Membership Rules are there for a reason

[iReadYerMind 2]

@SithLordOfSnark - An easy way to solve the problem of members not properly capitalizing things as you've asked for them is CSS styles.  You can force strings of text, or links, into whatever capitalization format you want!  Then it doesn't matter what they type, it'll always look right.  http://www.w3schools.com/cssref/pr_text_text-transform.asp

 

@mellomeme - What if, as a reminder, anyone who submits an under 18 character app gets an automatic "And remember, this character is not permitted in any RPs or OOC threads rated higher than PG in nature. Visit our rules page for more info." added to the acceptance message, PM, or what-have-you?  A sort of preemptive strike, if you will.  It does add a smidge more work into your admin roles, but it could potentially ward off a lot of trouble with Warnings, Bans, etc. later!

[Morrigan 1,826]

I more agree with @iReadYerMind personally @SithLordOfSnark because I, personally, as a writer have a hard time not capitalizing things that should be capitalized. This also saves room for you to change it for a future skin update without having to manually update everything. That's me though, (it's a peeve of mine that people force some of that so I apologize)

 

I do agree, that they should be following with the instructions provided though.

[iReadYerMind 2]

It's fine if you don't want to, I just thought I'd offer a simple way to make things easier on you.  You wouldn't need to make it a rule at all.    Just a single line of code that could be added directly to your claims list without altering a pre-existing skin at all.  

 

I personally feel that any time I can cut back on what needs to be monitored or manually altered, it's a bonus.  We admin have enough to worry about on a day to day basis, you know?

[CovertSphinx 710]

If I find that I'm in a position to possibly be lenient with a rule, I usually then ask myself: "Is this rule necessary for the integrity of the RP/site?"  If the answer is "Yes", I review whether or not a slight tweak is in order and then enforce it. If the answer is "no", then the rule gets dropped entirely.

[Honorem 219]

On 24/09/2016 at 6:28 PM, SithLordOfSnark said:

I'm a sarcastic prick, so sometimes I'll say things without thinking, especially when I've had to deal with the same issue several times in a row.

 

Like on my one site, the claims are ALL in lowercase. I'll Admin Edit Person A's post who got it wrong, giving them a friendly reminder to fix it, and then Person B follows suit and does it completely wrong when the Admin Edit has been there for like three days already, and I'm just bashing my head against the wall, because it feels like I'm talking to air.

Considered 'text-transform: lowercase;' on the username class in CSS? It would solve that problem. I'm sorry, but I always found this kind of rule petty and I don't understand why it's such a huge issue when it can be fixed with a code that takes two seconds to add. 

Edited October 2, 2016 by Honorem
Oops, didn't see others had commented along the same lines above.

[Death Kitten 200]

If people aren't following the rule, you need to consider why and potentially change the rules depending on the reason. Sure, people should be following your rules on your site, but sometimes the goal vs the effort to enforce it isn't a value wise equation.

 

If people who are ignoring your rule about writing in lowercase are otherwise following your other rules, it might actually be better to change your site and the rules. Adding text-transform: lowercase; to the site css file to save you having to police people's formatting in their app can be a time saver for you.

 

Honestly, when rules exist simply because they do, and when challenged, the only reason you have for it is 'because', it's usually time to look at changing them. People should respect the rules, but the people in charge of enforcing them and making them should also be open to considering changing them if a good reason is presented.

Edited October 3, 2016 by Death Kitten
Missing word

[Death Kitten 200]

13 hours ago, SithLordOfSnark said:

 

I totally understand what you're saying, but nobody has actually given a good reason as to WHY they don't follow it. And nobody on my site knows coding, so adding something to the code would be basically impossible even if I wanted. The person that built the site for me left almost a year ago.

In that case, it sounds like the enforcement vs amend the site rules leans toward leaving the rules as they are.

 

However, as for why they don't listen? It's probably exactly what Morrigan commented: people are used to typing with capitalization. They probably don't do it specifically to spite you, it's probably just they forget that's what you want. I'm pretty sure I'd make that mistake, and I do make a point to read rules just to make sure I'll get along with staff on a site I join.

[Crossroads Demon 11]

Honestly. There truly are rules for a reason. On my site in particular I had had to expand on and specify the rules to be very clear about what is and is not appropriate mature behavior for any environment particularly an Online community.

 

The rules are not harsh or complicated, just simple guidelines but it still astounds me how many people don't follow even the simplest of requests.  Some of the rules are more serious than others, community disruption/respect being a big one.

 

I hide a phrase near the end of rules that people have to place in their application to indicate that they've read and reviewed them. I change the phrase every so often so people can't just copy it off another app. This way if a member does disobey a rule, I can go back to their app and point out that they indicated that they read and agreed with the rules. We have a 'freestyle' app but there's an 'other' section I ask it to be placed in.

 

Whether or not they actually read the rules at this point is their own problem not mine. Placing the phrase is sort of my 'insurance' policy.

 

I've seen too many sites and communities torn apart by preventable drama and the like to take rules too lightly. They are important.

 

[Death Kitten 200]

Honestly, I don't know that the hidden indicator of their having read the rules helps that much. The fact of the matter is, they join the site they follow the rules. Being uninformed about them is not an excuse.

 

People have to scroll past the rules before they can access my join form, and I maintain the last modified date at the bottom so people have an idea of when I last made a change. If they decide to scroll past without reading, it's usually pretty obvious quickly because my character creation guidelines are in my rules and won't likely get approved into the game anyways.

[Rune 1,099]

Re: The hidden indicator

 

I find it works for my guild on WoW (Which has off game applications) and doesn't work in forums. It's weird.

 

My board says in giant letters at the top of every page "create an IC account first" and yet people still both roll an OOC one first or ask. /twitch

[VirusZero 176]

I don't bother with hidden indicators or anything. I don't check that members know what the rules are. I treat them like adults and expect them to behave as such in return. If they want to skip the rules then they can, but they have to accept that if they step out of line there's no excuse or justification.  (Saying "I didn't know isn't a reason/excuse" and it won't save them from consequences.)

This has worked out pretty well for me. Most people either read the rules, know enough from past experience to behave or have enough common sense not to do bad things.

 

Now this doesn't mean there is no give in the rules... I mean they're just there to explain what not to do. What happens if they don't listen is never stated. (It could be anything from a PM right up to a ban depending on severity.) And I always maintain the right to exercise my discretion so if, for example, I think someone just made a silly mistake then I can go easier. (Essentially a "hey, knock it off" message.)

 

 

Edited October 27, 2016 by VirusZero

[Rune 1,099]

@VirusZero - That's how I handle it. We even have the explanation that everyone is intelligent until proven stupid. Mostly as a failsafe for the people that can't keep their hands to themselves and share their toys. This has proven to be one of the best rules because it accidentally proves people read them. So many people feel obligated to comment on it. (Usually how they love it. I've had 1 complainer in almost 3 years and they also proved incapable of reading lore.)

[Josie 198]

My opinion about rules is this: are you following that rule as the admin? If yes, then others should be as well. No, you are not being a dictator for enforcing your rules. You're just doing your job.

 

However, games do need to change an adapt. Being static is what causes death. If you feel that a rule is something that can be bent because it's less important than having writers you appreciate and enjoy, then perhaps the rule itself can be done away with.