Approved Help room article

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scalarmotion

sit, fetch, micro
is a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
Approved (to some extent) by (a rather small subset of) PS upper staff

<Scalarmotion> basically 1. explain why it was made 2. (subtly and nicely) bitch about what not to do
<shaymin> post a submission and tag @Scene/@Vacate
General outline below, I'll write up a draft of the intro later this week or something.

  1. Why was the help room made
    1. Main rationale: making help more accessible to users
    2. Existing problems with getting help as a user
    3. (not sure about this, probably requires further approval) Explain some other ideas we had (and briefly implemented) like /report?
      1. Problems with those ideas and why we ended up with help room
  2. What the help room is for
    1. Asking about sim commands and functionality (teambuilder, ladder, etc)
    2. Reporting problem users (spam etc)
    3. Just a place to find global staff for any other general needs (roomauth looking for someone to watch the room after they leave)
  3. What the help room is not for
    1. Casual chatting
    2. Help not directly related to the sim (questions related to the actual game, battling advice)
      1. However staff can send you to the proper rooms for those subjects
      2. When in doubt, ask staff directly rather than posting in the room
    3. Spam and trolling
      1. Behaviour not acceptable elsewhere on PS should also stay out of help room
  4. General tips for users
    1. Read the roomintro
      1. Covers many common issues
      2. Good overview of what to do and not to do in the room
    2. Ask if there's anything you're still unsure about (Not sure if this section is necessary)
      1. Don't be shy (no need to ask for permission before asking a question)
    3. Help out!
      1. Staff are not always active and watching help room
      2. Experienced users can help with common, simpler queries that don't require moderator powers
      3. Report any spam/trolling taking place in the help room by alerting staff present
      4. Don't overdo it
        1. Avoid solicitation
        2. Try to be sure about what you're saying (staff will usually be there to correct anything inaccurate)


If you've been around Pok&eacute;mon Showdown! within the past two months, you'll probably have noticed a new Official Room named simply "Help". At a glance, the room's premise is simple - come here to find or offer help - but in practice there are many caveats to keep in mind, regulations which keep the room as clean and hassle-free as possible. So, if you are looking for help or want to help others, read on to learn more about this room and how best to join in!

So just what is the help room and why was it made? In short, the help room is a place for regular users to get answers to any Pok&eacute;mon Showdown! and Smogon related questions they may have, as well as find global staff to handle any issues they may have with other users. Why don't people just ask in the Lobby, you may ask? This is because the Lobby is both too hectic and uncontrolled - many a time has a user's question been buried by the rapid barrage of chat and gone unnoticed by staff or other helpful users and even when the question is noticed, it's often answered poorly, whether due to a malicious troll or simply a misinformed regular user. Furthermore, users often have trouble finding global staff to deal with global issues such as spam in battles or PMs, as room staff are not distinguished from global staff outside of commands like /whois which new users are unlikely to know. This problem was only worsened by the introduction of Lobby Drivers, which meant that even the Lobby is no longer a reliable place to find global staff. In consideration of these issues, global staff decided that something had to be done to make it easier for regular users to find help, and thus the help room was born.
 
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