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There are over a thousand Palaces open to the public at any given time and they are visited by a diverse population from around the world. When you enter a Palace, you become a member of this fascinating community.

It's important to keep in mind that visitors come from all over the world and from many different cultures. They are all ages, and they speak many different languages. What is perfectly acceptable to you may not be at all acceptable to someone else.

With this in mind please show respect for the people you meet at Palace regardless of their age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation or political beliefs. You certainly needn't change your beliefs, but please respect the ways and beliefs of others.

Below you'll find information that is a bit more specific, but in general, if you act as people would expect you to act in a public place and remember that there are real people behind those avatars, your Palace experience should be fun and rewarding.

Please be aware that many Palace operators have a specific set of guidelines or rules that should be followed when visiting their Palace. We'll tell you where to find these, but if you keep the following tips in mind, you should have no problems when visiting any Palace.

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Finding the Rules

Personal Space

Harassment Policies

Personal Questions

Obscenity Policies

Responsibility

Misc.Tips

When you enter a Palace, watch the upper right hand corner of your screen. The Palace operators often show messages there to greet you and perhaps give information about rules pertaining to their Palace. Look around the room for links to a "Rules" , Policies, or "Guidelines" room or a link to a web site with more information about the Palace. If there are no written rules available and you have questions about what is permissible in the Palace, speak privately with a staff member to get the information you need.

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You'll find that across the board, most Palaces have policies against harassing other users. Harassment includes, but is not limited to, verbally attacking another user, following someone around when they've asked you not to, whispering to someone that has asked you not to and talking to someone about anything that they've asked you to stop talking about. In general, if someone asks you to leave them alone, leave them alone. Otherwise you are harassing them. In most cases you will be disconnected from the Palace for this type of behavior. In some family oriented Palaces, you may be banned permanently from returning.

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Many Palaces also have "Obscenity" policies. Obscenity generally includes, but is not limited to, using offensive language, hate speech directed at others, and wearing offensive avatars. If the Palace you are visiting has a "no obscene speech" policy, please abide by it. Different people have different tolerance levels for foul language and your best bet is to refrain from any swearing when you are new to a Palace. Find and follow any posted rules and be kind enough to stop swearing immediately if someone asks you to. "Obscene speech" policies can also apply to hate speech directed at other users. Again, in some cases you will be disconnected from the Palace for this type of behavior and you may be banned permanently from returning.

Everyone has their own ideas of what is obscene when it comes to avatars. Check the rules of the particular Palace before wearing any softcore or hardcore avatars. It is not allowed at all at some Palaces, and only allowed in nonpublic rooms at others. Please do not wear adult avatars as you enter a new Palace as it is very uncommon for this to be allowed in entry or gate rooms. It's a good rule of thumb not to wear an avatar in an entry room at Palace that you wouldn't wear on a T-shirt in your day to day life. If someone is uncomfortable with your av, no matter what the Palace rules, please be kind enough to change it or move to a room with like minded guests. It will make your Palace experience much more enjoyable if you consider the feelings of others.

You'll find that many Palaces have policies against visitors using obscene names. You take the chance of being disconnected immediately, with no warning, if you choose to use a name that others would find obscene. If you question whether the name you are considering might be offensive, chances are good that it will be. You can always change your name later if you find that it is acceptable.

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Don't "sit" on other users. Don't stand too close if you're not welcome. On the other side of this coin, don't get upset right away if someone doesn't move when you ask them too. They may be "lagged" due to isp problems, slow modems, or because there are many visitors at the Palace. Be patient and wait a bit. They may already be trying to move. You'll soon know if they are behaving that way intentionally and then you can decide how to proceed.

Your best bet is usually to simply quietly move to another spot in the room. If you argue with the person, of course, it may only encourage them.

If they continue to annoy you, page a moderator, hide or leave the Palace for a few minutes before coming back.

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Try not to get too personal with other users right away. Get to know them first. You'll enjoy your visit a lot more if people aren't annoyed by your asking "age, sex, location" questions, or worse, right at the start.

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Palace staff members are identified by the * in front of their names. One * means the person is a staff member, two means the person is the Palace owner. They can help you with any questions or problems that come up.

Staff members are referred to in different ways depending upon the Palace you are visiting. You may hear them referred to as Wizards, moderators or hosts. Palace owners are sometimes referred to as "Gods". I think you'll find that the "Gods" and "Wizards" at Palace are some of the friendliest people you will ever meet.

Learn to use Palace commands so that you will be able to handle problems with others, when they come up, quickly and easily.

If you find that you need help in a room where a wizard is not present at the moment, you can contact a wizard by typing 'page before your message.

For example, type this in your input box: 'page I need help

. . . and a wizard will respond to you. Don't forget to include the ' symbol before the word page.

There are other special "Commands" available while you're visiting Palace. These commands are typed on your keyboard and do not appear on the screen. You will, however, see them in your log. Remember that commands always start with the ' character. If you don't include it, the command will not work.

Below is a listing of commands that you may find helpful along with an explanation of each one. Keep in mind that these commands are configurable by the Palace owner. Availability of each one is dependent upon what the owner has chosen to include.

'help

Type this into your input box to see a list of all the commands available at the Palace you are visiting.

'page message

Type 'page and then type your message to page a moderator. Remember to put one space between the command and your message. A moderator may come immediately to the room you are in or send a message. After you hit your enter key to send the message, watch the upper left hand corner of the room for a reply (This type of message, from someone in another room, is called "esp".

're message

Type 're and then your message to reply to the last person that sent you an "esp" message. Use this to reply to the moderator who has answered your page.

'hide on

Removes your name from the User List in order to hide you from the other visitors of the Palace that you are visiting.

'hide off

Turns off hide. Your name will then appear in the User List as usual. (You will need to refresh your User List in order to see your name)

'hidefrom name

Type 'hidefrom, and then the name of a person, to hide only from one visitor.

'unhidefrom name

Unhides you from the person named.

'mute name

This command will mute the person named so that you will not see anything that the person says. Other guests will still see, but you will not.

'unmute name

Unmutes the named person.

'rejectesp on

This command will stop any esp messages sent to you so that you do not have to see them.

'rejectesp off

Stops rejecting esp messages.

'rejectprivate on

Stops any private messages sent to you.

'rejectprivate off

Stops rejecting private messages.

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1. Use sounds sparingly. A well timed "boom" or a meaningful "kiss" is always fun but one sound after the other for the sake of noise is annoying to everyone!

2. Be considerate when moving about the room. Using the arrow key to move into an exact position is useful. Moving all over the room using the keys is a major cause of lag and will not make you a welcome guest.

3. When whispering in a busy room, keep an eye on other conversation and try to reply when spoken too. Others will not know you are engaged in a conversation and may take offense thinking you are ignoring them. If your whispered conversation goes on more than a minute or so it's best to go to a less busy room.

4. Use your log! All past conversation is recorded there and will be very helpful in keeping up with conversations.

5. Use the painting option wisely. Try not to annoy people by painting in a room excessively and remember to clean up before you leave. Most Palaces have the option to say "clean" to clean a room. Try it before you exit the room if you been painting.

6. Think about taking a minute from your conversation to help someone that is new. If you help someone when they are confused they become a better member and are not as likely to cause problems as they would be if they were repeatedly ignored when asking for help.

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OK, that's it! It may sound like a lot to absorb right now but actually, if you respect others, remember that there are real people behind the avatars, and act as you would when you meet new people in real life, you won't have to worry about the specifics. You'll have a great time and be welcome throughout PalaceSpace!


©2001 Innocent Bystander Productions