|
CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION Congratulations on becoming a Supervisor Hobba! Being a Hobba (a Habbo Hotel moderator) is fun, but it comes with responsibilities too. This handbook explains what your Hobba roles and responsibilities are. There are three levels of Hobba - Newbie Hobba, Hobba and Supervisor Hobba. You fall into the third category - congratulations! All Hobbas are supported by a special Habbo called HobbaContact between the hours of 9.30am and 11pm GMT. During office hours HobbaContact is the Head Hobba, outside these times, he or she is a professional moderator employed by Habbo Ltd.
2 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES As a Hobba you should try your best to be friendly and helpful to all other Habbos in the hotel. You’re there to protect innocent Habbos and fight 'the bad guys' - Habbos who do not stick to the hotel's terms and conditions ( http://www.habbohotel.com/terms2.html)The Hobba Handbook: It is very important that you read and follow the guidelines in this handbook. Disciplinary action: If you see a Habbo acting against the Habbo Way ( Habbo support: You should support ordinary Habbos as much as you can - greet new Habbos, show them round the hotel, answer their questions and try to mediate in any conflicts or arguments. Hobba support: If you agree to be a guardian for a Newbie Hobba, you should answer his/her questions and hang out with them regularly, until they gain full Hobba status. Let them practice their commands on you too. As a Supervisor Hobba, you should also help out the other Hobbas - using your advanced commands when necessary. Hobba alerts: When you’re signed into the hotel, please try and answer some Calls for help and spend time in the public rooms. Hobba recruitment: We regularly recruit new Hobbas, so please let us know your opinions on any nominees we put forward. Feedback: If you come across any offensive Habbo names, room names or descriptions, missions, or words that Habbos are using in the hotel, please let us know so that we can update our Bobba Filters. Hobba emails: You should read all the Hobba emails (from dany@habbogroup.com), to keep up to date with the latest developments at Habbo Hotel.Hobba disagreements: Do not ban another Hobba. If you have a difference of opinion with another Hobba, contact HobbaContact if you're in the hotel, or email the Head Hobba. Security: You must not reveal any Habbo Hotel passwords to anyone - not even fellow Hobbas or Habbo Ltd staff.
3 HOBBA GUIDELINES 3.1 PRIVATE ROOMS The Habbo Hotel Terms and Conditions apply to all areas of the site, including private rooms. Nobody is allowed to act against the Habbo Way ( http://www.habbohotel.com/terms2.html).If room owner breaks the Habbo Way (or persuades/forces others to) you are allowed to exercise your commands on him/her. If the room owner is not present, you can exercise commands as usual - when Habbos are not acting according to the Habbo Way. In a situation where the room owner seems to be letting other Habbos break the Habbo Way in his/her room, you should talk to him her first, before using your commands. The room owner has the right to decide who is allowed in the room and can kick visitors out.
3.2 CALLS FOR HELP If Habbos feel threatened, they can send a ‘Call for help’ from the blue question mark in the bottom right corner of the screen. When a Habbo sends a ‘Call for help’, a Hobba Alert will appear on your screen in the top left corner. To read a ‘Call for help’, click on the Hobba Alert – you will see which Habbo needs help, their reasons why, where he/she is and a ‘chat log’ recorded just before the Habbo sent the ‘Call for help’. If you think that you can help the distressed Habbo, you should click ‘pick up’ and go to the room in question. When you get there, please be discreet - the distressed Habbo might not want other Habbos to know that he/she has called you.Remember to note down the Habbo's name and the room they are in before you close the Hobba Alert window. We will soon introduce new functionality which will allow you to go straight to the distressed Habbo, but until then making a note is a good idea.
