Hi! Today I'm going to discuss the Chat Policy on the wiki! We will cover how to get into chat, what your behavior should be in chat, and what could possibly get you kicked/banned from chat. Note that not everything I discuss will be in the policy, and is instead an unspoken rule.
Entering Chat[]
Now, as many of you know, to get into chat, all you have to do is look at the right side of the screen and click Join the Chat. However, before you do, stop. Getting into chat isn't easy as clicking a button. As per policy, you must have 10 constructive article edits; this isn't to hinder your experience on the wiki, rather, this is to make sure you're willing to contribute to the wiki regularly in a helpful way, we are first and foremost an encyclopedic, not social, site after all. This means your 10 edits MUST be on articles on the wiki. It cannot be on your user page, talk pages, blogs and blog comments, or forums. It is possible to check your contributions and put some filters to check to see how many article edits you have made. However, simply having 10 article edits is not enough, they must be helpful article edits! Take this grammatically incorrect statement for example:
Ichigo is the the best character in the world!
A helpful edit would be:
Ichigo is the best character in the world! (Fixing the grammar)
Note that grammatical fixes aren't the only way to get helpful edits, but they are the easiest ways to get the chat edit requirement. Now let's take a look at an unhelpful edit. Consider the following statements:
1. Ichigo is a character. 2. Ryuken Ishida is The Last Quincy. 3. Aizen planned the attack.
Those statements are correct and fine, however, if you edit them to look like:
1. Ichigo is a dumb character. 2. The Last Quincy is Ryuken Ishida. 3. Aizen planned the this attack.
Those would be considered unhelpful for the following reasons:
- Violates policy (Vandalism)
- States the same thing, just different wording.
- Nonsensical edit
These edits are liable to be undone, which will be detrimental to your efforts to get into chat. Any edit that we undo will be equivalent to subtracting 1 edit from your 10 constructive article edit requirement to get into the chat.
NOTE: We will not kick you if you have a question about the wiki, but after we resolve your issue, we will have to ask you to leave. We will also not kick you if you express interest in helping edit the wiki, in which you can stay to talk and receive guidance from us.
Behavior in Chat[]
Now that you know how to get into chat, let's discuss acceptable behavior in chat.
- The first, and easiest rule to follow, is to be polite to others. You don't have to be over the top, but remember that we're all human and are sensitive to certain things
- Avoid excessive cursing. You may curse every now and then, but keep it to a minimum
- No roleplaying. This isn't a fanfic site, if you want to roleplay, you may do so at the Bleach Fanon Wiki (Please note that the admins on this site aren't admins on the wiki I linked, so be aware that they have different policies than we do)
- No excessive trolling, flaming, provoking others. There's only so much people can take before they lose it
- No all caps. This is interpreted as a sign of shouting or emphasis, but it should only be used sparingly.
- No attention hogging. If people don't want to talk to you or stay on a topic, don't press the issue any further
- Spamming. We don't like people advertising stuff or posting the same thing over and over
- Do NOT ask for personal information. You may ask their age, but beyond that, anything the user wants to reveal about his/herself is up to the user alone.
You are welcome to stay in chat as long as you follow these guidelines. Note that you can also Private Message a user to talk to them about something that you don't want the other chatters to hear by clicking their name in the side bar and choose "Private Message" in the drop down. Also be aware that if you harass, intimidate, bully, or threaten the user, that user has the right to notify a chat moderator about your behavior.
Actions that can Lead to You Being Kicked/Banned From Chat[]
Now that we have chat behavior done, let's take a look at some actions we frown upon.
Kick-able Offenses[]
You will receive a warning for the following offenses:
Not meeting the edit requirement - Chat moderators enforce this differently, but we will warn you that you do not meet the edit requirement to be in Chat, and give you several moments to leave before kicking you outright. (I usually let them know about the requirement, wait a few moments, then start a 10 second countdown)
Trolling/Provoking Other Users
Excessive Cursing
Sending Same Message Over and Over Again
Talking to Yourself
Being an Attention Hog
Returning to Chat After Being Kicked - usually wait awhile, if we kicked you, then you have done something to annoy us. Wait a bit for it to cool off. Also, don't come back into chat if we have pointed out you don't meet the requirement until you do.
Bannable Offenses[]
You will NOT receive a warning for the following:
Repeatedly Re-entering Chat After Being Kicked Numerous Times-2 Week Ban
Edit Fluffing- You go to a page and edit each individual section to make it seem like you have enough edits to be in chat. 2 Week Ban
Making Nonsensical Edits to Meet the Requirement - 2 Week Ban
Harassing/Intimidating Other Users - Indefinite Ban
Threatening Other Users - Indefinite Ban, admins will be notified
Stalking - Indefinite Ban
Asking for Really Personal Information (home address, phone number, passwords etc.) - Indefinite Ban (this could go under stalking)
What Chat Mods WON'T Kick/Ban You For[]
- Having a different opinion from the mods
- Having an argument with another user (as long is it remains civilized and doesn't last too long)
- Being inactive in chat
- Talking about stuff unrelated to Bleach
- Having under 10 edits, but wants to ask a quick question or is willing to help edit the wiki.
Appealing Your Ban[]
First off, being banned from chat does NOT mean you're banned from the wiki. You are also able to contest your ban if you think it is unjust. Every admin and moderator has the ability to change and remove your ban as they see fit. However, it is best if you contact the moderator who banned you directly by leaving a message on his/her talk page. Note that the moderator/admin who banned you could be different from the moderator/admin who was talking/warning you in chat. The best way to find out is to go to the contributions tab on your user page, there it should list who banned you and for how long. If you contact the moderator, then he/she will consider unbanning you, but it may not always happen depending on the circumstances of the ban.
Conclusion[]
Alright, so in this blog, you learned more about the Chat Policy, how to get into chat, what consists of acceptable behavior in chat, and what to do in chat, and what can get you into trouble with the moderators, what the moderators WON'T punish you for and how to deal with it.