[Answered] Concerning rules and limits of a post.

[Srukane]

Dear Moderation Staff,

My question is in regards to my story-thread (link:http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=385932) and involves some rules that I have come to deduce are very unclear or misunderstood by myself. As time progresses, there is evidently more interpretations on the rules than I can recall, and as such I feel it necessary to get a personal feel for those changes rather than risk abiding by ones I am familiar with. Thank you, in advance, for your answers and I do apologize if these questions come across as bothersome!

1. The first question in line is the proper forum for such a story. I've noted that there have been changes in habits between the Nationstates and International Incidents forum. Is it still appropriate to have closed, story-based entries in the international incidents forum? Nothings ever been made clear on that, and while I can tell my post has not produced an issue from your staff via any reports, I still wanted to make sure I was doing it right.

2. This goes in line with the first question. Which forum is more appropriate if I choose to add further graphic detail? By the rules presented, this is a very limited option, but I do understand the necessity to keep it friendly for young audiences. However if I was to add further graphic detail - death, gore, ect. - is that appropriate or is that borderline? I'm unsure if a mentor would have the answer to that, which is why I am going straight to the authority on that question.

3. What is the word limit for a post? I'd like to extend the posts as long as possible, but I'm unfamiliar with the word-length limit. Does a thread with a solo poster come under scrutiny with multiple long posts? Is there a limit on long posts before it becomes considered spam? I figure it there wouldn't be so long as they're related to the thread, however I just wanted to make sure.

I feel very iffy and uncomfortable asking these questions here. I feel like there's another venue more acceptable to them, but I haven't found them or felt it was an appropriate place. One of them was the RPing help area on II however I didn't know if they would be familiar with the rules (concerning moderation) or not. To prevent any future questions from being this way, can you direct me to a better avenue to ask any further questions? I feel like these simple questions may be considered spam, and I don't want to come across as a spammy individual. I appreciate your patience in the matter, and I eagerly await your reply as you clear up my questions.

Thank you,
Srukane

[Swith Witherward]

Good questions, Srukane. I don't cover National and International Roleplaying but I'll run a flag up on your behalf regarding proper forum locations and post theme. You can also reach out to our N&I RP Mentors via TG. Their listing can be found here.

Posts: The maximum number of allowed characters in a forum post is 60000. This includes spaces and returns.

Please don't feel uncomfortable about asking a question here. As luck would have it, one of our Mods (Kyrusia) is also an N&I RP Mentor. Awesomesauce.

Of course, I can't depart without complimenting your writing. Very nicely done. It's always a pleasure to see players invest such effort into their nation. Best of luck in all your endeavors,

Swith
P2TM RP Mentor



Edit: flag raised in the Mentor Subforum.

[Maltropia]

Just to add, to the best of my knowledge BBCode is not included in the character count. I also feel like NS might be more appropriate in general, if it's just you (which so far it seems to be, and therefore possibly not an "International Incident") and in this particularly narrative format/style, but that's just a gut feeling after a quick skim (and it might actually just be indigestion).

I remember a post from Nathi, I think it was, that discussed what was and wasn't allowed in terms of gore and mature content by means of demonstration. I'll look around for it in a moment but the two key points are 1) use common sense and 2) the website is PG-13. If I find the post I'll tack it on. As far as which forum is more appropriate to gore - well, neither, in terms of the rules, but there might be a difference in subforum culture that implies a greater degree of acceptability in one over the other. If that's the case, I'd suggest that NS would again be more appropriate. I'm obviously not a binding authority on that but that's what I'd suggest.

[Enfaru]

All characters are counted regardless of any lower limits that the site implements. The database datatype can only hold so much data before it starts going on strike.

Edit: BBCode is converted to sanitized html and stored I believe, this means in some cases more characters are stored than you might otherwise think.

[Kyrusia]

If you're unsure of the rules, Moderation is generally an acceptable place to post, insofar as your questions are asked in good faith, of course.

