Would it be server advertising to include the name of another server in a fictional story I'm writing on EMC?
Well it depends, are you going to be giving the book to other players to read? If so then yes it is most definitely against the rules, if not then sure I suppose if you keep it to yourself. Also I'm sure you could just change the name of the server to EMC, would it make a huge difference? Cheers
It's not a clear cut case. Server advertising is not allowed, mentioning other servers is considered advertising and as such a violation of the rules which could get you into trouble. However... This is where EMC's mature ruleset / staff kicks in: if you're simply talking to your friends and a server name pops up then you won't get into trouble because you were talking amongst yourselves (note: obviously I am referring to private conversation; private messaging and/or conversations (/tell or conversations on the forums). Sorry for perhaps stating the obvious but I have seen people advertise / spam in the town channel and then telling others to "ignore it" because they were talking to someone else). My advice though is not to go here and either change the server name into something non-existent or try a different approach. Here's the problem: it wouldn't be an issue if you wrote a book and shared it amongst your friends, that's perfectly ok. But what happens if one of your friends shares the book with their friends? Then you'd risk to create a situation which could be picked up as server advertisement, even if that wasn't intended. So yeah, I wouldn't risk it.
If you get reported or a staff member sees it, it's not allowed. Silly rule, but it is what it is, I guess. Censor the name instead: Hy***el, H*v*, Minep**x, etc.
I was gonna ignore but.. meh. Lets just say that it's also a bit of a courtesy not to talk about other servers while you're enjoying the hospitality of one. Sure; you can try to find the holes in the net but, sorry to say, then I really think you're missing the point horribly. Yes; its still super obvious when you censor some parts of it. But honestly guys.. This is just my (probably not too popular) opinion but that shows us more about you than the rule itself. The rule was added for a good reason, one which I think is obvious but: discussing other servers has a serious potential of hurting the one you're on. Like I said: it's also a bit of a courtesy not to. And I'm pretty convinced that even the staff knows (and acknowledges) that if you mention another server then this doesn't make dozens of players run off. But that's also not the main point. To me at least. As mentioned: it's also a bit of a courtesy. Showing a bit of respect for the server you're on. Just for the record... When I found out about EMC I wanted to shout it out. Mass pm all my (former) friends about this one, but I didn't. I only mentioned EMC to two of my closest friends and that's it. Even though the departure with my previous server didn't exactly go very smooth (water under the bridge now). Why I bring this up? Because this very same evening, totally out of the blue, I got asked by a former town-counsil member: "Hey, are you from ***?". After one year people still know me, thats cool. I wanted to but I didn't warn him last year. Why? I didn't like my previous server anymore but I still respected them. I kept quiet. IMO this is no different. Sure, you can find ways to bypass the rules. But what is more important? The rules or what they try to achieve? Sorry if I come across a bit cliché or dramatic but in the end it all boils down to respect for me. I don't mention *** on *** and I won't do vice versa. So yah, sorry; just my 2 cents here.
I think that discussing other servers--without the intent to advertise--is helpful for discussion. After all, we're a Minecraft community; this is a Minecraft server. Discussions should be able to be about Minecraft, and a huge part of Minecraft is multiplayer servers--not just EMC. I believe you're correct that you have more respect for EMC than me. To me, the rules are more important than what they stand for. I wouldn't hesitate to ask another friend to play on another server besides EMC with me. I push that rule as far as it can go because it's a really dumb rule in my honest opinion, for the reason stated above: players should be able to discuss other servers freely. Why? Unless someone's saying something like "Town // Custom Mobs // Great Staff // Play-sort-of-your-way // IP: starlis.com" or even "Anyone wanna come play Skywars with me on Hypickle?" the chances of listing a server actually harming EMC is very low. Maybe someone goes and checks out another server--that's good! Maybe someone will find a mini-game that they really like, or be encouraged to PvP more often; that kind of stuff is helpful, to the other servers (helps them grow) and to individual players. If it was up to me, the part of the Server Advertising is Not Allowed rule that states "Talk about other servers on the EMC Forums, or in-game" would be changed to "Talk about other servers on the EMC Forums or in-game with the intent to advertise. EMC Staff have the final say in what is considered "advertising." Just listing another server isn't disrespectful at all in my opinion.
So what makes you think we're not able to do that? Penguin, think VERY hard before you answer me this and I most likely won't respond but.. yeah. Are we really not able to do this?
It's against the rules and other servers get mentioned a lot anyway. Maybe we would be able to behave ourselves, but we are not everyone. Imagine how it would be to enforce if it were sometimes allowed. Keep in mind that money is involved. You can explain the difference between advertising and talking about other servers, but not everyone will understand. It opens up the door to someone who does understand the rule, breaks it anyway, then says they did not understand when they are caught. Someone could also intentionally recruit players by speaking about a server in a way that appears to be innocent when it is not, forcing everyone to parse their words to see what they really mean. Are you telling us you had a better time playing on server x than on EMC in order to get players to go there or just because you had a good time? I would hate to talk about an experience I had elsewhere then get banned because a moderator misinterpreted my intention. I think what we have now is a blanket "no" that they let slide when it seems innocent. Regarding the original question: If it is a fictional story, does the name really matter? Unless the story is dependent upon it, make something up to keep yourself safe.
What I am aware of, yes. Saying another server's name is like advertising. I didn't have time to read the comments, but you can ask staff, you can even private message them for a question like this. Link: emc.gs/conversations/staff
does this other server name really have to be in the story? no way to just not include it or just change it to EMC just for the sake of keeping it from breaking rules?
I don't know what context this other server's name is being written in, but sometimes saying that would make no sense whatsoever or could sound incredibly stupid.
If it is fiction why do you need to name an existing server from the real world? Just give it a name that doesnt exist in the real world.
Wasn't going to reply again but I personally think it's just common courtesy not to talk about another whilst in the company of another one. Think of it like a boyfriend/girlfriend, would you talk about another person that is considered 'competition' in their company? Probably not, so don't do it on EMC.
