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Hey everyone! If I can have your momentary attention this fine December day, I need to put out a mini bunny slipper moment. As we have no broadcasts this month because our staff are working hard to bring you Aeipathy Advent and a whole bundle of other goodies this holiday season, I'm left with making a mini-announcement here as this information/update cannot wait until January.
Please note that this message is a little long as I have just woken up and am writing this as me. I don't want this to be a message that tells people off. I want it to be one of understanding and communication. So, apologies if I have written a dozen paragraphs when all I needed was a dozen words. But I thought this to be a nicer way to read this important reminder...
Post Prioritisation
There have been a couple of issues brought to the staff team's attention that involve only a small number of members (so if you know that this is not you then not worries, go about your day and have an awesome one!) regarding the prioritisation of certain threads or threads with certain members over others.
Now, I would like to start out by making one thing very clear... if you are a member who is particularly musey for a thread or it's the kind of thread that has a lot of momentum and keeps calling you back or some such... then go right ahead. Post to it as much as you like. Roleplaying is a hobby it is supposed to be fun. It is not supposed to be a chore and it is not supposed to be draining. This announcement is not to tell people that they need to reply to every thread they have in chronological and sequential order. We understand that for writing to be fun, you must be in the zone and we do not wish to take this away from members, at all.
However, there is a caveat to this.
Roleplaying should be fun. But it should be fun for everyone. Just because you love playing a board game, doesn't mean you consistently snatch up the dice and make it your turn every turn because you love it so much. Roleplaying involves writing with and enjoying your stories with others. And, it should be borne in mind (at least very little and in the back of your mind) that a post to one member is a lack of post to another.
And this can be seriously demoralising. And it has a knock-on effect. To those who might be thinking - 'But I post in this thread because that thread takes forever to get a reply to' or 'I keep replying to this thread because that thread isn't fun anymore'... consider the idea that that thread might move a little faster if, every time someone posted, everyone else didn't have to suddenly try to remember what was going on/get in the zone of it again. If people (and that's everyone in the thread) replied a little faster, then momentum would build and the thread would be fun once more.
Whilst we at Aeipathy fully believe that roleplaying should be fun there is also an element of responsibility to be had as a roleplayer. If you have chosen to take on a certain character or plotted certain ideas or gotten offered certain threads that you have agreed to... You then owe those people your attention and time, either to say, sorry nope, not gonna have the time/muse to do this (totally your prerogative to choose this as an option, if it's available), or to respond in a faster manner.
Yet, not everyone has the time to reply to everything all the time.
So, how do we balance this?
Well, there is no cut and dry or right and wrong way to handle it. However, a good rule of thumb is to consider the length of wait on members. If you want to bandy back and forth with another member on a particular thread, that is 100% fine. Provided that this doesn't really escalate the wait time of someone else (e.g. you could write a dozen posts in a single day, but at the end of it, other members have still only waited one day) or that it doesn't come off the back of an unfairly long wait time for others (if you are bubbled or people have been waiting only a handful of days for your reply, you can post where and how you want). After some quick checking up, the biggest killer of muse and motivation in regards to members prioritising certain threads and getting musey with their fellow writers, is when one of those bandying members has been holding up other threads for other people for a significant length of time (in the weeks, or even in the months of wait time).
And this is where the balance is unfair. Yes, have fun. Yes, post back and forth - especially if it's for a challenge or the thread is time sensitive. But also, have the responsibility as a roleplayer to consider the affect that this might have on others. Are you completely bubbled or at least close to being up to date? Do you have people waiting on you for long periods of time over other threads? Are you someone who replies a lot and can get their reply out to them soon, or are you slower in activity and every post is a labour of love (meaning that quick replies are stalling replies to older threads by a long measure)? Consider your posts through the eyes of someone else and make that judgement call. Because, at the moment, I think a few members are missing that call just a little.
Additional Issue
We do, however, as a community have an additional problem that ties onto the above and - to me - is actually far more concerning.
When it comes to thread prioritisation, provided it is not a middle finger in the face of someone who has been waiting a long time, I truly have no issue with it. We all get musey, we all love certain stories or threads. It might be to do with the writer, the character or the particular story event that is happening in that moment. Totally understandable and, within appropriate reason, is completely allowable.
Also - even in moments when it's not so considerate and people should really be turning their attentions elsewhere first, the staff team are 100% willing to give the benefit of the doubt that people just got caught up in the fun. Because that, after all, is what writing is all about - getting caught up in a setting or story and having a ball. Occasionally this overrides better judgement and we totally get that.
