We can all look back on those halcyon days when we were just another face in the crowd and could say anything we liked about anything we liked, risking only a flame or two in retaliation. Alas, if you’re going to attend events and judge, and announce to all and sundry that you are a judge by mentioning it in your posts, it’s time to tighten up your tongue (or sometimes your typing). What one judge says or does reflects on all of us, and judges need to remember that when they’re interacting with the public.

While judges are human and will certainly talk among themselves (and with others) about the events they work at, the judges and tournament organizers they work for, and so forth, they need to exercise some restraint when discussing such matters in public. Whether it’s a table full of players at a tournament or a post on an online forum, judges need to think carefully about how they present themselves and how they comment on other judges, TOs, and the judge program in general. The consequences of an ill-considered remark can be painful.

While it might be hard to keep your mouth shut when you feel strongly about a given topic (and trust me, we’ve all been there), judges need to maintain a professional attitude. Thinking before you speak is one of the best ways to do it. There’s a right time and a wrong time for everything, and judges should always consider the company they’re in and the appropriateness of their remarks before speaking against another judge, discussing problems at an event, or similar subjects.

Here are some basic guidelines that can help you decide whether you should speak out on a given subject or keep it to yourself.

Judges should refrain from criticizing other judges, TOs, players, programs etc. in public.

We are all entitled to our opinions, but having an opinion doesn’t give us the right to sling it all over the place . . . especially when it involves other people. Valid issues should be discussed with the people involved and an appropriate authority, if necessary. There’s never an excuse for a judge to publicly attack someone without consideration of the audience. It’s horribly unprofessional and it can have serious repercussions. What happens if you end up working with that person? What if you’re called to a table to resolve a ruling or penalty issue involving him or her? What effect will those actions have on your ability to do your job? The judge world is actually pretty small, and every word you say expands like ripples in a pond.

It’s natural to get attached to your usual TO and judge team, and to feel a sense of pride in your accomplishments. But that should never be an excuse to make disparaging remarks about another TO or group of judges, especially if your goal is to establish the superiority of your own affiliations. This isn’t high school sports—we’re not competing against each other, so there’s no reason for that kind of rivalry. Everyone who’s working to support the Organized Play program is a member of the same team, and internal backbiting doesn’t help anyone. Don’t post or make derogatory statements about other events, other TOs, or other judging teams. You’re hurting everyone when you do that.

There are ways to go about logging official complaints or criticism. If you feel you’ve got a justifiable case, follow the approved procedure for reporting questionable behavior, rather than running around and talking smack. Issues with policy or procedure should be discussed with the appropriate UDE personnel, not turned into a public rant. If you don’t agree with something, you’re better off finding out more about it before coming out swinging. Assuming you know (and publicly speaking as if you do) the reasons behind anything in the OP program, card editing, Advanced format lists, banned players, or anything else, isn’t always constructive, and if you sway other people because they think your judge status gives you an insight they don’t have, it’s even worse.

Judges should stay out of flame wars.

Arguing with people on the Internet is one of the most amazingly pointless things you can do, especially when you’re doing it in a forum full of people who rely on opinions instead of facts. While it’s fine to get involved in discussions or answer questions when you know what you’re talking about, if you’re a judge, you should never let yourself get pulled into a flame war. It looks totally unprofessional to see a judge trading an escalating series of insults with other people, be they players, other judges, or random forum-goers. Judges should never use their judge status or level as ammunition in an argument, especially one that takes a turn for the worse in tone. Doing so demeans the program. The judge tests aren’t there to give you some kind of edge in an online argument.

Furthermore, if you continue getting into flame wars online, you will eventually run into the people with whom you have been fighting at an event. You will also run into their friends. This will not help the event go smoothly, especially if you’ve earned a reputation as a short-fused, overbearing know-it-all. It also won’t make you very attractive when staff is being chosen for high profile events. The Internet isn’t quite as anonymous as you might think, and word gets around.

Judges should avoid making a call in a specific situation where they lack first-hand knowledge of what’s happening.

You’ve all seen this happen. Someone comes back from an event and tells everyone—both the locals at the card shop and readers on a forum—about a piece of judging they didn’t agree with. The temptation to jump in and either criticize the “mistaken” judge or berate the “misinformed” player can be overwhelming, but don’t do it. Odds are good that you don’t have all the information, that the person telling the story has left out something important, or both. It might be intentional or it might be accidental, but no judge should make a call on a situation without knowing all the relevant information beforehand. There’s no harm in pointing out tournament policy, penalty guidelines, and card rulings, but keep it general if you weren’t actually involved. If you charge in and make a statement about a situation that you don’t fully understand, you risk needlessly complicating things, or worse: making a bad call that will come back to haunt everyone.

There’s nothing wrong with providing support or correction where it is needed, but remember that you aren’t always going to get the straight story from other people. Don’t put yourself in a situation where you positively assert that a penalty or ruling was incorrect or correct, if you’re not in a position to actually know what went down, especially in penalty situations. You can end up embarrassing yourself, and giving players an incorrect understanding of a ruling or policy question.

Judges should take special care to adhere to all UDE policies whenever they’re participating in an event.

Taking off that judge shirt and registering in an event doesn’t free you from the obligation of professionalism. True, you don’t have to run around delivering match slips, you get to sit down, and you aren’t responsible for clearing the aisles, but you’re still required to meticulously observe all tournament policies. It’s ugly to see a judge misbehave at a tournament, and it does a lot of damage to the program’s reputation when a judge gets caught doing something wrong. Yes, it’s difficult to constantly keep a higher standard than the players who will criticize you, but that’s the reality of the situation. Ultimately, it’s not about whether they’re being jerks for launching insults, but whether you’re professional enough to ignore them.

There are so many benefits to judging: I’ve been doing it for three years and I love it. Most of the judges out there know what I mean. We make Organized Play possible in more and more areas, raise respectability for the game, and help it to stay popular. We can earn the respect of our fellow judges and players alike when we do our jobs correctly, and the flip side of that respect is acknowledging that we must behave in a way that merits it. Don’t sacrifice all of your accomplishments by acting in an inappropriate fashion.