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in a bit of a pickle

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 Hi everyone! As you may or may not know, I've been around the roleplay and staffing community for a minute. However, I've recently stumbled upon something on my site that I am unsure how to handle, and I need your help!

My site just received it's first problematic member. I've dealt with them before on other sites, but they usually don't get past the application process. In this case, upon application, this new member seemed to be just lacking grammar and maybe some commas here and there, but it wasn't terrible to read. I could tell he seemed very very new to roleplaying and writing, but still wanted to give him a chance, since he expressed desire to "get better at writing and roleplay".

However, after acceptance, this member has been a little bizarre and it worries me. His posts are all over the place -- they barely make sense -- and they're just full of grammar mistakes, run-on sentences, clause issues, and seem to be a little repetitive. His application was not as bad as this, and it almost feels like he has butchered his new IC posts on purpose. When I confronted him about it, I tried to be helpful, and suggested sites like grammarly. He said he fixed it, but when I went back to check, it doesn't seem like anything was changed.

His literacy isn't the only issue. He also seems to be wanting to do things with his character that are a little obscure for the game and the setting, and wanting to thread things that are totally off the wall. I think he may end up power-playing at some point, and these issues could snow-ball.

I don't want to seem like I'm against newcomers or people that want to truly learn and become better at writing, but, this guy is not trying to do that. He has only been a member for a few days and is already causing problems.

I'm not really sure what to do, as I don't want this new member's presence and his character to run people off-site, or turn others away. I also don't want the rp going any unnatural direction, or have to deal with someone trying to meta... but, he doesn't seem to have done any of this yet. I just feel like it will happen sooner or later.

My question is... should I let him continue to do his own thing until he finally breaks a rule? Or, should I nip it in the bud before it gets bad, and just kick him off the site? That last one seems cruel What do i do to save my site and my members?

last edit on Nov 13, 2019 13:44:47 GMT by Deleted
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@dreams kicking seems too premature. I highly recommend against kicking people prematurely without a good reason like they're being unapologetically racist/homophobic. If you do end up kicking, ALWAYS give a clear and transparent reason why for the kick. 

He also sounds like a kid to me from what you're saying. I don't mean that in a negative way but you really could be dealing with a young child here. I mean, I first started forum rping when I was 10. Looking back on those posts, I wrote similarly to how you described because all the cool kids were doing longer posts so I thought more stuff = better without any knowledge of how to properly write anything. Kids also like doing more imaginative plots.

My advice, be patient and give warnings whenever he directly breaks a rule. Save kicking when he breaks the rules enough. You can either work really really hard with him so he improves or let him do his own thing as long as he's not directly breaking rules or directly contradicting the premise of the site. Your members can choose to not rp with him if they don't like what he's rping too.

I want to edit to add that whatever you do, you should base it on how you want to run your site and the environment you want to create. Do you want an open community that is open to all rpers, regardless of experience? Or do you want to make a community to connect with similar-minded people? Neither option is inherently bad. Different methods are better suited for the kind of site you want to have.
last edit on Nov 13, 2019 14:48:49 GMT by cyanide darktearz 💀
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From how you described him, he sounds like a younger member. Putting in effort is one thing, but dancing around the rules will be another issue altogether. My stance is to point out a few mistakes he have made that will potentially conflict with the site's... Gist, and politely ask him to fix it. If he does a half ass job of fixing it, or doesn't fix it at all, I will recommend telling him directly (firmly, but politely) that it's nothing personal, but perhaps your site isn't the best for him and he will be better off finding another site that can accommodate better to his needs.

It sounds easier said than done, but I'm a firm believer of nipping issues in the bud early. That isn't to say to exclude members that might not be as literate, but if your site isn't the most beginner friendly site, or require a higher literacy rate, then do let him know that this site just isn't the one for him, and it's better to find another site.

However, if he doesn't leave after you suggest that this site isn't for him, then I will recommend waiting. Perhaps he will change--or he isn't that bad. That said, if he does break a rule eventually, then you know that your instincts are right, and you can remove him if you want.

I hope that you can solve this without conflict, and that everything goes well. Don't panic, speak calmly, let him know that it's not personal, and pretty much follow your heart? Silly advice, I know, but it works most of the time for me. Good luck. ^^

P.s. I know that there's a high chance he's young and whatnot, but I'm personally don't think you are really obligated to foster a younger member on your site especially if they might be surrounded by older people that they might not fit well with or relate to. I'm not the most literate when I joined role-playing when I was around 15/16, but nevertheless, another likely issue you might face if you let a young member stay on is age friction or certain conversational topics/rp that isn't very fitting for a younger audience. I was personally more at ease around people closer to my age than 20+ year old adults that make sexual innuendos or talk about topics that made me uncomfortable just accidentally reading. Please just keep that in mind if you feel bad about removing a younger kid and/or feel obligated to have one just because they might not know any better.

