Jeckel
Terrarian
Greetings, Members of Terraria Community Forums!
Today the TCF Staff have an important announcement. Starting this month and continuing over the next few months we are going to begin the process of cleaning up the various Social Groups sections of the forum: Non-Terraria Discussion Groups, Terraria Discussion Groups, Terraria Clans & Server Groups, and Forum Roleplay - Terraria and Non-Terraria.
This house cleaning is accompanied by an update to the Terraria Social Groups: Rules & Guidelines thread that seeks to draw a clearer line about what types of groups are and aren't allowed here on the forum. If you are or plan to be the owner or moderator of a group, then it is highly recommended that you read the linked thread. Our primary goal with both the house cleaning and the rule update is to bring the groups and the content they contain more in line with the forum as a whole.
Why is this happening now?
This is something that has been on the back burner for quite a while now and has taken some time to get organized. The main catalyst behind this plan is the overwhelming number of groups that are empty, are inactive, or were created with the - most likely unintentional - purpose of side-stepping the general rules of the forum. Our hope is that performing this pruning will make it easier for members to find groups of interest to them and will allow the staff to better monitor those active groups that remain.
When will this start and how long will it take?
With the posting of this announcement thread, the process is already in motion and we are allowing up to a few months for it to be fully completed. Please be patient, as this is a large undertaking. The staff would prefer it to take longer and have it done right than hurrying and missing a group that should go, or removing a group that should stay.
What groups will be removed?
First, let me assure you that the staff have been and will be looking at each group individually to properly weigh its purpose and activity. No group will be cut without being investigated for its relevance to the forum. As to which groups will be removed, this endeavor will start with the Non-Terraria Discussion Groups, then the Terraria Discussion Groups, followed by the Terraria Clans & Server Groups, and finally the Forum Roleplay Groups. As each section is processed in turn the same roadmap will be followed.
Can I exempt a group by posting in it now?
No. Posts made after November 22, 2016 will have no effect on this process as a record has already been made of which groups are empty and which ones were last active in 2014, 2015, and 2016.
What does this mean for me?
Most members will feel little to no impact from this process. However, some may find their post and/or like counts decreased when groups they participated in are removed. Since post and like counts do not relate to any forum systems, this should still have very little impact on those members beyond a number being slightly lower than it was before. In some cases, certain posts and/or threads may be archived, instead of being completely removed, and this should limit the loss of post and like counts where the staff deem it appropriate.
If you are the owner of one or more social groups, then you may find that some of them disappear. If you have any questions about why your group was removed, the answer can probably be found by reading the updated Social Groups Rules thread, but you are entirely welcome to contact a member of the staff through a private message and ask for an explanation. As the one heading up the project, Jeckel is probably the most direct line to an answer, but as usual any member of the staff would be happy to help answer your inquiries.
What about my group's content?
In general, larger groups that contain content other than discussion (ie art, literature, member-run projects, etc), one week in advance a notice thread will be posted in the group informing the membership of its pending removal, but in most cases no prior notice will be given and at no point will group owners, moderators, or members be individually contacted. So if you are an owner or member of a small, disused, or inactive group and there is content that you wish to save, it is recommended that you do so sooner rather than later and the forum staff will not be held responsible for any content that is lost due to the removal of a social group.
It is important to note that things will be handled in a slightly different way for Forum Roleplay groups. Since it is difficult for the staff to determine what roleplay content should be saved, it has been determined that roleplay groups will not be individually notified of pending removal. Instead, the Forum Roleplay section will be the last one processed. Also, a week prior to the processing of that section, a general public notice will be posted and owners, moderators, and members of roleplay groups which have been inactive since 2015 or earlier will have from the posting of this thread until a week after the posting of said general public notice to save any content they wish to keep from those groups.
UPDATE: Forum Roleplay Social Group Cleaning Notification has been posted on January 4th and processing of that section will begin on January 11th.
Should I recreate a deleted group?
If you are the owner, moderator, or member of a group that is deleted, then, no, you should not recreate the group. Doing so will be treated similar to recreating a thread that was locked and will have corresponding consequences. Beyond that, when creating any group from this point forward, ensure that you are following the Social Groups Rules & Guidelines and you should be alright.
The TCF Staff thanks you for your attention to this matter and we hope that this project will ultimately improve the quality of the forum for all involved. If anyone has questions or comments, please post them below and we will do our best to respond.
