Suggestion: Making chat ceremonies "private".

This is more of a suggestion than a request for help. However, I am asking administrative authorities, the council, the community, whoever this is relevant to,
to read this post, comment, and do something if it works.

So, first, I noticed that our ceremonies (such as this past Jedi Memorial Day Ceremony & V-Tog's Promotion to Deacon Ceremony) are posted to the forums (archived, basically) and everyone's comments are visible. I mean EVERYone.

Secondly, I realized that anyone (including guests) is able to access the chat room during our ceremonies, and they are free to type whatever they wish - uncensored. So far, our ceremonies have seemed respectful to me, but this is only due to our fragile honor system which can be tested and broken anytime.

More specifically, a friend of mine made an account here at TOTJO on Thursday's Memorial Day Ceremony. He wanted to read over our forums, so I told him it should be allright if he made a guest account and use it to read over the forums anytime he wants. I had no idea that he was able to get into our chat room at the exact moment the ceremony was happening, and I was nervous that he was going to say something idiotic. My friend and I both love to joke around, but he has a hard time knowing "limits". Luckily, I didn't see him say anything stupid during the ceremony, and I later met him at school and patted him on the back for behaving during the ceremony. However, the entire time, he was grinning like a madman.


Here are my main suggestions:
1. Chat should still be open to anyone nearly all the time, but during ceremonies (promoting members, holiday ceremonies, certain sermons, etc.) only novices and above should be allowed to enter. This seems fair, since these types of ceremonies (promoting members' ranks, for example) only concern those with ranks themselves, correct?
2. This is important because there is really no protection from someone sabotaging our ceremonies and turning them into jokes. And since we post our ceremonies, including EVERYTHING everyone said in the ceremony, sabotage would be very terrible, if it happened.
3. "Private" = Novice and Up Access only.

Ren is working on a site upgrade and when it's implemented we'll have a much better chat that lets us do these things. I agree about not just letting anyone in for the special ceremonies.

thats a good idea..except for the Sermon part....hehe im a little biased though lol..id like to still be able to read and be apart of live services...but that has crossed my mind before with pranksters joining and all.

There are people whom walk up and down my path every day...I fear I should not go out in case they cause me some kind of dispute...from now on I will live in isolation from fear of what CAN happen rather..

If anyone came on to ToTJO and said anything stupid...we can just ban them...it'd not be a heart break if someone interrupted a ToTJO ceremony it'd probably be seen as more jovial than an act of aggressiveness.

However I do see & agree with your concern in the matter and I do agree they should be private but that members + can access it and type...but guests can only view it...

Metsu Desal wrote: I do agree they should be private but that members + can access it and type...but guests can only view it...

I like that solution...but is it even possible? Sounds very complicated...

The problem with making it novices and above is that we make it clear that members are not expected to study the Initiate's Programme if they don't want to. Don't forget (sorry to bring it up again Ren, I'm just using you as an excellent example) Ren is only a Temple Member, so if for any reason he decided to step down from the Council, should he not be allowed to attend ceremonies any more?

But then again, if you're prankster who wants to disrupt a live service, it's relatively easy to become a Temple Member, whereas a prankster is much less likely to actually do any serious work and become a novice...

It's a tricky one.

And here is my suggestion....

As admin usually conduct the ceremonies, when someone speaks out rudely, no one else talks....

Allowing admin time to temporarily remove that disruption... Their privileges can be restored after the ceremony....

Cause that's what woulda happened with your friend Sean...

No one saying "stop" is going to get them to stop... It just fuels the fire, and when the get the attention they want, they'll keep it up...

Also, by the disruption being together, it is easier to edit it out for the forum post of the ceremony...

Hows that sound?

Should be dealing with trolls this way too... lol...

How does that go...

Cry havoc and slip loose the Ren of war?:silly:

Is Ren not our IT sergeant-at-arms?

I enjoy the sermon's and attending the ranking ceremonies. Though I do plan on being here for a very long while, and advancing past the Initiates program, and further.. For the time being i'm forced to take the program slowly, and thus I would be very sad if I couldn't attend the ceremonies and sermon's just because i'm not a novice yet.

I do agree with the concerns everyone seems to have, just speaking as a current temple member that enjoys being apart of ToTJO activities, and would be saddened to have to wait until I could finish this program to be able to take part in them again.

Well, I don't know if it will be possible (haven't tested the new chat yet, other things need doing first). i would probably have to hack to make something like this happen.

However I must point out, I don't think we've ever had a problem like this, we can kick/ban from the current chat and obviously ban from the site as well.

I don't understand how it's a problem for guests to see the log of the ceremonies on the forum either...

What matters is the ability to stop a disruption quickly and without amplifying it. An admin can ban someone but everyone should have an ignore function. Everyone should be able to make private rooms.

With those tools available there should be no need to exclude anyone.

There is no plan to exclude anyone and certainly not members.