All clubs housed at iPlay will be required to adhere to the following Policy. This Policy may be amended at any time as deemed necessary by iPlay Owners/Administration.     Attention all Club Owners     All club owners agree to uphold, incorporate, and abide by all IPlay policies and agreements to maintain club status with IPlay Online Games.  IPlay will send notification to club owners notifying of updates via e-mail.  Club owners are responsible for getting all updated information to their staff.  Club owners take full responsibility for the actions of their staff and members while in IPlay and are responsible to uphold IPlay's policies within their lobbies. Please also see the Club Owners Responsibilities page. CLAD Ops are required to report Policy violations to Admin regardless of whether or not they are on duty at the time. Clubs are private entities and as such, incidents occurring in club lobbies may be reported to IPlay administration, but will be the responsibility of the club owner to resolve. Any club and/or staff member may be removed at any time without notice by IPlay Administration for violation of IPlay agreements and policies. Club Policy Contents Violations of iPlay's Club policies will be determined by iPlay Administration by occurrence and/or severity where not already stated in the policies. Club Owners      Contact Information Hosting Policy       Trainees      Signup Coverage      TD Event Participation      Pursuit of Players Opping/Deopping Event Maintenance Ownership of Time Slots Creating New Event Formats Event Requests Format Scheduling (Off Peak / Prime Time Hours) Special Events      Approval of Special Events      One Time Special Events      Requesting Entry Fees      Cash Prize Events      Tournaments      Leagues      Open Leagues      Marathon Events Banning of a Player      From Clubs      From iPlay Scheduled Event Formats Members Only Events Spur Events Spur Tournament Ads Coverage / Start Times of Scheduled Events ipTourney No Shows Scheduled Open Event Cancellations Holidays Scheduled Tournament Ads Miscellaneous Ad Banners Winners' Banners Club Advertising      Rotating Banners      Lobby Navigation Banner Ads      E-mail Ads (Mass Mailings) Club Bashing Recruiting Club Owners [return to contents] Contacts for Club Owner(s)/Seniors: All club issues, suggestions or concerns should be sent via email. Administrator:  Cactus_Flower cactus_flower@iplay.net   Contact Information  All clubs are required to provide current contact information with the Club Liaison Administration Department (CLAD).  The following information is to be e-mailed in a timely manner to IPlay Club Administration at cactus_flower@iplay.net  IM contact (such as ICQ or other instant messaging program) E-mail address Club website address Hosting Policy  [return to contents] All Club Ops must Please be aware that we ask you be in iPlay at least 30 days and at least 21 years of age to apply for hosting. All Club Ops must have an accepted Verification form on file with IPlay before conducting open events. This is found under the TD Orientation tab. As per instructions from Iplay owners, TD's will "Op up" when hosting their tourneys. This is something that should be done as a matter of course. Not opping while hosting will no longer be tolerated. Failure to Op up when hosting will result in deletion of the Event.  SPECIAL NOTE:     "TD's will Op" means that there needs to be a host opped up all during the sign up period so that the players know who is in charge.  If a member is hosting iPtourney because the host cannot, this person does not have to op up. If you have someone helping to run macros or greeting, this person does not have to op up either.          TDs may participate in their own tourneys.    BUT:   The host still must sign in last. They must ask players if anyone has an objection to the host playing  in the even *and if anyone does, withdraw". You could make a macro to state this if you so wish/choose. Trainees Ops in training are expected to certify when fully trained by their club. Until there is a confirmed, accepted certification on file with IPlay Club Admin, they are not to conduct an event without a certified TD/Trainer/Senior/Owner co-hosting with them. Trainees are expected to certify within 30 days of the start of their training.  Club owners will be required to notify CLAD (cactus_flower@iplay.net) immediately of new trainee ops with the start date of training.  Trainees are not to be given ops until their training starts.  If a trainee is not certified within the 30 day training period, the club owner is responsible to request an extension for training via email to CLAD. NOTE:  If an extension of training time is not requested and approved by CLAD, the trainee will be subject to deop by iPlay Administration. Signup Coverage TDs conducting Open tourneys at IPlay are required to be in their lobby for sign ups no later than 30 minutes before start time and Opped up. If the regular host cannot be there, any certified TD from that club is acceptable until the host running the event arrives to take over. TDs Playing Events TDs are expected to always put players first in their events.  