What is far more concerning is that some members have noticed that, in order to perhaps hide their thread prioritisation, people are not tagging their posts.
Now, again, I am willing to use this opportunity to offer benefit of the doubt - we all forget sometimes to use the roleplay tags channel on the server.
However, if this is deliberate: that people are focusing solely on a thread or a few threads with a particular member and are then deliberately not tagging those posts so that other members of the community do not know that they are doing it... this smacks of mean-spirited to me. Because, if it is deliberate, this suggests that a member has looked at their threads and their owed posts and has simply said - yes, I know that I've owed that person for a long time, but I am going to choose to do this thing I want to do instead at their expense. And to ensure that I don't get backlash for that, I'm just not going to tag so that no-one knows I'm doing it.
I would like to remind people at this point that we have a recent threads and recent posts link on the server, that I have full and complete records in the site system of when an account so much as pick's their nose on this server. We even have a display of the most recently updated threads right there at the top of the homepage. Even without tagging, people can see and people will know what you are posting and to where. And, tbh, the fact that they weren't tagged then makes you look even worse. It's being caught in a deliberate lie, instead of being able to hold up your hands and say - sorry guys, I got musey and carried away.
Tagging
Whilst this lack of tagging is a worrying issue in connection to the prioritisation concern, it is also simply a small-time issue by itself. When I was going through NaNo and copy and pasting everyone's posts, I found that forgetting to tag is an issue for some of our less-active members. Please be aware that remembering to tag your posts will do wonders for your position on the server as it will allow people to see that you are there and you are active. Even if it only shows you posting to one thread at a time, it will encourage more plotting and more activity with others if people can see that you are active. So, this is just a mini-reminder tagged onto this similar topic that everyone should be tagging their posts on the Discord server.
Conclusion
As for the rest of the above announcement, I leave this in the hands of the members who think that this might apply to you. If you are someone who has no threads currently outstanding from say... more than three weeks ago, then this is not a message to you. You are fine. As I said at the start of this announcement, rp is supposed to be fun. Do not allow this message to stop you having fun rapid firing with other members. That is not the point of this. Also, if you are someone who never rapid fires and who simply replies to everything in a fairer/more spread out order - regardless of how long it takes - then this message is also not for you. Carry on carrying on, my friend. If, on the other hand, you know that you are someone who has replied repeatedly and actively to certain threads or only to certain members in recent history but have others that have been waiting on you for longer than approx. three weeks then yes, this message is probably for you. We ask that you not limit your fun but that you also balance it with the responsibility of not killing other people's fun. Sometimes the muse isn't there and sometimes a thread stares at you with the eyes of a monster, but at the end of the day, you are the writer and you signed on to do that thread or to play that character and you need to get in there and do it. Because it is unfair to expect other members to shelve their enthusiasm for an imbalanced length of time in comparison to how fast and repeatedly others are getting your posts.
In short - let's just all have fun together yes? Not diminish the muse of others for the sake of one or vice versa? Best of luck y'all and look out for today's Advent announcement coming soon! Hope you'll like it! <3
JD
Staff Team
JD
Staff Team
This post was created by our staff team.
Please contact us with your queries and questions.
Hey everyone! If I can have your momentary attention this fine December day, I need to put out a mini bunny slipper moment. As we have no broadcasts this month because our staff are working hard to bring you Aeipathy Advent and a whole bundle of other goodies this holiday season, I'm left with making a mini-announcement here as this information/update cannot wait until January.
Please note that this message is a little long as I have just woken up and am writing this as me. I don't want this to be a message that tells people off. I want it to be one of understanding and communication. So, apologies if I have written a dozen paragraphs when all I needed was a dozen words. But I thought this to be a nicer way to read this important reminder...
Post Prioritisation
There have been a couple of issues brought to the staff team's attention that involve only a small number of members (so if you know that this is not you then not worries, go about your day and have an awesome one!) regarding the prioritisation of certain threads or threads with certain members over others.
Now, I would like to start out by making one thing very clear... if you are a member who is particularly musey for a thread or it's the kind of thread that has a lot of momentum and keeps calling you back or some such... then go right ahead. Post to it as much as you like. Roleplaying is a hobby it is supposed to be fun. It is not supposed to be a chore and it is not supposed to be draining. This announcement is not to tell people that they need to reply to every thread they have in chronological and sequential order. We understand that for writing to be fun, you must be in the zone and we do not wish to take this away from members, at all.
However, there is a caveat to this.
