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[The Founder]

This is a website site of a particular kind - a writing site. It’s the kind of site where people write to have fun. More specifically we write stories together because it provides us amusement and enjoyment. We’re fine with just being a story telling site; we like it actually.

This is fun site for story tellers.

There are of course many other writing sites, and beyond that many sites where writers gather for other reasons. Writing can be used for near anything really. You can teach a person how to program their universal remote by writing clear instructions. You can encourage people to overcome addictions or to stand up of for their rights by writing a motivational message. You might move a person on a deep and lasting level by writing something that reaches into the heart of our shared human experience.

But for every kind and honorable way writing can be used to uplift those that read it there are as many cold and spiteful ways it can be used to tear down and hobble. One doesn’t have to look far on the Internet to see how writing can be used to harass, injure, defame, or embarrass individuals or groups. That kind of writing isn’t hard so one can find it everywhere. It’s easy enough to find imperfections in other people, to hone in on the flaws all of us have, then write about it truthfully. Yes truthfully, because the truth can wound and injure like nothing else, especially when wielded by uncaring and intolerant individuals.

Funny thing about story tellers, not all of them are the same. Some don’t write as well, spell as well, or type as well. Some are inexperienced and perhaps just learning the joys of reading and writing. Others have been around the block a time or two. Some like myself are very good at elaborate plots and complicated twists but struggle with remembering to notice all the nuances of the characters and respond to them thoughtfully. Everyone has some deficiencies and strengths but this site isn’t about that.

This is just where we write stories together because it provides us amusement and enjoyment.

Those here for that reason are welcome. But those looking for a place to sharpen literary claws to pounce on the newest writer that fails to meet their standards will find this place most unwelcoming. Those making a habit of using writing for ignoble purposes will not be permitted to remain. Among other things this means the following changes:

• Effective on the 26th of this month we will remove the “Collaborative Community” genre and all stories that fall therein. You have till then to save what you want from those stories.
  
  
• People found violating our community standards (you can find them in our terms of service) will be warned, if such behavior persists they will receive a temporarily suspension. Habitual offenders will be permanently removed. Specifically those who contribute to a negative playing environment through critical, negative, or injurious out of character comments about other members will be found in violation.
  
  
• Victims of such a violations can report the offense to an admin who will investigate to see if any violation occurred and respond accordingly. We anticipate most issues can be resolved first between the parties or next at the story level by the SC or PAs.
  

For the person that is here to write stories with others because it provides them amusement and enjoyment these changes will impact them very little.

[The Founder]

It was suggested that I mention that the forums are available for those who want to connect with others on the site, in particular with those you might not be in stories with currently. 

[Artalis]

For the benefit of those who are having difficulty finding the link to the Community Standards I'll re-post the "Online Forums Guidelines" portion here. Unfortunately I do not have a copy of the previous ones to outline the differences, whatever they may be.

Online Forum Guidelines:
As an StoryCrafter Member you are entirely responsible and liable for all activities conducted through your Account. Listed below are some, though not all, violations that may result in StoryCrafter terminating your Account. By registering an StoryCrafter member name, you agree to not engage in any of the following acts:

Do not harass, threaten, embarrass or cause distress or discomfort upon other StoryCrafter online forum participants or other individuals or groups.
Do not transmit via StoryCrafter Online Forums any information, data, text, files, links, software, chat, communication or other materials ("Content") that is unlawful: harmful: threatening: abusive: harassing: defamatory: vulgar: obscene; or racially or ethnically hateful including that pertaining to sexual orientation.
Do not impersonate in StoryCrafter Online Forums any person, particularly an StoryCrafter official, or StoryCrafter Host.
Do not post or transmit any unsolicited advertising, promotional materials, or any other forms of solicitation in StoryCrafter Online Forums, except in those areas that are designated for such a purpose.
Do not intentionally or unintentionally violate any applicable local, state, national or international law, including but not limited to any regulations having the force of law while using or accessing StoryCrafter Online Forums or in connection with your use of StoryCrafter Online Forums in any manner.

On the subject of the First Commandment of the StoryCrafter Site:

"Do not harass, threaten, embarrass or cause distress or discomfort upon other StoryCrafter online forum participants or other individuals or groups."

With regard to that little snippet, I have a few things to say.

My father used to tell me that nobody can MAKE you feel anything. That's all in your own head. You choose how you react and you have to bear the responsibility for your own emotional responses to someone else's words. I can't control how someone is going to FEEL about honest feedback or even gentle constructive criticism. So what you are in essence creating is a community of stagnant, passive writers who will be too afraid of sanctions to help each other progress their CRAFT.

Now I am intimately familiar with the impetus behind this change and I have to say I am utterly disappointed.  I cannot tell The Founder how to run his site because it is, in fact, his. He has the right to make whatever rules he wishes and enforce them as he sees fit. His house, his rules.