Whenever possible, they should not be participating in the event.  TDs will be expected to abide by the cut off time for taking new players into the event.  Exceptions would be as follows: Teams Event: A TD is the last player to fill a table in first round of a teams event.  The TD will play the duration of that round.  Should the TD's team advance to the next round, the TD will have the option to either continue in the event or to ask for a sub take their place for the duration of the event. Singles Event: TD may choose to play to finish the table or to offer the odd player out a "bye" to the next round of the event.  No subs are permitted for the TD. NO SUBS for TD  is meaning that the TD is there to host for the event and the uppermost concern for the TD is to keep the event moving, if sitting in a hand or so helps to keep the event moving then the TD can sit in. If the TD boots and someone else comes in and takes the TD's seat, when the TD returns the person that sat in for the TD still stays in. TDs Subbing in an Event: TD may choose to sub to keep an event moving.  The TD has the option to either continue in the event or to have a sub take their place for the duration of the event.   NOTE:  If filling a table in any round other than the first round, the TD will be expected to consider the option to offer their seat to put a player in so that they are available to devote their attention to the event.   TDs playing in events are to put the management of their event as first priority at all times. Pursuit of Players If a player leaves an event in progress prior to their completing their game(s) the TD may omsg the player (example: #omsg nick please return to X lobby the event is not over).  Under no circumstance is any staff member to pursue a player into any other lobby and address that player's leaving the event in open lobby.  The TD should request the player(s) return by omsg and/or request a sub to fill the seat needed. Club Admin staff conducts event coverage checks at 30 minutes after the hour for the next hour's events. At that time if a host is not present or in an incorrect lobby, the event is considered not covered (a "no show"). Club Admin staff will conduct additional checks for coverage of the event up to scheduled start time and take screenshots of the event lobby when there is no host present or opped showing coverage.  Opping / Deopping  [return to contents] All club owners are required to provide current active staffing information to the Club Liaison Administration Department (CLAD).  Notification for any of the below items are to be e-mailed in a timely manner to IPlay Club Administration at cactus_flower@iplay.net  Active Status TDs must show activity each month to maintain opped status. Any TD that has lapsed their activity for over 30 days (i.e. a minimum of one tourney a month must be run by the TD) must re-certify prior to returning to active status. Clubs maintaining "floater" TDs on staff will send email notification to CLAD when a floater has held an event to satisfy the activity requirement. Inactive nicks or those that do not have events on schedule are to be deopped.   Hosts on leave of absence (LOA) will be deopped until return to active hosting. Note:  Hosts that have been inactive for 30 days or more will need to re-certify to return to active. Notification of additions to staff is required prior to a host holding an event. Additional nicks opped for a single event /holiday are required to have notification sent to CLAD with the nick that they are certified under with the club to have the new nick added to the list to keep the club admin records up to date. All one time / holiday nicks are to be immediately deopped after use with notification emailed to CLAD. New staff are to host with a certified host / trainer / owner of the club until such time as an accepted verification form is on file with the club admin department. Notifications of all ops and deops of hosts are required immediately with the date of deop to club admin to avoid possible scheduling policy conflicts. Note:  Should a report come in that has a TD name on it that has not been verified the club owner will be contacted to have the host submit a TD verification or advise who the op is to avoid deop and/or event deletion from the schedule. It is strongly suggested that the following is observed when opping nicks for all staff members:  1 nick per Senior/Admin staff/certified TD/Trainee (with the exception of special short term and/or holiday nicks).  Event Maintenance  [return to contents] All clubs are expected to maintain no less than the equivalent of 1 event per TD on staff. If there are 15 nicks opped in your staff list, you are expected to have at least 15 events on the schedule. The exception to this would be a host in training who is not permitted to hold events on their own until such time as there is a valid TD verification form on file with the club admin department. In addition, there should be 10-15 events on schedule per lobby.  