FEDERATION GREETER’S GUIDE [Doc]

**>> FEDERATION GREETER'S GUIDE 96.09.30 TOS SECTION

HOW TO DEAL WITH TOS PROBLEMS

It's a sad fact that part of your job is to act as a Fed Cop and stop people
from offending against TOS or the Federation Policy. Greeters are the first
line of action when someone starts misbehaving, and, except in very serious
cases or when you are very busy, generally Hosts won't intervene until you
ask them to bump or lock someone.

Please do not be afraid to pass a problem player to a Host to deal with. If
you give someone a TOS warning, and they ignore it, there's usually not much
point giving them another warning - they need to be bumped out of the game as
a wake-up call, or locked out completely.



Hosts will not usually deal with a TOS violation until asked to step in by the 
Greeter On Duty. Hosts have additional commands to assist you in dealing 
with a problem player. They will let you deal with the OSW and step in with 
their 'tools' when asked via IM or TB. You will NEVER be reprimanded by a
Host in the game for issuing a OSW to a player. If you feel a situation is 
getting out of control and you may not be able to deal with it, get a host to 
assist you on the channel.


It is necessary for you to act promptly to deal with a problem player, before
their behavior upsets other players giving you more problems to deal with.
However, slapping an immediate TOS warning may not be best way to stop the
problem, and you need to exercise some judgment in deciding how best to deal
with the problem. We've tried to anticipate as many problem-types as we can,
and give you guidance in this document on how to deal with them, but people
are endlessly inventive when it comes to misbehaving and there are always
going to be problems that don't fall into the examples listed below.

There are several different reasons why someone might break TOS or Fed
policy:

-- They are deliberately misbehaving in order to get TOSed, or to cause us
problems

-- They are worked up over something that has happened in the game and have
temporarily lost their head

-- They are not aware that what they are doing is an offense

You need to make an instant judgement on which category they fall into,
because how you deal with them will be different depending on the reasons
behind their behavior. Sometimes it is absolutely obvious which category
applies (for example, someone starts screaming obscenities on the comm and
won't stop). Sometimes it won't be obvious, because people are very adept at
claiming they did not know what they were doing was wrong, in order to get
out of trouble. However, in a grey area, it is best to give the player the
benefit of the doubt by assuming they are not aware that they are out of
order, and explaining to them what it is they have done wrong.

QUICK LIST OF TOS OFFENSES

The most common TOS violations in Federation are:
Vulgarity (by far the most common)
Staff Impersonation
Room Disruption
Harassment
Screen Scrolling
Comm Disruption (see below).


In all cases, your main ammunition if you have to deal with something
officially is the TOS warning, which you will have learned about in your TOS
training class. You will have been told about the different types of offense:
vulgarity, scrolling etc. But we also have Fed-specific offenses that really
don't fit into any of the AOL categories, and for those you should use the
TOS warning but give the offense a non-AOL-approved name, as explained below
in the examples. 

EXAMPLES

>> A player comes into the game and starts yelling abuse over open comms.

Here it is obvious that the player has no interest in playing Fed, they just
want to cause trouble. Give them an immediate TOS warning for vulgarity, and
if they do not stop find a Host or other Staff Member who can bump them or
lock them. 

>> A player comes into the game with an obviously offensive screen name such
as "FukkYou".

Tell them that the name is unacceptable and that they must leave the game and
come back with a different screen name. If they do not immediately comply,
give them a TOS warning for vulgarity, and if they do not leave, find a Host
to deal with them.

>> A player comes into the game with the word "Fed" as part of their screen
name.

Tell them that we reserve the word use of "Fed" names for our staff, and ask
them politely to go away and start a different screen name. If they refuse,
don't ask them... TELL them. If they still won't, give them an official
warning for staff impersonation, and then pass it to a Host to deal with.

>> A player comes into the game with a screen name similar to one of the
existing Hosts or Staff members, eg Freyah, Hazzed, AlanLenton, Unikette.

