Probation Rules
There's nothing particularly new here, except setting in stone the procedure for repeat warnings. This is mostly the old rules rewritten to be a lot clearer, plus examples for sufficient entries to get off the Warning List.
It's a good long 1400 words or so, so I'm not forcing anyone to read it unless they're doing a drunken dance on the probation lists.
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The probation system is in place to keep the activity going and open up unused characters for application by others who wish to play them. Have you ever been in an RP where someone took half the main characters of Bleach and then disappeared off the face of the earth, leaving your poor Rukia with no canon friends? We don't want that here. If someone's not playing a character, then... that someone's not playing a character. Yes, that last sentence means something. Read it over a few times. For the most part, if you're following the RP, you won't have problems with this at all. Most of our current players have never gotten more than one or two warnings, which isn't a big deal at all. And that's good. Inactivity penalties should be unobtrusive to all but those who are honestly inactive.
Now, this is how the system works: a moderator (currently, Chris-mod takes care of probation) keeps track of all activity. A "probation cycle" or period is a two-week period starting immediately after the last one. You can check the community and find the most recent probation post to see when the last one ended.
Warning List
If you haven't posted for one entire cycle, you will be put on the warning list. To get off the warning list, you will need to post an entry of at least 120 words (as of 2009 April 27). The word counter we will be using in our decisions is wordcounttool.com. Filter tags and OOC tags do not count, though descriptions of actions do. This is an absolute limit. 119 words will not suffice. Shortly after your post, the probation mod will reply to you informing you whether or not your entry is sufficient. If it is insufficient by a small margin, you may edit it and ask for reevaluation. If the probation mod has not replied to you within three or four days, you may poke him if you feel that your entry may have been overlooked. Chris's contact information is plastered all over the place, including the profile.
Probation List
If you are on the warning list and haven't posted for one entire cycle, you will be put on the probation list. Characters on probation may be reserved and applied for by others. If you want your character back, talk to a mod (preferably Chris) about it. Your chances of getting your character back are good enough barring a few circumstances. First, if you're a frequent warning or repeat probation lister (counted by player). Another is if your probation character is currently reserved or applied for (or, of course, was taken and is in play!). The last is listed for completion, as it's somewhat intuitive: you're not getting your character back if you're extremely rude about it.
In any case, expect to be asked to appear in a chat (probably AIM) with the mods to discuss having your character back. If you do not have AIM, we can make arrangements case by case, but AIM is undoubtedly the easiest way to go about doing it.
For fairness, when you touch base with probation-mod, you will be granted a reserve. It will last until an arranged meeting, and then possibly extended depending on the consensus.
System Evasion
Dodging Warnings
Does the probation system mean you'll be okay if you just post once every two weeks while you go and glue your brain to Ragnarok Online?
No.
The probation system is a set of minimums. It's relatively open and forgiving because sometimes you're busy and all you can devote to RPs is once a week or two. I have a hard time believing, however, that you will be so perpetually busy that you never know what's going on and all you can do is scrap up a comment once every two weeks for the next five months. Especially with a hiatus system open for your use. In fact, if you are that busy, perhaps you shouldn't be in an LJ RP until things calm down. Actually, we're not CFUD-sized, so if you drop for now and (if for some reason you still remember and like us) come back in half a year, there's a good chance your character will still be open. Will your spot be guaranteed? No. But why would you stay in an RP if you don't know what's going on and you're not enjoying it?
If your activity is noticed to be minimal for a period of time, you will be placed on the warning list for two cycles. During each cycle, you must post a sufficient entry. If it's insufficient, you get another round on the warning list. Note that it's very easy to slide from this level to the Dodging Probation level. If you're quiet for a cycle while on the warning, it's to the probation level with you as usual.
What do we mean by "minimal"? It's really hard to get a strict definition at this level. I'm thinking somewhere around only one~two points of activity every cycle for about nine cycles, but not strictly so. This section is really just here to close a loophole -- I don't think we've ever had problems with warning evasion. Because, well, usually people forget and they end up in the next section instead. =D If we DO end up with recurring problems at this level, we can come up with strict standards, but please don't make us do that. For starters, you probably won't like them.
Dodging Probation
The warning list is just that -- a warning. Sometimes you have five characters and you forget that your little quiet character hasn't said anything for two weeks. It's also a warning to us if you keep forgetting about memento_eden and slipping onto it that maaaybe something's going on here. If one character ends up on the warning list three times (or, uh, more, but hopefully we see it before that) within a period of nine probation cycles (appx 4.5 months - It's not as much as it seems when you consider that getting off of the warning list usually keeps you off the next one.), you're going to have to do a little extra to get your character off of the warning list.
The offending character must maintain at least two points of activity a week (defined in the same way as one would define activity for earning another character slot) for the next two probation cycles. Any other characters the mun plays are not held to this so long as they also haven't slipped on the warning list repeatedly.
If the character does not maintain that amount of activity, he/she will be put on probation, and negotiations begin anew at that level.
What about staying on the warning list due to insufficient entries? We can be a little forgiving. Your first insufficient entry listing (counted by player, not character) will not go towards your three warnings. Afterward, however, staying on the warning list due to an insufficient entry will count as, well, being on the warning list.
If you're staying on the warning list due to simply commenting, that counts. Always. Because if you've read this at all, you should know a comment's not enough. And if you're in trouble and you're not even reading this, you're ... kind of a delinquent.
--
If anyone is wondering, the old, vaguely worded and slightly contradictory old set of guidelines are here. Since some of these numbers are new, we *may* change them around if needed, but such changes will be announced. Feel free to ask for examples and clarification in the comments.
