Communication

There are many ways to communicate in Avlis, both IC and OOC. There is also a distinct line between them.

In Character Communication

The in-game talk feature is IC.
There are in-character forums at www.avlis.org.
Any other in-game things, such as message boards and scribe-created items, are IC.

If you need to quickly say something OOC to everyone nearby in-game, use talk and put the message in double-parentheses like (( this )), or prefix it with "OOC". There are several other methods, but these are the most common.
Party chat is sometimes used for IC communication, but should usually be OOC. Also, DMs see party chat, so please use it only when necessary.
Tells are OOC.
Most of the www.avlis.org forums, as well as this wiki, are OOC.
IMs, emails, IRC, and talking to your buddy at work are all OOC.

Players are not allowed to "shout" in Avlis.
"PM" is used to refer to a Private Message. "Private messages" are such sent from one user account to another, on the Avlis messageboards/forums. They can be used for both In-Character communication (your character contacting another character, as in writing a letter), and Out-of-Character communication (contacting a player or a DM).
You can use the DM channel in-game to get the attention of any DMs online.
New players: Register on the forums and begin reading them. In particular, read the Rules Forum, then take a look at the others. The forums have become an integral part of the Avlis experience.