Guidelines on Role Playing in the 7Cups Community!
Hello, 7 Cupsians!
During all these years, we have taken steps to make the group chat rooms and forums safer, friendlier, engaging, and positive spaces to interact and participate in. Recently, it was brought to our attention that rules regarding role-playing are vague and confusing. Through this post, we have tried to add more clarity on the topic, in an effort to resolve the confusion and to ensure that participation in forums and chat rooms remains in alignment with our community goals and values.
With this in mind, we have decided that role-playing would not be allowed. An exception to the rule! Supportive phrases such as “sending beams, offering virtual hugs, etc.” can be used.
Role-playing defined as an act out or perform the part of a person or character.
We understand and acknowledge the fact that the intent is positive. For instance, it could be just to have casual and lighthearted interaction moments with fellow members. However, group support is dynamic in nature, and role-play may lead to unwanted confusion and chaos. As a result, community users will be unable to find the timely support and care they deserve and need at that time.
Our goal is to ensure our chat rooms are inclusive for all and everyone finds a home in this space to connect and interact with fellow members in order to feel supported, comforted, and heard.
The treatment of role-playing under the Behavioral Rating System will be under the category of “Being unsupportive” & “Being Inappropriate” and the points will be assigned as per the intensity of violation.
Moving forward any comments, posts, story related to role-playing will be immediately removed and warning, mute or behavioral points will be assigned.
If you have questions or concerns about this, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
We aim to provide the best support experience to our community members. To keep the community supportive and safe for all requires our collective efforts and support. And, for that, your support and efforts will be much appreciated.
Edits: It seems without examples, what is acceptable and unacceptable confusing. But, thanks to Rebecca for sharing the examples to clear it and she is right. Here as Rebecca said, "Gives out cookies and high fives are fine, I think it's if people are more intense in their role-playing. Like the family tree role-play scenario, where people are different "family members" to the exclusion of everyone else in the chat."
Role-play scenarios like creating a story and involved in it all by oneself and no inclusivity, or a family tree, or inappropriate ones are unhelpful.
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Thank you Obs for the clarification.
I've never really thought of something like sending beams as being connected to role play. If something like that is an exception where does more pretend virtual gestures fall? Ie. Gives out cookies.
That is something that has been a part of the culture here for quite some time so may be a bit of a jump to move away from that for a while if that's the goal.
@AffyAvo
Gives out cookies and high fives are fine, I think it's if people are more intense in their role playing. Like the family tree role play scenario, where people are different "family members" to the exclusion of everyone else in the chat.
@rebecca947 It's good to have this clarification, but disappointing that the original post said it was "an effort to resolve the confusion" yet managed to introduce more confusion in the very next paragraph.
When someone posts information for the community and it's unclear, I would suggest that it's not enough for some other person to clarify in the comments. Many people will only read the original post—they'll not wade through all the comments to try and work out what it really means, and they should not have to.
Also, it's never clear whether the person trying to clarify has the authority to contradict the original poster. It seems to me that the original poster, in this case @ASilentObserver , should correct the original post when lack of clarity has been exposed.
If I remember right, we've seen this kind of thing happen before a few times. It seems obvious that having the discussion in advance, and only changing the rules after the wording has been corrected, would help to prevent these recurring problems.
And another issue is that the rules governing what people are allowed to do on 7 Cups have parted company with our Community Guidelines. It would be very helpful to have a complete set of guidelines all in one place, once again.
Charlie
@rebecca947 Thanks for giving more clarification. Some of the pretend around food has gone beyond a token cookie as a form of recognition, it took me a little while to get used to it
Even the pretend relationships has a culture here, in the group chat early days one of the small groups of mods was 'mom' to many, including some of the other mods.
The twins mentioned below is interesting, some here use it as the same I know what people do in real life - joke about a birthday twin, a shoe twin, etc. but some take it a little further.
@AffyAvo
me neither. Sounds pretty un role playing like to me.
@ASilentObserver
This is very much unclear to me . Could anyone give any examples of what kind of statements / actions denote "Role Playing " and should be avoided ?
I don't actively take part in it , but I'd like to know, if there's anything else I may avoid to be on a safer side .
Is sending hugs bad in groups ?😮
@Optimisticempath it is acceptable Empath. Supportive phrases and lines are allowed.
@ASilentObserver
Thankyou .
Please clarify what is role playing behavior?
@ASilentObserver Thank you for the clarification. Sending beams ;)
thank you for the clarification and important reminder!
@ASilentObserver
Thank you for clearing this up, Obs! You're awesome
@ASilentObserver
Thank you obs.
From this post I understand Role-playing is not allowed, and will be treated with behavioral points if used.
Sending beams and hugs in the room is a way to show support in cyberspace where bodylanguage is missing. I never thought of it as role playing.
To make this post even clearer could you please clarify and my give examples to what would be considered role-play?
//Harmony
@musicalHarmony Examples like family tree, story plots, inappropriate story lines are excluded Harmony while phrases like sending beams, hugs, cookies, etc are allowed.
@ASilentObserver can you please write an example of inappropriate roleplay in form of family tree, story plots, inappropriate story line in order to clarify us what is meant with family tree, story plots, inappropriate story line? I don't understand entirelly what is being mentioned with it despiet of all the clarifications above. Sorry.
I’m super confused—would this mean that offering/accepting a hug to someone is not allowed in group chats? If so, how is this seen as “being unsupportive”? These instances have only happened with me personally a handful of times, and I haven’t seen it as negative. I have, however, always found it strange when people offer virtual food in rooms—but I typically ignore it.
@TheJenInBlack
Nope, those are still allowed! :)
@TheJenInBlack They are allowed Jen.
Thank you for clearing that up! :)