My SB is just as E-Rated as the former LDW SB. It will not be a place for people to go crazy. Let me just make that clear.

Good news, everyone! Arthur, Carla and I have discussed just about everything you can imagine related to the forums, and we are going to bring back the Shout Box soon (we're aiming for Monday).

We are putting the finishing touches on some new rules specifically governing the Shout Box, which will be readily accessible from a box directly above the Shout Box. They will be available sometime today, so that everyone will have a chance to see them before the SB makes its comeback. We are counting on everyone here to follow the rules carefully at all times. I have been very pleased with how everyone has been careful with dragcave stuff lately, so I know that you won't let us down in the Shout Box, either.

We won't be adding a second shout box for game-playing, since we have decided that we want to go back to our primary purpose for the forums, which is to provide a place to discuss and support our games, as well as foster a friendly environment in which to accomplish that purpose. It's simply not our purpose to provide a substitute for general chat rooms or instant messaging. I want to also reassure people that Off-Topic and Fan Fiction will remain, with the current procedures that have been established for them, as long as they are not abused.

We think that, overall, this is the best solution, which will help LDW focus on bringing you great games and support the real reason that the forums exist.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

In preparation for the return of the Shout Box, I have created the post containing the new forum rules. I have also created a new box that contains a link to the Shout Box rules and put it where the Shout Box used to be. When the Shout Box returns on Monday, it will be directly under that new box.

Everyone should read and become familiar with the rules before Monday, if possible, and definitely before jumping back into the Shout Box. Discussion about the new rules is welcome here, too.

I'm going to throw a couple of things out there even though I'm not a user of the shout box.

Is there some way before someone/anyone uses the new and improved shoutbox for the first time that they have to read the rules?

Do you think that a new user accessing the SB for the first time must check off "I agree" before they get to the SB?

I don't know how hard this would be to implement but I know humans and we tend not to read the directions/instructions on many things because we're in too much of a hurry to play.

There is a check box that's used to indicate that a new member has read some (admittedly inadequate) rules before they can complete their registration and use the forums. Once that's accomplished, all public areas of the forum are available to every registered member, including the Shout Box.

At least now, with the addition of the new "rules box" the rules are easily accessible for everyone. We must rely on voluntary compliance and corrective action when violations occur.

Thank you Lady!

And, again, I'd like to apologize for my disruptive behavior.

I did use the shout box, only say one or twice when I saw an interesting conversation that was up my street that brought back some memories a long time ago. Otherwise I did not like to interupt a conversation that went on.

Yaaaaay!!! The sb is coming back

Just a quick question: are we still allowed to talk about random stuff (as long as it follows the rules that Lady posted), or does it have to be ldw related?

I'm pretty sure random, but I'm not positive on that...

I wouldn't exactly call it random, since that carries with it a connotation of the kinds of things that shut down the SB. I would say that you can talk about real things in your life that aren't related to LDW games - things like school, family, friends, cars, travel, hobbies - you get the idea. No "random shouting" or other disruptive stuff. It has to fit in the flow of normal conversation.