Open Doors with the Admin (Ongoing Event)

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Rei

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Aug 11, 2019
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Hey there, darling Umbrites.

It's been a super hectic last couple of months - and I know it isn't easy to shake off the gross vibes that have come with it - but we've risen from the ashes before - a little shakedown is more than reasonable for our site.

Part of that is my recognition that we are unlike any other roleplaying site I have been a part of.

Our community aims to encourage its users to write and connect in a way that encourages empathy, clear communication, and accountability. Those can be difficult, and while I've been setting the stage to allow those first two, I understand that there is concern regarding the third.

So I wanted to create this space as an ongoing place for you to ask questions - whether it be about how parts of the site run, about decisions the leadership team has made (because we are a team - above all else), and even about things that you feel we need to be held accountable on as well.

It can be uncomfortable and weird - but it is essential. Remember, Umbra is not a site of therapists - nor is anyone credentialed to take on the mental health of one another. We also do not expect any of our members to hold that role for one another.

So this is your space - Ask Me Anything about the site and its dealings.

(Have something to ask, but you're nervous about it? Submit through this anonymous form)
 
I didn't really notice any gross vibes. Was this something related to the discord? Cause I never use that.

One thing I've been curious about, is how some people have badges that are pink numbers, and it says 'staff favourites'. And I recall another thread someone talked about favouritism, so I'm curious what that's all about? There's a story I remember hearing (might have been in one of Fukuyama's books) about boyars in either Russia or Hungary being at one point officially ranked in order of importance, as a way of getting them to fight each other over status so they would never unite against the tsar. That was the first thing that came to mind when I started seeing those pink numbers.
 
I've just joined the site a few days ago, i haven't seen anything weird here yet. Still getting to know the website but as for now i'm satisfied with what i've seen :)

Glad to hear - you can pop in here with any questions you have!

I didn't really notice any gross vibes. Was this something related to the discord? Cause I never use that.

One thing I've been curious about, is how some people have badges that are pink numbers, and it says 'staff favourites'. And I recall another thread someone talked about favouritism, so I'm curious what that's all about? There's a story I remember hearing (might have been in one of Fukuyama's books) about boyars in either Russia or Hungary being at one point officially ranked in order of importance, as a way of getting them to fight each other over status so they would never unite against the tsar. That was the first thing that came to mind when I started seeing those pink numbers.
Technically it did include the site discord, but it also bled over here onto the site. I have done my best to keep the privacy of those involved, but that seems to be working against me.

Those numbers only count up the number of staff badges users have received - There is no intended meaning behind it - it came with an update to our medal system and defaults to 'staff favorite badges'. If it is something that would be more beneficial to be removed, I can definitely do that - But I can understand that concern/understanding.
 
I have found the Umbra Discord a bit draining so have stayed away from it for the most part. I like the site overall, but have yet to get myself fully engaged into roleplaying here other than with one person I knew from another RP site. I do plan on addressing that and see how it goes. I will say that the drama has not gone unnoticed in the short time I have been here, and I know that sort of thing saps the life energy out of sites.
 
I have found the Umbra Discord a bit draining so have stayed away from it for the most part. I like the site overall, but have yet to get myself fully engaged into roleplaying here other than with one person I knew from another RP site. I do plan on addressing that and see how it goes. I will say that the drama has not gone unnoticed in the short time I have been here, and I know that sort of thing saps the life energy out of sites.
I appreciate this input - The drama should no longer be an issue.

Do you have any questions that you would like to ask in relation to it?
 
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i also agree with this. it seems like there is a lot of interpersonal drama between members and staff that bleed out onto the site for others to see.

now for my own input.

i will be completely honest here and put myself out there amongst the friends ive made here, but the drama that i saw when i first arrived here immediately made me afraid to interact with staff or to involve myself in a community where those kind of things happen and where people act out. it did feel clique like from that point of view, as ive heard people on several farewell threads speak about. it reminded me a lot of other websites id been on, where things always fall apart socially amongst peers and staff. ive been on the internet and in social circles on forums and chats for well over a decade now, and it's something i can quickly pick up on.

something else i will say, and maybe it's because im just an over thinker or it's my trauma, but the friendliness that i was introduced with in contrast to the social unrest that was happening made me put my guard up even more, because it felt like almost like there was things going on behind closed doors, and that everyone was trying to keep up a guise of a super tight knit community. the drama also makes people hesitant to share their true feelings, because their is a faulty sense of trust.

sorry if any of my words came out cruel. i mean no harm, and hope my perspectives from being a more newer user can help others understand possibly why some other users may seem afraid. im also a Sagittarius so im blunt to a fault : ' )

i love you all, and know us humans can be fickle creatures.
 
I have found Umbra welcoming and friendly since I joined, but I think I am a bit on its periphery. It does feel to me like a safe and sociable space to explore.

The one thing I have found hard - and still do - is to know the rules that apply to role play here. I think there may be conventions as to style and post length, also to how one is allowed to perceive and sometimes participate in the story, with which I am still totally at sea. It sometimes feels like editorial guidelines can be very strict but I don't know them.
 