Requests and inquiries for additional lobbies will need to be emailed to cactus_flower@iplay.net by the club owner with detailed information showing the need for the additional lobby(s). Ownership of Time Slots  [return to contents] If a host leaves a club, the time slots in which that host held scheduled events will remain with the club for 2 weeks. The club retains the rights to that time slot to allow time to find another host for the tournament (same game and variation) in that time slot. At the end of two weeks, if the club is unable to fill the empty time slot, it will become an open time slot, available to any club. It is the owner’s responsibility to delete those events from the schedule.  Example:  A host transfers to another Club. He normally held an event entitled "Fun with Checkers" each Wednesday at 6 pm CST. The Club retains that slot and checkers format for 2 weeks. The event name "Fun With Checkers" belonging to the departing host will be deleted from the slot, leaving only the time slot and checkers format. The Club the host moves to would request a different time slot for checkers. For any additions and changes to the existing events on any event schedule, please use the appropriate submit form located at http://clubs.iplay.net. Creating New Event Formats  [return to contents] Hosts are permitted and encouraged to develop new formats for the enjoyment of their members and players of their events. In so doing, the event format is public domain and the club may not have exclusive rights to the new format. Therefore, if a club does not wish any host to duplicate the format to another club, it should not be used.  Example:  Club A creates a new spades format for a tournament that has not been done previously within IPlay. Club A has great success with the format. Club B sees the success of the event with the players and copies the format and posts the event with their club.  Where Club A creates a completely new format that has never been used before, it is not required, but would be courteous of Club B to contact Club A prior to posting the event to discuss the addition to their schedule and/or any modifications to the event if Club A and Club B are willing to work together. (NOTE: Copyright possibilities would need to be investigated by the creating club / TD.) Event Requests  [return to contents] All events are set on Central time in the IPlay schedules.       All scheduled events (scheduled after May 1, 2001) must be scheduled on the hour. No half-hour time slots will be scheduled. All IPlay events are scheduled in Central Standard Time (CST) or Central Daylight Time (CDT) depending upon time of year. For those in countries other than the United States, CST is GMT +6, and CDT is GMT +7. TDs using ipTourney to assist in taking sign ups for their events must post an on the hour start time in the ipTourney room if they are posting a start time (deleting the time entirely is acceptable). Posting of a start time other than on the hour (i.e. 15, 30 or 45 after the hour) could result in deletion of the event from the schedule.  ipTourney is not a requirement. It is an optional tool for clubs to use to assist in the running of the events. Once the event is underway, please close the ipTourney table and if necessary, host an ipTalk for the remainder of the event. All clubs that wish to schedule an event, either open events or Members Only must submit an Event Request form. These requests must be made by the club owner, or their authorized designee.    7 days maximum advance for all requests to be posted (to the hour).  This includes: New Event Requests Modifications to Existing Events Removal / Deletion to Existing Events Club owners will notify IPlay in writing to cactus_flower@iplay.net naming individuals granted authorization. Events requested by unauthorized staff member will not be scheduled. If the club has not submitted authorization of a scheduler to the club admin department, the submissions will not be accepted and returned to the club. Club owners (or their designated scheduler) should review the existing schedule before any requests are made to assist in avoiding conflicts.  Club owners (or their designated scheduler) should review the schedule at least a few hours before the event to ensure that the requested event/change/deletion has been posted as it was requested to allow for time to make any corrections or modifications to the post that may need to be done.   Note:  Please allow 48 hours for event requests to be posted. Special Events  [return to contents] (as defined by iPlay Owners and Administration) Special events are any event that does not fall under the regular event scheduling policy. This includes but is not limited to: a "birthday" event, a "marathon" or any other event that is a one time only scheduling request. All special events must be approved by iPlay administration prior to post on the schedule.  Submit an event request form with proper special notifications and/or email cactus_flower@iplay.net for expressed and verified approval. One-time "special events" (including but not limited to holiday tournaments or "open house" events by members clubs for membership drives) must be labeled as such in the event description. These events will be removed from the schedule after it has taken place. No club may request event money from players or require an entry fee for any event or post on any club web or request post on iPlay schedule without expressed and verified approval of iPlay.  