RPR Archive The Community Initiative: Strength through Similarity

The Community Initiative: Strength through Similarity

It is with great pleasure that Saintheart and myself introduce our new philosophy for the future, Strength through Similarity. Beginning today, the first of April, we will begin to enact policies designed to create a more welcoming environment for posting within these forums.

What has brought this on? It has come to our attention that the current system by which the RPF operates encourages an unacceptable stratification of our user-base. The RPF population has been divided amongst itself, with its more talented users gaining prestige and fame at the expense of those users who have just started off. Like a house or a nation, this board cannot credibly stand divided against itself. New users must feel welcome here, and the first step in doing this is to treat everyone alike.

To this end, Saintheart and myself shall enact the following policies:

1.) A more egalitarian RPF Awards, beginning today. This is one of the primary vehicles, we feel, of this social stratification, as the "awarded class" of users get set upon a pedestal. Using our more fair system of nomination and voting, RPF awards shall be granted based on quality alone. Additionally, no record of the awards shall be maintained, effectively disrupting the concrete distinctions that awards foster

2.) The Destruction of the RPF Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame is the second of the primary vehicles of social stratification and oppression. By maintaining the record of the gains of users of the past, it is a guarantor of a hierarchy of skill. It has been thereby removed.

3.) Consolidated social threads. Three social threads for this one community is simply redundant, and offers a breeding ground for cliques of users that interact only through one social thread. We have created a new centralized social thread that will allow for a more equal socialization of RPF users.

4.) Redefinition of the authority structure. While it is not within our power to completely abolish the moderator-user hierarchy, we can take an active stance as to the terminology used to define said hierarchy. To this end, both Saintheart and myself will now be known as community advocates. The changes to our titles will be enacted within 24 hrs of this post.

5.) Banners. Forums Banners create unnecessary divisions between the boards found within the RPF community. It is unfair for one group of users to be subject to one banner, and another group to another. Therefore, all RPF banners shall be standardized in the most unobjectionable way possible.

6.) Abolition of All Clubs and Contests From the RPR. Clubs promote a group divisions, and contests promote heirarchies of skill. Both do not fit within the vision as promoted by the Community Initiative, and are henceforth immediately subject to lock.

7.) Advocacy. Community Advocates and users alike will be encouraged to cultivate this radical egalitarianism, as summarized in our motto, "Strength through Similarity." Users are encouraged to place said motto within their signatures or bios, and work towards its ultimate fulfillment. This restructuring of the RPF community will be a long and tedious process, but as a group, we will prevail. Users supporting this movement are encouraged to don "the Lightside" icon for this day, as exampled in my icon. Users that distinguish themselves as revolutionary leaders will find their prospects of graduation to future community advocates roles increased.

8.) ***IMPORTANT*** As vanguards of this revolution, we are prepared to lock, ban, edit and remove posts that do not conform with the rules of this forum. We do not wish to do this, but order must be maintained within this transitioning community. This is your warning.

There may be more planks to this long term project as time progresses. Please check back here to keep abreast as to our progress as a collective. Together we can recreate this board in the grand image of similarity and equality.

Your friends and guardians,
- Imperial Hammer and Saintheart

[image=h

 

communisim FTW?

:snoopy

 

We're actually really excited about this project, Trimaj. We feel that utilising this new model we'll be able to much more adequately reflect community standards, principles, values, and directions.

 

'cept for, ya know, diversity and creativity being somewhat non-rewarded, thereby sucking out the incentive to actually BE creative... which in turn could very well bring down the quality that you are wanting to pursue. it won't be quite so easy for the new people to know what the standards of quality actually ARE here. unless you're also suggesting we adopt new standards about said quality? if so, how are you going to go about enforcing such standards precisely? by banning those who fail to meet them? or editing their posts so that they rise (or fall to) the standard that you think is needed?

:snoopy

 

April Fool's.

It had damn well better be!

 

'cept for, ya know, diversity and creativity being somewhat non-rewarded, thereby sucking out the incentive to actually BE creative... which in turn could very well bring down the quality that you are wanting to pursue. it won't be quite so easy for the new people to know what the standards of quality actually ARE here. unless you're also suggesting we adopt new standards about said quality? if so, how are you going to go about enforcing such standards precisely? by banning those who fail to meet them? or editing their posts so that they rise (or fall to) the standard that you think is needed?

Well, I'd like to answer that in parts, if I may.

(1) We find diversity and creativity actually hinders enjoyment and harmony on the RPF. It actually helps to simply follow a single mould of RPGing, we've discovered. My personal interpretation of Hammer's "Market Metaphor" bears this out quite strongly.

(2) In our view, if there is only one standard, it will be less confusing for new users to get into the community. It will also ease Darth RL problems for our more busy GMs, since they won't have to spend quite so much time on the boards. Therefore they'll be able to balance their lives better, and users on the higher-quality games won't have to worry about a sudden drop-out due to Darth RL problems. Darth RL is a considerable problem, especially right now, we've found.

(3) Compliance with the standard won't be fully mandatory, at least at first. We're anticipating a rollout over a good three months or so, following which we'll adopt a sliding scale of sanctions from edits, through to PM warnings, through to bans if required, to enforce this standard.

