Why Become and Operator?
While we believe in offering as much free service as possible system resources are
limiting so we must limit non-paying clients and give preference to paying clients
otherwise known as Ops, short for Operators.
Operators avoid all the limitations placed on regular users, those limitations are listed in the next section.
Operator payment is basically like an unlimited use membership. As long as the account is paid you can use it as many hours a day as you like and not incurr any extra charge.
Operator membership is also good in CyberMyst as well as the chat. In CyberMyst Operators can create and remove doors, describe rooms, keep gathered items, and save score from session to session.
There is no limitation on how many messages Operators can send to other Operators or regular users and even if a regular users message box is full they can still send messages to Operators. If you want more detail on how the message box of regular users is limited see the Message Limit Policy.
One unique thing about Alamak Internet Chat is the ability to use different fonts and colors. As an Op you can make your text any color and even use a small program built into the chat which fades your text from one color to the next.
As an Operator you can send and recieve Chat Mail from all other users of the chat. This mail can be sent in your absence and read when you first login to the chat. It is deleted as you leave the MailRoom and you can read any new messages by entering the MailRoom.
All nicknames used by Operators are reserved. This means another person can not log into the chat as you and pretend to be you. Nicknames are assigned on a first come first serve basis. If you want to be sure to be able to keep you preferred nickname it is a good idea to sign up as an Op.
The wait command allows you once on the chat to be automatically notified when a particular user or a user with a particular IP address joins the chat.
Private rooms can only be made by Operators and these "custom" rooms can be locked or unlocked only by the person who creates the room. See the Chat Policies for information on what differentiates a "custom" and "private" rooms.
Ops can /summon users into a private room for conversation.
Ops have the unique ability to post links to picture or other pages on the web as long as it is not in violation of the "unauthorized advertising clause". These links can either be attached as a blue link to your nickname with the /pic command or posted into the chat with the /http command.
Finally to protect the chat from flooding, foul language, and other abuses by inconsiderate users Ops can /kick or /ban regular users. After a period of a couple months Ops will pass the trial period and also be able to /kick or /ban other Ops when necessary. This is discouraged and should only be used in extreme cases. Again refer to the Chat Policies.
This is not a full listing of Operator benfits but just highlights of the most widely used.
Regular users are subjected to a message box limit and if you exceed this limit you will not be able to send a private message to other non-paying users unless some messages clear automatically.
Regular users can use the /join command to enter "set" rooms or unlocked "custom" existing rooms but not to create new "custom" rooms.
Regular users can not /lock or /unlock "custom" rooms to make them private or public.
Ops, do not try to sign on twice under the same nickname, if you do the server will kick the first login.
Nickname changes and password change requests please submit a a href="http://alamak.com.sg/cgi-bin/new_app/dig.cgi">Operator Diagnostic and put your new nickname choice or password change request in the comment section. Nickname changes are billed $8 per change.
A "/whois #" will list all Operators online.
Operators are not allowed to create rooms for other users and leave as the new room will collapse and put the other users back on the "Doorstep".
Granted Ops can not /kick, /ban, /summon, /unban, /post, or maintain a private room.
If you are an Operator and having problems logging on please make sure you account has not already expired and check with the new diagnostic / fixit form Operator Diagnostic. Change nickname, add IP address and other such request will not longer be handled by email but you must use this diagnostic form! Operator accounts use pattern matching for IP address entries with a limit of 2 entries per Operator.
If you have questions about commands please check the help pages, public message board, these Operator Guidelines, and other Operators with annoucements on it before sending email. If you have already checked these other locations, still can't find the answer, and you feel it is important then ask Azreal, savant, or Gambit via chat /mail.
Please be clear and precise if reporting a problem and only report if the problem appears to be consistent and not due to your provider or machine. I don't have time to respond to all questions regarding is changes by email or while working on things in the chat but if it is important enough I will post a notice.
Please, do not share your account or password with your friends as this is cause for removal of the account without refund. If you are caught sharing your account with your schoomates or coworkers your account will be revoked without refund.
