Officer and Skype Chat
It has come to my attention, and several others, that both officer chat, and now the SU skype chat, have turned into something far more than what it should be used for. Not only have members started very heated, and very petty arguments against one another, but there has also been a case of violation of vulgarity and profanity. It seems that we have to have a reminder to make this at least somewhat apparent to ALL SWU members.
We are not a strict guild when it comes to open chat between everyone, but there is a line that separates us from other guilds, that end up crumbling two weeks after opening. Constant reminders of having to stop this behavior, has turned into something that needs to be enforced, as it seems.
1) Political arguments. This means, that while in officer, or skype chat, you are NOT to start a heated debate on one state against the other, talk about your biased opinions on what’s going on in political campaign, election, or otherwise.
2) Constant fighting between members. When you log onto your character with the Stormwind University name on yourself, what kind of behavior are you trying to show? Yes, we might look good on the outside - but if we do not act civil with each other on the inside, we cause drama and conflict. When you cannot agree on someone with something, agree to disagree. That’s it. We all have different views in this guild, and if someone starts feeling shy or hurt due to what you’re telling them, we have a problem.
3) Vulgarity. We are not that harsh of a guild, and we all curse. All of us. But, there is a time and place. If you’re cursing in every sentence, for no reason - or, even worse, cursing someone else out, and harassing them verbally, we have a problem. We all get mad, of course - it’s understandable. But the moment you drop the f-bomb on someone, you need to sit out and think about what you’re doing. We are not a PG 13 guild by no means, but even so, that does NOT give you the right to yell at someone in all caps just because you’re personally hurt. Ever try being civil?
4) Profanity. Once again, most of us are adults, and those who are underage are considerably mature. But we are not, under any circumstances, a ERP guild. There is absolutely no need for any sort of XXX speak in any chat unless it is private between two members. This whole shindig of nudity, intercourse, and constant teasing of characters being degraded like sexual objects, needs to stop. And now.
5) Not knowing when Stop means Stop. What does that word mean? Does it mean that you be quiet, and never speak to that person again? Not usually. What it means, is that what you are doing, is making people uncomfortable with whatever you are saying. When someone says “Stop” , it means that you APOLOGIZE to that person, and carry on with a more light hearted topic. Too many times have I witnessed people saying stop, and the perpetrator just goes silent without any sort of apology on their back, and they act like it didn’t happen. It’s rude.
6) We are all equal. I’m unsure how many times this has to be brought up as well. But we, are a family. We care for one another. Therefor, we are to treat everyone equal amounts of respect. If you start talking in officer, or skype chat, remember that you are talking to everyone in the guild. Not just one other person. If someone wants to join in on the conversation, you let them. If someone logs on - greet them. It’s not that hard to show hospitality between one another, really.
We all have trouble with these once in awhile. I, personally, am trying to cut down on my cursing, because I believe it isn’t something that is needed in every sentence. I, however, expect others to do the same. If we wish to make everyone feel welcome, we cannot have this constant behavior. There are a lot more things to talk about, instead of sex, booze, and argument. If we make one of these mistakes, we should apologize to everyone, and move on. If we want our new members to feel welcome, and safe, this is not the way to go about it. But this behavior, needs to stop. Now.
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Garry (Garryb).
This is wonderful, Garry. You clearly express the concerns about the guild that have been troubling me (and others) for a while.
May I also add that talk about suicide or self harm or violence is unwelcome in any of our guild chat mediums, namely Officer chat (our OOC channel), Guild chat (our IC channel) and any of the skype chat forums, including voice. These are subjects that no one should take lightly or make a joke of. And please understand: if anyone ever feels this way-- as if they might do harm to themselves or others-- feel free to contact any of the officers, or your guild friends. We can and will help.
If you simply feel you MUST have a constantly violent or sexual/sexualising dialogue with someone, take it to pinks (aka in-game whispers), or PM's via Skype and on this site. This includes the constant shipping jokes or sexualised/sexual off-handed comments about tastes and proclivities. We are not a prudish guild, but with underage players and parents and people from all walks of life in mixed company, it better to be polite and tactful than risk your membership over behaviours or jokes taken too far.
This is all quite reasonable. I deplore "F-bombs" when there are so many much more creative emphatics we can employ, even OOC. Thanks for calling us out, Garry.
I'M HERE! I'm alive, I promise. With school and my birfday, haven't had a chance to sign this thang. So yeah, that's what this is.
I also wholeheartedly understand and support what Garry posted above. Especially the arguing. I'll freely admit to being guilty for swearing a shi- A TON. But one thing I can't stand is when two or three people are arguing, and even after people ask them to please stop and move on with their lives, they either turn into a 12 year old, or ignore the person.
TL;DR I agree with the Terms and Conditions.
Professor Elvae Windcrush, History Department.