#Sonic policies-IMPORTANT

From: Matt Penna <mpenna_at_vivanet.com>
Date: Sun, 26 May 1996 21:01:35 -0400

Hello, this is MilesProw, the head operator on #sonic. I am not currently in
the greatest of moods, as I had hoped to avoid having to make an
announcement like this one. If you are a #sonic channel visitor, or ever
plan to visit in the future, then READ THIS NOTICE.

In recent nights, we have had numerous problems on #sonic. I am not speaking
of technical problems, but more of problems with some of you, the users.

I have had SEVERAL people come to the channel claiming to be me, who have
attempted to get op status. I've already dealt with several of the
perpetrators personally, and I think I have been much more than fair in this
regard. However, I'm getting sick of it. In the future, if anyone claims to
be me, you will be banned from the channel at all times while I am there. I
don't care if you were intending to take the channel over or just wanted to
say to your pals, "Hey, I had op status last night!" Claiming to be me(Or
any of the other ops) will be treated as a very serious offense, no matter
what you intended to do once someone else opped you. No more cutesy-poo
warnings and second chances. I suggest you don't screw up the first time
around from now on.

There have also been problems with takeover attempts, some of them
successful, on #sonic. This is due to the fact that, despite my warnings on
the Sonic IRC pages, everyone is being opped. As I said in the Web pages,
opping everybody, including people you don't even KNOW is a very bad idea,
as takeovers, bans, and general chaos are usually the result. As I said in
the Web pages, (Notice I keep saying this. Some of you obviously haven't
read them contrary to my advice to do so.) no one is to be opped except for
the channel operators, which include Mighty, Jaybird, ^Speed^, and
myself(MilesProw). If you get to the channel first and gain op status, then
wait until one of the operators arrives and op them. Do not op anyone else,
even if you know them. (More on this later.) Your op status will be revoked
once one of the operators has arrived, without any need for explanation, as
you are not entitled to it simply because you were there first. Handing over
control of the channel without question will reflect favorably upon you.

About opping people, don't ever op on Nickname alone. You MUST view
someone's User_at_Host information by doing a /whois on them, by using mIRC's
UCentral function, or by viewing the gobblediegook that appears next to a
person's name when they enter the channel. This information is very
difficult to fake (For most people), and should be used to determine if
someone is actually who they claim to be. For example, Jaybird's User_at_host
information reads: sonic2_at_cs1-02.lfd.ptd.net at least some of the time. (The
part that reads csl-02 usually changes from session to session.) But the
.lfd.ptd.net remains constant, as does the sonic2 (This is user defined and
can be changed easily. Don't rely on this alone.) Become familiar with the
operators' User_at_Host information when you use IRC and be ready to recognize it.

One other problem that I have noticed recently is that some people seem to
find it amusing to annoy other #sonic users. Naturally, having somebody piss
you off while you're trying to relax detracts from your enjoyment. So, as
blatantly obvious as this may seem to some of you, I have to tell others to
try to act like a civil individual while they're using chat. (I find it hard
to believe that you act this way when you're talking to somebody face to
face. I guess I shouldn't be surprised.) If I tell you to stop doing
something, you do it. This holds true with all of the other operators as
well. Harassing other users, especially after I tell you to stop, is another
SERIOUS offense, and you will be kick/banned. The ban will remain in effect
for as long as the operators see fit.

Another problem: People have been asking for ops. Let me put this to all of
you plain and simple. I am not interested in having any more channel
operators at this time. All of the operators are people that I implicitly
trust. However, it does not work both ways. Even though I may trust you, it
does not mean I will op you. It is not some personal thing, so don't think I
hate you or anything like that. It is this way for EVERYONE.

If I have to speak with you in private about a disruption that you might be
causing, don't think that I don't trust you and I'll hate you forever or
some other ridiculous thing like that. I will attempt to setlle all problems
in a mature, civil manner the first time around. If you screw up again, then
I'll be pissed off. Believe me, if you piss me off, I will let you know in
the form of a kick, or maybe even a flood that will break your connection
with your IRC server. (You can get back on again, but I don't think you'd
want to deal with me when you get back. I suggest you wait at least a day
for me to cool off.)

If anyone has any concerns about what goes on #sonic, by all means, let me
know. If I'm not there and some catastrophe happens, then E-mail me and tell
me about it. If you are being annoyed by another user, let me know,
especially if I'm there with you. If it happens when I'm not there, then try
to get that person's E-mail address by FINGERing them. (It's under CTCP for
you mIRC users.) If you don't get any information by doing this, make note
of their user_at_host information and their nick. Then, send me an e-mail
telling me what happened, including their nick and user_at_host. (An e-mail
address would be most helpful, if you can get it.)

As mad as I am about these problems, I should also say that the majority of
you that come on the channel really make my day. Many of you have been great
on the channel. It makes my job worthwhile, and I've even forged some new
friendships. Keep it up, all of you!

Please notice that I did not name any names in this post. That's because
there have been several people responsible for everything that I've
mentioned. If you're responsible for something that I've mentioned, knock it
off and act semi-normal when you come to #sonic.

I apologize for making such a LENGTHY post, but this seemed to be the best
way to get everybody's attention. If you have not read the WWW pages, then
GO DO IT. Looks Like I'll be making more updates shortly to include some of
the stuff that I've mentioned in this post.

As always, I am open to feedback. DO NOT DISCUSS THIS ON THE MAILING LIST,
PLEASE. Any concerns should be directed to me privately. My e-mail address
is in my signature.


-Matt Penna
E-mail: mpenna_at_vivanet.com
Home Page Under Construction

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Received on Sun May 26 1996 - 21:08:37 PDT