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I don't know how common a problem this is but It absolutely drives me insane, and particularly right now. 

 

I'm a pretty lenient admin, so if someone misses something then I just shoot them a PM, let them know and wait for them to fix it. I'm probably a little too lenient because I will do this several times. Especially on a new site when I'm trying to build a member base I want to be accommodating and helpful.

 

But what do you do when a member is blatantly either ignoring or not understanding the simplest rules? 

 

Example: The number one rule on my sites is

1. Registration. Please register each character an account as Firstname Lastname just like that. NO OCC/ALIAS accounts. Applications must be completed as coded.

 

I had a member who registered with an Alias account. They posted their application under the alias account. They included our 'rules phrase' in their application indicating they'd read the rules so I PMed them quoting the rule. Given them the benefit of the doubt that they just might not understand, I even wrote it out for them indicating Alias accounts weren't allowed, that we had a section in the mini profile for the alias, so could they please correct the user name to their characters full name 'insert me writing example of the character's fullname' (not their nickname) because there was also section in the mini-profile where the nickname can be indicated.So they 'corrected' their name but instead just to the characters one-word nickname.

 

So I had to PMed them again and basically reiterate the same point a second time. Eventually, they got it right, and it was more or less fine (except they're using a different alias than the one they're listed so I'm kind of confused about that)

 

Then, same member asked 'Can we used another site's application template and just post it here' again... I pointed back to rule #1

 

Fourth time's the charm? Member has now posted a new application, for a canon character for the site. Except they posted the application under their current character's account instead of creating a new account. So this is literally the Fourth time I've had to direct them back to our First rule in a couple weeks.  

 

Am I being a total pushover? XD 

 

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They either can't be bothered, or they're going to take a lot of mothering. If it's the former, they're going to drive you crazy. At least if it's the latter, they might learn?

 

You have to decide how much you're willing to help them out, and decide how disruptive they might be for the rest of the game. If they'll be too disruptive or require more help than you have time and patience for, you might want to nicely tell them they may not be a fit for your game and be done with it.

 

Good luck.

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They might have come from another kind of roleplay, where there was only an OOC account hosting all the characters.

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@Elena That's possible which is why I first gave them the benefit of the doubt since I just implemented a similar feature like that on one of my sites but I quoted the exact rule above to them four times now where it clearly states no OOC accounts, and each character must have their own account.  It's frustrating because it's literally the first rule and my rules are pretty basic.

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I sometimes wonder if people do this on purpose. It's not that difficult to follow a few simple rules, surely? We have OOC accounts on mine, but that's so that it can be used in the OOC sections of the board. I find if people post personal messages under a character account that my first thought is that it's an ic post. Switching aliases is weird, too.

 

The only thing I can think of is that they don't have English as their first language and they have difficulty understanding things. I've rped with people like that.

 

But even if it's a learning curve for them, it is frustrating if they continue to make mistakes and you've got to wonder if it's worth keeping them around the board. I had one in the c-box sometime ago who seemed to want me to make their character for them. Nope. That was frustrating and I think they caused problems because I wouldn't let them create an over-powered OC that wouldn't fit on the site. I don't mind people using a character that they've used on an other site (and using some of the info) but they need to understand that your site's template should be used.

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Four issues in a few weeks would indicate they are incapable of following simple instruction. If your site really mattered to them, they'd try harder.

 

Everyone messes up now and then and we all get tired of reading rules. But this goes beyond that and more into the territory with how much are they really worth to your sanity? Just starting out, it can be tempting to try really hard because you don't have much, but you have to remember that they may also be scaring away potential members if their messes are large and very visible. It's this weird balancing act where there's no right or wrong answer, just this sort of feeling out with your gut on what might be better.

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Mistakes are one thing; having lapses in judgement is no problem either. Especially if the person has a couple of different "styles" of sites they are apart of. 

However; with that being said, the SAME problem so often in such a short timespan?

I have 0 patience at that point in all honesty: I'd tell them to either get a handle on the basic rules of the site or be kicked. 

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I had something similar recently and just, kept linking them the rules and telling them to read. We got to the point of my asking what this sentence says and then asking if that's what they did (because I don't like just supplying player's with the information. I expect a certain amount of independence.)

