We Know / We No By Laws

Version 2.0.7

Last update 5 September 2011 - Zurena

These bylaws are not a legal contract. It is a living document that reflects the current understanding between our guild members. Membership in the guild constitutes agreement to abide by the bylaws.

These bylaws will be updated from time to time based on discussions in theforums. The actual edits will be made by designated officers. Members are encouraged to help us evolve and update the bylaws by providing input through participation in the forums.

These bylaws have sections that apply specifically to We Know, specifically to We No, as well as sections that apply to both guilds. In areas where both guilds are being discussed, they will be referred to simply as We. Please make sure you read the sections relating to the guild you are interested in.

A - Relating to We Know and We No

Article I - Mission and Core Values

Section 1 - Mission

To create a community that is fun, inclusive, supportive, respected, sustainable, effective and pwns.

Section 2 - Core Values

In performing its mission, the following core values should guide the decisions and actions of We.

Treat each other with respect.
Protect and increase the reputation of We. Treat non-guildies and opposing factions players with respect and take complaints about our guild and guild members seriously - try to address issues to improve.
Game Play Diversity. We have members who enjoy all aspects of the game, and think no one motive for playing is anymore valuable than others.
Social Diversity. We have members from all over the world, including clergy, soldiers, political activists, homosexuals, children, and handicapped people. People that would normally not be spending time together are in the guild. If you do not enjoy or believe in social diversity of this kind, you should not be in this guild.
Use the tools. Some guild activities require addons and tools and refusal to use these tools may limit or prevent your ability to participate in guild activities.

Article II - Conduct

Section 1 - Guild Chat

Guild Chat should generally follow the same rules as network TV or a PG movie. Racial and sexual slurs and hurtful comments will not be tolerated in Guild Chat. Many issues stem from misunderstandings and all members are urged not to escalate issues in public. Members who repeatedly fail to observe these guidelines will be demoted to Brig/Cooler and may be considered for removal from the guild.

Section 2 - Vent

While in the general Vent channel, your choice of language (i.e. cursing, lewd behavior) should be that of what you would use in any other public space. Be considerate of the rest of the people who are sharing the channel. Shouting, fighting or verbally attacking others in any channel will immediately get you banned from the Vent server and there will be a discussion amongst the officers regarding the event. While in private channels you can use the language you want (i.e. cursing, lewd behavior) as long as you observe the basic notion of having respect for others. We ask that parents not leave their children unattended in an environment where a Vent channel may be heard. If it is not possible to prevent a child from hearing the conversations in a Vent channel while the parent is AFK, we ask that you leave the Vent server until you can return to the computer.

Section 3 - Party and Raid Chat

The party, raid leader or designate should determine the style of the language in their party and raid chat as long as they do not break core values of the guild.

Section 4 - Communication with the other "We"

Members are encouraged to have a healthy rivalry with our sister guild but should treat them with respect. Emotes such as /spit should never be used against members of We.
Proprietary information from one faction should not be divulged to the other in any way that would undermine strategic objectives of either guild.

Section 5 - We Know Forums

Your account's user name for the message forums should match the name of one of your characters in We Know, preferably that of your main character.
In an effort to keep the threads on the message forum organized, it is important that posts are made in the appropriate categories, e.g., posts about politics, real life items or non-WoW related issues would be made in the "Off-Topic" category. Officers and admins reserve the right to move a discussion from one category to another if it becomes necessary.
Members, officers, and guild admins are reminded that the guild's principles of conduct extend to the forums. Participants in discussions, and especially disagreements, should always maintain a tone of respect towards all other members.
The officers reserve the right, in certain rare circumstances, on the basis of a consensus decision, and following a warning, to take whatever actions they deem necessary on the forum. Such moderation, when it occurs, will be done transparently, with a clear explanation posted at the time of, or shortly following the action.
Forum membership is contingent upon being an active member of We Know. If, for whatever reason, your characters are removed from the guild or moved to BRB rank then your forum privileges will be reduced accordingly. Active guild members have "Member" access to discussions while non-, former- or BRB-members will have "We Know Reserve" rights.

