Proposal for More Responsible Staff Members

[~Void~]

Honestly, whenever I come back to check on you guys, I see the same damn thing every single time.

There's always some ridiculous, childish, silly, and insignificant drama going on. Whether it's fighting in chat, fighting in SD, fighting in OT, fighting in MT, whining about power abuse and playing Che Guevara with the moderators, it's always the same circle-jerk -- to put it quite frankly, a bunch of socially-challenged nerdy teenagers reinforcing each other's immature ideas of community. And every time it happens, some moderator with a stick up his/her arse comes and swings the ban hammer a few times to make sure they piss off all the kids nice and good. It's the same thing as bad parenting. You don't smack your kids, you teach them. Likewise, the people who cause this sort of drama need to know WHY, and I mean EXACTLY WHY, they shouldn't be doing it, and they need to see exactly how destructive it is to the community. Then, if they still don't learn, you swing the ban hammer. Maybe this is already going on, but it's quite clear that the staff here isn't doing a good enough job.

I was here as a kid, since I was 13, and believe me I stirred up my fair share of childish drama. I got banned for it like, 5 times? The message here is not that Hive shouldn't be for kids; it's a great place for kids, but we really need to let the adults run the show.

Although I've been out of the loop for a while, I don't think I'm too far off in saying that a lot of the staff members here have not yet had the real life experience required to manage a community like this. It is also quite clear that Ralle has very little hold if any over the community. I'm not saying he's a bad webmaster, but real life means you can't always be keeping track of a bunch of kiddies on the internet.

Back in my day, people complained about Wolverabid's absence, and I joined them because I trusted that he was a good admin. Now I know why. He was mature, caring, patient, firm, and responsible, and he was like a father to this community.

I propose a series of intensive video chat skype interviews for all prospective staff members. I know that when I was much younger and looking at a spot as Terrain Moderator, all I really cared about was the power and importance that the rank would get me. Nobody knew who the hell I was as a person, and I think if Ralle had seen my face or talked to me in person for even a minute, he'd have been like NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPE!!!

So let's learn from our mistakes, and choose more responsible staff members who know how to deal with children, because things really do seem to have gotten out of hand lately. No more "I'm more important than you are and don't have to take your crap" bans, no more make-believe power-structure masturbation, and no more downright stupid authoritative practices.

---

Edit: After reading up a bit more on what's been going on, I understand that Ralle is already doing a very good job working through this situation. However, we cannot leave it up to him. Yes, he's the webmaster; yes, it's his job. As community members, it's our job too. No more of this "hive's dying" crap, because it is complete and total sh*t and it's destructive to the community. Whining is just going to prolong the issues here. Hive needs reform, so let's start working on it from the ground up, so hopefully we can meet Ralle and the rest of the administrators somewhere in the middle. That's the quickest and best way to work through this bullsh*t and ensure the survival of our beloved site. I did a lot of growing up here and believe me I'm not letting this place die without a heartfelt effort.

---

I shouldn't have to remind you not to post in this thread unless you have a well-thought-out response to my argument.

THIS IS NOT A THREAD TO NOMINATE PEOPLE FOR STAFF POSITIONS.

 

[Skycraft]

I support this notion; having someone in charge of keeping the kiddies in line would be great.

 

[SA Dashie]

Honestly, whenever I come back to check on you guys, I see the same damn thing every single time.

There's always some ridiculous, childish, silly, and insignificant drama going on. Whether it's fighting in chat, fighting in SD, fighting in OT, fighting in MT, whining about power abuse and playing Che Guevara with the moderators, it's always the same circle-jerk -- to put it quite frankly, a bunch of socially-challenged nerdy teenagers reinforcing each other's immature ideas of community. And every time it happens, some moderator with a stick up his/her arse comes and swings the ban hammer a few times to make sure they piss off all the kids nice and good. It's the same thing as bad parenting. You don't smack your kids, you teach them. Likewise, the people who cause this sort of drama need to know WHY, and I mean EXACTLY WHY, they shouldn't be doing it, and they need to see exactly how destructive it is to the community. Then, if they still don't learn, you swing the ban hammer. Maybe this is already going on, but it's quite clear that the staff here isn't doing a good enough job.

I was here as a kid, since I was 13, and believe me I stirred up my fair share of childish drama. I got banned for it like, 5 times? The message here is not that Hive shouldn't be for kids; it's a great place for kids, but we really need to let the adults run the show.

