Rules Concern

Guest

Quote :: Rule 1: Your post length must be no shorter than 350-500 words. Warnings will be given if this rule is broken continuously. Posts which are slightly below the word count, will be overlooked.

Isn't that a bit much? I mean... It doesn't take much for a character to walk in & say "Hello". To have him walk in & suddenly tell a story just to meet a word count requirement seems a little odd. Not every character is a blabber mouth.

Guest

Everybody already knows this but I might as well make it official,I agree with our newest member. I understand not wanting short or one line posts as it makes it hard to reply to but still do believe that 350 words is too much.

Guest

When making a post that is long you wouldn't be a blabber mouth, instead you are being descriptive and giving the reader's a peek into your character's thoughts and how they feel.

For example you could make a post like this which is 70 words.

Spoiler:

Now here's an example of a more descriptive post with is 431 words.

Spoiler:

You can obviously see the difference and tell the difference.

I believe what they were trying to say when making that rule is..if you post a 350 word post or a post close within that range of that, it would be easier for whomever you are RPing with to make a post just as long. So would it really be that out of the question? It's just an example of superior writing skills. By doing this you are testing yourself. Is that so bad?

That's just my personal opinion.

Guest

Quote :: I believe what they were trying to say when making that rule is..if you post a 350 word post or a post close within that range of that, it would be easier for whomever you are RPing with to make a post just as long. So would it really be that out of the question? It's just an example of superior writing skills. By doing this you are testing yourself. Is that so bad?

Not everyone is an author. Some prefer to be quick & to the point. This is especially true on busy days when one doesn't have a lot of time. I'd rather see someone make a quick, sloppy post to my character's question than no post at all.

Besides, going into detail about a characters thoughts may ruin the RP. The other readers will know what your character is thinking & that will influence how they post. Unless Edward is nearby, it is best the thoughts remain silent. Let the others guess your character's thoughts (even if they do so incorrectly). Wink

It makes things more mysterious.

Guest

I know no one here is an author. I myself am not an author nor do I pretend to be. I'm just simply stating, yes I know it's time consuming but all we really care about is effort. If you make a long post that is more than a 100 words, that is effort.

We all know some of you here have difficulties making long posts, hell I do too. But you'll get better at it over time. We would just like to know that you are trying to make an effort while posting.

As for the thoughts, it doesn't matter if you give them a peek or not. That's your personal preference, but being descriptive isn't such a bad thing. In my post up there were I was giving the example, take out all his thoughts and you still have a decent 300 post.

Effort is the key and that's all that we ask for.

Guest

Yes, but having a rule with a set # is troublesome.

It's fine that you want to see more detailed posts. (We all do.) Just don't make it a requirement. Stating that posts be as detailed as possible should suffice. There is no need to set a minimum word count.

Guest

Thank you for your input. We encourage all of our members to bring their concerns and queries forward.

It has always been stated within our rules that lengthy posts are a requirement but some members have been slipping on that lately and after many reminders of the rules, they were still being broken and so we have had no choice but to implement this further addition to the rules.

As it currently stands, some members are only posting up to 100 words and this is just not acceptable. Several of our members will post up to 1000 words in each post without even batting an eyelid. I think it would be highly unfair of us to request this of everybody so in actuality 350 is a very small amount to ask of you all.

This decision was made and backed by every single member of our administration team and the decision was not made lightly. We understand that for some members it will be difficult to hit the target number in every post, all we ask is that everyone try to.

The longer a post is, the more material the next person has to work with. Some of our members are worried that having to post lengthier replies will slow down the amount of posts they can make in a day and yes, this will be the case but it doesn't matter how long you spend writing a post, so long as it is of a decent quality and length.

Every single rule is there for a reason and although we take our members views into consideration, this rule WILL remain in place. We the administrators and a large majority of our members want to make this the best roleplay possible and only a small number of you have issues with this rule, the rest of our followers are fully accepting of it.

A reminder of the consequences of continual rule breaking:

You will receive a warning for each infraction of the rules
If you receive a third warning you will receive a 24 hour ban from the forum
If you receive a further two warnings you will be banned permanantly from the forum

Guest

1. Does this forum have a word count feature that I can use or will I have to count each word myself?
2. If I run short of time & have to end my post prematurely, is it acceptable to put [Incomplete] at the bottom & continue it later?

Subject: Re: Rules Concern Mon Aug 23, 2010 10:14 pm

1. I don't believe the forum has a word count feature. If it does, I'm not aware of it. However, I often use this: http://www.wordcounttool.com/ I hope that helps.
2. Well, no one would post for you with an incomplete post, so it would be better if you saved it on your computer for when you're able to finish it. I understand you may not be able to do that for whatever reason, so here's my suggestion: http://docs.zoho.com/jsp/index.jsp It's a free online word processor, and it's free to make an account on and save.

:]

Guest

I don't want to be rude but a rule like this only makes me feel like I'm not having fun with my characters. It isn't the short posters fault that some of you write a 1000 word post, nor did anyone say you had to write so much. If that is how much you feel you need to write to get your point across that's great. Some of us don't want to spend a hour on one post. We also go back and forth quickly at times so posting more than 200 words isn't really needed.

We want to come here to have fun and that is the bottom line. Rules that make your members annoyed or unhappy will really push them away. Is that what you want? I am going to try to lengthen my posts but I doubt they will hit more than 250 on a regular basis. If I get banned that's fine it's not like this is my life. Also there are like 10 twilight sites I can rp on so not to be mean but there are other places to go. Please try and change your rules to simply ask us to write to the best of our ability or as much as we can. I think it would make many of us feel better and have more fun. Just my 2 cents.

