#Humanism OPs Guide v 1.0

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          http://home.earthink.net/~dluntsford/ops.guide.0.9B.html



                 Don't Be Annoying - Don't Be Easily Annoyed

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- Introduction -



This document is meant as a guide for everyone who has operator status on

the Undernet #Humanism Channel. It does not contain any rules set in stone,

but is meant as a handbook to advise channel OPs on their authority and

responsibilities. It contains a brief description of the purpose OPs serve

on the channel, the behavior that may be considered inappropriate, the

actions OPs should take to solve problems, and a brief tutorial on the X

bot.



- The Function of OPs -



OPs serve a specific purpose on the #Humanism channel. It is our duty to

protect the channel from outright attacks. It is our duty stop people who

are being intentionally abusive. And it is our duty to stop the sort of

exchanges that are contrary to the channel's essence. #Humanism is intended

to be a channel as free as possible to open discussions of just about any

nature, but there offenses which are deemed unacceptable as well.

OPs have been trusted to wield powers that others on the channel have not,

but OPs are not a caste of aristocrats set above the others. OPs should

never forget that they have been granted their power to act as sheriffs and

to help foster a humanistic environment, not to set them above anyone.



- What Behavior Deserves OP Action -



This section lists a number of abuses that are grounds for an OP stepping in

and taking action against the abuser:



1) Obvious Attacks on the Channel - This should be self evident to anyone.

If someone is blatantly flooding, disrupting, or attempting to gain control

of the channel, it is grounds for immediate and severe action by the OPS.



2) Manner of Expression - Everyone on the channel is given great latitude to

express their beliefs and opinions. Hopefully we have created a channel

where just about everyone will feel free to speak their mind. This does not,

however, give anyone the right to be intentionally mean spirited or

belligerent. Making personal attacks, sexual attacks, intentional insults,

being harassing, or utterly disrespectful are all manners of expression that

must not be tolerated by #humanism OPs. Please bear in mind though, that

this in no way precludes simple ribbing, flirting, or use of poopy-words. It

means no one is allowed to be malicious or cruel.



3) Content of Expression - This needs to be handled with the greatest

discretion. Being overly sensitive or restrictive to the topics that can be

discussed is the surest way to destroy the open environment that

characterizes #Humanism. This channel, however, is not the proper forum for

every topic. It was created in large part to establish a place that was free

from religious jihads and aggressive diatribes that are acceptable in other

channels. When discussions of a religious nature becomes proselytizing,

preaching, or atheist-theist debates, they are best taken elsewhere.

Politics can possibly reach the level of "preaching" as well, but OPs should

be most reluctant to intervene in those cases. CyberSex is best

performed somewhere private. Aggressive sales pitches are not welcome. We do

not wish, nor are we obligated, to provide a home for every topic under the

sun, but we not want to turn this channel into a knitting circle either. If

discussion of RAM upgrades, for example, make you a bit squeamish, it may be

better to leave the channel until the topic has shifted to sex, for example,

than to chill the free flow of ideas for the rest of the channel.



- What Action OPs Should Take Against Abusers -



OPs have a number of tools at their disposal for dealing with problems on

the channel, but the same action is not appropriate for every circumstance.

OPs must consider what is the most effective way to deal with each

situation.

In the case of outright channel attacks, floods, or take over attempts, OPs

need to kick/ban the offenders as quickly and as fiercely as possible.

Simple mode bans may be used in the name of expediency, but they should

always be followed up as soon as possible with a proper X ban. In the face

of a concerted attempt to take over the channel, it might also be advisable

to OP all legitimate channel OPs and trusted friends of the channel, but

always be sure they not just pretenders using a nick.

For the other offenders who are just being general pests, a less aggressive

stance should be taken. One principle to consider is the least punitive

option under the circumstances. For example, if an OP can achieve the same

end with a warning as a with a kick, the former is preferable. Here is a

general progression that may be best to follow:



1) A Warning - Many people who come to humanism may not know or understand

the nature of the channel. Informing them of our standards or directing them

to our FAQ is often all the action that needs to be taken. A privately

messaged warning can convey the same meaning as publicly announcing it, and

is less likely to piss someone off. However, public warnings let the other

OPs know you are handling the offender so they don't deluge the offender

with 20 warnings. And you can also inform more than one person at once with

a public warning. OPs should use their discretion as to whether a public or

private warning is more appropriate.



When a warning is not sufficient, OPs must deal with offenders with more

forceful means.



2) Kicks - Kicks can let the offender know that you are serious, but they

generally prove counterproductive. People who have been kicked can come

right back in the channel, and more often than not, they come back angry. It

is probably better to use Kicks sparingly.



3) Bans - Bans are often the only way to deal with unresponsive offenders.

