We Know / We No ByLaws

Version 2.04

Last update March 27, 2008 - Jonkichi

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 the forums. 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 - Teamspeak

The general teamspeak channel should be language that you would use in a public space. Be considerate of the people in the channel; shouting, fighting and attacking others will get you banned immediately. We ask parents not to leave children in teamspeak unattended. In private channels, you can say anything you want as long as you observe the basic notion of respect for other members.

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 repect. 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 - 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 will be responsible for determining alliances with individuals, groups or guilds and their participation in our raid and DKP system. Any inquires 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.
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

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. _This rank will be deprecated on the Alliance side)
cooler (Alliance) 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 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.
Veteran These are members who have expertise and an interest in providing support and help to other members actively. Veterans on alliance, and Defenders on horde are member who actively engage in guild oriented activity and are expected to proactively support the growth of the guild. Discussing removal of this rank.
Wenoalt This is a courtesy rank and is reserved for inactive (more than 30 days inactive) members of opposing faction sister guild and will 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.
Officer Alt. An alt of an officer.
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. 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 complete the Membership Application. Officers interested in participating in the recruiting process should request an account on the membership wiki. Applications that require broader input will be discussed on the forums, but ordinarily the officers will discuss applications on the wiki and approve them.
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.
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 inconstancies or possible issues.
In the event that a member quits the guild, there will be a minimum 7 day and maximum 30 day grace period before that member will be permitted to return. 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 cooldown, but this fact will be taken into account during the discussion about the cooldown 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.

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.
Class Leaders assigned by the Raid Leader are in charge of helping guild members in their class to prepare for, participate in and understand their roles, particularly in the end-game raids. All issues relating to the performance of members in a raid should first be directed to the Class Leader and the Class Leader should escalate issues to the Raid Leader. The Class Leader is responsible for managing the discussion in the class channel during a raid and representing the class in the leader channel and the raid channel. Class Leaders may be replaced at the Raid Leader's discretion.
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 Cooler by officers and Guild Admins 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.
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.

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

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

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