Rules:Help

From xat wiki

Help Rules

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In order to provide the best experience possible for all visitors, we have listed a set of guidelines below that each user must follow. Guidelines apply to all elements of the chat.
1. Helping is the main priority 
General topics are allowed, but helping takes top priority. If general topics are deemed disruptive to helping, you may be asked to move the conversation to a private chat. When an event or contest is taking place, you may be asked to private chat a staff member.
2. Be respectful, do not harass/discriminate or otherwise demonstrate toxic behaviour 
We do not permit harassment, discriminatory remarks, or derogatory slang terms. Discriminatory jokes and language related to one’s race, age, gender, disability, etc are strictly prohibited. Making fun of staff, users purchasing xat products, or users attempting to earn a rank is also not allowed. Do not say anything that may offend someone, including, but not limited to, flaming a person, group, or chat. For non-severe offenses, such as saying "you suck", a warning will be given, whereas saying highly offensive words or committing more severe offenses would get you immediately banned. Toxic behaviour such as name-calling, talking or threatening about self-harm, leading or encouraging violence or being malicious towards staff is not allowed. This is evaluated on a case by case basis and staff have the final say in what is considered toxic.
3. Do not transmit inappropriate content 
Sending content that is inappropriate, such as sexualized images, suggestive smilies, or videos, is prohibited. Swearing or excessive flirting is also not allowed. Quoting, censoring or referencing inappropriate content is the same as saying it and should be avoided. Discussion of drugs classified as classes A to C under UK law is also prohibited. For more details on drug classifications and penalties, refer to this link. This may involve moderator discretion.
4. Do not advertise non-creative content or websites 
Generally, posting images, videos, or other creative content is allowed, as long as the content comes from mainstream websites like YouTube or Imgur. Linking to things from the xat forum or any xat fan site is also acceptable. However, promoting other advertisements is prohibited, except within a user's homepage. Drawing signs to a homepage is not allowed unless the content in the homepage is also content that can be posted in the main chat.
5. Do not impersonate other users 
Do not impersonate other users, namely xat staff, volunteers, or Help staff. Impersonation is not necessarily using the same name and avatar as another user.
6. English is the only language allowed 
In most cases, the only language that is acceptable here is English. If a user uses a non-English language, they will first be warned to use English and/or a translator. They may be asked to private chat a staff member online who knows their language before being transferred to an appropriate help chat in their language. If no such chat exists or if such chat exists but is inactive, we will try our best to assist the user. This means that translating to another language is acceptable as long as the sole purpose is to help that person in another language. If you know another language and would like to help a user who uses that language, please also include English translations so that everyone knows what is being communicated.
7. Do not request a higher rank 
Asking to become a member or above is not allowed. Positions at Help are strictly earned. You can find more information on Help's blog.
8. Do not beg or ask for free products 
Do not beg for xats, days, or powers. You can either purchase xats or enter contests hosted on the forum.
9. Spamming is not allowed 
Smiley spam is over six smilies in a message. If others report lag or if a staff deems someone’s smilies in their name as excessive (eg. 6+ smilies), the user may be asked to remove smilies from their name. Posting multiple messages consecutively (where avoidable or done purposely) is considered flooding, typically around 6 or more messages in a row. Adding a lot of extra characters to a word is fine, to a reasonable extent. This involves moderator discretion and you may be warned if staff deem your messages as spam. Constantly clicking someone, resulting in tickle spam, is also not permitted.
10. The use of Size and Big is restricted 
Do not use the Size power above level w7 or w77. Names with smilies can exceed this limit to a reasonable extent, but can not overlap text or names. The use of Size and Big (combined) above size level w6 or w66 is not allowed. If the use of either of these powers in an avatar cause chat text to be blocked, the size must be reduced or the avatar must be changed.
11. Request and respond to assistance in a courteous manner 
As outlined in the Terms of Service, users who request or respond to support should do so in a courteous manner. The users providing assistance at the Help chat do so on a voluntary basis and work to give each guest a fair and positive experience. Publicly complaining about the actions of a moderator is not acceptable and any issues should be brought up to the main owner.
12. False help and fake reports may result in a ban 
Providing false help to a user seeking assistance is not permitted. If it appears that a user is providing false help with ill-intent or in an obviously jokingly way, that user may be banned immediately. Simple mistakes, mostly due to outdated information, may result in a warning or correction. Additionally, if a user reports another user with non-genuine proof, the reporting user may be banned forever.
13. Selling or trading is generally not allowed, with a few exceptions 
Users may request to purchase subscriber days, but only if the user is out of subscriber days. All other trading should occur at the Trade chat. Buying or selling xats, days, powers, identification numbers, or graphics is allowed only in status messages. Drawing signs to a status with the intent of bringing attention to the sale item(s) typically prohibited on the main chat is also not allowed, unless noted otherwise. Buying or selling any other product or service is prohibited. Buying or selling xat products for off-site currency is prohibited for most users for safety reasons. Please see rule 14 for more information on this.
14. Drawing signs to the sale of xats is allowed under very restricted circumstances 
Only Resellers are allowed to draw signs to the sale of xats for off-site currency, such as cash. This can only be done in a status. No other person or group may draw signs to the sale of xats.
15. Criticize constructively and do not disrupt the operations of the chat 
Behaving in a manner that disrupts the operations of the chat may result in a ban, including during events. Be mindful of topics that people might be sensitive about. Having debates about topics, even politics, is acceptable as long as the discussions are civil. If you want to criticize someone’s suggestion or work, or even Help or xat itself, you should do it constructively. Some topics may be halted if they are done repeatedly or intentionally to disrupt the experience and environment of users in the chat. Views or opinions that are generally considered offensive, hateful or false/misleading will be subject to moderation.
16. Do not troll, post inflammatory remarks, or facilitate drama 
Trolling generally refers to the act of disrupting the chat, being a nuisance or trying to start trouble. Only ask questions related to xat. Since this is a chat where users receive assistance, there is little room for trolling or posting inflammatory remarks. We understand that users may have light-hearted fun by saying they need help and then asking a question not related to xat. This is not considered trolling. If this type of behaviour becomes excessive or drawn out, or if the user has an obvious intent to annoy others or disrupt the chat, or if the user is being overly-obnoxious, they may be asked to stop. Facilitating drama is also not allowed. This should primarily discourage negative discussion about occurrences or operations at other groups, unless a user is requesting assistance for dealing with such situations. Finally, do not repeatedly ask the same question after the question has been answered.
17. All visitors must use a name of reasonable length or size 
Visitors are required to use a name of reasonable length or size. Using a visible smiley as a name is acceptable. Generally, using even a letter is fine.
18. Providing insincere or ineffective help is not allowed 
If you decide to provide assistance to a user, it should not be done in an insincere way. If this were allowed, it would appear unprofessional and non-genuine. One example is simply telling a user to look at the wiki, hoping they will just find what they need. If you are not prepared to help others, then avoid helping. Simply pointing to a linked word or wiki article alone is also unprofessional and may appear non-genuine. Explaining how the guest can be better helped by viewing the resource, and explaining what the resource is for, is sufficient.
19. Do not discuss hacking or related activities 
The discussion of hacking is strictly prohibited. Note that saying "I was hacked" is not a bannable offense as it is not actually discussing hacking. This rule is left up to mods/owners discretion.
20. Moderators and owners have the final say in classifying offensive material 
Due to the nature of the English language, it is not possible to list every offensive term or phrase. For minor instances of inappropriate behaviour, the user will be told to stop or will be kicked, based on the judgement of the moderators or owners who are witnessing the behaviour. If you disagree with the way a moderator or owner deals with a situation, wait until a person of higher rank is available to resolve your complaint or request.
21. Obey the xat Terms of Service and do not share confidential information 
Failure to comply with the Terms of Service agreement may result in a ban. The following topics are major areas to be aware of: Exposing personal information, abusing or teaching glitches, and phishing or scamming. Linking to, discussing, or even mentioning private servers of any kind is not permitted, especially ones that involve xat. Lastly, do not discuss private information, such as protected blog posts, with users who are not authorized to see or discuss the information in question.