Email requests to cactus_flower@iplay.net prior to any postings. Cash Prize Events: Inquiries for permission on all cash prize events should be emailed to cactus_flower@iplay.net with complete details of the event including prize amounts / values. No cash prize event may be held within any iPlay lobby without specific approval from iPlay.  Occasional cash prize events may be approved by iPlay on a by request basis. A commission or service fee may be assessed on a request by request basis and must be completely monitored by iPlay Administration. All details of any cash (or equivalent) prize event will be required to be submitted for approval prior to the event being posted. Tournaments: Regular tournaments are elimination events. Clubs will need to specify an elimination level if it will be other than a regular event. Regular is single elimination - once you lose you are done. All events will be posted as regular events unless specifically noted to be otherwise. Double elimination is that the player/team lose twice before you are eliminated from the event. Leagues: League events are those that are run for a specified number of occurrences. League events require player registration prior to the first date of the league event. League events are a set number of teams/players that play the set number of events with scheduled assignments pre-determined for each event prior to the start of the league. Open Leagues: Open leagues are those which pre-registration is not required. If you register prior to the start of the league duration you will accumulate points for your matches. If you are not pre-registered prior to the start of the league, no points may be awarded. Registrations will not be accepted after the first league event is held. Players wishing to register for the event must be registered by the start of the first league event or will be required to wait until the next starting open league to be eligible for points. Marathon Events Marathons may only be posted as "one scheduled event" and cannot be advertised or posted at any other time during the given day. A marathon event will start on the hour just as all events. There is only one start time for a Marathon event. Players will sign up and play that event - win or lose - until they leave/quit the event. New players may not be added to the event after the scheduled start time in accordance with scheduling policy. The winner of the event will be determined by the last player/team remaining. Members Clubs "Open House" Events [return to contents] "Open house" events are permitted a maximum of twice per month by members only clubs. TDs conducting the open house events are required to have an accepted TD Verification form on file with the club admin department and abide by all policies and procedures of conduct for an open schedule event. Open House events require prior approval from iPlay Club Administration. Event Scheduling [return to contents] Off Peak Tourney Hours (1 a.m. ~ 5 p.m.) Three (3) of the same game are permitted in each hourly time slot with no like formats.  If a conflict exists, you will be contacted by the Scheduler. Example:  1) Spades - Regular 2) Spades - Mirrors 3) Spades - Cut   *Note:  If a spur is held it must be a different game from that which is posted on the schedule.  No spurs of scheduled games within one hour of the scheduled event are permitted. Primetime Tourney Hours (6 p.m. ~ midnight) During the hours of 6 PM to Midnight, three (3) events of the same game are allowed per hour. Two (2) of those may be the same format. The third would need to be a different format OR may be a spur with a different game from the scheduled events. If a conflict exists, you will be contacted by the Scheduler. Example:  1) Spades - Regular 2) Spades - Regular 3) Spades - Mirrors   *Note:  If a spur is held it must be a different game from that which is posted on the schedule.  No spurs of scheduled games within one hour of the scheduled event are permitted.   Scheduled Event Formats [return to contents] Hosts are not permitted to change the format of their game from what is posted on the schedule. 1st offense, your club will get a warning for that event.  2nd offense that event will be removed from the schedule for one week, with no guarantee that the same slot will be available the next week to re-post it.  Should a 3rd time occur, the disposition of your future club events will be at the discretion of the owners of IPlay.  Members Only Events  [return to contents] If your club holds "Members Only" events, they will be listed on a separate schedule on the event web page. All events are submitted using the Event Request tab at http://clubs.iplay.net. "Members Only" events are exempt from the Open Event scheduling Policy.  