Update on 7/9/2002

Chat Moderator Guidelines:

1 We are the peace-keepers. Please be patients, helpful, and tolerant and slow to anger.

2. Before someone is kicked or banned they should be told publicly in the channel what they are doing wrong, be asked to stop, and given a chance to reply and amend their actions.

3. No op others in the room

4. Problems, personality conflicts and arguments will be resolved by hearing both sides of a story via modlist, mediating a solution that works for both, after which the issue is laid to rest and we move ahead.

5. New operators will be decided by existing moderators consensus. If you would like to recommend someone for ops, let the mods know.

6. You are the care-takers of #Lightinthedark you keep it clean and ensure that all people in the channel obey the rules and guideline. While you may be able still to chat, as an op you will also sit and the sidelines watching everyone else.

7. Where ever possible. You will mediate with arguing chatters, If necessary for the peace in channel, you will kick / ban chatter (s) as per the rules given hereunder.

8. You are a source of help, especially to newbies in the room. If you do not know the answers, you should be able to point them in the right direction.

9. You are someone that chatters can whine to about other chatters. You try not to take sides, be friendly and polite and allow them to vent off. A chatter may not may not whine to you about other ops- tell them to write to lightmods@yahooka.com or farside16_far@hotmail.com  with their complaints.

10. Always be courteous, kind, forgiving and patient. Be peaceful, Use good inter-personal skills- they are essential to being an op.

11. Since so many of the chatters are using mIRC, know the basic rules and options and commands yourself

12. As an op, you are expected to read modmail regularly and reply where appropriate , All modmail is completely confidential and NO details may be discussed with anyone not a Lightinthedark OP themselves.

13. As an op, you are not a COP, you are not a vigilante and you are not above the guidelines, You will always try to be fair and reasonable.

14. There will be times when you are shocked/ hurt by what a chatter or op may say or do to you personally. DO NOT fight or argue in channel with them. You must always be seen to be in control in the channel. Take it to p2p if necessary to solve the conflict . Use the modmail in order to vent your anger to concern when you are unable to resolve the conflict and so let the other mods know that there may be a problem with a particular person(s)

15. Follow the rules for kicking, banning , etc as given hereunder, If these rules are kept, you will help the op team keep Lightinthedark peaceful and supportive to be in. Know the rules off by heart, so that you can quote them if necessary.