General Sports Roleplaying Questions (OOC)

[The Archregimancy]

My only worry would be that some of the 'banter' would leave the WCDT and would cause it to occasionally slide back a few pages, when it should really remain on the front page. Perhaps it could be stickied?

I'm not going to sticky an individual event discussion thread, regardless of the scale of the event.

I doubt we'll have too much difficulty finding the WCDT when we need it; it already slides off the front page fairly regularly.

[Free Republics]

I'm in favor as well. I'd rather chat take place in the open, in a place where it is easy to search through it for anything of importance. Its much easier to search a forum thread than it is to search through TGs or off-site chat rooms.

If any serious problems arise, I'm sure the thread could always be shut down like TET was for a few weeks earlier this year.

[Bears Armed]

Generally in favour.
Oh, and a title suggestion for that thread: 'The Clubhouse'.

[Vilita]

I vote against a chat "thread"

I think it sets a bad precedent and theres already a chat room that people can go to if they want to have off-topic banter, in addition to the RMB's that are used for the same purpose. A thread would only seem to be encouraging spam.

[Liventia]

One overarching NS Sports chat thread? Or one per tournament?

If the former, it'll be WC dominated without a doubt – in which case why not just call it the WC chat thread? But that makes it the latter, and if the latter, we won't see the end of them.

[Jeckland]

One overarching NS Sports chat thread? Or one per tournament?

If the former, it'll be WC dominated without a doubt – in which case why not just call it the WC chat thread? But that makes it the latter, and if the latter, we won't see the end of them.

I'm not really sure you're understanding this quite right. The idea is to have, in addition to the tournament discussion threads that we already have, a chat thread with no specific topic of the TET ilk.

[The Sarian]

Pretty neutral on the issue - if it gets made, I'll use it, if it doesn't, I won't really care.

My only concern is that some people will just be a little too enthusiastic with posting, as seen recently in the WCDT, which could repel a lot of regular users from the thread.

[New Drakonika (Ancient)]

I'm all for it, but with the IRC sometimes winding up in an NSFW direction, I worry that the same could happen here. Of course, maybe being here would discourage that, due to our accounts being on the line. I know I'm not the only one that gets weirded out when it gets NSFW, I've even caused it myself a few times, with very weird results I regret and won't go into detail about.

Still, I love the live setting of IRC, and on here, it may not replicate the same sort of feel. Still, I'll most likely use it.

[Apox]

I'm not sure I'd be entirely behind a chat thread. I'm quite pleased in a sense that NS Sports doesn't have it's own version of TET, as I feel it would dominate the front page of the forum, and be hard to keep up with. I also don't really see the point in it - but then I don't come on these forums to make posts which really don't have any point at all.

[Darmen]

and be hard to keep up with.

My exact thoughts. I'm already finding it harder to keep up with this forum as it currently is now that I have a job (even if it is part time it stresses me out enough that NS has been having to take a back seat to a lot of things lately) and the addition of a chat thread, even if it only progresses at half or a third of the speed of TET would be extremely difficult to keep up with for a lot of people.

[New Drakonika (Ancient)]

and be hard to keep up with.

My exact thoughts. I'm already finding it harder to keep up with this forum as it currently is now that I have a job (even if it is part time it stresses me out enough that NS has been having to take a back seat to a lot of things lately) and the addition of a chat thread, even if it only progresses at half or a third of the speed of TET would be extremely difficult to keep up with for a lot of people.

This is also a concern I share, as I'm having trouble keeping up myself, and I'm here quite often.

[New North Aqmuland]

This isn't an RP question as such, but it does impact all of NS Sports, so this seemed to be the best thread in which to raise the point....

The moderation team are considering starting an "NS Sports Chat Thread" for informal OOC chat between NS Sports participants.

Pro: Would lessen the amount of slightly spammy chat posting that sometimes takes place in the larger event discussion threads (especially the WCDT)

Con: Might discourage some of the less spammy friendly banter that helps build a sense of community in event discussion threads

I thought I would open this up for comment by the entire NS Sports community before making a final decision - so have at it... Is this something you'd like to see?

This sounds like a wonderful idea.

[Estenia]

This isn't an RP question as such, but it does impact all of NS Sports, so this seemed to be the best thread in which to raise the point....