Some clubs have occasional "open" events to encourage new members. These are to be treated as one-time special events and scheduled on the comprehensive event schedule. These open events will be held to the open event scheduling policy. When scheduling these events, add "one-time special event" in the description, and it will be taken off the schedule after the event is over. See Members Clubs Open House Events. Spur Events  [return to contents] Any club may hold a "spur" (unscheduled) event in any time slot for which there is no scheduled event for that game, regardless of format. Scheduled events have priority.  Do not host a Spur if there is a same game posted event coming up within the hour. A valid TD Verification form needs to be on file with club admin for any host running a spur event. It is preferred that you check with club admin staff prior to running your spur to ensure there will not be a conflict with regularly scheduled events. Spur Tournament Ads  [return to contents] Ads for "spur" (unscheduled) tournaments may be run with the regularly scheduled ads run by the bots at 60, 30, 15, 10, and 5 minutes prior to the start of the event during the hour preceding the start of the tournament in conjunction with the schedule of the auto ads run in Main, Club Admin and the Members social lobbies on the bots. "Spur" must be stated in your ad so the op(s) on duty know it’s a spur and allow the advertising.  Ads are limited to a 5 line maximum, which include any decorative lines preceding or following the text. If an omsg is needed state in the message it is for the "spur" along with the location of the event and the game.  Policy is to be followed in conjunction with sign ups cut off at the start of the event and requesting for a player to fill a table up to 10 minutes after the start of the event. Although it is considered polite to do so, you are not required to ask permission of the op(s) on duty before running the ad. Coverage of Scheduled Events  [return to contents] Clubs are responsible for providing Host coverage for all events they have posted on the schedule. IPlay reserves the right to remove from the schedule events with little or no participation. An e-mail notification will be sent to the club contact listed on file with the CLAD.  All events are to start on the hour.  TDs may request players from the hospitality staff (iPlay social lobbies: Main, Pin Ranking, Canasta) starting at 5 minutes before the event and ending at 10 minutes after the event.  Players invited to play by club TDs after 10 after the start of the event will risk deletion of the event for a late start / acceptance of players.  Violations of this policy risk the deletion of the event from the schedule for 2 weeks before re-post may be permitted, and then will be permitted in conjunction with the regular event scheduling policy. (Club Owners may refer to the notification of October 6, 2002 to all club owners and their staff.) TDs need to be in their lobby no later than 30 minutes prior to the start of their events. If they are unable to make it there on time, please make arrangements to have the lobby covered and someone to take sign ups from players - this is the responsibility of all club owners / seniors - ensuring timely coverage for posted events. You should not accept any late players past 10 after the start of your event. Doing so not only causes hard feelings with the players that were considerate to show up on time, but also infringes on the next hour's events. No admittance should be taken after 10 minutes past the start of your event.  The only exception to this is for a TD that is giving up their seat in a table to a player.  TD will have the option to either continue in the event or to have a sub take their place for the duration of the event. This is also in conjunction with requests to the hospitality staff for players - you may not ask for players later than 10 minutes past the start of your events. The only exception to this rule is requesting a sub as needed for the event. Coverage for all club events are required to be sought through your club TDs.  If the event is a no-show, it will be subject to deletion from the event schedule.  Refer to the no-show policy. ipTourney [return to contents] TDs using ipTourney to assist in taking sign ups for their events can either post a start time in order to not be booted from the lobby but must be in increments of 15 minutes, nothing after the 15 after the top of hour will be acceptable. Although the start time in ipTourney says 15 after the hour the start time of ALL tournaments is still on the TOP of the hour. Deleting the start time entirely from the options is also acceptable, though any posting of a start time in a lobby or ads must state an on the hour start time. Starting on a later than top of the hour could result in deletion of the event from the schedule. Common sense used in this instance ... a 2 or 3 minute after top of hour is acceptable as long as that is not an all the time occurrence. NOTE: Use of ipTourney is not a requirement. It is an optional tool for clubs to use to assist in the running of their events. Once the event is underway, close the ipTourney table and if necessary, host an ipTalk for the remainder of the event. No Shows [return to contents] Should an event have 2 no-shows during the course of a month the event will be placed on probationary status and risks deletion by iPlay administration from the open events schedule. Three no shows of an event during a 6 week period will result in automatic deletion from the schedule. Your club and events are important to us.  