End of Year Update
Dec 19, 2013 20:46:11 GMT -5
Post by Admin! on Dec 19, 2013 20:46:11 GMT -5
Hello everyone! We hope that you are all having a good end of the year, and for those members in the Southern Hemisphere, that you are preparing for a wonderful summer.
Staff is implementing a few changes to help bridge the gap with membership and also to reinforce the OOC community atmosphere that we want continue to cultivate.
The first is that the C-Box rules have been added to the rules section and have been properly codified; they are Rule Ten and are as follows:
"C-Box. The civility rule (Rule One) applies to the C-Box and this includes all prohibitions against prejudicial comments and bigotry. The C-Box is in some ways the face of Hammel and is our OOC community, where the players can interact with each other without the masks of our characters. As such, it is very important that we treat each other with respect and create a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere. No snark, no insults, don't speak down to one another, don't use profanity, don't post overly sexual comments in violation of our TOS (which applies to the C-Box as well) and don't nag for posts and plots. Nagging is "why aren't you posting for me?", excessive poking and prodding, "Why is nobody posting in my plot page?", and targeted reminders. Nagging is not "I owe you a post/I owe X posts" and general mentions of the post hole, "I just posted for you!" or "I am working on a post for you." All intricate plot discussions should be taken to PM or Chatango so as not to spam the C-Box. If a topic becomes uncomfortable, any member can request a topic change, and the other players should respect that. Staff will monitor, and, if necessary, issue warnings or temporary C-Box bans. Do not spam, sock puppet, or advertise in the C-Box; advertising is for the guest-friendly advertising section. If a member has a site problem to discuss, please PM a staff member; the C-Box is not the proper venue for that. C-Box posts in violation of these rules will be deleted by staff. While staff will monitor, we cannot be there 24/7, so all members are encouraged to inform staff of problems in the C-Box so that we can attend to them."
The second, and with thanks to Alex for the suggestion, is that we have created an ask.fm channel for Hammel. This will allow members to address questions to the staff anonymously, if they feel uncomfortable directly seeking out a staff member over PM. Depending on the nature of the question, some will be addressed over the channel and some will be addressed on the board proper, all after a staff discussion.
The third is that Dryope recently created a Hammel Skype group. This group is not linked to Proboards and thus it is less restrictive than the C-Box in terms of TOS content. The respect rules still apply here, as it is affiliated with Hammel, and everyone should be comfortable. The Skype group is opt-in, so there is no obligation to join it if you don't want to. Either PM her, or PM another member who has already joined, in order to be added.
The fourth is that we are implementing an IC Yearbook Project with superlatives and a number of other features. Please read the posted thread for more details.
Finally, as a reminder, staff are here to listen to concerns. If any member has concerns, you are welcome to PM a member of staff on their staff account or to talk to them over Chatango if they are available, or to leave a message there if they are not. We are a resource, and we want to help everyone feel comfortable.
Another announcement about site plots will go out next week.
Sincerely,
The Hammel Staff
Staff is implementing a few changes to help bridge the gap with membership and also to reinforce the OOC community atmosphere that we want continue to cultivate.
The first is that the C-Box rules have been added to the rules section and have been properly codified; they are Rule Ten and are as follows:
"C-Box. The civility rule (Rule One) applies to the C-Box and this includes all prohibitions against prejudicial comments and bigotry. The C-Box is in some ways the face of Hammel and is our OOC community, where the players can interact with each other without the masks of our characters. As such, it is very important that we treat each other with respect and create a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere. No snark, no insults, don't speak down to one another, don't use profanity, don't post overly sexual comments in violation of our TOS (which applies to the C-Box as well) and don't nag for posts and plots. Nagging is "why aren't you posting for me?", excessive poking and prodding, "Why is nobody posting in my plot page?", and targeted reminders. Nagging is not "I owe you a post/I owe X posts" and general mentions of the post hole, "I just posted for you!" or "I am working on a post for you." All intricate plot discussions should be taken to PM or Chatango so as not to spam the C-Box. If a topic becomes uncomfortable, any member can request a topic change, and the other players should respect that. Staff will monitor, and, if necessary, issue warnings or temporary C-Box bans. Do not spam, sock puppet, or advertise in the C-Box; advertising is for the guest-friendly advertising section. If a member has a site problem to discuss, please PM a staff member; the C-Box is not the proper venue for that. C-Box posts in violation of these rules will be deleted by staff. While staff will monitor, we cannot be there 24/7, so all members are encouraged to inform staff of problems in the C-Box so that we can attend to them."
The second, and with thanks to Alex for the suggestion, is that we have created an ask.fm channel for Hammel. This will allow members to address questions to the staff anonymously, if they feel uncomfortable directly seeking out a staff member over PM. Depending on the nature of the question, some will be addressed over the channel and some will be addressed on the board proper, all after a staff discussion.
The third is that Dryope recently created a Hammel Skype group. This group is not linked to Proboards and thus it is less restrictive than the C-Box in terms of TOS content. The respect rules still apply here, as it is affiliated with Hammel, and everyone should be comfortable. The Skype group is opt-in, so there is no obligation to join it if you don't want to. Either PM her, or PM another member who has already joined, in order to be added.
The fourth is that we are implementing an IC Yearbook Project with superlatives and a number of other features. Please read the posted thread for more details.
Finally, as a reminder, staff are here to listen to concerns. If any member has concerns, you are welcome to PM a member of staff on their staff account or to talk to them over Chatango if they are available, or to leave a message there if they are not. We are a resource, and we want to help everyone feel comfortable.
Another announcement about site plots will go out next week.
Sincerely,
The Hammel Staff
