Chat Room Policies: Ask Ubuntu General Room

Question

Are there detailed policies outlining flag-worthy actions or kick/ban worthy offenses within the Ask Ubuntu General Room chat? If so, what are the policies, or can a link be provided to them?

Answer 1

What Stefano Palazzo said. Or, to put it in two words:

Common sense.

Now, looking at the room transcript, I guess I know what made you ask this, and I can very well understand you (we've been through several issues with the user in question).

But – and I know I might not only be making friends by saying this – I really don't like the COC mentality of needing a document to point somebody to and say "you violated section 22a, paragraph 8 of this; hence you did wrong."

What Stefano quotes from the FAQ should be more than enough. Except for FlackBot, we're all human beings here, so I expect people to try get along with each other. If this basic rule of social interaction isn't acceptable to some people, then this has to be taken care of, but a list of dos and don'ts is not the right way to go.

Answer 2

One general rule:

• Be nice, be civil

  Don't say something you wouldn't say in the company of strangers. The internet, by now, knows you're not a dog. :)

  This includes unnecessary profanity (but, just like in the real world, not all profanity), illegal activities, bullying, rudeness and so on.

  If in doubt, use your best judgement. Always remind yourself there are humans on the other side of the cable.

The only thing where there is absolutely no tolerance is bullying. For all else, rudeness, insults, annoying @-pings, you should first try to talk the person before flagging.

Remember that valid spam flags cause users to be temporarily suspended. Generally speaking, flag if you think that a 1 hour suspension would be fair or necessary.

This is my little summary, the official chat FAQ also touches on the problem:

Do I have to be nice?

Yes. We expect community members to treat each other with respect … even when they don't deserve it.

This site is collectively moderated by the community through participatory flagging. If your chat messages are repeatedly being flagged by your peers you might find yourself muted, banned, or – in extreme cases – your The Stack Exchange Network reputation may be negatively affected.

If you see an inappropriate, spam, or offensive chat message, please use the hover menu at the far right of each chat message to flag it. This will draw it to the attention of the community moderators.