Closed Should We Restore Internet Relay Chat?

[Wes]

This is a poll to ask whether or not Star Army should re-establish a permanent presence in IRC like we used to have before we moved to the site chatrooms. If we did, we'd use the #StarArmy channel as an accepted fan channel that would have some staff and other trusted members like Kyle as volunteer channel operators. No staff would be required to join it.

The purpose of this would be to allow the people who left and formed their alternative IRC community (which has been the source of a lot of debate lately) to feel like they can finally safely return home. The IRC channel would be made with minimal rules and high freedom of speech and the bot in there would be used for channel protection purposes only since trying to police language with the bot is what started this whole issue. We would not require posts there to worksafe, apolitical, or politically correct, and if people want to gripe in there, within reason, it would be okay.

It is my hope that by embracing the SARPers in the IRC crowd instead of treating them like outsiders, we can restore a sense of unity to the community that's been missing since the blowup over the chat bot. The built-in site chat would be unaffected by this change.

Obviously my previous policies were not working and I'm trying to make a change for the group good. I also want to apologize for those in the IRC who I offended by making negative comments about it. I'd much rather work together than work against you guys.

Feel free to post your feedback here but please try to keep it positive in tone. I know this is a sensitive subject for some people.

 

[ArsenicJohn]

It still seems to be divisive to me and completely against the idea of building a role-playing community if it turns off new players. I'm not attacking the IRC or veterans. I'm just voicing my concerns and what I think is the best way to get more people to use the IRC, which I thought was the intention. But if it's supposed to be a club for the elite, that's cool.

 

[Edto Xar'Sivaree]

I will say this freely. I am for the freedom of speech that is held within the IRC. That is my reasoning for not wanting it as a Service of StarArmy. Leave it as its own little thing. All you have to do to relieve the tension is to not make it an offence to mention the IRC. If you don't want a thread put up about it fine, that can be the sites wishes, but if someone says

"Hey, can I get a link to the IRC?" Then give it to them. Don't make it this whole thing where you have to find someone in the IRC and PM them and all this nonsense like I had to go through to get to the IRC. You don't need to make it freely available to everyone and anyone who wants to go there using site systems, you just have to make it so that the people who want it can ask for it without repercussion.

 

[Koenig808]

I'm against it. People left the official channel for a reason. The fact that there was/is an active filter on the channel name to me establishes the fact that this feels less like an olive branch and more an effort to court people back to be subject to official control.

 

[LittleWasp]

I'm a little out of my element here, I admit. Since I'm still so new in many ways, and a little self-conscious on top of that, I try not to poke my nose into these problems, in case I do not fully comprehend them yet.

I still feel it might be worth it to say that my feelings regarding this proposal are the same as Koenig's. The fact that the channel name is filtered really bothers me too. There's no acceptable reason that I can imagine as to why it would be so. It makes me feel like I'd have to go into the back alleys and make shady deals just to go to an IRC channel.

 

[Semjax]

After noticing the wordfilter, I have to agree actually with @Koenig808 and @LittleWasp, Maybe Wes simply forgot it, but that is a pretty big turn off.... That being said; Removing the word Filter, and making mentioning the IRC Channel a free right, @Wes, is a good start in gaining the peoples trust back.

Also for the record, nobody actively goes out of their way to stop Newbies from joining @ArsenicJohn, Ever. The Newbies ask questions based upon what they see already on the website, and we're honest with them, they make their own decisions.

Frankly speaking; if you've never been to the IRC Channel, nobody really has a right to judge it. Which; I'm not saying you ARE judging John, just stating that as a general statement not towards anyone person.

 

[Wes]

Thanks everyone for your votes and opinions. Based on the results, we will not set up an official presence on IRC again.