Idea About the validation.

[Aevar]

Hello, I see there's been quite a few posts here about this already, most from people confused/flustered as to why they can't post anywhere yet. I did read everything there was in the rules about it, and I must say that I kind of disagree with your way to do things. Of course, take this piece of feedback for what it's worth, feedback from a newcomer on this website. I'm not here to make ennemies, some people really dislike criticism.

What are those rules telling me as a new roleplayer aspiring to join this community? Well, it's basically telling me to : Spam. I understand that the whole point is to get an idea of the potential new member and let them ease in your forum/community, but will you really get a good idea of someone who's spammed a couple of threads to get up to 15 messages and approved in a couple hours? I'm not a big poster, I'm no big talk either. I'm not a big fan of forum-based spam games. I'm not gifted in term of art, I'll appreciate someone's work without having to poke a quick "Nice drawing" in his thread, a simple thumbs up should suffice. ("Nice drawing" doesn't tell anything about me as a person anyway)

My point is, everything's that's interesting to me lies outside of the small area where we, as newcomers, are allowed to write anything (I'm a roleplayer goddammit ahah). The battle arena sounds super interesting, there's a tabletop roleplay I'm looking forward to join, and I've read plenty outside of the confined area my posts are kept to. I believe I already got an idea of what kind of community this forum host and honestly I'm in, but I refuse to go and post a "-1" on a male vs female game (nothing wrong with that game by the way). And so I end up making characters for those other more interesting threads I don't have access to, hoping I'll get to use them eventually.

I understand your need of filtering, but how about giving us a way that's slightly more interesting? We're here to roleplay, give us a way to make short, open threads. Open some part of the website that actually implies roleplaying, and not just talking about it. Yes I'm whining a bit, because it's a pain to me, and I dislike spam, but honestly I believe the way they did it on most of the french forums where I come from was, although longer, way more interesting. Over there we basically create a character, usually in a set universe, and answer a short form about ourselves for basic OOC information. That gives a way better understanding of a person's roleplay style and abilities, even graphic design and coding skills. You'd be surprised at the time we can sink custom fitting the character presentation form with html and css code to make it look that bit more personal and nice.

Isn't that message infinitely more telling about me than 5 randoms posts scattered somewhere in the newbie zone? I believe it is. Until then, I'll keep looking for those rare threads where I actually feel like saying something. Thanks for reading

 

[Meliodas]

We surely take criticism to heart here, and in a healthy, constructive way, as should anyone. I understand there are a lot of reservations about this system, many of which I have witnessed both as a former staff member of this site and as a normal user. Yet, I truly believe as all things do, it exists with an intended purpose. Simply spamming will not find you approved. It isn't spamming that we are asking for, but a means to see how users interact within the forums and how they decide to contribute. In a community such as this, it can be expected that you will find varying opinion and diversity, which is completely encouraged because it is that sort of thought that helps build on the almost limitless possibility that can be found in any story here thanks to the help of many great and equally varying creative minds.

I’ve roleplayed for many years and acted as a staff member throughout a good chunk of that on one website or another, and in all of that one major flaw was perceived. A strong lack of community. While I understand the argument that this is a roleplay site, so people should be allowed to roleplay, at the same time, you have to understand that the best way to promote an active and engaging community is through social interaction. In all my years I’ve never managed to feel this inspired or impassioned to write, and a lot of that is due to the environment we try to nurture here. An environment where everyone can get along, work together, and collaborate whether they are writing a story or discussing politics. Regardless of the avenue, we are all friends first, and contribute in constructive ways not meant or intended to demean anyone.

We maintain a level of civility and cooperation here not seen on most sites simply because we are selective about wanting users to not only roleplay but be a part of our family. Just through forging these relationships, I’ve managed to allow a story to grow without the hassle of senseless disagreements or stigma. The people in this community really strive to work together so that this is an experience everyone can enjoy, regardless of their opinions, as long as they are willing to tackle things in a friendly and sincere manner. Approval is a small price to pay for what I promise you to be a worthwhile experience.

While I gather that finding a topic of interest may be troubling to you, the thing to keep in mind here is what we really encourage is for you to pursue topics YOU enjoy in order for the community as a whole to get more involved with not just one another, but you as well.

Truly look forward to writing with you in the future, and it is my hope that you give this site a chance. You won’t be disappointed if you just give it a try.

~M

 

[Tiko]

Hey there, Meliodas covered much of the reasons why we have the system the way it is. The other reason that he missed is that it also weeds out a lot of the disgruntled/self-entitled crowd. The ones who show up and go 'I have to WHAT?! Fuck this shit, I'm gone'. Pardon the language, but you would be surprised how much those disgruntled and irritable people can drag an atmosphere down, and how quickly they will abandon a site if they have to lift a finger at all.

As Meliodas has pointed out, I've personally never been involved in an RP website with such a strong community support as this one, and while yes some people might just vomit up words with no sincerity to make it through the necessary steps to join the site, I'm of the mind that like-minded people attract like-minded people. By having things the way they are, with a strong explanation for WHY they are the way they are, we encourage people who share our values to join the site in the first place.

I can't count the number of PMs in my inbox from people just astounded at the level of support and interaction they experience here. And not just from staff, but from other users who just take the time to go be helpful to one another. Take Meliodas for example. That was a hefty post he wrote, for no other reason than he loves this community

I do understand that the approval process can be vexing for some, but I also strongly credit it to attracting so many like-minded individuals to one location.

As for your suggestion of the form and character(s). Our Writer's Circle is open to users to share works, and our Introduction forum has no stringent guidelines. We just require people to post a thread there. The nature of that thread is subject to each individual, and what they choose to include in that thread speaks volumes more than requiring all people to submit the same thing. You can easily pick out those who really put the time and effort in, those who are struggling to figure the site out, those who just don't give a damn, and so on.

We also did it this way because not everyone is the same. While you like that form your previous site used, others would find it tedious to be required to fill out a form instead of following their personal preference(s). So instead we just require an introduction thread and some interaction in any of the available community forums, and people can put whatever they want in their thread to introduce themselves to the community and then choose which of the community forums they want to participate in. Others might prefer posting artwork in the artwork forum over feeling like they're being put on the spot to create a character on a website that advertises as being open to all skill levels. We get newbies here who have never roleplayed before, so expecting them to understand how to join a specific roleplay/create a character as their FIRST step would be rough on them. Others might prefer to hit up a discussion thread for some lengthy and engaging interaction, while others might prefer just hopping into a thread about video games and share some hobbies.

That all said, if someone feels that creating a character and sharing it with others, or filling out a form about themselves is how THEY would feel most comfortable presenting themselves to a new community, they're more than welcome to. Just as our users who feel uncomfortable with such things can take their time sharing artwork instead. The introduction period is about showing us who you are, not about having everyone do the same exact thing.

HOWEVER. I have taken your post to mind, and I'm going to update the guide later to make it clearer for people the level of freedom them have with the introduction process, and to ensure they know that there's no right or wrong way to do it. That way if people have a preferred way, they can feel comfortable pursuing that instead of just doing what they see others doing that might not interest them personally.