##essy Channel Guidelines


  1. Be Civil - ##essy is a channel of friends. Act like one, please.


    1. Do:

      • Catalyze discussions

      • Be kind

      • Be helpful

      • Hug people

      • Give compliments

      • Respect other people's opinions, whether you agree or not

      • Respond to incivility with greater civility and respect

      • Say please, thanks, sorry, and you're welcome


    2. Don't:

      • Flame

      • Troll

      • Be rude, judgmental, or belittling

      • Accuse people or request kicks or bans in public

      • Engage in personal attacks

      • Intentionally offend or provoke people

      • Be offended if someone hugs you. We hug you because we like you. Think philia and agape, not eros.


  1. Be Family Friendly


    1. Do:

      • Remember that persons of all ages and backgrounds are present on ##essy

      • Remember that some people on ##essy are currently at work

      • Have fun!


    2. Don't:

      • Use vulgar or profane language, or acronyms or substitutes which imply vulgar or profane language

      • Make graphically violent, racially charged, or sexually explicit comments

      • Link to graphically violent, racially charged, illegal, or sexually explicit content, or anything that could be classified as "Not Safe For Work"

      • Say anything that you wouldn't want your mother, grandmother, significant other, or five-year-old kid to read.


  1. Be Bold


    1. Do:

      • Introduce yourself to people. Really, we don't bite.

      • Speak up if you have something helpful/amusing/constructive to say.

      • Ask questions. About anything (well, keep it family friendly at least...)

      • Hug people!


    2. Don't:

      • Leave because you think we're all crazy. We are, but you can stay anyway.

      • Be afraid to talk. Did I mention that we don't bite?



  2. Follow Freenode Guidelines


    1. Freenode is our gracious host.



  3. Be Obedient


    1. Do:

      • If SportChick, essy, SC, or mozul asks you to do something, do it. It's SportChick's channel, and she decides what is appropriate and what is not.

      • Remember that we are here by SportChick's invitation, direct or indirect.


    2. Don't:

      • Violate these guidelines just because SportChick isn't on. You will be dealt with by her minions, who shall remain nameless.



  4. Games and bots

    1. Please do not bring additional bots into the channel without SportChick's express approval.


    2. Please do not abuse the bots. We're generally pretty lax about it (lart wars aren't unheard of), just be respectful of other people in the channel


    3. Several of the bots may have factoids or command that trigger responses that are not appropriate for ##essy, since they are used by many channels across freenode. Please do not intentionally trigger these factoids or commands.


    4. ##essy has two sub-channels for games, ##essy-scrabby for scrabby, and ##essy-game for A-Z. Feel free to participate in them, and to announce that you are doing so in ##essy.


  5. Miscellaneous Bits


    1. If you are wondering, who are SportChick, essy and mozul anyway? SportChick and mozul are married and are the hosts of the ##essy channels. You can read more about them on their website. We encourage you to talk to them, and especially hug them! They love it!


    2. If you have any questions about these channels, freenode or anything else, ask! We don't bite and we love talking to people, new and experienced alike!


    3. Finally, if you have a dispute with someone on the channel we ask you:

      • to handle it privately (disputes shouldn't be handled or discussed on the channel)

      • if you are unable to resolve it privately, ask SportChick or mozul to mediate for you. Any mediation will be done off-channel