Free as in Destitute Forum

[michaelandjimi]

OK, here's a list of stuff for new people for reference. It is both a consolidation and including some things that haven't been said:

1. It is unmoderated, to the extent that you can't do anything illegal in the USA. This does not mean that mods don't post in it, merely that they don't use modly powers there.

2.You have to sign up for it if you wanna use it. Go to usergroups in your control panel and apply to join it. A list of all current users is also available there. Your application will be processed by hermaj and the fiddler, and, barring extreme circumstances, you will be allowed in. You will now have a new forum at the bottom of the index page.

3. Posts in there don't add to your postcount. Not even if they were perfect, on-topic, and singing the praises of xkcd to the heavens.

4. There is no edit function, but as you are free to double-post, just write stuff after it correcting the problem. Mods have the power to edit their posts for some reason.

5. Posts aren't moving in or out of the forum - it isn't a rubbish dump for contentious topics.

6. Just because you are allowed to be a douchebag there, doesn't mean it is a good idea.

Add more if you can think of any.

P.S. Extreme, grovelling apology for being a fool back there. Shan't happen again.

[thefiddler]

6. Just because you are allowed to be a douchebag there, doesn't mean it is a good idea.

This is my main focus. Please don't be obnoxious just because you can.

Mods have the power to edit their posts for some reason.

Um, yes. We are mods. We have editing powers in every forum, because that is part of what we do. We edit people's posts -- sometimes fixing tags, sometimes asking them to stay on topic, etc.

[Nimz]

Okay, I'm a little bit confused. Mods don't use their modly powers in FAID, but they can edit their own posts in FAID by taking advantage of their modly powers? I apologise if I'm missing something obvious.

[TheTankengine]

Here you go:
Mods have the same exact mod powers on every single post in the entire fora (except news[deprecated], if that's still here). Users in FAID do not have any editing or deleting capabilities. Mods do not use their moderating abilities in FAID.

[hermaj]

Editing our own posts wouldn't count as moderating anyway, at least in my opinion, because they're our own posts. And if you take a look in there, you'll find that many of the moderators are ignoring their buttons and double and triple posting when responding to people.

[Bakemaster]

Editing our own posts wouldn't count as moderating anyway, at least in my opinion, because they're our own posts.

Except that normal users cannot do it, and in principle an unmoderated forum should make no distinction at all between what you can do and what I can do. No?

[Belial]

Considering how much of a pain in the ass it would be to remove all the global mods' abilities in that forum, we'll have to cope with this injustice.

Hand-staple-forehead-sigh.

[gmalivuk]

I agree with Bakemaster's sentiment, though, and think that editing our own posts would count as a kind of moderation, because it is an ability that moderators have in there, that no one else has.

While of course it would be a stupid amount of work to actually remove editing permissions* in that forum for people who have them everywhere else, I think it would be in the "spirit" of the forum, inasmuch as there is such, if moderators voluntarily refrained from doing things there that no one else can do there, including editing their own posts.

* And because of legal issues, mods should keep the ability to edit posts, if only to remove the sorts of things that could put the whole forum in jeopardy. I just think we/they should refrain from doing so for any lesser reasons.

[davean]

What gmalivuk said.

[Belial]

Works for me

[mosc]

* And because of legal issues, mods should keep the ability to edit posts, if only to remove the sorts of things that could put the whole forum in jeopardy. I just think we/they should refrain from doing so for any lesser reasons.

I think this is in itself plenty of explanation. It's nice to have a free area but there are limits on that freedom. Maybe we're all a nice bunch of guys so this stuff never comes up but I'd assume rules regarding porn, warez, DPOUL (dreaded posts of unusual length), etc would still be relevant restrictions and enforcement requires moderation power.

[zenten]

* And because of legal issues, mods should keep the ability to edit posts, if only to remove the sorts of things that could put the whole forum in jeopardy. I just think we/they should refrain from doing so for any lesser reasons.

I think this is in itself plenty of explanation. It's nice to have a free area but there are limits on that freedom. Maybe we're all a nice bunch of guys so this stuff never comes up but I'd assume rules regarding porn, warez, DPOUL (dreaded posts of unusual length), etc would still be relevant restrictions and enforcement requires moderation power.

I thought the limitation was just things that would impede the service of the rest of the site.

So nothing that will drag down the servers, and nothing that could get the servers shut down by a court order.

[Belial]

You are correct

[Nimz]

FaiD? (Should I put a prophetic L' before the D?)

Having just finished reading every post currently in that forum, I retract what I was implying in the above. I might even post in there once I've sorted out what I've seen.

Okay, I'm a little bit confused. Mods don't use their modly powers in FAID, but they can edit their own posts in FAID by taking advantage of their modly powers?

Admittedly I was being a bit of a troll with that, but I find hypocrisy annoying at best, and you came to basically the same conclusion I would have. I apologise for the two days of discord over that issue.

All I have left to say here right now is, Thanks davean for that place, and of couse this whole place. And thanks to all the modly for being cool people.

[michaelandjimi]

FaiD? (Should I put a prophetic L' before the D?)

Having just finished reading every post currently in that forum, I retract what I was implying in the above. I might even post in there once I've sorted out what I've seen.

It's probably too late to tell you not to look in the fun with boxes thread.

That said, most of the people in there aren't obnoxious retards and are actually using it properly. I heartily applaud this bunch.