be done. He decided to wait to chat with Silver on AIM for a plan of action.
(Part 2 will be written tomorrow)\n\n
83-108518858920 Jul 2004, 14:43 UTC
Ok, look, I was not grumbling at CoasterFreak at all, I was just pointing out that he was the mod that got us into this debate. You guys are all sending me 2 messages. 1. This is not a chat room, which trust me I understand alot more than you think I do. 2. Improve the quality of your posts. Well let me ask you this. How are we even going to be able to try to improve the quality of our posts if you have all the threads locked down, eh? Simple answer, we won't be able to until you reopen them. But in my opinion, which I know your getting darn sick of by now and I know I'm close to getting banned but I refuse to let this just slide, if you want a serious rp then state that you want a serious rp. And noticed, the rp that gained 29 posts in three hours, if we were doing "chat room" style rp, then there would have been a lot more. We, the rp's are perfectly fine with the way things were. This brings me to Silver's new rules. Some of which, are ok, things were getting a little out of whack. But because of all this adding of rules and banning people of first offense, that just takes out all the fun of the icy boards in the first place. The whole reason I came to the Icy Boards in the first place is so I could have fun and talk with other Balto Fans about balto, whatever, and to rp. But all these new rules, that just over powers what fun you can actually still have here. I continue to come back to argue my case, and I will chat in other areas, but rping was what kept me here, along with many others. I'm not asking you to totally forget about all the rules and don't give a darn what we do, cause then it's just chaous. But then down the opposite end of the road, towards strict rules, banning on first offense, that lies, loss of members, frustrated members, and eventually frustrated mods and admins. If we could find a middle balance between rules and fun, then I assure you a lot more people would return to the icy boards.
68-106196058520 Jul 2004, 14:48 UTC
| Quote (Shadow @ July 19 2004,12:19, am) |
| As far as I know, nobody seemed to mind about it until CoasterFreak started looking around at the threads. And being a moderator and a member he has the right to do that. |
I don't usually quote people, but I had to comment on this statement. Technically, quite a few people have been talking about the quality of the RPs around this place for quite some time. Coaster, however, is merely being the first to take action. It doesn't matterif he's a mod ornot- the common poster has the ability to change what they write, even without having to be told. We have finally come to realize, however, that many must be made to understand what it acceptable, and what is not. Thus it is that it's not one person's "fault", but many people's "fault", mine included. Along with a few others, here, I am not about to stand by and watch everything I ever knew of RPing fall away just because people wantit faster and easier. ^_^ And that's my two bits.83-106196071620 Jul 2004, 15:37 UTC
The rules have just been updated, and I suggest you read them. They cover the newest issues to arise at TIB.
No, we are not banning people on the first offense. What makes you think that? If you can find were you'll be banned on the first offense anywhere in the rules or by example, please, enlighten me. We're just not going to sit back, and let people do what they want to, while we whine about it and take no action. It has been suggested many times that a ban a person, but I've given them lots of chances. Yet, no one understands this. If I didn't want to work with you on this, do you think you'd be able to view these boards, and argue with us now? This place used to be a lot more carefree and easy going, but that was taken advantage of. The lack of rules and control at TIB also caused a lot of members to leave. In fact there are some who REFUSE to RP here (in addition to posting at other places) becasue of that lack of control. And no, I'm not going to beg them to come back either. Yes, I agree with Dunder, Coaster was the first to say something about the state of the RBF, and first to suggest that we do something about it. And the problem with one line posts wasn't a self contained one. Notice this style of posting was also present, in other forums. Those one and two word posts that made a lot of people angry.
Notice that you and a few others seem to be the most upset with the changes. Other than the post limit (which will be lifted soon), no one else has a problem with the changes. Are the rules a problem to you because you feel that you can't keep up with them? What's so hard about NOT double posting when you can now delete your own posts, and still use the edit button? What's so hard about posting four to five lines, instead of one line in every single post? We're not asking for a professional writing style, we're just asking you to create longer posts, which will in turn cut down on that one line spam fest.
If you wish to have those threads unlocked, provide us with a sample of a quality RP post. It doesnt have to be a whole page long to do so. You can post it here in this thread of you'd like. You see? We're giving you the chance to show us that you can do a quality post. Your threads were only locked, and not deleted. Did you ever stop to think about the fact that they could have been easily deleted, but we wanted to be fair?
