What is the difference between being just a 'member' and an 'official/registered' member' of ACCIO?

Those that are simply a 'member' of ACCIO belong in one of the following categories:
a) an LJ-user that has joined the main sorting community </a>acciosortinghatbut has not posted an application or has not been stamped as sorted into one of the four houses
b) an LJ-user that has joined ACCIO and has been stamped as sorted into one of the four houses but has not yet joined the common room sub-community of the appropriate house
c) an LJ-user that has joined ACCIO and has been stamped as sorted into one of the four houses, joined the appropriate house common room sub-community but has not yet posted the required Intro Slip found in the common room user-info

An 'official member' or 'registered member' of ACCIO is an LJ-user that has joined the main sorting community, been stamped as sorted into one of the four houses, joined the appropriate common room, and posted the Intro Slip found in the common room user-info. 

So basically, you are only considered an 'official member' if you have posted your Intro Slip in your house common room. Only 'official members' are included in the Master Member List and accounted for during Roll Calls. The House List used in the Roll Calls must only include those members that have posted an Info Slip. Think of it as their way of registering as a student at the school. Therefore, if someone has not posted an Info Slip they are not a registred student and cannot be held accountable if they do not sign-in to the Roll Calls. 
 

What is the Community Roll Call and how does it work?

The Community Roll Call is exactly what it sounds like. In order to keep track of active and offical members a Community wide Roll Call will occur at least once per competition. Only members that have posted an Intro Slip in their common room are considered an offical/registered member and therefore counted as either absent or present during a Roll Call. 

The Process
When a Roll Call has been scheduled the PIPs are notified by a post in the Ministry. The Head of House or a corresponding PIP will then make a post in their house common room where the members of that house will report. A House Member List is reported to a post in the Ministry where each member is counted as absent or present. The Deputy Headmistress will then process the report into the Roll Call record and produce a list of members who have been put on Probation or are Expelled. It is the Head of House's job to notify members of their house if they have been put on probation or have been expelled. This is explained futher in the following portion.

Roll Call Member Status Definitions
The following define each possible member status during a Roll Call.

-Present: If a member has reported to the Roll Call post in their common room.

-Absent: If a member has not reported to the Roll Call post in their common room,

-Excused Absent: If a member has not reported to the Roll Call post in their common room because he/she is on hiatus. Members on hiatus will only be excused from Roll Calls if they have notified their Head of House of their hiatus by posting the Hiatus Slip found in the common room user-info.

-Probation: If a member has not reported to two Roll Calls in a row. These two unexcused absences place them on the Probation list. These members will be notified of their probation by their Head of House. A member is taken off probation if they reply back to their Head of House.

-Expelled: If a member has not reported to three Roll Calls in a row. These members will be notified of their expulsion and will thereby be removed from all ACCIO sub-communities. If they wish to be readmitted they must contact the High Mistresses.

Who are the Founders?

Once upon a time four LJers united with a dream of creating a sorting community based on Hogwarts where they could make friends and ensure a balanced equality between all the houses. Each member represented one of the four Hogwarts houses. visuals (Ari) is the perfection of Hufflepuff. sweetangela20 is the archetype of Gryffindor. bohemianvanity is the epitome of Ravenclaw. tez_na_nox is the ideal of Slytherin.

Thus, ACCIO was formed! Unlike other communities ACCIO does not have a Headmistress or Deputy Headmistress. Instead, its central leadership is comprized equally of the Four Founders, who are better known as the High Mistresses. They share their power and make every decision together so that each house is represented fairly.

When do the House Competitions end?

House Competitions are held every two months (sometimes more). They usually end on the last day of the last month of the competition. The House Cup sub-comm is where one of the Founders posts the prompts for each competition. The results of the entire competition are then posted in the Great Hall once everything has been turned in and counted. 

What is a PIP?
PIP stands for Person In Power. This includes Head of House, Head Girl & Boy, and the two Prefects.

All PIPS -  Applications will be posted in weekly sets so that members know what day is APPLICATION VOTING DAY. Out of the applications for the week, you are required to vote on 50% of the applications. If there are 4 applications in a week, you will need to vote on two of them. In the instance that there is an odd number of applications, you asked to vote on the majority since you cannot vote on technically vote on half. Therefore, if there are, say, 3 applications posted that week, you will need to vote on two of them. If there are 5 posted, then you need to vote on three, and so on. This goes for ALL of the stamping sub-comms as well.

