Also, please note the following rules with regards to inactivity:
- If a handler has not posted "away" for the entirety of one calendar month, then they must post at least once per character in said month to be considered active.
- One-day inactivity notices do not count towards the inactivity timer, as they are not considered to be significant enough to prevent posting.
- Any given handler cannot post as "Away"' for more than four weeks of any six week period, barring severe real-life extenuating circumstances (being in the hospital or another country without internet access, say, as opposed to being busy with schoolwork). Away notices exceeding this cap will be ignored and the inactivity timer will continue.
- While we do not typically police chat or non-RP activity while a handler is Away, in certain circumstances it may be cause for an Away to be nullified. This specifically applies to cases where either the Away is obviously resolved (if you post Away due to a total lack of internet, say, and then are online for hours a day every day) or cases where an Away is particularly long-term (if you're gone for over two weeks but have time to be hanging around for hours a day, you can probably find time to dash out a post, even if it's not a masterpiece).
We do not, however, require you to sequester yourself or limit your community engagement during Aways as part of the process. We're aware that the community can be an important support network and don't want to limit access to that, and we're aware that sometimes circumstances are such that someone can engage with others but not write for whatever reason. We only consider cancelling Aways in instances of abuse or significant game detriment—it hasn't happened in well over half a decade, and we don't expect it to happen anytime soon. - If you are Away but find yourself with time to dash off a post, feel free to do so! If you're still Away and the spare time is a one-time thing, just PM any staffer to let them know, and your Away notice will not be cancelled. It would be absurd to punish handlers for being responsible above and beyond the call of duty, especially since it's something we love to see.
This is not the thread to post that your activity will be reduced, as doing so clutters it up and makes it harder for staff to track. If you're just leaving a courtesy note, please do so in the reduced activity thread.
The code is:Template wrote:Handler: Your name goes here. Use your forum handle, so we can easily find you in the list.
Dates Away: Post the dates you are away for here (January 5 2011-February 7 2011, say). Please spell out the months, so we can tell what you mean; dd/mm/yy is not the standard in every country. Do not leave this open-ended; if you have to, estimate high and return early or renew as required.
Days Away: The total number of days away goes here. This saves you from staff math errors late at night. DO NOT give a range. Pick a single, specific number. If in doubt, estimate high and then come back early if you are able. If you give a range, staff will give you the lowest number you put in.
Reason for Away: Here is where you say why you're gone.
Characters: List your characters here.
After this, feel free to put whatever you want, but you must have this template completely filled out to be counted as away.
Code: Select all
Handler:
Dates Away:
Days Away:
Reason for Away:
Characters: Do not edit any Away posts to adjust content. Do not edit posts to say you are back. Do not change your dates Away. If there's an issue or an update, make a new post for it, or staff won't find your changes and you may run into inactivity troubles. If you need to extend your Away for whatever reason, that is totally fine—just repost to cover the new dates (and only the new dates) that you will be Away.Example wrote:Handler: Mini_Help
Dates Away: April 1, 2023 - April 9, 2023
Days Away: 9
Reason for Away: I'm serving as an example and thus not allowed to post for nine days.
Characters: Brigadier-General Adams, Ritzy Daggers, Victor Danya
Finally, a note on "babysitting." Babysitting was a practice in which handlers allowed others to write their characters while they were gone. This is still allowed (though heavily discouraged as it tends to produce unsatisfactory results), but the presence or absence of a babysitter has absolutely no effect on inactivity. You post yourself Away for however long you are Away for, and your inactivity dates are adjusted based on that. If you decide to have a babysitter, that's fine, but it is only to keep up your characters' momentum/keep things going with their threadmates. You personally are still responsible for posting with them by their adjusted inactivity date, and failure to do so will bear the usual results (inactivity).