Section 6 - Children - IMPORTANT - PARENTS PLEASE READ

There are children in this guild. However, children are expected to behave as mature members of the guild and may be exposed to mature content, particularly in parties and raids. Parents should be aware of this and should not allow their children to play if they are not comfortable with this.

Article III - Inter-Guild Relations

Section 1 - Raid Alliances

The Raid Leader shall be responsible for maintaining any necessary alliances with individuals, groups or guilds in the context of the Raid Leader's individual raid(s). How to deal with alliance participation in the Raid Leader's loot distribution system shall also be the responsibility of the Raid Leader and should be defined for all members before the run begins. Any inquires regarding these alliances should be directed to the Raid Leader.

Section 2 - Alts Membership in other Guilds

Guild members are discouraged from having alts or mains in other guilds on Eitrigg. Alts or mains on other realms are perfectly acceptable. Applications must disclose all of their alts on Eitrigg and their guild memberships in their applications. Failure to do so will be cause for expulsion from the guild or the inability to guild in the alt without reapplication through the membership process.Having an Alt in another guild for the sole purpose to have your own guild bank, or bank shared between others is ok.
Application to another guild while being a We Member is not an offense as long as the Member notifies an Officer ahead of time and explains the reason for the application. Members found to be "shopping around" to other guilds before letting an Officer know may be removed from the guild. Members are encouraged to maintain active and friendly relationships with members who have left the guild.

B - Relating to We Know Only

Article IV - Membership

Section 1 - Ranks

BRB A place for members that are taking an extended break from WOW. Members should request this rank so their toons are not deleted after 2 months of inactivity. If they are gone longer than 2 months after being put in BRB, and no contact is made, on a case by case basis the toon may still be removed from the guild. Once placed in BRB rank forum rank will change from member to We Know Reserve. Once they come back member status is returned.
cooler The cooler is a disciplinary rank and most notably does not allow access to guild chat. A Member who causes problems in the guild can be demoted to the cooler until the problem is resolved or the Member leaves the guild.
Member A full member of the guild with the ability to create new discussions in the forums. Members have introduced themselves in the forums and are expected to understand and embrace the bylaws. Members have limited Access to the guild bank. Members who are inactive for more than 2 months will be removed from the guild unless they have let a Officer, Admin, or the guild Custodian know that they are taking an extended break from WOW. In that case they are moved the to BRB rank and forum access is changed to We Know Reserve. Once they come back member status is returned.
Core Hound Member A member of the guild who has received an authenticator and has shown it to an officer or admin. They have all the same abilities of the Member rank though they will have more access to the guild bank.
Officer Alt. An alt of an officer
Officer Officers are responsible for managing the guild. Officers recruit/sponsor new members, interact with other guilds as representatives of We, have access to officer chat in-game and officer categories on the forums. Officers are not empowered to kick people from the guild. Officers should deal with conflicts in the game by providing support, advice and mediation. Officers should not abuse their power, threaten members frivolously or escalate conflicts. Officer promotions are suggested by other officers and discussed for one week in the officer category in the forums before promotion. Officer status is invite only, and asking for the role will typically disqualify the applicant.
Guild Admin Guild Admins are administrators of the guild who are committed to putting guild issues first on their priority list. Conflicts should be escalated to them if officers are unable to resolve them through mediation. Their forum access and guild membership is not impacted by inactivity. A three officer vote including Guild Admins is required for a person to be kicked from the guild and only they have the ability to kick someone from the guild. Guild Admins are chosen by the existing Guild Admins.
Guild Custodian / GM The Guild Custodian or GM is tasked with choosing and promoting Guild Admins with input from the Officer and other Admins.