The moderation team are considering starting an "NS Sports Chat Thread" for informal OOC chat between NS Sports participants.

Pro: Would lessen the amount of slightly spammy chat posting that sometimes takes place in the larger event discussion threads (especially the WCDT)

Con: Might discourage some of the less spammy friendly banter that helps build a sense of community in event discussion threads

I thought I would open this up for comment by the entire NS Sports community before making a final decision - so have at it... Is this something you'd like to see?

Nice Idea.

[Farfadillis]

I'm not entirely for a chit-chat WC thread. I really like the small, fun exchanges between nations over trivial things; I think the spammy kind of exchanges can easily be kept exclusive to TGs without any kind of problem. Just an unofficial warning should suffice in most cases.

Plus, I've got this feeling that it would turn into a big, big spamfest, start being disliked by members who don't like the nature of the thread, and consequently become a motive of separation among NS Sports members (something like n00bs vs old guard, if you feel like giving needlessly offensive names to both sides). Ok, ok, my imagination might be going a little too far here, but I can definitely see it happening.

[Vaugania]

I'm not entirely against a chat thread, but I think Farf's point does have some merit to it. We've had issues with new users being alienated in the past and I would not be surprised if use of the thread became a point of division among forum members here.

But if the thread gets made, the thread gets made and I won't make a fuss.

[San Jose Guayabal]

I'm agree with Apox and Darmen to be fair, we have an IRC channel when we can chat and nobody stops to anybody to enter there and talk, sometimes that stuff can happen, but we have esper.net. I don't see a benefit for this.

[The Archregimancy]

After reading some of the discussion in this thread, I am currently leaning against a chat thread.

As others have pointed out, the NS Sports IRC channel already serves a similar purpose, and I'm concerned that the chat thread would do more to divide the community here in the forums than bring it together. Some people would love the idea and post regularly; others would loathe the idea and ignore it or would be indifferent and ignore it. A sub-community of 'clubhouse' members would then likely form - which I think, subjectively, runs somewhat counter to the intangible spirit of the NS Sports community up to this point.

However, I haven't finally made up my mind, and I'm still canvassing opinions - so by all means keep commenting.

[95X]

I would support a general chat thread. NS Sports ≠ NSG; to be quite honest the announcements that take place in the World Cup Discussion Thread (players retiring from NS, internet/forum issues, general discussion, etc.) add to the undue pressure I feel is placed on NS Sports participants to participate in a tournament they might not want to participate in. For the record, my infamous factbook regarding the World Cup.

Additionally, it makes sense to have one central place for gathering interest in an event, discussing how to be successful on this forum, or even ask things like 'is this a good idea?' Maybe we'd even see a decrease in the number of threads started by new users (or new-to-this-forum users) that start as sign-ups and end with the typical "welcome to NS Sports" sort of thing or a flamewar (dare I mention 'cap flicking').

Regarding the chat room: since Esper isn't linked to NS in any way and IRC usernames have different requirements (why I'm NFX over there and registered that name here on NS), there's no real way to know if someone who signs in as a certain name really is who they say they are. If we're going to declare it the "official" chat platform we should also probably not be as smug with the URL (irc://irc.esper.net/#nssport) or helping people find quality IRC clients and such.

(something like n00bs vs old guard, if you feel like giving needlessly offensive names to both sides)

I see this as a way for users who want to talk to others and help them out while those who just want to RP can continue to do so.

I'm already finding it harder to keep up with this forum as it currently is now that I have a job (even if it is part time it stresses me out enough that NS has been having to take a back seat to a lot of things lately)

Jobs tend to do that, always come before NS, and in fact I am starting a new one this Friday (no joke) where going forward I will likely have time to post domestic league results only during the week. On the bright side, I will have income!

Oh, Arch replied while I was writing this!

A sub-community of 'clubhouse' members would then likely form - which I think, subjectively, runs somewhat counter to the intangible spirit of the NS Sports community up to this point.

TBH, I think that's the system we have now: people who've been around for years that have various inclinations of interest in assisting others in getting started here, while new users are being turned away with things like 'world cup about to start nobody interested', 'there's already a tournament for that', 'learn to use a scorinator and come back', that sort of thing.

