Posted by Kim on November 6, 2010, 4:43am
Given the inordinate number of nominated characters having to be turned away lately because they aren't appropriate for a general audience, I figured it was time for a refresher on the purpose of featured characters and the criteria by which they are evaluated.Featured characters exist for two reasons:
One, they're a great way of showing off some of the most interesting character concepts around the site, promoting mingling within the community and hopefully forging new RP connections.
But secondly, they're there to put our best foot forward to guests. They function as ambassadors for the site. When people are considering joining, they often go look at a few profiles first to see what they'll get, and usually the profiles they look at are the featured characters. It's in the site's best interest to make sure the "models" are viewable by anyone who might join, including people who aren't old enough to legally give consent to look at sexy stuff, or who have an allergy to big boy words.
This excludes some truly awesome characters from featuring, and yes - that sucks. To try and solve this dilemma, the upcoming groups will be allowed to feature their own members at their own discretion, based on any criteria they please, providing for a much wider range of character types to get their time in the spotlight. (Work on groups is going swimmingly, by the by!)
Other common reasons nominated characters who are otherwise awesome get turned down include obvious typos, unfinished sections, and sites that are extremely poorly organized.
To try and clear up some of the confusion about featured characters, a link to the criteria now appears in the nomination window when you select "Nominate Character" from a character toolbar.
Sanne
November 8, 2010
2:08pm