Subject: Re: Rules Concern Tue Aug 24, 2010 10:15 pm

As Admins, we encourage members to come to us with concerns and questions and after some discussion, we've decided to lower the word count to 300. We do not feel that this is an unreasonable thing to ask for, and we feel that it'll make the RP better.

That being said, 100 word posts are under no circumstances acceptable. Posts of this length will be given a warning. The aforementioned consequences still stand:

You will receive a warning for each infraction of the rules
If you receive a third warning you will receive a 24 hour ban from the forum
If you receive a further two warnings you will be banned permanantly from the forum

Thank you,
-The Admins

Guest

I still agree with Dean and Valarik, that the word count is too high. Admin are just choosing not to listen to there other members on here. Not every post has too be so long and it will end up with people just babbling. A post of 350 or more can be just hard to reply to as a short one when it has no real content.

For example my recent post as Jasper was shorter than 350 and to be honest it was utter nonsense. The content was as hard to reply as a 200 word post as the only 'action' to reply was actually one sentence.

And received.

Subject: Re: Rules Concern Wed Aug 25, 2010 12:24 am

Actually, we did listen. If you read and understood the rules, you'll see that the word count has been lowered to 300. I honestly, truly don't think that we are asking for too much. I don't really understand why it has to be complicated. The rules were stated and were changed to accommodate this concern.

A reply of 350 should have some type of content, if not, then what exactly is the point of even posting? Other members have been making a true effort to follow this rule and have done so wonderfully. The rule was made, the rule was tweaked - the rule now stays. It's unfair to say we don't listen when we clearly changed something we strongly believe to suit others.

And in reply to your comment about your recent post as Jasper, I'm sorry you feel it was nonsense, because in reality, it wasn't. It would've been pretty damn hard to reply to a 100 word post about how they simply made it to the diner.

If we all as a group make an effort to post the required amount, then it wouldn't be so hard to actually follow this rule.

And noted.

Guest

I am sorry but dropping the post count to 300 is not exactly listening to people's concerns.

My post was utter babble and held no real content to reply too, making it just as hard to reply as 200 word post. Being able to use loads of adjectives and padding it out with 'description' doesnt make it a better RP post.

Subject: Re: Rules Concern Wed Aug 25, 2010 12:56 am

Once I started writing, I had no problem replying to your post, actually. I believe I managed to hit the mark quite well, but that's beside the point.

We dropped the word count. Why? Because people were unhappy.

If being able to use proper adjectives and good description doesn't make a better RP post, then what does? Because as far as I'm concerned, that's what makes good content. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think I am.

Guest

I just don't like being told to have so many words in my post. If you make rules that are common sense such as all members must tyreat each other with respect, that's one thing. Enforcing someone to do more than they want is really not a good thing. It makes them uncomfortable and kills their creativity and desire to make a good story. As I said before I'll write what I want no matter how many words it comes out to be whether its 50,100 or a million. I'm not trying to be rude but I'll not force my creativity.

Subject: Re: Rules Concern Wed Aug 25, 2010 3:38 am

Well, I'm sorry. But everywhere you go will have some rules, whether you choose to follow them or not is completely on you. There shouldn't be a rule that states everyone should and must be treated with respect, that's simply common courtesy.

I still fail to see how what we're asking 'kills creativity and desire'. I would think it would be the other way around.

You go ahead and post how you see fit; but keep in mind that the rule stands and the consequences aren't empty threats. If 100 word posts aren't acceptable, 50 is obviously not either. I'm not trying to be rude either, I'm simply re-enforcing the rules.

Guest

I'd just like to say thanks. 50 words less isn't much, but it is still easier to meet. Every little bit helps. Wink

For those who need a word counter, this site seems simple enough.

http://www.wordcounttool.com/

Subject: Re: Rules Concern Wed Aug 25, 2010 6:47 pm

Thank you, Dean. I, as I'm sure the other Admins will, appreciate your thanks very much. Smile

Guest

Does this new rule apply to Blogs/Text Messages or just the main RP posts in Locations?

Subject: Re: Rules Concern Sat Sep 04, 2010 8:24 pm

Main RP posts in Locations only Smile

Guest

Is it possible for Dean (& perhaps those who respond to his posts) to have a lower word-count requirement? Trying to keep Dean a mysterious, quiet person & still maintain 300 words per post is starting to become a pain in the ass. I can't do squirrels & flashbacks in every post.

Guest

Due to the recent loss of three members and the resulting increase of characters to the remaining members, the word count requirement has been dropped until further notice.

Just thought ya all should know. Wink

Subject: Re: Rules Concern Sat Mar 05, 2011 9:55 pm

Re: The above post

The post length rule is now firmly back in place. If anyone has any queries to this rule, then please do contact us and we will explain further.

Subject: Re: Rules Concern Tue Oct 18, 2011 3:57 am

I actually think that the word count is a wonderful idea. At least one has an idea of where we're expected to be. And instead of writing a long, well thought-out post and getting a half a paragraph in reply, the response has to be long and well thought-out as well. It wasn't so very many years ago that roleplays were very popular, and I had one myself. The rule was much the same. Truly respond, you have a three hundred word minimum, and if you can't follow it, then find another. And those that couldn't follow it were tossed to the side. It's a little surprising, though, how many stepped up to the plate and made for some truly amazing games. It doesn't stifle creativity. What it does is makes sure that the people who go into great depth and to great length to post thoughtfully for their characters get a good response for their efforts.

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