In The East Pacific we have:[ul]
[li]residents: nations in the region
[li]citizens: residents who join the forum who apply and qualify for citizenship
[li]government officials: elected and appointed
[li]an Admin team: Moderators and Admins who tend to the forum
[/li][/ul]This is about that last group: the Admin team. Our focus is the forum, which is the offsite community of the NationStates region The East Pacific as well as the history of many years of TEPers who contributed before us.
Who is That Guy?
That guy is looking for a way to be treated special - different than you and me. That guy is trying to convince you they are the best player the region ever came across but they’ll only contribute if only we simply ignore some silly rule they are breaking. That guy will either profess utter ignorance, express dismay, or vent rage if you warn them that they’re breaking a rule. That guy will call you names. That guy will attack every player who attempts to limit “that guy” behavior.
That guy walked into our sandbox and decided that their fun was to kick sand at us. That guy is no freaking fun.
The Admin Team
The Admin Team are forum Moderators and Admins who care about this region’s forum and selflessly do stuff most of which you never see and they don’t need to take credit for it.
The Admin Team may or may not include players who are in TEP government. There is no formal relationship between Admin and government. That does not mean there’s no relationship. Government officials in TEP are by definition residents and citizens. They do stuff some folks occasionally object to. If the objection exceeds what Admin deems civil, you might be warned. Not because they are in government, but because you are acting like that guy.
Over The Line
If your actions are sufficiently severe, you won’t be warned. You will have your forum account deleted. Your posts might be archived where no one can see them. You can get banned for 9,000 years. There is no appeal to the actions of the Admin Team through government or the game.
This forum itself is hosted by ZetaBoards (pending migration to Tapatalk Groups). The ZetaBoards TOS/TOU are not negotiable. They forbid, among many other things, “abusive, threatening, defamatory, racist, or obscene” posts. So we either edit, move, or delete them. If they are deemed sufficiently severe, the player who posts them is banned. Admin cannot tolerate content that violates our Terms of Use. It has nothing to do with democracy or freedom of speech. The ability to play here is a privilege reserved for players who honor those expectations.
There’s a lot of crazy RP humor and teasing here: no one expects you to be politically correct. That’s no fun.
There is no joy in Admin when a player is banned. It’s unpleasant but necessary in order to keep the rest of the sandbox free from flying sand so we can play. Remember play? This is a game. If you get warned, or a privilege you ask for is denied, or someone else is being a toad, don’t respond by kicking sand.
Don’t be that guy.