I wanted to open up an on-wiki discussion regarding some ongoing problems plaguing #wikia-sims, The Sims Wiki's IRC channel, in the hopes of devising some solution to the problems.
I will say at the outset of this thread that I am not an expert in the workings of the IRC Channel; there are several users who are vastly more knowledgeable than I am and who can give you a more intelligent explanation of the particular issues facing the channel; among them are Xd1358, MrBenC and Lost Labyrinth, all of whom are or were channel ops on #wikia-sims. What I describe below is only a basic explanation of the issues and possible solutions.
- wikia-sims is part of the Freenode IRC network. A number of users on the Freenode network (some registered with the network, some not) have been deliberately attacking the channel and some of its frequent inhabitants. These attacks have included joining the channel with an unregistered nickname (which is allowed under normal conditions) and spamming all the members of the channel, or writing offensive and slanderous comments about certain channel members. These incidents tend to coincide with other incidences regarding the same set of people, on other channels on the Freenode network, and can happen several times a day.
The main tool that #wikia-sims operators have to stop these incidents is to set the channel so that only registered and identified (i.e. logged-in) nicknames can access the channel. The major downside to this action is that legitimate people who are not registered with Freenode cannot join #wikia-sims; this affects users of The Sims Wiki who may choose to participate there because, unlike the wiki Chat, on-wiki/Wikia registration does not carry over to Freenode or other IRC networks. In essence, by keeping #wikia-sims locked to unregistered people, we are blocking out a significant segment of the wiki community who may wish to use the channel but who do not have a Freenode registration.
In conversations on #wikia-sims regarding the issue, MrBenC has offered one possible solution. Since the majority of the problems seem to originate on other channels in the Freenode network, it may be preferable to close #wikia-sims on Freenode and start a new IRC channel on a different IRC network, potentially a network that MrBenC owns and operates. The channel would be accessible to the public as before but would no longer be part of Freenode and thus not susceptible to drama overflowing from other Freenode channels. However, there are some drawbacks to this plan. Each IRC network has its own registrations, meaning that if the channel were to re-locate off of Freenode, frequent channel users (and especially channel operators) would be required to register with a new IRC network. It's also worth considering that Freenode is a very popular IRC network, and this popularity has led to some people joining the #wikia-sims channel, even people not otherwise active on The Sims Wiki; leaving Freenode would mean that we'd lose access to this potential audience.
I am not at this time proposing any changes. But I feel as though this matter, including the possibility of moving the channel, deserves additional discussion. -- LostInRiverview talk • blog • contribs 04:42, November 30, 2014 (UTC)