First, let's cover the main three questions:
What is an OOC Thread?
First of all, OOC stands for "out of character". These threads are made as a place to house any speech that is not related to your particular character.
What do OOC Threads do?
OOC threads keep roleplays organized by keeping all speech of the same nature in one place. Roleplay posts stay in the roleplay threads and any speech about the roleplay, or not having to do with the roleplay, stays in the OOC thread. This just prevents the roleplay posts and even the thread itself from becoming cluttered and filled with chatter.
Why do you need an OOC Thread?
In truth, you really don't need an OOC thread. Not by any stretch of the imagination. They are, however, available to those who crave a little more organization in their roleplays.
____Alright, now you are probably saying, "Hey, Phantom, we already know all of this!" Well, if that is you, then that is good! You have learned well. But then there is the matter of learning how to use OOC.
____For those of us who are used to doing roleplays where we use asterisk for actions and we don't worry about using quotation marks, OOC threads seem rather useless. I mean, why not just put the OOC in with the post? But, as you get into higher level roleplays, even simple literate ones, putting OOC in with your posts is not the best idea. Posts are often dressed up with pictures, and icons and fancy text and the OOC remarks make it look chaotic and messy. That is where the thread comes in. Here are a few simple tips on the OOC thread:
- + Provide a link to the OOC thread in the main thread. This will urge more people to use it.
+ Remember to always put out of character speech there. No exceptions. If you make even one OOC post in the main thread, people may begin to think that that is fine and they will do that as well.
+ People often go to OOC threads to get a taste of the main thread before they sign up for a character. While this is not always the case in guilds, such as this one, it is the case in the big forums such as Barton Town. To get people interested in your thread, post the story, rules, and the roles in the OOC to catch people's interest.
+ Post in your OOC thread often. This will get the other roleplayers to realize that it is there and they will talk to you there.
+ If you've never used an OOC thread before, try it with your next roleplay. I guarantee that it will make your roleplay look more organized and neat.
+ Remember that you can say whatever you would like to in OOC threads. Well, almost. They are not like the chatterbox where you can spam, but you can use the thread to discuss other roleplays with other people and ask or answer questions that anyone may have about that particular roleplay.
____Now that you know all about out of character threads, go out and use them! Add them to your roleplays now or plan for them in future roleplays. They can be an immensely helpful tool if you want to use them. And don't forget, if they take time to make an OOC thread, don't post out of character speech in the main thread!