In the many years Ive been here, I’ve noticed there is a great misunderstanding of how band chats worked. I know a lot of people get very excited when a band member shows up, but this seems to make everyone’s emotions too high and a lot of people get disappointed when the moderated chat doesn’t work the way they think it does. Hopefully, to avoid more hurt feelings, i compile this FAQ.
I ask everyone to read this if they plan to attend any band chat in the future.
OFFICIAL RULES
Band Chat rules:
In addition to the regular chat rules, which are posted below the chat window, the following are additional guidelines to help make the Band Chat run smoothly
First, follow the moderators instructions! When we ask you to turn your camera/microphone off, do so. When we ask you to be quite and stop talking, do so. It will help get the chat started as quickly as possible.
Pay attention Please do not ask questions that have already been answered
Please do not take Snapshots during band chat. The band chat is exclusive, thus any images or video of the chat are highly discouraged. This will also be counted as “spam”
Ask “good” questions. Remember, the band member will only be in the chat for a short amount of time, and they want to answer as many questions as they can, so please think about the question before you ask it. Details about how to ask “good” questions, and which type of questions are likely to get you banned are listed below.
Account for Time Zone differences. LPU time is in California, Pacific Standard Time (GMT -8:00). Use http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/ to make sure what time to go. Unfortunately, the chat can happen anytime: while you are at work or at a time you prefer to sleep. Expect to make a sacrifice if you really want to go.
Above all, do not ask when LP will be coming to your town/country! We can not stress this enough, LP has no control over where they tour, so do not ask this. This question will result in instant ban from the band chat.
[Thanks to KathyXX for providing this FAQ, granted it was ages ago 
] [source: LPU Chat Ops Live Journal FAQ page ]
In the event of any of the rules being broken, there is a chance you may be kicked from chat by an operator. If you are kicked, this application will have you automatically banned for a pre-determined . This is non-negotiable, as it is set as standard for the application. Therefore, if the rules aren�t adhered to, you may find yourself taking time out. Please do not flood administrators or chat operators regarding being removed from chat. We will not issue individual warnings during a band chat. Things go way too fast, and most of you know the rules, thus, we may issue a “blanket warning”, however, most of the time, it’s you break the rules, you are gone. Again, we do not have time to warn people during a band chat like we do in the normal chat, so be on your best behavior please.
Questions to avoid: {List will be updated}
- When will LP visit ? [This is the fastest way to get kicked from chat]
- Questions about the band members’ pets/kids/wives/girlfriends/cars/houses/etc. These are personal questions and are prohibited.
- Can you call ? or Can you ask to join chat? [this is spam]
- Asking the same question more than 3 times. If you’ve asked 3 times and it hasn’t been answered, please do not repeat it. Either the member missed it, or, most likely, they do not want to answer it. Asking the same question repeatedly will be considered spam.
- “Do you like bacon” or other “bacon” related questions. This gets old. Also, this does not mean you can ask about “bananas” or something other than bacon. Ask this question ONCE if you must, otherwise, it’s spam.
- Asking a question that has already been answered. We know chat can go extremely fast, however please pay attention.
- Please do not take Snapshots during band chat. The band chat is exclusive, thus any images or video of the chat are highly discouraged.
How to Ask A Good Question:
It’s nice to be in the same chat room as a band member, but it’s not so nice when your question gets banhammered because a moderator didn’t like it.
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This is Business
Don’t ask about the band’s personal lives. This includes things like their family members and their very private life. It’s not allowed in the forums, so don’t expect it to be allowed in the chatroom. Stick to questions about their musical (or relevant side projekt) life. A mod will kill this question so fast, your poor question won’t even have time to contemplate its existence before it meets the guillotine.
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Don’t ask when they’re coming to your town
Spare all of us this question. It’s been asked thousands of times. Linkin Park has never once answered it. And if they knew, they would have already said so. It’s also banned from the chat. Don’t waste your opportunity with an abomination of a question like this.
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Be Journalistic (Don’t be selfish)
A number of fan sites release transcripts after its over for everyone to read, and it is in everyone intrest to get questions that matter to people. Which means not writing about yourself. This means questions like:
“Can You get me into a meet and greet?”
“Did you get my present?”
“Can you come to my house?”
“Do You remember me from ???”
“When are you coming to ??” ( again, Dont ask this question).
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Don’t ask when you can look it up yourself:
If the answer is already on LinkinPark.com, dont ask it. This refers to questions about where to find the right lyrics, how many CD’s they have, how many band members there are, where the name Linkin Park came from, etc.
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Relevance
I don’t know how far a question about politics in the 6th century BC would take you. Maybe if you exaggerated far enough you could get somewhere.
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Follow any other given rules
…and your question won’t be killed.
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Don’t ask something someone already asked.
Try to pay attention as the chat goes, a question that’s asked twice wont get an answer. Also, try not to ask a question that’s already been answered in a previous chat. There are some transcripts stickied at the top of the forum for your reading.
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have Your Question Ready.
You have only a short time to post your question. Don’t wait until you letter is called to start typing. Have it in an alternate place and copy/paste it.
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Have multiple questions (but ask just one)
If someone already asked the question you had in mind, it would be a good idea to have a backup or two. Don’t ask more than one question though.
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Ask in English.
Don’t assume the band knows much about you own language besides “hello” and “thank you,” and they might not even know those.
11.Keep length at two sentences or less
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Size matters - The fewer people in chat, the more likely that the chat will get to every question asked. The Joe Hahn and Will Yung Lee chat in March 2008 maxed out at about 140 people, and every letter of the alphabet was called (old system). Most band chats tend to get populations of 450 - 550 people in a chat room.
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“Connection Refused” Issue - It is very common to see many chatters log out and immediately log back into the chat room. A common error pops up and informs that Connection is Refused, there may be a problem with your network or the chat room is under maintenance. Ignore this sign and press retry until you return to the chat room.
When a band chat is taking place, the order of questions is determined by whichever operator is �running� the session. They will introduce themselves, the other operators and the artist. They will either redirect you to the rules, or repeat them. They will let you know the order of chat, how things will proceed and ask for your patience. It is important that you do not start sending messages until asked to do so, as this may be reported as flooding. The operators can see all messages that are written out, so make sure you have a well thought out question ready for chat!
[well I took LPUX off because I couldn’t get it organized and had to figure how to post it on the LP forums :P]