Hey - um, can we have the Regular Lounge thread back if we behave?

[smulder]

@Donald_Petersen

contributors to a fun, healthy community

I believe the term is “inpatients” now.

[anon17141263]

Ah, see; He said healthy community.

[anon68952647]

@Mister44

So I miss the lounge and I bet other do too.

[Auld_Lang_Syne]

Amen to this! The militaristic titles bother me hugely. They seem to me to directly contravene the stated (paraphrased) desire to not separate community members as much. Ranks, whether military, quasi-military, or pseudo-military (i.e. i’ve heard about the relation to Trek) inherently separate.

[orenwolf]

@Donald_Petersen

You misunderstand my position. They are not pointless in an environment wherein they’re just fun recognitions of contributors to a fun, healthy community. They’re pointless in an environment wherein they are the only recognition the recipients get, and in the case of “BBS Regulars” specifically, all it does is highlight benefits gone by, for a group of people now divested of the thing that distinguished them from the rank and file. Merit badges are not actually the point of scouting.

No, I do understand your opinion and respect your choice to assign them whatever value you wish. I’m not sure what you want by bringing up that fact though? As others use them, I’m certainly not going to remove them, as they have every right to choose to use them as well. Some users did ask me to remove the badge - would you like it removed as well?

@smulder

If there are going to be new titles for each anniversary, military seems like the wrong metaphor. Sailors don’t automatically become commanders by reenlisting four times.

Fair enough, and I did ask for suggestions but didn’t get any, so I chose Sci-Fi related titles. Just abaout every sci-fi show there is uses military titles, and the one I chose is specifically focused on exploration and peace, so clearly they mean different things to different people (I’m also not American, which may also play a role). Sci fi is a big part of what’s covered on Boing Boing, which is part of why I chose them.

Same issue applies now, though - people are using them, I’m not going to remove choice from the users who have chosen to use them. You may additionally choose not to use them.

“it’s an imperfect universe.” --G’Kar, Babylon 5, Convictions

[Donald_Petersen]

@orenwolf

would you like it removed as well?

So… not actually “irrevocable” as such?

Look, I don’t want to give you or anyone any more shit about this. Do what you must. Have as much fun as you can. Keep earning that paycheck (whatever it is, it ain’t enough). I’m gonna shaddap.

[anon68952647]

@Auld_Lang_Syne

Ranks, whether military, quasi-military, or pseudo-military (i.e. i’ve heard about the relation to Trek)

they really are not the first three, they are very much tongue in cheek that last one.

[Auld_Lang_Syne]

Trek was quasi-military. They used military titles and ranks and the concomitant social hierarchy and while the fictional characters in the Trek universe may have grown up in a truly equal society where those sorts of titles can be worn casually, it is my belief that we cannot. Titles such as these wear heavy in our world and imply a ranking of people that is antithetical to what i understand to be the purpose of this blog and this bbs.

[anon68952647]

@Auld_Lang_Syne

Titles such as these wear heavy in our world and imply a ranking of people that is antithetical to what i understand to be the purpose of this blog and this bbs.

I don’t think that implication is the responsibility of our hosts. I think it’s about as innocuous as red orange yellow green, which would likely annoy someone too. It’s not like a 3 can order a 2 around. Besides, who wants to be an Alpha, they work so hard. I am so much happier as a Beta.

@Auld_Lang_Syne

Trek was quasi-military.

If it were military the captain would have lost his job the first time the boat got scratched. Star Trek was a comedic space opera. Camp.

[smulder]

@orenwolf

every sci-fi show there is uses military titles

If we’re going to have a metaphor of achievement, they should be based on something other than a calendar date.

Maybe total likes, or total posts read, or something.

As it is, when I see somebody labeled “Lieutenant Commander,” all I know about them is they had a working email account three years ago.

[anon17141263]

@smulder

or total posts read

Huh. That seems a lot like what @codinghorror built into discourse. A rather crude metric, but possibly more meaningful than “how old is your account?”.

