Poll: Control of Custom Titles

[copiae]

Hey,


How about having no control over ones custom titles, instead, having them assigned to you by administrators based on various stuff you've written on the forums or based on avatar and/or alias?

No doubt, some of you are familiar with other forums that utilise the same sort of system. So that newcomers don't feel ... left out, perhaps a sticky thread could be made that explains the custom title selection.


Cheers,

[EDIT]: This should be in the Watering Hole... if it could get moved there, that'd be swell. =)

[Dingfod]

I vote NO. I want either no custom titles at all or user controlled ones.

[livius drusus]

I've moved it, peer, and voted no. I've been through the admin assigns title thing on what is now HH and it was pretty awful. If I couldn't think up anything good (and more often than not I couldn't), people were either stuck with crap or got nothing at all. There's a who's "in" factor as well which I find supremely distateful at this juncture.

What are the advantages you see to admin-assigned titles?

[Scotty]

I will only go with it if Liv remembers the title I wanted for vm, and give it to him.

;)

-Scott

[pzmyers]

people were either stuck with crap or got nothing at all.

I've been there. I voted no.

[dave_a]

Well I wanted an excuse to try out this new Firefox plugin so here it goes:

No, I don't want admin assigned user titles. A couple reasons why are:

I never got one at HH
I never got one at HH
I feel like such a non fitting in loser at HH
I don't want to feel that way here even if it is true

All my life I have wanted to be part of the cool crowd and I just don't fit in there. Don't rub it in my face here please.

Vote No! on admin controlled user titles

[Lauri D]

Can I do a write-in vote (applicable only to me I guess) for "I presently have no creativity so I'd like either vm or liv to give me one so I don't have to feel stoopid for not being able to think of one myself"?

:couch:

[Petra]

I voted no. I think my title thingy as it stands right now suits my avatar and me, and when I move from that, I'd like the ability to change it accordingly.

That said, though, I think Lauri D's title should be something like... mmmm...maybe... Black-eyed Pea, or Tinted Peeper, or something. Well, until the colours change, anyway. ;)

[Ronin]

All this time and I thought Lauri D had created the best and most original custom user title around.

I call dibs on "Member" if she ever changes.

[viscousmemories]

I voted Nay! for reasons already covered by others, and because I prefer to avoid - as much as possible - things that differentiate us from the members here. Lauri did you not see JoeP recommend "Cheese on a stick" for you? He posted that yesterday, I'm not sure where. Not that I like it, but he did include the the fairly persuasive mouse eating cheese smilie. If you decide you don't want it though I'm sure we can come up with something. :)

[Lauri D]

All this time and I thought Lauri D had created the best and most original custom user title around.

I call dibs on "Member" if she ever changes. LOL! Wait... yah, that WAS on purpose! :blush2:

vm - I very much liked cheese on a stick, but I need an actual cheese on a stick smilie for it to work. I mean, they have it at the fair... surely a smilie exists somewhere ;)

[beyelzu]

I vote no as well.

I like being able to change it at will.

maybe I will feel all warm and cuddly one day and make my title, teddy bear.

or giant penis

whichever.

[Ex-zombie]

Can I do a write-in vote (applicable only to me I guess) for "I presently have no creativity so I'd like either vm or liv to give me one so I don't have to feel stoopid for not being able to think of one myself"?

:couch:

I know how you feel. I have been trying to come up with something for over a month.

I think members should be able to choose their own titles.

[Ymir's blood]

I know how you feel. I have been trying to come up with something for over a month.

:thinkup:
Superbeast?
Astro-Creep?

[viscousmemories]

I know how you feel. I have been trying to come up with something for over a month.

:thinkup:
Superbeast?
Astro-Creep?
Dead Inside

[JoeP]

I voted Nay! for reasons already covered by others, and because I prefer to avoid - as much as possible - things that differentiate us from the members here.vm, you'll always be different :P

[JoeP]

How about having no control over ones custom titles, instead, having them assigned to you by administrators based on various stuff you've written on the forums or based on avatar and/or alias?

No doubt, some of you are familiar with other forums that utilise the same sort of system. So that newcomers don't feel ... left out, perhaps a sticky thread could be made that explains the custom title selection.

Hi peer ... you haven't answered liv's question on why you think this would be better. (Do you, in fact?)

I see no advantage at all to preventing users setting their own titles.

Your suggestion of something to help new members realise they can do it themselves is a good one - people shouldn't feel left out.