 

She was actually kind of fun to RP with, not for the reasons she wanted to be fun I'm sure, but hey, I enjoyed myself.

On 3/14/2017 at 10:31 AM, Death Kitten said:

You have to decide how much you're willing to help them out, and decide how disruptive they might be for the rest of the game. If they'll be too disruptive or require more help than you have time and patience for, you might want to nicely tell them they may not be a fit for your game and be done with it.

 

But pretty much this and what Xexes said. How much do you really want to hold their hand? If you're not interested, just be up front (and polite) about it. If you do want to do some hand holding, then well, do it. It might pay off! It might not though because if they can't be assed using their reading comprehension then they probably don't care much.

 

The girl I mentioned? She moved on (which is fine.)

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A lot of players don't want to accept that there are simple routines or rules; they just power through things and hope the staff will 'one day understand' how pointless it all is. Some people need their hand held 24/7, because some staff will do it. others just don't give a fuck about it. Remember that there's a line between 'reminders' and 'doing all the work' for someone. If a player needs reminding so often, how do they expect to get anything done?

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We have "register a character account first" plastered at the top of every page on the board...

 

And yet people don't.

 

People do what they want and hope that by being special they'll get away with it or something. I honestly don't know what their thought process is.

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Well, the first time it's fine.

 

How does the saying go? "Fool me once, shame on me, fool me four times banhammer crack your skull open!"

 

Not that I'm saying ban them. But nope you're not being a pushover, they just seem to be clueless or careless, or both.

 

Tell them to shape up and have the rules bookmarked if they have to, because clearly nothing is sinking in? xD

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I'm very new to being an Admin, and was having somewhat of the same problem with two different members. One became defensive, even to point of bolding certain words in their response and blaming me for whatever failure it was. The other member was apologetic and seemed almost fearful. Had pm'd both people with the same wording to fix the same thing on their respective apps. The first one I ended up dropping the hammer and giving them a time limit to get the item fixed otherwise their application would not be accepted and they could no longer apply for the character (this was about the fourth email back and forth- each one more sarcastic than the last- but I tried to bare it). The second member fixed theirs right away and then I felt the need to kind of check in on them a bit. 

The first member poofed and the second one it still around. 

I think for me so far it's how the person responds. I think I'd like some response rather than no response. Idk. Great topic and post though. Has me thinking. <3

 

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On 3/19/2017 at 2:37 PM, Bamf said:

I'm very new to being an Admin, and was having somewhat of the same problem with two different members. One became defensive, even to point of bolding certain words in their response and blaming me for whatever failure it was. The other member was apologetic and seemed almost fearful. Had pm'd both people with the same wording to fix the same thing on their respective apps. The first one I ended up dropping the hammer and giving them a time limit to get the item fixed otherwise their application would not be accepted and they could no longer apply for the character (this was about the fourth email back and forth- each one more sarcastic than the last- but I tried to bare it). The second member fixed theirs right away and then I felt the need to kind of check in on them a bit. 

The first member poofed and the second one it still around. 

I think for me so far it's how the person responds. I think I'd like some response rather than no response. Idk. Great topic and post though. Has me thinking. <3

 

 

A lot of admins like to say that your first character application is more like a player application. You are finding out about who the person is and whether they will be a good fit for your game.

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How a new player responds to a carefully worded PM (usually checked and edited by at least 3 admins) does tell me a lot about them and how they may react to things going forward. 

 

A less experienced writer who is eager and willing to learn is far more appealing than a more experienced one who thinks they are god's gift to your game.

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I tend to be a pushover with this kind of stuff too. In my experience, this stuff usually happens with ESL players. I have an rp partner whose first language is French, but she writes in English. When we first met, she did a lot of what you described. And it was very frustrating. But she was upfront about it. I had to mother her for a little while until she got the hang of it and now she's one of my closest rp friends. And this shit still happens sometimes, where things get lost in translation, but she admits her mistake when you point it out and goes to fix it right away.

 

So, to reiterate what everyone else has said, it's hard to say what is going on with this member without knowing their responses to your messages. In my eyes, if they're really trying and are doing other things around the board to show their interest and dedication to your game, let them stay. But if they're not and they're more of a drain on your energy and muse than anything else, it's time to cut them. They're not an asset to your game or you other members' experience.

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