Common Courtesy in the Cbox

While a Cbox provides members of a roleplay with the beneficial opportunity to communicate quickly with each other, guests, and potential members, it can also cause many problems. Any experienced roleplayer knows just how much trouble a Cbox can cause due to common mistakes in Cbox etiquette. The common mistakes are what have caused so many people to place rules above their Cboxes asking members to be courteous and respectful- but what about all of those little mistakes that people tend to make? What about all of those subtle things that tend to irritate people and drag the community down?

In order to avoid the troublesome results of poor behavior in Cboxes, I have created this documentation. Below you will find information on some things which tend to rub people the wrong way even though they may not be downright malicious. They're common mistakes, though it is my hope that this documentation will make them less common. Sometimes people just need to be told once.;)

1) "I'm bored."
Statements such as this one tend to upset people, administrators and regular members alike- especially when used frequently. They can be considered insulting to the people who are threading with you, and it seems that admins often become frustrated with members who say this because they feel like those members should be taking the initiative to find threading and plotting opportunities for themselves. Although admins are often more than willing to lend a helping hand once in a while, they can't constantly worry about finding things for every member to do. If you're bored, try contacting another member about starting up a new thread. Asking other members if they'd like to thread in the Cbox is a perfectly acceptable thing to do in most games. Rather than saying "I'm bored" and waiting for people to offer you an opportunity, bring the opportunities to others! If, for some reason, you find that you're constantly bored and can't find anything to do in a game, perhaps it's time for you to move on.

2) "Woe is me!"
Although roleplaying communities can become fairly tight-knit groups, and members are often interested in knowing about the things going on in their roleplaying partners' lives, telling everyone about how awful your life has been in the Cbox is generally considered poor behavior. Some things just aren't appropriate for Cbox discussion (talk of abuse, personal family issues, and relationship trouble), and even little things tend to bring the atmosphere of the game into an unpleasant state when they crowd the OOC discussions. Keep in mind that people roleplay as a hobby. They often get to roleplaying when they want to relieve stress and take a break from their own hectic lives. Even if they aren't trying to get a break, they may want to be able to roleplay without having to worry about your personal drama. Try not to bring down the people around you!

3) Show an interest in others. Don't talk about yourself too much!
It's easy to get caught up in talking about yourself, but in every type of social situation it's important to remember that showing an interest in the people around you will make you seem more likable. Constantly posting messages about what you're doing, what you think, what your character is up to, and how interesting your experiences have been is bound to eventually get on the nerves of other players. Something as simple as asking "How are you today?" or commenting on something another player wrote that you enjoyed can be a real pick-me-up in the Cbox, and it can certainly make a game more appealing to potential members that are trying to find out if a game's community is one they'd feel comfortable with.

4) Avoid criticizing the work of others, and remember that sarcasm doesn't always translate well.
Sometimes things slip and they aren't always obviously malicious, but it's important to remember that it's easy for people to misinterpret the written (typed) word. You may say something in jest, but someone else could easily be offended by it because your words weren't clear. Try not to comment on others' work in a negative or critical way, and remember that your sarcasm may not be interpreted as sarcasm. It should go without saying that blatantly insulting players or their writing in a Cbox is a serious offense, and it should never be done if you want to be considered a considerate participant in Cbox discussion.

5) Don't use the Cbox too much.
It may sound a bit crazy, but too much activity in the Cbox can bother some people- especially admins. While it's good to have people paying attention to the Cbox so they are available to answer questions and they can catch messages left for them (tags, for example), it's not good to get so caught up in the Cbox discussions that you neglect the other parts of the site. Your in-character responsibilities should come before a little fun in the Cbox. Also, if you find that you're getting into a lengthy discussion in the Cbox, try to move the discussion to PM or an instant messenger to avoid causing others' messages to get pushed back and lost.