A Brief History

Go to the Server Constitution.

The Staff Guidelines were implemented for a general view of guidance, advice, and quality assurance. Parts One and Two of these guidelines were written and established on October 24, 2022. Since then, users have had concerns regarding our decisions and stances in particular situations. As a result, the Staff Guidelines were made public on July 25, 2023, as evidenced by this document you’re reading. All staff decisions are based on these guidelines. While we attempt to have high moderation standards, we sometimes make mistakes.

Following these guidelines helps avoid mistakes in the future. If not, the guidelines are updated to resolve mistakes we have made in the past.

Any significant instance of drama, discussion, and feedback is considered when writing these guidelines. If you would like to be a part of the staff team, you must follow these guidelines to a degree. If you would like to contribute, that’s great! Leave your feedback in #💡server-direction where it will be considered. Have fun reading~

Convenient Links

• Staff Applications
• Contributor Application
• Contributor Form

A reminder that anything said in the staff chats is to be kept in the staff chats unless stated otherwise by an Admin. Failure to do so will lead to demotion.

All staff must engage with server members, contribute, or document Camellia activities to maintain a healthy community and their position.

Behavioral Guidelines

1. Try to be nice. This place is supposed to welcome everyone regardless of who they are.
2. Try not to be an arbitrary person or make arbitrary decisions in a situation; doing this is unfair.
3. Try not to be arrogant and avoid brown-nosing. This makes you look stupid and does not fall within the ideals of the staff team. Remind yourself that we are all one!
4. Treat others how you want to be treated, and try to be approachable to other members.
5. You are expected to be civil in and outside the community’s central server. (This includes neighboring servers, other platforms associated with Camellia, etc.) Do not play middle, either! This ruins staff credibility.
6. You are expected to be cool. (Be cool!)

Core Guidelines

Contact another staff member if you’re feeling burnt out and/or you need help with moderating. The staff team looks for consistent contribution, not overloaded. Make sure to contact another staff member if you need to.

1. You are expected not to take server rules and guidelines lightly. You are below the staff guidelines and the server rules (more below than members). Remember, you have a significant influence on members and outsiders.
2. You are expected to know basic bot commands for dishing punishment or posting FAQs. For using John Wick, basic commands are !warn !timeout add !purge and !kick. Read #mod-commands for more documentation.
3. Use your best judgment when it comes to punishing someone or warning them.
4. You are expected to look at the suggestion channels and suggestions in general. If a member suggests something interesting, please repost it in server direction or bring it up in the staff chat for discussion.
5. You are expected to help lead the server in the best direction for you and her members.
6. You are expected to be present when needed.
7. Try to mention your actions and anything relevant regarding a particular member, events, and/or punishments. This is for transparency’s sake.
8. Listen to the room in certain situations; forcefully changing a sensitive topic in a channel will only leave people confused and the situation unresolved. Only in extreme cases should sensitive topics be forcefully shifted.
9. Always remain anonymous when it comes to punishment. Refer to punishments as “staff team decisions.”
10. Political/religious talk is not allowed on the main channels. This server has many people with differing opinions. If anyone is talking about political situations, redirect them to #serious-discussion. If anyone is hateful toward a specified group, please use the FAQ commands on bigotry (?bigot) or punish them accordingly.

Guidance of Conduct

I have noticed staff members complain and some people being afraid of becoming staff members due to how large this server is. Never fear; this part of the guidelines will guide you on certain things!

Punishment Template

The template for punishing someone is VERBAL WARNING -> INFRACTION/WARNING -> TEMPMUTE -> KICK -> 8-DAY BAN -> INDEF BAN. The template may vary based on staff discretion. Staff members are required to use good judgment when offering punishment. If staff members cannot decide on a consensus for a member, a verbal warning will be given by default.

Disciplinary actions

When people don’t listen, you need to take action. Here’s how to make yourself look less 1984 and more like Mad Max (a more respected kind of staff member).

1. Always put a reason for anything. This includes warnings, bans, and kicks.
2. If members have questions about a punishment, you are not obligated to answer them. If you choose to, try to make messages short and straightforward on why they were punished. Avoid arguments if you can!
3. If someone complains about their punishment not being listed in the rules, remind them about reading the room and what we interpret. Alternatively, ignore them (I really like doing this one personally!).
4. If someone doesn’t listen after an infraction, time them out for 10 minutes minimum.

Moderation of content that falls into a “gray” area

We will consider specific content as a punishable offense when:

1. The posted content is illegal (i.e., drugs, potential piracy).
2. The posted content is reported in the ticket channels.
3. The user or content bears bigotry and/or hate (such as profiles, bios, or nicknames).
4. The content being posted violates Discord’s Terms of Service or Community Guidelines.
5. The content being posted implies anything that breaks the server constitution in a malicious tone.

Cross-Banning users

In extreme circumstances, we may ban individuals for their actions in other communities even if they have not breached any rules in this server. This will only happen if all of the following conditions are met.

1. The user has broken Discord’s Terms of Service or Community Guidelines.
2. The Admins are confident of any evidence sent regarding such behavior of the user.
3. The user is not currently on the server but poses a probable risk to the server environment, or the user is already on the server.

Overwhelming situations

When taking action against something, it’s possible to be harassed. If handling the situation becomes out of hand, you should consider one of these options; remember to use good judgment on what to do!

1. Contact other staff members about the situation and provide a chat link to give insight and possible backup. If you’re unsure how to handle a problem, contact someone higher up.
2. Ignore the perpetrators and avoid engaging in unneeded arguments or discussions without reason.
3. De-escalate by reassuring people that this action was needed or is being re-evaluated.
4. Listen to what people say and tell them what they want to hear (unless otherwise). Try to be patient with them so they can feel comfortable with what’s happening. By doing this method, it should be easier to diverge a heated topic/discussion and talk about something else.

Contribution forms

We are looking for active contributors who can help the Camellia Server thrive! To do so, please note each contribution you’ve made (or fill out a contribution form!). These contributions will be requested when necessary and are usually asked for every quarter (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4).

To submit a contribution form, please refer to this link.

Crisis handling

Detailed discussions regarding crisis handling are handled internally and are not disclosed to the public.

In the event of a member having a crisis, breakdown, or rant in a public space, staff members must provide a list of hotline services to support the member (in DMs or in #serious-discussion). If a member falls within these conditions, action is required.

1. The user threatens suicide or self-harm.
2. The user shows dangerous or concerning behavior in #serious-discussion.
3. A fellow member shows concern regarding the conditions above for their other fellow member.

If staff members wish to engage silently in crisis handling, they must report all concerning messages to Discord.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you’re in a crisis, please reach out to any of the resources listed below.

1. Call or Text 988 or visit their site here (United States only)
2. The Trevor Project (24/7 LGBTQ+ crisis support)
3. Wikipedia’s Suicide Crisis Lines
4. Take This (emergency and non-emergency mental health resources)

If you are not in immediate crisis or danger and would like to find help, reach out to the resources listed below.

1. 7 Cups of Tea (24/7 online chat)
2. So You Feel Like Shit (interactive flow chart)
3. Self Help Resources
4. Finding affordable treatment services
5. Problem Solving song

Wick’s AutoMod

[Noise]: Could be used for people talking too much. Example: “Stop creating noise, please.” This could also be used instead of saying, “Shut the fuck up.”

AutoMod Rules

• Each infraction given by John Wick is a total of 5 warning points.
• 15 warning points give 1-hour timeouts. 25 warning points give 1-day timeouts, and 35 warning points kick members.
• AutoMod also has a heating system. Each rule is defined with a certain percentage of heat before it warns a member. For example, if a user is spamming similar messages, heat is added by 22%. A member needs to send approximately 4.50 messages before getting punished, and so on.

Announcements and Events

Creating events should be easy to do; keep in mind, though, it’s ideal to have Discord events hosted when a new Camellia song premieres or an event Camellia is featured in.

Please mention any event handling so other staff can know! Events should also be scheduled days in advance, so more members can notice something is going on!

Always use this channel for anonymous announcements. Your messages will be reposted by a bot.

If you need an idea of where to create events. Scroll to the top of the channel list and locate the Event Button. You can see a screenshot example below.

For Discord events, create a calendar date for an event start date and an event ending date. It also adjusts to time zones, making things easier for everyone!

Events

If you have any ideas or experiments to try yourself, please do so! However, the general idea of event hosting should be as follows. Please note each event contribution you’ve made (or fill out a contribution form!). This is for documentation’s sake!

Events: Hosting Requirements

• Make sure events are organized and planned. Be sure you are appealing to community interests.
• Promote and participate in the event you’re hosting. This is to get community members interested in them.
• Make events easy to participate in and as welcoming as possible. The goal is to create retention!

Events: Camellia Orientated

When Camellia does something awesome, it is preferred to create a Discord event so it can be marked in the calendar. There should be an image demonstrating how to create Discord events above.

When making events about Camellia, you should keep an eye out for these.

• Camellia song premieres (on his YouTube channel)
• Camellia DJ sets/events
• Music fests featuring Camellia (VRChat, Comiket, etc.)
• Anything involving Camellia!

Staff members are expected to contribute to events at least once every three months to ensure consistency in contribution requirements.

Announcements

When creating announcements for any important reason, these guidelines must be followed. Before posting, make sure the post is approved by several staff members, and make sure to do a self-check here.

Announcements: Tone of delivery

• Posts must be neutral to the reader. No bias should show or any favoring to certain topics. Only on rare occasions should this rule be voided.
• Grammar and styling should be consistent with previous posts. When creating a post, be sure to check grammar with built-in text editors.
• Posts must be easy to digest and understandable for readers. Be sure to avoid any complex or abrupt sentences.
• Be sure to preview your posts in any of the staff chats before posting. Make sure it’s good enough!

Announcements: Keeping consistency

• All posts are to be written in United States English. Different spellings for different words will occur, so be mindful of spelling. Words included but not limited to are: color, center, skillful, analyze, etc.
• Posts regarding challenges, contests, and Camellia Monthly must follow RFC 2119. It is also encouraged to use proper markdown for posts.
• Trademarks must be correctly typed, including games, media, music, etc. Examples include YouTube, Discord, etc.
• Dates must be followed with a specified time (if possible). Dates could be written with Discord integration or with HH:MM TIMEZONE. Avoid using GMT; use UTC for ease of use. Date formatting should follow something like this: June 5, 2022 (00:40 UTC-5).

Promotion Process and Roles

As a part of the staff team, it’s important to note how the promotion process works, from Trial Staff to Probationary Staff to full Moderator. Welcome in, and read on!

After two warning messages, it’s guaranteed demotion on the third!

To submit a staff application, please refer to this link.

Secondary Roles

Probationary and Trial Roles

• All new staff members will start with the Moderator role and a designated secondary role. These roles are called Trial Staff and Probationary Staff.
• Trial Staff will be given to staff members who would normally be denied in the application process but are given a chance to prove themselves to the Admins. Trial Staff is also used as a learning experience for new staff members!
• Probationary Staff are given to competent individuals who have proven their readiness to join the staff team. This is a way to evaluate performance before fully committing to their role.

Community Contributor Role

This role is given to members selected from the Community Contributor Applications. Community Contributors must follow this criteria.

To submit a Contributor application, please refer to this link.

• Review server directions and feedback for understanding what the community wants/needs.
• Read and review the event section.
• Talk and communicate with server members and work with staff members to create something awesome!

Promotion: What is considered

• Being helpful and engaging with server members.
• Showing competence in managing behavioral situations.
• Learning how to work individually and using teamwork.
• Having a sense of self-awareness and professionalism.
• Knowing the consequences of acting unprofessional in a public space.
• Follow and use basic staff resources such as the Staff Guidelines, bot commands, and FAQ commands.
• Leading the server in the best direction for the sake of Camellia and server members.

Demotion: What is considered

• No contribution/extreme inactivity.
• Uncooperative/immature behavior during staff discussions.
• Not treating others as you wish to be treated.
• Leaking any confidential information from the staff channels.
• Multiple breaches in the Staff Guidelines and Server Constitution.
• Being incompetent and showing no respect for server and staff members.
• Bypassing AutoMod and its features. (Banned topics do not apply).

Any questions? Bring them up in the staff chats!!