WIP Structure - simplelang version WIP

Version 2.0 – Approved April 1, 2023 (Recovered March 11, 2026)

1. Statement of Aims

We wrote this document to help new members understand what our community is about. We also use them to keep ourselves honest about what we do and why.

Think of these as "house rules" like you'd have with friends playing a game. We trust each other to follow them. If someone won't follow them, we might ask them to leave. These aren't laws - we can't force anyone to obey them, and we don't want to.

2. Adults Only

Our Second Life spaces (called the "Anarcho Rodentia Autonomous Zone" or "ARAZ") and our Discord server are for adults only. We follow Second Life's rules about mature content.

If we think you're underage, we may kick you out or ban you to protect everyone.

2.1 No Child Avatars

Your avatar must look 18 or older to enter our Second Life spaces

3. We're Not Here to Argue About Anarchism

We all agree on our core beliefs (listed below). Your personal politics can change, and so can our rules over time. We won't force anyone to think a certain way. But if you want to argue about whether anarchism is good or bad, this isn't the place.

4. License

Anyone can use this document however they want. It's public domain.

5. Our Core Beliefs

Everyone who joins agrees to these:

Direct Democracy – We make decisions together, without leaders speaking for us.

Equality – We treat each other as equals. We resist power structures where some people boss others around.

Freedom to Join or Leave – You can choose who you hang out with, work with, or don't.

Helping Each Other – We help each other based on what we can do and what others need - freely, fairly, and without pressure.

Protecting Vulnerable People – We keep our space safe for marginalized people, LGBTQIA2+ folks, and neurodivergent people.

Welcoming All Anarchists – We welcome anyone who shares these beliefs and wants to practice anarchism with us.

6. How We Make Decisions

When we need to decide something as a group, we try to reach agreement through discussion. We have safeguards against people trying to manipulate the process.

6.1 Meetings (Assemblies)

  • We make decisions at meetings where members discuss and vote.
  • Regular meetings are scheduled 30 to 90 days ahead of time, unless there's an emergency. Each meeting decides when and where the next one will be.

6.2 How Meetings Work

  • We create and approve an agenda together. It can include introductions, announcements, reports, and discussion topics.
  • Either a facilitator calls on people to speak, or we take turns in a circle.
  • Someone takes notes (meeting minutes).
  • We pick a vote counter who:
    • Keeps track of votes during and after the meeting
    • Makes sure the list of who voted is public, but how they voted stays private (unless we decide otherwise)
    • Gives more time for discussion if enough people block a decision
    • Makes sure the final outcome matches the vote

We can change how meetings work, as long as we follow our core beliefs.

6.3 How Voting Works

  1. First, we try to get everyone to agree through discussion.

  2. If we can't all agree, we keep talking until we've said everything we need to say.

  3. If we still can't agree, we decide if the issue is "non-critical" or "critical":

    Non-critical (low stakes): Needs 51% of voters to say yes. If someone blocks (objects with a reason), we can either discuss it later or treat it as critical.

    Critical (high stakes): Needs 75% yes votes, and no more than 1 vote or 3% of votes (whichever is more) blocking it.

  • Voting stays open for 7 days after the meeting.
  • A blocking vote must include a reason related to our core beliefs.
  1. Any disagreements raised during discussion get recorded in the notes.
  2. Decisions can change our rules, but must still fit with our core beliefs.

7. Who Can Participate

You decide for yourself if you're eligible to join meetings or vote. To be eligible, you must accept our core beliefs AND meet one of these:

  • You visit, live in, or have donated money or land to our Second Life spaces
  • You're a member of our Second Life group or Discord server
  • If someone questions your eligibility, a committee member (chosen by the group) can vouch for you

8. Committees

8.1 What They're For

  • The full group makes all the big decisions.
  • The group can create smaller teams (committees) to carry out those decisions.
  • Committees work on their own within the limits the group sets.
  • Examples: organizing events, running projects, managing shared resources, handling security, or providing ongoing help.

8.2 Who's on Them

  • Committees are made up of members who agree to do the work.
  • The group can let committees accept volunteers, set their own membership rules, or pick specific members.
  • Committees can be permanent or temporary (ending at a set time or when a task is done).

8.3 Limits

  • Committees report back to the full group.
  • Committees can't make rules beyond what the group gave them permission to do.
  • The group can shut down any committee at any time.

9. Individual Roles

Sometimes we need to give one person an ongoing job, like:

  • When a system only allows one person to have access
  • When a project needs one clear contact person
  • To make sure routine tasks get done

These roles:

  • Support a bigger purpose
  • Let the person act freely within their job's scope
  • Go to an eager volunteer chosen by the group
  • Can be taken away by the group at any time

10. Speaking for the Group

Don't claim to speak for Anarcho Rodentia as a whole. You can only say you're a member who freely joined. The only exception is if the group specifically gave you a role to represent us.

11. Banning People

Some members have the power to kick people out of our spaces. We don't use this lightly because we value equality and freedom. But we also protect our community.

Often, problems can be solved through talking it out or just blocking someone personally. But banning might be needed when someone:

  • Keeps avoiding or ignoring attempts to resolve things
  • Harasses others (verbally, sexually, or physically), especially if it's repeated, clearly mean-spirited, or extreme
  • Pushes political ideas that clearly go against our core beliefs
  • Deliberately ruins everyone's fun (griefing)
  • Does things that could get our community or our platforms shut down

Because this power can be misused, we use it openly and keep reviewing past bans.

Any member can, in good faith:

  • Ask why someone was banned
  • Appeal a ban
  • Ask to change how long a ban lasts or what it covers

Some bans involve sensitive information. That info should only be shared with people directly involved. A ban doesn't require airing all the dirty laundry - just enough to justify it and record why it happened.

12. Solving Conflicts

Here's a general guide for handling disagreements:

  1. Take a break. Step away, calm down, and think about what happened. For small issues, just blocking or ignoring the person might be enough.
  2. Talk directly and respectfully with the other person.
  3. If that doesn't work, a trained mediator can help you find a solution everyone can live with.
  4. For serious ongoing harm or clear abuse, those with banning power can vote to remove someone, following the rules above.

13. Housing

Our Second Life land is rented from Linden Lab. A housing committee manages who gets to live where. They make sure:

  • Empty housing is tracked
  • New members who agree to our rules have equal chances to get housing
  • Residents can use shared resources based on their needs
  • Residents get a say in changes to their land or nearby land (though the full group can override this)
  • Abandoned housing gets made available to others after checking that it's really abandoned

14. Money

To stay sustainable, fair, informal, and non-profit, we have a treasurer or committee that tracks our income and spending. They report to the group regularly, showing:

  • Who donated (names can be hidden)
  • What we spent money on (like land fees, software, art)

We only track money that:

  • Was donated directly to Anarcho Rodentia (through Patreon, donation boxes, etc.)
  • Pays for our land or tools (like Discord or web hosting)
  • Comes from our shared budget
  • We're legally required to report

We don't share our finances publicly unless the law requires it, to protect our members.

15. Sample Meeting Agenda

Here's a basic outline for running a meeting:

  1. Pick a facilitator, note-taker, vote counter, and other roles
  2. Facilitator starts the meeting
  3. Read the notes from last meeting
  4. Review and approve today's agenda
  5. Committees and role-holders give updates
  6. Finish any unfinished business from last time
  7. New business: presentations, proposals, decisions
  8. Assign projects, tasks, roles, and committees
  9. Quick announcements and open discussion
  10. Plan the next meeting: pick a facilitator, set the date/time/place, gather feedback
  11. End the meeting