So, here's a summary of what you guys have got.
In-Game Roleplay Events (http://www.hydlaaplaza.com/smf/index.php?board=43.0)
Announcements and discussion of roleplayed events made by GM or players
Per the rules, only to be used for documenting past events or planning upcoming ones. Any OOC content is limited to metamechanics, such as discussing schedules or execution, as necessary to ensure enjoyment. This one is concise and effectively defined; however, it's these three in the Fan Area (http://www.hydlaaplaza.com/smf/index.php#c36) that confuse me, and thus also lead me to question the definition of the aforementioned board.
Roleplaying (Communitive Storywriting) (http://www.hydlaaplaza.com/smf/index.php?board=15.0)
Devoted to creative writing about PlaneShift world.
(which should say ‘PlaneShift's world’ or something.)
Collaborative Stories (http://www.hydlaaplaza.com/smf/index.php?board=58.0)
Group Roleplays.
Poetry, Comedy, and other. (http://www.hydlaaplaza.com/smf/index.php?board=59.0)
What is the difference between the first two? Is the second one limited to stories told meta i.e. not narrated by a character? Is the first one a catch-all for miscellaneous or such? What about the third one? Does “other” refer to miscellany, or to other forms of in-world stories, like e.g. Tragedy?
Some posts seem to confirm these ideas, but others differ.
It seems that things which have no incidence in the game's representation of the world (expositing character backgrounds, relaying oral histories) belong to the Fan Area, whereas anything elsewise (chat logs, elaborated retellings of encounters or festivals) would go to the In-Game board.
This would detract from the development of the world beyond the limitations of the game engine, however — ‘immersiveness’, et c.
Not that you guys can't figure that out already.
Therefore, I'd recommend:- the In-Game Roleplay Events board be limited to OOC content;
- the Roleplaying (Communitive Storywriting) board defaults to an In World — not necessarily In Character — voice, and should be used for all such content, but especially that which isn't better categorized in any sub-boards;
- the Collaborative Stories board be a companion to the Single Author Stories board, both which are reserved for any narration beyond the perspectives of the participants — not told In Character, but not Out Of Character either;
- the Poetry, Comedy, and other. board be renamed, and then used for sharing books, folktales, poetry, and anything which is expected to be so common in Yliakum that it doesn't need representation in any in-game book — though it could, of course, have that too.
That's what I shall be doing, anyways.