Roleplaying should be fun. But it should be fun for everyone. Just because you love playing a board game, doesn't mean you consistently snatch up the dice and make it your turn every turn because you love it so much. Roleplaying involves writing with and enjoying your stories with others. And, it should be borne in mind (at least very little and in the back of your mind) that a post to one member is a lack of post to another.
And this can be seriously demoralising. And it has a knock-on effect. To those who might be thinking - 'But I post in this thread because that thread takes forever to get a reply to' or 'I keep replying to this thread because that thread isn't fun anymore'... consider the idea that that thread might move a little faster if, every time someone posted, everyone else didn't have to suddenly try to remember what was going on/get in the zone of it again. If people (and that's everyone in the thread) replied a little faster, then momentum would build and the thread would be fun once more.
Whilst we at Aeipathy fully believe that roleplaying should be fun there is also an element of responsibility to be had as a roleplayer. If you have chosen to take on a certain character or plotted certain ideas or gotten offered certain threads that you have agreed to... You then owe those people your attention and time, either to say, sorry nope, not gonna have the time/muse to do this (totally your prerogative to choose this as an option, if it's available), or to respond in a faster manner.
Yet, not everyone has the time to reply to everything all the time.
So, how do we balance this?
Well, there is no cut and dry or right and wrong way to handle it. However, a good rule of thumb is to consider the length of wait on members. If you want to bandy back and forth with another member on a particular thread, that is 100% fine. Provided that this doesn't really escalate the wait time of someone else (e.g. you could write a dozen posts in a single day, but at the end of it, other members have still only waited one day) or that it doesn't come off the back of an unfairly long wait time for others (if you are bubbled or people have been waiting only a handful of days for your reply, you can post where and how you want). After some quick checking up, the biggest killer of muse and motivation in regards to members prioritising certain threads and getting musey with their fellow writers, is when one of those bandying members has been holding up other threads for other people for a significant length of time (in the weeks, or even in the months of wait time).
And this is where the balance is unfair. Yes, have fun. Yes, post back and forth - especially if it's for a challenge or the thread is time sensitive. But also, have the responsibility as a roleplayer to consider the affect that this might have on others. Are you completely bubbled or at least close to being up to date? Do you have people waiting on you for long periods of time over other threads? Are you someone who replies a lot and can get their reply out to them soon, or are you slower in activity and every post is a labour of love (meaning that quick replies are stalling replies to older threads by a long measure)? Consider your posts through the eyes of someone else and make that judgement call. Because, at the moment, I think a few members are missing that call just a little.
Additional Issue
We do, however, as a community have an additional problem that ties onto the above and - to me - is actually far more concerning.
When it comes to thread prioritisation, provided it is not a middle finger in the face of someone who has been waiting a long time, I truly have no issue with it. We all get musey, we all love certain stories or threads. It might be to do with the writer, the character or the particular story event that is happening in that moment. Totally understandable and, within appropriate reason, is completely allowable.
Also - even in moments when it's not so considerate and people should really be turning their attentions elsewhere first, the staff team are 100% willing to give the benefit of the doubt that people just got caught up in the fun. Because that, after all, is what writing is all about - getting caught up in a setting or story and having a ball. Occasionally this overrides better judgement and we totally get that.
What is far more concerning is that some members have noticed that, in order to perhaps hide their thread prioritisation, people are not tagging their posts.
Now, again, I am willing to use this opportunity to offer benefit of the doubt - we all forget sometimes to use the roleplay tags channel on the server.
However, if this is deliberate: that people are focusing solely on a thread or a few threads with a particular member and are then deliberately not tagging those posts so that other members of the community do not know that they are doing it... this smacks of mean-spirited to me. Because, if it is deliberate, this suggests that a member has looked at their threads and their owed posts and has simply said - yes, I know that I've owed that person for a long time, but I am going to choose to do this thing I want to do instead at their expense. And to ensure that I don't get backlash for that, I'm just not going to tag so that no-one knows I'm doing it.
I would like to remind people at this point that we have a recent threads and recent posts link on the server, that I have full and complete records in the site system of when an account so much as pick's their nose on this server. We even have a display of the most recently updated threads right there at the top of the homepage. Even without tagging, people can see and people will know what you are posting and to where. And, tbh, the fact that they weren't tagged then makes you look even worse. It's being caught in a deliberate lie, instead of being able to hold up your hands and say - sorry guys, I got musey and carried away.
Tagging
Whilst this lack of tagging is a worrying issue in connection to the prioritisation concern, it is also simply a small-time issue by itself. When I was going through NaNo and copy and pasting everyone's posts, I found that forgetting to tag is an issue for some of our less-active members. Please be aware that remembering to tag your posts will do wonders for your position on the server as it will allow people to see that you are there and you are active. Even if it only shows you posting to one thread at a time, it will encourage more plotting and more activity with others if people can see that you are active. So, this is just a mini-reminder tagged onto this similar topic that everyone should be tagging their posts on the Discord server.