But I'll say it again. If you don't like the new changes here, you are free to go. No one is making you stay here, and I'd sooner shut down the RBF forums then allow things to go back the way they used to be. We are trying to be fair to everyone about this, but at the same time we can't please everyone. So if you don't like the changes, go start an RP board of your own.
76-108980141720 Jul 2004, 15:43 UTC
Oh, God it looks like I'm going to post a parable. This could be insufferable. Beware. However it's a way for me to talk about this issue while keeping it arm's length.
In fact I don't even know what I mean for anyone to take away from this, inluding myself. But here it is. If nothing else it might make an interesting story. If it isn't interesting enough, I can do it again with antelopes and The Russian Mafia in it.
--
Many moons ago, so it seems now, I was involved in designing a Usenet group which was rather meticulously crafted, with lots of posting guidelines. I chaired a group of about 13 people who put this altogether and when it was finally done I was left in charge of the FAQ. I should mention that one of the absolutely central concerns about this group was a no personal attacks rule - which is a hell of a lot harder to enforce on an unmoderated Usenet group. But amazingly, the community internalized this rule, and self-policed it. I was very proud.
It was exhilerating; an unqualified success in every respect. Then, gradually, almost imperceptibly over months, even years, the mood of the group began to slip away from what its founders intended. It was still flame-free, which was crucial, but some of the older guard, including me, thought there was a drift away from intelligent, substantial discussion, and a decline into... well, fluff. It came to a head, as it happens, over roleplaying.
A substantial section of the community, who had been around for a while, just somehow began roleplaying on the ng, and after a while it got to the point that half the posts were in third person, and everyone was playing characters, feeding each other cookies all the time, and seeing the ng as some sort of three dimensional place. Furthermore newcomders assumed that's the way it had always been, so they did it too.
A few of the founders got disgruntled. I was one of them. I said "Could we ease back on the RP a bit? It's not really what the group was designed for." This resulted in a horrendous uproar by the people who had come to equate the ng with roleplaying, and idigniantly ointed out to me that the rules didn't state that you couldn't roleplay. Civil war loomed.
There was a bit of a division in the ranks amongst the founders. I was rather on the side of putting my foot down, and pronouncing "you just wait and see what becomes of this place if we do nothing", but I was persuaded by the other main founder that the group was, after all, not a static thing, but an evolving one, and if this was the way it wanted to evolve, who were we to say it was wrong?
So I backed off. But I backed of from the group, too. And it became more and more RP, and then one by one, most of the founders started getting grumpy and snappy, and drifted off to grumble about the good old days on eazyboards, yahoo groups and livejournals. I eventually handed the FAQ over to someone else and bailed out. It had been amazing for a while, but now I felt like an ageing hippy trying to tell people what Woodstock had been like. Now, much later, the group is closer to your typical Usenet flamepit. I don't even post there.
What does this all mean? Well, I was right all along. Things did go the way I predicted. And the roleplaying newbies were right, too. It was their group as much as mine or anyone else's. I had no right to 'enforce' the good old days, and it would probably have been impossible anyway, given that the vetreran members wouldn't damn well post anything.
How is that story different to this one? Primarily because this isn't a public newsgroup: it's privately run, and the admin have the right, ability and even obligation to set whatever rules they want, and to steer the place in whatever direction they want. At it's crudest, this boils down to the "if you don't like it, get out" sort of attitude I saw expressed somewhere up this thread.
How is the story relevant to this situation? Because even a privately owned, moderated forum is made up of a changing group of individuals, and they are your community, and they should be accomodated not alienated, as much as possible.
Maybe both sides can maybe take something useful away from that. On the other paw, maybe both sides can take away that I should mind my own business.
--
On a more personal level, I hope and trust Shadow is not penalised for her arguments. Her points were, I thought, well argued and mostly quite correct as far as I can see. To be honest, I saw a couple of posts when I first turned up that struck me as projected a somewhat 'us and them' attitude... and I knew what it felt like to have those feelings of resentment and things slipping away, because I've been there. Woodstock, man.