-----------

I propose an age minimum of eighteen for all staff members, as well as video chat skype interviews. I know that when I was much younger and looking at a spot as Terrain Moderator, all I really cared about was the power and importance that the rank would get me. Nobody knew who the hell I was as a person, and I think if Ralle had seen my face or talked to me in person for even a minute, he'd have been like NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPE!!!

Eghh, you know that others can learn from such experience at an earlier age and that with each individual person they also mature faster/differently.
What I am saying in this context is that not every one is the same so I don't realy see why there should be a legitimate age limit on an age staff member limit as instead they should be up to the specifications regardless of age as I am sure when Ralle considers a user up for a promotion would be precariously be wachted by there activity.
I am also sure that a lot of people here don't realy act the age they say they are.

 

[~Void~]

Eghh, you know that others can learn from such experience at an earlier age and that with each individual person they also mature faster/differently.
What I am saying in this context is that not every one is the same so I don't realy see why there should be a legitimate age limit on an age staff member limit as instead they should be up to the specifications regardless of age as I am sure when Ralle considers a user up for a promotion would be precariously be wachted by there activity.
I am also sure that a lot of people here don't realy act the age they say they are.

You're right, but Hive doesn't have the manpower to do that kind of thing. It's too much effort. Sometimes you have to cut corners.

Moreover, if there's one thing I've observed having been here for over five years, it's that Ralle is never and probably will never be around enough to handle promotions properly. He may be the webmaster, but at least up until a year or so ago, it was always the admins who took care of that kind of stuff behind the scenes.

We need someone who is willing to devote the time to individually scrutinize every prospective staff member to a very high but reasonable standard of quality, as opposed to the current quite low standard.

 

[Pharaoh_]

What does age limit have to do with being responsible, having a stable self-image and all the 'etc.' that are implied by it? A person of 18 years old doesn't automatically become someone who offers the 'quality' you are referring to. It takes years and struggles before you realize who and what you are. 'kid' is a rushed term to throw it here and there, instead of using what you're actually pointing: the immaturity of the target person.

And by the way, just because maturity is indirectly mentioned, it doesn't mean that the person who invokes it for discussion is mature enough. And no, I am not referring to you specifically, at all.

 

[Direfury]

An age limit won't do much good. I've got one good example, someone with a very long list of power abuse and harassment, who still hasn't been dealt with. You have to be mature, level-headed and, well, intelligent.

Being over 18 doesn't mean you're not rash, impulsive, or more bluntly, an idiot. Still, the trolls on the other hand, are an entirely different matter, people who may be all the things you'd need in a staff member, or any sort of authority figure, but they're either so sick in the head, or so disassociated with the community, that they just don't care.

 

[Silverfish423]

Well if you are going to have video skype sessions to help determine the qualifications of a certain individual...I'd say that the 18 year old requirement would be used as a sort of guide so that 25 year olds aren't skyping 12 year olds. It'd be more of a privacy/safety precaution

 

[Karawasa]

Hey thank you for doing the terrain for my map back in the day. It was good stuff. With that said, keep on dreaming buddy. What mature person would want to spend his time shepherding the cesspool of immaturity this place has become?

 

[Mecheon]

I was under 18 for some of my tenture here. I was just, y'know, mature

 

[~Void~]

If everyone in this thread is going to babble about how some people under 18 are mature, I'm going to request it be closed.

YOU'RE MISSING THE F*CKING POINT

I put it there for a reason, but as reading that line clearly went to people's heads, I edited it out of my post. Now get back on topic.

 

[Magtheridon96]

Interviews you say?
I'm ambivalent here because this wouldn't actually help us choose the best moderators, it would only help us filter out the really terrible ones.

 

[Bugz]

And that's not a start maggy? - not really that i think interviews should be done.

~Void~
-More resposible staff is indeed required, however you state that people under 18 are immature, not all kids are like that.
Also just to point out, you should know that like 75% of the banned users (recently) are most likely around 18 or over.

 

[Kingz]

While i admire that more people are trying to contribute to the community now, i doubt most of these threads will be open for a long time, speaking from the recent events and the picture they represent.

Tho very few will ever fill in the shoes of the past generation.
Ralle has to accept that special people sometimes come with a slight offset in personality and that everyone carries something from the past, sometimes good, sometimes bad.


