by Andrew on Fri Oct 28, 2016 1:10 pm
Hey modders,
I just wanted to update everyone on the status of the Contributor group. Earlier this year, we removed a few people from the group due to inactivity, as per our rules for the group. At our discretion, a couple of long-time contributors who aren't as active do remain in the group, as they have been in the community for over a decade and made significant contributions during their time here. This is an exception that we're willing to grant under certain circumstances.
Since then, we haven't added anyone new to the Contributor group. This isn't because our community hasn't been doing great work in terms of modding, but simply because other circumstances have gotten in the way, including the the creation of content, maintenance and upkeep of the site, and our hosting situation back in June, which threatened the continued existence of the NLSC. Sometimes, things do fall by the wayside because other matters are more pressing. When those other issues are resolved, we're able to turn our attention back to what has been overlooked.
We do want to keep recognising the work of modders in our community, through adding new people to the group. At the same time, we also want to make sure that the Contributor group does not become some sort of elitist "status symbol", something that people want to get into just for the sake of getting into, or to hold over other members of the community. We want the Contributor group to not only be a means of recognising people who have made consistent contributions to the community, but also a sign of mutual respect.
The "being active and adding files to the Downloads section" part of the contributor rules is quite clear and easily understood, but there is another requirement that I want to highlight: Contributors must also have "been a good Forum citizen, setting a good example for other members." This part is actually very important because respect is a two way street, and to be frank, we're not particularly comfortable with giving profile perks and public recognition to someone who is rude or disdainful towards us, or the community at large.
In short, if you're unpleasant to deal with, or most of our interactions with you leave us with the impression that you're difficult and disrespectful, then it doesn't matter how good your mods are. If you want us to give you recognition and do nice things for you, you need to be nice to us and the community; it's only fair. If you have a habit of being rude in your posts, or unsupportive towards your fellow modders, or taking passive-aggressive potshots at other members or the NLSC and any of its staff, or anything like that, then you're on the fast track to disqualifying yourself from the Contributor group. And yes, that includes the way you interact with people in private messages, too.
We will always be proud of our modding community, and thankful and appreciative towards the people who are making great contributions with the work. We will continue to express that thanks and appreciation in a variety of ways. However, when it comes to the Contributor group, we will draw the line at including anyone whose attitude and treatment of their fellow community members leaves much to be desired. Fortunately, such individuals are few and far between, but it is an issue we want to highlight as we look to add new people to the group.
With that being said, we do have some people in mind that we'd like to reach out to about recognising with a Contributor badge, which we'll be doing in the near future. If you have any questions about the Contributor group and the rules, or a nomination, by all means let us know.