Citizen
A Citizen is the recipient of a special award that acknowledges contribution to the site and community of Total War Center. This award is a user group, appearing in the same way as staff groups - but these members are not staff. Necessarily. The award uniquely grants members access to a forum, specifically the Curia where they are able to freely participate and vote. Citizenship is not required to become site staff or indeed, to do most things on the site. But if one is not staff, it is a way to both be acknowledged and to get more opportunities to improve the site. It is also a way to personalize user titles for non-staff users and get an extra name color while posting if they wish to use it.
How to Become a Citizen
There is a formal document known as Constitution on the forum, located here. It is the heart of defining Citizenship, though its information is summarized below.
At minimum a prospective citizen must be registered for two months, have 50 posts, and have no warnings/infractions from the moderators for six months prior (simple enough if you haven't been on the site for that full time!). However, the trick is going beyond this - having created mods, spent good time participating in sections, making lengthy and valuable posts, creative writing including AARs, content articles and a consistent series of wiki improvements, and so on. It requires more than releasing a set of very small mods that make minor tweaks - there must be an impression that a good amount of time was spent on the content being proposed. Where this line is drawn depends on the collective opinion of the voting Citizens.
If this is met, they must be proposed by an existing citizen. They could come upon the prospective member and offer, or the member could request it. This proposer, or Patron will check with the Consul to ensure requirements are met (or be quite sure of this on their own). If they are, a thread is created within the Curia where other Citizens spend a fair week's time deciding if the member makes the cut. The matter is put to vote, after which the applicant may become a new Citizen... or not. If not, they must wait a period of time per the Constitution before another application is made, and ideally add more to their case in the meantime. If they are, they apply to their chosen group (listed below) and the process is complete. They may go about their day from then on with new bling and the ability to post in the main Curia sections.
Badges
The three below are all equally citizens, but the badges imply different things. An applying citizen should know what they're going for and select one when they are approved.
A 'Generic' badge, as compared to the below implications. Does not reflect ties one way or another, a sort of jack of all trades among the members of the forum.
The historic badge for 'Common Community' participants, expressing an interest in discussion and debate. Implies being patronized for quality posting and good nature, an original tenant of the site's creation.
The dedicated badge for the site's history of modders. Though the Civitiate came first, the Artifex put the forum on the map. An Artifex is one of the tireless members who create content for the games and have chosen TWC to present it.
When the applicant passes the vote and becomes a Citizen, they can choose between 3 different badges. Artifex, designed for those who are modders, Civitate, designed for those who have contributed to the debating side of the Site, whether in TW or CC, and Citizen, for those who associate with both or neither.
Further Information
Previously citizenship would also come with an undefined expectation of 'higher standards' for forum behavior. However, this has been a problem across site history and has ultimately been discontinued. A Citizen is supposed to act within the Terms of Use like any other member, and only the unique situation of the Curia forum allows the norms to stretch somewhat.
If a Citizen runs into particular trouble with site moderation, they lose their citizenship until the infraction that caused it has expired (or a successful appeal is made). This cannot be permanent unless they are permanently banned, resign citizenship themselves or are removed in a process called Ostrakon where the active citizens of the Curia move to strip an especially unruly member of their Citizenship.
Aside from staying within the Terms of Use and 'doing what they're doing', there is no additional expectation or responsibility to a citizen. They have the right (after a few months, usually 3) to patronize new citizens or run for Curial office. At any time they (and even non-citizens) can suggest recipients for other awards, proposals to change the curia, or even proposals/initiatives to change and improve the site in general.
Traditionally there is a roleplaying aspect to citizenship. Mainly this is through Houses, where a 'lineage' of patrons is traced to earlier times in site history and sometimes result in mock political situations, and through the Curia itself with its permanent pseudo-roleplay atmosphere. Like the above, participating in or caring about this is optional.
Patrician
- see main article: Patrician
An additional class of citizenship, Patrician is available for those that have received certain major awards or who have served as Administrators. These members are automatically Citizens, though no extra rights from Citizens come from it.
See Also
- List of Citizens
- Citizen's Pages on the Wiki
- The Curia
- The Constitution
- Guide to Patronising New Citizens
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