Channel Members -- The newest members of the Tub are chinakat and Nige. Welcome, both of you!
ChatNet uses a database, accessible through K9, to keep track of which users are registered members of a channel. Membership gives the user access to the network bot, K9, in the channel. The K9 FAQ file on the ChatNet Channel Service page lists the commands available and the user levels required to access them. Our policy in #AHotTub [effective 5/15/97] is to set up all new members with user level 75, which gives them sufficient access if they are granted ops to use all the commands they will need. Regular ops will have user level 200. A few users have level 400 or higher access, allowing them to modify the user list. The channel owner is the only one that ChatNet allows to have level 500. ChatNet Channel Services staff and the ChatNet IRC operators (IRCops) have level 600 access to K9 in all the channels.
Membership in the channel doesn't automatically equate to having ops. We invite regular visitors to the Tub to become members in order to show them that we like having them in the channel and to encourage them to spend more of their online time with us. Every member is encouraged to let the channel owner or designated operators know if there is a user who is visiting the Tub on a regular basis and seems to be the kind of person we want to invite into membership. Channel membership carries no obligation except to conform to the Tub norms and to contribute to the conversation. No one will be drafted into membership. Before being added to the user list, potential members will be asked if they approve and should be furnished with a copy of this Guide.
We will consult with every op we can reach before adding anyone to the user list, and we will listen carefully to any objections. I can't be in the channel all the time, and some people do put on a different face when I'm around. If you have an objection to someone being added to the user list, please let Judi, Carmine, Rosie or Quinn know as soon as possible. Remember that I check my email regularly; it's a good way to reach me.
Members are asked to provide the channel owner with some personal information to help in the administration of the channel. Please let us know any alternate nicks you use frequently, whether you use alternate providers (so that we can set up K9 to recognize you when you come in the channel), your e-mail address (so we can send you information about the Tub), and (optionally) your real name and location, as well as any other information you want to share with the other members (e.g., your spouse's nick). All of this data will be compiled into a member directory which will be e-mailed to all the members on a regular basis. Please let us know if you don't want your e-mail address or other information to be published. We also encourage you to set up your user bio record if you're a PIRCH user, and to include code in your Events section to allow other users to retrieve your bio. When you are added to the user list, you will need to select a password and provide it to K9. On future visits, use the AUTH command to tell K9 who you are and enable your access to the K9 commands.
Channel operators are users who have access to commands that help maintain the channel and protect other users from harassment. In other words, they can kick and/or ban users from the channel. They also have access to the channel topic, which is ordinarily restricted to prevent HNG's from flying through the channel and changing the topic for their own amusement. After being added to the user list, members may have the Auto-op switch set on in their user record, which will cause them to be opped whenever they join the channel. Ops have been granted in the past on the basis of seniority -- if you hung around long enough, you got ops. We now have enough ops to keep the channel running, and in the future we'll be extending operator privileges based on merit. That is, we will be looking for people who show maturity, judgment and technical competence with their IRC client software and in using available K9 commands. Ops have a responsibility to the other users in the channel to help make their time in #AHotTub enjoyable and free from harassment. Ops do not have an obligation to train users in the use of their IRC client software or teach them how to write popups. If an operator does so, it is entirely at his or her discretion and implies no future obligation. If the Tub is busy, feel free to refer the user to the #Pirch_101 or #K9_101 channels as appropriate.
