Is "Literate" the right term to use? [Just an OPINION, open minds appreciated]

[Killian]

It should go something more like this.

Good at role playing=Experienced.

Sort of good a role play=Semi-Experienced.

Not too good at role play=Cute at role play.

[Halfmoon112]

For me, It's easier to say lit, semi-lit, and non-lit than advanced, neutral, and grammatically incorrect.
I've always been lit so it's never really bother me before. To some, it might irritate them, but I've come to think of lit as how good I am at RP in the GAME rather than how I am in real life.

Literate, semi literate, and illiterate are easy to understand and type. They both have the word "literate in them so it's kind of like a ladder of RP, making it easier to understand for younger payers. Plus in typing ads, which we have to do repeatedly, you can use the short forms lit, semi-lit, and non-lit, and people will still understand easily.

As for other words, I suggest Amateur,  Intermediate, and Advanced. However, those are also long words and Short forms are still hard to understand.

So, I still think literate is the better, easier term to use.

[Dangeryena]

Although it's incorrect, it's what FH is used to. It would be very hard to change it so that everyone used it, and I'm not sure what the reaction would be if you started using completely different phrases. I do think it'd be better if other terms were used, but even so, saying you're "Advanced" or "Amateur" can still lead to people acting like snobs and excluding people because "they know what they're doing" or some other ridiculous excuse.

Either way, I think we may as well just leave it as it is. Some games have weird lingo like that.

[Firelicious]

   Well, I believe the terms are used loosely when referring to their ability to type. For a long while people have been using literate, semi-literate, and illiterate to describe the quality of their RPs typing skills.
   I understand the terms are being used wrong, but it's been going on for so long it'd be weird for it to change.

    In all honesty, I think it is fine how it is, even if it is being used wrong. FH has kind of given it a different meaning for a different context, which is indeed weird. It's just been that way for a while, and it's easier to say than anything else. To just say lit, semi-lit, and unlit is pretty simple.
    It has just sort of grown on us, ya'know. As others have mentioned, using some terms would lead to people excluding others, and may end in conflict. Because yes, some people will get angry over little things like that.

[Killian]

It would be impossible to change it, even though I think it should really be changed since nobody likes being called illiterate.

I had this happen to me.

*Types out a RP sample*

<Recruiter> Sorry you're too illiterate.

<Me> But I didn't spell anything wrong.

<Recruiter> Yeah but it's not literate enough for us.

<Me> Why?

<Recrruiter> It's too short and the grammar isn't literate.

<Me> *Poker face* Ok thanks anyway...

But really what they mean is it's too short and I didn't use fancy words or wolf speak.

[Wolfie_Lover]

I do use the words 'literate', and such, while advertising, but I don't label someone as such. I would never purposely try to put someone down and call them 'illiterate'.
When I was younger I used to be 'illiterate', sure. Only using the simpleminded words that children know, not capitalizing words at the beginning of sentences, using the actions symbols '-', '*', and '~'.

Now, what really irritates me, is what happened to me when I tried to join a simple role-play which was advertised as 'literate or semi-literate', I sent my role-play sample and I was flatly rejected for, apparently, being too 'literate'. Then they asked me if I usually role-played like that, and I said "Of course, otherwise I wouldn't have sent the sample in that format."
It also happened for being too 'illiterate' when I was younger. After being called 'illiterate' I stopped playing for a week, feeling too embarrassed to play, and after being called too 'literate', it was actually kind of funny if you ask me, I walked up to the other player's character and went "Okay, then. I guess that makes one less member of your pack. Unless you want me to turn into a '-hits no miss-' kind of person." They just simply ignored me, since I was raging a little.
-Shrug- But, whatever.

