History UsefulNotes / ForumPeckingOrder

** ''Who's here?'': Just about every personality type, but a few stand out: the {{Mediator}}, the SingleIssueWonk, and the LeftFielder in particular. Subgroups include the DieForOurShip. A proto-version of [[ForumSpeak The Shepherd]] often occupies this space; always nice to Newbies, but lacks the clout to challenge the Old Guard.

** ''Who's Here?'': Depending on the competence levels of the newbies (or the balance of acceptance vs. cynicism among the forum's regular members), they might find themselves branded a {{Noob}}. [[YesMan Yes Men]] and [[MeToo Me Toos]] usually don't get very far above Newbie level, since they never really say much to warrant "promotion." Unless, of course, they're fuelling the resident SmallNameBigEgo.

Ranks can be assigned on a purely practical level - for example, the forum creator maintains the board, while moderators can ban members, meaning that their status is "official" and grants more actual power. Other members, however, form a cult of personality, with status being assigned according to fellow members' perception of them. Certain types of OnlinePersonas gravitate towards particular ranks. This can seem strange, since most people start out as a Newbie, but can perhaps be explained by the newbie tendency to be quiet and careful until they gain some support and respect within the forum. That's when they relax and show their true colours, for better or worse. See also [[http://redwing.hutman.net/~mreed/index.htm Flame Warriors]],

** ''Who's here?'': SmallNameBigEgo with a HairTriggerTemper (if they don't get banned), TheShepherd. There's nearly always someone here who [[ForumSpeak Suffers Newbies Poorly]], and TheGadfly can also be a trusted member, although it's frequent to see them held at the end of a leash by a Mod.

** ''Who's here?'': Just about every personality type, but a few stand out: the {{Mediator}}, the SingleIssueWonk, and the LeftFielder in particular. Subgroups include the DieForOurShip. A proto-version of TheShepherd often occupies this space; always nice to Newbies, but lacks the clout to challenge the Old Guard.

* '''Newbies''': Nearly everyone starts here. These are the board's new arrivals, often recognisable for their recent "Hi, I'm new!" post. After the initial meet-and-greet, a newbie will usually post sparingly until they get a feel for the board. Confident ones can find themselves quickly raised to the level of the Bright Young Things...or pushing some buttons when unwittingly upsetting the forum's heavy hitters. Smart ones will have trawled the archives and checked the Rules and Regulations before speaking up, but that doesn't mean that they're immune to mistakes. Most decent Mods will make allowances for Newbies, and TheShepherd will take extra pains to make sure they're given a fair hearing. However, this stage is also where the [[{{Troll}} Trolls]] are weeded out, so the Mod will probably be keeping an eye on any newcomers for signs of trouble.

** ''Who's here?'': SmallNameBigEgo with a HairTriggerTemper (if they don't get banned), TheShepherd. There's nearly always someone here who SuffersNewbiesPoorly, and TheGadfly can also be a trusted member, although it's frequent to see them held at the end of a leash by a Mod.

* '''Bright Young Things''': An odd group, consisting of Newbies who have been promoted quickly. Their opinions are given more weight than those of other newcomers, although they're still expected to defer to Regular and Old Guard members. The reasons for this rapid ascension in the ranks can vary. They might be a friend of someone held in high esteem in the forum. They might be a well-known fanfic author or [[{{BigNameFan}} other fandom celebrity]] who's been active elsewhere. Or they're just plain nice, and have been making themselves useful from day one. Either way, it's not long before they've settled into the forum and are indistinguishable from other Regular members.

* '''Newbies''': Nearly everyone starts here. These are the board's new arrivals, often recognisable for their recent "Hi, I'm new!" post. After the initial meet-and-greet, a newbie will usually post sparingly until they get a feel for the board. Confident ones can find themselves quickly raised to the level of the Bright Young Things...or pushing some buttons when unwittingly [[InternetBackdraft upsetting the forum's heavy hitters]]. Smart ones will have trawled the archives and checked the Rules and Regulations before speaking up, but that doesn't mean that they're immune to mistakes. Most decent Mods will make allowances for Newbies, and TheShepherd will take extra pains to make sure they're given a fair hearing. However, this stage is also where the [[{{Troll}} Trolls]] are weeded out, so the Mod will probably be keeping an eye on any newcomers for signs of trouble.

