Get Off the Bandwagon

[Leon Loire]

Let's be blunt: the whole "I'm going to be inactive for a while (actually a week or less), so just to let you know" thing REALLY needs to stop.

Folks, I know you understand what I'm talking about. This last week we have seen nothing but plenty of people making OOC threads where they want to warn everyone that they won't be able to logging off "as often" or "at all... for just this week" so that way they can be kind -- because I'm assuming that I know you all as good people, and that it's not the pessimistic alternative.

It's all nice and good folks, but really, I'd like to get something across: it's the start of the fall semester in school; if you're not having to cut down on roleplaying even a bit, either you're crazy, or clearly you have ALOT of time on your hands that you should likely find something else to do (not saying the rest of you who enjoy roleplaying as a hobby is bad, just so long as it doesn't get in the way of your real life).

To say the least, there is no need at all for everyone to post an "inactivity" or "I'll be gone for a bit" thread if you're simply going to be gone for a week or less. If it's so important that everyone must know you'll be gone, PM the folks who must know and be done with it. While it's nice to know you're gone, people are smart enough to assume where you are either way. Adding an OOC thread is, in latent terms, simply clogging the OOC section with three line threads where all a person can reply is "Okay, see you when you get back."

If you're going to be gone for a month or more, or you're leaving the board for good, or something in your life has happened where you need to leave, and you're unsure how long it'll take to get back, please let us know; but if you're just going on vacation for a week, or fear you might get a little inactive, or hell, just feel like giving folks a warning that school's started back up, and not to expect you to be on "as often," then please, PLEASE, keep the issue to yourself. We all know; we all understand. We're human, after all. We're adults and teenagers, not children.

So please, let's get rid of this bandwagon, all right? No real need for it.

In any case, school's going to simmer down into the usual normalcy for us all soon enough, so there's no need to worry. In that case, I hope to see you all on the boards soon, so look forward to our wonderful game known as "roleplaying."

Thanks for reading, and understand that if you still post a "gone for a week" inactivity thread, I WILL verbally slap you.

That is all, your "friendly" Moderator out.

[Kyukaku]

Son. Of. A. Bitch.

You took a shit on my bandwagon.

You should be ashamed of yourself, not to mention I disagree with you. OOC post count doesn't matter at all, so therefore an extra thread shouldn't either. Sure, you can PM, OR you can make a thread, avoiding PMing about 15 different people.

[Dain Gavyns]

Tyler beat me to this, most likely given my own unannounced inactivity.


All I was going to say was "Because, yeah... what the f--k does it really matter?"

[Leon Loire]

As I see it, having a ton of threads pop up that tell everyone, "hey, I might not be on as often for this week, so just wanted to let you know." is pretty much just a bunch of spam. As I said, we all know and understand that it's the start of school, and everyone's going to be inactive for a while because of the new schedule. So, in blunt truth, there is no need for these threads at all, and they're just taking up space. Since it became a bandwagon, I was worried it'd keep up, so I made a mention for everyone to drop it.

The OOC should not have to be a ton of spam; yes, we like to have our kill-time threads as much as our questions and such, but when you have someone start yapping about how their day went in real life and so on, you could just as easily consider that inappropriate or even spam. Hence, that's how I saw all of these "bandwagon" notices.

Again, if it's so important, go ahead and post if. If it's just "warning" people that you won't be the God of activity that you usually are, then feel free to not worry.

I'd rather not have the OOC become a random Incoming/Depatures section that is filled with plenty of threads that just take up space is all. That way the the threads that should be taken seriously are actually taken seriously, and not seen as "just another departure thread."

[jellar]

Though you have a valid point, I feel the term 'bandwagon' is inappropriate. I don't think that people are posting these threads and going inactive just because everyone else is. It's not like I went on a vacation just because all the cool kids were doing it.

Though, good point otherwise.

[Dean]

If it's really that bothersome, make a sticky thread where people can post departures and such, therefor stopping the wave of threads saying people are going to be away, and tell people to post whatever reason they will be away for in the stickied thread.

[Leon Loire]

... You know Dean, I actually like that idea alot. It'd be efficient, and still have people able to let everyone know.

And again Jellar, obviously I wasn't talking about those who were making notices for being "on vacation," but still, not in the mood to repeat myself for the third time.

[Kira Karyuudo, Hikari]

dean said:

If it's really that bothersome, make a sticky thread where people can post departures and such, therefor stopping the wave of threads saying people are going to be away, and tell people to post whatever reason they will be away for in the stickied thread.

Ding ding ding! WINNAR!

I think it's high time something like that should be made.

And John, shush. (I know there's good reason for this thread, but even so.)

...just 'cause you put your 'away'-ish notice in the VIP section... xP

I still love you, though, don't worry.

[lazy]

You can put a little status report on your sig the way I did when my computer broke down. :/

[John Smith]

Or you could trick everyone into believing you're leaving for good? And then return a week later!