Abusive people exist in real life, and so too on the internet. A healthy community sends people like that on their way in due time. Good to see that this is a healthy community.
Patience is a virtue, but the 'iron fist' is reserved for those who can't take a hint.Hey there, y'all!
Some not-so-kosher events have reminded Leadership of the importance of patience as a virtue on this website.
With the founding of Umbra to its current state - the leadership team has been naïve to think that we could expect users to treat one another with dignity and respect, and it has come to my attention that this means some incidents slip through the cracks with behaviors that aren't explicitly against our rules but are repeated.
We had, up until this point, run on the honor system of users interacting appropriately with one another, in giving grace and recognizing the importance of life in the interactions we have as a group of writers.
We were hopeful, and as I mentioned, naïve.
I have been reminded of this as a result of the removal of a user that has pressured multiple partners into speedy responses, accusing them of lying if they did not provide a reply within a few hours of mentioning that they were working on a post, and providing for lack of a better term, shitty commentary directed at their personal values.
That isn't okay.
Current rules outline that harassment constitutes an umbrella term for different behaviors, including solicitation of sexual contact, repeated contact after discomfort has been expressed, stalking, unsolicited flirtation, and more.
So it is at this point that we are formalizing the following.
We are now instituting a clause related to soliciting replies to stories.
Repeated solicitation of responses for conversation and roleplay (within 24 hours of the last contact) will now be included in our definition of harassment.
Everyone on this site is an adult with an adult life, sometimes kids, multiple jobs, and other priorities.
You are not entitled to being someone's priority as someone they take on as a roleplay partner.
You are not entitled to their immediate, constant attention, and users who push for responses more than once in 24 hours will fall under our harassment policy. Each user is entitled to at least 24 hours to respond.
Just so you know, this will not be enforced like an iron fist - it won't impact many, but it will provide a safety net for those establishing connections with new partners. This is to support you.
I will be honest and blunt with you all in that it is fucked up that I am at a point where I feel this is necessary.
It's another instance of a few ruining it for everyone, but to protect users, I will put it into formal notice.