Feature Cosmetic Banners

[Zwielicht]

Just for a bit of fun, we have cosmetic banners here on Office Outlaw.

They don't anything or grant you any benefits other than sprucing up your profile. There is currently only one cosmetic banner called "Hot Rod" that looks like this:

It's only purchasable with credits, which you earn by simply participating around the forum and can't buy with real money.

 

[back2form]

Hot Rod" that looks like this:

View attachment 287

Thank you @Zwielicht for the Hot Rod ..

 

[roydan]

So it is similar to the light blue username some members receive on other forums, for example?

 

[Zwielicht]

So it is similar to the light blue username some members receive on other forums, for example?

No, it's purely cosmetic and not something rewarded for meeting a criteria.

Are you by any chance asking because you want the Hot Rod badge? If so, just ask and I'll add it to your profile.

Anyway, I do have something I'm working on that's similar to what you mentioned called "Platinum Status". I'm going to be doing something a bit different to what I did there.

The criteria I developed before did work out, but what I want to do here is have a mix of using the criteria to promote members into the group and a vote-in system so that the existing members in the group can choose who to let in even if they don't meet the criteria. I'm still thinking it over, but I see the following benefits to this:

1. It gives those with that status something to engage with whilst providing them with more control over the group.
2. The numbers in that group won't ever dwindle because the criteria means that new people can always be added in. This way, we don't end up with the situation we saw in the late 2010s on the other forum where basically nobody was left to vote anyone new in.

It won't require purchasing Sapphire Status as it'll exist just to recognise the contributions of members. This means should someone's paid membership lapse, they won't be kicked from the group, but they won't have the ability to open a sales thread or view the Sapphire Section.

I'm still thinking it all over and what the benefits will be, though. It would be more akin to the white username rather than the light blue username (there won't be a Jr. Platinum, though). I've had these ideas for a long time, so it's more about fleshing them out and when to add them in.

 

[roydan]

Are you by any chance asking because you want the Hot Rod badge? If so, just ask and I'll add it to your profile.

The criteria I developed before did work out, but what I want to do here is have a mix of using the criteria to promote members into the group and a vote-in system so that the existing members in the group can choose who to let in even if they don't meet the criteria. I'm still thinking it over, but I see the following benefits to this:

1. It gives those with that status something to engage with whilst providing them with more control over the group.
2. The numbers in that group won't ever dwindle because the criteria means that new people can always be added in. This way, we don't end up with the situation we saw in the late 2010s on the other forum where basically nobody was left to vote anyone new in.

Personally, I'm really against the voting mechanism because it encourages cliques that become more important than contribution, in a similar way that we saw back then. If you remember, a certain Android that thought someone was chasing him was falsely accused of buying his way there as part of the BB SL, @Apricot can probably shed more light on that . I tried to be vague but feel free to delete this part.

Sucking up to these users groups exist even today IMO, long after the voting system was dismissed. It's not in the way that most people think but in a way that you can clearly see blue members campaigning for light blue.

Having a set of "cold" rules that are applied automatically and sent for the admins to approve before promotions is the best way to go in my opinion.

It won't require purchasing Sapphire Status as it'll exist just to recognise the contributions of members. This means should someone's paid membership lapse, they won't be kicked from the group, but they won't have the ability to open a sales thread or view the Sapphire Section.

May it won't be required to maintain a Sapphire membership to maintain it, but required in order to be enrolled in the first place?

It would be more akin to the white username rather than the light blue username

We can easily play on the gemstone theme with the colors, the only problem is that a white an expensive gemstone is a diamond.

 

[Zwielicht]

Enjoy your Hot Rod!

Personally, I'm really against the voting mechanism because it encourages cliques that become more important than contribution, in a similar way that we saw back then. If you remember, a certain Android that thought someone was chasing him was falsely accused of buying his way there as part of the BB SL, @Apricot can probably shed more light on that . I tried to be vague but feel free to delete this part.

Sucking up to these users groups exist even today IMO, long after the voting system was dismissed. It's not in the way that most people think but in a way that you can clearly see blue members campaigning for light blue.

Having a set of "cold" rules that are applied automatically and sent for the admins to approve before promotions is the best way to go in my opinion.

I could stick with the criteria-only method as I felt it did work out quite well. I mostly just wanted to find a way to get the group involved as one thing I felt bad about was that it looked like only I was promoting people. Any staff could've done it, but when there's one person sending the invites, I feel like it looks like it's open to abuse. Of course, the criteria being known to staff meant that any of them could've checked it.

Getting rid of that voting system was difficult and caused me some issues. Some of the original people in that group would log in a year or so after the change and then submit support tickets complaining about how they should never have been demoted, how much money they have, and even started insulting staff.

May it won't be required to maintain a Sapphire membership to maintain it, but required in order to be enrolled in the first place?

It won't be required to get it, either.

I felt like on the other forum, there were a lot of good members who could've had it, but couldn't get it because they didn't have the upgraded membership.

We can easily play on the gemstone theme with the colors, the only problem is that a white an expensive gemstone is a diamond.

I've been making that joke to others as well.

I kind of just went with the Pokemon game's nomenclature for that exact reason.

White Sapphire is another one, but then it sounds like an Upgraded Sapphire Status.

 

[roydan]

Some of the original people in that group would log in a year or so after the change and then submit support tickets complaining about how they should never have been demoted, how much money they have, and even started insulting staff.

Proving they shouldn't have been promoted IMO. If you are disrespectful you got to gtfo.

I felt like on the other forum, there were a lot of good members who could've had it, but couldn't get it because they didn't have the upgraded membership.

I agree, but you got to aim toward it somehow, and being a paid member makes sense in that matter.

 

[Zwielicht]

Proving they shouldn't have been promoted IMO. If you are disrespectful you got to gtfo.

You would've been surprised to see how many of them would send essentially the same messages and use the same insults on the support desk. They were definitely different people, but it could be jarring.

For the record, not all of them were like that as some of them were pretty understanding. I wish I could've kept those ones in, although I think they wanted to move on anyway.

I agree, but you got to aim toward it somehow, and being a paid member makes sense in that matter.

Yeah, you make a good point.

Maybe if I come across a non-upgraded member who meets the criteria, I could look into giving them 6 months of Sapphire Status for free. I don't know if that would come across the wrong way though, like I'm just trying to get them to upgrade.

You're giving me a lot to think about it here, so I like these points that you bring up.

 

[Zwielicht]

I'm going to make a few cosmetic badges that users can purchase with credits only just to try out the new system. I'll try it out with the Hot Rod badge, but those of you who already have the Hot Rod badge will be allowed to keep it without having to get it through the credits system again.

 

[Pythagore]

Nice looking forward to having that!