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Proper forum Etiquette
We need to discuss a number of things about what is going on in the main threads. Specifically long OOC conversations regarding rules. I am wrong about this as well.
What do all of you think on this. In my personal opinion, this is part of the reason that a number of people completely lost the ‘thread’ of the story. Anyway, I would love your opinions on what went wrong, and what we can do to fix it.
Maybe from now on edit ones own post and put the edited part in bold. Then on bottom in OOC:Edited in Bold maybe timestamp too?
As a suggestion, we should make a new OOC chat for the current thread named OOC for < thread name >. If we do this it will cut down on the extraneous chatter.
As an added point, I think that if you are in the room/hall/etc, you should be tagged. If someone is not in the room, they should not get tagged.
I agree with the OOC thread running along. Perhaps just have one long OOC thread for “RULE DISCUSSIONS” However, it is also important and necessary to be able to state OOC facts within the main thread.
Generally, I am OLDSKOOL in the fact that GM is right. Within the game, and the thread, by all means point out some part of a rule (in OOC brackets) that seems to have been forgotten or perhaps has been misinterpreted, but then DM decision should be adhered to. Any further arguments should DEFINITELY be in a separate thread that does not clutter the story. Final rulings on these should maybe be put in a Wiki Page of “HOUSE RULES” for later reference, or maybe just a separate FORUM post of the same name – but different from the OOC “discussion” thread.
I also think we should not be so quick to go back and edit old posts – this just adds to the confusion. When I get my notifications I am jumping back and forth all over the place. It is better to keep things chronologically, even if there are changes/ additions.
so would not OCC’s be inculded in main story posts or are there specific types that you would think were ok.
Giving a clear cut list of what should and should not be allowed in the main post would be nice.
things like:
discussion of rules
correction of mistaken plot points
misreading or timing error
general out of character comments just for fun
general OOC comments to communicate with players personal information.
etc.
this can help us all keep each other in line and if a OCC convo looks like its starting you can just add a link and take it elsewhere. (i.e. the seperate OOC page)
Good call in spotting this! I must join the bandwagon and confess my own plethora of errors here: I shall do my best to abide by whatever consensus is made here.
I think a big issue was just lack of clarity and order. Perhaps when these instances occur, we should call a stop like you did, and resolve in OOC elsewhere; kind of like what I gather happened in the Waiting Room. Maps or detailed descriptions will go a long way too; lack of clarity can cause major confusion (e.g. wrong room placement, uncertainty of where people actually are, etc.).
As far as editing posts goes, I try to always mark when I edit a post ( [EDIT]: ), and if it can be helped I try not to edit a post if there is a more recent post following, without making an appropriate notification; and especially after a new GM post (except for inconsequential changes such as missing words). I could also add a (mm/dd hh:mn) timestamp to my edits.
If I may make a suggestion, dedicated OOC threads would only complicate matters. I think a big step toward improvement is simply to remember the OOC forum. Besides, some OOC comments will need to be directly attached to specific posts.
May I suggest that the following be linked to an appropriate OOC thread
- any rules or mechanics questions – state the question, briefly and link.
- any extraneous material (e.g. images) – just link.
- any replies to OOC comments – just link
- most secondary OOC requests – state the reqest and link.
- anything else that could reasonably start a tangent discussion.
Something else that could help, if you don’t mind Craig, to just post a running recap every so often, just for ease of reference. Not sure what killer means by tagging – could you clarify?
We may need to augment our 4-post limit with a rule that we don’t post again in game until either the GM calls for it, or at least two others have posted (maybe three).
I guess what I am mainly referring to is the plethora of posts in the main thread, and not specifically that there are OOC posts in the main thread. If you are adding an OOC at the end of a normal post, that is one thing. It is organized with your post.
However, if you are Adding 2 or 4 or 8 posts with just OOC, and conducting a side conversation, then things get out of had and you might even start posting two or three different actions.
Regardless, it looks like we have 3 different suggestions for fixing some of the post bloat we have had recently:
- Edit your old posts with corrections, making all corrections bolded for clarity, adding an Edit: tag with the time stamp at the end.
- Edit your old posts with corrections, prefacing each correction with an Edit: tag and putting a time stamp at the end of the post for the most recent edit.
- Do not edit old posts. If you need to correct an action for clarity or accuracy, make a new post.
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These three need to be discussed and voted on, then we can move on to other suggestions that have been brought up. I’d like to point out that changing your action should happen rarely. There are a number of suggestions that were made to me personally that I will bring up after we agree on this one.