Loop
83-106196071620 Jul 2004, 16:49 UTC
Yes, I see what you're saying Loop. (And no, Shadow is not being repremanded in the least for her arugements here.) I'd like to reach a compromise where the board isn't being spammed by one line RP posts, and people can still enjoy RPing. I and a few others are insisting that quality, and bit of thought be considered when posting. We aren't asking them to RP like we would, we're asking to them to post a minium of one paragraph. We also want some assurance in the form of an example post that this will be done. The topics will then be unlocked.
I see at something like this:
One day in August of 2001, Silver decided to add a forum section to her website. The forums were at first only for the Pok�mon section of her website, and died after about one month use. Then, in November she decided to reformat the forums in include her Balto site as well. Silver was also the founder of a Yahoo Group known as the Balto League, but she wanted something specific for her website. For a short while the forums were a great success, despite their small size. After all, the members mostly consisted of those from the Balto League. There were a few rules here and there, but everyone had an understanding on what was expected to keep the forums running smoothly.
In the same year, some of the older members grew tired of the way things were run at TIB. Misunderstandings occured, and a small rift formed between those who wanted TIB to be disbanned, and those who didn't. Silver knew that she played a large part in this arrogance. She soothed some of the events over, and even managed to humble herself without loosing any friends. The experience had shaken her more than she was willing to admit, and those older members who had left, still vowed to never return. And she never asked them to return, as old times were long gone.
At the same time, she noticed a rash of new problems arising. They were both with new forum members, and on a techincal level. One such member called herself Baltowolfy. She would change the way rules were handled at TIB forever. She broke all of Silver's rules, and even went as far as stalking other members, and trying to assume their identities. She was banned, but thanks to the forum's less than perfect system kept coming back. She returned under multiple user names, and some times registered under two or three names at a time. The other members saw through her acts, but it annoyed them greatly. In time, she finally left and she was missed by no one.
Around the same time, the forums experienced many glitches, and days worth of topics and posts were being corrupted and went missing. Silver knew that if she wanted to keep TIB alive, she had to find another place to host the ikonboard. She searched high and low, and finally found a reasonable host. However, that meant that she'd have to pay an additional $180 dollars a year to keep the forums going. Between that and running her website, she was willing to pay a total of $300 per year, without help from anyone. If she could keep TIB alive, and if people continued to enjoyed the forums, losing more than a week's worth of pay every year was worth it.
It was now early 2003, and the forums had survived through several problems, some of them quite severe. However, the older members still left TIB for their own reasons. Some were simply tired of the lack of interesting coverstation, compared to the indepth converstations from before. Silver was at a loss on what to do, however she wasn't going to beg the older members to come back if they really wanted to go. So, she asked the members (old and new) alike on what to do. She even upgraded the boards, and gave the place a new look and feel to keep posting interesting. To be fair to the members, she even allowed new liberties. If they wanted, they could create unofficial IRC and AIM chatrooms using the name of the boards. If a request was in reason, Silver usually allowed it.
Yet, by the end of 2003 and into 2004, TIB once again started to go downhill in some areas. It was never quite as bad as mid 2002, but the pontential was seriously there. New members were joining at a rapid rate, and had no regards for the rules whatsoever. Older members (not to be confused with the originals from 2001), including Silver begain to complain among themselves about the lack of quality. Yet, unlike before, these members were willing to help her with the forums, as well as those members who had been with her all along. In fact, they knew that in those three years, she'd become quite busy in life. So they often brought issues to her directly.
"If I could keep these forums running for so long, then why are they in such a bad state now?" Silver asked herself. She sat down, and often though about ways to improve the forums. She even took the opinions of others.
"I am to blame, just as much as those spamming the boards, taking matters into their own hands, and those arguing with other members. I have not been enforcing the very rules that I set, nor have I made my intentions for the forums clear. Some people may not like the changes, but they are need if I am to prevent similar problems from late 2001 and early 2002 from occuring again."
So with a renewed spirit of determination, she set out to enforce those very rules, so that old and new members alike had an understanding. She new that TIB would never return to the way it used to be in 2001. That wasn't Silver's goal, as she knew it was unrealistic. She just wanted a well run forum, where no one complained about a state of decadence, and where old and new members felt welcome. Doing so would be a hard and bumpy road, but like before she was more than willing to walk it.