When someone continues to misbehave despite being told to stop, OPs may need

to remove them from the channel. If the person just became unreasonably

angry, exhibited very poor judgement, or simply did not understand the

nature of our channel, a short duration ban (a few hours) may be

appropriate, and it will give them time to cool off. While the offender is

off the channel, OPs should explain why they were banned and how they must

act if they wish to return. More odious offenses and people who's only

intention is causing trouble should be treated to longer duration bans. And

remember to make the bans with X and include a reason for the ban.



- Other OP Issues -



Logging - If there is trouble (if you even suspect there may be trouble),

start logging the session. There is always the chance that another user or

OP will be unhappy with the way you exercised your power. If you log what

took place, it will be obvious who was right and who was wrong. In addition,

logs are very handy for later use in identifying flagrant offenders so that

their providers can be notified in cases where their actions could warrant

in termination of their accounts.



OP Wars - Kicking your friends and fellow OPs as a joke might be amusing

when it is done once. When it is repeated, back and forth between OPs it is

an annoying flood to everyone who has to watch it. Moreover, it is a

"Members Only" game that encourages an OP - NonOP caste system.



- Quick and Dirty X bot Tutorial -



AUTHENTIFICATION SUCCESSFUL!



(note that you do_not have to be oped to send commands to X, but you must be

"authenticated" (recognized) before X will accept them from you.



In order for the "X" channel service bot to recognize you, it has to receive

a password from the IP address you're listed under in it's database. The

command syntax is:



/msg x@channels.undernet.org pass #Humanism <your_password>



(HINT: Since this is a long command and used often, I suggest entering it in

your IRC client's alias, popup, shortcuts, or start-up files to save time

and effort.



OP-DEOP-TOPIC-KICK-BAN-UNBAN



OPing



Few people have a problem with the OP command. The syntax for the OP, DEOP,

and KICK commands are the same. "/msg x op #Humanism <nickname>" Just

replace OP with DEOP or KICK to perform those functions.



TOPIC



To change the channel topic without having Ops:



/msg x topic #Humanism <topic_message>



BANNING THROUGH "X"



This is the prefered method of banning users from the channel for several

reasons. It allows the bans to stay in place should the channel split or

empty out, it allows you to set a time duration on the ban so that it is

automatically removed when the timer runs out, and it lets you enter a

descriptive msg on the ban in X's database so that other people can look at

it and know who it is and why it's there.



/msg x ban #Humanism <nick> <duration in hrs> <level> <reason for ban>



Now let's take that apart and explain it. Firstly you do not type in the

right and left angle brackets. That is simply to show how the command is put

together.



NICK: The IRC nickname of the person being banned. This only works if the

person is still on IRC at the time, as X will do a /whois on the nick and

gather the required host info to set the ban properly. Otherwise you will

have to manually enter the nick!user@host.



If I were banning myself, the format would be *!*Leviathan@*.DYNIP.NET



The *!* covers nick changes the offender may opt to use. Use wildcards with

care. It's quite easy to accidentally and indescriminately ban a whole site

or worse. Always use @*.domain.com for domain names, and @123.45.67.* for

IP#s. This covers IP number that the server adds arbitrarily.... meaning the

offender cannot sign off and back on again with a different IP# to re-enter

the channel. The last part (ie "gnn.com" - "compuserve.com" - "uni.org") is

all you will need. There is more to this, but I've already given you more

than you'll probably need. Most of the time the person you are banning is

still on channel so that all you have to enter is the nickname of that

person in the command.



LEVEL: You must set a ban level in order for it to work. The minimum level

for bans which prevent the offender from re-entering the channel is 75. You

can ban all the way up to your user level (ops level) but it won't change

what the ban does. So all bans should be 75 or higher.



DURATION: This is how long X keeps the ban in it's database. For a first

offender who maybe just let his/her temper flare up, two hours is

sufficient. After two hours X will unban them automatically. For repeat

offenders or real trouble makers, you may choose to set the duration higher.

You can ban up to one year (7800 hours) if necessary. I believe 12 - 48

hours is fine in most cases.



REASON: Here you write a short reason for banning the individual. It can be

something like "Leviathan banned for repeated flooding" or "Proselytizing

despite warnings".



So with those elements in mind, I'll give you an example how you should ban

someone for rude behavior.



/msg x ban #Humanism Leviathan 24 75 Being Rude.



That would place a ban on Leviathan at level 75 for 24 hours showing "Being

Rude" in the description.



(NOTE: you do not have to enter the channel name unless you are in another

registered channel that has X at the same time you are in #Humanism. That

applies to all X commands whether or not you are a channel op in the other

channel.



For help on X commands - there are a ton more - you can /msg x help