NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC:
Why do we allow out of character comments on this forum? I use "we" loosely here, of course.

P.S. Hack let me know if I should pose this query somewhere else. The thread I would comment on is locked :)

Well I’d always assumed it’s because Anravelle doesn’t have a darned clue what “game mechanics” is and she isn’t going to know relevant points from real life that might be relevant to proposal drafting (if you ban OOC comments in this forum, you ban OOC drafting).

I like my OOC comments, they let me articulate things I’m incapable of illustrating IC, let me communicate as a player, and let me do such things as welcome new players warmly as an individual not a character.

I’m sorry dear but I view the comments about it being “beyond the pale” as taking a small sample then generalising it to something that I view as very productive. A ban isn’t the answer in my mind as that’s almost unenforceable and impractical.

I see it as making more work for the mods and players if we ban it, there’s noting wrong with what we have in the slightest.

Well I’d always assumed it’s because Anravelle doesn’t have a darned clue what “game mechanics” is and she isn’t going to know relevant points from real life that might be relevant to proposal drafting (if you ban OOC comments in this forum, you ban OOC drafting).

I like my OOC comments, they let me articulate things I’m incapable of illustrating IC, let me communicate as a player, and let me do such things as welcome new players warmly as an individual not a character.

I’m sorry dear but I view the comments about it being “beyond the pale” as taking a small sample then generalising it to something that I view as very productive. A ban isn’t the answer in my mind as that’s almost unenforceable and impractical.

I see it as making more work for the mods and players if we ban it, there’s noting wrong with what we have in the slightest.

I can see allowing OOC comments on special threads labeled OOC, but why the rest?

We’re not clairvoyant (as far as I know) so we can’t possibly predict when OOC comments will become necessary can we? In such a case we have to allow them where relevant for the sake of practicality or entertainment.

We’re not clairvoyant (as far as I know) so we can’t possibly predict when OOC comments will become necessary can we? In such a case we have to allow them where relevant for the sake of practicality or entertainment.
OOC:
If this forum heeded that agument we'd have a lot less rules :) Practicality and entertainment do not seem sufficient arguments.

I think the problem is some people can't tell when some people are IC or OOC.

OOCness: I separate out OOC and IC things as much as possible. If a whole post is OOC, it's not narrated in any way and I sign it "Author of Wolfgang." If it's IC, I narrate and use my sig. The main times I feel necessary to use it is when I'm talking to YOU(meaning whoever I'm talking to, of course). Not your character, not you the ambassador, if that's how you do it. I'm speaking to the person at the computer. My OOC comments are generally meant as asides to the real life person behind whatever internet identity that my character was speaking with, and generally aren't meant to impact the storyline. I do sometimes let Wolfgang make references to the "RL dimension" to bring in real-world content without completely breaking what TV would call the "fourth wall."

EDIT(I was typing the above while you posted, Disco): I do agree. Sometimes people cannot separate the two things, which is needed, say, when one character insults another, and the author of the insulted character takes that insult as having been against themselves. That's why it's important to label the OOC ones, in my opinion.

Given that I virtually always post OOC as I can't be bothered with making the IC effort, and given that I'm one of the 3 or 4 primary 'enforcers' of any such rule, and given that we're not going to enforce RP etiquette on forums that aren't actually IC ... I'd say your question is moot.

This isn't labeled as an RP forum, and we're not going to force people to use it as one.

Given that I virtually always post OOC as I can't be bothered with making the IC effort, and given that I'm one of the 3 or 4 primary 'enforcers' of any such rule, and given that we're not going to enforce RP etiquette on forums that aren't actually IC ... I'd say your question is moot.

This isn't labeled as an RP forum, and we're not going to force people to use it as one.

Yes frisbeetaria, you can render every line I type here moot :) You can have a cookie.

I'm not suggesting we force people IC or OOC, across the board.

How much control would you say the thread author should have over the ratio of IC to OOC comments on their threads?

IMHO, there shouldn't be a hard & fast rule. Obviously, if a lot of people are replying with OOC posts in an IC thread, that can kill the mood. But some discussions, especially in this forum, can naturally drift into OOCness.

Here's another thing to think about. A lot of people who play this game don't necessarily have a character to be in or out of when they post. Many people simply view themselves as the ruler of their nation and therefore are "in character" all the time. Others base their character so closely on themselves that the line between an in character comment and an out of character comment is so blurred that even they may not always be able to tell the difference.

Here's another thing. Many people simply don't know how to roleplay, or they don't think it's worth their time. Usually, the people who bother to use "IC" and "OOC" labels are the ones who know, at least to an extent, what they're doing and are least likely to abuse out of character comment availability. It's the ones who don't bother separating themselves from their character and being true to the game that come up with the comments that most likely raised your ire enough to start this thread.

Besides, I find it humorous that you started an obviously out of character thread to discuss your disapproval of out of character comments within this forum. Don't you think that simply by starting this thread you kind of killed your own point?

Don't you think that simply by starting this thread you kind of killed your own point?

Yes.