#arc-t Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

This FAQ is posted monthly to alt.religion.christian-teen (arc-t) in an attempt to answer some of the questions likely to be asked about the #arc-t channel on DALnet. This FAQ is maintained by wersh and any comments or suggestions should be sent to him at wersh@flashmail.com.

Contents
I. Introduction to #arc-t
II. What is DALnet and How Do I Chat?
III. Rules and Guidelines
IV. The OPs
V. Related Links

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I. Introduction to #arc-t

Welcome to #arc-t! #arc-t is a chat channel on DALnet. It was created as an extension to the newsgroup alt.relgion.christian-teen. Basically, the same standards and environment that exist in the newsgroup are intended to be carried over into the chat channel.

While the name of the newsgroup contains the words 'teen' and 'Christian', don't be fooled into believing that all who post and chat fall into those categories. There are just as many non-Christians and non-teens as there are Christian teens. For more info on the population of the newsgroup (and hence the chatroom) see the newsgroup's arc-t FAQ, maintained by Steven Schrader.

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II. What is DALnet and How Do I Chat?

DALnet is an IRC (Internet Relay Chat) network. Their website can be found at www.dal.net. It is best to read over their webpage if you are new to the DALnet services.

In order to chat on DALnet, you'll need an IRC client, such as mIRC, PIRCH, or Microsoft Chat. Once you've logged onto a DALnet server, you'll need to join #arc-t, which is the name of the channel. DALnet's webpage gives links to IRC software for most platforms and gives extensive information on how to get around on IRC. It's best to consult their webpage first. If you can't figure out how to do something, though, don't hesitate to post a message to the newsgroup asking your question.

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III. Rules and Guidelines

All the basic rules and guidelines for the #arc-t channel are outlined in this section.

Handling of OP status:

-In general, all regs will receive AOP status provided they have a registered nick; any SOP or the founder may add the regs

-AOP status will not be given to non-regs unless they have been consistently posting in the group for a long time and all SOP's agree that they should receive AOP status

-SOP status will be given to people who the founder feels will handle the position fairly; the number of SOPs will be fairly limited, and additional SOPs will only be added as needed

-Any SOP who continually abuses their status will be dropped to AOP

-Any AOP who continually abuses their status will be dropped from the AOP list

-When a newsgroup reg or semi-reg announces that they are leaving arc-t, they will lose their OP status unless they request that they keep it

Kicks are allowed for the following reasons:

-Flooding - when someone posts a series of identical messages really quickly
-SPAM - when someone comes in with the sole purpose of advertising a website or such
-Excessively Rude - if someone is being excessively rude, to a specific person or to the channel in general, and most or all of the present OP's agree that the person is being excessively rude, then the person may be kicked; if there is only one or two OP's present, and there are several non-OP's present who feel the person should be kicked, it is also permissable; if an OP is being excessively rude, and all the other OP's agree, then the OP may be kicked
-Inappropriate Rooms - if someone is found to be in an inappropriate room while also being in #arc-t, then they may be kicked; inappropriate rooms will be whatever the majority of the OP's present deem it to be; this rule is only to be used if the person who is in the inappropriate room is being somehow disruptive or out of line in a way that relates to them being in the other room
-Excessively Annoying - if someone comes in and says nonsense stuff, won't participate in any conversations, and basically makes their sole purpose to be annoying, then that person may be kicked if the majority of the OP's present agree
-Before a kick is made, the person to be kicked must be given warning
-Kicking should be done only as necessary, and should not be abused

Banning will be excercised as follows:

-If someone has been kicked more than three times and continues to come into the channel to make the same offenses, then that person may be banned for up to 48 hours
-If someone continues to make kickable offenses during multiple chat sessions, that person will be banned indefinitely
-If someone has been banned and tries to re-enter the channel under a different nick, that person may be immediately banned under both nicks indefinitely
-If someone has been banned indefinitely and would like to be unbanned, they must contact the SOPs, who can, at their discretion, unban anyone they feel may safely be unbanned
-Banning should only be excercised when absolutely necessary
-Before a ban is made, the offender must be given warning (unless they've already been banned and are trying to enter under a different nick)

The following is considered abuse of OP status:

-Kicking without the consent of the majority of OP's present when such consent is needed
-Kicking for personal reasons
-Kicking when no justifiable offense is made
-Kicking without giving fair warning
-Banning without prior kicks
-Banning for personal reasons
-Banning without fair warning
-Banning when a kick would suffice

Reporting abuse of OP status:

-All abuse of OP status should be reported to the founder or a SOP
-Abuse must be recorded in a log file, preferably from a non-involved party present when the abuse occured
-If abuse occurs while other OPs are around, make sure they are aware of it
-SOPs should keep an eye out for abuse and de-OP abusers as necessary
-Repeated abuse of OP status can lead to a lowering in the OP hierarchy at the discretion of the founder and the SOPs (or all non-involved SOPs if a SOP is in question)

Changing the rules or guidlines:

-The rules and guidlines in this FAQ will be modified as dictated by the the newsgroup regs. In the case of conflicts, the #arc-t SOPs will resolve the issue.

Founder status:

-If someone would like the position of founder and a 4/5 majority of the regs support such a change, that change will be made

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IV. The OPs

All SOPs and AOPs will be listed in the FAQ under this section.

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V. Related Links

http://www.enteract.com/~digialex/arc-t/

This is the homepage for the alt.relgion.christian-teen newsgroup. It contains relevant FAQs, bios for the regulars, post archives (just the good ones of course) and other assorted goodies. It is a good idea to familiarize yourself with this page, as it applies as much to #arc-t as it does to arc-t.

http://www.dal.net/

This is the webpage for the DALnet IRC network. You can find out all about how DALnet operates, how to chat, where to find chat clients, and much more. It is recommended that you visit their site if you are new to DALnet.

http://www.mirc.com/

This is the webpage for mIRC, one of the more popular IRC clients.

http://www.pirch.com/

This is the webpage for PIRCH, another popular IRC client.

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This FAQ was first written on March 07, 1999 by wersh.