Send a polite tight beam asking them to leave the game and come back with a
different screen name. Give them one chance... it might be a genuine mistake,
or something they thought was just a joke. If that doesn't do it, give them a
warning for staff impersonation. If they still don't leave, hand it to a Host
to deal with.

See also the section on Staff Impersonation below.
 
>> A player has an offensive mood.

Tell them that their mood is unacceptable and that they must change it. If
they do not immediately do so, give them a TOS warning for vulgarity, and if
they still do not change it, find a Host to deal with them.

>> A player has a mood which is borderline offensive.

A word or phrase that would be acceptable if used in passing while talking is
a different matter when it's upfront in a mood, or a name, which everyone can
see all the time. Ask the person to change it. If they refuse to do so, tell
them to change it or they will be given an official warning; if they want to
argue about it they should send some mail to MagsT1000. If they still do not
comply, it's your call about whether to turn it official... it depends on
just how borderline the mood is, whether the game is busy, whether another
player has complained about it, and so on.

>> A player is doing offensive ACT commands, using vulgar SAY messages, or
any other "localized" offense. This seems to happen most often in the
Cantina :)

Normally you would not worry about localized misbehaving, unless it is
happening where you are, where newbods will see it, or you are called to a
location by another player. Whether they are a deliberate trouble-maker or
just being silly and over-the-top does not matter. Tell them firmly to stop
their offensive behavior. If they do not, deal with in the same way as if
their offense was committed over the comm.

>> A player broadcasts the same message over and over causing scrolling.

Obviously they are just causing trouble, so give them a TOS warning for
screen scrolling, and if they don't stop, find a Host to get rid of them.

>> A player is using Channel 1 for complaints, whines, chit-chat or other
inappropriate comments.

Explain to the player that Channel 1 is for help questions only. If Channel 1
is busy then it may be better to tell the player via TB, to avoid clogging up
the comms even more. Give them a few chances to get the message (how lenient
you are will depend on how busy things are) but if they don't seem to get it,
give them a TOS warning. However, when you warn them, don't call it "room
disruption" because if they genuinely are slow on the uptake that will just
confuse them. Call the offense "comm disruption". If they still don't stop,
give them one more verbal warning that they are in danger of being thrown out
of the game, and then if necessary pass it to a Host to deal with.

>> A player sends a couple of messages over the comm (i.e. requests for a
job, for help, cleaner sightings etc.).

If it's just a few messages, don't worry about it. If the player keeps it up
(and he's not being entertaining or anything) then ask him to tune to a
channel to stop annoying people. Only if the game is very busy, or his
messages become very annoying, should you escalate this and treat it as the
following... 

>> A player sends a lot of messages over the comm. (By this we mean, a lot of
stupid annoying messages. There's not generally a problem with someone
sending a lot of comm messages if they are entertaining the other players).

Tell him clearly and firmly that he is being annoying and he should tune to a
channel. If he persists, give him a TOS warning for comm disruption and then,
if necessary, turn it over to a Host.

>> A player gets carried away, or over-emotional, because of something that
has just happened in the game, e.g. they die with no insurance, or lose a lot
of money selling goods to the wrong place.

In this case, the player will usually be a valuable player who just needs to
be cooled down. Try to calm them down by tight beam, if necessary suggest
they meet you somewhere quiet so you can have a talk with them. If you need
to get stern with them, give them an official warning, and they may be so
worked up they need to be bumped out of the game in order to cool off - in
which case, call in a Host. But if you can soothe them without having to make
things official, please do so.

>> A player skates too close to the line, pushing things to see what he can
get away with, but not quite violating TOS.

The key to whether you should take action in a situation like this is: are
his actions upsetting other players? If so, then tight beam him sternly
telling him to stop, and reminding him that he is not only subject to TOS but
also to the Federation policy. If he continues to be really annoying, pass it
to a Host to deal with. We can get rid of people even if they don't commit an
actual AOL TOS offense, if they turn out to be an extreme nuisance, and
sometimes the cumulative effect of pushing it several nights in a row means
that we'll decide to get rid of the player.

