I really want input from all members on this. Whether you're new, old, medium, or just visiting from YWO/TW, I'd appreciate your input.
What is the big change?
The Young Writers Society is five years old now! Over that time it's developed from an internet forum into an actual society. We have our own social mores, customs, and (of course) inside jokes. That's pretty cool, but the downside is we've also developed a confusing mix of rules and regulations. These rules in turn are getting in the way of YWS' mission to promote writing as a creative pastime. That is, we're not here to enforce rules or criticize; we're here to encourage.
The big change is meant to return YWS to somewhat simpler times. We're going to emphasize two big aspects: (1) down with rulemaking, and (2) up with mentoring.
Down with rulemaking!
So a week ago, I started going through YWS' rules to simplify them. I knew we had a lot, but I really had no idea. So far, I've counted up six very distinct sets of rules. That's ridiculous.
So instead of that, lets just have two sets of rules: one for the site, and another for the chatroom. Here are the proposed ones:
Rules for the Site
1. Rate topics appropriately.
2. Family friendly comments. Vulgarity in literary works is allowed.
3. Members should seek to improve one anothers' writing skills.
4. This is a writers forum, and thus "netspeak" or "1337" is simply not allowed.
5. Only let Junior Moderators and Moderators explain/enforce the rules.
Rules for the chat
1. Family Friendly.
2. No chat speak.
3. No flaming.
See how they're short and mostly just common sense anyways?
That's not it though. We're (JMs and mods) thinking about getting rid of the review ratio requirement.
The review ratio is just very confusing and always has been. So, I want to get rid of it. Instead, you just won't be allowed to post more than two new literary works per every 48 hours. This can easily be hard-coded into the site. Also, I want to emphasize the idea of "the more you review, the more you'll be reviewed." The review ratio makes reviewing seem like a chore. But the aforementioned motto makes reviewing more of an intrinsic and positive motivation.
Up With Mentoring!
We need to get away from the rules mentality. If you're not a JM or mod, then do not enforce the rules while on the site. If you're not a chat mod, then do not enforce the rules while on chat (this especially includes trying to enforce the no all-caps rule). If you think something needs to be done, then send a moderator a message. But please don't try to enforce the rules yourself.
Instead, members should be trying to help one another. Keep in mind that none of us here have hit the big-time; we're all amateurs and equal in the eyes of the publishing industry. So spend a bit of time on a review. If you're unsure of how much time to spend writing a review, 10 to 15 minutes is a pretty good rule of thumb. And also, don't hit someone with everything at once! Giving a complete and thorough critique to someone who is new to writing is a bit like a first grade teacher criticizing her students for not having a proper thesis statement.
Also, greet new people, and not with rules! Greet with a hello and a helpful hand. Trust me, you never know who is going to become a mod one day. I think if you all spent the time drudging up my posts from when I was 17 at TYWC, you'd be a bit shocked.
On the admin/moderator end of things, we're going to be doing a few things to emphasize mentoring. Some of this, you're already seeing from Snoink.
One last and major change to Instructors and Greeters
Okay, this is where user input is really going to be important because we're thinking of getting rid of the Instructor and Greeter groups.
There's several reasons for this. One, it gets rid of confusion about colors. Two, the groups have been become a bit of a status symbol and thus cliquish. Third, they cause stress! Not just when applications are denied, but a lot of people feel a sense of duty when they become an Instructor/Greeter. That seems like a good thing, but it's not. What happens is inevitably, life gets in the way. Since you feel like you have a duty, you start to feel guilty. Since you start feeling guilty, you begin avoiding YWS. Thus, we lose an awesome member who would've otherwise still popped in every now and then.
BUT, we're not totally getting rid of those groups. Instead, we're going to replace them with something else: a badge system. There would be five badges: excellence in greeting, reviewing I, reviewing II, good storybooker, and 1000 posts. With the exception of the last one, eligibility for these badges would be determined by all of you.
What we'll do is set up nomination threads open to all members. Once someone receives five nominations, they get whatever badge they were nominated for. Moderators will have the final say, but that's just to guard against abuse. All current greeters would automatically get the greeter badge, and all current instructors would automatically get the reviewing I badge.
Overall Conclusion - If You Read Nothing Else, Read This!
Overall, we're just trying to make YWS a more relaxing place. That seems a bit ironic after writing this whole big post, but there's no other way to make the shift so quickly.
Basically, just look out for another and help when you can. I created and continue to spend my time managing this web site because I remember what it's like to be really excited about writing but too afraid to share it with friends and family. YWS' strength is in taking ppl wh0 rite liek dis n turning them into an awesome writer within just six months.
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