Section 2 - We Know Membership Rules

We Know is no longer actively recruiting. Do not solicit membership to players you do not know.
Players wishing to join We Know should find a sponsoring Officer, read the bylaws, and then complete the Membership Application, which will be discussed on the forums. An applicant needs the support of at least three officers in order to be granted admission into the guild. There is at least a 3 day grace period before any final decision is made. Once the final decision is made the sponsoring officer will send them an in game mail informing of the decision made, and if they have been accepted they will be directed to contact an officer for an invite. Additionally the application thread in the forums will be updated with the decision made.
New members should create a forum name that is the same as the toon they are applying with and introduce themselves on the forums via the sticky thread titled "We Know self-introductions."
New members will require a sponsoring Officer. The player officer note should show the name of the sponsoring Officer and issues with the new players should be directed to that Officer. The sponsoring Officer should help the player and get them to introduce themselves in the forums. If they have not completed the introduction, the Officer should notify a Guild Admin to remove the player from the guild.
New members will be assigned a guide who will be an additional resource within the guild to turn to with questions and as appropriate offer advice and help within the game.
We No members wishing to join We Know should fill out the application and list a We No Officer or Sr. Officer as a reference to allow confirmation of active guild membership in We No. In most cases, We No members will be admitted to We Know promptly.
As a general rule, we should not be actively or systematically trying to recruit members from other guilds in a way that would undermine our relationship or trust with that guild. When people wish to join us from other guilds, the reason they are leaving the other guild should be made clear to us and investigated if there appears to be inconsistencies or possible issues.
In the event that a member gquits the guild, there will be a minimum 7 day and maximum 30 day grace period before that member will be permitted to reapply. The original sponsoring officer should be the point of contact for the re-invite process. If that officer is no longer with the guild, the guild admins will determine an appropriate alternative officer. The former member is required to indicate in their application the reason for quitting the guild and the reason for wanting to be allowed back in. The re-invite will require a consensus of the officers after review by the membership and the sponsoring officer may be reassigned at this time. In the event that the officers determine that the applicant will not be permitted back in the guild, the applicant will be notified immediately. Accidental gquits will be investigated by guild admins and treated as exceptions. Gquits of alts or mains where other alts or mains are left in the guild will still require a cool-down, but this fact will be taken into account during the discussion about the cool-down period.
A gquit by any character constitutes a gquit by all of the player's alts and any exceptions must be pre-negotiated with a consensus decision by the Officers and Guild Admins.
If a member has been removed from the roster due to absence from the game they can be readmitted by contacting an officer for readmission.

Section 3 - Roles

The Raid Leaders are responsible for their own individual 10- and 25-man raid related activities. Raid Leaders are members of the guild who want to take on the responsibility of leading other members through raid-level content. The guild's leadership does not appoint Raid Leaders.
The Guild Bank is an in-game bank. Members are free to use all tabs except the "Raid mats" tab. Members with the rank of Officer alt and higher have access to the Raid mats tab of the guild bank. If there is an item that a member wants out of that tab they need to talk to an officer or 25-man Raid Leader. When an item is requested from the Raid Mats tab, the person who removes the item from the bank shall make a post in the sticky thread titled "The hand-outs thread."
Guild Officers

Section 4 - Demotions

The Guild Leaders are responsible for demotions. They will open up discussions about demotions to Guild Admin/Sr. Officer forums at his/her discretion in order to balance fairness, privacy and speed of decision execution.
Players who cause problems within the guild may be demoted to the rank of Cooler by officers and Guild Admins until the problem can be resolved or the player leaves the guild.

Section 5 - Activity

In an effort to have the guild roster and forums filled only with members who are actively playing the game, any character who is inactive (based on the last logged in date) for over three months shall be removed from the guild and forums. Exceptions to this rule can be made if the player lets an officer know of an upcoming planned break from the game at that point they will be moved to "BRB" rank.
If officers are inactive in game for three months they shall be removed from the guild and forums. If the inactive officer is actively contributing in the forums their main will not be removed from the guild, but will be updated with the comment: Forum Active Officer. Additionally Forum Active Officers will retail forum access.
Officers who leave forfeit not only their guild membership but also their leadership role in the guild should they decide to return. While those who leave and return may eventually be reinstated to some form of leadership position, officers who quit the guild should consider it very unlikely that they will ever fill an officer role in the guild. Officer status is invite only, and asking for the role will typically disqualify the applicant.
If admins are inactive in game for three months they will be moved to the rank BRB with the comment: Admin Emeritus. The alts of inactive admins will be removed from the guild roster.
Alts of cross-faction alts should request AFK/do not delete notes in their player notes to prevent inactivity deletion.