>> A player you have warned argues the validity of TOS in Fed, or shouts
about first amendment rights.

If you feel they are genuinely unsure about why they were TOSed, then
explain to them what they did, and tell them to read TOS and Fed policy to be
sure. If they talk about the first amendment, remind them that they signed a
contract when they joined AOL which sets out ways to behave, and they are
bound to it. If they don't accept that, or if they are obviously not going to
accept any authority, there is no point arguing back or trying to reason with
them. Tell them firmly that in Fed, Greeters and Hosts are the law and they
can either calm down and behave, or they can leave, and if they want to lodge
a complaint they should write to MagsT1000. If they won't drop it, warn them for
either harassment of a greeter while on duty, or disruption, whichever is
more appropriate. If necessary, turn it over to a Host to deal with.

>> A player argues with you about your treatment of another player, or tries
to interfere in your dealing with a problem.

If the player is being hostile to you, tell them firmly to keep out of it. If
they think they are trying to "help" you, be a little more polite, but still
tell them to keep out of it, you are handling it and their input just serves
to make it worse. In both cases, if they don't stop, warn them for
interfering with a greeter while on duty, and if that doesn't do it get a
Host to deal with them.

>> A player tells you that they were spying on someone and saw them violate
TOS.

Politely tell the player that anything seen over a spybeam does not count; if
they are offended they should just turn the spybeam off.

>> A player tells you that someone else is tight-beaming them offensive, or
disruptive messages.

Spy the person, and if they are still receiving the messages, tell the
offender to stop, and then deal with it as vulgarity, harassment, or whatever
seems more appropriate. If it's not still happening, ask the person for an
example, and then tell the offender that you have received a complaint about
them sending vulgar (or whatever) messages, which is against AOL's TOS, and
would they please not do it any more. See also the special section on
harrassment below.

>> A player tells you someone is harassing them.

Spy the person, and see what's happening. See the section on harassment for
how you should deal with it.

>> A player won't stop asking questions by sending you TBs.

Tell them firmly and clearly that they should ask their questions on Channel
1. If they carry on, tell them if they don't stop you will make it official.
Then warn them for disruption. If necessary, get a Host to deal with them.

>> A player starts harrassing you while you are on duty, either over open
comm or via TBs, or sending open insults to you.

Do not be afraid to act if someone is harrassing you. You do not have to put
up with nasty remarks that make you feel uncomfortable. Anything that
interferes with your ability to do your job as a Greeter should be stopped,
otherwise the game suffers. Tell the person clearly to stop; if they respond
by saying that they were just joking, or that you are over-reacting, tell
them that you do not find them funny and if they do not stop you will make it
official. If they still won't stop - come down on them hard. Warn them for
harassment, and if that doesn't do it, get a Host to dispose of them for you.

>> A player openly harasses or insults another player over the comm.

Please see the harassment section below.

>> A player who you have reprimanded threatens to report you.

Do not worry! If the player claims to work for AOL, be a Game Host in
disguise, or Alan Lenton's best buddy, do not believe them. Tell them they
can report you to MagsT1000, and then forget about it. It is our policy to
always support Hosts and Greeters in TOS matters.

>> A number of players are worked up because someone was violating TOS.

Sometimes, this is the most difficult thing to deal with about TOS
situations. The rest of the players can get very steamed up by obsenities or
disruption and can themselves cause more disruption; it's your job to settle
them down and restore order. If you can, try to do with without issuing TOS
warnings; do it by making a joke of things or telling them the show's over
and they can go back to work, etc. If you have to get tough with them, give
them a big warning that you will have to make it official if they don't calm
down. Only if you can't stop them any other way should you issue TOS
warnings.

HARASSMENT

Harassment is one of the most difficult complaints to deal with, which is why
it warrants a section of its own. It is a very grey area because it is so
subjective; one person's harassment is another person's joking and teasing,
and sometimes a complaint about harassment turns out to be a dispute between
two players where both are as bad as each other. Sexual harassment is ever
more serious, and more difficult to deal with, because the victim often feels
reluctant to complain, no matter how humiliated they feel.