Edit: Please note the preceding views came from someone who joined the forum only because the AOCAF Cup moved from AO's regional forum to this one several RL years ago. I stuck around because I got hooked.

[Nephara]

For the record, my infamous factbook regarding the World Cup.

Is it really infamous? I've never heard it mentioned, let alone cursed

Anyway, the chat thread doesn't strike me as a disaster if it did show up, but I just can't see a need for it. The WCDT allows a fairly decent amount of chatter as it is - just not outright derailing for several pages, and that only happens rarely.

[New West Guiana]

while new users are being turned away with things like 'world cup about to start nobody interested', 'there's already a tournament for that', 'learn to use a scorinator and come back', that sort of thing.

Of course we have the very select few who have a habit of being very harsh and un-forgiving to those who do seem want to learn but push them aside and snap back if they do not like the reply the new person says.

A chat thread though a good idea, but it would cause more confusion than it would be meant for. So many topics like trying to hear one conversation in a room full of people talking over one another. Now unlike a few I don't see spam being a main concern NS Sports does a fine job at self-moderation and rarely does this sub-forum need mod intervention unlike the rest of the rp forums.

A sub-community of 'clubhouse' members would then likely form

Something similar to that already exists, but it is nothing like I&I, NS and FB&NI where the well known rpers tend to be very snobbish and refuse to do anything with new users even those who ask questions. This 'Clubhouse' is extremely helpful even if the same question has been asked countless times before they'll still answer it like it is the first time it has been asked.(try that on any other rp forum and I bet the result will be less cherry and more of stop asking that as it has already been asked.)
What was it two years ago some one came here and suggested the idea of rp mentors for NS Sport and the very idea was outright rejected because everyone pointed out what you have, it would created a division with some thinking themselves highly while holding their noses up and everyone else beneath their notice.

Though I do agree with 95 that some of the more helpful links should be stickied so no one (like myself) has to search through the forum on a easter egg hunt to find the chat( the very few times I ever use it anyhow).

[Commerce Heights]

I don’t think anything good would come of a thread which is explicitly designed to cultivate posts that would be considered spam anywhere else in the forum.

I do think there should be a thread which enables constructive discussion of matters relevant to the whole community—for example, updating and improving the Guide to Sports Roleplaying. (It still links to NSFS2, for slani’s sake!) As you’ve already determined in starting this conversation, Arch, the WCDT isn’t the best place for that sort of thing, and this thread’s scope could be expanded to include that.

I'm not going to sticky an individual event discussion thread, regardless of the scale of the event.

Why, then, is the World Cup announcements thread stickied?

[The Archregimancy]

I'm not going to sticky an individual event discussion thread, regardless of the scale of the event.

Why, then, is the World Cup announcements thread stickied?

A fair question that I've often wondered about myself. I could pedantically point out that it's an announcement thread rather than a discussion thread, but that still doesn't get around the fact that we have an event-specific sticky.

The true answer is "I don't know".

I think it happened before I became a mod, and inertia means that I've never done anything about it.

[Valanora]

Personally, I feel like many others do about a chat specific thread, that it would serve to further divide the community, and that the IRC channel already serves as the platform for general chit chat, along with TGs and RMBs.

[Free Republics]

In my opinion, the primary benefit of a chat thread is that it would provide an alternative to #nssport. I don't understand the sudden concern for a chat thread "dividing" NS Sports when we are already divided in many ways (newbies versus veterans, AO versus Rushmore versus Esportiva versus the rest, WC participants versus non-WC participants, #nssport regulars versus everybody else, etc.).

An alternative to #nssport is particularly important, when we consider that #nssport is hosted on EsperNet, an IRC server that refuses to allow IP hiding (therefore, requiring every user's IP address to be revealed publicly). Therefore, I don't see why the existence of #nssport is of any relevance here, to what is basically a moderation discussion. Isn't publicly revealing another user's IP address in violation of site rules? If so, why would the mod team, as a whole, want to tacitly endorse the use of an off-site chat room that publicly reveal the IP addresses of NS users when it is possible to relocate the functionality of said privacy-invading chat room onto the forums?

[Super-Llamaland]

From the esper.net FAQ:

Espernet does not support cloaking or other methods of hiding of IP addresses. If you wish to 'hide' your IP, you might consider an IRC bouncer (BNC).