** ''Who's here?'': Just about every personality type, but a few stand out: the {{Mediator}}, the SingleIssueWonk. and the LeftFielder in particular. Subgroups include the DieForOurShip. A proto-version of TheShepherd often occupies this space; always nice to Newbies, but lacks the clout to challenge the Old Guard.

* '''Newbies''': Nearly everyone starts here. These are the board's new arrivals, often recognisable for their recent "Hi, I'm new!" post. After the initial meet-and-greet, a newbie will usually post sparingly until they get a feel for the board. Confident ones can find themselves quickly raised to the level of the Bright Young Things...or hitting a FandomBerserkButton when unwittingly [[InternetBackdraft upsetting the forum's heavy hitters]]. Smart ones will have trawled the archives and checked the Rules and Regulations before speaking up, but that doesn't mean that they're immune to mistakes. Most decent Mods will make allowances for Newbies, and TheShepherd will take extra pains to make sure they're given a fair hearing. However, this stage is also where the [[{{Troll}} Trolls]] are weeded out, so the Mod will probably be keeping an eye on any newcomers for signs of trouble.

--> -- "Schmorgluck" [[http://forums.questionablecontent.net/index.php?topic=25219.msg971230#msg971230 sums up]] the ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent'' forums and internet communities in general.

** Then there's the forums that are actually dedicated to ''[[{{Hatedom}} hating a particular creator or his work]]''. If that creator starts making posts on the forum, the reaction will vary between amusement where the target and forum-goers trade friendly jabs at each other, or enormous flame wars where the target spews vitriol at the forum while its members gang up to shout out their hatred for him/her, often ending with the admins banning him/her.

** Then there's the forums that are actually dedicated to ''[[{{Hatedom}} hating a particular creator or his work]]''. If that creator starts making posts on the forum, the reaction will vary between amusement where the target and forum-goers trade friendly jabs at each other, or enormous flame wars where the target spews vitriol at the forum while its members gang up to shout out their hatred for him, often ending with the admins banning him.

* '''Moderators''': a.k.a. Mods. Admin are in charge of the boards, but Mods are in charge of the members. This is usually the most recognisable of the "authority" groups, and the one that the general board populace is likely to see on a frequent basis. The Mod's greatest power is banning; make enough of a nuisance of yourself and you'll be barred from the board (although, being of a lower status than Admin, they may have to refer to that group first). They can also delete or lock discussion threads that have gotten out of hand, and are generally in charge of seeing that everyone plays nicely together. A good Mod is a godsend for a message board. A bad one is likely to cause members to flee. Often, Mods have hierarchy of their own, especially between those who moderate a single topic forum, and those who oversee all of it. Mods are usually respected and popular Old Guard members who have been given a "promotion" for their years of devotion to the forum. Mods are known as "Op[erator]s" on IRC and come in Op +o and Half-Op (lesser power) +h flavours.

** ''Who's here?'': SmallNameBigEgo with a HairTriggerTemper (if they don't get banned), TheShepherd. There's nearly always someone here who SuffersNewbiesPoorly, and TheGadfly can also be a trusted member (which is why they get away with it).

* '''The Old Guard''': They don't have any official power, per se, but they're the celebrities of the board. Newbies and Regulars know they've made it in the fandom if an Old Guard praises their {{Fanfic}} or asks for their MSN address. As with Regulars, they participate in day-to-day discussion, but often not to the same extent -- The Old Guard have been into their specialization/fandom for a while, and unless some sparkling new debate catches their attention, or a new series kicks into gear, they're not known for posting every five minutes. Sometimes even the Mods can be wary of crossing this group, since they've been here long enough to have a strong set of allies (and, occasionally, a mini-fandom of their own)... which means if they're a {{Jerkass}}, hapless Newbies and blithely ignorant Regulars should be very careful in their dealings with them. Usually, though, this is a pretty benevolent group, and ''the'' ones to go to if you want to know obscure facts about the fandom. Most likely to be voiced (+v) in a channel.
** ''Who's here?'': SmallNameBigEgo with a HairTriggerTemper (if they don't get banned), TheShepherd. There's nearly always someone here who SuffersNewbiesPoorly, and the Resident Freak is usually a trusted member.

