#22 Stripping All PC Ranks

[El Héroe Oscuro]

Question Of The Day #22: What would happen if there were no ranks on PC?

PokeCommunity is what some would call a conservative, structured forum. It's a site where it's perceived that rank means a lot to users, whether it may be through being a Moderator, Supporter, Battle Server Staff, and the likes. However, let's say that starting tomorrow all ranks were pulled and everyone was equal in terms of accessibility and control over what can and can't be done on the site. How do you believe a state like this would act out in the coming weeks/months? Do you think that PC could flourish without a structured or given order? Do you think that certain members would step up and try to take charge in a diplomatic or dictatorial way, or do you think the site all and all would create anarchy for itself?

Feel free to discuss all entities of this question below.
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[Alexander Nicholi]

Rationally speaking, I'd imagine a few former "trusted" members (ergo, socially popular and well-liked people notwithstanding former rank) would end up being pandered to Steve by the masses of regulars to run things. Supporters would probably not come back for a while and the Battle Server would have died. Personally, for me my anxiety will probably drive me to insanity with basically my entire social life falling to pieces, worrying to hell how I'm going to integrate into things and who's going to run what where :s


Though, I like to imagine in a PC anarchy it will be very colourful and revolutionary and a few great souls will come together and run things in a super cool and elite high command which was 100x cooler than HQ ever was and they'll have blu-ray and FiOS and people will laugh at the past managers out of that radical self-righteousness revolutionaries often have. tbh imo

 

[Zehn]

We would get no credit for our donations

 

[El Héroe Oscuro]

We would get no credit for our donations

And how would you react to that, knowing that the money you donated was all for naught?

 

[Hikamaru]

If usergroups didn't exist the forum would not have been moderated and as a result everyone went all crazy, and supporters wouldn't get credit for donating like Zehn mentioned.

Basically it'd mean I would definitely have not stuck around because it'd be weird.

 

[Alexander Nicholi]

And how would you react to that, knowing that the money you donated was all for naught?

I would probably take to being mildly frustrated, but continue on if things can resume easily enough. Too much anarchy though may cause me to leave PC for a moments to let the whole thing cool down. Then I could be one of the oldfags like people from 2002 are now, being from the "old PC", that old chestnut. That'd be fun.

 

[Zehn]

I would feel kinda ripped off since it's like I have given them money and they haven't even said thanks. Also I use up my pm inbox since non-donater only get 200 while I get 2000 (by the way I sont delete my Pms)


Edit so not a double post:
It would also be weird because guests could see stuff like the supporter post a pic of yourself and there would be no supporter colabs

 

[El Héroe Oscuro]

Do you believe that there would be an increase in trolling as a result?

 

[Zehn]

Yes and distrust others for no reason. I always feel safe with the supporters privacy

 

[.skittlez]

I don't think I'd actually stick around. Forum would get overrun by trolls, trading shops would all start trading hacked mons causing distrust, etc.

 

[Alexander Nicholi]

Do you believe that there would be an increase in trolling as a result?

Trolls would hasten the restoration of a power structure more than anything.

I hope I'm not giving PC too much credit with that statement.



What I'm imagining right now are all of the current staff being personally gone (ergo Gavin/Geoff/whoever are not on PC), with former staff possibly making returns at the discretion of Steve or whathaveyou. Since so much of everything rests on Steve's ideas and choices since the site wouldn't exist at all without him, I'd imagine those who play politician well will be selected first and foremost. If you know how to play social puppetmaster and do the political nannying and other responsibilities of politicians and demonstrated that I'd imagine you'd be first in line.

 

[El Héroe Oscuro]

Yes and distrust others for no reason. I always feel safe with the supporters privacy

Could you elaborate on what you mean by "supporters privacy"?

I don't think I'd actually stick around. Forum would get overrun by trolls, trading shops would all start trading hacked mons causing distrust, etc.

Do you think that you personally could stop people from trading hacked Pokemon?

 

[Hikamaru]

Do you believe that there would be an increase in trolling as a result?

Yes and distrust others for no reason. I always feel safe with the supporters privacy

I don't think I'd actually stick around. Forum would get overrun by trolls, trading shops would all start trading hacked mons causing distrust, etc.

You guys are correct. Trolling would increase to new highs (and I cannot forget that moment last month where a troll had a failed attempt to get me, Sydian and Luck Hax banned) and I would have definitely left if there wasn't anything to calm them down.

 

[El Héroe Oscuro]

Trolls would hasten the restoration of a power structure more than anything.

I hope I'm not giving PC too much credit with that statement.



What I'm imagining right now are all of the current staff being personally gone (ergo Gavin/Geoff/whoever are not on PC), with former staff possibly making returns at the discretion of Steve or whathaveyou. Since so much of everything rests on Steve's ideas and choices since the site wouldn't exist at all without him, I'd imagine those who play politician well will be selected first and foremost. If you know how to play social puppetmaster and do the political nannying and other responsibilities of politicians and demonstrated that I'd imagine you'd be first in line.

You actually gave me a good chuckle with that statement, kudos to you for that.

So for hypothetical sake, let's say that all members of of PC staff - past and present - were also stripped of accessability to the site in general. Do you think that specific people would still be able to step up to help create order and if so, who do you think would do it?

 

[.skittlez]

Could you elaborate on what you mean by "supporters privacy"?


Do you think that you personally could stop people from trading hacked Pokemon?

If I were to stay, the best I could do in terms of "stopping" them would be cloning some of my pokes, and doing blind trades, keeping notes of who traded hacked pokes and those who didn't. Then I'd post a list of those who scammed me, so that those who choose to trade could avoid them.

 

[Zehn]

I mean the vip forms being only for supports, hench supporter privacy

 

[Alexander Nicholi]

So for hypothetical sake, let's say that all members of of PC staff - past and present - were also stripped of accessability to the site in general. Do you think that specific people would still be able to step up to help create order and if so, who do you think would do it?

People would be wary as to why all past and current staff were banned though, I think. But if all of them fell off the face of the earth so to speak, without a cause or reason, I think it'd happen fairly quickly. People want to be staff on here, at least from what I see. It's a very coveted thing so I don't think PC would even have a struggle finding apt people to manage things.

 

[Alexander Nicholi]

You actually gave me a good chuckle with that statement, kudos to you for that.

So for hypothetical sake, let's say that all members of of PC staff - past and present - were also stripped of accessability to the site in general. Do you think that specific people would still be able to step up to help create order and if so, who do you think would do it?

Hehe, it seems I overlooked this part earlier.

It's really hard to be certain who would rise from the ashes of a community, you know? Given the people Steve has both personally set in in the past and those he's delegated selection to I don't worry all too much about his discretion at all. I'm afraid the wrong regulars may be empowered though which is what Team Fail was on about, too. I've seen a few folks who look like really good material at a glance but aren't (and those who don't but are, too), so in general that whole chestnut can be really icky and delicate to approach any way you cut it. It's best to put your glasses on and start reading the archives to find a truly worthy administrator or super mod... a lot like now. xD

 

[Her]

i'm not sure what else could be said
assuming you mean all members have the same amount of control over the forum as in everyone has admin powers, the forum would be gone within a couple of days
assuming you mean everyone becomes a regular member, it would be a prolonged titanomachy in every section
the forum would fall into a state of disrepair and chaos that it would be unlikely to pull itself out of
a lack of inhibition from most members would result in the failure to keep control over even one thread and ultimately the place would fall apart permanently

 

[Salzorrah]

Basically, this is what I see when everyone was stripped of their ranks :x

all hail lord helix