Tldr; remove if it foreshadows conflict/huge issues, or if the site isn't a good place for them/ if he makes you quite uncomfortable. Don't if it's just some literacy rules/confusion regarding the rules. Yes if he turns out to be deliberately flouting the rules later on 
last edit on Nov 13, 2019 14:33:19 GMT by Mizo

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Shine Bright is likely more advanced than where the young man is.  My advice is to draw up a private message explaining that his behavior and penmanship aren't acceptable.  He needs to build himself up before joining your board and anyone else's board.  I'd do this compassionately.  You seem like a wonderful administrator, @dreams .  If the fellow goes beserk, punish and continue.

As far as obscure ideas and plots are concerned, employing them often contributes new feels and learning on the community's end.  However, I think an applicant should go over his or her plan with whoever is running a game they're interested in joining.  I do so sans fail myself.  My own character is a sixteen-year-old sopranista who sings opera.  It bores most people, so he's a difficult fit.
last edit on Nov 14, 2019 7:22:22 GMT by Jacob
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Kick.

Based off what you said, and only based off that, their writing is so bad that either:

At worst, you legitimately think they are butchering their post on purpose.
At best, you made a genuine attempt to fix this and have noticed no improvement.

It sounds like your'e already on the edge and afraid that they're going to do something you do not want and snowball that. Depending on how well you handle stuff like this, it is an unnecessary burden for very little return. This changes if they are there with friends but as a single person with little investment and weight, sounds like a bad trade off.

At the end of the day, this is your site, you sink your time into it, and you call the shots. There are consequences of these decisions, reflected by how your member base reacts and their retention, but they are yours to make. You have the authority and complete right to say, hey, this person is not a fit for the site / culture. That does not mean you're against newcomers in this specific instance.

It sounds like you kind of know to what extent you want to do but you're afraid that it's mean or looks bad. While it is nice to be accommodating and helping the inexperienced / newer gen, this is not your obligation. If you have the patience and time, feel free, but it is also understandable if you do not.
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Thank you, everyone, for all of your experienced and weighed responses! I am truly grateful for a community that is eager to help me.

When I created my site, I expected it to cater to a certain audience: young adults, mature members, experienced writers, storytellers, shoujo lovers, and all fans of Sailor Moon. However, as I mentioned before, I don't want to turn away a new member, but, on the other side of the coin, I have never faced a situation like this before, and believe that he doesn't really belong on-site, seeing as his posts are not even comparable to an average writer. He started out wanting his character to be a " vagabond wizard" which goes against the site lore, so he reworked him to fit our setting. Since his acceptance the last couple of days, however, he has been constantly trying to get his character in "training" and "fight" threads, despite his character being somewhat of a pacifist defender (although, magical "sentai" battles are a big component of Sailor Moon, it is definitely not the main focus of the site, and right now, we're more centered on intrigue, drama, and character development). There may be a fight here and there between characters, but there is no real reason for his character continuing to "train" when the big bad hasn't even been formally introduced yet -- especially when his character's identity revolves around supportive attributes, like healing and dream-weaving.

As mentioned, kicking him seems premature. Unless I have any complaints from members or any real reason to have him go elsewhere, I feel like banning him now would be unethical and also would make my staff team look pretentious.

I did what and advised and suggested that maybe Shine Bright was not the right site for his character, and that he should try something more DBZ-esque. He completely deflected it, and said he would focus more on character development. 

I figured he would leave, but he seems intent on staying -- I guess I just play the waiting game now, and see what happens? 
last edit on Nov 14, 2019 1:07:41 GMT by Deleted
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honestly, as someone who was once "that guy" on my very first rp site, if my experience is anything to go by, he's probably not going to stick around super long term, but just... be nice and gentle to him because in all likelihood, he has no idea he doesn't fit in and it shows but also he'll probably end up leaving on his own when he eventually does find something that better suits him and what he's looking for.

i honestly wouldn't ban him or kick him unless he's blatantly violating rules or something. but imo as everyone else has said, you're honestly not required to try to help him become more experienced, so that's your decision to make. the boat has probably passed for you to try to gently nudge him towards a few specific sites that might suit him better, but by all accounts, if it bothers you that much to thread with him, just... don't (and largely leave him in his corner as long as he's not causing problems since imo if you don't address an event from other threads is it really canon). he'll either find partners who are okay with all of that and are willing to help him learn or he won't and that's just that. obviously the former is ideal, but honestly, if the site is just a really bad fit for him, it might be better for you both if he doesn't get invested so that he can more easily leave when he finds what he's looking for. (i would definitely hesitate to bring up some of your issues with him though - because yeah, even if the rp experience is less than ideal, i think it's a bit insulting and humiliating to bring up even privately and would instead focus on the fact that what he's wanting to write really just is not what your site is about and that he's more likely to find that in other parts of the rp world.)

honestly, it's just an awkward situation all around, and even if your window of opportunity has probably closed, i just. wanted to poke in with some of how i wish i had been treated instead of how i actually was treated, as it were. and offer some reassurance that these problems tend to either solve themselves or become quiet exasperations you deal with as little as possible because if it's not causing issues, there's no point in swinging a bat at that hornet nest if you don't have to.
last edit on Nov 15, 2019 5:01:32 GMT by Kuroya