Please make sure they will be covered as much as possible.  Scheduled Open Event Cancellations [return to contents] Clubs are responsible to hold all regularly scheduled events. Cancellations should be reserved only for holidays where iPlay allows a grace for staff and players to be with their families.  See Holidays for grace dates. Club TDs must hold all events when players are present to fill at least one table. Cancellations for no players needs to be documented with a screen shot of the lobby and an e-mail from the club owner or TD to club admin.  During regular Club Admin hours, the event TD should request the club admin dept op on duty to come to their lobby to take the snap to submit to CLAD.   Event host shall notify the club Senior / Owner of the cancellation. Club owner will send e-mail notification as to the reason of the cancellation and the snap if not taken by a club admin staff member. Snap program should be set to automatically include the date and time.  Save the file in .jpg, .jpeg or .gif format.  Include the event name, day, time and ID number in your correspondence to the club admin department.  Club admin will review the submission and make their determination to the event cancellation and notify the club owner of the decision after receipt of notification from the club owner.  Should CLAD not receive e-mail notification from the club owner as to the cancellation with just cause of the event, the event will be considered a non-approved cancellation / no-show. Club Bashing [return to contents] Any TD found to be bashing any club under any nick will receive a 30 day deop and will be required to re-certify with clad prior to resuming hosting status.  Documentation will be required in a screen shot and sent to cactus_flower@iplay.net.  Recruiting [return to contents] An omsg to the hospitality staff in the Main Lobby by the TD holding the event is permitted as specified in the TD Orientation, from following the last ad run in the social lobbies at 5 til the hour and up until 10 after the hour. Recruiting is not permitted in iPlay social lobbies or private club lobbies.  re·cruit Pronunciation: ri-'krüt; Function: verb; transitive senses a : to fill up the number of with new members b : to increase or maintain the number of c : to secure the services of (engage, hire) d : to seek to enroll, enlist new members Any incidents of recruiting should be documented by screenshot and emailed to cactus_flower@iplay.net for review. This is including but not limited to: Recruiting with omsg to invite players to play an event. Example:  A TD hosting an event which is about to start within the hour is not to send an omsg to invite a player they either know or think may be on line to come and play in their event. Recruiting to invite players to join become members of their club. Example:  A TD for a club shall not ask players in iPlay social or other club lobbies outside of the club's own lobbies if the player would like to join the club as a member. Recruit by asking in any lobby other than the club's private lobby(s) to participate in events at the time of the sign ups, Example:  A TD for a club shall not ask players in iPlay social or other club lobbies outside of the club's own lobbies if the player would leave the event they are in and go to another club's event. Recruit players to an event by sending a player (member or non member of the club) to any other private club lobby or iPlay social lobby to ask for players for their event. Recruit (invite) a player or another club's TD to join the staff of your club in any iPlay social or private club lobby. Example:  Club A staff playing in Club B's event is not permitted to ask a member, player or TD of Club B to join Club A's staff. Banning of a Player  [return to contents] Bans from Club Lobbies/Events Each club housed at iPlay is required to handle their lobbies and events in accordance to iPlay policies and the private club's policies.  Should a club need to ban a player from their lobbies, the club owner/representative shall email notice to the player (when possible) and to iPlay Club Administration.  Include any screenshots or documentation with this notice. Bans from iPlay iPlay owners are the only authorized to impose a full ban of a player from iPlay at their discretion.  