To answer your first question: You are correct in that, over time, NS and II have changed. Ultimately, it really depends more upon who you are likely to interact with and whether or not the stories may have some impact beyond yourself, but unless it is simply woefully in the wrong place, posting it in II or NS is probably fine. It has a resemblance to a concept called a "nation maintenance" thread, which often fill a similar role (usually single player, stories about their nations) and tend to be posted in NS, but II is also home to such community threads which serve largely the sole purpose of collecting the same (the Native Story Index comes to mind) in addition to closed story threads. Regardless, I believe others here have largely answered this question, and as indicated: if it is likely to have (or generate, as the case may be) responses from outside your In-Character nation, it probably falls a bit more on the II-side of things; if this is unlikely, it probably falls a bit more on the NS-side of things.

Secondly: as the rules states, the NS forums adhere to the "PG-13 Rule" as well as the rule against posting offensive material. What you should ask yourself is whether or not what you want to include - be it swearing, implied sexuality, a certain degree of violence, etc. - is being added to add value to the narrative, not simply for "shock value." This is a good litmus to follow, combined with remembering that any such thing becoming excessive (such as swearing) or explicit (such as sexuality) is likely to push you over the threshold and may result in punitive actions. You can consider appending a "Mature" tag to your posts, but understand that this does not suddenly absolve your responsibility to ensure what you post is not violating the rules; in other words: putting a "Mature" tag does not mean you can suddenly break the PG-13 rule, it simply serves as a warning to other players that your post/thread may contain mature or sensitive topics (which can cover a range of things and still be PG-13; genocide is often the example used here). As for where such threads can be placed, they are acceptable in both NS and II, just remember: ask yourself whether something is adding to the narrative and keep anything from becoming excessive or - especially in the case of sexuality - explicit.

Lastly, as others have said, the character limit per post is 60,000 characters. As for posting in your own thread, it ultimately depends. If it becomes apparent you are just repeatedly posting back-to-back to bump the thread up (excessive bumping, a form of spam), you might run into trouble. If it's evident you are actually adding to a thread, it's unlikely you'll have the thread locked as spam. Just remember: keep it from being excessive.

In closing, if you have a question about rules, this is probably your best bet. For roleplaying advice and assistance, questions about RP standards, etc., you can feel free to ask such in "RPing Questions? Ask Here!," "Roleplaying Tip and Suggestions," a number of other places (check the stickies in each board as well), or drop a telegram to a Mentor.

Hope that helps.

[Srukane]

Good questions, Srukane. I don't cover National and International Roleplaying but I'll run a flag up on your behalf regarding proper forum locations and post theme. You can also reach out to our N&I RP Mentors via TG. Their listing can be found here.

Posts: The maximum number of allowed characters in a forum post is 60000. This includes spaces and returns.

Please don't feel uncomfortable about asking a question here. As luck would have it, one of our Mods (Kyrusia) is also an N&I RP Mentor. Awesomesauce.

Of course, I can't depart without complimenting your writing. Very nicely done. It's always a pleasure to see players invest such effort into their nation. Best of luck in all your endeavors,

Swith
P2TM RP Mentor



Edit: flag raised in the Mentor Subforum.

Dear Swith,

Thank you for your reply. Your information provided - and your compliments - are extremely welcomed! I have seen Kyrusia around, and I've no doubt he is quite capable of assisting. Thank you again.

Sincerely,
Srukane

Just to add, to the best of my knowledge BBCode is not included in the character count. I also feel like NS might be more appropriate in general, if it's just you (which so far it seems to be, and therefore possibly not an "International Incident") and in this particularly narrative format/style, but that's just a gut feeling after a quick skim (and it might actually just be indigestion).

I remember a post from Nathi, I think it was, that discussed what was and wasn't allowed in terms of gore and mature content by means of demonstration. I'll look around for it in a moment but the two key points are 1) use common sense and 2) the website is PG-13. If I find the post I'll tack it on. As far as which forum is more appropriate to gore - well, neither, in terms of the rules, but there might be a difference in subforum culture that implies a greater degree of acceptability in one over the other. If that's the case, I'd suggest that NS would again be more appropriate. I'm obviously not a binding authority on that but that's what I'd suggest.

