I have put this post in the wdw category since I believe there may be users that do not sort their forum feeds by “latest” and wdw appears to be the most visited section of the forum.
First, a little history on user “titles” as I remember it (others may have other memories). We all know that all “trusted” users have full access to LaCava and all areas of the forum. When the forum was first introduced the software allowed additional levels and awarded “titles”
When the settings were changed, eventually many titles disappeared. Laurel then awarded title to many users. There were rules: you could not request a title.
One Christmas Laurel did have a thread where she did accept requests for titles, but she always created the titles.
It has been years since titles were awarded and many users that had titles are no longer on the forum.
For some reason the topic of titles came back up in the last few days on three threads. Not every user reads every thread, so many users may have missed these discussions.
My understanding is that some users would like titles. Some users expressed concerns about titles (concerns that new users could feel excluded).
I created this thread to have a public discussion. @missoverexcited and I decided years ago that we did not think creating titles was a role we were given. It does appear like some users believe titles are a problem. I am asking that if there are polls on any topic that concerns the community, please post it publicly, in a dedicated thread.
I have removed my title. If any other user has an title and would like it removed, please PM either me or @missoverexcited .
Would it be possible for users to create their own titles, without the intervention of moderators (except for the usual censoring of verboten content)?
No, users have not been able to designate their own titles since the trust levels were locked. Even then, I think there was a very short window when people could pick from a pull down menu? (I think mine was the default “leader”, I did not pick it, or at least I don’t remember a choice).
I think it would be totally fair if they were a subscriber perk though. Many forums have subscriber perks, I’ve seen some have profile photos only for paying subscribers (didn’t like this though)
Even then, they should be user accesible if you want to avoid making it too exclusive.
Personally, I don’t care even if it was exclusive. Then it’s kind of an award for being an active / long term member. But I understand if that would make someone feel excluded though.
Being able to create your own title makes it kind of like a “status”, which you have on WhatApp etc.
So to sum it up, I don’t mind the titles and I would make them changable, but for subscribers.
I like having Titles because they tell you a little about the user and can be another data point to anchor their identity in your mind, especially for those who like to change their profile pic or even username. There are a lot of users on the forum and when someone is new, it can be overwhelming to remember who everyone is without these types of anchors.
They are also just fun to have – sharing a little bit of yourself is what this forum is about.
Cons
The problematic part of titles is 1) exclusivity and 2) if a title is chosen that you don’t like.
These issues could be resolved by making titles available to all (either by unlocking the ability to add them yourself, if possible – maybe only if you have reached a certain trust level to prevent excessive moderation) – or by being able to request a title from the moderators. Ultimately if this is too big of a burden for moderators, I would be ok with the status quo.
Being able to create titles is a TP stuff (Len, Laurel, David for example) ability or a moderator. As I said, @missoverexcited and I never asked permission.
Just to clarify my intent in making the other poll, it was more of a trial balloon to see if anyone else was interested before a more concerted effort was made to add titles. I did not intend or expect the poll to be definitive or result directly in any changes. But I will keep this in mind going forward.
They aren’t really exclusive though (in my opinion). There are many, many people on these forums who are super active and are beloved….and they don’t have titles. It’s more a thing that identifies users who have been around since the beginning of the Forum. I don’t think that means exclusive at all. I am not discounting those that do feel they are exclusive.
I would be sad to see them go. I wouldn’t mind seeing a resurgence of them for newer members, but someone witty needs to take that job over (not me). My title doesn’t even mean anything really, but it is part of my identity here just like my profile picture which I have never changed.
I think taglines are fun. It was always great when we noticed a new one had been bestowed. I would love to see more people be given them on a surprise basis. No requests.
As for my tagline please don’t ever remove it. It’s part of my history and identity here.
I don’t think this is true. Up until an hour ago, I had a title, @missoverexcited does not. We have two different Tinker avatars. We have both had the same avatars since the beginning(?). Do you know how many users have told me they can’t tell us apart?
Very surprised this indeed isn’t technically possible, at least without custom coding / modifying
I’ve worked on some of the older forum software like vBulletin and you could do all sorts of stuff to modify user profiles, show an unlimited amount of details next to posts etc. So Discourse is apparently much more limited in this regard.
I do appreciate the simplicity of it though, I’ve been on forums where you have a profile picture, post count, custom title, location, and a bunch of other details under every username next to posts, not to even mention long signatures with images, links etc. I’m glad we don’t have that here!
