Halopedia:IRC Channel/Rules

Operators use their discretion when applying these rules, and understanding of the rules depends on operator conception of the rules, and particular exceptions may be granted by specific operator approval. These rules and regulations, however, should be followed strictly by users. Any breach of these rules and regulations may lead to punishment by an operator.

In addition to these regulations, all freenode guidelines must be abided by.

When you enter the IRC channel, you are expected to have prior knowledge of all these rules, and will be punished accordingly.

Nick
The nickname guideline is a loosely enforced rule. Newer users are encouraged to use their existing Halopedia username until their activity and knowledge of the channel allows them to make a custom nickname. However, impersonation of any user will be met with consequences from the channel staff, and may lead to a ban if such activity persists.

Flooding
While you can say as many lines of text in a row as you want, any deliberate flooding of five lines or more without reason, or any spamming of the same message five times or more, will result in being kicked from the channel.

In addition, users who "join flood" (join, leave, and then re-join the channel repeatedly) will be banned from the channel for a period of time determined by the op issuing the ban.

Caps
The usage of capital letters and caps lock is frowned upon. Using capital letters to write a word or a whole entry is typically perceived as yelling. Using excessive capital letters once will often result in a courtesy warning by an operator, and persistent usage of capital letters may lead to a kick or ban, depending on severity.

Inappropriate content

 * 1) Personal attacks are not permitted.
 * 2) Harassment and/or sexual harassment is not permitted.
 * 3) Extreme Profanity or cursing is not permitted.
 * 4) Talking about harming any living thing is not permitted.
 * 5) Talking about sex, making references to sex, and/or making sexual innuendos are not permitted.
 * 6) Talking about illegal activities, thoughts, or possessions, including but not limited to illegal drugs, etc...
 * 7) Violation of personal privacy is not permitted. This includes revealing personal information about users (e.g. real name, location, age, gender, etc) and violating confidentiality on particular issues (such as issues asked to be kept confidential by other users or administrators).
 * 8) Linking to external sources, such as websites, which violate the aforementioned rules, is also not permitted. Notably, publicly linking to websites such as Facebook or MySpace that violate personal privacy, is not permitted without prior consent from the user whose privacy will be violated.
 * 9) Trolling or general irritation or disruption of other users is not permitted. This often includes, but is not limited to; excessive usage of capital letters, punctuation marks, deliberate or indeliberate distortions of the English language (such as "133t speak"), and excessive usage of non-English languages.
 * 10) Controversial statements and/or discussions are not permitted, said statements and discussions including but not limited to, politics, religion, etc.

Operators have a wide discretion relating to the issuing of warnings and bans which infringe on this rule. The content of messages will greatly impact on the severity of the punishment. In certain particular cases, exceptions may be permitted, although these are infrequent.

Topics of discussion
The channel is meant for help and discussion on Halopedia and discussion about the Halo franchise and Bungie, though respectful off-topic discussions are allowed.

Controversial topics are not to be discussed on #halopedia. The definition of a controversial topic is up to the discretion of an operator, but this generally involves topics that would stir consternation amongst the users currently in the channel and/or the Halopedia community. Controversial topics include politics, religion, etc. Users bringing up controversial topics will often be given a courtesy warning by an operator, but persistent bringing-up or a refusal of the warning (if given), may lead to more severe punishment.

Halopedia IRC is in no circumstances to be used to perform in role-playing activities as one would do on Halo Fanon, or elsewhere.

Whenever one brings up a topic, it may be best to consult an operator regarding the acceptability of a topic, or if one is not present or unresponsive, to wait until the operator responds.

Bots
Any user wishing to bring a bot into the channel should seek approval from a channel administrator. Unauthorized or malicious bots are prohibited and are to be immediately kicked/parted from the channel.

Consequences
Typically, the following hierarchy will apply to infringements on the above regulations (with the exception of specifically implied consequences).


 * First offense: Warning
 * Second offense: Kick
 * Third offense: One day ban

Further offenses will result in an extended ban, at the discretion of the op administering the ban.