3.3 COMMANDS As a Hobba you have the following commands at your disposal. It is best to always whisper the commands, so that if you mistype them ordinary Habbos cannot crack the Hobba code. If you choose not to whisper, please double check your spelling before you press return – correctly spelt commands do not appear on-screen.3.3.1 Alert These are warnings and should always be used before any further action is taken. When you use this command on a Habbo, a message from the hotel pops up on their screen. This generally makes them take the warning quite seriously, as they think they are being ‘monitored’. To issue a warning type this: :alert x ‘message’ The colon (:) is very important and you must use the same spacing as shown above. The x is the Habbo you have clicked on – this is filled in automatically if you have selected the Habbo first. You should type a suitable message to replace ‘message’, such as ‘You have been banned for being a mutant’.If you do not click on the Habbo you will need to replace the x with his/her Habbo name. Make sure you use the correct spelling and upper and lower case letters. 3.3.2 Kick If the Habbo doesn’t heed your warning, you can kick them out of the room. To kick a Habbo out of a room type this: :kick x 3.3.3 Ban If a Habbo is persistently breaking the Habbo Way, you should issue a ban. You must have warned them at least two times before you issue a ban. Supervisor Hobbas can issue bans from two hours to seven days, as well as banning the Habbo's computer. To ban a Habbo type this: :ban x ‘message’ Including a message saying why you are banning the Habbo helps in any disputes later on (see below for specific messages to use). 3.3.4 Startlog Another useful command is startlog, which lets you record all the conversation in a room. Once you leave the hotel, it will be sent to your email address. To use this command type this: :startlog 3.3.5 Shutup This command is very useful for stopping Habbos spamming or flooding a room, most commonly to advertise their private room. To use this command type this: :shutup x This will mute the Habbo in question for two minutes. To allow them to speak before the two minutes are up, type this: :unmute x Please note: at present this command only works if you type in the Habbo's name - clicking on them and typing :shutup x is not yet functioning.
3.4 THE HOBBANET The Hobbanet is an admin tool that has been custom made for Hobbas. It allows you to use your commands remotely - ie when you are not in the same room as the Habbo you want to ban. The Hobbanet can be found at http://www.habbohotel.com/housekeeping/extra. Your Habbo name and password will give you access. You will not be able to get in if your password does not meet the strict security criteria – it must between six and nine letters lon and contain at least one capital letter and one number.You can use the Hobbanet to issue bans, change room names and descriptions, to check if a Habbo is banned and how long for, and to see all the Hobba commands that have been used on a Habbo. It is very important to give a descriptive reason for a ban in the Hobbanet, since Hobbanet bans do not have chatlogs with them. This makes it easier for Habbo Hotel's Community Managers to understand why a Habbo has been banned in the case of disputes.
3.5 USING YOUR COMMANDS IN SPECIFIC SITUATIONS We trust your judgement on when and when not to use your commands, but there are some specific situations which we have set procedures for that you should follow. These are set out below. As and when new procedures are laid out, you will be emailed by the Head Hobba with the details, along with an updated version of this Handbook.
3.5.1 ‘Hacking’ Habbo accounts ‘I’ve been hacked’ is often uttered by Habbos, but it is safe to say that their accounts have not been hacked in the true sense of the word (Habbo Hotel goes to great lengths to ensure this can’t happen). More often than not, the Habbo in question has given another Habbo access to their account, either unwittingly or because they have been duped into doing so by a dishonest Habbo. The commonest ways in which this occurs are: The Habbo told another Habbo their password The Habbo’s password is so obvious, another Habbo has guessed it Another Habbo has told them to change their password to something they specified The Habbo has entered their Habbo name and password on a ‘scam’ site (see ‘Scam sites’ below) Why do Habbos do this? Nine times out of ten, they have been told that if they change their password or tell it to someone etc, they will then get free Habbo Credits. Habbo Hotel spends a lot of time and energy educating Habbos about this, but Habbos build up trust quickly and are easily misled. And what sort of Habbo wouldn’t want Habbo Credits for free? What to do You should only take action against 'hackers' if you have proof - you've seen the Habbo advertising a scam site or asking for passwords etc. If you are confident that the Habbo is indeed trying to get into other Habbos' accounts, follow the procedures laid out below. If a Habbo claims that they have been 'hacked', tell them to use the 'I've been scammed' form, which can be found at http://www.habbohotel.com/scambusters. We use the information that they provide in this form to work out if they are who they say they are – ie the legitimate owner of the Habbo name in question. If we can verify their identity, we will give them their Habbo back (with a new password).If a Habbo is telling you about a scammer, tell them to submit a scam report using the 'Report a scam' form, found at http://www.habbohotel.com/scambusters. These are collated weekly and any Habbos who have been reported several times are banned by Habbo Ltd staff.Advertising a scam site Ban Habbo for seven days (and apply a computer ban) Reason "You have been banned for advertising/running a scam site" Give the Habbo's name to HobbaContact or the Head Hobba. Asking for another Habbo's password Ban Habbo for seven days (and apply a computer ban) Reason "You have been banned for trying to get into other Habbos' accounts" Give the Habbo's name to HobbaContact or the Head Hobba. Telling a Habbo to change their password to something specific Ban Habbo for seven days (and apply a computer ban) Reason "You have been banned for trying to get into other Habbos' accounts" Give the Habbo's name to HobbaContact or the Head Hobba. Telling a Habbo to change their email address to something specific Ban Habbo for seven days (and apply a computer ban) Reason "You have been banned for trying to get into other Habbos' accounts" Give the Habbo's name to HobbaContact or the Head Hobba.
