User:Lankiveil/Draft: IRC Guidelines
Wikimedia Australia maintains an IRC channel at #wikimedia-au. While the channel is generally self-governing and trouble free, some recent incidents and complaints have underscored the need for some basic rules and expectations to be set out. It is intended that these be rather lightweight and have no particular impact on the current operation of the channel for most of the time.
Scope
The channel is intended as a communication channel for members of the Australian chapter, and as a general discussion forum for topics related to Australia and Wikimedia projects. Non-members and those outside of Australia are welcome in the channel, but should keep the scope of the channel in mind.
Freenode’s Rules
Frequent users of IRC should take the time to familiarise themselves with the policies of Freenode, who are the host of our IRC channel.
Users are expected to abide by these policies at all times. Users who violate these policies, if not kicked, banned, or barred by Freenode, will be disciplined by the management committee, as outlined in the section entitled “Discipline” below.
Courtesy and Culture
The channel is primarily intended as an informal location for discussion, and not as a help channel or place to get people to do your work for you. It is acceptable to ask for assistance or advice occasionally, but if all you’re doing is asking for help, other channels such as #wikimedia-en-help may be more effective than #wikimedia-au.
If people do help you out, please make sure that you reciprocate and promote good karma should other users request assistance from you. Users who continually pester others for assistance without offering any of their own may be asked to leave.
Sometimes discussion in the channel turns to topics that may be considered inappropriate by some. It is not the intention of the management committee to come up with a list of topics that may not be discussed and words that may not be used, but please keep in mind that the channel may be being read by minors and those from differing cultural backgrounds. Users who persist in discussing topics that make others uncomfortable after being asked not to by the management committee may be disciplined as outlined below.
Meetings
From time to time, the management committee may hold public meetings in the channel for various reasons. A chair will be designated for these meetings, and all persons logged onto the channel should follow the instructions of the chair during these times. For the most part, it is expected that during meetings, people will stick to the topic at hand and not clutter the channel with off-topic discussion.
Logging
The channel is logged by system administrators and these logs are available to the management committee. There is therefore no need for individuals to log the channel privately. As a matter of courtesy, logs should not be posted publically except with the consent of all individuals who appear in that log.
At certain times, such as during open meetings in the channel, a member of the management committee may log the channel with the intention of posting a public transcript of the meeting. Where this is the case, the room topic will contain a notice clearly informing users that the channel is currently being logged for later publication.
Discipline
In the event that an individual is causing disruption or creating trouble in the chapter, the management committee reserves the right to take action to remove individuals or groups causing problems. For non-members, this includes being asked to leave the channel for a period of time. If the non-member declines to comply with this instruction, they may be excluded from the channel through technical means. For members of the chapter, the management committee may at its discretion take disciplinary action against the member as outlined in section 7 of the rules of the association.