83-108518858920 Jul 2004, 16:53 UTC
Before I start my agruement for you post Silver, I have to thank Loop for seeing that I do have some reason in my arguements. Silver, I never disagreed with Dunder or you that Coster was the first to do anything about it. I know for a fact that he was the first to do something about it. I can't and don't want to move aside those facts. Also, if you sat back and let anybody do what they wanted, this would become a chat board, which, even though I understand it perfectly, you, coster, and dunder are drilling into my head. I personally don't use this as a chat board. I have made many friends through this board, and I talk to them outside the rp on aim, so barking at me for that is really a waste of time. If you want a quality rp then give me a rp that's active in this forum, like if anybody wants to, or stray dogs, or something, then I will show you quaility rp. I will let you choose the rp, and I will show it to you. But just because of one post, why do I doubt that you would maybe lighten it up and unlock a few threads.? But then again, I know, being a mod on some of my friends boards, I know how it can be hard to satisify the users. As for you accusing me of always writing 1 line in my posts, there are quiet a few actually where I've written more than that. Also, you accused me of double posting. I may have double posted once in these rp's maybe twice, only because I had to go to the bathroom or something like that and I put "brb" then when I came back and nobody else had posted I put "b". But besides that, I generally don't double post. I have stated why I didn't like some of the new changes. Going back to what Coster said earlier, in agreement with what I said. Sometimes you have to write short sentences in rp's it's just the way it is. Nobody can help that, it just happens. And now because of the new "15 character" post rule, we have to go into detail about stuff, and for the people who have to reply to that kind of thing, can get annoyed by it.
I am willing to try and find an even ground, but then again what does it matter? I have no authority over what goes on here. I am not able to make changes. I can certainly give me say, but seeing as how most of the administration and mods are darn fed up with me, my say doesn't really do much around here. And I'm not saying that it should. But think about that shall you.
83-106196071620 Jul 2004, 17:26 UTC
| Quote (Shadow @ July 20 2004,12:53, pm) |
| I will let you choose the rp, and I will show it to you. But just because of one post, why do I doubt that you would maybe lighten it up and unlock a few threads.? But then again, I know, being a mod on some of my friends boards, I know how it can be hard to satisify the users. As for you accusing me of always writing 1 line in my posts, there are quiet a few actually where I've written more than that. Also, you accused me of double posting. |
The only serious point I want to make is no more one line posts. Yes, the double posting was a problem, but the sheer magnitude of one line posts in a very short was ultimately the reason why the thread was locked. If it was one thread, we wouldn't have really cared. But it was more like 14 threads with posts that were just all the same. The 15 letter limit (which others suggested be raised to 50), was moreso for all of the forums not just one section. There's no reason for you to rush into your posts. Posting in real time isn't a requirement. Just take the time to write 4 or 5 lines. And to be honest, when we looked over the threads, Dark Wolf and PsychicFox's names also came to mind. So it's not just you, Shadow.
Hmm... I am a pretty forgiving person and I want to be fair to everyone. I want you three to show me a quality post, but at the same time, I will not undercut Coaster's decision. So here is a compromise:
Part of the next reply you make will be in the form of a RP. Not all of the reply has to be, but I want to see a minium of 4 to 5 lines. If Coaster, CW (if he wishes to) and I approve of it, one thread of your choice will be unlocked. If the quality of the posts by Dark Wolf, and PsychicFox also improve, then every thread will be opened again. Provided at you keep to the standards in 99% of your posts.83-108518858920 Jul 2004, 17:45 UTC
Thank-you Silver. I will tell PhychicFox and Dark Wolf about it to.
Shadow nodded her head and agreement with Silver's compromise. She swished her tail to say that she was happy that they had come to an agreement about the boards. Turning over to her aim screen, she imed PhychicFox to tell him the news. Getting an away message she clicked on the speedysonic board icon on her screen, her smile growing on her face. "Dark Wolf, go to the icy boards and read Silver's reply", she typed. Glancing up at the clock she saw that it was time for her to get her lunch. Logging out of aim she looked at the message from Silver. "Thank-you", she said. Then walked up the stairs to get a sandwhich.
