IRC Channel Rules

This chat is *largely* for discussing things about writing and roleplaying - eg, character development, worldbuilding, plotting, etc.  That said, it's not the only purpose - we discuss a lot of things here.

Feel free to:
-Ask for help regarding a specific aspect of a character, setting, or plot you're working on.  We might not be able to help, but if it's within our ability and we're not otherwise occupied, we'll usually give it a try.
-Get to know people and make friendly conversation, such as by asking people what they're into, or sharing what you're into.
-Tell us about yourself - how you got here, what you're into, etc!

If people don't immediately respond, be patient.  Most of us have *many* obligations to attend to, such as school, work, personal projects, and general IRL stuff.

If you're looking for plot or character *ideas,* check out the random generators:
springhole.net/writing_roleplaying_randomators/index.html
springhole.net/writing_roleplaying_randomators/namegens.htm

Before asking if there's a page or generator covering a specific subject, search the site for one.  There's a search bar on the homepage.

Do NOT:
-Come in and ask what's going on or what people are working on.  It's really annoying.
-Come in to solicit for roleplayers.
-Ask what we talk about here.  If you've been paying attention so far, you should know this one already.
-Come in and complain about being bored.  If you're bored, try bored.com, imgur.com, or the boredom cure suggestor over here: springhole.net/writing_roleplaying_randomators/boredom-cure.htm
-Pester people for personal details, EG, their real names, personal/political beliefs, etc.

Don't be intentionally offensive, antagonistic, or annoying; don't go on and on about topics that everyone else in the chat clearly isn't interested in, and if an admin tells you to stop doing something, STOP DOING IT.

Do not send unsolicited PMs to strangers in the chat - basically, if you don't actually know the person in question, don't send a PM without asking the person if it's okay first.  (However, you may still receive PMs from admins if your behavior is disruptive.)

Don't spam: Don't fill the chat with uber-long rants, all-caps, song lyrics, or "random" stuff. (Spamming is defined as any continuous input of text that disrupts, rather than contributes to conversation. EG, by posting song lyrics in the middle of a conversation, it becomes difficult for people to keep up with or hold actual conversation.)

Don't post textwalls.  If you have something that's fairly long that you want people to take a look at, you can upload it through the chat in .TXT format (.TXT format is recommended because not everyone will have word processors capable of opening other files), post it and link to it on something like Google Docs, or even on this very service, pastebin.com.

Cybering/sexing, even as a "joke," is not permitted on the #springhole.net channel.

If you're linking to something that might be considered gross/squicky, disturbing, or contains uncensored nudity (or looks enough like uncensored nudity to be confused as such), include an appropriate warning next to your link - eg, "squick warning," "nudity warning," or "NSFW."  As long as people know what they're in for when they click your link, it's good.

Use cautious judgment when talking about potentially-squicky topics. If it involves any kind of bodily fluids or secretions and isn't relevant to writing something correctly in fiction or something that appeared in fiction, you should probably keep it to yourself.

Asking people to provide evidence to back up claims we find questionable is standard procedure here; don't take it personally. We won't hold it against you if you turn out to be wrong or mistaken about something. Admitting you were wrong or that you don't know for sure is a lot more respectable than insisting that you are right despite evidence to the contrary and/or insisting that people should take what you have to say at face value when you have nothing substantial to back it up with.

Keep your username in good taste - eg, nothing lewd, vulgar, gross, or hateful. Also, if you come in with a name that references a real-life hate group, you will be assumed to be a member of that hate group and will be treated accordingly.

Don't use sockpuppets (alternate identities created to make it appear as though you're someone else) and don't summon meatpuppets (people you've invited in for the sole purpose of backing you up or defending you).

Remember: Access to this chatroom is a privilege, not a right. Failure to adhere to these rules and acknowledge them when they are pointed out to you is grounds for a ban. Also, even if you aren't technically breaking any rules, you may still be kicked out if enough people find your behavior disruptive or bothersome, so try to play nice.

Opinions and advice expressed by users of the chat are their own, and are not necessarily endorsed nor approved by the site/chat owner.

To leave the chat, type "/quit" into the chatbox or use the Leave Chat button above the userlist. Otherwise your name will linger until it times out.
Other IRC Commands

/nick (NewNickname) - change your nickname.
/join #(NewChannel) - join/create a new IRC room - eg, to join #examplename, type /join #examplename
/me (action text) - make an action post - eg, /me spins a circle.