Dear Maltropia,

Thank you sincerely for this extended information. Thank you very much for your explanations.

Sincerely,
Srukane

All characters are counted regardless of any lower limits that the site implements. The database datatype can only hold so much data before it starts going on strike.

Edit: BBCode is converted to sanitized html and stored I believe, this means in some cases more characters are stored than you might otherwise think.

Dear Enfaru,

Thank you sincerely for your addition and information.

SIncerely,
Srukane

If you're unsure of the rules, Moderation is generally an acceptable place to post, insofar as your questions are asked in good faith, of course.

To answer your first question: You are correct in that, over time, NS and II have changed. Ultimately, it really depends more upon who you are likely to interact with and whether or not the stories may have some impact beyond yourself, but unless it is simply woefully in the wrong place, posting it in II or NS is probably fine. It has a resemblance to a concept called a "nation maintenance" thread, which often fill a similar role (usually single player, stories about their nations) and tend to be posted in NS, but II is also home to such community threads which serve largely the sole purpose of collecting the same (the Native Story Index comes to mind) in addition to closed story threads. Regardless, I believe others here have largely answered this question, and as indicated: if it is likely to have (or generate, as the case may be) responses from outside your In-Character nation, it probably falls a bit more on the II-side of things; if this is unlikely, it probably falls a bit more on the NS-side of things.

Secondly: as the rules states, the NS forums adhere to the "PG-13 Rule" as well as the rule against posting offensive material. What you should ask yourself is whether or not what you want to include - be it swearing, implied sexuality, a certain degree of violence, etc. - is being added to add value to the narrative, not simply for "shock value." This is a good litmus to follow, combined with remembering that any such thing becoming excessive (such as swearing) or explicit (such as sexuality) is likely to push you over the threshold and may result in punitive actions. You can consider appending a "Mature" tag to your posts, but understand that this does not suddenly absolve your responsibility to ensure what you post is not violating the rules; in other words: putting a "Mature" tag does not mean you can suddenly break the PG-13 rule, it simply serves as a warning to other players that your post/thread may contain mature or sensitive topics (which can cover a range of things and still be PG-13; genocide is often the example used here). As for where such threads can be placed, they are acceptable in both NS and II, just remember: ask yourself whether something is adding to the narrative and keep anything from becoming excessive or - especially in the case of sexuality - explicit.

Lastly, as others have said, the character limit per post is 60,000 characters. As for posting in your own thread, it ultimately depends. If it becomes apparent you are just repeatedly posting back-to-back to bump the thread up (excessive bumping, a form of spam), you might run into trouble. If it's evident you are actually adding to a thread, it's unlikely you'll have the thread locked as spam. Just remember: keep it from being excessive.

In closing, if you have a question about rules, this is probably your best bet. For roleplaying advice and assistance, questions about RP standards, etc., you can feel free to ask such in "RPing Questions? Ask Here!," "Roleplaying Tip and Suggestions," a number of other places (check the stickies in each board as well), or drop a telegram to a Mentor.

Hope that helps.

Dear Kyrusia,

Your response, above all, is the greatest help. I thank you for going into an extended analysis and in-debth explanation. Since I don't see a need for the mature tag, seeing as the rules are already in place, I am quite nullified in my concerns.

I'll make sure my additions are for the story, and not for any nefarious purposes.

I will keep in mind the source of information for the mentors. As has clearly been demonstrated in this thread, I missed out on asking them first. I apologize for that. I hope I was not a bother.

Thank you, very much, for your time and response.

Sincerely,
Srukane

---

To all,

Thank you all whom have replied. I have been planning my story thus far. To those who are following, I am taking my time. I digress, this thread is not advertisement, and I would like to thank you for helping me clear up necessary points and obstacles that were bothering me. I am greatly apprecative of your support. The clear fact you took the time to assist me, humbles me.

Thank you again,
Srukane