Info about Forum Levels

[mjensen415]

We are introducing new “user levels” can earn for viewing and participation. The higher up you are, the more you can interact with others in the forum and the more features open up. There are 5 levels of participation: Level 0 (New) → Level 1 (Basic) → Level 2 (Member) → Level 3 (Regular) → Level 4 (Leader).

New (0)
New users coming into the forum need to earn the trust of the community. Most likely they are visitors who just created an account and still learning the community norms and the way the forum works.

New users will have limited access to post but can read most all posts. There are fewer interface options to make it less confusing for new users, and we will gradually introduce new functionality you get more experienced. Thus, new users’ members are restricted for safety – both theirs and yours.

Users at level 0 cannot…

• Send private messages to other users
• “Reply as new topic” via Link button
• Flag posts
• Post more than 1 image
• Post any attachments
• Post more than 2 hyperlinks in a post
• Have actual links in the ‘about me’ field of their profile (will be silently and temporarily converted to plain text)
• Mention more than 2 users in a post

Basic (1)
If a user sticks around long enough to read a bit, they earn the trust of the community and open up some basic user functions.

You can get to level 1 by:

• visiting at least 5 topics
• reading at least 30 posts
• spend a total of 10 minutes reading posts

New features opened up at level 1 are:

• use all core forum functions
• Upload images and attachments if enabled
• Edit wiki posts
• Flag posts
• have all new user restrictions removed

Members (2)
Members keep coming back to the site, and have participated long enough to earn complete citizenship.

You can get to level 2 by:

• visiting at least 15 days, not sequentially
• casting at least 1 like
• receiving at least 1 like
• replying to at least 3 different topics
• visiting at least 20 topics
• reading at least 100 posts
• spend a total of 60 minutes reading posts

Users at level 2 can…

• Use the “Invite others to this topic” button for one-click onboarding of * new users to participate in topics
• Daily like limit increased by 1.5 ×

Regular (3)
Regulars are the most active readers and reliable contributors over long periods of time.

You can get to level 3 by:

• This is time and activity based, unlike the previous levels. In the last 100 days.
• must have visited at least 50% of days
• must have replied to at least 10 different topics
  of topics created in the last 100 days, must have viewed 25% (capped at 500)
• of posts created in the last 100 days, must have read 25% (capped at 20k)
• must have received 20 likes, and given 30 likes.*
• must not have received more than 5 spam or offensive flags (with unique posts and unique users for each, confirmed by a moderator)
• must not have been suspended
• These likes must be across a minimum number of different users (1/5 the number), across a minimum number of different days (1/4 the number). Likes cannot be from PMs.
  All of the above must be true.

Unlike other levels, you can lose level 3 status. If you dip below these requirements, whether from flagging or the passage of time, you will be dropped down to level 2, Member. However, to avoid constant promotion/demotion situations, there is a 2-week grace period immediately after gaining Trust Level 3 during which you will not be demoted.

Users at level 3 can:

• recategorize and rename topics
• access a private “frequent flier’s lounge” category only visible to users at trust level 3 and higher
• have all their links followed (we remove automatic nofollow865)
• spam flags cast on TL0 user posts immediately hide the post
• flags cast on TL0 user posts in sufficient diversity will auto-block the * * user and hide all their posts
• make their own posts wiki (that is, editable by any TL1+ users)
• Daily like limit increased by 2 ×

Leader (4)

Leaders are regulars who have been around forever and seen everything. They set a positive example for the community through their actions and their posts. If you need advice, these are the folks you turn to first.

The only way to get to level 4 is by manual promotion by an admin.

Users at trust level 4 can…

• edit all posts
• pin/unpin topic
• close topic
• archive topic
• make topic unlisted
• Split and merge topics
• Daily like limit increased by 3 ×