Over the last few months, the cbox has greatly increased in activity, and with that increase in activity, it's also time for a little refresher on the cbox and what kind of conduct is appropriate and inappropriate.
- I. Conduct
The cbox should be a positive, comfortable, friendly place for everyone. The cbox is not a substitute for MSN/AIM/Yahoo/etc. It is a place to hang out, chat, plot, and have fun with your fellow RPers. It is a place to promote community, and it is no one's personal playground; everyone should be included, and everyone should feel like they can hop in at any time. No one should feel excluded.
It is not a place to debate, rant, or argue. It is not a place for negativity, hostility, name-calling, flame-baiting, or put-downs. It is also not a place to pressure people to post or guilt-trip people for not posting. Asking nicely for a post is okay, but badgering is not.
If you can't be respectful and kind, then the cbox is not the place for you.
That is not to say that we are asking that people fake nice or that people don't rant or vent. However, the cbox is simply not the place for that. There are many other avenues available to you if you need to vent or rant, such as IMs, PMs, General Discussion (//http://spiritsoftheearth.net/forum/viewforum.php?f=79), and heck, even Bad RPers Suck (//http://bad-rpers-suck.livejournal.com/). And if you need to work things out between yourself and another player, PMs and IMs are available for that, and you can always PM or IM the staff; you can usually find a staff member on MSN at any given time.
- II. Content
The cbox should be a safe place for all members, so keep things to a mild PG-13 level. In other words, keep sexual references, profanity, and talk of violence to a minimum. There should also be no nudity (such as linking images depicting that). It is also not acceptable to link to a "safe" website while giving directions on how to find inappropriate content on said website.
If you wish to post something but are unsure of whether or not it is appropriate, PM a staff member with the material for approval. But chances are, if you have to ask if it's appropriate, it probably isn't. Keep that stuff to IMs and PMs, but keep it out of the cbox.
- III. Spam
Try not to spam the cbox. That is, post multiple, consecutive messages that could have just been condensed into a single message. For example:
QuotePerson: So...I was thinking...
Person: That maybe...you know...
Person: that cheese thing...?
Person: Wasn't a good idea.
Fit as much into one post before hitting the enter key! xD If you forget something and break things up a little, hey, it happens. But try not to flood the cbox.
- IV. Site-Related Questions
If you have a question about the game, such as a question about character creation or setting information, please either PM a staff member or post the question to Questions and Suggestions (//http://spiritsoftheearth.net/forum/viewforum.php?f=121) so that a qualified staff member can answer. This ensures that you get the correct information you'll need. Staff members can't be on the cbox at all times due to, well, real life and jobs and such. xP And with how quickly the cbox moves, it's easy for staff members to miss important questions.
Again, this also ensures that you get correct information rather than risk being told several different things. xD So please, please, don't ask those questions in the cbox unless you are currently chatting with a staff member in it. Also, please do not answer those questions, either. If someone asks that sort of a question, please direct them to the Questions and Suggestions board or to PM a staff member.
Again, we are not saying that people cannot rant or vent. However, the cbox is
not the appropriate place to do that. It is a place to chat and connect with your fellow RPers, to have fun and chill out. It is not a substitute for instant messenger programs.
So let's keep this place a fun, friendly community. We're all RPers and geeks playing pretend on the internet and we're all in this together. Never forget that and always remember that this is all just pretendy funtime games (//http://wadewilson.livejournal.com/11285.html). :heart: