HOTLINE 195

Member Salute

REVISED 7/16/2026

The official greeting of Hotline 195 is the Hotline Salute.

Members shall extend their thumb and pinky in the classic “call me” gesture, holding it to the ear as if answering a corded telephone. The Hotline Salute is presented during the Member Oath and should also be exchanged whenever two Hotline 195 members recognize one another.

Member Oath

Article I — Member Card Presentation Requirement

REVISED 6/8/2026

If Asked, A valid Hotline 195 Member Card must be presented.

Members who are unable to present their card at the time of request may submit proof later that same day by presenting the physical card in person or by facsimile (fax). If proof is received before the end of the day, no penalty shall be applied.

The Operator strongly prefers physical cards and reserves the right to remind members of this preference on a regular basis.

Article II — Founding Member Conversion

All existing members shall be assigned the minimum point value of their current rank upon implementation of the official point system.

All new members begin with fifty (50) points and are assigned to the Silver Rank.

Article III — Ranks

REVISED 6/8/2026

Article IV — Rank Maintenance Requirements

REVISED 6/8/2026

Higher ranks must be maintained through continued participation. Points alone do not guarantee permanent rank status.

• Silver:1 qualifying calls per week
• Gold:2 qualifying calls per week
• Platinum:3 qualifying calls per week
• Platinum Plus:4 qualifying calls per week

Maintenance points must come from call activity. Weekly bonuses do not count toward maintenance requirements.

Inactivity Penalties

• Silver Members who fail to make at least one qualifying call during a calendar week will lose 50 points.
• Gold Members who fail to make at least two qualifying calls during a calendar week will lose 75 points.
• Platinum Members who fail to make at least three qualifying calls during a calendar week will lose 100 points.
• Platinum Plus Members who fail to make at least four qualifying calls during a calendar week will lose 125 points.

The Operator may waive, modify, or enforce maintenance requirements at the Operator's discretion.

Gold Rank and above may be eligible to attend certain high-class Hotline 195 events, gatherings, experiences, and special opportunities as determined by the Operator. Silver are welcome but must serve the Gold and above.

Article V — Standard Point Values

REVISED 6/8/2026

Call Points

Calls must last at least 30 seconds to qualify.

• 0-29 seconds: 0 points
• 30-119 seconds: 2 points — Answered Call by an Operator
• 120+ seconds: 5 points — Answered Call by an Operator
• Voicemails may or may not be awarded points.
• A maximum of two calls per day may earn points.
• Additional calls are welcome but do not earn additional points.

Only the two highest-scoring calls per member per day count toward rankings.

Weekly Participation

Failing to make a qualifying call during the week will result in a point deduction depending on current rank. Falling to 0 points will result in being sent to Jail.

When in Jail, members are ineligible to participate in contests until their rank is a minimum of Silver.

Illness Exception

Members unable to call due to illness may request an exemption from the inactivity penalty. A valid doctor's note must be provided to the Operator. Failure to provide documentation will result in the standard point deduction.

向 Gordon Shumway 报告“Melmac 已被定位”的会员，将获得一次性 +50 积分奖励。

Rank Changes

Members will automatically move up or down in rank whenever their point total crosses a rank threshold.

Article VI — Family Groups

• Members of the same household may be placed into a Family Group.
• Each member maintains their own individual point total and rank.
• Family Group standings are determined by the combined points of all members within the group.
• Active participation by all members helps improve the Family Group's standing.
• If one member of a Family Group is suspended or banned, including Maria F., the standing of the entire Family Group may be affected.
• The Operator shall have final authority regarding Family Group assignments.

Article VII — Special Bonus Opportunities

• Do a good deed for someone: 0 points — Just do it.
• Contest Winner: +25 points
• Challenge Winner: +10 points
• Prize Donation: Up to 50 points — Operator Discretion
• Contest Idea Used: Up to 50 points — Operator Discretion
• Verified Payphone Call: +100 points — Only awarded once per Pay Phone location
• Phone Message Ideas: +5 points — Only awarded if used
• Operator Bonus: Variable
• Secret Word Bonus: +25 points — See the Operator in public and correctly state the Secret Word
• Reptile Show Bonus: Up to 100 points may be awarded for attending a reptile show with the Operator
• HQ Visit Bonus: Up to 50 points may be awarded for visiting Headquarters
• Rotary Warrior: +75 points — Successfully place a call using a rotary telephone
• AOL Archaeologist: +50 points — Produce an authentic AOL free trial disk
• Pager Patrol: +50 points — Produce a working pager
• The Time Traveler: +50 points — Attend a Hotline event dressed in a complete 1990s outfit
• The Number 195: +195 points — Awarded only under extraordinary circumstances at the Operator's discretion
• Secret Achievements: Variable Points. Certain achievements exist but are not publicly disclosed.

Article VIII — Referrals

REVISED 6/8/2026

Referrals are worth +50 Points.

• Referrals must be submitted by fax or mail. Telephone referrals are only accepted on the second Tuesday of every month.
• The Operator must personally know the referred individual prior to approval.
• Acceptance of a referred individual is solely at the discretion of the Operator.
• If accepted, the referring member shall receive 50 points.
• The referring member, also known as the Referee, assumes full responsibility for the conduct of the referred member.
• If the referred member is banned for any reason, the Referee shall be assessed a penalty of 500 points.
• Any point deduction assessed against the referred member shall also result in a deduction equal to one-half, or 50%, of the deducted amount from the Referee's point total.
• Example: If the referred member loses 100 points, the Referee loses 50 points.
• The Operator may waive referral penalties under extraordinary circumstances.
• Choose your referrals wisely.

Article IX — Bonus Opportunity Limitation

• Unless otherwise specified, each Special Bonus Opportunity may only be earned once per calendar month by each member.
• A member may earn different Special Bonus Opportunities during the same month.
• The Operator may approve exceptions for special events, contests, or extraordinary circumstances.
• Secret Achievements and Operator's Discretion Bonuses are exempt from this limitation unless otherwise announced.

Article X — Membership Votes

• Membership in Hotline 195 is a privilege, not a right.
• Certain matters may be decided by a vote of active members.
• A person can be banned for any reason by the Operator.
• A member who has been banned may petition for reinstatement.
• Three bans within a single calendar year will result in a lifetime ban from Hotline 195.
• The Operator reserves the right to call for a vote on any matter affecting the Hotline community.
• The Operator may cast a vote and break any tie vote.

Article XI — Operator Authority

• The Operator may award, deduct, adjust, freeze, or void points at any time for the good of the Hotline.
• The Operator may modify, add, remove, or suspend any rule, rank, achievement, contest, or point value at any time.
• The Operator's decisions are final.

Article XII — General

REVISED 6/16/2026

• Prize donations must be approved by the Operator and deemed suitable for Hotline use.
• A new member may only identify one referring member. Referral credit will be awarded only once.
• Points have no cash value.
• Points may not be bought, sold, traded, transferred, inherited, borrowed against, or exchanged.
• Points MAY be gifted to other members under special circumstances, including birthdays, anniversaries, and Jail Bail. All gifts are subject to a 50-point transaction fee paid by the sender. Example: Gifting 100 points costs the sender 150 points.
• Attempting to exploit loopholes in the point system may result in penalties, point deductions, or the creation of new rules.
• Members who successfully complete an achievement that nobody thought to create a rule for may be awarded points at the Operator's discretion.
• Points never go below zero.

Article XIII — Final Rule

Everything is subject to change depending on the Operator's current mood.