Private rooms are just that, private as long as you know everyone in the room. As soon as you start summoning unknown people into the room you MAY be subjected to the rules at policies of public rooms! Illegal activites anywhere on the chat are not allowed but you forfiet any right to privacy as soon as you summon an unknown person into the room. If they complain about, record, or forward any of that information then you the maintainer of the private room (the owner of the /lock) are legally responsible and may loose your Ops privledges.
What does this mean? This means if you are carrying out any kind of illegal activity or promoting illegal activity in a private room and you summon someone in, expect to loose your Ops privledges. This includes promotion of illegal substances as long as the law still says they are illegal for anyone in the room to consume. This also includes kiddie porn or talking dirty to someone underage.
Disagreements between Operators should be resolved by private message or in a private room with other Operators to moderate. Public criticism between Operators is strongly discouraged.
Operators are not required to kick or ban anyone since the main point here is to have fun. Operators who do not want to police should not defend thier friends who are not following chat policies. If you do have a conflict with an Operator who is fairly enforcing chat policies you may be suspended on recommendation by the Operator Committee.
The OPERATOR COMMITTEE is composed of volunteers selected by reputation and a vote among the nominees. They read the initial complaint mail, determining the details, and then if needed recommend an address be put on the permanent ban list or warn the overzealous Operator at fault. If these do not prove satisfactory to curb the problem then the committee can recomend and enforce suspension or removal of Operator privledges.
Operators, you're out there doing a good job and I really appreciate it. I would like to ask though that if you /kick or /ban make sure you do it for a good reason. Recently the reason it takes so long to handle requests for address changes and add new ops is alot of time is spent dealing with chatters who feel they have been kicked or banned unfairly and are really pissed off at some Operator. If you take action especially for little cause, I get the flak here.
Please pay special attention to Teens and make sure it stays decent there! It would be bad for everyone if someday the government felt the need to regulate or even force closure of chat sites so let's not give them cause for complaint and keep the place decent.
Dealing with Users Fairly
Users are entitled to thier own opinions and enjoyment of the chat. Use sound
judgement and don't let your personal feelings interfere with your decisions. I want
to keep this chat a friendly place, if a user is just being antagonistic then you
should kick them off the chat. We don't need this sort of hostility on the chat as
it makes everyone's experience here unpleasant. Make sure though that you don't kick
someone for presenting a different point of view. Constructive arguement fosters and
intellectual atmosphere which I'd like to see more of on the chat. I fully support
freedom of speech ... as long as it is to a constructive end. I'm not perfect myself
but I try to follow these guidelines as a system administrator.
Don't let users bully you! Chat policies are clearly stated on the regular user login page. Don't argue with people using FOUL LANGUAGE or OFFENSIVE NICKNAMES, /kick or /ban them with an explaination. If the offense seems minor or an isolated case a warning may be more appropriate than a /kick or /ban.
Make sure you are fair and make impartial decisions and support free exchange of ideas within the law. Harrassment, foul language, public vulgarity, illegal subject matter, insults, and bigotry should not be tolerated.
It is best to make your own decisions or check with other Operators to get a second opinion. You can provide an explaining when you do your kick or ban to reduce the questions by other users about your actions, and don't allow yourself to get sucked into an arguement about free speech and so on. This is the internet but the machine that this chat runs on is owned by Alamak Internet and since we are pay the bills we have the right to make the rules.
Banning
Banning should only be used in extreme cases. A ban prevents all users matching the
address ban from using the entire chat. Both nick and address bans are supported at
this time. When banning by nickname the server figures out what would be a good
address ban places the ban and kicks the user off the chat. You can not use a nick
ban unless the user is actually on the chat. Since many users have several accounts
address bans are most effective if you use less that the full address. A good rule
of thumb is if it is an IP address like 134.34.15.19 remove everything after the
last period inclusive. So an address ban like "/ban 134.34.15" might work well.
Address bans ban the address but do not kick anyone off the chat and so is most
effective when used with the /kick command.
The /ban command should be used as a very last resort only. Remember, personal conflicts should not be resolved by the use of these commands or the threat of use. Use of this command should be restricted to cases of harrassment or refusing to cooperate and stop behavior that is offensive the majority of users.