** ''Who's here?'': SmallNameBigEgo with a HairTriggerTemper (if they don't get banned), TheShepherd. There's nearly always someone here who SuffersNewbiesPoorly, and the ResidentFreak is usually a trusted member.

** ''Who's here?'': SmallNameBigEgo with a HairTriggerTemper (if they don't get banned), TheShepherd. There's nearly always someone here who SuffersNewbiesPoorly.

** ''Who's here?'': SmallNameBigEgo with a HairTriggerTemper (if they don't get banned), The ResidentFreak, TheShepherd. There's nearly always someone here who SuffersNewbiesPoorly.

** On GameFaqs, special status is given to game devs or PR people. The vast majority of them lack either the interest or netiquette to last long on the forums, so they generally just post a "thanks for buying my game" kind of response and then are never heard from again.

[[SelfDeprecation You must be new here...]]"''

->''This comment is informed, reasonable, and it makes sense.\\
[[SelfDeprecation You must be new here...]]''

** Then there's the forums that are actually dedicated to ''[[Hatedom hating a particular creator or his work]]''. If that creator starts making posts on the forum, the reaction will vary between amusement where the target and forum-goers trade friendly jabs at each other, or enormous flame wars where the target spews vitriol at the forum while its members gang up to shout out their hatred for him, often ending with the admins banning him.

** Then there's the forums that are actually dedicated to ''[[HateDom hating a particular creator or his work]]''. If that creator starts making posts on the forum, the reaction will vary between amusement where the target and forum-goers trade friendly jabs at each other, or enormous flame wars where the target spews vitriol at the forum while its members gang up to shout out their hatred for him, often ending with the admins banning him.

* '''The Old Guard''': They don't have any official power, per se, but they're the celebrities of the board. Newbies and Regulars know they've made it in the fandom if an Old Guard praises their {{Fanfic}} or asks for their MSN address. As with Regulars, they participate in day-to-day discussion, but often not to the same extent -- The Old Guard have been into their specialisation/fandom for a while, and unless some sparkling new debate catches their attention, or a new series kicks into gear, they're not known for posting every five minutes. Sometimes even the Mods can be wary of crossing this group, since they've been here long enough to have a strong set of allies (and, occasionally, a mini-fandom of their own)... which means if they're a JerkAss, hapless Newbies and blithely ignorant Regulars should be very careful in their dealings with them. Usually, though, this is a pretty benevolent group, and ''the'' ones to go to if you want to know obscure facts about the fandom. Most likely to be voiced (+v) in a channel.

* '''Bright Young Things''': An odd group, consisting of Newbies who have been promoted quickly. Their opinions are given more weight than those of other newcomers, although they're still expected to defer to Regular and Old Guard members. The reasons for this rapid ascension in the ranks can vary. They might be a friend of someone held in high esteem in the forum. They might be a well-known fanfic author or [[{{BNF}} other fandom celebrity]] who's been active elsewhere. Or they're just plain nice, and have been making themselves useful from day one. Either way, it's not long before they've settled into the forum and are indistinguishable from other Regular members.

--> -- "Schmorgluck" [[http://forums.questionablecontent.net/index.php?topic=25219.msg971230#msg971230 sums up]] the ''QuestionableContent'' forums and internet communities in general.

* '''The Gods Themselves''': If a forum is devoted to a specific topic, notably one in entertainment or pop culture, then these are the actual creators of the works in question. Be they writer, director, actor, or possibly key grip, they get the celebrity treatment -- so long as they can prove they are who they say they are to the other high-rankers. It's a huge event for the gods to quote your post, reply to your message, or debate your point, and saying anything even slightly insulting or non-lickspittle to one of them will get one labeled a troll. The gods have tiny post counts, and no administrative powers, but they may as well outrank everyone else. Of course, for some communities, like those for comics or webcomics, the forum creator is the god in question, and sometimes [[{{SmallNameBigEgo}} that's not such a good thing]]. SpoilAtYourOwnRisk on forums frequented by the gods, as admins will frequently clamp down on any unauthorized future storyline leaks to prevent any show/movie staff member from being blamed for the leak. An example of a god is nerd icon Creator/WilWheaton, who seems to have an account on every single nerdy forum and website in existence. Another is KevinSmith, who is also the Forum Creator and Admin of his forum, which he posts on every single day.