i used to rp on aim and in MUCKs/MUDs as well as IRC. finished logs got posted on comms. having that kind of dedicated time was fantastic, and people actually followed through on their commitments because everyone understood how important time was. i was like eight timezones away from everyone else and i still got so much shit done because we all valued each other's time too much to waste it farting around doing other shit (play videya/read comics/whatever) when we'd specifically agreed 'we're gonna be logging dis shit from [time] to [time]'.

not that chat rp was a bastion of how rp should be, but in a well-organized game (the one i was in had an application process etc) it was great, and until now i've kept the friends i had from eight years ago because the level of communication was that great. i'd be hard-pressed to think of people in dwrp i'd be attached to eight years from now.

i forgot where i was going with this. anyway, i'm a fan of rp not being an obligation, and i think people should be able to do what they want with their free time. i just find the dwrp model really clumsy.