Section 6 - Cheating

We believe in fair play and any actions that would constitute cheating (for instance, Gold Buying, Power Leveling for $$$, or willfully exploiting Bugs) are unacceptable. There is a zero tolerance for this behavior, soliciting for advice about this behavior is grounds for removal from the guild.
In order to protect the reputation of our guild members and of the guild at large we ask that you follow the TOS you agreed to. Since Blizzard has been known to hold those close to offending members responsible we in turn ask that you be respectful of your guildmates and refrain from language and behavior which can lead to disciplinary action. This includes discussion concerning plans for and in support of violations of the TOS. Since we are held responsible we hold you responsible.

Aritcle V - Raids

Section 1 - Raids

Raid leaders need to clear on the loots rules at the beginning of the runs
If the raid is an ongoing raid, raid sign ups should be posted in the forum calendar.
Communicate clearly the intent of your raid in your raid's forum thread. Additionally if you have a specific cut off time, like 15 mins before you fill the slot, you may want to note that in the thread along with the intent.
Be aware of other raids and their time slots, and consider the impact of schedules on other raids.
The rules of how a specific raid is run is up to the raid leader(s) of each raid.
If you sign up for a raid and cannot make it or expect to be late let your raid leader know as soon as possible.

C - Relating to We No Only

Article IV - Membership

Section 1 - Ranks

Initiate. New members start as initiates. Initiates have read and agreed to the bylaws. Initiates are able to post comments in the forums and participate in guild chat. Initiates have one week to introduce themselves in the forums and be promoted to member before they are removed from the guild. Members are encouraged to help Initiates in learning the tools and finding their way around the guild.
Brig The Brig is a disciplinary rank and most notably does not allow access to guild chat. A Member who causes problems in the guild can be demoted to the Brig until the problem is resolved or the Member leaves the guild.
Member. A Member is a full member of the guild with the ability to create new discussions in the forums and participate in end-game raid DKP as a member. Members have introduced themselves in the forums and are expected to understand and embrace the bylaws. Members who are inactive for more than 30 days will be removed from the guild.
Defender (Horde) Younger members of the guild, usually children of other active members.
Weknowalt This is a courtesy rank and is reserved for non-mail members of opposing faction sister guild which might not be removed after the 30 day limit.
Officer Officers are responsible for managing the guild. Officers recruit/sponsor new members, interact with other guilds as representatives of We, have access to officer chat in-game and officer categories on the forums. Officers are not empowered to kick people from the guild. Officers should deal with conflicts in the game by providing support, advice and mediation. Officers should not abuse their power, threaten members frivolously or escalate conflicts. Officer promotions are suggested by other officers and discussed for one week in the officer category in the forums before promotion. Officer status is invite only, and asking for the role will typically disqualify the applicant.
Altfficer. An Altfficer is the alt of an officer.
Sr. Officer (Horde) Guild Admins are administrators of the guild who are committed to putting guild issues first on their priority list. Conflicts should be escalated to them if officers are unable to resolve them through mediation. A three officer vote including Guild Admins is required for a person to be kicked from the guild and only they have the ability to kick someone from the guild. Guild Admins are chosen by the existing Guild Admins.
Guild Custodian / GM . The Guild Custodian or GM is tasked with choosing and promoting Guild Admins with input from the Officer and other Admins.

Section 2 - We No Recruiting

Players wishing to join We No should find a sponsoring Member, read the bylaws and fill out an application. Filling out an application constitutes agreement to these bylaws.
New Initiates should introduce themselves in the forums in self-introductions and will be upgraded to member after the introduction.
New members will require a sponsoring Officer. The player officer note should show the name of the sponsoring Officer and issues with the new players should be directed to that Officer. The sponsoring Officer should help the player and get them to introduce themselves in the forums. If they have not completed the introduction, the Officer should notify a Guild Admin to remove the player from the guild.
As a general rule, we should not be actively or systematically trying to recruit members from other guilds in a way that would undermine our relationship or trust with that guild. When people wish to join us from other guilds, the reason they are leaving the other guild should be made clear to us and investigated if there appears to be inconstancies or possible issues.