That was my rp part of the post. I do hope it gave enough quailty. But now I do have to go up and get my sandwhich. Before I go I have to once again say thank-you. Finally we have been able to reach a common ground.
68-108707261920 Jul 2004, 17:57 UTC
I'll do one that's not part of any role play thread.
A wolf was in the forest in search of a friend. She was dark brown in color. His brown-black eyes looked questionally around the whole entire territory full of trees, fallen logs, and other creatures.
He found a wolf trapped in a bear trap. He helped her out by mouthing the trap off of her right forepaw. The female wolf was white in color with yellow eyes. She was a loner looking for a mate.
Soon, the wolves ran free among the whole forest. They ran to the beach miles away. They decided to have a wolf pack in this area.
A year later, the whole area was new of hearing a wolf pup howl. The pups practiced thier howls everyday. They were taught how to survive in the wild. The parents, the wolves from the beginning, loved them dearly. It was the end of a search for life.
83-106196071620 Jul 2004, 18:17 UTC
You're welcome. Sounds pretty good to me, in fact. That one RP post was infinitely better than a page full of one liners. 
I approve of it. And because it was kinda catchy, I've also partially RPed. 
Taking a deep breath, Silver tipped back her ears. The arguement that would seemingly go on forever was finally coming to an end. With a feeling of joy, the husky exhaled loudly. The event had taken up most of her day, but the problem now had a solution. It was no longer an issue of "us and them", but something that everyone could agree on. Erecting her ears, Silver nodded in approval at Shadow, and slowly slumped to the ground. Before everything could be completely given the green light, an approval was still needed from Coaster, and perhaps CW. 76-108980141720 Jul 2004, 18:25 UTC
Silver, I hear you. Being an admin can be a thankless task (not to mention, in your case, an expensive one.) It doesn't help that you can remember a 'golden age' that you can't really share with anybody.
I have a better feeling about this. I think it's moving towards compromise due to the willingness of a few people to meet halfway. It may take a while, but it's heading in the right direction.
One of the first things that struck me when I started browsing through the RP threads was that Shadow can express herself well in prose. Give her a chance and I think She'll surprise you.
Loop
67-106196056520 Jul 2004, 18:27 UTC
There ya go, Shadow. *Stamps APPROVED stamp on post, the very act relieving the accumlated tension of the past 72 hours* That is exactly what I have been asking for. As soon as PF and DW get approved, CW or I will open a thread of your choice. However, the Moderator approval will not be lifted yet.
I don't mind 3 or 4 posts of dialog. Loop is right about dialog, it does freshen up a thread. But a page or more of it is unacceptable. I'm not above doing that type of posting myself, but I generally avoid doing it. I usually keep a self-imposed rule of not typing less than 20 words in a post.
Edit: Darn, Silver beat me to it. *Pounces the husky*
Edit 2: Your're right Loop, Shadow is pretty good. I'm just concerned about the excess posting.
I have also approved Dayami_Silver_Wolf.\n\n
83-106196071620 Jul 2004, 18:50 UTC
*Is pounced a husky and laughs.* Yeah, I can occasionally be quick about stuff.
Yeah, I'm glad we're finally getting somewhere in all of this. As long as we all understand each other, then the forums will continue to climb back uphill. I'd say more, but if I don't get started on this letter for my mother, she might put a hurtin' on me. (Or nag me about it at the very least.) 67-106196057120 Jul 2004, 20:50 UTC
Wo, that took awhile to read XD;; Anyways, I'm glad you guys worked something out I was afraid this was going to become an all out war.
It says on the topic of the list of members allowed to post in the Radioactive Blue Forums that you need to post an example post here if you wish to post here so her is mine.
- A wolf, a certain white wolf with, what appeared to be, a string wtih a diamond shaped crystal on the end necklace around her neck padded into a clearing admist the thick forest grounds. In one of her paws she held tightly to a spear, obviously her weapon of choice for protection. She smiled a bright smile as she sat herself down and glazed towards the red painted sky, she loved sunsets. She always had. -
There you go, hopefully it isn't too confusioning or anything of the such ^^;;
83-108518858920 Jul 2004, 23:27 UTC
Shadow swished her tail back in forth, signifing that she was happy. Now all that need to happen was for Dark Wolf and Physcic Fox to send in their posts. 72 hours of argueing had finally presented this chance, and along the way so much had happened for her. She sighed and switched over to aim.
well thanks guys for the complements about my rp'ing. That was something to read when I got back from almost being knocked out (sleeping) for 4 hours. Anyway I'll get on to tell Dark Wolf and PF about this. I'm sure they'll be pleased. 65-107836033821 Jul 2004, 00:12 UTC
I'll give it a shot.
