Chat Conduct

[El Blecko]

Lately, we’ve been noticing some less than desirable posts flooding the chatbox. After some discussion among the staff, we’ve decided to crack down on chatbox posting in an effort to improve the quality of conversation there. Here’s a revised list of things you shouldn’t do while chatting:

• Don’t spam. This is the cardinal rule. It’s pretty broad, but common sense should tell you what’s spam and what isn’t. A lot of the more specific rules that follow fall under this category as well.

• Do not post rows and rows of smiley faces. Do not post rows and rows of anything.

• Do not talk in all caps. A word or so is fine, but continuing to speak like that will get you kicked.

• Do not post the same thing over and over again.

• Do not post ads/links to other competitive sites unless someone requests one.

• Do not post nonsensical things (ex. “You are raped by turkeys!!1!” or “lalalalalalalala”).

• Do not talk like an idiot (ex. “j00 C wut I did I haz c00lness!”).

• Do not speak solely in a language other than English.

• Do not insult or flame other users and do not disrespect other CAL members. If you are the target of flaming, do not respond to it with hostility—simply PM a mod about it and explain the situation, and action will be taken.

• Do not say the chat is dead or anything to that effect.

• Do not swear excessively.

• Do not make "Great Walls of Blecko" (ie. extended shouting of a user's name upon their entrance into the CBox) longer than one line.

• Do not post shoddy logs longer than three turns, and do not post them frequently—this is flooding.

• Do not link to or anything illegal or inappropriate. Do not discuss offensive topics on the chat.

• Do not incessantly ask for battles. Moderators will determine exactly what "incessantly" is on a case-by-case basis.

• Lastly, moderators have the final say over what is and isn't acceptable. If you’re doing something that isn’t explicitly against the rules and a mod tells you to stop, then stop.

Consequences do exist for continued disregard for the rules. If a user is breaking the rules, moderators will first issue a warning and ask that the user stop. If the behavior continues, or if a user has broken multiple rules repeatedly up to this point, the user will receive an infraction and will be moved into the “Restricted Users” usergroup. Users in this usergroup will continue to have full forum privileges, but will be prevented from posting on the chat until they are sent back to their original usergroup. The length of time one spends in this usergroup depends on the severity of the offense and the user’s history—it can range from a day to much longer.

Now, understand that we aren’t trying to scare anyone away from the chat—we love the CBox! We just want to heighten the quality of the conversations that take place there and cut down on the spam we’ve seen an increase in lately. As long as you’re mindful of these guidelines when talking on the chat, there shouldn’t be any problems at all. Happy chatting!

[Mr. Whiscash]

Also, don't use giant text in the chatbox.
Thanks to PttP for pointing out the hole in our chat rules!