3.5.2 Catalogue item related problems Habbos can enter any room in the hotel for free and even set up their own private room. However, if they wish to furnish their private room, they have to buy Habbo Credits and then use these to buy items from the Habbo Hotel Catalogue, found in all private rooms. As in the real world, there is a subset of individuals that either cannot or do not want to pay for their own items and prefer to resort to illegal means of acquisition. The most common ways in which dishonest Habbos acquire Catalogue items without paying for them are: ‘Hacking’ other Habbos’ accounts (see 3.5.1). Persuading other Habbos to ‘buy’ a job from them, promising to pay them with further items if they carry out set duties (usually things like being a doctor in a medical centre, or a beautician in a beauty salon). They don’t pay and can collect a lot of items in this way. Making friends with another Habbo, and giving them rights to their room. Then the Habbo is persuaded to place items in the room. The next time they return, the dishonest Habbo removes their rights and thus they lose the items they had placed in the room. An honest Habbo places item(s) in a trading box and is persuaded to click ‘accept’ before the dishonest Habbo has placed their item(s). ‘Selling’ rights to a desirable room by asking for an item, but then not giving rights in return. What to do As before, you must have proof that a Habbo is stealing furniture or acquiring by other dishonest means (ie corroborating stories from different Habbos). Please ask any Habbos who claim to have had furniture stolen to email the Guest Services Centre (in the blue question mark). They should also put in a scam report, so that the Habbo in question can be dealt with (in cases when you don't have proof). The scam report form can be found at http://www.habbohotel.com/scambusters.Charging for jobs, but then not 'paying' their staff as promised Ban the Habbo for 72 hours (but do not ban computer) Reason "You have been banned for stealing furni (non-paying job)" Giving rights to another Habbo and then stealing the furni he/she puts in the room Ban the Habbo for 72 hours (but do not ban computer) Reason "You have been banned for stealing furni" Tricking a Habbo into clicking 'accept' in trading box before placing own items in it Ban the Habbo for 72 hours (but do not ban computer) Reason "You have been banned for stealing (dishonest trading)" Selling rights but not giving them on receipt of furni Ban Habbo for 72 hours (but do not ban computer) Reason "You have been banned for stealing (selling rights)"
3.5.3 Cyber sex It is quite natural for teenagers to want to talk about sex and even experiment with virtual sex, where individuals talk through a sexual experience. Habbo Hotel recognises this, but because of the nature of the Internet and the hotel in particular we have a zero tolerance policy towards this type of behaviour. Why? Because Habbos don’t really know who they are talking to or who is ‘listening’. They may think they are having cyber sex with another 15 year old, but in reality that Habbo may be a vulnerable pre-teen. And any Habbos within earshot may be young too. Habbo Hotel caters for 14-20 year olds, but some Habbos are as young as 12 years old and it is inappropriate for them to be exposed to conversations of a sexual nature. There are five main areas that need policing with respect to cyber sex: Private rooms purposely set up for cyber sex, with names like ‘horny ladies for you’ etc Habbos hassling others for cyber sex Habbos asking for furni in return for cyber sex Habbos indulging in cyber sex Habbos with mission statements or even Habbo names that suggest they are interested in cyber sex What to do In the case of private room names and descriptions, both can be changed in the Hobbanet. Other Hobbas may report such rooms to you or to Hobbacontact. However, if you see an unacceptable room name, please change it whether you have been asked to by a Hobba or not. Unacceptable room names/descriptions If you are in the room, explain to the owner why they should change the name and description. If they will not change it, follow the guidelines below. Change the room name to ‘Unacceptable to Hotel Management:’ Change description to ‘pls change immediately.’ Note name and email to the Head Hobba ( If room name changed back by owner, ban owner for two hours Reason: "You have been banned for repeatedly using an unacceptable room name" Remember to keep an eye on the room to see if the owner changes the name back. You’ll need to note the owner’s name to monitor the room, so that you can search for it in the Hotel Navigator. Habbos asking for cyber sex, offering it or indulging in it Send them an alert saying "Cyber is not allowed in Habbo Hotel" If they carry on, ban them for two hours (but do not ban their computer) Reason: "You have been banned for cyber sex" Room full of Habbos engaging in cyber sex Stand in doorway to prevent more Habbos entering Shout to the whole room that you are closing it because Habbos are breaking the Habbo Way Use the :kick command to remove each Habbo one by one (cut and paste is useful for this) Habbos with unacceptable names Ban them for seven days (do not ban their computer) Reason: "Your name is unacceptable, pls email Note name and email to the Head Hobba ( dany@habbogroup.com) for possible inclusion in the Bobba Filter.Habbos with unacceptable missions Speak to the Habbo directly and ask them to change it. If this is not possible, or if they ignore your request ban them for two hours (but do not ban their computer) Reason: "Your mission is unacceptable, pls change immediately".
3.5.4 Harassment Harassment can take several forms in Habbo Hotel, ranging from simple name calling and being followed from room to room to being spammed via the Habbo Console with instant messages, emails or SMS. Habbos may also write unpleasant things about other Habbos on Stickie notes – the Habbo Hotel equivalent to toilet graffiti.What to do In the case of a Habbo who is being harassed via the Habbo Console the solution is simple – tell them to remove the offender from their Friends List. Once they have done this there is no way the offender can continue.If a Habbo has been stupid enough to give out their email address or phone number, there is not much Habbo Hotel can do, other than advise the Habbo to change their email address and/or set up a filter to delete emails from the individual concerned. Teens will be reluctant to do the former, since their email address is often an extension of themselves and thus very important. Teens will certainly not want to change their phone number, so all they can do is ignore any SMS they receive. It is a good idea at this juncture to remind the Habbo why it is so important that they do not divulge their personal details – this is why Habbo Hotel created the Habbo Console in the first place.You should delete offensive Stickie notes, but you can only do this when you are in the room. It is therefore a good idea to take the opportunity to read all the notes when you visit a room, deleting those that not only say unpleasant things about other Habbos, but also those that are generally offensive.
3.5.5 Landline scams One of the methods by which Habbos can buy Habbo Credits is to phone a special landline number and enter their unique Habbo Credits Code. This code is actually their registration number and they can only see it when they open their Habbo Purse and go to the relevant page. A scam arose shortly after the introduction of this payment method, whereby a Habbo would tell another Habbo that if they rang this number and entered a code they specified that they would get 50 or 100 free Habbo Credits. The code they gave was of course their own Habbo Credits Code, so all that would happen would be that the duped Habbo would buy Habbo Credits for the scammer. What to do Habbo advertising landline scam verbally Ban for seven days (ban computer too) Reason: " You have been banned for scamming the Habbo Credits Line’ Give the Habbo's name to HobbaContact or the Head Hobba. Landline scam on Stickie note Note the code number and tell HobbaContact (or email the Head Hobba on Delete the Stickie
3.5.6 Scam sites These are websites that have been set up by Habbos in order to harvest other Habbos usernames and passwords. They usually claim to have found a way to give out free Habbo Credits and often use Habbo Hotel graphics to fool others into thinking that they are authorised by Habbo Hotel. Some even go as far to say that they are official Habbo Hotel sites. The scam site owners use the information they harvest to log in as other Habbos (see ‘Hacking’ Habbo accounts 5.3.1) and steal any items that they have bought from the Catalogue, or even just pretend to be that Habbo and upset the Habbo’s friends etc. Scam sites are advertised in three main ways: Word of mouth URL in missions Stickie notes – URLs are posted up on Stickie notes in private roomsWhat to do Scam sites on Stickie notes Write down URL and send to Delete Stickie note URLs in missions Ban Habbo for seven days (and computer too) Reason: "You have been banned for advertising a scam site" Give the Habbo's name to HobbaContact or the Head Hobba. Habbo advertising scam site (in mission, by shouting) Ban Habbo for seven days (and computer too) Reason: "You have been banned for advertising/running a scam site" Give the Habbo's name to HobbaContact or the Head Hobba.3.5.7 Mutant Habbos Some Habbos have worked out how to make themselves look vastly different to the rest of the hotel community. They can be seen (or not seen, as the case may be) wandering around with blue skin, missing limbs or as a floating drink (totally invisible Habbo). While it is cool to look different, we cannot allow mutant Habbos in the hotel. Some mutations scare younger Habbos and some mutants use their appearance to scam unsuspecting Habbos (see 'Hacking' Habbo accounts, 3.5.1). The Habbo Hotel techies will shortly fix this problem, so that it will be impossible to do any of these things, but in the meantime please follow the procedure below. Please note: it is OK to have different coloured hair, hats and rabbit ears. What to do Mutant Habbo (missing body parts, invisible, brightly coloured skin etc) Ban Habbo for seven days Reason: "You have been banned for being a mutant (eg blue skin)" Give the Habbo's name to HobbaContact or the Head Hobba. Invisible mutant Habbos If you can see the Habbo's name, make a note (you can't click on invisible Habbos) Use the Hobbanet to ban them for seven days Reason: "You have been banned for being a mutant (eg blue skin)" Give the Habbo's name to HobbaContact or the Head Hobba. 3.5.8 What to do in novel situations In cases use common sense and ask yourself – is this Habbo acting in against the Habbo Way (www.habbohotel.com/terms.html) and are his/her actions likely to offend or upset anyone else? If the answer is yes to either question, then you need to take some form of action.Firstly, talk to the Habbo and explain why they can’t do what they are doing and that they will be removed from the hotel if they continue. In serious situations - and this is where common sense comes in – you may need to ban them, either for a short time or for seven days, if his/her behaviour is likely to spoil the enjoyment of the hotel for others.If you are repeatedly encountering a situation not included in this document, please make the Head Hobba ( dany@habbogroup.com) aware of it, so that she can set a policy for dealing with it in future.If at any time you are unsure as to what action you should take in a novel situation please ask HobbaContact for email the Head Hobba ( dany@habbogroup.com).3.6 Reporting/Feedback If you come across any offensive/sexual Habbo names, room names or missions, please let us know so that we can update our Bobba filters. Also, if you experience recurring problems with any Habbo or Hobba, please let the Head Hobba know and she will look into it - all your comments will be completely confidential. 3.7 Hobba emails The Head Hobba uses a special Habbo Hotel email tool to send emails to all the Hobbas at once. This means she only needs to use your Habbo name and there is no chance that the other Hobbas will see your email address. However, for this to work, you must make sure that you have ticked the box in 'Update my Habbo ID' that says 'Yes, I do want to receive occasional emails…". 3.8 Hobba nominations and applications If you want to nominate a Habbo friend to be a Hobba, please email the Head Hobba, telling her why you think he/she would make a good Hobba. This is highly appreciated - we trust your judgement! We also recruit Hobbas through a form in the Guest Services Centre. This form automatically checks to see if the Habbo is suitable. Please refer any wannabe Hobbas to this form. On a weekly basis we will ask for your opinion on a number of Habbos who have either been nominated or who have applied through the GSC. 3.9 Personal details We will treat any personal information that you have given us as confidential and we will not share it with anyone. No other Hobba or Habbo will be told anything about you by Habbo Ltd. Please read our Privacy Policy for further details at http://www.habbohotel.com/privacy2.html3.10 Hobba Badge As a Habbo Hotel moderator you’ve got a badge next to your Hobba. If you want to ‘go undercover’, you can click it and it will become invisible. Just click it again it will appear as normal. Please make sure your badge is turned on when you are using your commands. Newbie Hobbas have silver badges, Hobbas and Supervisor Hobbas have gold ones. 3.11 Special benefits As well as your special Hobba status, there are extra benefits to being Hobba. These may range from priority access and information on Habbo Hotel developments, to Hobba parties and occasional free Habbo Credits. Keep an eye out for new benefits in the Hobba emails. |