[orenwolf]

Conveniently, we now have both algorithmic and age-based titles.

I believe users who have spent years with us deserve recognition. As to whether or not individual users wish to display that recognition is up to them.

[anon17141263]

I’m not really all that concerned with titles, but I thank you for the effort.

[LearnedCoward]

@Donald_Petersen

They’re pointless in an environment wherein they are the only recognition the recipients get, and in the case of “BBS Regulars” specifically, all it does is highlight benefits gone by, for a group of people now divested of the thing that distinguished them from the rank and file.

True that. It’s a meaningless title that reflects something that used to have meaning.

It wasn’t about being separate or distinguished for me, but more about having had gone through the paces. I’d put some quality time in, so I got to contribute to the community rather than just visit here.

@Donald_Petersen

Some Regulars didn’t feel comfortable wearing the title next to their username

I was one of them. I didn’t feel like I had anything to prove, but enjoyed being a Regular nonetheless.

@Donald_Petersen

I felt like an active gardener in the community garden, a volunteer at the museum, a contributing member of the PTA, or maybe a mid-level Boy Scout happy to help the Cubs learn the ropes and show them a reasonably positive example, someone who enjoyed cleaning up the occasional dog turd, and liked giving uncounted hours running a Badass door game for the community because I felt encouraged to take a slice of ownership in the community.

Exactly this!

[Wanderfound]

@orenwolf

Conveniently, we now have both algorithmic and age-based titles.

I believe users who have spent years with us deserve recognition. As to whether or not individual users wish to display that recognition is up to them.

A significant proportion of those who’ve spent “years” are actually neofascists who set up a few hundred sleeper accounts at the peak of GG. Quite a lot of the right-wing trollies we get are using three-year-old previously-dormant accounts.

[LearnedCoward]

@smulder

Sailors don’t automatically become commanders by reenlisting four times.

Yep. And nobody here should outrank anyone else simply for having signed up a year earlier.

@Auld_Lang_Syne

The militaristic titles bother me hugely. They seem to me to directly contravene the stated (paraphrased) desire to not separate community members as much.

Not only do they separate us, they separate us based on an arbitrary criterion and then rank us. I never felt like Regular was a rank, but more like a status or a privilege. It’s a state we could get to for contributing consistently, and there were privileges associated with it, but we could also lose that status.

@orenwolf

I believe users who have spent years with us deserve recognition.

I don’t necessarily agree. I don’t think someone who signed up a year before me should outrank me, especially if they were dormant that whole time. If they spent that year antagonizing people, that deserves… something… but let’s not pretend they are being constructive when they weren’t.

[LearnedCoward]

Now now, it’s just a little difference of opinion. I think I deserve to exist, they don’t think I do. Let’s just agree to disagree.

[Donald_Petersen]

Sigh… one last li’l thing:

Might wanna have someone get around to fixing that, one of these days.

[Israel_B]

@AcerPlatanoides

If it were military the captain would have lost his job the first time the boat got scratched.

I can’t imagine I’d even be allowed to swab the deck much less keep the rank of Lieutenant Commander…

@smulder

Maybe total likes, or total posts read

Popularity or attention without participation?

[anon26470017]

@Donald_Petersen

Not so I could lord it over the lowly TL2s or anything, but so that I could show by example that you could put in the time and effort, make it to TL3, and then enjoy a perk or two along with the responsibility that came with the title. I felt like an active gardener in the community garden, a volunteer at the museum, a contributing member of the PTA, or maybe a mid-level Boy Scout happy to help the Cubs learn the ropes and show them a reasonably positive example, someone who enjoyed cleaning up the occasional dog turd, and liked giving uncounted hours running a Badass door game for the community because I felt encouraged to take a slice of ownership in the community. And you know what happened to that.

I feel the need to repeat this. It sounds to me way more important than the discussion about badges.