Ratifying the current Compendium charter and organization

[Kyronea]

Aye. The whole point to the merit system is that you earn any special titles or consideration you get through work and true participation, not general laziness. I've seen so many people on forums who just spend time in the chat section of the forums blabbing away in threads about nothing get special recognition while those who theorize or otherwise spend time thinking about the stuff that the site was founded for are often ignored or even ridiculed for "wasting their time." Already this place has surprised me in many ways, mostly the fact that it's not like all the other RPG forums I've visited, and I for one want it to stay this way.

[nightmare975]

That's like post count, though. Should someone who posts "lol thats a good idea" on every analysis thread (it's happened) and gets a massive post count be honored for it? Even if he's been around three years?

I mean, damn. There are like three Gurus and four administrators, and the creative regents don't even exist yet. EVERYONE else is a regular member. If you have something to your name, you generate your own attention and respect. JLukas currently doesn't have some special title, but everyone is aware that he helped penetrate the Prerelease and has offered continuing assistance in ROM hacking and creating the Japanese script. A newbie might not figure it out, but he or she will after reading some threads or witnessing him in action. It's the same for others with achievements. Unless you want a fancy title so that new member steveMAGUS_6509815 knows you're special as soon as he joins the Compendium, everyone here will probably already have a good measure of your ability. The Guruship is just reserved for something AMAZING (Temporal Flux, the Retranslation, helping build the analysis encyclopedia or founding the Compendium, creating  the concept of Time Error), and the creative stuff will give people an incentive to create works. But hell, if you want a fancy title, you can add something below your avatar under Profile options. Mine is "Compendium Corp", because I enjoy thinking of us as Shinra sometimes.

But I have done things. I've made maps using TF, I've contribted to the encyclopedia and I've made convincing arguments on discussions. And I even put "Official Mapper of Crimson Echoes".

BTW, I ment long-time active members. People like You, Lord J esq., Exodus, AuraTwilight, even Zaperking! Excluding you and Josh, we just have a high post count. And like you said, anyone could have 1,000 post about nothing. How do you convince no0bs that we aren't like those kind of people,or just prevent them from thinking that in the first place?

[ZeaLitY]

So you've done things; people know you have. There is no way to let newbies know this unless you continue to be an active poster. New people will have no idea what GrayLensman is like or what he did because he's not around. He's a Guru of Reason Emeritus, but newbies will have no idea why -- at first. Then they'll read his posts while going through old threads, see his name credited on several analysis pages, and learn more about him. But continued activity is the true measure and legacy of a participant in the Compendium.

We just can't break down and tailor custom awards for everyone, as that would involve not only making qualitative judgments on members, but making all the other people beneath the award-cutoff feel really left out. It has to end somewhere, and my councilors can vouch that I was really considering dropping the Guru thing.

[Lord J Esq]

Maybe he's right, Z. We could offer an "Elite" ribbon, or something like that, to people who've been here forever, have generally contributed positively to the Compendium, but aren't Gurus and don't have Alfador under their name.

That wouldn't be democratically-elected, though, which means we're straying off topic.

[Kyronea]

It's still a question of favoritism though. You know and I know that none of the admins would pick favorites, but does the general forum populace know that? No, nor do the new peeps. They see people being picked and to them it looks like favorites are being played, thus they accuse the admins of playing favorites and everything goes into the toilet. I've seen it happen far too many times. It always results in a lot of harsh feelings all around, mass bannings, and a forum much poorer for the experience.

[Ramsus]

It's still a question of favoritism though. You know and I know that none of the admins would pick favorites, but does the general forum populace know that? No, nor do the new peeps. They see people being picked and to them it looks like favorites are being played, thus they accuse the admins of playing favorites and everything goes into the toilet. I've seen it happen far too many times. It always results in a lot of harsh feelings all around, mass bannings, and a forum much poorer for the experience.

You've seen too much. This isn't a forum run by prebuscent teens with too much free time on their hands. If someone contributes to the site and feels underappreciated just because they didn't get some silly title that someone else did, then they're free to complain.

I personally don't believe in banning or censoring users, and I'll be damned if anyone abuses their ability to do so. If someone feels wronged and upset, the admins here will make every effort to communicate and work it out. As such, I don't see where any of these "mass bannings" or other drama would come from. Furthermore, even if the other admins fall victim to their own subjectivity towards forum "regulars," I'll always be around to balance everything and help work things out.

That's like post count, though. Should someone who posts "lol thats a good idea" on every analysis thread (it's happened) and gets a massive post count be honored for it? Even if he's been around three years?

I mean, damn. There are like three Gurus and four administrators, and the creative regents don't even exist yet. EVERYONE else is a regular member. If you have something to your name, you generate your own attention and respect. JLukas currently doesn't have some special title, but everyone is aware that he helped penetrate the Prerelease and has offered continuing assistance in ROM hacking and creating the Japanese script. A newbie might not figure it out, but he or she will after reading some threads or witnessing him in action. It's the same for others with achievements. Unless you want a fancy title so that new member steveMAGUS_6509815 knows you're special as soon as he joins the Compendium, everyone here will probably already have a good measure of your ability. The Guruship is just reserved for something AMAZING (Temporal Flux, the Retranslation, helping build the analysis encyclopedia or founding the Compendium, creating  the concept of Time Error), and the creative stuff will give people an incentive to create works. But hell, if you want a fancy title, you can add something below your avatar under Profile options. Mine is "Compendium Corp", because I enjoy thinking of us as Shinra sometimes.

