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What are these standards things?

Standards are minimum requirements for a given classification - in this case a measure of RP quality. The lower the level, the lower the standards, the lower the quality. Red Zone RPs are the lowest quality and something we would like to avoid.

The following are the characteristics of a Red Zone RP.

Technical Writing
Technical errors include mistakes in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Red Zone RPs tend to be rife with technical errors often making them hard to understand. Common technical errors include but are not limited to:
- Misspelling or using the wrong words
- Using ellipsis ( ... ), dashes, and other punctuation to construct run-on sentences.
- Not spacing paragraphs
- Improper capitalization. The beginning of every sentence should be capitalized as should proper nouns (names).
- Using :: or ~ or * in place of quotation marks or to show action.

Preparation
Preparation helps players join the RP. Preparation includes the length and detail of the setup and any explanation of rules. Red Zone RPs have very little preparation. Red Zone RPs often have only a sentence or two to explain the RP to the players, often with no rules or explanation of how to join. Any RP that looks like it took 5 minutes to think up and write up is probably a Red Zone RP.

Style
Skillful writing and wordplay should be used to give an RP some style to engage and entertain the reader. Red Zone RPs do not have the skill to pull this off. Keep in mind that it's hard to fit style into a two sentence introduction!

GM Character(s)
A GM's character should reflect the level of effort that the GM expects from the other players without taking center stage. Red Zone RPs often either do not have a character profile for the GM, the profile shows a lack of realism, or the RP is clearly centered around the GM's character as the "main" or most important character with little room for any other characters to make a splash.

Screening
A screening process should be stated clearly within an RP's setup. Red Zone RPs often do not screen new players at all. In Red Zone RPs GMs may allow characters who obviously do not fit into the RP, such as characters who are made for a different genre or that greatly over-(or under)power other player characters.

Aesthetics
GMs should put effort into their RP to make it organized, readable, and eye catching. Red Zone RPs often have the entire set up in the first post with little or no organization. Sometimes RPs at this level are hard to read and look unprofessional.