Reserved / WIP Posts

Definition

Reserved post is simply when someone creates a post that contains only contains a single line stating they intend to fill the post later with content, but are just marking their spot for now.

Work In Progress (WIP) post is where users create a partial post but don't finish it (for whatever reason) and so they add it anyway.

In either case they will often have some variation on:

  • “This post reserved for later”
  • “I'll add more later”
  • “I'll finish this later”

Problems with Reserved / WIP Posts

Additional Delays

Having a reserved or WIP post very often causes delays while the person goes to fill in the post. And while they are filling it in others may have moved on to other, more active topics.

Hardship with Others

No one likes seeing the indicator show a new post has been made only to find a message stating reserved. They often get annoyed with the user and may be less likely to post with them later.

Avoiding Reserved Posts

Avoiding reserved posts, for the most part, is easy… simply don't do it. If you're unable to post for more than 1-2 days in an active roleplay then simply communicate with those roleplaying with you. In most cases they will be appreciative that you've spoken to them to let them know and will be more likely to work with you to accommodate you.

For WIP posts, this can be avoided in 2 ways…

  1. End the post earlier than you wanted, while still giving others enough to work with, then reply later.
  2. Hold off on posting until you have a completed version.

If you know you're not going to be able to reply again for a little while, it may be worthwhile to end the post early just so others can advance the story/plot/thread some.

The only time waiting would be the better option is if you're ending the thread and you have a specific ending you need to post.

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