Today the TCF Staff have an important announcement. Starting this month and continuing over the next few months we are going to begin the process of cleaning up the various Social Groups sections of the forum: Non-Terraria Discussion Groups, Terraria Discussion Groups, Terraria Clans & Server Groups, and Forum Roleplay - Terraria and Non-Terraria.
This house cleaning is accompanied by an update to the Terraria Social Groups: Rules & Guidelines thread that seeks to draw a clearer line about what types of groups are and aren't allowed here on the forum. If you are or plan to be the owner or moderator of a group, then it is highly recommended that you read the linked thread. Our primary goal with both the house cleaning and the rule update is to bring the groups and the content they contain more in line with the forum as a whole.
Why is this happening now?
This is something that has been on the back burner for quite a while now and has taken some time to get organized. The main catalyst behind this plan is the overwhelming number of groups that are empty, are inactive, or were created with the - most likely unintentional - purpose of side-stepping the general rules of the forum. Our hope is that performing this pruning will make it easier for members to find groups of interest to them and will allow the staff to better monitor those active groups that remain.
When will this start and how long will it take?
With the posting of this announcement thread, the process is already in motion and we are allowing up to a few months for it to be fully completed. Please be patient, as this is a large undertaking. The staff would prefer it to take longer and have it done right than hurrying and missing a group that should go, or removing a group that should stay.
What groups will be removed?
First, let me assure you that the staff have been and will be looking at each group individually to properly weigh its purpose and activity. No group will be cut without being investigated for its relevance to the forum. As to which groups will be removed, this endeavor will start with the Non-Terraria Discussion Groups, then the Terraria Discussion Groups, followed by the Terraria Clans & Server Groups, and finally the Forum Roleplay Groups. As each section is processed in turn the same roadmap will be followed.
- Empty groups will be removed first.
- Groups inactive since 2014 will be removed next.
- Then inactive 2015 groups with practically no content.
- Followed by 2015 groups with little besides chitchat.
- Finally, remaining 2015 groups will be considered in order of amount and type of content.
Can I exempt a group by posting in it now?
No. Posts made after November 22, 2016 will have no effect on this process as a record has already been made of which groups are empty and which ones were last active in 2014, 2015, and 2016.
What does this mean for me?
Most members will feel little to no impact from this process. However, some may find their post and/or like counts decreased when groups they participated in are removed. Since post and like counts do not relate to any forum systems, this should still have very little impact on those members beyond a number being slightly lower than it was before. In some cases, certain posts and/or threads may be archived, instead of being completely removed, and this should limit the loss of post and like counts where the staff deem it appropriate.
If you are the owner of one or more social groups, then you may find that some of them disappear. If you have any questions about why your group was removed, the answer can probably be found by reading the updated Social Groups Rules thread, but you are entirely welcome to contact a member of the staff through a private message and ask for an explanation. As the one heading up the project, Jeckel is probably the most direct line to an answer, but as usual any member of the staff would be happy to help answer your inquiries.
What about my group's content?
In general, larger groups that contain content other than discussion (ie art, literature, member-run projects, etc), one week in advance a notice thread will be posted in the group informing the membership of its pending removal, but in most cases no prior notice will be given and at no point will group owners, moderators, or members be individually contacted. So if you are an owner or member of a small, disused, or inactive group and there is content that you wish to save, it is recommended that you do so sooner rather than later and the forum staff will not be held responsible for any content that is lost due to the removal of a social group.
It is important to note that things will be handled in a slightly different way for Forum Roleplay groups. Since it is difficult for the staff to determine what roleplay content should be saved, it has been determined that roleplay groups will not be individually notified of pending removal. Instead, the Forum Roleplay section will be the last one processed. Also, a week prior to the processing of that section, a general public notice will be posted and owners, moderators, and members of roleplay groups which have been inactive since 2015 or earlier will have from the posting of this thread until a week after the posting of said general public notice to save any content they wish to keep from those groups.
UPDATE: Forum Roleplay Social Group Cleaning Notification has been posted on January 4th and processing of that section will begin on January 11th.
Should I recreate a deleted group?
If you are the owner, moderator, or member of a group that is deleted, then, no, you should not recreate the group. Doing so will be treated similar to recreating a thread that was locked and will have corresponding consequences. Beyond that, when creating any group from this point forward, ensure that you are following the Social Groups Rules & Guidelines and you should be alright.
The TCF Staff thanks you for your attention to this matter and we hope that this project will ultimately improve the quality of the forum for all involved. If anyone has questions or comments, please post them below and we will do our best to respond.
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