If there weren't announcements about it, I would have never known there was drama and issues going on in the first place.

Discord/Chat rooms are places where drama can happen very quickly and easily. I know a lot of sites have discord specific mods (might not be a bad idea) to nip that kind of stuff before it starts, and if it continues they get suspended or even banned from the discord server. If the drama leaks onto the site, wishenpoof their asses out. I am empathetic towards a lot of issues, but causing drama is a no-go zone for me, also the block button is very useful to keep people who you don't like conversing with silent, you don't have to read their shit, and they don't read yours, it is a beautiful world.

Sorry for all the swearing, but people who cause drama and those who just don't know how to avoid it really grinds my gears.

So the TL/DR version is: more mods for discord, have consequences for the drama instigator and those who fuel it.
 
Why is it that I am now locked out of being able to answer Dms? kind of dumb in my opinion to lock people out of the Dms they are answering and have been answering. Been using the site for over a year locking people from answering Dms sounds like a bad thing to be doing, or forcing them to post in public forums to gain access to it sounds like a borderline power trip and controling.
 
i also agree with this. it seems like there is a lot of interpersonal drama between members and staff that bleed out onto the site for others to see.

now for my own input.

i will be completely honest here and put myself out there amongst the friends ive made here, but the drama that i saw when i first arrived here immediately made me afraid to interact with staff or to involve myself in a community where those kind of things happen and where people act out. it did feel clique like from that point of view, as ive heard people on several farewell threads speak about. it reminded me a lot of other websites id been on, where things always fall apart socially amongst peers and staff. ive been on the internet and in social circles on forums and chats for well over a decade now, and it's something i can quickly pick up on.

something else i will say, and maybe it's because im just an over thinker or it's my trauma, but the friendliness that i was introduced with in contrast to the social unrest that was happening made me put my guard up even more, because it felt like almost like there was things going on behind closed doors, and that everyone was trying to keep up a guise of a super tight knit community. the drama also makes people hesitant to share their true feelings, because their is a faulty sense of trust.

sorry if any of my words came out cruel. i mean no harm, and hope my perspectives from being a more newer user can help others understand possibly why some other users may seem afraid. im also a Sagittarius so im blunt to a fault : ' )

i love you all, and know us humans can be fickle creatures.
Absolutely. I appreciate it.

The overarching issue was always between members of staff, unfortunately. At no point have we (as a collective group of staff members) had any issues with members in particular. As a means of addressing ongoing issues, the staff member at the source was demoted to member status. This was Allura.

Much of the drama comes from a longstanding issue of communicating concerns and a feeling of entitlement to positions because of intensity of dedication and time invested. Her dedication to the site is indoubtable, but the way she has taken to expressing her concerns and issues was and is not acceptable. Lashing out at someone as a member of staff, isn't okay. Taking steps to share with members factually inaccurate statements about other members in the guise of "venting" and establishing closeness isnt okay.

The tension and drama have come from her failure to take accountability for actions and my own personal issue associated with "cutting the cord" so to speak.

I provided far too many opportunities under the hope she would learn and grow. Instead, the behaviors and malicious conversations continued.

I have now officially taken those steps. To be honest - the team that is here does practice what we preach regarding communication and openness.

I have found Umbra welcoming and friendly since I joined, but I think I am a bit on its periphery. It does feel to me like a safe and sociable space to explore.

The one thing I have found hard - and still do - is to know the rules that apply to role play here. I think there may be conventions as to style and post length, also to how one is allowed to perceive and sometimes participate in the story, with which I am still totally at sea. It sometimes feels like editorial guidelines can be very strict but I don't know them.
I definitely get that!

We have some guides in the Member resources area to help with these! You aren't alone at all in it.

Here is a link to one of our guide pages to support you!


If there weren't announcements about it, I would have never known there was drama and issues going on in the first place.

Discord/Chat rooms are places where drama can happen very quickly and easily. I know a lot of sites have discord specific mods (might not be a bad idea) to nip that kind of stuff before it starts, and if it continues they get suspended or even banned from the discord server. If the drama leaks onto the site, wishenpoof their asses out. I am empathetic towards a lot of issues, but causing drama is a no-go zone for me, also the block button is very useful to keep people who you don't like conversing with silent, you don't have to read their shit, and they don't read yours, it is a beautiful world.

Sorry for all the swearing, but people who cause drama and those who just don't know how to avoid it really grinds my gears.

So the TL/DR version is: more mods for discord, have consequences for the drama instigator and those who fuel it.

Thank you for this input here.

The issue right now with moderation is the number of people we have available. I am happy to reiterate that consequences have been enforced and I will be working on putting together a formal set of procedures to hold everyone accountable for any drama that might begin.

Why is it that I am now locked out of being able to answer Dms? kind of dumb in my opinion to lock people out of the Dms they are answering and have been answering. Been using the site for over a year locking people from answering Dms sounds like a bad thing to be doing, or forcing them to post in public forums to gain access to it sounds like a borderline power trip and controling.
Hi there, glad to have you here. Thank you for your input.

