Let's work out some official rules for this forum.

[Buster's Uncle]

I just got back from a system reset, and so far I seem to be back to the normal bad-internet-service crap I've dealt with lately, and no more of the sub-dialup speed and threads stopping half-loaded I was getting today.  So there's than much good news.

Uno, you put your finger on it exactly; it gets tiring sometimes to have to separate personal opinion from TEH MOD SAYS SO.

You and some of the other WPC guys can back me up that I was a bossy CITIZEN, and I believe in the power of persuasion and nagging, and I HATE when my normal behavior from over four years ago gets taken for the Word of God Armed w/ Banhammer.  I definitely noticed the same when I first made mod there.  (I hung out with one of Loretta Lynn's sons one evening back in my showbiz days; naturally, I was pumping him for celebrity gossip, but he frequently mentioned that he's rather I was interested in him for himself, not for who his mother was.  This is a little like that, though I WAS interested in him for himself - and the fact that he'd made out with Cher.)  I'd like to be able to be bossy when the mood strikes me, as is much older habit for me than acting like I'm in charge, and have that taken on the merits of the appeal, and not as "I can ban you".

I may take up that idea about an Admin DL; maybe something with a banhammer avatar and an appropriate name.  Unfortunately, I can't take "Administrator" out from under my handle without giving up the powers for this account, and that would be too inconvenient.

[Unorthodox]

I may take up that idea about an Admin DL; maybe something with a banhammer avatar and an appropriate name.  Unfortunately, I can't take "Administrator" out from under my handle without giving up the powers for this account, and that would be too inconvenient.

Yeah, same problem I have there. 

MOST the time I'm just being me, but the big glowy "admin" really gets to some people. 

Don't worry, though, I don't even notice the 'admin' on you.   

[Buster's Uncle]

Good.

I want this account to be me, the main, but I can't give up being able to see all the other stuff, and the forum software here has no options for changing the status display under people's handle.  Wait - I have an idea...

Anyway, I've made a good avatar for that DL, and I think I'll have to replace my plain citizen test account as what stays signed in on Chrome, but I think this will work...

[Buster's Uncle]

No, the idea didn't work - I'd hoped adding myself to a membergroup would override the "Administrator" status, but no.

[ete]

You could probably give all the permissions of an admin to a non-admin usergroup, give yourself that group, then remove yourself from the original admin group?

[BU Admin]

Doesn't matter.  Admin overrides everything in displaying.

I wasn't willing to start a new email account just to have another DL, so I renamed BU DL, and I'll have to strip admin powers from one of my accounts when I need to check normal citizen view.

I hated losing the goofy face avatar, though.

[Buster's Uncle]

Oh - I see what you're suggesting, but I don't think there's any way to give myself all admin powers w/o being an admin.  And it's just too inconvenient w/o all of them.

[Unorthodox]

IIRC, that's true, but you could maybe lose one or two powers for the new group...like the new group would be unable to edit the 'admin' group, for instance, but could do everything else?

[Buster's Uncle]

Naw.  Sometimes I need to have a look at people's accounts, for instance, and there's no way to give non-staff the access I need.  There's no way to give non-staff post editing and thread surgery powers.  It's a million things, not just being able to see the Staff Room.  Best I could do is demote myself to forum-wide mod, which would make exactly no difference in the postbit display problem, and still limit my powers inconveniently.

I'm just going to have to figure a way to make BU Admin high-profile enough for people to notice w/o actually using that account on people much.

[Kilkakon]

Thanks for being adults guys.

[Green1]

Naw.  Sometimes I need to have a look at people's accounts, for instance, and there's no way to give non-staff the access I need.  There's no way to give non-staff post editing and thread surgery powers.  It's a million things, not just being able to see the Staff Room.  Best I could do is demote myself to forum-wide mod, which would make exactly no difference in the postbit display problem, and still limit my powers inconveniently.

I'm just going to have to figure a way to make BU Admin high-profile enough for people to notice w/o actually using that account on people much.

What high profile. Shouldnt the mod of the site asking you something be enough? Maybe I should use my bar/forum analogy.

I look at it like this. I used to have a habit of getting a little too wasted in my party days in New Orleans. The better bartenders would give me a gentle reminder that I may want to slow up. If I got too obnoxious, they would ask me to leave. Now, in New Orleans there are bars on every corner. And, yes, there were some bars I either did not mesh with the clientele (bad posters) or the bartender was a jerk (bad mod). Did I gripe or raise a stink if someone told me something, no. There are other bars. If you value the bar you go to, you respect the staff and do not give them lip. Even being asked to leave is no biggie and no insult to you as a person.

I was amazed at how some people would escalate stuff to unnecessary levels at these bars over petty stuff. Even if it was not petty, there are other bars. Maybe it does not have the English draft you like or the cute girl, but you can still drink. Now, you become an asswipe there.... you may want to look in the mirror. Or, actually do what the bartender at both places say and fly right.

[BU Admin]

So, not a soul has let on that they noticed, but I did figure out how to suppress my admin status from displaying in my (BUncle) main account's postbit.  Thank you for the DL idea, Uno.

I think it's an important expression of how I lead that I don't need the Word of God w/ Banhammer Showing.

Dio?  Question - I guess when you popped up, I was acting like I was in charge, or at least a friendly old hand with a large postcount who knew the ropes.  It must have become obvious pretty quickly that BUncle was actually in charge, but did you notice that there was nothing about it in my postbit?  I'd be interested in hearing how all this seems to a brand newb.



Finally, I think I stepped on the talk about swear policy too hard too soon because I was in a bad mood, and nothing official should ever happen because I'm in a bad mood.  Keeping in mind that sisko and I are not likely to change it significantly no matter what anyone says, do feel free to discuss the policy to your heart's content - the feedback may prove useful to us somehow.

[Dio]

First, I had been lurking on this forum for about a year and half before I became a member. This prior knowledge means that I knew of certain posters and who were the most active on this website. Second, I quickly made the connection that BUncle was an administrator because I looked at the different catergories for the staff members. In short, I am not exactly a newb.

[Buster's Uncle]

Ah.  Apologies for assuming wrongly and being a little condescending, then.  I, too, did a LOT of lurking before I signed up at my first Civ forum - and I was new to the forum, not the game, being almost OG for having taken up AC late the year it came out, and playing the demo extensively before release.  How long have you been playing?

[Rymdolov]

Finally, I think I stepped on the talk about swear policy too hard too soon because I was in a bad mood, and nothing official should ever happen because I'm in a bad mood.  Keeping in mind that sisko and I are not likely to change it significantly no matter what anyone says, do feel free to discuss the policy to your heart's content - the feedback may prove useful to us somehow.

I said this in another thread, but perhaps it's worth repeating here: I don't mind swearing and cursing, but I do mind if someone is reluctant to join the forum because there's cursing and swearing going on. That's why I don't mind keeping myself from swearing. I would be annoyed if there were certain subjects that we were not allowed to discuss, but some guidelines and rules about how to discuss things are fine with me.

That said, there might be times when certain subjects should be avoided, if they only serve to start arguments. We are all adult enough to notice this if it should happen, I think, and not stoop to flamebaiting. Due to the nature of SMAC it's unavoidable to have some interesting political discussions, though. The political content of the game is a large part of what makes it interesting.

Sorry about rambling a bit.