 

Seriously, this is all way funnier tomorrow...

 

Tomorrow?

 

Today, for you, I suppose.

 

Oh, right, April Fool's Day. This has nothing to do with that.

 

(1) We find diversity and creativity actually hinders enjoyment and harmony on the RPF. It actually helps to simply follow a single mould of RPGing, we've discovered. My personal interpretation of Hammer's "Market Metaphor" bears this out quite strongly.

if you don't mind my asking, where did you discover this from precisely? in my experience, and with pretty much everyone i've ever played with, diversity and creativity are what make the RPF such a great place to interact and be part of a community. without that it's just monotonous to actually post for anything writing wise. isn't that part of what makes writing and RPing great? the ability to create something somewhat unique and flesh it out as you go along? without that, what's the point? you just get generic stuff happening, and there's no fun to be had with it at all.

(2) In our view, if there is only one standard, it will be less confusing for new users to get into the community. It will also ease Darth RL problems for our more busy GMs, since they won't have to spend quite so much time on the boards. Therefore they'll be able to balance their lives better, and users on the higher-quality games won't have to worry about a sudden drop-out due to Darth RL problems. Darth RL is a considerable problem, especially right now, we've found.

well, now that i think about it, wasn't there really only one standard of quality before? if something is good, then it's good. if it's not... then it's really not. that's the only standard i was truly aware of actually. but to become "good" it does take time, and learning what the standard of good is here. that isn't going to change, regardless of where you set said standard.

and somehow i don't think that the standard has much of anything to do with the problem that DRL presents, because it is something outside the realm of the internet. there's not much, as a forum, that we can do about this.

(3) Compliance with the standard won't be fully mandatory, at least at first. We're anticipating a rollout over a good three months or so, following which we'll adopt a sliding scale of sanctions from edits, through to PM warnings, through to bans if required, to enforce this standard.

sooo... if you don't mind my asking, could you give an example of said standard? because it will greatly reduce individual style, i'm afraid. and again, that will lead to monotonous posting and will, in all likelihood, make actually playing or reading an RPG worthless on many levels.

:snoopy

 

I, for one, applaud this. You see, the history of all hitherto existing forums is the history of post-count struggles. Oldbie and n00b, mod and poster, l game-master and player, in a word, oppressor and oppressed, stood in constant opposition to one another, carried on an uninterrupted, now hidden, now open fight, a fight that each time ended, either in a revolutionary re-constitution of the forum at large, or in the common ruin of the contending classes. Er, posters.

 

Trim, it's all a bad joke.

A bad joke.

Like Lando pick-up line bad.

 

but there is a better way to do it than to make everything the same. for instance, take AFAS. what if non-canon RPG's were not allowed? then your game would be shut down without any chance for appeal to anyone. how is that a good thing? if there is one standard, pretty soon it will be one game type. then... then we will see the death of the RPF.

:snoopy

 

Way to ruin the joke, comrade leader.

 

I agree with Comrade Matt. Artificial distinctions must be purged for the greater good.

Everybody now!

 

but there is a better way to do it than to make everything the same. for instance, take AFAS. what if non-canon RPG's were not allowed? then your game would be shut down without any chance for appeal to anyone. how is that a good thing? if there is one standard, pretty soon it will be one game type. then... then we will see the death of the RPF.

:snoopy

I must say I'm disappointed by that response, trimaj. Hammer and I are happy to speak with you about your concerns and endeavour to convince you of the merits of our decision, though.

 

isn't that what we're doing saint? debating the merits of the new system, in a completely open fashion so that others can make up their mind as well?

as such, i would like answers to my other comments, if you don't mind.

:snoopy

 

I will just come back in two days when this is all over with.

 

Stay Comrade Tee!

Your skills are needed to advance the whole!

---

[color=green][b][u]A Public Service Announcement[/u][/b][/color]

Fellow RPers:

We have evidence among us of what happens when message boards are not run according to a well ordered and disciplined philosophy.

[link=http://boards.theforce.net/star_wars_community/b10012/p1]I present to you the evidence![/link]

Do you want a board that's backwards?

I think not!

This is why we must band together, and prevent what happened to SWC from happening here!

-I_H

 

Comrade Impy speaks the truth! We must band together and strive towards egalitarian utopia, lest the harsh winds of chaos fall upon our beloved RPF!

 

You seem to misunderstand. The point of this thread is an announcement. It is not a debate. We are notifying you of the facts and providing clarification. We are convinced of the rightness of our course. However, if you require the merits of the new system to be further explained to you, members of the RPF Collective Re-Education organisation are more than happy to attend personally on your place of residence so as to hammer out the details.

I do not understand the hesitation shown by the Community. We believe we're quite ahead of the curve. We believe that by the end of this process, we will have reached such a level of gaming quality users will be able to say that, in Star Wars RPF, RPG plays YOU!!!!

 

Hey guys! Chocolate rations are up today!

 

but doesn't it make more sense to have this out in the open, if it is as above board as you are claiming? shouldn't the merits behind it win anyone over against anything that i might have to say against the likes of such obviously wiser mods?

and honestly, what better place to have this discussion? making another thread about it would be rather redundant, which you appear to be against what with the one social thread and all.

*waits for a more complete reply*

:snoopy
:snoopy