1. Overview
2. Difference between the platform’s and room’s code of conduct
   1. Platform
   2. GMN Official Rooms
   3. Non-Official Rooms
3. Platform Code of Conduct
   1. The First Amendment and its values
   2. What is not protected by the First Amendment
4. GMN Official Rooms Code of Conduct
5. Definitions
   1. Harassment
   2. Spam
6. Room Abandonment Policy
7. What we will not act on
8. Reporting Issues
9. Requests for Clarification or Changes

This code of conduct outlines the expectations for participants within the Greyman Network (AKA ‘GMN’) platform, the differences between the platform, the rooms contained inside of it, and explanations about these guidelines that can be commonly understood by any member of the community.

We are committed to providing a welcoming and inspiring community for all and expect our code of conduct to be honored. Anyone who violates this code of conduct may have appropriate actions taken towards them in correspondence with our moderation guidelines.

The platform as a whole has an overarching code of conduct that acts as the baseline of what is expected by members of the Greyman Network. All of the rooms, regardless of location, have to abide by the platform code of conduct. No rooms can be more relaxed than these, only more restrictive.

GMN Official rooms can be identified by the logo present beside the name of the room. It contains the GMN logo with a green checkmark and border. These rooms are considered official rooms for the platform and moderated under the general code of conduct.

As the GMN official rooms are a common area for members across the entire network to gather and have discussions, outside of other communities on the network, a stricter code of conduct is in place for these rooms and any members participating in these rooms are expected to follow them.

Any other room that is not an official room may have its own rules and be as restrictive as possible, but can not be more relaxed than the platform rules.

Greyman Network, as a platform, embraces the freedoms recognized in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, which states:

The First Amendment is intended to prevent the restriction of speech by the government. The ability to speak freely, debate, discuss, modify, and share ideas were of intrinsic importance to our Founding Fathers of the United States, which has also been adopted by the founders of GMN. GMN intends to use these values as the foundation for how our platform is run and organized. GMN will always allow its members these freedoms, as the ability to share personal ideas without restrictions is of the utmost importance for a strong community and society.

1. Fighting Words: This is speech that is used to inflame another and that will likely incite physical retaliation. Likewise, language that is meant to incite the masses toward lawless action is not protected. This can include speech that is intended to incite violence or to encourage the audience to commit illegal acts. The test for fighting words is whether an average citizen would view the language as being inherently likely to provoke a violent response.
2. Obscenity: Most forms of obscenity are protected by the First Amendment. However, there is a high threshold that must be met for obscenity not to be protected, which includes showing that the language appeals to the prurient interest in sex, that it depicts something that is considered patently offensive based on contemporary community standards, and that it lacks serious literary, scientific or artistic value. To be obscene, the expression or speech must meet all 3 elements of the following to be considered obscene and therefore unworthy of First Amendment protection:
   1. To the average person, applying contemporary community standards, appeal to the prurient interest;
   2. Depict or describe, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct, as specifically defined by the applicable state law; and
   3. Taken as a whole, lack any serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.
3. Child Pornography: Child pornography is an exception to the First Amendment’s right to free speech and to having to meet the high threshold test for other obscene works. Speech is not protected if it depicts a minor performing sexual acts or showing their private parts.
4. Libel and Slander: The First Amendment does not protect individuals from facing civil penalties if they defame another person through written or verbal communication.
   • Defamation is a false statement about another person that tends to damage the reputation of that person. While defamation is not typically punished as a crime, it is a tort in all jurisdictions.
5. Crimes Involving Speech: The First Amendment also does not protect forms of speech that are used to commit a crime, such as perjury, extortion, or harassment.
6. Threats: Speech is not usually protected when it constitutes a threat toward another that places the target of such speech of bodily harm or death. There are certain exceptions, such as when a reasonable person would understand the language not to be a credible threat. Additionally, threats of mere social ostracism or boycotts are protected by the constitution.
7. Violation of Copyright Rules: Intellectual property is protected, including copyrights and trademarks. The Supreme Court has held that copyright laws can withstand a First Amendment challenge based on the freedom of speech.
8. Conduct Regulations: Greyman Network representatives are permitted to enforce regulations regarding the conduct related to speech, such as stating when speech may be provided and where it may be provided. Courts generally uphold these types of regulations as long as they are considered content-neutral and not directed at prohibiting the expression of certain ideas. For example, Greyman Network representatives may prohibit repeated spamming in certain rooms, or redirect speech to other rooms more suitable for the speech in question.

