Post by Professor Vox on Feb 1, 2016 18:12:48 GMT -5
Hi guys! Ok, so as I mentioned in the previous announcement, in the interest of getting the site moving towards activity again, the first big change coming down will be in regards to activity requirements for characters, how often we'll be checking on activity, and a few guidelines regarding the IC and pending character apps. Please remember that we are open to feedback, so if anyone has any questions or suggestions, please feel free to PM any member of staff!
The first big change is going to be in the form of more frequent activity checks. We will begin having an activity check at the end of each month, starting with the month of February. The criteria of these checks will be as follows:
A) As a general rule the minimum amount of posts will be 2 for each character a member wishes to keep active. So, if a member has 4 characters, they will need 8 posts, 2 per character to keep all 4 active. Canon characters, those apped for and directly involved in the site plot will require 3 posts per month. Characters that are approved after the 15th of the month will be exempt from their first activity check.
B) Characters that go inactive during an activity check, but who a person wishes to keep on the site will not be deleted but rather have their apps moved to a new section in the completed character application board labelled "Inactive Characters." This will replace the current "Hibernation" board on the site. These characters will be able to be brought back from inactivity at any time by making one RP post, and simply PMing a staff member the name of the character and a link to the completed post. Once this is done the character will return to activity. While a character is inactive, however, the OOC account and all characters associated with that account will not be allowed to participate in the IC box. The inactive character will also be ineligible for participation in site plot events. All canon characters who remain inactive for 3 consecutive activity checks (3 months) will be removed from the canon position, and the position will be re-opened.
The point behind this rule is to encourage members to keep their character count to a number they can handle with their schedule and keep active, and to maintain reliable canon presence. This is NOT to discourage character creation. By all means, if you can handle having 8 characters and posting with all of them, feel free! But what we don't want to see is members having a plethora of characters and only really posting with one or two. (Something I myself have been guilty of in the past *cough cough*)
The second big thing will be regarding pending applications. Up until now there has been no real rule regarding how long an application can stay pending before it is removed, and if there was it hasn't been enforced. From here on in pending applications will have one month to be completed, basically the duration of one activity check. If the character has not been finished by this point, the app will be moved to the Inactive Board under "Unfinished Apps" and the OOC account affiliated will be notified. The app will be able to be retrieved to be finished later, but will have that one month finishing period again when it is retrieved. Having an unfinished app will count as making an OOC account inactive.
The main purpose behind this is to prevent unfinished apps from continuing to be unfinished due to distraction by the IC. We want applications to be finished and characters able to post actively on the site in a timely manner. Again, this is not to discourage character creation or IC participation, but rather to help members keep active on the actual boards, while also enjoying free form RP in the IC.
I realize these new rules will be an adjustment, but we feel that this will be in the best interest of keeping the site active and all characters engaged. This activity check coming at the end of the month will be a chance for each member to decide which characters they want to keep moving forward and which, if any, they want to drop based on their own schedule. Thanks ahead of time for your working with us on this, and we look forward to an active, fun RP experience with all of you!
The first big change is going to be in the form of more frequent activity checks. We will begin having an activity check at the end of each month, starting with the month of February. The criteria of these checks will be as follows:
A) As a general rule the minimum amount of posts will be 2 for each character a member wishes to keep active. So, if a member has 4 characters, they will need 8 posts, 2 per character to keep all 4 active. Canon characters, those apped for and directly involved in the site plot will require 3 posts per month. Characters that are approved after the 15th of the month will be exempt from their first activity check.
B) Characters that go inactive during an activity check, but who a person wishes to keep on the site will not be deleted but rather have their apps moved to a new section in the completed character application board labelled "Inactive Characters." This will replace the current "Hibernation" board on the site. These characters will be able to be brought back from inactivity at any time by making one RP post, and simply PMing a staff member the name of the character and a link to the completed post. Once this is done the character will return to activity. While a character is inactive, however, the OOC account and all characters associated with that account will not be allowed to participate in the IC box. The inactive character will also be ineligible for participation in site plot events. All canon characters who remain inactive for 3 consecutive activity checks (3 months) will be removed from the canon position, and the position will be re-opened.
The point behind this rule is to encourage members to keep their character count to a number they can handle with their schedule and keep active, and to maintain reliable canon presence. This is NOT to discourage character creation. By all means, if you can handle having 8 characters and posting with all of them, feel free! But what we don't want to see is members having a plethora of characters and only really posting with one or two. (Something I myself have been guilty of in the past *cough cough*)
The second big thing will be regarding pending applications. Up until now there has been no real rule regarding how long an application can stay pending before it is removed, and if there was it hasn't been enforced. From here on in pending applications will have one month to be completed, basically the duration of one activity check. If the character has not been finished by this point, the app will be moved to the Inactive Board under "Unfinished Apps" and the OOC account affiliated will be notified. The app will be able to be retrieved to be finished later, but will have that one month finishing period again when it is retrieved. Having an unfinished app will count as making an OOC account inactive.
The main purpose behind this is to prevent unfinished apps from continuing to be unfinished due to distraction by the IC. We want applications to be finished and characters able to post actively on the site in a timely manner. Again, this is not to discourage character creation or IC participation, but rather to help members keep active on the actual boards, while also enjoying free form RP in the IC.
I realize these new rules will be an adjustment, but we feel that this will be in the best interest of keeping the site active and all characters engaged. This activity check coming at the end of the month will be a chance for each member to decide which characters they want to keep moving forward and which, if any, they want to drop based on their own schedule. Thanks ahead of time for your working with us on this, and we look forward to an active, fun RP experience with all of you!
