Young Writers Society

Hey all,

Announcement

Since I added the first YWS chatroom way back in 2007, it's gone through a lot of evolution. From a humble ajax chatroom that refreshed only every 10 seconds to today's space-age Jabber chatroom, a lot of people have very fond memories of it including the question game people used to play way back when, wink murder, word wars, dragons v. monkeys, quiz games, F.R.E.D. (and Fred's Pad), and break the chat events. Many have built friendships through it, and nearly all active YWSers have used chat to connect with other young writers around the globe. There are very few places where a high-school writer from Oklahoma can connect with another young writer in Mumbai, and the YWS chat was essential to that.

But, there have also been times in the past where I felt that I had to close the chat. This is one of those times, and on January 10, the chatroom and chat bar will be closing. There are several reasons for this, but most of all, I am closing it out of concern for member safety. Just as both can be used to connect for noble purposes, they can also be used to connect for ignoble purposes.

I realize many of you will be upset by my decision, and may even feel great anger about it. This has been an agonizing decision for me personally, and I can only request that you accept my apologies. I would not be doing this if I did not feel it was necessary.


Looking Forward

Looking forward, the chatroom, though not the chat bar, will make a return every now and then for special events. These events may include special chat events like wink murder as well as days like YWS' birthday and gift weekends. Initially, it will also include Review Days, although I'm not certain yet if that will be permanent or not.

Chatwall

I'm also creating a chatwall which I'll announce in the next few days. It'll be similar to a shoutbox where users can leave text messages. It'll be a very poor alternative to real-time chatting, but I'm hoping it will preserve the idea of connecting across barriers that the current chat does so very well.


Official Alternatives

Of course, the chatroom and chat bar are not the only ways to chat in real-time on YWS -- they're just the most popular. There are three other extant alternatives:
- Word Wars
- WriterFeedPad
- TapaTalk Chatroom (download tapatalk from the app store on your Android or iPhone, and subscribe to the Young Writers Society)

There is also The Lounge, which at one time used to be filled with all sorts of eclectic topics. If there is a positive to come from this, one positive I feel would be a more vibrant Lounge. That's important even when chat is open as only a small minority of members use chat.


Unofficial Alternatives

I've already told both the GMs and JMs, and they've begun thinking of some possible off-site alternatives. Should anyone pursue such a thing, I just ask that discussion of it be in a public area like The Lounge, that it be clearly labeled as unofficial, and that the creators understand that what happens there is neither YWS' concern nor problem.


Questions?

Should you have any questions, please leave them below. This has been a very hard decision to make, and I hope you will accept my apologies.

Is there any hope of it returning in the future permanently?

AlexSushiDog wrote:Is there any hope of it returning in the future permanently?

Never say never.

I've actually closed chat before in the past, and it has come back. That could turn out to be the case here, but I cannot envision it happening for at least a year.

Aye, we have a week left. Let's make the most of it.

Well, this makes me sad. I really hope there comes a time where it can safely return.

If anyone is searching for an alternative there is the skype group and the discord chat here.

Disappointing but understandable. I think the chat bar was an amazing addition to the site and made it way easier to keep in touch with people, but nothing lasts forever.

The chatroom, on the other hand, hasn't been good since FRED left.

NOT THE CHAT BAR NOOOOOOOOO


No more RPing story ideas...no more planning storybooks...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Not particularly disappointed about chatroom, since I only went there once in August when I first joined, but chat bar saddens me. On the occasions when I was on my PC, it was nice to talk with my friends in real time. Ah, oh well. I will say that, if ever you consider readding it, I support that decision.

What Sheyren said.

Nate, can you maybe at least keep the chat bar? Pwease? Or at least bring it back sometime...

The problem with any semi-large population is that without special measures, they will destroy themselves because of the actions of a few careless, or just plain horrible people within. That problem is magnified on the internet, where policing people is next to impossible and fewer people within worry about the consequences of their actions.

So I agree with you that closing the chat might be for the best. If only because it will help settle any legal risk the site might suffer because of one of those horrible few. (If I was wrong in my assumption for why this is happening, ignore my ramble)

I wanna join in on the ramble!

Just wanted to say, as painful a blow as the closing of chat might come to some of you, all things considered it may easily prove to be a great thing. Just think about it: more focus on writing and honing of critiquing skills -- improving your own writing along with them. As Nate said, threads in the Lounge that will stay there for years to come, so some future generations can read it and we can weep with amused embarrassment. Forums thriving because every little writing question can be answered by everyone who sees the thread at any time, rather than just a handful of people in chat at the time. Not to mention all the works that are bound to emerge out of this situation, from non-fiction memoires of chat adventures to poems celebrating its life and departure, and always further -- because really, that's what we do. We take things that are interesting, or sad, or intriguing, or in any way motivational, and we turn them into cooler new things. And we miss the old things, sure, but that means we also consider it more special when they do come around again -- like chat will during review days and those other events Nate mentioned.

As for RPing and SB planning, I recommend WFP/PiratePad. They each have their bugs, but what doesn't? They're very handy for keeping all the things in one place, at least, and I've always found them the most useful when it comes to planning and plotting with other people.

I'm also gonna take a moment here to mention what everyone already probably knows, but doesn't harm being repeated: be careful with your personal info. Without the chat and the chatbar, as we can already see, other places are being created for chatting purposes, and some of them come with a certain demand for private info. Since any such places will be/are unofficial and not related to YWS, the YWS rules and consequences don't apply to them, but be careful with how much you share for your own safety nonetheless.

/end ramble

All I can say is I'm grateful for Nate's concern and think it probably is a good idea, considering all the young writers on here that really deserve to be safe. (Not that YWS is unsafe, but incidents have happened) Thanks for watching out for us Nate!

Yeah, kinda echoing the concerns of everybody else. I'm sad to see the chatbar go, but if that means that we can help fellow YWSers and keep everybody on here safe then I'm 100% behind it.

Plus I feel like an underachiever for not knowing any of the games and whatnot XD I always feel like I'm out of touch with the "underground"t things like that, lol.

We love you, Nate! Thank you so much for working hard to keep us safe.

AlexSushiDog wrote:If anyone is searching for an alternative there is the skype group and the discord chat here.

I cannot access it anymore.