But I have done things. I've made maps using TF, I've contribted to the encyclopedia and I've made convincing arguments on discussions. And I even put "Official Mapper of Crimson Echoes".

BTW, I ment long-time active members. People like You, Lord J esq., Exodus, AuraTwilight, even Zaperking! Excluding you and Josh, we just have a high post count. And like you said, anyone could have 1,000 post about nothing. How do you convince no0bs that we aren't like those kind of people,or just prevent them from thinking that in the first place?

The very content of your posts and your attitude on the forum are the most telling thing about you to new users right now. That's how you can set yourself apart. Would you really prefer replacing that with some little titles? Then anyone who contributes enough to get a title is free to do whatever they want, because they no longer have to maintain their composure for new people to respect them. Imagine the type of individual that would attract.

Besides, all you really have to do is add a list to your signature of all the things you've worked on and accomplished while here at the Compendium. I think that'd be a more impressive thing to flash around.

[Kyronea]

You've seen too much. This isn't a forum run by prebuscent teens with too much free time on their hands. If someone contributes to the site and feels underappreciated just because they didn't get some silly title that someone else did, then they're free to complain.

I personally don't believe in banning or censoring users, and I'll be damned if anyone abuses their ability to do so. If someone feels wronged and upset, the admins here will make every effort to communicate and work it out. As such, I don't see where any of these "mass bannings" or other drama would come from. Furthermore, even if the other admins fall victim to their own subjectivity towards forum "regulars," I'll always be around to balance everything and help work things out.

Oh, I know. I was being overly cynical in an attempt to underscore my point. Sure, things probably wouldn't go anywhere near as bad as I've seen them elsewhere, but I still think it'd be a bad idea to have this kind of popularity contest type title thing.

[Radical_Dreamer]

The charter looks good. I'd want to see the various artist posts (and the contests associated with them) be part of an annual cycle.

[Ramsus]

You've seen too much. This isn't a forum run by prebuscent teens with too much free time on their hands. If someone contributes to the site and feels underappreciated just because they didn't get some silly title that someone else did, then they're free to complain.

I personally don't believe in banning or censoring users, and I'll be damned if anyone abuses their ability to do so. If someone feels wronged and upset, the admins here will make every effort to communicate and work it out. As such, I don't see where any of these "mass bannings" or other drama would come from. Furthermore, even if the other admins fall victim to their own subjectivity towards forum "regulars," I'll always be around to balance everything and help work things out.

Oh, I know. I was being overly cynical in an attempt to underscore my point. Sure, things probably wouldn't go anywhere near as bad as I've seen them elsewhere, but I still think it'd be a bad idea to have this kind of popularity contest type title thing.

It is a bad idea, but for completely different reasons. Namely, it encourages people to throw away their own self-standards and replace them with heirarchical title worship, thus attracting more members who would do just that. It would destroy the underlying fabric of the community here, which is the sense of mutual respect demanded by the very lack of heirarchy or strict rules.

Anyway, try to keep your arguments more realistic in the future. Outlandish arguments, even if they make good points, are useless as tools of persuasion once they fall apart.

[Vehek]

Zeality's plan is to have annual contests.

[Kyronea]

It is a bad idea, but for completely different reasons. Namely, it encourages people to throw away their own self-standards and replace them with heirarchical title worship, thus attracting more members who would do just that. It would destroy the underlying fabric of the community here, which is the sense of mutual respect demanded by the very lack of heirarchy or strict rules.

Anyway, try to keep your arguments more realistic in the future. Outlandish arguments, even if they make good points, are useless as tools of persuasion once they fall apart.

You've a point there. My apologies: I must be more tired than I realize, otherwise I would debate in a more sensible fashion, or I like to think I would, anyway.

[klois]

Ok, i have a few very minor, nitpicky things to say about the charter. Firstly, it doesn't say when you have courts for Guru Promotion, I'm guessing its once a year, but it does not say in the charter. Secondly, under III.Code of Conduct, Member Section, #6, i feel like ..shall not create an user name intended.. should be ..shall not create a user name intended.. However, I'm not a wiz at english. Sorry for the nitpicking.

[Chrono'99]

The person who can find someone to translate the Dream Team interviews should get the title GOD or MESSIAH or something. I'm only half-joking. All those mysterious Japanese materials out there, and we can't read them ;_;

[ZeaLitY]

Ok, i have a few very minor, nitpicky things to say about the charter. Firstly, it doesn't say when you have courts for Guru Promotion, I'm guessing its once a year, but it does not say in the charter. Secondly, under III.Code of Conduct, Member Section, #6, i feel like ..shall not create an user name intended.. should be ..shall not create a user name intended.. However, I'm not a wiz at english. Sorry for the nitpicking.

I'll clarify it. We've only really promoted Gurus when one or two people have done extraordinary things, so there could be two in a year or none at all, for example.

[Mystic Frog King]

I haven't actually been on here to notice any positive changes- but certainly, this system seems fine.

I'd like a position that we, the members, vote on.

And that's why I lean against this, as it seems to me it would end up being a popularity contest at best. I've seen such stuff on other forums: it turns into an ego-fest within no time at all.

As for the popularity contest debate, well, it seems to me as if it will not boil down to a test of popularity, mainly because as of right now the admins are the ones who promote people to guru and as they are such a small group in proportion to the other members of the forum, it won't be anything to do with popularity unless the system is 'improved' with unnecessary changes.

As far as I know, that is what it was originally about. However, I know the subject has drifted slightly (or at least that I think it has) and as I am feeling light-headed and rather sick right now I will not comment on anything but the original matter.