I will say this however: I have had my feelings hurt on many occasions by people here over the last five productive and fulfilling years but the difference between other individuals and myself, is that I took those hurt feelings and I USED them to try and make myself better. I am still on a long, painful journey to where I wish to be as a writer but I won't run away crying and give up because Argyle called a spade a spade or Channain told me that 'quotes are not commas'.  Were I to find out that I was on someone's "not wanted" list, you can be certain that I would want to know why and that I would strive to address whatever shortcomings caused such a situation to come about.

It's called being a grown-up.

Banning someone for the contents of an honest (and private!) conversation is childish. Lashing out at the "bad people who hurt your feelings" is not the action of an adult.

Growth involves some degree of pain. This is a universal truth. Accept it or remain a child forever.

Founder, I wish to thank you for the great times and for providing me with a place to progress my craft and make some truly dear friends. However, if it is your wish to foster a community that is afraid of growth and to wield your power in the way shown yesterday, you will do so without my support.

Artalis/Geoff

[The Founder]

The only change made to the community standards was a line that gave people the option of private messaging the admin if they felt they were a victim of some violation. Otherwise they remain unchanged (including the part you bolded) from the standards everyone agreed to when they joined this site.

This is not a writing improvement site, though likely your writing will improve by being here.

This is a fun site for story tellers.

For those that want to improve and enjoy improving then they should seek out and benefit from the critiques and examples of the excellent writers here. But for those that are just here to have fun writing, go for it. That's what this site is about.

We hope to make it a nice place for you to enjoy writing with us.

[Liaraya]

What Artalis is rightly questioning is your ability to fairly and maturely determine whether a violation of the community standards has occurred. In fact, you and I had a lengthy conversation regarding this precise issue yesterday and your answers were equally evasive. The standard, as written, is not objectionable in the least; the implementation of it is lacking, is all.

The simple fact is that you are unable to distinguish between comments that are designed to be helpful and instructive and those whose aim is to harass. I believe this is largely caused by your dual roles on this site. On the one hand, you are a writer and an active participant in this community. On the other, you have now placed yourself in a position to act as the final judge of what constitutes a positive playing environment. How can you fairly assess an environment that you are helping to create? More importantly, how can you act appropriately in situations in which YOU are the primary contributor to a negative playing environment or in which you have a personal issue with a writer who is otherwise inspiring.

The simple answer is that you cannot. Although your proposed system will be adequate in handling disputes between two or more members of the community who are not admins, it will fail horribly when you or another admin is involved [and such circumstances will arise because all of your admins are also writers on this site]. There is the potential for an admin to take umbrage at a comment that was harmlessly meant, to petition themselves with regard to the matter [without even having to bother to contact the individual in question for the purpose of opening a dialogue], and to take whatever action they deem appropriate. The case in point for this is Nora. You took exception to a remark that was made to a third party in a private conversation and acted unilaterally on it; that you did so without asking Nora's reasons for the comment is particularly shocking.

In point of fact, I have witnessed you on multiple occasions [one of which took place in Thicker Than Blood] approaching writers on this site in an aggressive and negative manner in fairly public places; in TtB the matter involved the use of declarative statements and progressed to include comments to the effect that I was making use of lazy grammatical standards and behaving in a lackadaisical fashion. I cannot fathom how your conduct in that particular instance was above reproach and in keeping with the ToS when Nora's comment regarding you was so immediately objectionable as to be cause for being banned. To date, the ensuing conversation I had with you was my most negative experience on Storycrafter.

If your new policy is to have a hope of being fairly applied, there should be a mechanism in place for resolving disputes with the admins in which they are unable to rule on matters in which they are directly involved. That way, the rest of us need not live in an environment of fear when it comes to stepping on your particular toes; frankly, there is something inherently negative about the prospect of knowing I can be banned without notice for daring to point out another's grammatical error in a purely friendly manner.

[Shanna]

One relatively simple method for avoiding this issue is to simply let people write as they wish, assuming one isn't the storycrafter and has stated from the outset that the game will be grammatically correct or else.  :)

Unless they ask for input, assume they're happier without it.

Edit:  Obviously this doesn't consider stuff like 'puppetting', where the player doing so pretty much deserves the other player saying 'Um, please don't write what my character does...' 

[Shanna]

Further note -

This was meant to be an announcement thread detailing the situation.  If further argument or wrangling occurs, as the designated Forum Administrator, I'm closing it. 

This includes stuff like accusing people of being childish.  Around here, that's what I call trolling.

People want to fight?  Take it to PM.  Talk it out amongst yourselves, come to an agreement, or not.  Starting a tiff in public is a guaranteed trip to flamewar-city.

[The Founder]

Of course the SC has the power to define the standards of his or her story and enforce those standards. My hope is that they would enforce them with grace and care, especially with new writers. But if you have specific standards you would like all your writers to adhere too, put those in the rules so that they know what is required of them when they join.

If you do they will be able to tell if your story sounds fun and if it's a good match for them. Then if after you get started they start violating those rules you can remind them what they agreed to and work with them. But if after all is said and done you, as the SC, find them unwilling to follow the rules then you always have the option of removing them from your game.

We support the sovereignty of the storycrafter to manage and run his or her game how they see fit in accordance with our standards.