Conclusion
As for the rest of the above announcement, I leave this in the hands of the members who think that this might apply to you. If you are someone who has no threads currently outstanding from say... more than three weeks ago, then this is not a message to you. You are fine. As I said at the start of this announcement, rp is supposed to be fun. Do not allow this message to stop you having fun rapid firing with other members. That is not the point of this. Also, if you are someone who never rapid fires and who simply replies to everything in a fairer/more spread out order - regardless of how long it takes - then this message is also not for you. Carry on carrying on, my friend. If, on the other hand, you know that you are someone who has replied repeatedly and actively to certain threads or only to certain members in recent history but have others that have been waiting on you for longer than approx. three weeks then yes, this message is probably for you. We ask that you not limit your fun but that you also balance it with the responsibility of not killing other people's fun. Sometimes the muse isn't there and sometimes a thread stares at you with the eyes of a monster, but at the end of the day, you are the writer and you signed on to do that thread or to play that character and you need to get in there and do it. Because it is unfair to expect other members to shelve their enthusiasm for an imbalanced length of time in comparison to how fast and repeatedly others are getting your posts.
In short - let's just all have fun together yes? Not diminish the muse of others for the sake of one or vice versa? Best of luck y'all and look out for today's Advent announcement coming soon! Hope you'll like it! <3
Tagging and Post Prioritisation
Hey everyone! If I can have your momentary attention this fine December day, I need to put out a mini bunny slipper moment. As we have no broadcasts this month because our staff are working hard to bring you Aeipathy Advent and a whole bundle of other goodies this holiday season, I'm left with making a mini-announcement here as this information/update cannot wait until January.
Please note that this message is a little long as I have just woken up and am writing this as me. I don't want this to be a message that tells people off. I want it to be one of understanding and communication. So, apologies if I have written a dozen paragraphs when all I needed was a dozen words. But I thought this to be a nicer way to read this important reminder...
Post Prioritisation
There have been a couple of issues brought to the staff team's attention that involve only a small number of members (so if you know that this is not you then not worries, go about your day and have an awesome one!) regarding the prioritisation of certain threads or threads with certain members over others.
Now, I would like to start out by making one thing very clear... if you are a member who is particularly musey for a thread or it's the kind of thread that has a lot of momentum and keeps calling you back or some such... then go right ahead. Post to it as much as you like. Roleplaying is a hobby it is supposed to be fun. It is not supposed to be a chore and it is not supposed to be draining. This announcement is not to tell people that they need to reply to every thread they have in chronological and sequential order. We understand that for writing to be fun, you must be in the zone and we do not wish to take this away from members, at all.
However, there is a caveat to this.
Roleplaying should be fun. But it should be fun for everyone. Just because you love playing a board game, doesn't mean you consistently snatch up the dice and make it your turn every turn because you love it so much. Roleplaying involves writing with and enjoying your stories with others. And, it should be borne in mind (at least very little and in the back of your mind) that a post to one member is a lack of post to another.
And this can be seriously demoralising. And it has a knock-on effect. To those who might be thinking - 'But I post in this thread because that thread takes forever to get a reply to' or 'I keep replying to this thread because that thread isn't fun anymore'... consider the idea that that thread might move a little faster if, every time someone posted, everyone else didn't have to suddenly try to remember what was going on/get in the zone of it again. If people (and that's everyone in the thread) replied a little faster, then momentum would build and the thread would be fun once more.
Whilst we at Aeipathy fully believe that roleplaying should be fun there is also an element of responsibility to be had as a roleplayer. If you have chosen to take on a certain character or plotted certain ideas or gotten offered certain threads that you have agreed to... You then owe those people your attention and time, either to say, sorry nope, not gonna have the time/muse to do this (totally your prerogative to choose this as an option, if it's available), or to respond in a faster manner.
Yet, not everyone has the time to reply to everything all the time.
So, how do we balance this?
Well, there is no cut and dry or right and wrong way to handle it. However, a good rule of thumb is to consider the length of wait on members. If you want to bandy back and forth with another member on a particular thread, that is 100% fine. Provided that this doesn't really escalate the wait time of someone else (e.g. you could write a dozen posts in a single day, but at the end of it, other members have still only waited one day) or that it doesn't come off the back of an unfairly long wait time for others (if you are bubbled or people have been waiting only a handful of days for your reply, you can post where and how you want). After some quick checking up, the biggest killer of muse and motivation in regards to members prioritising certain threads and getting musey with their fellow writers, is when one of those bandying members has been holding up other threads for other people for a significant length of time (in the weeks, or even in the months of wait time).
