The MN@ Newsletter is posted in an effort to educate and update the community on the Chat Network and the Forums.

In this edition we'll be talking about the recent changes in policy regarding "cybering", the chat network interface upgrade, an update on the chat and forum FAQs, and information regarding our official #help chat room.

Update on the MN@ Team

There has been a few changes to the MN@ Team recently. We'd like to take this opportunity to thank `rapidograph, `electricjonny, and $Stykera for their contribution to the development of the network and wish them the best.

I'd also be failing miserably if I did not mention $chix0r, who for the past 3 years has put her heart and soul into the Chat Network. There really aren't any words to thank her, so I'll use a series of emotes:

We're also happy to welcome back @parliamentFunk to the team!

Currently, the team consists of:

Senior MN@:
@Narfmaster, @sapphiretiger, @mykel, @shutdown, and @youthculture.

MN@:
@Sting1, @leaf-lover, @kyza, @kamizu, @limetastic, @anjules, @ananasjihad, @autumnights, @parliamentFunk, @Rendarin, @quickdraw, @yashachan, @VernonX9000, @sine-out, @karyaazure, and @Little-Vampire.

What do the MN@ do? Please refer to the following +faq for more information:

FAQ #294: What is dAmn?

Recent Policy Changes

The safety of our users on the chat network is of paramount importance.

In an effort to curtail explicit sexual discussions and roleplay on our chat network, certain policy changes will be phased in over the next week to address this. $realitysquared has posted an article about this, but there has been a bit of confusion about what this really means, so I'll attempt to clarify as it applies to the Chat Network.

The first thing to understand is that the main change here is to put stricter policies in place regarding people who engage in "cybering". We have never permitted this behavior on the Chat Network, and in the past we have dealt with this by placing a chat ban on the perpetrators. This will change to a 2 week site-wide suspension for the first offense.

Another change deals with chatrooms that have been purposely created for explicit sexual discussions or "cybering". The standard for dealing with these chatrooms has been to place a chat ban on the perpetrators and the creator of the room (as well as closing the chatroom down of course). The perpetrators will now face the same 2 week site-wide suspension, but in addition to that the creator will receive an indefinite site-wide ban. Also, since the moderators of these chatrooms know full-well what activity occurs in their room and can usually be found actively engaging in it themselves or ignoring it when it occurs, they will be receiving a 2 week suspension as a warning that we do not permit these types of chatrooms on our network.

There are other times where we may place 2 week suspensions on the creator and moderators of chatrooms where explicit sexual discussions or "cybering" is occurring other than the above situation.

Does this mean that if you run a respectable and well-moderated chatroom that you will be suspended if someone just happens to pop in and is sexually explicit? Of course not. This part of the policy is meant to deal with certain circumstances that occur in chatrooms from time to time.

I'll give you an example, but please note that this example is not an all-inclusive situation where we may apply this policy. Let's assume that there is a chatroom where the Founder and moderators are almost never around to keep an eye on it. It then comes to our attention that "cybering" or other sexually explicit conversation is regularly occurring in this room. In this case, we may decide to place a 2 week suspension on the Founder and/or Moderators as a "wake-up call" that they are ultimately responsible for what occurs in their room.

What exactly is sexually explicit language? This can be subjective depending on who you ask, but I think for the most part people can agree on what this means. I would consider it to be any type of language that describes sexual acts in a detailed graphic manner. Makes sense yes? Talking about sex in general is natural, but we do draw the line when it becomes explicit.

For Official chatrooms we are a bit more strict on what kind of sexual talk goes on. This isn't new as we have always enforced a PG-13 dynamic in Official rooms.

For unofficial/private chatrooms a certain level of "locker room" talk can be tolerated since it is less likely to be a mixed room of various ages who could be made uncomfortable. "Locker room" talk of course excludes anything which is sexually explicit.

I hope I have clarified all of this to your satisfaction and also hope that you can understand the very serious reasons why these policies were put into place.

And just for the record,

/me Chix0r

... is not sexually explicit.

Chat Network Interface Upgrade

Last month we saw the biggest change to the chat network that has happened in years with an updated design look. I personally think it looks awesome and thanks to everyone who has given their feedback. Some of this feedback was actually implemented in a series of changes in an effort to keep our chat community happy.

If you have any further feedback or suggestions for change feel free to note me. Better yet, mock-up your suggested change into a deviation/scrap and link me! A picture is worth a thousand words and that way I can add it to a Collection!

Although I'm mainly looking for feedback on just the "look and feel" introduced in the upgrade, I'm always interested in hearing about ideas for functionality changes as well.

FAQ Updates

Quite a bit of my time this week has been put forth in updating and revamping the Chat Network and Forum FAQs. Some FAQs have been simplified, others have been merged, and some now have added detail. This is an on-going process with the goal of providing up-to-date and informative help on the chat and forums.

If you have any suggestions or comments about these FAQs, feel free to note me.

Finding Help on the Chat Network

#help is the only official help chatroom on the network. In #help you will receive real-time assistance from other members of the community (called Helpers) and also from the MN@ Volunteer Team.

What kind of help can be provided in #help?
Questions related to deviantART, the forums, and the Chat Network can be asked in #help. If you're having an issue setting up your profile or submitting a deviation then #help is the right place to go.

Please note that questions related to the deviantART Print Service, devWEAR, adCast, subscription, and specific policy questions will not be answered there. If you require that kind of assistance please refer to this short list:

• For Print Service questions refer to the Print FAQ. If your question isn't answered there, you can contact the Print Help Desk
• devWEAR inquiries should be directed to merch@deviantART.com
• adCast inquiries should be directed to ads@deviantART.com
• Subscription issues and Policy inquiries should be directed to the Help Desk

The best way to receive help
In order to receive the best answer for your issue you should:

• Try to be clear in describing your question or issue. The easier it is to understand you the easier it will be to give you the information you require.
• Don't accept help from other Guests in the room. This is in your best interest so as to make sure your question is answered correctly.
• Don't chat with other Guests in the room. In order to provide an environment condusive to receiving help we must make sure idle chit-chat does not occur.
• Read the FAQs whenever a helper links you to one of them. If they link you to a FAQ it's simply because the answer to your issue is in there
• Always be sure to first check the +faq and the deviantART Status Forum before coming into #help. In most cases you can find the answer there before talking to a Helper.

Did you know...?

• There are specific Gallery Forums in addition to the Main Forums that can be accessed from this page or by using the Categories dropdown button on the main forum page.


• dAmn it! is the place where you can read and submit funny quotes you've experienced on the chat network.


• The #MNAdmin chatroom is the place to go if you require operator assistance with the chats or forums. If you need help with anything else deviantART related you should be checking the +faq, visiting the #help chatroom, or be contacting the HelpDesk.