It's easier to criticize in a negative way then to propose a feasible solution to a problem. The following draft is my own version of the ideal "forum government" and is still under development.
It is in NO WAY a challenge to the rules of this forum.
Note: I tried to retain some democratic instances and mechanism that would, I think, please the current population of TWC; I had another draft that was too... "authoritarian" for TWC as it is today.
MAGNA CARTA
PREAMBLE
This document defines the roles and rights of all the members of the Total War Center Community, moderating staff and common members. All members and administrator are bound to the ToS and the Network Administrators decisions.
MEMBERSHIP
All those who have registered an account on the Total War Center forum are considered members of these community regardless of their activities and number of posts.
Membership is divided into four ranks, namely:
Administrator - the current administrator of TWC Forums
Staff Member - a member of the moderating team or otherwise similar position
Senior Member - a member who according to the Rules of Seniority has been inducted into this rank.
Junior Member or Member - any person registered on the forum not belonging to any other rank.
RULES OF SENIORITY
The rules of seniority are applied to any member whose post count (number of posts) is, at least, of 100 and who has received no warnings from a moderator, and has been promoted to senior member by the highest ranking moderator (see Moderator Ranks).
Any member with a post count of 100 or over can apply directly or be approached by the highest ranking moderator.
No other moderator can give senior membership.
THE ADMINISTRATOR & THE CHANCELLOR
The Administrator
The administrator is the highest ranking member of TWC and responsible for the daily managment of the site under the ToS provided by Ogre's Net which is in turn responsible for nominating the present administrator.
The administrator holds complete control over the site's government and has the right to remove and replace any and all moderators without previously warning them or any other members.
The administrator shall nominate a member (of any given rank) to serve as Chancellor.
All actions of the administrator are of his responsability and all members of TWC are allowed to voice their disagreement by the proper channels (directly to the administrator or to ON).
The Chancellor
The Chancellor is directly appointed by the Administrator.
His function is to aid in the administration of the forum, aiding the administrator and the moderators. His secondary function is, in case of a prolongued absence of the administrator, to resume it's functions.
The chancellor holds the same rights of the administrator but must consult him on any important measure (ex: permanent banning).
In terms of ranking, the Chancellor is considered a member outside the general Staff and only responsible directly to the administrator.
STAFF MEMBERS
Grand Moderators
Grand Moderators are responsible for running General Sections of the forum. They nominate directly three other members who are Minor Moderators to run sub-forums under their rule.
Grand Moderators can dismiss their appointed Minor Moderators at any given time.
Grand Moderators can temporarily ban any Senior and Junior Member, pin/unpin topics, close/open topics and move threads.
Minor Moderators
Minor Moderators are responsible for running subforums within larger sections. They are nominated directly by a Grand Moderator to whom they must obey and aid in their functions.
Minor Moderator can pin/unpin topics, close/open topics, move threads and issue warnings upon members who are breaking the ToS or other forum rule. They must report any breach of the ToS to their respective Grand Moderator and advise action.
Other Staff
All other members who lead an active role on the daily activities of TWC without performing moderating activities are considered Other Staff. They are elected by the House of Moderators under the ToS.
SENIOR MEMBERS
Any member whose post count (number of posts) is, at least, of 100 and who has received no warnings from a moderator, has the right to apply directly or be approached by any Grand Moderator. Only a Grand Moderator can grant a member Senior Membership.
All Senior Members are allowed to read the threads in the House of Moderators section and to post their proposals in the Proposals section.
Note that even if a member has 100 posts and no warnings that does not mean an automatic senior membership; only if a Grand Moderator grants the senior membership is the member considered as one.
JUNIOR MEMBERS
All registered members of TWC Forums who have less than 100 or have not been accepted ( or have declined to be) senior members. They are allowed all the rights stated under the ToS and must abide to the said ToS and the Moderator's rules.
HOUSE OF MODERATORS
The House of Moderators, a section of the forum that only senior members and above can acess, will serve three main functions: to resolve disputes between members, to debate situations specific to the forum or the staff (appointements, demotions, official banning list, etc) and as a platform for senior members not of the staff to interact with the staff and propose usefull measures.
All moderators are part of the House and can post on this section, being one Minor Moderator responsible for it's upkeep and thread cleaning, etc.
All senior members can read the threads on the House of Moderators and are allowed to read and post on the Proposals section.
In all matters of decision the ToS and the active Administrator surpercede any staff member.
RANKS & NOMENCLATURE
All members are attributed a rank according to their post count up until they ascend to Senior Members.
All senior members remain senior members until either:
a) They are given a Honorary Title
b) They become Minor or Grand Moderator and are given the appropriate title
In matters of nomenclature the ON and the Administrator will deliberate, according to the forum's theme, and change the basic nomenclature to fit within the theme.
REVISION SCHEDULED