A reddish brown loner wolf ran through the snow.Hunters were on her tail with hounds.She looked behind her.A hound was a foot away.She heard a noise,and saw a wolf pack ahead.
I hope this wasn't confusing.If it is,I'm sorry.
83-108518858921 Jul 2004, 01:46 UTC
Sorry bout this, I really don't need to make a post about it, but it's been naggin at me to say it since I read Loop's last post. In fact, I guess I can play the part of Shadow really well, seeing as she is a lot like me. I bring out my emotions and some of my feelings in my rp'ing, so I guess thats why I'm fit to play her. Ok, well anyways, I have to say once again, that we can finally come to an agreement on these things.
67-106196056521 Jul 2004, 02:37 UTC
Crystal Wolf, thanks for slogging through the previous four pages. Your RP is not confusing at all. I rather liked it. The sunset ending was touching. *Stamps an APPROVED stamp on post*
Ayipuyi, your RP was not confusing either. The cliffhanger at the end of the RP was a nice touch. I really want to know what happens next. *Stamps an APPROVED stamped on post*
Shadow, you are quite welcome. *Stamps an... wait, I already approved you, I must have gotten carried away*
All creatures that were around him pleased Coaster. The Seppala Siberian, once stuck alone between Loop's moderate position and that of the other Mods, trotted over to Loop and thanked him kindly for his help. Loop, without knowing it, had given Coaster some insight that Coaster took to heart. The objectivity that Loop had given was much appreciated.
He then trotted over to Silver and Shadow. These two were the ones that finally broke the tension. He thanked Silver, whom he had known for over a year, for backing him up and helping him. That done, he thanked Shadow for her willingness to come forward and work out the problems with Silver. He hoped that a new friendship between Shadow and him would come to pass
However, he still had members on both sides of the issue that had not been persuaded yet. He primarily wanted to get PsychicFox, Dark_Wolf, and some of the other Mods into the new group. PsychicFox's recent post in the Suggestion box had been negative towards Coaster. Because of this, Coaster began to doubt that PF would join the group. He was hoping that his doubts were wrong and that PF will come around and join the group. However, he would not penalize Shadow for PF's actions.
"Shadow, I will allow you to pick a thread to reopen, regardless if PF or DW join, " he stated. "Just send me a PM on July 21st with the name of the thread you want opened."
With that, Coaster trotted off towards Michigan's Upper Peninsula. That was the place for a new RP thread that he had thought of. He hoped that the new group would follow him there. 83-108518858921 Jul 2004, 02:46 UTC
Shadow smiled. She howled, thanking Coster. She also howled to aplogize for PF's behavior. She would do her best to talk to him about it. Finishing her howl she looked over the threads of rp's. She loved them all, so it would be a hard task to choose which one she wanted to unlock. But if she could find one where were it would be easy to write long, quality posts, then the rest of them would possibly be unlocked. Either way, however it would be a hard choice to decide.
*looks at Coster, mock anger on her face* "Now you have to make me choose which one!?!" she said, but smiling at the same time.
116-106196084621 Jul 2004, 04:06 UTC
I agree with the compromises made, but keep in mind there are about 5 seriously offending RPers and over 30 or so active people on TIB, as well as over 400 registered members. Of the active members, the opinions of those RPers are worth only 16% of the people viewing the topics. Allowing the ridiculous amount of posting that has transpired is unfair to the many other members who don't like it, and extremely unfair to the moderators who are obligated to read through it all.
Secondly, consider the moderation and older member's view:
Let's say you had a... sports club. There were about 30 members in it, and about 6 new members signed up. The 30 older members were quite busy when those other new members joined, so they didn't have much time to direct their games (of which their favorite was a series of slower paced first-person video games), so the newer members chose the racing games they all enjoyed.
Time went by, and the older members (who had been in this club for at least a year, some even 3 or 4 years) had more free time on their hands. They met down and prepared to play their old time favorite video games only to find the new members wouldn't budge and let them play anything but the racing games.
Now, I know it's sucky but I'm running on 5 hours of sleep from yesterday, and I'm tired it being midnight here. Here's the point: Should we, who have long term relationships and hard work in achieving the community's identity for what we strove to make it, give in to a small minority of the members whims?
You may argue that we should allow both types of RPs (or "video games" as in my crappy story), just labeling them as "live" or whatnot. No. Just no. Aside from time, the main reason no one else RPs from the group of older members is when they spend a good hour writing a long, solid, interesting RP with much possibility, other members come along and post in little blips of "*howls* I am a brown wolf, can we play?!?!" Ever noticed the people who started the RP sometimes don't even participate in it after that happens? That's pretty sad, really. 90% of the members who participate in the fast paced RPs also break rules more'n you could shake a stick at. Why would they choose to keep their short, thoughtless posts out of good RPs?
In fact, this has been such a problem that some new members have even driven away the older members. I have been around for a year and a half, but some of the recent members of the past few months almost drove me to quit coming around.
The fast pace also leaves other members who may want to participate no time to reply before other members post. That is unfair other RPers. I almost remember posting between 2 or 3 members many times in a row as being against the rules... Perhaps it was an unwritten rule most had the decency to uphold.
In closing, I think you've all proved it isn't impossible (actually quite easy) to post with the simply quality we're asking for. A paragraph isn't alot, but it is much better than one sentance, or even the sad, sad single RP action: *howls*\n\n
83-106196071621 Jul 2004, 04:32 UTC
A major part of 27's post is something that I was driving at before. The purpose of wanting quality and the recent changes were for that reason. As well as the spam. I'm just pleased that the compromises were agreed upon , and that things are nearly back in order. I also hope that with quality in mind, the style (with the minium in mind) of the RP can be set mainly by those starting the RP. Wether it be an older member or a newer one.
And you're welcome Coaster and Shadow. I'm just glad that for the most part, it's all worked out. (I'm also a tad too sleepy to try an RP reply. XD) 80-106196067621 Jul 2004, 04:48 UTC
Whew, I read through all of that, and I think my brain is gonna explode! �*Flops.* Really though, I'm glad things worked out in the end. I guess we've not reached the end yet though. We'll just have to wait and see as time progresses.
Lonewolf, I believe that there is a one minute manditory waiting period between posts. At least there used to be. You had to wait a minute after a post was made in the thread you were attempting to post in before the forums would let you post. �Perhaps this could be increased to 5 minutes just as a means of further enforcing the new rules? �Waiting 5 minutes in-between posting is not a big deal, and it'll help give people the time they need to make quality, worthwhile posts.
Hmm, no option for spell checking here before posting. Geeze, its' been far too long since I was active on these boards. I'm so used to the LJ system. *Paw/forehead.* �Forgive my grammatical flaws if they're there. �*Is obsessive compuslive when it comes to such things.*
83-108700781321 Jul 2004, 04:57 UTC
Okay, I've breathed my sigh of relief, and now I can say what I wanted to say. Everyone had good points. I don't know if anyone besides me noticed, but that was actually a very well executed debate on all of your parts. I'll congradulate all of you on that, and now I must submit my bit of roleplay.
Summer sank in her creaky desk chair and let a deep sigh out.
"Glad that's over," she thought.
She sat back up and thought about what to type as a reply. She drummed her claws on her old wooden desk in deep thought.
"I make no promises, considering that my creative juices have nearly dried up lately," she said to her computer screen and began to type.
Summer sank back in her creaky desk chair....
67-106196057121 Jul 2004, 15:00 UTC
LoL, Thanks Coaster.
I agree with you Summer, it was quite exciting to read and I think mostly 'cause it had good content and it wasn't really one sided. Like, with some debates you have a good side and an evil side, and you can just tell which side is the good side. But this one it seemed sometimes as if they were both the good side and everyone was so passionate about their opnions.
69-106279399521 Jul 2004, 18:11 UTC
Echo sifted through the pages upon pages of long posts. He had almost stopped reading, but he eventually made it through the entire thread, pleased that a compromise had been reached.
