[UbuntuWomen] IRC Channel Op Course - Part One

[Elizabeth Bevilacqua]

Welcome to the first of our two part IRC Op course! Please feel free
to ask questions on list or drop by the IRC channel.

This course is designed for people who are reasonably familiar with
IRC and wish to someday apply for Channel Op positions in #*ubuntu*
channels (including #Ubuntu-Women). For a more general overview of
IRC, including how and where to connect, please visit our Introduction
to IRC Course:

http://wiki.ubuntu-women.org/Courses/IRC/

Please follow the links provided in this course, they are excellent
documentation resources and very important for getting the most out of
this course.

=== What is a channel Op? ===

Channel Operators are people within the channel who "keep the peace."
In most cases they have the power to remove people from channel, ban
people from the channel, change the channel topic and control some of
the channel access.

This is not a social status position, it is a responsibility.

=== How do I become an Op? ===

The following ways are the most common ways to become a channel Op:

 *You are chosen by existing Ops for your skills and commitment to the
channel (by far, the most common method)

 *You discuss with your Ubuntu Team and take the responsibility to
create and maintain a channel for your team

Volunteering for an Op position when the current Ops are not
requesting volunteers is very bad form and will generally cause you to
never be considered for a position. Never join a channel and ask for
Ops!

Experience with the tools Ops use, good standing in the community and
helpful, positive, daily participation in channel are all things that
may qualify you for consideration as an Op if the channel requires
them.

=== Op documentation ===

Documentation has been crafted by the Ubuntu IRC Team and can be found
on their wiki page: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/IrcTeam/

While the Ubuntu IRC Team does not have full control over all
Ubuntu-related channels (there are hundreds on FreeNode) except in
extreme cases where a FreeNode staffer becomes involved, these are
solid rules that official Ubuntu channels like #Ubuntu-Women follow.

For our purposes the most important sections of this document are:

 * https://wiki.ubuntu.com/IrcGuidelines - These are rules that
channel members are expected to follow
 * https://wiki.ubuntu.com/IrcTeam/OperatorGuidelines - These are the
rules that channel operators are expected to follow

You may also want to read other sections of their wiki to get an idea
of how the IRC Team works and what other resources are available

The channel you are an Op in might also have their own rules and
guidelines, the guidelines for #Ubuntu-Women can be found here:
http://wiki.ubuntu-women.org/IrcGuidelines


A wiki version of this course can be found on our wiki, along with a
sneak peek at next weeks installment about Op Tools and Bans:
http://wiki.ubuntu-women.org/Courses/IRCOp

Lyz/pleia2

-- 
Elizabeth Bevilacqua
http://www.princessleia.com