See also: iPlay Player Agreement Holidays [return to contents] The following holidays are "graced" for all clubs (events are not required to be held ~ events not held will not receive a no show for the holiday dates) for all clubs. Easter Sunday Memorial Day Weekend (Saturday through Monday) 4th of July Labor Day Weekend (Saturday through Monday) Thanksgiving Day (4th Thursday of November) Christmas Eve Christmas Day New Year's Eve New Years Day If your club will be closing for a specific number of days (i.e. Christmas Eve through New Year's Day) the club owner is required to notify club admin via e-mail of the dates the club will be closed to avoid "no shows" for any events. Should a club close for more than the IPlay offered grace, it will be accepted by the club that all events are closed for that club until the date stated by the club owner in their notification to club admin. All lobby "motd" messages will reflect that the club is closed until that date. Event staff may hold events as they are regularly scheduled if they wish to do so but are not to change their "motd" if the club is officially closed on the date that they hold an event. Scheduled Tournament Ads  [return to contents] Ads for scheduled events will not be run in Main lobby by individuals. Scheduled tournaments are advertised on an automatic schedule. When an open tournament is posted to the schedule, a generic ad is created for the open event. The ads run automatically in Iplay's Main, Ranking, and Social lobbies. Custom ads may be submitted under the Tourney Ad page. A one-time request is all that is needed.  The ads for open scheduled events are advertised on a pre-set schedule in iPlay's Club Admin, Main and Members Social Lobbies at the following times: 1 hour before tourney 30 minutes before tourney 15 minutes before tourney 10 minutes before tourney 5 minutes before tourney No tourney ads are allowed to be run in the Main or iPlay member social lobbies at any time for clubs that require players to be members to participate in their events. For Open tourney ads, with the exception of the "Bot" being gone, there should be no reason to manually run the tourney ad. Please verify with the Op in Main lobby if ads are running before asking to run your ad. Op messages (#omsg) may not be used to advertise for events. You may send an op message to the op on duty in Main Lobby (please check in the main lobby to see who the op on duty is at that time) to ask for players to fill a table if needed at the start of an event.  Use the Op's exact nickname rather than "Main—need 2 for spades…..", etc. The Main Op will not see your message if you don't use their exact nick. Your request message should look like:  #omsg CandySoSweet Cribbage Lovers Club needs 1 in 2 for his heels lobby If a substitute is needed and one is not available in tournament lobby, a message (#omsg) may be sent to the op on duty in the Main Lobby asking for a substitute. Please specify what the game is and the lobby where it is being held. Miscellaneous Ad Banners  [return to contents] Clubs may not run ads in the IPlay Main / Social lobbies at any time for purpose other than the announcement of winners from an event. All clubs may advertise with banners ONLY in their private lobbies to recruit new club members. Clubs may also hold special open events to encourage players to join the club.  See Winners Banners and Club Advertising. Winners’ Banners  [return to contents] At the end of an Open tourney, the host may run a 5 line ad in the Main lobby one time. The only info this should contain is the tourney name, host name, Winners & Runners-up. No club advertising is permitted in this banner, such as web addy, etc. This banner will not exceed 5 lines, which includes any decorative lines preceding or following the text. Please refer back to Members Only Events section. Winners banners are permitted to be run one (1) time only for: All Open Scheduled Events  All Open Spur Events  All TOC events which are derived from open events It is polite and  it is  required to ask permission of the op(s) on duty before running a winner’s banner and wait for their response. If there is no one answering after you ask, then you may run the banner. But you need to be polite and have the common courtesy to ask and wait for the reply. Club Advertising  [return to contents] Lobby Navigation Banners Each club may provide IPlay with one logo graphic for placement on the club’s lobby navigation page.  Logo may not exceed 20k in size and 300 x 300 pixels.  These files should be e-mailed to cactus_flower@iplay.net for approval and post. Email Ads (Mass Mailings) This policy was put into effect by way of email notifications to all club owners on February 06, 2008; and a follow up reminder notice to all clubs was emailed April 06, 2008.  All club owners and staff members that use e-mail notifications for events { such as TOC's} are to use the BCC on their notices. If you send e-mail notices:  use the BCC option in the e-mail to protect the privacy of that players.  Do NOT send in an open mailing (addresses in the TO: is open mailing) to all your qualifiers for a TOC or your members for any kind of event.  Players' email addresses in turn get stolen and notices then sent to folks who have not requested them. Mailing lists are being taken by hosts that receive notices from other clubs - this is stealing.    It is also SPAM email to iPlay players and using iPlay as an advertising medium. Club staff do not have the right to take those e-mail addresses and use them for themselves or upon leaving one club and going to another to recruit players.  Several complaints on this matter with literally hundreds of mails are going out to players who have not requested the notices.