I'm not much of an RP'er, Echo thought to himself. But I still want to be able to post in an RP thread in the future; Just in case I change my mind.
After debating with himself for almost 3 seconds, Echo decided to make his RP-style post as an attempt to be approved as an official RP'er. Echo cleared a spot on his forehead, waiting for the giant, red stamp of approval.
83-106196071622 Jul 2004, 07:11 UTC
Silver found herself too tired to reply to all that was said. So, she simply nodded in agreement with everyone. As excellent points had been brought up. Not wasting any more time, she padded over to the other members to approve them. With a quick, fluid motion, she stamped "Approved" on both Summer and Echo's forheads. Replacing her giant red moderator stamp, she raised a paw to her muzzle and stiffled a yawn of tiredness.
"Oh, and for now on you can post all of your sample RPs here." Silver said, adding a wink for effect.
(Consider that I really am sleepy, it would have just been easier to say "Approved!" ) 68-109060483623 Jul 2004, 18:10 UTC
Whew!*wipes sweat from forhead*That took a long time to read.First off I'm Dark_Sage_Wolf, secondly,I would like to try the rpg test thing.Here's my sample:
Blue Flame's shadowy form circled the enemy,he had no intention of fighting it.Blue Flame wasn't your average wolf.He was a sage wolf that stood on his back legs.His black shadowy coat swirled in the mist that surrounded the two.
"Who are you?"he asked.
67-106196056223 Jul 2004, 18:39 UTC
Well, it is commendable that you read through this long thread. (If you have an afternoon free, check out "In the service of her majesty" in the Best Of TIB forum. ) Although we now have a separate thread where members may post, I don't see anything wrong with posting in this thread still. You probably would've saved time by reading the other thread, and posting in it, of course. In the long run, it doesn't make a difference. You're still approved. ^^ (Don't ask me to stick my paw on the ink pad again. You don't want to know how bad ink tastes.) 68-109060483623 Jul 2004, 18:45 UTC
Thanks,CW.I really don't like ink either.It makes my well brushed fur sticky.And I hate spilling it on my cape,and robe.Anyway,I'm sorry I posted it in the wrong spot.
67-106196056223 Jul 2004, 18:57 UTC
No worries, dude. You're approved, so it doesn't really matter. 
Meow? Have fun! 68-109060483623 Jul 2004, 19:00 UTC
Thanks again.Anyway,I like rpg's alot,and I'm happy everyone has come with a good compremise. Thaks for opening them. 87-106196078729 Jul 2004, 19:26 UTC
*swells with joy*
Oh, happy day! I've just finished reading all of this and I'm honest when I say "WHOOPEEE!"
I can understand both arguments, and I'm glad it was settled. I'm anxious to see if the new rules take effect. It'll be so great to see quality RP returning to these boards! You may even draw the cranky old skellywolf out of her grave. *points to self*....Well ah...I'm already out here so...heh ^^'
Anyhoo, proud to hear it's settled. I think I may pop up more often now *scampers off to make a sample RP post*
87-109161880508 Aug 2004, 11:06 UTC
As Wes13 sees the thread he thinks "I can be a great RPer".
In the RP world.
A Mysterous man wearing what looks like some advanced armor. The advanced armor is tan and black. You can see some isignia on the armor but you are too far away to see it clearly. Two cybernetic arms are latched on the shoulder areas of the armour. He says "So this is Alaska." He then goes on board a strange machine that looks like some 2 legged mech. Then the mech dives into the water almost effortlessy and goes toward the coastline.
(OOC: So tell me what you think.)
83-106196071610 Aug 2004, 05:38 UTC
*Stamps approved on the mech.* Just remember, the RP approval thread is the other pinned topic. Not this one. ^_^;
82-109880657027 Oct 2004, 12:21 UTC
Name: Roku
Race/Species: Wolf/Fox Hybrid
Age (animal equivalent years): 4
Gender: Female
Names of Family members: unknown
Place of Residence: Wilderness
Food preferences (optional): Vegetarian
Eyes: Deep Blue/Green
Skin/fur: Pure White
Height (optional): Large
Weight (optional): Average
Distinguishing marks (optional): Many, many scars, and an Indain headress w/ feathers