Anyhow, you have my support, for whatever it is worth. Not that i care much anymore.

 

[1)ark_NiTe]

I think it's a great idea. Nothing to do with age but you can definitely get a much better sense of someones character, even if the video interview is only 5-10 minutes long. It's hard for me to imagine how the site fell into such irresponsible hands. I bet that it wouldn't have gone down the same way if we had a policy like this one.

 

[~Void~]

And that's not a start maggy? - not really that i think interviews should be done.

~Void~
-More resposible staff is indeed required, however you state that people under 18 are immature, not all kids are like that.
Also just to point out, you should know that like 75% of the banned users (recently) are most likely around 18 or over.

Where in my post did I state that? I think, if you actually READ IT, you'll find that I stated the exact opposite.

It's due to this kind of crap that the Site Discussion forum is a sh*thole.

Don't open your mouth in a discussion unless you know what other people are talking about.

Interviews you say?
I'm ambivalent here because this wouldn't actually help us choose the best moderators, it would only help us filter out the really terrible ones.

There are a lot of those.

I think it's a great idea. Nothing to do with age but you can definitely get a much better sense of someones character, even if the video interview is only 5-10 minutes long. It's hard for me to imagine how the site fell into such irresponsible hands. I bet that it wouldn't have gone down the same way if we had a policy like this one.

Thank you for your support. It's actually rather easy for me to imagine, however. Ralle has a life, maybe the other admins do, maybe they don't. AFK admins is the problem. We need people who give a sh*t and it's sad for me to see that those people are few and far between these days.

 

[Direfury]

Ahem. Senior member here.

And unlike certain examples, I'm sensible enough to not abuse power. Like certain examples, who shall not be named.

 

[~Void~]

Ahem. Senior member here.

And unlike certain examples, I'm sensible enough to not abuse power. Like certain examples, who shall not be named.

Prove it.

Also, don't be afraid to name names. Nothing's going to happen around here if we don't call out the people who aren't doing a good enough job.

And a message to anyone who gets it in their head to try and censor that sort of thing no matter what their rank: Hive WILL die if censorship becomes/continues to be a regular practice.

 

[anarchianbedlam]

I can personally vouch for vermi here. He is responsible, sensible, incorruptible and would never abuse power. I may not be a mod anymore, but I would personally like to support my good friend vermillion here for a staff position. He has lots of experience with both modeling and texturing, he continuously produces quality work so he definitely knows what he is talking about. I've seen him help out new members with questions numerous times and I know he would donate his extensive experience and valuable time to help improve and heal this great community. He would be a great addition to our fine staff.

 

[The Dark Wizard]

Guys lets not stray off topic please, complaining about former staff members is not the purpose of this thread.

 

[Crayons]

kids are family friendly.
most kids are immature.

be sensibly non-family friendly = you are mature.

and all those sensibly non-family friendly people got banned from this site due to being detrimental to the site's health.

so yeah, if I call that the kid needs inspiration because his naruto spelpax idea wasn't good = I am not family friendly

 

[Direfury]

Things were fine before all the trolling began, though. Those types of members were largely restricted to the request and map development sections, and were, atleast for me, out of sight, and out of mind. This is a site for WC3 modding and mapping, not a daycare.

Cater to the most important group, not the loudest or most aggravating.

 

[anarchianbedlam]

vermi has brought up some very good points, we need staff members who are willing to help people without trolling. I genuinely do support vermi for a staff position, and I would appreciate it if others would support him as well

 

[Crayons]

This is a site for WC3 modding and mapping, not a daycare.
Cater to the most important group, not the loudest or most aggravating.

correct.

but sadly ineveitable due to some recent actions.

 

[Kingz]

Just a quick question, how is someone who makes this comment:

BOOM!
Headshot!

About this:

If you guys have been awake that long this morning I'm sure you've heard about the crazy, horrible shooting that happened at the midnight premiere of the Dark Knight Rises: http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/20/us/col...html?hpt=hp_t1 . 12 killed, 38 others wounded, pretty crazy. My heart goes out to the affected families...

A mature person?
Sorry but a mature person doesn't make fun of other people tragedies, let alone jokes about it.

 

[anarchianbedlam]

kingz, clearly it was a joke, everyone knows that it was a joke, vermillion is still a lot more mature than any other candidate for moderator membership

 

[Crayons]

yes it was a joke.

still offensive though.

