An opinion article by Tama-Neko of Minitokyo
Updated 11/3/05 to reflect MT3 guidelines
Elite members (aka elites) are, as the title suggests, members of the Minitokyo community. In addition to all the ranks and priviledges of a Minitokyo member (persuant to level restrictions), elites can do the following:
In addition, our names are usually italicized. Normal members' names are in normal font while Minitokyo moderators' names are in a different color.
Elite members are not Minitokyo moderators. We do not have the added powers nor responsibilites of any moderator type, whether Forum moderator, Gallery Director, Administrator, Superadministrator, System Administrator, etc. This means elites cannot:
Elite Members are chosen from the community by the moderators with the consensus of Sheqel. You cannot apply for the position; they choose individuals whom they feel have been active participants in MT and help to keep the community functional, whether through reporting, active helping in the forums, etc. In other words, doing the following:
...will not guarantee your status will be upgraded to Elite Member status. Again, the moderators chose whomever they feel deserves the promotion. Current elites really have no say in this process -- we are not decision makers. We have been allowed, on a few occasions, to express our opinion (either positively or negatively) on a member a moderator would like to promote -- but we do no put forth suggestions nor have any real say on who gets promoted.
As an example, I became an elite one day many months ago because... Well, I'm not sure why, exactly. Sheqel decided to message me out of the blue and ask if I wanted to be an elite member. I, obviously, said sure. I never asked for the position -- I don't think any elite asked for it, except for those who were originally moderators and asked to be demoted because they no longer had the time necessary to devote to moderating Minitokyo.
Quite some time ago, back in the times when Minitokyo was still in its infancy, the moderators were getting bogged down with reports on gallery items which were miscategorized. They decided to create a new rank of member that would have the ability to move gallery items and/or create new categories (as needed so that they can move items into them) to help relieve the burden. The first elites were chosen from folks who were knowledgable about numerous series and artists and were the ones who did most of the mis-categorization reporting.
Relatively recently, the title of Elite Member has evolved, and more often is given to a member whom a moderator felt was an exceptional member of the community and deserved a small promotion. In addition, the elites' ability to participate in the moderator forum was also granted.
It's time to debunk some other theories!
Myth: Moderators choose their friends to be elites.
Fact: While one can never fully escape the issue of nepotism, moderators follow the above guidelines in selecting Elites. Also, Sheqel must approve the promotion before it is allowed to pass.
Myth: Moderators are only promoted from Elite Members.
Fact: Many moderators are chosen from the ranks of Elite Members. The added responsibility of an elite is a good test to see if someone has the proper personality and maturity to be a moderator, as well as the motivation to be an active moderator. Former Gallery Director Sammo and current Gallery Director Keltosh were two moderators who began as elites. However, this doesn't mean every moderator is chosen from the elite ranks. Gallery Directors Shinsengumi and OracleAngel were promoted directly from his regular member status to that position.
Myth: Elites are part of the Minitokyo staff.
Fact: Elites are Minitokyo members. Moderators and Administrators are Minitokyo staff. Please do not ask us to resolve issues that staff are expected to (for example, deleted artwork, user status or arguments between users.) These issues must be addressed to the Minitokyo staff, because it is not in our powers to help you.
Myth: Elites' opinions weigh more heavily than regular members' opinions.
Fact: Well... I hope this isn't the case. I mean, elites are just members with a few minor extra powers. Our opinions matter just as much as everybody else's -- and no more then that.
Myth: By joining the Elite-Members group on Minitokyo, I can become an elite.
Fact: After a member is promoted to elite status, they should apply to the group and will be given group moderator status (so they can help accept any other elites into the group.) The Elite-Members group is not indicative of elite status, we all just decided to join it. Well, not all of us -- there are some elites who are not a part of the group for any number of reasons, so please don't count the Elite-Members group as a comprehensive list of elites either.