STAFF INFORMATION

  • A reason is required for each kick and ban. Owners do not have to include reasons for mutes. The only exceptions are when you are banning raid bots or banning users who keep unbanning themselves.
  • If a raid is occurring, use the /p protect mode. If that fails, use the /pr mode.
  • If a user breaks a rule while seeking assistance, give them more leniency than someone who is here to just chat about general topics.
  • Include rule violation information in kick reasons so that users can correct their behaviour. Do not just give a directive and hope they understand their wrongdoing.
  • Unprofessional conduct at other chats may put you at risk for getting demoted at Help. This is handled on a case-by-case basis.
  • You must be active in order to maintain your position. Activity is measured by how often you help, not by recorded events.
  • Consult a user of equal or higher rank when deciding to demote someone. In cases of clear abuse, you can demote immediately.
  • Do not ban for long periods of time for measly reasons. A day-long ban may not necessarily be fair for all rule violations. Think carefully about what is fair and appropriate.
  • Owners may not mute people for petty things (such as smiley spam).
  • While an owner’s primary responsibility is making sure that other staff members effectively help and enforce rules, owners are still required to help.
  • If you are an owner and would like for someone to be a member, suggest that person to the main owner and make a case for why that person should become a member.
  • Bans issued by the bot should be verified. If the user needs help, consider unbanning them.
  • Moderators are required to give proof for violations that occur in the moderator’s private chat, unless it reveals a user's personal information. In that case, send the proof to an owner or main owner.
  • Owners should ranklock a user to guest if that user breaks a rule and is sometimes a temporary moderator.
  • If you are away or busy, please move to the staff pool.
  • If an unregistered user reports something that happened in a private chat or message, do not take action. Tell the user to use the ignore or block features.
  • If an unregistered user is gagged, generally do not ungag. However, you may use your discretion if you recognize them, they've been active previously, or they require help.
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