The only other issue is those quiet and inoffensive people who struggle to come up with custom titles for themselves. We could have a scheme like You have the right not to use a custom title. Any custom title you choose may be used in humour against you. If you cannot think of a custom title, one will be made up for you. But I don't think the admins should do this solely; anyone could contribute. And the person should then set it themself.

[JoeP]

vm - I very much liked cheese on a stick, but I need an actual cheese on a stick smilie for it to work. I mean, they have it at the fair... surely a smilie exists somewhere ;)
And there I was thinking you were just ignoring me :sniffles:

Well, I'm not having any luck finding a picture of a cheese cube on a cocktail stick on the net. We'll just have to make one!

[copiae]

What are the advantages you see to admin-assigned titles?


Hrm...

For some reason, I think it helps in creating a more ... intimate place.

This style also emulates 'nicknames' in the real world - often, we have little control in what others call us.

This was also posted because I was curious if anyone else sorta thought the same way I did about this (judging by the poll, apparently not! :)).




The only other issue is those quiet and inoffensive people who struggle to come up with custom titles for themselves. We could have a scheme like


You have the right not to use a custom title. Any custom title you choose may be used in humour against you. If you cannot think of a custom title, one will be made up for you.

But I don't think the admins should do this solely; anyone could contribute. And the person should then set it themself.



After reading the other posts in this thread I can understand why everyone else is opposed to it. Nonetheless, I like what you quoted, and even a system like this would be great.

Cheers,

[beyelzu]

in this vein,

I nominate farren for "napoleon in the arcarde"


:D

[godfry n. glad]

Nope. I think that honor should go to the poster, not the admin. I think any poster can solicit input, if they so wish.

Admin assigned custom titles helped get me in trouble at HH. The sweet and hapless One for Sorrow took the brunt of my displeasure with her custom title...when she had little or naught to do with it.

Leaving it to admins puts the power over one's "image" in the hands of complete strangers...who may be total idiots or just culturally backwards.

godfry

[godfry n. glad]

in this vein,

I nominate farren for "napoleon in the arcarde"


:D


Where is Arthur Wellesley when you need him?

godfry

[godfry n. glad]

There's a who's "in" factor as well which I find supremely distateful at this juncture.


Hmmmm... Care to elaborate?

godfry

[Farren]

in this vein,

I nominate farren for "napoleon in the arcarde"


:D

:D

Considering I've matched both the highlights and low points of his career (from the lofty heights of 20 high scores down to a palty 13 and relegation to Elba if you hadn't bailed my ass out - well done, all you rotten bastards) I think its appropriate, if a bit verbose.

[livius drusus]

There's a who's "in" factor as well which I find supremely distateful at this juncture.


Hmmmm... Care to elaborate?

Certainly. I think many people who didn't get custom titles at HH felt marginalized by the lack of a nickname. This was only exacerbated as the membership grew and I failed to keep up even remotely. I think this syndrome would be even worse here on an open forum and the idea makes me very uncomfortable.

[godfry n. glad]

in this vein,

I nominate farren for "napoleon in the arcarde"


:D

:D

Considering I've matched both the highlights and low points of his career (from the lofty heights of 20 high scores down to a palty 13 and relegation to Elba if you hadn't bailed my ass out - well done, all you rotten bastards) I think its appropriate, if a bit verbose.

Well, then, how about "arcadian napolean"?

[Scotty]

Just make a whole new section of code for the site.

This code allows you (the user) to apply any title you want to any other user...the only caveat is that only you (the one that set the title) can see it.

You can then laugh at the funny title you made somebody, and make fun of them every time they post (you could even do the same thing with the avatar!)

A way to make everybody feel warm and fuzzy that they can ridicule people behind their back.

Wait, maybe it isn't such a good idea, although I never said it was, but it would be funny! Like putting a mask on somebody after you meet them, "Here, wear this bag, and let me write something on the back of your head".

-Scott

[godfry n. glad]

in this vein,

I nominate farren for "napoleon in the arcarde"


:D

If you're open to suggestions for you, beyelzu, how about "napolean boner"?

:yup:

godfry

[lisarea]

Certainly. I think many people who didn't get custom titles at HH felt marginalized by the lack of a nickname. This was only exacerbated as the membership grew and I failed to keep up even remotely. I think this syndrome would be even worse here on an open forum and the idea makes me very uncomfortable.

Little did they realize that SOME OF US were pathetic enough to beg for custom titles via PM.

Wait, maybe it isn't such a good idea, although I never said it was, but it would be funny! Like putting a mask on somebody after you meet them, "Here, wear this bag, and let me write something on the back of your head".