Head of House – Just as in the series the HOHs are not considered “students”. They are administrators who are in direct and constant contact with the HM and DHM. This is a position of honor and should be taken very seriously. HOHs are required to post an update on community events and news in their house common room. This is required at least once a month but the HOH can decide when and how often to make update posts. HOHs are also in charge of counting up votes for their house in the sorting community. There will be a Sorting Report located in the Ministry where the tallies shall be submitted. HOHs are also responsible for keeping track their house member's hiatus status. A Hiatus Status post is to be made once a week for each house by every HOH in the Ministry, listing who is on hiatus. HOHs are required to vote on 50% of the sorting application in a set.

Head Girl/Boy – Heads represent their house. They are leaders amongst their peers and should behave accordingly. Heads are required to make a post with links to each new application in that week’s set. This post should be made sometime within the first half of the week. Head Girl is responsible for counting votes in the Character Stamping Community. Head Boy is responsible for counting votes in the Animagus/Patronus Stamping Community. Both are to report their tallies to the Ministry in the provided points post. Heads are required to vote on 50% of the sorting application in a set.

Prefects – Prefects are students of distinction. They are recognized for their excellence within the classroom as well as activity within the school (or in this case the community). It is mandatory for one of the prefects to comment on each Intro Slip. This comment should give all necessary information to the new member concerning their house.

I’ve been sorted into a house, now what?
First, you must join the appropriate common room and any sub-communities you feel you would like to be involved. Then, in your common room, post the New Member Intro Slip (located in the house common room user-info). It is one of the prefects’ duty to then fill you in on all the important information. If you feel like they did not do so efficiently and you still feel a bit lost in the community feel free to ask the Head Girl or Head Boy. Any member in general will be happy to guide you! Most commonly, after a new member is sorted into a house they next fill out the applications in the stamping sub-comms </a></b></a>accioanimapatro and </a></b></a>accio_hp_stamp. But don’t feel overwhelmed! We understand that it takes time to get the feel of ACCIO and we don’t ask you to do everything! Just please remember to read the rules of the Great Hall, Common Room, and other sub-comms as you get familiar with the community.

What should I do if I have a problem with another member?
Do not retaliate irrationally. You will not be punished for bringing forth a problem to the appropriate person, but you will be punished if you make the wrong decision and disobey the rules. If you have a dispute with someone from another house inform your Head of House immediately. If it concerns someone from your house then simply address your Head Girl or Boy. It is then required to be reported to the Head Mistress by the PIP and the situation will be taken from your hands and dealt with by the administrators. If you are uncomfortable going to your Head of House or one of the Heads then contact the Deputy Head Mistress who will report it to the Head Mistress.

What is a ‘hiatus’? / What must I do before going on hiatus?

A hiatus is when you are going to be away or unavailable thus you will not be active in the community during that time. This does not mean you are leaving the community but going on a break. The reasons for a hiatus vary, and we don’t judge you for whatever reason you present. You may be going out of town, having your internet connection fixed, or simply need to cool down for a bit! We don’t mind, just let us know! In the user-info of your common room there is a Hiatus Slip. Fill it out and post it in your common room. Your Head of House will keep track of everyone’s hiatus so that if you happen to miss Role Call you will not be removed from the house since you are simply on hiatus. If you happen to disappear, for whatever reason, without notification of your absence and you miss two Roll Calls you will be removed from the community. However, there are certain conditions that will allow you to be re-admitted so if this happens the Head Mistress will discuss it with you and decide once you have presented your argument to her in an e-mail.

Who should I contact if I have questions? How do I contact the High Mistresses?

There is an e-mail account the exists entirely to answer questions about ACCIO: ACCIOoffice@gmail.com
All the High Mistresses have equal access to this account and it is the best way to contact all four. If you wish to contact a specific Mistress you may use their personal e-mails:

High Mistress Ari of Hufflepuff - arinelle@gmail.com

High Mistress Angela of Gryffindor - peachlifedaisy7404@yahoo.com

High Mistress Embrosia of Ravenclaw - the_birth_of_venus@hotmail.com

High Mistress Jenna of Slytherin - insidecognizance@gmail.com

What is a sigtag?
A sigtag (signature tag) is a graphic of appropriate size that members use when voting. It is a creative way to identify who you are, what house you are in, and what other things you have been stamped as. The standard sigtag includes your name, house, character stamp, animagus & patronus stamps, and any other titles (ie: Head Girl, VP of Book Club).

When posting your sigtag must not exceed 100 pixels in height. When commenting we ask that you please limit the size of your sigtag to no larger than 300 x 250.

If you aren’t skilled in making graphics but you still want a sigtag there are members that are happy and willing to make one for you! Simply place a request in the Catalogs or choose from the many templates the shop owners have on display! They will then deliver your customized sigtage to Graphics Alley and prompt you where to pick it up!