Member Rankings/Titles

**JolyStNicholas** · 9th March 10, 11:40 AM

"Oh The Shame Of It All" I think I will use this as an excuse to go out and have a pint and order meself a new KILT and celebrate something

**starbkjrus** · 9th March 10, 12:16 PM

Originally Posted by The F-H.C.A.G.

Just for the reocrd, I loved the custom titles and thought they were a lot of fun and am disappointed that they are being discarded.

Also, I'm going to refute a few things here.

As far as I am aware, the Mod Squad voted on all of the custom titles. None were "arbitrarily given" by any one person alone.

Also, as far as I am aware, there was no "Defender of Flat Caps", but if there was, it was funny and meant something to those who are "in the know", and would just be shrugged off by those who weren't.

Hear, Hear! I cannot say it better.

Again, I think this is a fallacy. These so-called "vanity titles" were NOT put there by one person with no input from anyone else, but rather voted on by the entire Mod Squad, many of whom are no longer moderators since Steve took over the forum. Some of whom are no longer comfortable even visiting this forum since their input is gradually being erased.

As it was not the whim of an individual before you, Steve.

Sorry, but you asked for opinions and I am an opinionated kind of gal!

Be well,

I agree with Star. The titles were a bit of fun that added quite a bit. Seems to me that piece by piece all the fun is being sucked right out of XMarks. I suspect this is going to become a VERY expensive experiment.

**KFCarter** · 8th March 10, 05:35 AM

I hadn't noticed at all which means one of two things: it is a great idea, or my mind is going... probably a bit of both!

**MacLowlife** · 8th March 10, 06:23 AM

I opened this thread, figuring someone other than I wanted to know the full expanse of the numerical ranks- i.e., what do you have to do around here to become a kilted X. Personally, having striven for lo these months to become a member of the Gentry, I am a little disappointed- what next, no hereditary titles in the British House of Lords?

Ectually, a careful scholar will see that I predicted this in October or November, when I was in that early stage, posting early and often. I warned Ted Crocker that my rapid rise to the top was proof that I was just a flash in the pan. Gentry for six days, ladies and gentlemen- what kind of aristocracy is that?

**Bugbear** · 8th March 10, 08:49 AM

Originally Posted by MacLowlife

I opened this thread, figuring someone other than I wanted to know the full expanse of the numerical ranks- i.e., what do you have to do around here to become a kilted X. Personally, having striven for lo these months to become a member of the Gentry, I am a little disappointed- what next, no hereditary titles in the British House of Lords?

Ectually, a careful scholar will see that I predicted this in October or November, when I was in that early stage, posting early and often. I warned Ted Crocker that my rapid rise to the top was proof that I was just a flash in the pan. Gentry for six days, ladies and gentlemen- what kind of aristocracy is that?

There, there, MacLowlife. It will all be ok, eventually, and you will become a fixture of the forum. rainWater spout, perhaps?

**thescot** · 8th March 10, 10:54 AM

I liked the titles. I also like the post count. I kind of appreciate knowing who's been around a while and who is a new guy.

I don't know about all that "dividing us" stuff. I never saw it that way, and I am also not so keen on everyone being exactly alike. I prefer that mix of talents, ideas, thoughts, etc. that make this a pretty interesting place. (Please notice how I do not use the term diversity which has come to mean anything but. In the politically correct world it means we are all alike and have to use the same terms and speak the same way and on and on ad nauseum.)

I remember "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut when I think of all that.

I know it's not up for a vote, but I still like the titles. If nothing else, it had a schmaltzy silliness to it that let everyone know we didn't take ourselves too seriously.

**Steve Ashton** · 8th March 10, 11:17 AM

TheScot,

You have a very valid point. The intent was not to become some politically correct forum.

It was that most of the vanity titles were put there by one person with no input from anyone else. Sort of a "oh, this might be cute" sort of thing. They were not voted on and some of them were frankly stupid. Did we really need a title "Wife of XXX". Did anyone know that there was such a title? The person had only posted once, so probably not.

And while they did, as you say, add a "schmaltzy silliness" to the forum, how many times have you seen a new person come on and ask, "Hey, what's with all the titles? What do they mean?". The titles did not mean anything. They were just there.
"Kilted this" and "kilted that".

If we, and I mean the whole forum, decide to award a title then it will be done because the person actually earned it. It will be voted on. And a formal announcement made with the reason the title was awarded. Just as when a soldier receives a medal or a valued employee is given recognition they read the proclamation out loud for all to hear.

Take a look at Retro Red's profile. It says "In Remembrance". And as soon as I can get one designed, and uploaded, it will have the same background as the Forum Moderators. Now that's a title that means something to all of us. It also tells anyone who looks, that Craig will never be forgotten.

**piperdbh** · 8th March 10, 11:17 AM

I agree with Jim.

**MacLowlife** · 8th March 10, 12:32 PM

To some large degree, the titles may have indicated longevity, though they mostly indicated number of posts. Like the poor person who never served and really doesn't know whether a sergeant is higher than a major, a visitor might not immediately know whether it was "better" to be a samurai or a warrior or a member of the Gentry. Let's face it those titles were fairly arbitrary and only MORE OR LESS indicative of prestige...

But after looking a handful of times, one began to realize that there was a hierarchy and the hierarchy usually was worth knowing.

My title for this post refers to the Lido Deck on the Love Boat. You never really did know if it was better or worse than the Promenade deck or the Calypso deck. And my girlfriend didn't know if being a kilted warrior was good or not' or HOW good. I think the reason is fairly clear- they are all supposed to sound good and the actual relative prestige is less important.

On the other hand, let's get serious about "chosen by one person". Our names (our "handles", our idnetities, aour aliases, etc.), unless they were chosen by our parents, were "chosen by one person." If you come to SC and start hunting for MacLowlife, you are going to be hunting for a long time, just as you would be for well over half of the members whose member identities were "chosen by one person". If a guy wishes to designate himself a kilted keeper of the eternal flame, or a kilted prosector, or a kilted konstable, that is not much different from proclaiming to all of the forum that my name is MacLowlife, which it is not actually. It is a form of self-deprecating humor, a means of defusing notions that I take myself too seriously. In case that wasn't already clear.

If one looks at this forum daily, one notices which faces appear regularly and which faces don't. And it doesn't take too long for a member to establish him(or her)self as either a person of goodwill or a person who tends to get huffy- or even as a person who means well, but is frequently misunderstood. A visitor might miss those nuances, but a visitor might miss a lot of things.

I expect, in the time it has taken me to type all of this, that someone else has already said " some of us are more equal than others."

**Steve Ashton** · 8th March 10, 01:18 PM

There is nothing stopping any member from customizing their signature block.

As long as it stays within the rules.

There was a fad a few years ago where someone posted a link to a program that would create fancy titles like "The Grand Upheadding Laird of Thwockmorton upon Sandy Beach the 33rd, twice removed."
Then for a while everyone was adding "Sporrano" to their username. There are only one or two of those left.

Some member put those things in their signature block. Fine. that's what Signature Blocks are for. They are a way for members to add a little something special. A quote or descriptive title if they wanted it.

But the vanity titles under the username the user can't change on their own. That can only be done by someone with admin access. First that was Hank, Then Mike1 for a while. Now that is me.

I will not give someone some vanity title all on my own, If the Staff votes a title then I will post it. But everyone will know and understand that it is not just me doing so on a whim.