Whether you feel that someone is being seriously harassed or not, to them it
is important so whatever you do, you must be sympathetic and soothing,
without actually committing yourself to taking any action against the person
they are complaining about.

Even if all that's happening is mild teasing, if someone is upset enough to
complain about it then they are obviously taking it more seriously than it
was intended. Teasing and joking are all part of Fed, but only so long as
everyone involved is enjoying themselves and having fun. The moment someone
stops thinking it's fun is the moment it starts to become harrassment. No one
should feel that they are being chased out of a bar - or out of the game
itself - because someone won't leave them alone. 

How you actually deal with the situation will depend on whether you see the
harassment yourself or not. 

>>If spying on the person shows that someone is definately and clearly
harassing them, then you should deal with it immediately by telling them to
stop, giving them a TOS warning for harassment, and, if necessary, getting a
Host to bump or lock them.

>>If you spy and don't think it's too serious, even though the complainer is
obviously upset about it, ask the perpetrator to stop, and point out that
even though they find it funny, their victim does not. Explain to them that
the game universe is large enough that they should be able to find someone to
play with who does appreciate their humor. If they refuse to stop, then deal
with it as above.

>>If you do not see anything, then ask the complainer is they have a capture
showing the harassment happening. If they do, ask them to send it to
MagsT1000, who will deal with the situation. If they do not have a capture,
then tell them to do two things: the next time the person starts to harass
them, they should turn on a session log to start recording (you may have to
explain how to do this), and then clearly and firmly tell the person to stop
bothering them. If the harassment continues, mail the resulting capture to
MagsT1000.

On no account should you attempt to deal with a harassment situation yourself
unless you actually saw it happening and have a capture that you can send to
MagsT1000. We must have evidence that we can show to AOL to justify us giving
a warning to someone. All you can do in this case is to be sympathetic and
try to make the person understand the importance of taking a capture. You
should also put it in an 'unofficial' report to MagsT1000 so that the
possible offender can be added to the 'One to Watch' list.

STAFF IMPERSONATION

Staff impersonation is another complex issue that needs to be explained
fully. For the purposes of Fed, staff impersonation consists of the following
things:

-- Anyone claiming to work for Interactive Broadcasting. If you are not sure,
there is a list of the main screen names of the current IB staff in the
Greeter's area.

-- Anyone claiming to work for AOL.

-- Anyone claiming to be a Host or a Greeter

-- Anyone using a 'lookalike' screen name to pretend to be someone who falls
into any of those categories; for example, replacing the letter 0 in a screen
name with a zero, lower case l's with upper case I's or the number 1, etc.

Note that just because someone uses a similar name to a member of staff, it
does not mean that they are *impersonating* staff; it could be coincidence.
Where the name is close enough that it will cause confusion to our players,
then you should politely ask the person if they could use a different name,
but if they refuse, don't push it; instead, send the details to MagsT1000,
and he will deal with it.

Also note that people who work for IB on other projects have no 'staff'
status in Fed. They have the same status as any OH player; therefore, any
confusion a similar name may cause does not strictly count as staff
impersonation, and you should refer any problems to MagsT1000 to deal with.

Impersonation is an area where it is very easy for a player to claim that
they were not impersonating; it's all a big coincidence. If there is any
doubt, don't deal with a situation - send it to MagsT1000 to deal with.

REPORTING

The standard TOS reporting form is located in the Greeter Library of the GCIP.
The form must be used inorder for AOL to process any OSWs. All TOS reports
are to mailed to MagsT1000. I check it for accuracy, format and make a decision
to forward it to AOL or not. All TOS reports submitted to me are forwarded to 
the Interactive Broadcasting Archives, regardless of format or AOL submission.
We are not actually concerned with punishing players who behave badly - all we are concerned with is stopping them so they don't annoy other players.

Bob Genet
Federation Host/Manager