Jail Channel

[phoenixdoll]

Hi folks! There's been a lot of banter about the jail channel lately.

I can't see any policy relating to the jail channel's usage for ooc chatter, and in fact, i actually find it preferable to see a prisoner who hasn't got RP just chatting oocly in there with their jailors/bards/physicians. I feel like it helps ease bleed because it's a reminder that we're all here OOCly to play a game together, if not friends OOC.

I remember when I was in jail channel I felt really uncomfortable spamming it asking for RP. A few times I tried to chat using it as another ooc channel just for banter and I was told to not spam the chat.

I ended up having only 1 non interrogation RP scene in an OOC week of imprisonment. So that's.. three RP scenes in an OOC week of imprisonment, with two of those being interrogations. OOF. That's intense, and actually not good for bleed!!

Jail already sucks, but I felt alienated from the player base by the "only use this chat for arranging rp" which made me uncomfortable to message on it.

I've seen a few people request to not spam the jail channel, and that's fair enough. Except, the person who was requesting it not be spammed wasn't able to come RP at the moment. Also fair!

I think it is much more reasonable for the person who needs to despam to turn jail off (by typing jail) and then using jail history to have a look to see if there has been any RP requests once they are able to RP with prisoners, rather than policing prisoners using the jail channel as a kind of pressure valve release with some friendly banter.

Do you know that I was given the advice to change my who message rather than told to use the jail channel as the best method of reminding people that I existed when I was in prison?? I feel as someone who looks at the jail channel that it is less grating to see a message pop up just with casual jail conversation than for 30 minutely messages of "I'm still here RP plx" and when I am in active RP I usually just actually drop out of jail, visnet AND ooc channels if there is a high volume of messages.

TLDR; it feels unfriendly and bleed encouraging that the jail channel is policed to only allow "looking for RP" messages from prisoners.

[EvieKray]

Aside from people related to my case, I had two roleplay scenes in a total of maybe one OOC week in jail. One of them was 20 minutes long, the other lasted for hours, and I am incredibly grateful to that person, though I don't know them OOC at all. Jail is incredibly boring, and I found myself 'bumping' the jail channel in a humorous, lighthearted manner and told to not use it unless I'm looking for RP. The reason for bumping it being that I'm checking if anyone is even paying attention and available for roleplay. I'm kind of anxious now, ever since, that if I end up in jail.. will I even keep playing the game? Jail is awful. Absolutely awful. And I did not feel like roleplay was encouraged at all.

[Dreams]

The jail channel is the only OOC guild channel left after taking all other OOC guild channels away. We do not want the jail channel taken away for abusing it. There is an OOC channel in game that can and is used for random OOC chatter - the jail channel's purpose is use for setting up RP.

Trust me when I say that the people who CAN visit those in jail know that someone is in jail, but they can't make it 100% of their RP time online. And scenes tend to be long. When there is someone bumping a channel every 15-30 minutes going, "I am still here. Still want RP. I am still here. Still want RP," no matter what they are dealing with, it gets to feel like nagging/judgement after a while. No matter what the original purpose was. It may seem like a long time between to someone who isn't in a scene, but for those in a scene, time feels like it goes faster.

When every few poses, your scene is being interrupted with, "Pay attention to me. No one is paying attention to me." basically. It starts to feel passive aggressive. Like, "How dare you have other scenes that aren't me. I am the one in jail. You should be playing with me, not doing what you are doing." ESPECIALLY when the question of RP avoidance came up less than 24 hours after someone was imprisoned, and then it was turned around and the person went, "Oh. After several days. Not several hours."

When you are online 16-18+ hours a day, and the people who can get to you are on 2-4 hours a day, and also have other things to deal with outside of jail, no, you aren't going to have someone in there constantly. No, you won't get as much RP as you did when you were out and free and able to visit your friends anywhere. But people DO try, and constant bumping on the channel feels like nagging. And people who are nagged don't want to go to the person nagging them.

Yes, jail is (unfortunately) boring. Sure. There are a limited number of people who can get in there, and they DO try to get you out as soon as possible.

The people handling cases now are doing a great job. I have seen people jailed, in the past, for more than an OOC month. Now, cases are handled in a week or less.

I guess my main question is - if the question here is using the jail channel for OOC banter (as was suggested above), why can the OOC channel not be used for OOC banter, as it was the one intended for it? Why is the jail channel the one that needs to be used for OOC banter not related to arranging scenes?

[nemovonfish]

If you're in the jail channel, but you're not available to RP... What exactly are you using the jail channel for? It's for setting up RP, as you said - if you're not there to set up RP, leave, and your scene won't be disturbed.

[Alpharius]

I think what Kitty is trying to say is that the jail channel (a guild channel) isn't for chatting. It never was meant to be, it's a way to set up IC scenes for players that are in jail. We have a seperate, dedicated channel for OOC chatting. So why not use that? Why does the jail channel specifically have to be used for the purpose of chatting?

[Dreams]

I think what Kitty is trying to say is that the jail channel (a guild channel) isn't for chatting. It never was meant to be, it's a way to set up IC scenes for players that are in jail. We have a seperate, dedicated channel for OOC chatting. So why not use that? Why does the jail channel specifically have to be used for the purpose of chatting?

That was part of it, yes.

I was also trying to explain (from a different perspective) how the constant nudging appears on the other side, but I think that point of it was missed. The answer shouldn't have to be, "Turn it off." I absolutely DO turn the OOC channel off for that reason. The jail channel has its intended purpose, and so shouldn't need to be turned off if it is being used appropriately.

[nemovonfish]

Do we want the jailbird to spam "Hello would anyone like to RP?" Or would we like them to remind people with access that they're available with some lighthearted conversation and something that'll bring a smile to 75% of faces? Because that's what the chatting is doing - it's a request for RP that's meant to be less guilt-trippy than Kitty is protesting against.

[Taunya]

I was under the impression that the jail channel can't be turned off, and general OOC chatter would be spamming everyone in those guilds who may or may not welcome it. I'd rather be guilt-tripped than have unrelated chat on a channel that can't be turned off.

[nemovonfish]

Absolutely can be, easily.

[Taunya]

Ah, that might have changed then. Or it might be togglable for non-order/reeve guild members.
Still, I'd rather people not toggle it off to avoid chatter and miss pleas when someone needs RP.