1. Be friendly and patient.
2. Be welcoming: We strive to be a community that welcomes and supports people of all backgrounds. This includes, but is not limited to members of any race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, color, immigration status, social and economic class, educational level, sex, sexual orientation, age, size, family status, political belief, religion, and mental and physical ability.
3. Be respectful: Not all of us will agree all the time, but disagreement is no excuse for poor behavior and poor manners. We might all experience some frustration now and then, but we cannot allow that frustration to turn into a personal attack. It’s important to remember that a community where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is not a productive one. This includes sexism, racism, etc.
4. Be careful in the words that we choose: Be kind to others. Do not insult or put down other participants. Harassment is not acceptable.
5. Try to understand why we disagree: Disagreements, both social and technical, happen all the time. It is important that we resolve disagreements and differing views constructively. Remember that we’re different. The strength of our community comes from its diversity, people from a wide range of backgrounds. Different people have different perspectives on issues. Being unable to understand why someone holds a viewpoint doesn’t mean that they’re wrong. Don’t forget that it is human to make mistakes and blaming each other doesn’t get us anywhere. Instead, focus on helping to resolve issues and learning from mistakes.
6. No repeated messages or other forms of spam.
7. No sexually explicit content: Any content that shows nudity, is explicitly pornographic, depicting sexual acts, or depicting nudity, etc. is prohibited.
8. No excessive profanity: Ranting and anger is a normal part of our lives, but when every couple of words or every message contains profanity, it starts to become excessive and disruptive.
9. No publishing others’ private information without their explicit permission: Unless you have explicit permission from the individual to share their private information, such as a physical or email address, IP address, location, name, or any other identifiable information, sharing such information is prohibited.
10. Use the appropriate rooms for the topic: We understand that conversations evolve, and topics can shift. But if you find yourself initiating a conversation, or asking a question, please use the appropriate room for the topic. If conversations last for a long time on a topic completely unrelated to the room it is in, please direct the participants to the appropriate room and leave a message for others interested in following the conversation.
11. Listen to moderators: When a moderator or GMN staff member asks you to do something or stop doing something, please follow their instructions. If you have questions/complaints/comments about the staff or moderators, please message them privately, or use the designated Help Room. If you have an issue that you feel cannot be solved by another moderator, then please message EagleByte directly, he will be happy to look into the matter.

• Receiving unsolicited messages and advertisements
• Multiple messages with the same content over a short period of time
• Phishing attempts
• Sending Malware
• Links without descriptions of what it is
• Links that don’t match the text it’s attached to or associated with

Community-created room moderation is the responsibility of the room creator and its assigned moderators. If a community-created room’s moderators have been inactive for 30 consecutive days, and have not been responsive to messages from the Greyman Network administrative team regarding moderation issues, the Greyman Network administrative team reserves the right to claim ownership of moderation and administration of the room to ensure it remains in compliance with the platform’s code of conduct. The official room’s code of conduct will then be applied. In the event of room abandonment, the administrative team will attempt to contact the room creator or moderators before taking further action. If those attempts go unanswered, the administrative team may assign a moderator from the platform’s administrative staff.

If the original room admin returns and requests their previously abandoned room back, the Greyman Network administrative team will review the current state of the room with them, and will return ownership and moderation responsibilities to the returning admin. The returning admin must agree to assume responsibility for active moderation of their room, and ensure that the channel is brought back into compliance with the platform’s code of conduct if necessary. The returning admin will be responsible for selecting new moderators if necessary and ensuring that all moderators are aware of the platform’s code of conduct.

• Reasonable communication of boundaries, such as “leave me alone,” “go away,” or “I’m not discussing this with you”
• Refusal to explain or debate
• Communicating in a “tone” you don’t find congenial
• Criticizing racist, sexist, or otherwise oppressive behavior or assumptions

If you experience or witness unacceptable behavior — or have any other concerns — please report it by using the context menu on the message and click “Report Content” or by contacting GMN administrators on the server or emailing us at [email protected]. All reports will be handled with discretion. In your report please include:

• Your contact information.
• Names (usernames and nicks, real names, and/or pseudonyms) of any individuals involved. If there are additional witnesses, please include them as well. Your account of what occurred, and if you believe the incident is ongoing.
• The date and time of the incident (or start of the incident).
• The room the issue occurred in.
• Any additional information that may be helpful.

After filing a report, a representative will contact you personally, review the incident, follow up with any additional questions, and make a decision as to how to respond. If the person who is harassing you is part of the response team, they will recuse themselves from handling your incident. If the complaint originates from a member of the response team, it will be handled by a different member of the response team. We will respect confidentiality requests to protect victims of abuse.