 

[Crazed_seal2]

takakenji is pretty mature when you think about it.

However. How do you even become a moderator?

 

[The Dark Wizard]

takakenji is pretty mature when you think about it.

However. How do you even become a moderator?

Not by asking or nominating other users, the staff will contact a person should the staff feel that the person in question deserves a mod position.

 

[Karawasa]

kingz, clearly it was a joke, everyone knows that it was a joke, vermillion is still a lot more mature than any other candidate for moderator membership

It was a joke in very poor taste. It speaks negatively on his supposed maturity. If he is one of the most mature this site has to offer...good luck, you will need it.

 

[Fussiler1]

kingz, clearly it was a joke, everyone knows that it was a joke, vermillion is still a lot more mature than any other candidate for moderator membership

hmm that doesn't bode very well ..

 

[Crayons]

this marks the end of this moderator application thread.

 

[Kingz]

kingz, clearly it was a joke, everyone knows that it was a joke, vermillion is still a lot more mature than any other candidate for moderator membership

Not mature enough, if he still thinks he should be making that kind of jokes.

 

[Karawasa]

To bring the thread back on-topic, what just happened is exactly the problem. Maturity is different based on who you ask on this site. Perhaps the majority of people here would consider the guy who made the horrible joke mature. They'd be wrong in my book but since I don't have any say it doesn't matter. If the userbase is immature itself, I find it hard to see how staff selection can remedy that.

By the way, he may be an asshole and self-serving but TDW is actually mature compared to most people here.

 

[Crazed_seal2]

To bring the thread back on-topic, what just happened is exactly the problem. Maturity is different based on who you ask on this site. Perhaps the majority of people here would consider the guy who made the horrible joke mature. They'd be wrong in my book but since I don't have any say it doesn't matter. If the userbase is immature itself, I find it hard to see how staff selection can remedy that.

By the way, he may be an asshole and self-serving but TDW is actually mature compared to most people here.

Ass kissing gets you no where. So I would just stop it.
Fact is, we all have a small amount of childishness. And children of course, are the most childish. Age doesn't determine maturity, but it does affect it in a way.

 

[Karawasa]

Ass kissing gets you no where. So I would just stop it.

What the fuck? Thanks for the laugh.

 

[Direfury]

Overall, moderators are supposed to focus on their job, not trying to earn other members' respect, that's best left to regular members who need that sort of elevation. An example, TDW more or less shouldn't care what any of you people think of he's doing his job, which, right now, is complying with "Zero Tolerance" and making sure everyone else follows along.

On another note, maturity isn't just restraint, it also involves just a little sense, and an even temper, Kingz. Lashing out, in public or private, over something incredibly minor isn't a good example of how mature you might be. Maybe next time, you should probably just send whoever a message when they get your shorts in a twist.


That aside, if you all really do believe that moderators have to be our babysitters, maybe, just maybe, after the other staff members have come up with a list of potential moderators, specifically community, contest or general forum moderators, a poll could be brought about for us to vote on. Considering these moderators are pretty well forced to put up with us, they're the only ones we really need to know about.

Resource moderators on the other hand, don't have to say a word to us, as long as they rate resources fairly, or show the general modding community what kind of quality they're looking for, as a benchmarker, through fair ratings, and some useful advice on resources that are rated as 'Lacking'. Favoritism and excessively high standards don't really have a place in the resource sections.

Moderators are basically observers, with the power to remove the unwanted elements, or keep the peace. They're not elite members, or a police force. They are supposed to be passive until their hand is forced.

 

[The Dark Wizard]

Overall, moderators are supposed to focus on their job, not trying to earn other members' respect, that's best left to regular members who need that sort of elevation. An example, TDW more or less shouldn't care what any of you people think of he's doing his job, which, right now, is complying with "Zero Tolerance" and making sure everyone else follows along.

On another note, maturity isn't just restraint, it also involves just a little sense, and an even temper, Kingz. Lashing out, in public or private, over something incredibly minor isn't a good example of how mature you might be. Maybe next time, you should probably just send whoever a message when they get your shorts in a twist.


That aside, if you all really do believe that moderators have to be our babysitters, maybe, just maybe, after the other staff members have come up with a list of potential moderators, specifically community, contest or general forum moderators, a poll could be brought about for us to vote on. Considering these moderators are pretty well forced to put up with us, they're the only ones we really need to know about.

