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Quitting an SB



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Mon Jun 17, 2013 6:30 pm
barefootrunner says...



So, it's happened to everyone. You're working on a great SB, everything seems to be going fine, and then, one fateful day later, nobody is posting and the Storybook is declared dead.

Do you think it should become common practice to give notification to the SB creator when leaving an SB? Do you think it would help to curb serial quitting by stirring the quitter's conscience? Or would it ward off potential joiners who are afraid of commitment?

I think that notifying SB creators when you quit their SB should become a matter of common courtesy. It could prevent careless quitting, keep the creator in control and help the rest of the participants deal with character disappearances. It might even help to prevent a clutter of dead SBs in the forums, because creators will be better able to judge when they should contact a mod to archive an irrevocably dead SB.

On the other hand, it could scare potential joiners away because of the anticipated guilt of having to face an SB creator with their apologies.

So what do you say? Should etiquette be requisite?
"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts" - Einstein





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Mon Jun 17, 2013 6:47 pm
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Caesar says...



I believe most people already notify when quitting. When a SB dies suddenly though, it is not because people 'quit' but because interest is lost.

If a manager makes it a requisite, I'm sure most people won't mind.
vulgus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur







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Mon Jun 17, 2013 6:49 pm
veeren says...



The least an SB owner deserves is to be notified of your leaving. I think it would be quite rude to just stop posting without so much as a reason.

Atleast that way they'll know for sure whether you're never coming back or just taking a hiatus. They'll be able to make arrangements for their accordingly.

Then again, there's always the matter of real life things showing up, like being unexpectedly left without internet or any other form of communication for a while. You can't really tell someone about that.
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Mon Jun 17, 2013 6:50 pm
crossroads says...



Yes, I believe notifying the SB creator is in place when quitting an SB.
It doesn't have to be a big former apology, we all understand if school or offline life gets in the way of spending as much time writing as we'd like. However, it's fair to tell the other writers (perhaps via DT) that you're not going to use your character anymore, and that they're free to do with him/her as they please (or if not, note that it isn't so, and why).

I don't think it should scare anyone away, it's simply a polite thing to do, and with it it's easier to avoid confusion. Sometimes, some writers simply don't have time to post in their SBs, and I'm sure they wouldn't be too happy if they finally managed to come back later and figured someone assumed they'd quit and killed off their character. Of course, though, I take it it's also polite from the SB founders to make sure the person is gone before killing off the mentuoned character.

As for anticipated guilt..well, if they're joining an SB and already anticipate the guilt they'll feel as they decide to quit, they might wish to reconsider they decision to join :p Storybooks and participating in them shouldn't be seen as some sort of obligation, but as fun collaboration with other writers..though once you join one, it is expected and polite to, well, keep posting in it, and let the others know if for whatever reason you can/want no longer do so.
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Mon Jun 17, 2013 6:52 pm
Caesar says...



Basically what Sis and Veer said above.
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Mon Jun 17, 2013 6:54 pm
Auxiira says...



I have to agree. Almost all the SB's I'm in have just died out without any warning, and all around the same time. I don't even know why, especially since I've seen the SBers around. I'm not accusing them, I'd just like to know why.
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Mon Jun 17, 2013 6:56 pm
Caesar says...



Interest is lost. That, I believe, can't be prevented, but it can be delayed. Badgering, frequent use of newsletter, planning and plotting, and just general SB-related randomness. I'm sure Sis has five pages of material to share regarding this, but I don't have time for that.
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Mon Jun 17, 2013 7:02 pm
barefootrunner says...



I've seen that many of the more experienced SBers do post a note (in the DT or via PM) when they're going, but many of the newbies don't. Maybe we should incorporate it into the FAQ or rules pages? It's often more a case of ignorance than rudeness.
"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts" - Einstein





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Mon Jun 17, 2013 7:05 pm
Caesar says...



I don't believe so. It is a question of politeness, not knowledge, after all.
vulgus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur










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