Member Plus Headquarters: Orientation Documents

Welcome to the orientation module for Level Three Member Plus Privileges. This module will address privileges and what you can now do as a Level Three Member Plus. Confused? Don’t be. Just sit back and click through this module to learn more.

Orientation​

Here is a quick summary of what we will go over in this orientation.

The boot command can be quite useful when dealing with users who are troublesome. Sometimes situations warrant that a user should be kicked from a particular room if they are violating Voobly’s Code of Conduct or the Terms of Service. If your Voice, repeated warnings, and all other Level Two and Level Three privileges are insufficient in handling a potential troublemaker, then you should use boot.

As expected, the format of this command is the same as all other commands. Just type the command followed by the username.

e.g. /kick Bill game description abuse

That command will boot a user named Bill from a particular room, however Bill will still be logged into Voobly. While this privilege is not always effective on players who are adamant about violating the Code of Conduct or Terms of Service, it is effective on players who are not overly malicious in their actions – and it is an effective way to show abusive users that we mean business!

The boot privilege is to be used only when all other attempts at using your other privileges such as Voice, mute, mute5, and mute60 have failed. The boot privilege is used for violations of Voobly’s Code of Conduct or Terms of Service. Use of the boot privilege when no violation of Voobly’s of Conduct or Terms of Use is present, will be considered an unwarranted use of this privilege, and thus considered to be an abuse of Member Plus privileges. Any abuse of this privilege, or any others associated with the Member Plus program, is grounds for the revocation of your Member Plus status.

From time to time there will be situations that require more than use of VOICE. While these should be few and far between, as VOICE is the most effective privilege on Voobly, there are some “Force” tools available to make Voobly a better place. These privileges are commonly referred to mute and boot.

A common question that the Voobly Community team fields is, “Which is better to use: A mute or a boot?” To be perfectly frank, one is not better than the other, however, boots should not be used unless all other privileges short of a boot have been tried and exhausted. The same can be said for mutes in that a mute should not be used unless VOICE is tried and exhausted. The reasoning behind this is to ensure consistency with one of the notion of respect for all players. Respect for an individual is manifested in VOICE – in taking time to explain to a user why certain behaviors are inappropriate for Voobly. Furthermore, having the progression from one privilege to another helps to ensure that all users are treated the same—that they are granted the same respect as someone else on Voobly, regardless of behavior. The Member Plus program is designed to make Voobly a fun place for all users, and the only way that could occur is if there is a mutual respect across the board.

As a Level 3 Member Plus, one of the enforcement privileges available is the /mute60 command. This command allows you to mute a particular user, Voobly-wide, for a period up to an hour. To use this command you would use it as any other force privilege.

e.g. /mute60 Bill

Issuing that command would prevent a user named Bill from talking in any of the lobbies of Voobly. Users who are muted could still use Voobly messenger, and muted users can still play games on Voobly.

The mute60 privilege is to be used only when all other attempts at using your Voice, or other mute commands have failed. The mute60 privilege is used for violations of Voobly’s Code of Conduct or Terms of Service. Use of the mute60 privilege when no violation of Voobly’s Code of Conduct or Terms of Use is present, will be considered an unwarranted use of this privilege, and thus considered to be an abuse of Member Plus privileges. Any abuse of this privilege, or any others associated with the Member Plus program, is grounds for the revocation of your Member Plus status.

Your Voice is the most important privilege available. Your Voice can help you mediate situations, help users, and make new friends! Voice is manifested by what you type on the screen while on Voobly. As people cannot hear the intonations of your actual voice, what you type online is very important, for that is what users will see. For example, short, curt, one word replies are often perceived as being rude, online. Likewise, typing in all CAPITAL LETTERS is considered rude, as that is the online equivalent to shouting. When interacting with users online, it is best to avoid behaviors that are considered rude – remember that you “Catch more flies with honey”.

Your Voice is how you present yourself to other players. Are you the chatty/friendly type or are you terse and gruff with your responses? Do you make others relaxed when you talk with them or are other users up tight and silent when you are around? These reactions by players are totally dependent on your Voice.

Another way of thinking about Voice is that it is a way of explaining to a user why a particular behavior is objectionable in attempt to stop that particular action. Often times, if a person realizes that a certain action is “bad” they will no longer continue that behavior. One thing to remember, try and be specific as to why a particular action is objectionable. For example, when trying to use your Voice with a flooder, you could explain that flooding is bad because it prevents other users from interacting with one another and also prevents them from finding others to play against in a certain game.

Not only will use of Voice be helpful in stopping objectionable behavior, by educating users as to why their actions are contrary to the Code of Conduct, you will be helping to prevent future infractions. This serves to “save the player” and it helps to make the overall experience on Voobly, better for all users.

When interacting with other users on Voobly, it is best that you be yourself. As you already know, it is often easy to distinguish between those users who are telling the truth and those feeding you a line. People will appreciate your honesty and openness with them. Of course, you should only engage other users as determined by your own comfort level and your personal willingness to interact. Set your own boundaries and others will respect them.

Remember that as a Member Plus, if you so choose, you can assist other players with their inquiries and questions to the best of your ability. If you are uncomfortable with a particular situation, or unsure of how to respond to a user, do not hesitate to ask other Member Pluses or the Online Hosts (denoted by “@voobly”) since they are there to assist you and all Voobly users.

Respect​

Along the same lines as your VOICE, it is important to have respect for everyone on Voobly, regardless of perceived age, race, religion, Member Plus status, etc. While there are certainly many differences among all the players, we are all united by the passion for gaming. If users perceive disrespect from you, your experiences online will not be very pleasant. You can be guaranteed that they will tell one of their friends, who in turn tells one of their friends, and pretty soon, you have a whole group of people making your online experience difficult. Remember that respect leads to respect, and disrespect leads to disrespect. If you are trying to make the online gaming experience better for all Voobly users, treat everyone with equal respect, and in turn, you will experience the same.

Rough Rooms​

If you have been on Voobly for awhile, you are probably thinking, “Respect is all fine and good, but what about all those rough rooms where the users hate any sort of authority figure?” Indeed, that is a very good question, as there are certain groups of users who have it in for Member Pluses. In situations such as this, it is important that you keep a calm head, thick skin, and treat everyone with respect as you would in another room. It may also be a good idea to ask another Member Plus to come in and assist you when trying to reason with a rough room. Not only can another person serve as an effective backup, just having a different approach to the room could help calm things down. Remember that VOICE and RESPECT will be the best privileges available to you. Mutes should only be utilized in extreme cases, and boots should be used rarely, if ever. Lastly, remember that the Member Plus program is to allow you to have fun and try and make Voobly a better place. If you are uncomfortable because of a certain room, by all means go to a different room, or take a break from the computer if you need to.

While there are several privileges available to you to use as a Member Plus, they are there purely for you to enrich your experience online in the manner you see fit. Should you decide that you do not want to use them, that’s fine. Likewise, if you choose to use them, that’s fine too. The Member Plus program is here to help you find a richer, more fulfilling experience while online.

Please keep in mind though, should you choose to use the privileges available to you as a Member Plus, it is best that you adhere to the suggested uses below. Any abuse of Member Plus privileges may lead to the revocation of your Member Plus status.

Abuse of Member Plus privileges is defined as, but not limited to, unwarranted mutes or boots, flooding of /msgbox’es, removal of privileges that were not issued by you, or muting or booting another Member Plus. Muting or booting another Member Plus will result in immediate termination of your Member Plus Status. The frequency of the use of privileges (i.e. multiple mutes or boots in a given amount of time) may be considered an abuse of tools and can result in eventual removal from the program.

In our Voobly community we communicate mostly in the English language. Most of our work is done in English, but we hope that all Voobly documentation, software and installation will be available in many languages one day. We are constantly working towards that goal, however, many obstacles are still ahead. Voobly consists of volunteers, and we are generally looking for new volunteers who have some technical knowledge, an interest in gaming, and some free time. You too can help Voobly; take a look at the Enrollment info page.