Help:Chat

The chatroom is meant to be a safe place to hang out and enjoy yourself while chatting about the wiki. When you first enter, you'll automatically join the mariowiki channel, #mwchat.

While you're here, be sure to have fun! Remember that even though this is a great community, it's still the Internet. If problems are getting to you too much, the solution is as simple as turning the computer off and going outside, or playing those Super Mario games that brought us all here!

If you have any further questions, or are experiencing any problems connecting to the channel, please post them on the talk page, or ask an operator. If your question is about the wiki, it is helpful to post a link to the article you are referring to, as most of us do not have the entire wiki memorized.

Rules

There are a few restrictions we must institute to prevent any trouble.

#mwchat rules

#mwchat is the off-topic channel of the Super Mario Wiki. Feel free to talk about anything as long as you follow the rules laid out below. No spamming. (Stupid Pointless and Annoying Message). Anything that fits this bill will be considered as spam, and it can lead to a kick and/or ban. No porn, ROMs, ISOs, and overly graphic images. Swearing is allowed, but in moderation. If you overdo it, then it will count as spam. No flooding: If you type 5 or more lines consecutively that consist of 4 or fewer words each, you will receive a kick and/or ban. No disrespecting users. This means that you do not under any circumstances harass, troll, flame other users — which means you do not purposely insult users — or make any rude or condescending comments, no matter whether it was made directly to a user or not. Inappropriate topics: Don't be too graphic. Nick changes: It is okay to change your nick to whatever you want, as long as it is appropriate and it is clear that you are really you. (Example: Try to have your user name in the nick, or a well-known nickname). No sockpuppeting. Do not create more than one user account for yourself without the permission of the Operators, do not pretend to be someone else, do not try to take someone's account, and other similar violations. No discrimination. We are a multicultural wiki, with users from many countries, races, religions, and even political thoughts. Our chat room should represent and honor that fact. So please, abstain from making any comment or performing any action that may be discriminatory towards someone. This is motive for a kick and/or ban. No advertising. Advertising is okay as long as it is something related to the MarioWiki or has been OK'd by staff. Any other ad will be considered spam. No mini-modding. Basically, don't shout to the mountains that a user deserves a kick or a ban. Tell an operator in query or in a forum PM and they will deal with the issue and don't make a big fuss if you think a user has broken a rule. Respect services and other communities. This means do not abuse GameServ functions, flood ChanServ's query, disrespect Darkmyst Staff, troll non-Mariowiki channels, etc. The Servs are not toys, and other communities are people too. Due to these infractions leading to inter-community problems, these will often carry a heavier punishment. Listen to the ops. Operators are operators for a reason, they know what they're doing. If they ask you to do something, listen to them. Bans Unlike most other chats, there is no set limit for kicks or bans in the chat room. The penalty for breaking an offense is up to the operator that is enforcing the rule, and ultimately up to the Founder or a majority decision. Ops No Op Abusing. If you see anyone abusing their op privileges, please contact another op by querying them, and tell them about what happened, being sure to include complete logs of the event. Op abusing may lead to a demotion from their Op status.

User	Rank	Flags
Anton	Founder	+AFORVefiorstv
2257	Successor	+AORVefiorstv
Gamefreak75	Admin	+AOVefiorstv
Turboo	Admin	+AOVefiorstv
Brock	Operator	+AOVefiortv
Smasher	Operator	+AOVefiortv
MrConcreteDonkey	Operator	+AOVefiortv
Master Crash	Operator	+AOVefiortv
Count Bonsula	Operator	+AOVefiortv
Superchao	Operator	+AOVefiortv
Gabumon	Operator	+AOVefiortv
RandomYoshi	Former Op	(unregistered)
Stooben	Former Admin	(unregistered)
Super Mario Bros.	Former Admin	(unregistered)

Channel Operators (identified by the @ or a star next to their name on the wiki's applet) are in place to kick or ban unruly users. Trusted users will be allowed operator status.

Below is a table detailing what each flag does and what permissions it grants the user that has the flag.

Flag	Permission granted	Flag	Permission granted
+v	Enables the use of the voice/devoice commands.	+V	Enables automatic voice.
+o	Enables use of the op/deop commands.	+O	Enables automatic op.
+s	Enables use of the set command.	+i	Enables the use of the invite and getkey commands.
+R	Enables the use of the recover, sync and clear commands.	+f	Enables modification of channel access lists.
+t	Enables use of the topic and topicappend commands.	+A	Enables viewing of channel access lists.
+S	Marks the user as a successor.	+F	Grants full founder access.
+b	Enables automatic kickban.	+e	Exempts from +b and enables unbanning self.

FAQ

Ops

• Who are the ops?

Channel Operators (or "op" for short) are users that can be identified by the @ or a star next to their name on the wiki's applet.

• What does an op do?

Channel operators run the channel. They help maintain a peaceful and fun chatting environment by watching the channel and enforcing the rules. They are trusted users and outstanding members of the community. If you respect them, they will respect you.

• Can I have op?

You cannot request op, and consistently begging for it will most likely lower your chances for ever receiving it.

• How do I become an operator?

If the current operators and admins believe that you are active, a trustworthy user, a positive member of the community, are familiar with how the chatroom functions and its commands, and have respect for the rules, you may be asked by the ops and admins if they feel that they need your help.

• Are there people in chat with more power than ops?

Yes and no. There are IRC operators (IRCops) that maintain the Darkmyst server as a whole. They are knowledgeable people who can help out if there is a problem that is outside the jurisdiction of #mwchat. They cannot settle in-channel fights or problems because they quite simply have better things to do. As with the #mwchat ops and admins, the IRCops should be treated with respect.

Rules

• Where are the rules located?

The rules, along with other information, are located in the section above. The page is available in the #mwchat topic that you can see when you join.

• Are the rules up for debate?

The execution of rules is up to the discretion of the ops. The rules are a bit flexible and are implemented on a situational basis. If there is a big issue with an existing rule, or if another rule should be made, you can let the ops know by sending them a private message or a query. This is done by clicking their name on the user list and selecting "PM", or by typing "/query <nick>".

• If a rule is ambiguous, who decides what it means?

The ops do. Decisions are made by an agreement between ops regarding a rule's meaning. If you need clarification on a rule, feel free to ask an active op.

• If I disagree with an op, what do I do?

It is advised to take the problem to query. If it is a legitimate concern, the op will treat it as such; but if the disagreement is petty and troublesome, it will also be treated as such. Because several ops are often involved in decisions that are made, complaining to other ops about the decision of another op is often not a good idea.

• I broke a rule because I'm having a bad day. Why was I still punished?

Because rules still apply. If you're having a bad day, it's probably a good idea to not come online and yell at innocent and random people, or try to drag them into your drama.

Kicks/bans

• What is a kick?

A kick is a command an op uses to remove a user from the channel. It is typically used after a warning to let a user know that the warning is serious.

• Why was I kicked?

A reason is usually given within the kick message. The most common reason for being kicked is the breaking of a rule.

• I didn't know the rules, so why was I still kicked?

Ignorance of the rules doesn't give you a free pass. You are expected to follow the rules from the second you join, and they are available in the topic right as you enter. Depending on the situation, though, being new to the channel might allow some leniency.

• If I am kicked, can I argue my kick?

If you truly feel that it was undeserved, yes, but please do so in query with the op that kicked you, as opposed to making a scene in public.

• Why did #fantendo/#mariowiki/#userpedia/#paperchat/etc kick me even if I was following all of the #mwchat channel's rules?

#mwchat rules apply only to #mwchat. It is expected that, if you venture into other channels on Darkmyst, that you follow and respect their individual rules. In addition, the rules of other channels are not mirrored in #mwchat. For example, if flooding is allowed in another channel, it is still banned in #mwchat.

• What is a ban?

Bans, or in a more technical sense an "akick", prevent a user from joining the channel for a certain amount of time, or permanently.

• If I am banned, can I argue my ban?

This has the same answers as for kicks: if you feel you truly did not deserve the ban, you are allowed to question it in query, but be prepared to provide a substantial amount of evidence as bans are serious and the result of deliberation of all of the ops.

• I was banned but I logged back in anyways. How? What happens?

Different computers and locations will give you a different hostname, and sometimes your hostname can simply change on its own. This will allow you to bypass a ban, but it does not mean that you are allowed back in. If you willingly evaded the ban, your punishment will be increased. If you are banned, you are banned. Permanent bans are permanent.

• I was banned. When can I be let back in?

You can ask an op the length of your ban in a query. You can only be let back in when the ban expires. If the ban doesn't expire, then you can't get back in ever.

• I was banned without being warned or kicked!!

There are no formal limits to the amount of warns or kicks received in order to be banned. All punishments are up to the op handing it out. This also includes the length of the ban.

• I am banned, but it's my first time here / I didn't do anything wrong / etc.

Sometimes vague bans are set for a whole set of reasons, and you may be accidentally banned because of this. Kiwi IRC has also shown to be problematic, as its default hostname is identical to everyone else who uses the client, and the Operator team has decided to ban the use of it. If you believe you have been accidentally banned, please feel free to leave a message on the talk page of any Operator.

Miscellaneous

• What's a hostname?

Hostnames are strings of letters and/or numbers that basically serve as an identifying feature. No matter what nick you have, your hostname will (generally) remain the same. This allows other users and ops to know who is who.

• No one is talking, and I've just joined chat. Is the chat dead or silent?

It might be, but it might not. Hang around for a while and get a feel for the community. Some days and times have less activity than others. There are days where no one talks, and there's days where people don't stop talking.

• Why aren't some people talking?

Not everyone in the chat may be talking at the moment, but instead are idling. They may be busy, away, talking elsewhere, or anything else.

Commands

You are now ready to chat! You have some customization options:

• Text colors. Click on the 'Colours' tab on the bottom of the chat screen to select a text color.  Alternatively, you can use the command /style [number] [number] to choose a text color and background, and the command /style to reset the color back to black with no background color, and you can use /style bold to make all of your words bold and /style underline to underline all of your sentence.  For example: /style bold 4 2 will give you a bold red font with a blue background.  You can see the full list of commands right here.
• Bold, underline, italics. Using the Mibbit client, individual words can be bold/italicized/underlined, and can be used for emphasis.  To bold, use * around the word – *bold*.  To italicize, use / around the word – /italics/.  To underline, use _ around the word – _underline_.
• Private chatting. Click on a user's name in the right-hand side and select "PM" to talk to him or her alone.  It will appear in a separate tab on the bottom row.
• Translation. As we are a multi-cultural community, there is the chance that someone does not know English, or be very good with it. The Mibbit chat provides a Translation tool. To use it, click the 'Translation' tab on the bottom of the chat screen to select which language you see and/or which language people see from you. If used correctly, this tool can allow users to be speaking completely different languages, but still be able to understand each other.

Here are a few of the many commands you can use in the chat:

• /j #[roomname] – join another room by opening another tab on the top row, with #[roomname] being the name of the channel you want to join.
• /nick [nickname] – Another way of changing your name.
• /query [username] – A fancy way of opening a private-message tab.
• /me [action] – A fancy way of referring to yourself (/me goes away results in * [Username] goes away in a red-colored font).
• /away [message] – Marks you as being away, with an optional message stating why you are away. This status will automatically be removed when you say something. If a user's nick is coloured in grey, then that user is away.
• /whois [Username] – Let's you view information about a user.  This information can include what chatrooms a user is in, if they are away or not, if they are identified, and their hostmask.
• /whowas [Username] – Allows you to view the hostmask of a user who has recently left the network.
• /quit [message] – Quits your current chat session with an optional departure message.
• /part [channel] – A way to quit your chat session on a specified channel.
• /msg NickServ OR /ns +
  • REGISTER [password] [email] – How to make sure no one can impersonate you, as well as we allow you to be added to the access list and create your own channels.
    • VERIFY REGISTER [nick] [verification code] – Be sure to verify your nick following the instructions Darkmyst sends out to your email in order to complete registration.
  • IDENTIFY [password] – If you registered your name, this is how you enter your password to log in.
  • SET password [new password] – If you want to change your password, this is how you do it. You must identify yourself first.
  • DROP [password] – If you want to unregister your nick, this is how you drop it. Note that any nick not used for 30 days will be auto-dropped.
  • GHOST [nick] [password] OR KILL [nick] [password] – Disconnects an old user session or someone using your nick.
  • VACATION – Puts your nick on vacation, meaning that it triples the time your nick can be inactive from the normal 30 days to 90 days. As soon as you identify using "/msg NickServ IDENTIFY [password]" OR "/ns IDENTIFY [password]" NickServ will automatically remove the vacation status of your nick, decreasing the time it can be inactive to the usual 30 days.
• /clear – Delete all text from the chat window.
• /ignore [username] – Makes the chat not display any messages from the given username. Useful if someone is spamming or bothering you.  This can also be done by clicking the User's name and selecting "Ignore".
• /unignore [username] – Reverses the effect of /ignore.

Here are some commands that an op can use:

• /cs akick [channel] add [nickname|hostmask] [!P|!T <minutes>] [reason] – Banning someone permanently (!P) or for a set length of time (!T, followed by in minutes, hours ("h"), days ("d") or weeks ("w") - Example: !T 5w ). This action can be done only by identified users.
• /cs akick [channel] del [nickname|hostmask] – Removing a ban. This action can be done only by identified users.
• /kick [nickname] [reason] – Kicking someone from the channel.

Smilies

Notice: the majority of the smilies have been removed from the table, as they will not work in the Mibbit chat.

Basic Smilies
:)	:D	:(	:O	:P	;)	:s
			:-O	:-P
:-)	:-D	:-(	:o	:p	;-)	:-s
			:-o	:-p

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