This was put into effect shortly after the site upgrade occurred. We had an increase in the number of spam bots that were joining the site. This has been in effect since earlier this year. I can link the update when I am no longer on mobile to make the process easier for you.

Posting a note/message in any area of the site opens the ability to message other users directly, so you should be able to access it now without issue!

I definitely appreciate that input on it, but I would rather ask active users to make a single post on the forums than to need to go behind and write apologies or have our members harassed by spambots.
 
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My question is about the site chat. Why is it that we have a discord (where I would have to grant people I write with a much deeper entry into my life, as I have accounts linked to my discord profile) rather than an on-site chat as so many other similar roleplaying sites have?

It seems to create a situation where someone who doesn't want to join the discord (but would otherwise love to chat) is locked out of the more social aspects of this site. Which, in my experience, does translate to finding it more difficult to get roleplay.

The site staff and members do seem lovely and friendly, and I would appreciate getting to know people further without having to go off-site.

Edit to add: Also in my experience, discord chats turn into discord DMs which can be so much more difficult to moderate and create a rife environment for drama to pop up without moderator interference.
 
My question is about the site chat. Why is it that we have a discord (where I would have to grant people I write with a much deeper entry into my life, as I have accounts linked to my discord profile) rather than an on-site chat as so many other similar roleplaying sites have?

It seems to create a situation where someone who doesn't want to join the discord (but would otherwise love to chat) is locked out of the more social aspects of this site. Which, in my experience, does translate to finding it more difficult to get roleplay.

The site staff and members do seem lovely and friendly, and I would appreciate getting to know people further without having to go off-site.

Edit to add: Also in my experience, discord chats turn into discord DMs which can be so much more difficult to moderate and create a rife environment for drama to pop up without moderator interference.
These are some wonderful thoughts here and I really appreciate you bringing them here!

To be entirely transparent - it was to replace things that already existed, and to avoid bringing in new costs. We'd had a discord prior to the site's reboot - and instead of thinking the road of onsite communication - focus had been placed on at least getting the site back to where we were and not far enough to what we could be.

I've actually been discussing the potential for incorporating the on-site chatbox, but I need to wait until we have our next update/paycheck to ensure I have the resources to be able to afford whatever site add-on I will need for that. The update will be going into effect Monday - and I believe I have proper finances set aside for it - so that opportunity should become available soon.

However - there are some aspects of Discord that are beneficial - for things like hosting live showings and game night events - these are things we've done before, and the voice and activity capabilities really make that helpful.

In a perfect world, I would be able to keep a discord available for media-based communications, memes, videos, activities, so on - and we could have more in-depth conversation here in the site chatbox.

So I will get to work on that!
 
I can totally understand the useful aspects of Discord for voice chatting, game nights, etc. While I wouldn't participate in those (since I prefer not to use voice) I do understand how they aren't something you would want to suddenly stop if it's been that way for a while! I appreciate you explaining in detail.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for the on-site chatbox, though I totally understand if the funds just aren't there.

Whatever happens, you've all been great to me so far and the site is very pretty and easy to navigate around, so you've done a great job with it despite the dramas.
 
Hey everyone! Just wanted to pop in here for a minute and say I hope you all are doing well!

It's great to have this space to air out any frustrations or have any questions answered. That's what makes Umbra different, in my opinion, than most other RP sites that there are.

Despite some of the drama that has occurred recently that would normally shake a site and its users to its core, we stood fast! As Rei said, we have risen through the ashes before and that couldn't be more true.

I encourage you all to take advantage of this space and know that you are amon some pretty amazing people here.

Have a great week ahead, everyone!
 
There's been drama recently?

I've been deep in playing the new zelda game the last week, and then dealing with life stuff for the past couple before that, so I didn't notice anything while lurking on occasion. So at least there's that, if someone hasn't been keeping super active they wouldn't know about any drama.

But I do appreciate the transparency! Love communication. ^^
 
I never really noticed any drama, but every site had it. But, from what my interactions and what I have seen, I know the staff are doing their best to run such a big site and give us writers a platform to go absolutely wild with our imagination and our trusty keyboards. To the staff, I know you are working to make this a fun interactive site, we appreciate your hard work and openess! It's not easy to do something on such a big scale, but y'all are on fire. A round of applause for you! I am happy I got reccomended this site to join and write until my little horsey heart pops <3 I will try to help where I can!
Stay hot to trot,
Luna the shy centaur

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Horse Bee GIF
 
I can totally understand the useful aspects of Discord for voice chatting, game nights, etc.

Hey everyone! Just wanted to pop in here for a minute and say I hope you all are doing well! ......

There's been drama recently?....

I never really noticed any drama, but every site had it. ....
I am so very thankful for each of you coming in and sharing your thoughts and hopes - it is an important space to be able to maintain, and seeing feedback helps me as well in thinking about new things.