Would you mind if we balanced this glass of milk where your visiting friend accidentally was killed?

Would it be okay with you if we wrote a reminder of things we'll forget to do today otherwise using a green magic marker if it's alright on the back of your head?

[seebs]

But I like having the same custom title everywhere!

[wade-w]

Certainly. I think many people who didn't get custom titles at HH felt marginalized by the lack of a nickname. This was only exacerbated as the membership grew and I failed to keep up even remotely. I think this syndrome would be even worse here on an open forum and the idea makes me very uncomfortable.

Little did they realize that SOME OF US were pathetic enough to beg for custom titles via PM.



That was the stated policy whle liv and vm were in charge over there: "Ask and ye shall recieve." And yet in a thread about exclusionary practices there three people publically asked for a title, and only one got one. (I could be wrong on the exact number of public requests since that was a long time ago, but I am certain it was more than one, and only one request was honored at the time.) While I have no doubt that this was a completely unintentional oversight on liv's part, it does lend itself to the appearance of a bias against some users. And that's the point.

[viscousmemories]

Certainly. I think many people who didn't get custom titles at HH felt marginalized by the lack of a nickname. This was only exacerbated as the membership grew and I failed to keep up even remotely. I think this syndrome would be even worse here on an open forum and the idea makes me very uncomfortable.

Little did they realize that SOME OF US were pathetic enough to beg for custom titles via PM.



That was the stated policy whle liv and vm were in charge over there: "Ask and ye shall recieve." And yet in a thread about exclusionary practices there three people publically asked for a title, and only one got one. (I could be wrong on the exact number of public requests since that was a long time ago, but I am certain it was more than one, and only one request was honored at the time.) While I have no doubt that this was a completely unintentional oversight on liv's part, it does lend itself to the appearance of a bias against some users. And that's the point.
Huh, I don't remember that happening at all. But then again I have a notoriously shitty memory so that's not a big surprise. I do know that the only reason someone didn't get a title was if we couldn't think of a good one, and the more often someone would post or the more they seemed to want a title the harder we would try to come up with something. I know liv agonized over titles for some people and just couldn't come up with anything good. Often she would ask me for input and I wouldn't be able to think of anything either. But that or never posting are the only reasons anyone didn't get a title. It definitely had nothing to do with our personal opinion of people.

But you're right, I can see how it created that appearance and that's all the more reason I'd prefer not to do it here.

[HelenM]

I like being able to set my own custom title. At least, I think I do :dunno2:

Anyone who can't think of a title to use can always ask for suggestions.

Helen

[wade-w]

vm, there's no need to explain. As I said, I am convinced there was no intention to spite anyone.

[pescifish]

I think vm's explanation is additional evidence of why it's not a good idea to leave these titles as the admin's responsibility. It's hard on the admins and it's hard on the users who haven't made a big enough impression for something to come to mind easily.

Just to toss out another scenario: I've been on a board where the policy is to have canned titles based on post count and then at a certain number (fairly high -- 500, I think), the user can pick their "special title" and the admin sets it in place. The admins would open a thread when a user hit the number. They might offer one they thought of, but mostly the thread was intended to give the user some attention by asking the rest of the group for suggestions. Ultimately, the user could pick from the suggestions or make us his/her own.

[livius drusus]

I think vm's explanation is additional evidence of why it's not a good idea to leave these titles as the admin's responsibility. It's hard on the admins and it's hard on the users who haven't made a big enough impression for something to come to mind easily.

Yes, it was hard on this admin; torture, in fact. After the first couple of weeks, the quest for the perfect title was a plague. It wasn't about users making a big enough impression. Some of the people I knew best didn't have titles simply because I couldn't think of something clever and concise enough to qualify.

I suppose I'm just not suited to such things. I'm too anal, too picky, too easily exasperated by what other people would consider insignificant matters of language.

[beyelzu]

in this vein,

I nominate farren for "napoleon in the arcarde"


:D

If you're open to suggestions for you, beyelzu, how about "napolean boner"?

:yup:

godfry
just for you.

and for a limited time,

napoleon boner artsnob it is.

[HelenM]

I suppose I'm just not suited to such things. I'm too anal, too picky, too easily exasperated by what other people would consider insignificant matters of language.

You don't say ;)

Helen

[beyelzu]

I suppose I'm just not suited to such things. I'm too anal, too picky, too easily exasperated by what other people would consider insignificant matters of language.

You don't say ;)

Helen
it is suprising isnt it? :D

[livius drusus]

Hesh up, you two. :whup: