This is an informational announcement to let you all know that the Discord server Code of Conduct has been amended to include the following new rule:
If you currently have an account on the board, then no further action is necessary on your part. If you're currently in our Discord server but do not have a board account, we ask that you make one, even if you don't intend to roleplay and only want to read or hang out. The reason for this is site security and bookkeeping; if we have people actively participating in chat, we'd like to be able to identify you on the boards as well. At some point in the near future, we intend to begin culling inactive Discord accounts and those that do not have corresponding user accounts on the board.Our Discord server is members-only. We ask that every member of the server have an account on the site. You do not have to use, post with, log into, or otherwise interact with your account, but you do need to have one.
If you are in the server and do not currently have an account, we ask you to make one within a week. If you are a newbie and want to get a feel for the community before joining the site, that's totally okay! We just ask that within a week of your joining the server, if you think this is someplace you want to hang out, you make an account on the site.
Additionally, staff would like to extend a reminder to all users about the use of invoking the Code of Conduct in chat. The ability to invoke CoC is a tool meant to enable handlers to stop conversations which are offensive or hurtful. It is not something to use to shut down topics that you simply dislike or to stop others from expressing opinions that you disagree with. If a conversation is bothering you but is not offensive and is still civil, or if you are unsure that it meets CoC criteria, please notify a staff member who is currently online in the Discord server, or responsibly remove yourself from the conversation. If you feel that you need to take a break from chat for a while, Discord allows servers and channels to be temporarily muted for periods of 15 minutes, 1 hour, 8 hours, or 24 hours.
If staff notice CoC being abused, we reserve the right to veto it in individual instances. If a member repeatedly abuses it in this manner, we may require that said member routes future complaints through staff instead to prevent further misuse. This has not yet become a severe issue, but we want to make it clear what will happen if it does, to keep chat a welcoming place for all.
If you have any questions, please let us know.
Thank you for your time and attention,
-The SOTF Staff Team