Section 3 - Roles

The Raid Leader, appointed by the Guild Leader after consultation with the guild, is responsible for all 40-man end-game related activities. The Raid Leader will determine the class leaders. The Raid Leader may choose to assign a Backup Raid Leader to support and cover for the Raid Leader in the event of unavailability. If the Raid Leader chooses to resign the Guild Custodian will determine an appropriate process to choose a subsequent Raid Leader to best reflect the views of the end-game oriented guild members. If a substantial number of guild members voice concerns regarding the Raid Leader's performance, the Guild Custodian may conduct a review and initiate a process to replace the Raid Leader.
Guild Banks are managed by guild members for various roles. This role needs to be defined and developed.
PvP Leaders. The notion of PvP Leaders has been discussed. This role needs to be defined and developed.

Section 4 - Demotions

The Guild Leaders are responsible for demotions. They will open up discussions about demotions to Guild Admin/Sr. Officer forums at his/her discretion in order to balance fairness, privacy and speed of decision execution.
Players who cause problems within the guild may be demoted to the rank of Brig by officers and Sr. Officers until the problem can be resolved or the player leaves the guild.

Section 5 - Activity

In efforts to have the guild filled with only members who are actively playing the game, any toon or character which is inactive (that is, hasn't logged in) for over 30 days will be removed from the guild.
Members who leave the guild may be invited back at a later date at the discretion of the Guild Officers, however members who leave a 2nd time will be not be allowed to return in the future. We Know members who are removed for inactivity will be required to reapply through the membership application process.
Officers who leave forfeit not only their guild membership but also their leadership role in the guild should they decide to return. While those who leave and return may eventually be reinstated to some form of leadership position, officers who quit the guild should consider it very unlikely that they will ever fill an officer role in the guild. Officer status is invite only, and asking for the role will typically disqualify the applicant.
Alts of cross-faction alts should request AFK/do not delete notes in their player notes to prevent inactivity deletion.
Players who are suspended or banned by Blizzard for violations of the TOS may also face guild sanctions for their behavior. Behaviors banned by Blizzard's TOS, including real-world purchase of in-game currency, or use of honor or leveling services, may be met with sterner punishment than Blizzard applies.

Section 6 - Removal

We strive to keep the guild drama free and maintain a "zero drama" policy. Any guild member seen to be causing drama on purpose may be asked to leave the guild.
A a congruent guild is very important to us and we reserve the right to ask a member to leave if they don't seem to be a good fit within the guild.
Members who are asked to leave the guild and choose not to on their own accord may be removed by a Sr. Officer at their discretion.
Members who are asked to leave the guild are free to reapply at a later date, however should be aware it is unlikely they will be approved.

Aritcle V - Raids

Section 1 - Raid Rules

The Raid Leader will decide the rules. (This section to be expanded.)

Section 2 - Loot

We No members please see the note on 'SuicideKings' on the We No Instance Rules.

Version History

2.01 Fixed typo in B-IV-2-8 - Jonkichi 25 Feb 2007

2.02 Added point to We No Activity section relating to TOS - 16 March 2007

2.03 Added WK Cheating Section - 24 May 2007

2.04 Removed DKP Article V in WK section - Jonkichi 27 March 2008

2.05 Revised Article IV Section 2 for WK where returning members indicate reason for leaving/returning on application (rather than forum post). - 27 June 2008

2.05 Revised many out of date items for We Know. Article II Section 2 updated. Added Article II Section 5 "We Know Forums" and moved the old section 5 to 6. Article III Section 3 updated. Article IV Section 1,2,3,and 5 updated. Sandrika 22 2010

2.06a Updated links Zurena(Goldie Katsu) June 15, 2011

2.06b Updated membership rules (section 2) re: communication processes, introduction of the guide role, and clarification of difference between gquit and leaving due to absence. Updated section 5 (activity) regarding duration of inactivity before being removed, inactive officers and inactive guild admins. - Zurena 9 July 2011

2.0.7 Updated Raid rules for We Know - Zurena 5 September 2011

2.0.8 Updated Raid rules for We Know. Revised out of date items for We Know. (BRB rank, Forum membership, Membership rank) -Sandrika 5, December, 2011