Y'know the groups that say 'in need of males/females/members', then why stick a literacy tag on the group? If you need more members of opposite sex, then why not ask someone of the specific sex which is 'over-accepted' to change, or something besides trying to get more members of the opposite sex which is needed, which you might get the 'over-accepted' sex. (Sorry if I confused anyone, Wolfie's just trying to make some logic out of it. ^^')

Another thing that irritates me with literacy tags is when someone thinks that a specific 'literacy range' has to have a post limit. If it's not listed in the advertising, most of the members probably won't think about posting a huge role-play sample if it's not demanded, I know I most likely wouldn't.
If a person who is 'literate' is averaged to post about three long passages, then I'm apparently in the 'semi-literate' range. I really only average out to post a simple few paragraphs, possibly three sentences at the least, which is how some people tag 'semi-literate' people. -Shrug-

Well, if I'm too 'literate' for that one role-play, then how would I qualify for the 'semi-literate' range? I've no clue, really. -Shrug-

~Wolfie

[silverwolf120]

I think we should stop using literate and illiterate I mean really I rarely ever use literate to describe my RPs here's a little ad I've created for a fake Group so you can see how I Advertise: Moonshine pack open and accepting Whisper silverwolf120 for more info. They're short because I usually use movies. Why do we use literate anyways why not use something...kinder *walks off topic quickly* What's wolf speak? *Walks back onto the topic* so there you have my opinion.

[Skaara]

As many of you have said I don't think the labels will change either. They are widely used and mostly understood in game now coming out with new things such as 'advanced' or 'intermediate' I don't think would catch on. I also think the advanced, intermediate and novice terms can be confusing too as I'm not a novice however I can RP like one.

In the end the only way to find out how another posts is to start role-playing with them. I could be 'literate' but I tend to post shorter 1-3 sentience posts to keep the flow going, although no matter how long the post is when it comes to wolfspeak it takes me twice as long to figure out. Half of the words used aren't actual words to be found in a dictionary and the other half can be misused completely. Just because you say 'ears' instead of 'auds' doesn't make you illiterate.

Sorry that last part was a bit of a rant huh? Wolfspeak just rubs me the wrong way.

[Taizer]

Just because you say 'ears' instead of 'auds' doesn't make you illiterate.

<sub>There are a few groups around now I've noticed who call themselves 'Elite' Role-players, because they think they are the most literate things on the face of the planet using wolf-speak, which at most is a mockery and brutal murder of the English language and not really literate at all considering they don't really use dictionary correct terms for anything.

As for everything else I never really understood the entire 'Literacy' thing as thats what our 'English' lessons in school were called, Literacy Lessons, where you went to learn to reading and writing.

If anything the labels for RP would better suit as Beginner, Intermediate and Experienced. Or if you want to run it like most Consol games. Easy, Medium and Hard. or even Learners and Learned

I know for a fact when I first picked up RP years ago on a few forum sites, I had the worst spelling and only did the three words in Astrix *jus lik dis* for ages. But Slowly I improved, the more I role-played with advanced and intermediate (My god they had so much patience with me looking back) the more I started to 'mimic' how they wrote, or picked up my spelling and writing skills from them.

I think a large problem is the outright refusal a lot of intermediate to advanced have with RPing with anyone under their level, it is rather snobbish in some aspects, if you lump all the neanderthals in to gather and refuse to even try to RP with them, no one is going to improve and evolve, they are just going to sit and stew in their 'illiteracy' forever.

RP is something you have to learn as you do it, you cant just read a book and suddenly RP like a Pro, you have to work at getting there.

Whoops I appear to have done a bit of a rant.</sub>

[darkknight]

I agree with you, Taizer, on the terms of "elites" and the subject of "lower level" role-players. I can recall a few times where I would role-play locally for fun and someone would whisper me asking to join in. I would readily accept them, but they were often afraid to ask from their current level. After a few hours, we both had a fun session.

A few days later, when I stared role-play with the same person, they seemed to have picked up my terminology and style. The feel of having inspired a person like that is a wonderful feeling. I wish that more experienced role-players would take from this and have patience with other people who aren't to their level. Helping others is always a good accomplishment. We all had to learn somewhere from someone.

Now, what would have happened if I labeled the person as "illiterate?" I have no right to do that. I don't know if the person has a disability, speaks another language, has self-esteem issues, or so on.