It's a good long 1400 words or so, so I'm not forcing anyone to read it unless they're doing a drunken dance on the probation lists.
--
The probation system is in place to keep the activity going and open up unused characters for application by others who wish to play them. Have you ever been in an RP where someone took half the main characters of Bleach and then disappeared off the face of the earth, leaving your poor Rukia with no canon friends? We don't want that here. If someone's not playing a character, then... that someone's not playing a character. Yes, that last sentence means something. Read it over a few times. For the most part, if you're following the RP, you won't have problems with this at all. Most of our current players have never gotten more than one or two warnings, which isn't a big deal at all. And that's good. Inactivity penalties should be unobtrusive to all but those who are honestly inactive.
Now, this is how the system works: a moderator (currently, Chris-mod takes care of probation) keeps track of all activity. A "probation cycle" or period is a two-week period starting immediately after the last one. You can check the community and find the most recent probation post to see when the last one ended.
Warning List
If you haven't posted for one entire cycle, you will be put on the warning list. To get off the warning list, you will need to post an entry of at least 120 words (as of 2009 April 27). The word counter we will be using in our decisions is wordcounttool.com. Filter tags and OOC tags do not count, though descriptions of actions do. This is an absolute limit. 119 words will not suffice. Shortly after your post, the probation mod will reply to you informing you whether or not your entry is sufficient. If it is insufficient by a small margin, you may edit it and ask for reevaluation. If the probation mod has not replied to you within three or four days, you may poke him if you feel that your entry may have been overlooked. Chris's contact information is plastered all over the place, including the profile.
Probation List
If you are on the warning list and haven't posted for one entire cycle, you will be put on the probation list. Characters on probation may be reserved and applied for by others. If you want your character back, talk to a mod (preferably Chris) about it. Your chances of getting your character back are good enough barring a few circumstances. First, if you're a frequent warning or repeat probation lister (counted by player). Another is if your probation character is currently reserved or applied for (or, of course, was taken and is in play!). The last is listed for completion, as it's somewhat intuitive: you're not getting your character back if you're extremely rude about it.
In any case, expect to be asked to appear in a chat (probably AIM) with the mods to discuss having your character back. If you do not have AIM, we can make arrangements case by case, but AIM is undoubtedly the easiest way to go about doing it.
For fairness, when you touch base with probation-mod, you will be granted a reserve. It will last until an arranged meeting, and then possibly extended depending on the consensus.
System Evasion
Dodging Warnings
Does the probation system mean you'll be okay if you just post once every two weeks while you go and glue your brain to Ragnarok Online?
No.
The probation system is a set of minimums. It's relatively open and forgiving because sometimes you're busy and all you can devote to RPs is once a week or two. I have a hard time believing, however, that you will be so perpetually busy that you never know what's going on and all you can do is scrap up a comment once every two weeks for the next five months. Especially with a hiatus system open for your use. In fact, if you are that busy, perhaps you shouldn't be in an LJ RP until things calm down. Actually, we're not CFUD-sized, so if you drop for now and (if for some reason you still remember and like us) come back in half a year, there's a good chance your character will still be open. Will your spot be guaranteed? No. But why would you stay in an RP if you don't know what's going on and you're not enjoying it?
If your activity is noticed to be minimal for a period of time, you will be placed on the warning list for two cycles. During each cycle, you must post a sufficient entry. If it's insufficient, you get another round on the warning list. Note that it's very easy to slide from this level to the Dodging Probation level. If you're quiet for a cycle while on the warning, it's to the probation level with you as usual.
What do we mean by "minimal"? It's really hard to get a strict definition at this level. I'm thinking somewhere around only one~two points of activity every cycle for about nine cycles, but not strictly so. This section is really just here to close a loophole -- I don't think we've ever had problems with warning evasion. Because, well, usually people forget and they end up in the next section instead. =D If we DO end up with recurring problems at this level, we can come up with strict standards, but please don't make us do that. For starters, you probably won't like them.
Dodging Probation
The warning list is just that -- a warning. Sometimes you have five characters and you forget that your little quiet character hasn't said anything for two weeks. It's also a warning to us if you keep forgetting about memento_eden and slipping onto it that maaaybe something's going on here. If one character ends up on the warning list three times (or, uh, more, but hopefully we see it before that) within a period of nine probation cycles (appx 4.5 months - It's not as much as it seems when you consider that getting off of the warning list usually keeps you off the next one.), you're going to have to do a little extra to get your character off of the warning list.
The offending character must maintain at least two points of activity a week (defined in the same way as one would define activity for earning another character slot) for the next two probation cycles. Any other characters the mun plays are not held to this so long as they also haven't slipped on the warning list repeatedly.
If the character does not maintain that amount of activity, he/she will be put on probation, and negotiations begin anew at that level.
What about staying on the warning list due to insufficient entries? We can be a little forgiving. Your first insufficient entry listing (counted by player, not character) will not go towards your three warnings. Afterward, however, staying on the warning list due to an insufficient entry will count as, well, being on the warning list.
If you're staying on the warning list due to simply commenting, that counts. Always. Because if you've read this at all, you should know a comment's not enough. And if you're in trouble and you're not even reading this, you're ... kind of a delinquent.
--
If anyone is wondering, the old, vaguely worded and slightly contradictory old set of guidelines are here. Since some of these numbers are new, we *may* change them around if needed, but such changes will be announced. Feel free to ask for examples and clarification in the comments.