Meeting Hall Organization/Official MHO Guide/Section 4c

Meeting Hall Organization/Official MHO Guide/Section 4c is an Official GemStone IV Document, and it is protected from editing.

Section 4c: In-Game News Items

MHOs may request their events be advertised in the in-game NEWS. The mechanism for doing so is found in HALL NEWS.

NEWS items must be spell-checked and written in complete sentences. Dates should be in Elanthian style (see CALENDAR CONVERT for help), with the optional real-world dates provided in parentheses.

NEWS items will automatically expire 30 days after being released for publication, but a group may re-submit the same NEWS item for re-release if it is to be a repeating event.

News items are submitted in-game and once approved, show up as a live news item that players will see and can read once they log into the game. In this document is a list of HALL NEWS commands, how to access them, details about each one, and also some good tips.

News items set for release will be posted 2 weeks in advance of your event. Please be sure to allow adequate time between your requested news item and the actual event. This includes allowing time for corrections to be made if needed.

Creating the News Item

1. Type HALL NEWS NEW <headline>
   • <headline> will be the title of your announcement that people will initially see. For example, "HALL news new AVALON MANOR HOSTS DICE GAME"
   • Note: Once you enter the headline, you will see a number assigned to your news item. Use this number going forward, for the following steps. For example, “New Entry Number 142 - "AVALON MANOR HOSTS DICE GAME”
2. Type HALL NEWS ADD <item #> <paragraph text>
   • Use the item # you were assigned at the end of Step 1 to clarify which News item you’re adding a paragraph too. Follow the item # with the text you want for your first paragraph. For example, “HALL news add 142 Come one, come all and join Avalon Manor in their game of dice!"
   • You can have 10 paragraphs total in a single News item. To add multiple paragraphs, simply repeat Step 2 as many times as you need.
3. Type HALL NEWS TARGET <item #> <target>
   • The target will be either Prime or Platinum, depending on which game instance you are submitting for. For example, “HALL news target 142 Prime”
4. Type HALL NEWS READ <item #>
   • Use this to Review your News item before submitting to the MHO GM for approval. If you need to edit anything, review the Edit steps further down in this document
5. Type HALL NEWS SUBMIT <item #>
   • Once your News Item is done on your end, use this command to submit it to the MHO GM's queue for them to review, suggest edits, or approve.

Editing the News Item

Once you submit a News Item, a GM will review it and often has suggestions or things you'll need to fix before the news item goes live. Or perhaps you caught an error yourself and need to change it. Both situations will use the same following process.

1. Type HALL NEWS DELETE <item #> <paragraph #>
   • If you wish to edit an entire paragraph, you will need to use this command to first delete the old paragraph and then INSERT the new, revised one as documented in the step below. For example, “HALL news delete 142 3”
   • You will have to Delete CONFIRM the paragraph you are trying to delete.
2. Type HALL NEWS INSERT <item #> <paragraph#> <new text>
   • Use this once you’ve deleted an old paragraph and wish to add new, revised text in its place. For example, “HALL news insert 142 3 The event will be inside a huge black tent, outside of Helga’s Tavern!”
   • Repeat this step for as many paragraphs that require edits, as provided by yourself or the GM.
3. Type HALL NEWS SUBMIT <item #>
   • Once your edits have been complete, re-submit the News Item to the MHO GM's queue so they can check to make sure it’s been fixed and then approve it.

Monitoring, Releasing and Deleting News Items

1. If you wish to know the current status of your News Item, whether it’s been submitted, rejected, or approved, type HALL NEWS LIST.
   • This command will list the current News Items your organization has stored. Look for a status next to the item you need. It will read Requested, Rejected, or Approved.
   • Requested means you have submitted the News item and it is still pending review. Rejected means the GM has reviewed the item, but requires you to fix something. Approved means the GM has confirmed the News item is ready to be released by you and go live.
2. If you need to Review the GM's notes on a Rejected News item, type HALL NEWS NOTE <item #> <read>
   • Using this command will allow you to see the GM’s notes for why they rejected the item. Follow these suggestions to Edit the News item, as documented earlier. Re-submit once you’ve completed the edits. For example, “HALL news note 142 read”
3. If you need to Add notes to a News Item for the GM to read, type HALL NEWS NOTE <item #> <text>
   • Use this command when you need to communicate something to the GM in regards to the specific News Item. For example, “HALL news note 147 Hey Kenstrom, I’ve edited the news item and re-submitted using your suggestions. Thanks! You're so handsome, I love you!"
4. If you need to delete a News Item, type HALL NEWS LIST to review which items your organization has in the queue. Then type HALL NEWS DELETE <item #> CONFIRM.
   • It is suggested you delete the News Item after your event has passed and you won’t be using it for awhile again. But if you have an event that is repeated often, you can save the News item and just re-submit it each time you need it.
   • From time to time, the GMs may need to clear older news items out of the table. Please ensure you have copies of recurring news items created more than twelve (12) months prior if you think you will use them again.

TIPS & TRICKS

AKA How to submit a great NEWS item and minimize the need for corrections!

• Two spaces after every period (and colon).
• Lists of items require a comma before the final "and." (Example: Birds, bees, and halflings -- also known as the Oxford comma)
• Punctuation goes within quotations.
• Separate two independent clauses joined by a conjunction with a comma before the conjunction (The door was red, but the silo was blue). Independent clause = standalone sentence. "The door was red and was funny-looking" does not have a comma before the conjunction (and, or, for, but, yet, nor, so)
• Triple check your spelling and grammar before submitting!
• "It's" is short for "it is" and "its" is the possessive. Read the sentence out loud and substitute "it is." If it scans right, then use it's and if it doesn't, use its. Ditto on they're, their, there. They're is the contraction (they are), their is the possessive (their books), and there is the locational adverb.
• Stay consistent. Use the U.S. eastern time zone for times (elven for an in-game reference).