(01:59:08) Pjeil: (whispers) Indeed. By the way, your enthusiasm for Miz is infectious.
I thoroughly enjoy what you write.
(02:09:01) Kreig_Messer: *cuddles Quint*
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Okay, you've all seen the chat quotes. Bits like the lines above cut and pasted for your viewing pleasure. Well, this blog entry is not for the two or three dozen regulars that the place seems to have. (Though they are welcome to read along.)
Rather, this entry is for those of you who haven't come by the chat room and had a recent look and listen. This site has had 13,578 characters, and even assuming an average of three and four alts per person, or user accounts, or people who joined, made one post and then vanished--- we are still talking almost 13,573 or even 13,574 people. (My math may be off a bit.) So that means that there are at least a good dozen or two unique people who haven't been in chat but might enjoy and benefit from it.
I do understand that this is a site about writing. Writing and playing the role of a character, so it's a bit like LARP acting except behind a keyboard. And therefore some people don't want to bother with chat or videos or blogs or scrapbooks; they are just here to post for Character X and then go back to whatever they were doing before that, be it playing Candy Crush Saga or Pipes/Bridges or Clash of Tribes. Or work or school or life itself, be it dinner, movies, dancing and so forth.
And that's great. Everyone should participate the way they desire. This is after all entertainment, a pastime, and no one can dictate to you how you should have fun. Some will join for a day, some will join for a month, some will last a year or two, moderate or grade threads before moving on, and some will join and stay.
When people go off to do other things either because this place wasn't their cup of tea or because other pursuits caught their interest, that's fine. But sometimes I get the feeling that there are maybe one or two people out there who truly love to write, and who truly love to act as their characters, and who enjoy the post-and-thread format... but they end up leaving because they don't feel satisfied, or appreciated, or they don't feel acknowledged or connected or part of the community. Well this is where I think the chat room and various OOC features that Mizahar has ... this is where all that comes into play.
If you let it, this place can be a very nurturing and supportive place. There is a genuine community here who are quite welcoming. If you're a bit shy or wondering how you'll be perceived, feel free to just come and sit for a bit and just read and listen along. No one will mind; quite a few people will log into chat and then go off to post in a thread, so you will never feel badgered or have people thinking you are aloof or whatever.
Though it gets elaborated on in several different ways, the Chat Rules are easy enough to follow if you keep one thing in mind: play nice. Actually, you should keep this one OOC rule in Mizahar in mind, be it in the chat room or in various blogs and scrapbooks and OOC forums. This rule is best summed up by Richard William "Wil" Wheaton the 3rd:
Some people had a rough time in Junior High or High School, be it with the opposite sex or with gym class or with simply living in a country that prizes beauty and strength over wit and intelligence. A few of those people have forgotten who they are because they've had to live like a turtle in an outer shell. Well, the impulse to create is a positive one. If you're a writer or artist, just remember the real you, who you were when you were young and innocent. Open yourself to letting that real and true part of yourself get nurtured and validated, and you will do fine in chat room and the other OOC areas, and you will find this a very rewarding place, no matter how much or how little you participate in it.
I am speaking from experience: if I had not blundered into chat, I would not still be here today. When I first joined, I made a post and someone took me to task for making a complete hash of it. I was a bit crushed. Fortunately, I and the other person were both in chat, and the conversation was quite friendly and amiable; I realized this person really had my best interest at heart.
For me, another benefit of chat was realizing how things worked in Mizahar, both IC and OOC. Sometimes I'll wonder why I'm not getting a reply to a post, and someone will go "Oh, that's my alt, and I'm busy with NaNo on my main character, I haven't forgotten and I'll get to it later." Or I'll have a question about a race or city or gnosis, and there's usually someone to answer or to let me know where I can look it up myself. Now and then I'll even get some comment telling me someone enjoyed Quint doing this-and-that in a particular thread.
If you haven't been in chat, or haven't been there recently, give it a try!