Resource moderators on the other hand, don't have to say a word to us, as long as they rate resources fairly, or show the general modding community what kind of quality they're looking for, as a benchmarker, through fair ratings, and some useful advice on resources that are rated as 'Lacking'. Favoritism and excessively high standards don't really have a place in the resource sections.

Moderators are basically observers, with the power to remove the unwanted elements, or keep the peace. They're not elite members, or a police force. They are supposed to be passive until their hand is forced.

Well spoken.

 

[Kitabatake]

Overall, moderators are supposed to focus on their job, not trying to earn other members' respect, that's best left to regular members who need that sort of elevation.

There is no authority without respect.
A moderator without respect is just another powerabusing moron in the eyes of the community.

 

[Asomath]

Overall, moderators are supposed to focus on their job, not trying to earn other members' respect, that's best left to regular members who need that sort of elevation. An example, TDW more or less shouldn't care what any of you people think of he's doing his job, which, right now, is complying with "Zero Tolerance" and making sure everyone else follows along.

Not quite. A moderator is also a user, and as such, should actively seek out to be a part of the community. They SHOULD, like Kitabatake said, try to seek out the respect of the user base. Its not that he shouldn't care what people think of his job... its just that he and other moderators CAN NOT let that impact him doing his job. They still should desire to improve relations with the community as best as possible.

~Asomath

 

[Kingz]

On another note, maturity isn't just restraint, it also involves just a little sense, and an even temper, Kingz. Lashing out, in public or private, over something incredibly minor isn't a good example of how mature you might be. Maybe next time, you should probably just send whoever a message when they get your shorts in a twist.

My maturity isn't in question, since i never had a desire to deal with other users as a moderator/administrator, you on the other hand have been brought up in this thread as someone who is mature enough to qualify to be a moderator or someone who is mature enough for other moderators to look up to?

Your maturity however was in question, and i wanted to point out that the words you spoke in that thread show you aren't mature as you were presented to be in this thread afterall, at least not from my view of point, but hey, it's my opinion and if i am the only one feeling so there is no harm done.

 

[Kitabatake]

Not quite. A moderator is also a user, and as such, should actively seek out to be a part of the community. They SHOULD, like Kitabatake said, try to seek out the respect of the user base. Its not that he shouldn't care what people think of his job... its just that he and other moderators CAN NOT let that impact him doing his job. They still should desire to improve relations with the community as best as possible.

~Asomath

That is true, moderators cannot let criticism affect their performance.


However, it would be a catastrophe to have moderators who haven't earned respect in their fields.

Could you imagine a map moderator who has not uploaded a map himself?
Could you imagine a model moderator who has not proven his skills in modelling?
Could you imagine a community moderator who has not participated in the community?
​

But luckily Hive would never stoop so low to allow anything like that to happen.

 

[Direfury]

That's true, of course, though if a model moderator continuously approved and rated resources fairly, and did it consistently, I doubt anyone would complain after too long.

 

[Magtheridon96]

I feel like I'm being too harsh.
I've moderated about 72-ish resources so far, and less than 10 were approved.

What does that lead anyone to deduce?
Am I doing my job well, or not?

 

[Asomath]

I feel like I'm being too harsh.
I've moderated about 72-ish resources so far, and less than 10 were approved.

What does that lead anyone to deduce?
Am I doing my job well, or not?

Well that's the thing Mag. As Vermillion said, as long as you’re reviewing consistently and fairly, that's how YOU gain respect. Though, it works in a slightly different way than with community moderators. You see, WE don't typically see the reviews and the spells that you reject. Typically, your connection to the community (besides the conversations you get in, and the spell questions you help out with) is relegated to between you and the creators of spells. Even if you have reviewed 80% of the pending spells as rejections, if you provided detailed reasons as to why you rejected the spell, as well as ways they could improve it so that it CAN be approved, then nobody is going to think you're being "unfairly harsh." You're just doing your job the best way that you can do it.

~Asomath

 

[eubz]

This I quote:

Could you imagine a map moderator who has not uploaded a map himself?
Could you imagine a model moderator who has not proven his skills in modelling?
Could you imagine a community moderator who has not participated in the community?

A moderator should be very much skilled in his field. Not only because he is a well-known user. But, as far as I can say, the administrators, even the webmaster, know this fact that is why they DON'T get anyone who is not skilled to be a moderator.

