Hi everyone! Well, we asked for feedback on the shout box as well as the site in general and boy howdy, did you guys deliver!

The majority of you want the shout box back – however, most also said there needed to be some changes made. Even those who were indifferent about its return had a few suggestions.  Well, we listened. So behold, the shout box is going to make a comeback! However, it’s coming with a few changes. Let me explain:

Why do we have a shout box?
The shout box is to foster a community feeling for readers and writers so they can support each other.  It’s meant for questions regarding writing, or ‘hey, do you remember the title of this fanfic I’m looking for?’ It’s to welcome the newest members of the Nine Lives family, for the admins to make quick little announcements or post a reminder about something, showing support for our fellow authors, for cheering on our Nine Lives or even Caryl milestones as they happen and a little – key word here being little – chatting between members.

That was its original intent when Ravenesque and Fairies Masquerade started the site and that’s what we’re going to go back to now. The shout box was getting used and abused by some (not all, but some) members, so we decided a little clarification was in order.

So with that, I present to you… 

The Shout Box Code of Conduct 

1) No spoilers for 24 hours after a new episode airs. This was the biggest complaint we received from almost every member who gave us feedback. With new episodes airing, the urge to talk about what we’ve seen is natural, especially when we get those Caryl moments we love so much.  Some members of our family don’t get to see the episode right away, especially our international members, so there is a 24 hour ban on discussing show spoilers. If you just can’t wait for 24 hours, use the chat room.

In addition, keep the spoiler talk Caryl-related. The shout box is not an avenue for dissecting the episode and discussing just how badly we all want to pin Rick Grimes down and shave off his woolly mammoth of a beard. There are plenty of other avenues for show discussion – the chat room, social media, etc. For the shout box, lets focus on the main aspect this fan fiction archive even exists: Caryl.

2) Be considerate of each other. Everyone here comes from different places, different walks of life with totally different experiences and opinions. I’m not asking you all to hold hands and sing ‘Kumbaya’, but there is no reason not to be respectful at all times, especially in a public forum like the shout box. Fighting between members will be deleted and warnings issued to the members involved.

3) Be positive! Wow, we cannot stress this enough. Nine Lives was built as a positive safe haven for Caryl and McReedus fans, away from the trolls of other fan fiction website and the chaotic mess of tumblr. The shout box is not the place to complain about other ships, the actors/actresses you don’t like, what was said in the latest interview or who said what on tumblr. If you’re really feeling negative about something, we suggest talking via PM, the chat room or other forms of social media.

Do not bring fandom wank from other websites to Nine Lives! Especially tumblr drama – it is not welcomed here. Those posts will be deleted and a warning issued. Multiple warnings will result in harsher judgment from the admins. More on that later. 

4) The shout box is not a private chat room! Be aware that any post in the shout box is automatically assumed to be addressed to the site as a whole.  It’s good to chat, but if it becomes a prolonged or private chat between 2 or 3 members, please be considerate to others and move the chat to private message or other forms of social media.

For in depth group conversations - use the chat room! That’s why we gave you all a chat room! It’s there, it’s open 24/7. Embrace it. Love it.

5) No Self Promotion. This was actually the other biggest complaint we received and we unanimously agreed with you. We’re not longer going to allow authors to post “I updated these stories of mine today� because that privilege has been massively abused and was one of the core reasons we shut the box down.

How will readers know I updated? I hear you ask. There are so many ways that a reader will can see you’ve updated that it’s kind of ridiculous. These have all been in place since the site opened.

• Mark the story as a favorite!The system sends out an email notification on any story you’ve marked as a favorite every time the author adds a new chapter. *  This is also an excellent way to let an author know you admire their work and is sure to put a smile on their face.
• Mark the author as a favorite! It’s the same deal as a favorite story, except with a favorite author, any time they post a new chapter or even a new story, you’ll get an email update.*
• The ‘Most Recent’ tab in the left sidebar shows the updates from the last day or so, depending on how many authors update at a time.
• The other ‘Most Recent’ tab, which is in the top menu bar (this one goes back a full 30 days).
• Follow Nine Lives on Twitter and tumblr! Story updates are posted to both automatically.
  • Twitter: @NineLivesCaryl
  • Tumblr: Nine Lives 2
    

*If you’re not getting an email, check your spam filters. 98% of the time, the email notifications are going into your spam folder because of how your filters are set up.  Make sure you add ninelives@ninelivesarchive.com to your trusted contacts for your story updates! If you’re still not getting email updates for your favorites, send a PM to Fairies Masquerade, Ikkleosu or subversivegrrl and we’ll take a look. 

There is no reason readers should not know when a story has updated, so authors, no more announcing your updates in the shout box and readers, while we love the enthusiasm please try to keep the majority of flailing to your reviews for the fic instead of the shoutbox.

(P.S. – That email is the system’s auto-update email – please don’t try to talk to us via that email, because it’ll come right back to you. Use the PM system or the contact options via the website.)

So there you go. 5 simple rules to live by and keep the shout box going as a positive bubble of activity for our community. If things get out of control again, we will not hesitate to turn the shout box off again, so please follow the rules and play nice.

Now I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, damn this post got long. I know it did. Sadly, I’m not done, so please bear with me just a little longer. I have a few more important things to say.

We will be monitoring the shout box more carefully! As such, we will also be more strict with it - we really didn't want to, but we have to (and in fact have been encouraged to do so by many of you). Warnings will be issued and we're working with a 3 strikes rule, with the final judgment being banning of shoutbox privileges. Anything beyond that could include being banned from the site. None of us like being that mean, so don't make us do it!

A Shout Box Disclaimer: The comments stated by members within the shout box do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Nine Lives administration. If you have an issue with something that someone has said in the shout box or even a member in general, PM an admin. We are not omniscient, you guys. We can’t address issues if we don’t know about them.

It also needs to be said that all issues/complaints made to an admin will be dealt with privately. If we issue warnings to a member, it will be privately, one on one between that member and an admin. We will keep track of these items and work accordingly, but we’re not going to air things like that out for the whole site to see.  Just because you don’t see us address something with a news item doesn’t mean we haven’t taken care of it. There is so much that happens behind the scenes of Nine Lives every day – 99.9% of it is good, but if you saw the state of FM’s inbox, you’d faint.

Your admins are Fairies Masquerade, Ikkleosu and subversivegrrl. For short, you can call us FM, Ikkles and subs. We’re all pretty open minded people. We may not always agree with your complaint, but we can promise that we will listen and will discuss any issue brought to us with the upmost sincerity and concern.

Last, but certainly not least, THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to send us your feedback, not just on the shout box, but for the site itself. Many of you took us up on the chance to offer suggestions and ideas. We listened and we are working out the best ways to implement several of your ideas into Nine Lives in the coming weeks. Stay tuned, because we’re working on some very exciting stuff thanks to you!

Thank you for being here, thank you for loving Nine Lives and making it what it is today.

Sincerely,

FM, Ikkles & subs