And this is where the balance is unfair. Yes, have fun. Yes, post back and forth - especially if it's for a challenge or the thread is time sensitive. But also, have the responsibility as a roleplayer to consider the affect that this might have on others. Are you completely bubbled or at least close to being up to date? Do you have people waiting on you for long periods of time over other threads? Are you someone who replies a lot and can get their reply out to them soon, or are you slower in activity and every post is a labour of love (meaning that quick replies are stalling replies to older threads by a long measure)? Consider your posts through the eyes of someone else and make that judgement call. Because, at the moment, I think a few members are missing that call just a little.
Additional Issue
We do, however, as a community have an additional problem that ties onto the above and - to me - is actually far more concerning.
When it comes to thread prioritisation, provided it is not a middle finger in the face of someone who has been waiting a long time, I truly have no issue with it. We all get musey, we all love certain stories or threads. It might be to do with the writer, the character or the particular story event that is happening in that moment. Totally understandable and, within appropriate reason, is completely allowable.
Also - even in moments when it's not so considerate and people should really be turning their attentions elsewhere first, the staff team are 100% willing to give the benefit of the doubt that people just got caught up in the fun. Because that, after all, is what writing is all about - getting caught up in a setting or story and having a ball. Occasionally this overrides better judgement and we totally get that.
What is far more concerning is that some members have noticed that, in order to perhaps hide their thread prioritisation, people are not tagging their posts.
Now, again, I am willing to use this opportunity to offer benefit of the doubt - we all forget sometimes to use the roleplay tags channel on the server.
However, if this is deliberate: that people are focusing solely on a thread or a few threads with a particular member and are then deliberately not tagging those posts so that other members of the community do not know that they are doing it... this smacks of mean-spirited to me. Because, if it is deliberate, this suggests that a member has looked at their threads and their owed posts and has simply said - yes, I know that I've owed that person for a long time, but I am going to choose to do this thing I want to do instead at their expense. And to ensure that I don't get backlash for that, I'm just not going to tag so that no-one knows I'm doing it.
I would like to remind people at this point that we have a recent threads and recent posts link on the server, that I have full and complete records in the site system of when an account so much as pick's their nose on this server. We even have a display of the most recently updated threads right there at the top of the homepage. Even without tagging, people can see and people will know what you are posting and to where. And, tbh, the fact that they weren't tagged then makes you look even worse. It's being caught in a deliberate lie, instead of being able to hold up your hands and say - sorry guys, I got musey and carried away.
Tagging
Whilst this lack of tagging is a worrying issue in connection to the prioritisation concern, it is also simply a small-time issue by itself. When I was going through NaNo and copy and pasting everyone's posts, I found that forgetting to tag is an issue for some of our less-active members. Please be aware that remembering to tag your posts will do wonders for your position on the server as it will allow people to see that you are there and you are active. Even if it only shows you posting to one thread at a time, it will encourage more plotting and more activity with others if people can see that you are active. So, this is just a mini-reminder tagged onto this similar topic that everyone should be tagging their posts on the Discord server.
Conclusion
As for the rest of the above announcement, I leave this in the hands of the members who think that this might apply to you. If you are someone who has no threads currently outstanding from say... more than three weeks ago, then this is not a message to you. You are fine. As I said at the start of this announcement, rp is supposed to be fun. Do not allow this message to stop you having fun rapid firing with other members. That is not the point of this. Also, if you are someone who never rapid fires and who simply replies to everything in a fairer/more spread out order - regardless of how long it takes - then this message is also not for you. Carry on carrying on, my friend. If, on the other hand, you know that you are someone who has replied repeatedly and actively to certain threads or only to certain members in recent history but have others that have been waiting on you for longer than approx. three weeks then yes, this message is probably for you. We ask that you not limit your fun but that you also balance it with the responsibility of not killing other people's fun. Sometimes the muse isn't there and sometimes a thread stares at you with the eyes of a monster, but at the end of the day, you are the writer and you signed on to do that thread or to play that character and you need to get in there and do it. Because it is unfair to expect other members to shelve their enthusiasm for an imbalanced length of time in comparison to how fast and repeatedly others are getting your posts.
In short - let's just all have fun together yes? Not diminish the muse of others for the sake of one or vice versa? Best of luck y'all and look out for today's Advent announcement coming soon! Hope you'll like it! <3