Being a moderator would mean he has knowledge over the field he is taking over. I guess, though we already have the Resource moderators, they will not dare to moderate the section of which they are not skilled.

 

[~Void~]

This I quote:


A moderator should be very much skilled in his field. Not only because he is a well-known user. But, as far as I can say, the administrators, even the webmaster, know this fact that is why they DON'T get anyone who is not skilled to be a moderator.

Being a moderator would mean he has knowledge over the field he is taking over. I guess, though we already have the Resource moderators, they will not dare to moderate the section of which they are not skilled.

I understand what you're saying; however, one does not need to be an artist to appreciate good art. One does not need to be a developer to enjoy a good game at a critical level. Thus as long as a resource/map moderator has a firm grip on what qualities make a good resource or map, they are surely qualified to do their job properly.

---

On further note, I would like to speak out against all the ad-hominem bullshit I see going on in this thread. Seriously, I did not intend for this to be a discussion of who's doing their job right; those decisions are not ours to make. It is simply a discussion to figure out a plan for the future.

 

[Nestharus]

My thoughts on the matter:
Anyone who is going after the moderator position simply for the position itself is not fit to be a moderator. Moderator = volunteering to better the community, so people who actually want to work at bettering the community are the people who should be in positions of power >.>.

For resource moderation, simply having skill in a field is not enough. The person needs to level-headed and again go for the position not out of want for power, but out of want to help others. I recall Dr Super Good always working to help others out, but he did abuse his power with a few pranks ; |.

I don't think interviews are necessary. If someone has enough support from respected members, that likely means that they are ok for the position. Take pharaoh_ for example. A lot of people supported pharaoh_ and wanted him to be a moderator for the Spells section. He's done an excellent job so far and accepted the position to help keep the pending resource queue down.

Magtheridon96 reviews resources virtually line by line to make sure that they have no issues. He also helps people improve at coding.


By looking at a member's history and support, one can tell whether they are right for the position are not =).

edit
Oh yes, I also agree with Void about all of this drama being ridiculous. I also think that the situation wasn't handled that well, hence how the drama is continuing to spew >.<. I don't think that mass bans were necessarily the answer... gutting the community of its core members gives everyone the wrong impression, hence the current mass outcries ;|. Demoting them would have been a good answer and searching for new capable people would have also been a good answer. If they had trolled publicy and whined and cried, then banning them would have been good as the community would have then supported it, thus avoiding all of this needless drama.

Anywho... Ralle's the admin, so he can do whatever he wants. However, if he wants the site to continue to be a held up by a vibrant community, he must consider that a site is made up of its people, not of its owner =).

 

[Kingz]

The following sentence is not pointed towards Magtheridon96, only at the current situation.

One of the previous moderators has been demoted for trolling in the chat, yet afaik Magtheridon96 was once banned from chat because of trolling? (not witnessed by myself, but i did hear word of this)
So that does bother me, it's presenting the image that not all are treated equally as users and the requirements for someone to be on the staff seem quite unclear to me at this point.

Edit:

Sorry if this is hurtful Magtheridon96, it's just a thing i heard and if it isn't true, i am sorry for bringing it up.

 

[~Void~]

My thoughts on the matter:
Anyone who is going after the moderator position simply for the position itself is not fit to be a moderator.

Bullshit. Abraham Lincoln ran for president, and he made a damn good one. What the hell is wrong with campaigning for a position? Sure, if all you want is the power, of course you're not fit for the position. That does not mean, however, that one cannot strive outwardly for it.

 

[Nestharus]

The following sentence is not pointed towards Magtheridon96, only at the current situation.

One of the previous moderators has been demoted for trolling in the chat, yet afaik Magtheridon96 was once banned from chat because of trolling? (not witnessed by myself, but i did hear word of this)
So that does bother me, it's presenting the image that not all are treated equally as users and the requirements for someone to be on the staff seem quite unclear to me at this point.

Let's not derail the thread from its topic. I think you should start up a thread about how the rules should be applied equally to everyone. However, Ralle is always pushing that trend forward, so the thread isn't necessary ^_-.


edit

Bullshit. Abraham Lincoln ran for president, and he made a damn good one. What the hell is wrong with campaigning for a position? Sure, if all you want is the power, of course you're not fit for the position. That does not mean, however, that one cannot strive outwardly for it.

He went for the position to attempt to change the country for the better, not because he wanted power. The phrase, "If I don't do it, who will" comes to mind.