NEWS -- Minor Updates & PSAs
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Minor Updates & Public Service Announcements

Twitter Feeds Fixed

The original script we were using to display the various Twitter feeds around the board, including the main 'Souls feed and all the individual pack news feeds, died a few days ago, so all the news was coming up blank. We've replaced the script with a new one now, so everything should be working again, but do let us know if anything's amiss. :O


Built-In Word Counter

You know those oft-neglected links at the bottom of the post box? One of the formerly read "Check Post Length" and if you clicked it, it'd tell you how many characters your post was. That information is mostly useless to you! The link now says "Check Word Count" and as you might imagine, it now gives you the word count of the post you're typing! HTML and CSS does render the count inaccurate a little, but if you type your post directly into the box, you can check your words before adding all the extra stuff. Smile


The counter works by splitting words at spaces, so anything that's offset by a space counts as a word. For example, if you wrote:

[/html]This is a sentence.[html]
it would count as four words despite the bold/strong tags because there are no spaces between the tag and the word before/after it. It is essentially counting [/html]"This" and "sentence."[html] as one word each. If you had instead written
[/html] This is a sentence. [html]
with spaces between the tag and 'This' and the tag and period, then the counter will think you have six words, with each strong tag as a word. Similarly, if you have something like [/html]"This is a sentence"[html], it will think you have five words because of the space between "b" and "style".


PSA: Joining With an Adopted Character

We've noticed a number of character adoptions happening lately. Congrats to these characters' former owners/parents for a successful adoption, and congrats to all the players with shiny new characters!


However, please be sure you're going through the Joining process correctly with these new characters, particularly if they were NPCs and already a member of a pack when you picked them up. As with all other characters, you should post in the Joining forum with the standard joining form, but please be sure to:

  • Include the pack's name or abbreviation in the title of the topic
  • Answer the question "If joining a pack, are you joining IC or OOC?" with OOC

Remember that you will not be titled or given posting permission until you've been accepted both into the game (by a SA member) and into the pack (by a pack leader).


If you are adopting a character that is not already part of a pack, then no worries. Joining procedure is the same as with any other new character. Smile


PSA: The Requests & Suggestions Forum

A general reminder that the Requests & Suggestions forum is specifically intended for auxiliary character requests, litter/puppy requests, and rule exceptions/exemptions, and that only staff members (administrators and moderators) should respond to those topics. This is to prevent well-meaning members from accidentally dispensing inaccurate responses regarding character/puppy requests, etc.


Specific board suggestions are also acceptable in R&S, but please -- questions, requests for help, and any topic which is inviting discussion should go in Questions & Help instead. Here, any member may respond with their opinions and advice. Smile Thanks!


PSA: Respect and Courtesy

On Bullying


A general reminder, too, about the respect and courtesy we expect all members to have for each other. We do not expect all members to like each other, and as such, we do not expect all members to roleplay with one another, but disliking someone is not mutually exclusive with respecting someone and being courteous to them. You each are free to feel whatever you feel towards other players, and our general recommendation is that you avoid roleplaying with players you dislike, have had problems with in the past, or whatever else.


However, those should be personal decisions that you make for yourself based on your own experiences. Under no circumstances should any member attempt to coerce, bully, or otherwise convince other members to ignore specific players. If Player A doesn't like Player B, then Player A is free to ignore them and not roleplay with them. Player A should not attempt to convince Player C to ignore Player B. If Player C has also had issues with Player B, then it is Player C's prerogative to choose whether he wants to ignore Player B, but it is not Player A's place to push Player C in that direction.


'Souls should be a positive and welcoming environment for all players. We absolutely do not condone the bullying or public ostracization of any member or group for whatever reason. If you believe a player is breaking the rules, let us know so we can verify the rule-breaking and take the appropriate punitive measures. Do not take matters into your own hands by orchestrating a social conspiracy against a member. You wouldn't want someone to do that to you, would you? Sad


If you are being harassed or bullied, please do come to us with PM, chat, or AIM logs so we can take address the situation. We take preservation of a positive roleplay environment very seriously, but we can only take care of problems that we are aware of. We understand that it can be difficult to confront bullies and/or "tattle" on misbehaving members that were/are your friends, but bullying is not and never will be acceptable behaviour on 'Souls, and it is usually better for everyone involved that these kinds of situations get reported and taken care of early on, before they escalate. Even if you aren't ready to turn over logs/evidence of bullying though, if you ever just want general advice, we're here for that too. <3


On Interpack Relations


On a separate note, members are additionally reminded that it is courteous to involve the leadership of both/all packs of any plots that may result in tension or conflict between their packs. To be executed successfully, interpack plots of any nature require a high degree of communication, foresight, and collaboration. Since such interactions can potentially involve and affect 20-30 individual characters, it is imperative that the leadership of involved packs are kept informed of events and plans so that they may keep their pack members informed in turn.


Pack leaders do not have the authority to directly dictate whether individual pack members are allowed to execute certain plots, but they may certainly ask that their members wait on certain interpack actions, defer to them on interpack issues, or otherwise keep them informed and abreast of interpack events. It is a leader's job to deal with events and happenings related to their pack, even if they weren't informed prior, but it is also a member's job to respect the leaders of their own and others' packs and not make their jobs more difficult than they already are.


As the above suggests, there are currently no explicit boardwide rules regarding interpack plots and keeping leaders informed (though individual packs may have such rules for their members). In general, we don't like making new board rules and guidelines because we already have so many rules and guidelines. However, we do expect the rules of etiquette and courtesy to encourage members to be considerate to one another and consider the effects their actions have on others. None of us roleplay in a vacuum; roleplay is a collaborative activity that requires mutual cooperation and respect. If you aren't willing to respect others, then pretty soon you'll have no one to roleplay with. Sad
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QUOTE (Rules @ Section I.1)
Disrespect or harassment to any member of 'Souls will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Remember your manners; act maturely and respectfully. You are free to disagree, but if you can't say something kindly, kindly don't say anything at all.[/quote]
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Bottom line? Don't be a dick.


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