Post by Admin on May 18, 2020 14:30:32 GMT -8
Staff Code of Conduct
As a staff member, you will not only be held to the Member's Code of Conduct; your duties require fairness, patience, altruism, kindness, and intelligence, but you'll be expected to follow an additional set of rules. To supplement the Member's Code of Conduct, we have these guidelines for being the helpful hand that members need throughout their forum experience. So many people have been let down by inept and selfish staff members prioritizing their friends and their own stories over the people they're supposed to be helping that have no way of fighting back. We need to be better than that. I sincerely hope that this helps all of us learn from those mistakes.
1. Try to understand the problem each member brings to you.
The last time you had a problem, and you had to go to someone else to fix it, you probably didn't feel great, right? No one likes being unable to solve their problems. At most, some people are just "okay" with doing that. But really, relying on each other for help is built into us. It's a human thing. We're born relying on others and we are relied upon as we get older. Every time you start to get frustrated trying to solve a member's problem, remember that you've been just as helpless and lost before. And sometimes, just like them, the solution has been right in front of our noses the entire time. Don't get angry at them for it; just help them along and give them the resources to help themselves next time. And if you can't fix the problem yourself, don't be afraid to ask your fellow staff members for help. Someone is bound to be free at the time to help you. We're here for each other to rely on too, not just for the members to rely on.
2. Process your staff assignments carefully but promptly.
We have our own lives, not to mention our threads to post in, so it's okay to get caught up in other stuff. But again, we have to think of other standpoints. It sucks to wait two weeks for approval on an application or a request. Roleplaying is already a slow business, so we don't need to slow it down much more. Try to do what you can, when you can. Keep tabs on your tasks, set limits to determine what's overdue (a week past date of posting, usually), and if you can't make time for it, let one of your fellow staff members know. Again, we're here to help each other as much as we are the members. If you can't make time at all to do your staff duties, then yes, you will be demoted to a less demanding position. This isn't a bad thing, it's just what your life might need at the moment. What's important is that we keep things running at a smooth, consistent pace. Taking time away from staff is a completely okay thing to do, so don't be afraid to let everyone know you need a little vacation.
4. Do not bring your interpersonal feelings into judgments.
Just like in the Member's Code of Conduct, just because you might not like a person doesn't mean they deserve an unfair judgment on their application or request. As a staff member, you have to be able to block that part of your emotions away; you have to see only what is in front of you, and that's how they've written their character and the story arcs of that character. Give them credit where it is due, and if you're worried that your feelings are leaking in, ask for a second opinion on your judgment from another staff member (more importantly, someone who doesn't share those feelings about that member). This extends the other way as well: if you fancy another member and you're worried you might be going too easy on them when they need chastising or rejection for their request, remember that you wouldn't want that treatment for yourself. You'd want to earn that promotion, right? Well, even if you were fine with just having it handed to you, don't treat the conflicts and requests in your hands as opportunities to show affection or disapproval. You will be punished for it. This ties into the final and most important rule.
5. Never abuse your out-of-character power, ever.
You aren't god. You are someone volunteering to help other people out so that everyone can write a new story together. There is nothing to gain from trying to bolster your character through the privilege you have as a staff member. All you're doing when you abuse that power is making it blatantly obvious to everyone else that the world they're playing in is no longer worth their time and effort because they don't have an honest shot. If you're using your staff privileges to your ends, you will be confronted on it and likely removed from staff, potentially banned. Don't be an asshole.
As a staff member, you will not only be held to the Member's Code of Conduct; your duties require fairness, patience, altruism, kindness, and intelligence, but you'll be expected to follow an additional set of rules. To supplement the Member's Code of Conduct, we have these guidelines for being the helpful hand that members need throughout their forum experience. So many people have been let down by inept and selfish staff members prioritizing their friends and their own stories over the people they're supposed to be helping that have no way of fighting back. We need to be better than that. I sincerely hope that this helps all of us learn from those mistakes.
1. Try to understand the problem each member brings to you.
The last time you had a problem, and you had to go to someone else to fix it, you probably didn't feel great, right? No one likes being unable to solve their problems. At most, some people are just "okay" with doing that. But really, relying on each other for help is built into us. It's a human thing. We're born relying on others and we are relied upon as we get older. Every time you start to get frustrated trying to solve a member's problem, remember that you've been just as helpless and lost before. And sometimes, just like them, the solution has been right in front of our noses the entire time. Don't get angry at them for it; just help them along and give them the resources to help themselves next time. And if you can't fix the problem yourself, don't be afraid to ask your fellow staff members for help. Someone is bound to be free at the time to help you. We're here for each other to rely on too, not just for the members to rely on.
2. Process your staff assignments carefully but promptly.
We have our own lives, not to mention our threads to post in, so it's okay to get caught up in other stuff. But again, we have to think of other standpoints. It sucks to wait two weeks for approval on an application or a request. Roleplaying is already a slow business, so we don't need to slow it down much more. Try to do what you can, when you can. Keep tabs on your tasks, set limits to determine what's overdue (a week past date of posting, usually), and if you can't make time for it, let one of your fellow staff members know. Again, we're here to help each other as much as we are the members. If you can't make time at all to do your staff duties, then yes, you will be demoted to a less demanding position. This isn't a bad thing, it's just what your life might need at the moment. What's important is that we keep things running at a smooth, consistent pace. Taking time away from staff is a completely okay thing to do, so don't be afraid to let everyone know you need a little vacation.
4. Do not bring your interpersonal feelings into judgments.
Just like in the Member's Code of Conduct, just because you might not like a person doesn't mean they deserve an unfair judgment on their application or request. As a staff member, you have to be able to block that part of your emotions away; you have to see only what is in front of you, and that's how they've written their character and the story arcs of that character. Give them credit where it is due, and if you're worried that your feelings are leaking in, ask for a second opinion on your judgment from another staff member (more importantly, someone who doesn't share those feelings about that member). This extends the other way as well: if you fancy another member and you're worried you might be going too easy on them when they need chastising or rejection for their request, remember that you wouldn't want that treatment for yourself. You'd want to earn that promotion, right? Well, even if you were fine with just having it handed to you, don't treat the conflicts and requests in your hands as opportunities to show affection or disapproval. You will be punished for it. This ties into the final and most important rule.
5. Never abuse your out-of-character power, ever.
You aren't god. You are someone volunteering to help other people out so that everyone can write a new story together. There is nothing to gain from trying to bolster your character through the privilege you have as a staff member. All you're doing when you abuse that power is making it blatantly obvious to everyone else that the world they're playing in is no longer worth their time and effort because they don't have an honest shot. If you're using your staff privileges to your ends, you will be confronted on it and likely removed from staff, potentially banned. Don't be an asshole.