User:Mr. Mittens/Sandbox/Live Chat Rules

Grounds for blocking
Users who are clearly disruptive to the chat or who fail to behave appropriately towards other contributors may be blocked. The possible reasons for blocking include (but are not limited to):
 * 1)  Personal attacks, bigotry and/or racist or sexist name calling.
 * 2)  Harassment and/or sexual harassment.
 * 3)  Extreme use of profanity/cursing or directing it towards another user is not permitted.
 * 4)  Violation of personal privacy. 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).
 * 5)  Linking to external sources, such as websites, which violate the aforementioned rules. 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 might be violated.
 * 6)  Trolling or general irritation or disruption of other users. This often includes, but is not limited to; excessive usage of capital letters, punctuation marks, deliberate distortions of the English language (such as "133t" or "Dolan" speak), and excessive usage of non-English languages.
 * 7) Being a dick. As a guideline, don't go out of your way to irritate others. (And especially do not try to test the admin's and/or chat moderator's patience and/or limits.) Vicious abuse is grounds for sanctions.
 * 8)  Whining. Users who ask for something from another chat user and are refused it should not stoop to complaining. It is acceptable to be persistent, but in a mature manner.
 * 9)  Continuing to discuss a topic despite admins or moderators requesting a change of conversation.
 * 10) Spamming. The meaning should be obvious. Don't say the same thing six times because no one is responding to you. Don't keep yammering on about a subject nobody cares about. Meaningless and/or random posts can also be considered spam, alongside disruptive internet memes.

Topics of discussion
Off-topic discussions are allowed and are usually the norm. Discussion is not limited to the Mass Effect series, and users should not demand a change in subject matter as this may constitute disrupting chat.

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

Consequences
Moderators 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.

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

Following this, the block duration is usually:
 * Three days for the first offense
 * One week for the second offense
 * One month for the third offense
 * Any additional offenses may result in a permanent ban.

These are just guidelines for usual cases. Blocks and their duration are generally up to the discretion of Mass Effect Wiki's administrators and chat moderators.

Further offenses will result in an extended ban, at the discretion of the administrator or chat moderator administering the ban.

Administrator and chat moderators use their discretion when applying these rules, and understanding of the rules depends on the moderator's perception of the rules. Particular exceptions may be granted by specific administrator or chat moderator approval. These rules and regulations, however, should be followed strictly by users at all other times.

'''When you enter the chat, you are expected to have prior knowledge of all these rules. Ignorance of these rules is not an excuse as they cover common courtesy to others.'''