[For Factions] Public Information Forum

[Soeht]

This suggestion is stemming from the fact that I see a lot of Factions deny Read-access to non-members for a lot of their forums.

There's nothing wrong with this, and there's nothing wrong with running Factions that are supposed to be super secret and exclusive.

There are some Factions, though, that just have a blanket no-read-access policy for all their forums - including any containing general backstory stuff on the Faction. Outsiders can't quickly look up things such as:

• The Faction's government structure
• The hierarchy
• What basic life inside the Faction is like
• The history of major planets inside the Faction
• etc.

Some Factions even hide the Members tab from the Faction Navigation Window - and even if they have a thread listing Faction Admins/Staff, it makes it tough for outsiders to quickly find out who to talk to beyond the Faction Owner.

Again, if a Faction wishes to keep all this hidden from nonmembers, that's one thing. But if a Faction is expecting certain information to be public and well-known by anyone that interacts with them, it'd be worthwhile to have this information in a forum that Guests can read.

And as an extra reason for having a public forum: having all forums be private prevents interested parties from just dropping a thread in the Faction stating their interest in joining.

 

[Garza]

[member="Soeht"], I thought thats what Faction Ads were for?

 

[Soeht]

[member="Soeht"], I thought thats what Faction Ads were for?

Rationally, one would write Faction Ads in a way to convince people to make a character for that Faction.

They wouldn't really serve the purpose of having detailed history of a Faction's capital planets, their government structure, and other detailed information that could be public knowledge and help nonmembers in writing with their Factions.

 

[Garza]

[member="Soeht"], I have seen faction adds that have a listing of Major leaders within the faction IC, and OOC. If one wanted to show the aspect of a faction, they almost have to show what kind of government a faction is? For example, The Iron Empire is an Empire that has an Emperor and various sub governments that work under the Emperor like the Iron Legion, the Navy and the Army. If you want someone to be interested in the faction for more than the name, one would think it would be common sense for them to add some details into what they are.

Otherwise its just a LFG thread.

If you want a detailed history, sure I can understand that being added, but anything else is kind of information that is just privy to the faction members itself.

 

[Soeht]

Since you mentioned the Iron Empire, I'll use them as an example of what I'm talking about. Their faction ad, for other people reading the thread.

The faction ad gives a brief overview of everything - which is to be expected. But it's very shallow and not in depth. It mentions specific people leading elements of the Iron Empire, but one question I have just by looking at the Faction Ad is: Who are these people?

Then there's also a lack of any information about their planets. If I wanted to start a random Public thread in Iron Empire territory, I feel it'd be important to at least look and see what the Iron Empire does/has done on that planet so I don't make up characters for planetary governments that don't exist or are already filled by a Writer's character.

However, the Iron Empire's Information forum is private. I temporarily joined the Iron Empire, which gives members full access upon clicking the join button. And then I found this thread about planets. It's an awesome list - gives me threads that involved the planet as well as which government rules over the planet and which Writers are "in-charge". A great resource for a nonmember interested in making a thread within Iron Empire territory. The rest of the threads in that forum could be useful for nonmembers.

Not all Factions are like the Iron Empire, though, and have an approval process to join and access their Faction's forums.

Wanting to keep these threads hidden from nonmembers is acceptable if a Faction seriously desires such (thin) secrecy. But doing so invites nonmembers to make assumptions when making threads involving the Faction's planets or the Faction itself. They'd end up doing something that would go against what the Faction had set up - not out of malice or dumb ignorance, but because they had no easy way of knowing the situation of the Faction.

 

[Asharad Graush]

want

 

[Garza]

[member="Soeht"], The Iron Empire does know that they need to update the Faction ad, and I am working as we speak.

I am all for this, but I am just voicing any reasons why it wouldn't be available in the first place?

 

[Jsc]

All the yes!

 

[Poe]

[member="Soeht"]


Boo hoo You. Want Secrets, do whatever one else seems to being do. Become a Faction whore! If they are closed, they are closed. Want their secrets too, then create a character worth of their acceptance.


UNTIL THEN

Be quiet or like you say, Dom Soeht!

 

[NightSister]

Boo hoo You. Want Secrets, do whatever one else seems to being do. Become a Faction whore! If they are closed, they are closed. Want their secrets too, then create a character worth of their acceptance.

I might be reading you wrong, but I don't think it's about 'wanting secrets'?

Say I wanted to go to Korriban, because it's full of Sithiness and temples. The Resurgent Empire own it. Do they allow outsiders in if they have clearance, if they're Sith - do they have big orbital stations keeping people out? If the faction's forums were hidden, I'd have no way of knowing, and then I'd have potentially done something that was actually impossible. Sure, I could join the faction, but it's inconvenient and there's a way around it (this).

This is a good idea, as far as I'm concerned. Either this or having a load of information incorporated into the faction ad - it's useful and it means factions can keep their forums hidden if they want to.

I say do it.

 

[Poe]

[member="Aria Vale"]

I completely follow what your spewing lol. But secrets or not, people are going to go where they want to especially if they label posts Private, then it doesn't matter what a faction has there, unless they take time to read up.

For example, I could cruise down to any X faction's territory and claim/do what I want as long as I make the thread Private and they can't do anything about it. What he is proposing is something for future skirmishes and invasions, I think, which should be secret. I.E. A country invades another country, you do so upon your own technology unware what your enemy possesses. I.E. Germany's invasion of Russia, who would have thought the Russians possessed superior tanks than Germany, #T-44

 

[NightSister]

For example, I could cruise down to any X faction's territory and claim/do what I want as long as I make the thread Private and they can't do anything about it.

Threads can be reported if writers overstep, and writers can be contacted if they do something in a private thread on a faction's land that they couldn't have done. But if there's information publically available regarding land, security etc, then I can't claim to not have known that X or Y was overstepping.

What he is proposing is something for future skirmishes and invasions, I think, which should be secret.

I gathered that this was less about that than about making life easier for people to investigate the faction/write stories inside their land, but if I'm wrong, making an information forum isn't the same thing as giving others complete access to your faction's information. You can still keep stuff that would pertain to invasions hidden, I'm assuming.

Anyway, I could be wrong. I just like to talk.

 

[Poe]

[member="Aria Vale"]

Hey I'm new, what do I know lol. You like to talk so do I. Hell, all I do is talk. Problem is *sniffles* nobody listens.

Seriously, I enjoy these types of forums. I earn stuff and when I speak, I don't come off as a snowflake: