User ranks 'start' at Exiled and 'end' at Admin....they list as...
Exiled, Visitor, Citizen, Apprentice, Master Apprentice, Journeyman, Master, Wizop, Admin.
When you create an account you 'start' at Citizen.
The previous 2 are states of 'demotion'. Visitor retains site access but devoices [cannot post comment to forums, etc]. Exile bars site access.
With input, contribution, and experience you can be promoted [by Admin or Wizop] by stages up to Journeyman....by which stage it is recognised you are a significant contributor of value to the skinning community...whereby even your rating 'influence' reflects your knowledge/experience.
'Master' is much like 'Life Member'.... a title reserved for specific acknowlegement...and one that must be voted on by the admins/wizops, whereas all prior can be/are at the discretion of any one of them.
'Wizop' is the level where administrative controls for forum moderation, etc are bestowed and naturally that level is also achieved through recommendation and vote.
'Super Wizop' is a new one...to distinguish from the forum moderators...and is generally what/who used to be 'wizop'...same promotional rules apply.
'Admin' is much the same as the previous two but is reserved for Stardock personnel who are hands-on with the site coding, policy direction and such....[remember Stardock owns and pays for Wincustomize].....except for me....I'm the odd man out....but conveniently in an alternate time zone to the Stardock crew which makes good sense, I guess...
Most of what this all boils down to is that if/when someone new to the site asks for help, etc....the 'quality' of that help should be easily gauged by the ranking of the person giving the advice.
In site protocol issues.....to put it simply, an exile or visitor cannot request you do something or not do it....[as they have no voice]....whereas if a Wizop or Admin asks you to do or not do something.....it's probably wise to listen...
All these levels are a 'reward' method...to which can be ascribed some feature or advantage that others 'lower down' may not have....eg 'strength' of rating....works that bypass moderation automatically....no download caps, etc.
This promotion process....being a 'reward' system naturally goes both ways...up AND down.....make a faux pas of sufficient magnitude and you 'can' go backwards.
There's no real value to a one-way only street....
