NationStates Jolt Archive

We decided it would be more believable if only some people were.

Looks like we were right.

I think what made it most believable is that it really wasn't that funny.

However, as pranks go, this is the first one I thought was actually hard to spot. It seemed like a bit of an odd turn, but at first so did influence.

I might have picked up on it if I'd read the entire thread, but I admit I played the fool.

# 23:38, 1 April 2007 Goobergunch deleted "Image:RegionalModerationCentre.gif" (deleted by uploader request)
# 23:37, 1 April 2007 Goobergunch deleted "Image:RegionalModerator.gif" (deleted by uploader request)

What was funny was the way people ignored the obvious, thinking it not obvious enough, in search of a 'bigger' April Fools joke. Especially since they were the ones telling the rest of us 'not to jump to conclusions'.

Well, I found it funny.

April Fools

Hope you all enjoyed the day. We're looking through the warnings now and having a good chuckle.

ye should post the best ones!

i must admits, my first thought was Aprils Fools... but then i was still too wary to go around giving mass warnings for fear of deletion :p

agreed! :p

w00t!!! Good one. Too bad I didn't get to become one though... :(

What made it believable was that it had some potential as an idea, and really wasn't all that funny as a joke.


Meh.

wise guys

Heh, this one is right up there with Homeworld Security. :D

# 23:38, 1 April 2007 Goobergunch deleted "Image:RegionalModerationCentre.gif" (deleted by uploader request)
# 23:37, 1 April 2007 Goobergunch deleted "Image:RegionalModerator.gif" (deleted by uploader request)

Thank you kind sir. Now I'll get the correct image back up there (tested on my end first) to round off the article.

-M

April Fools

Hope you all enjoyed the day. We're looking through the warnings now and having a good chuckle.

The best part will be in guessing which warnings came from people wise to the prank and which ones can from people who really thought they were mods for a day!

How hard would it be for you guys to share a few of the funnier appropriate warnings that were issued? :)

Furthermore, do you have an easy way to count the number of Griefing vs. other two types of warnings? I was thinking making a simple bar graph showing the number of warnings might add some visual element to the NSWiki article.

A... April Fools? I am shocked and dismayed at the same time! Can you not see the shock on my face? I thought this bizarre feature was introduced on 1st April by complete coincidence! :eek:

Well, maybe not. ;) :p

I suppose that the best part of these kinds of pranks isn't in being daft enough to fall for them, but rather to laugh at all those people who were daft enough to fall for them. :D

What made it believable was that it had some potential as an idea, and really wasn't all that funny as a joke.


Meh.

Exactly right. Exactly.

Good one...kinda.

I think this is one of those pranks that will get funnier as we see the reactions people had. My test post was something like 'Testing the RMA', but I'm sure there were some by both people who figured it out and people who didn't that will be classic. Not so funny on the surface, but I think it's getting funnier.

I just wish I'd have noticed it was April Fool's Day. If only my flight time getting moved back several hours had been a joke yesterday.

"Your flight isn't leaving until after 9 PM. You'll just have to hang out in the airport doing nothing. Have fun..... April Fool's. Get on this plane, you knucklehead." *Chucks me on the chin*

Ah, yes, that would have been much better than what actually happened.

April Fools

Hope you all enjoyed the day. We're looking through the warnings now and having a good chuckle.

Are you going to share the fun with the rest of us?

Since I knew it had to be a joke (the mods would never give any of my nations power over anything, not even a moldy cheese sandwich), I only bothered to send one warning -- to one of HotRodia's puppets for having too many puppets. :D

I must say that I'm one of the fools. The thought that you had a world wide april fools prank prepared for us all just didn't cross my mind, although I did found quite strange that you had picked me as a moderator, and not Gnidrah, my delegate, or other more experienced members of the East Pacific. But then I thought, "hey, why not! I've never had an argument with another player, and I am mature enough to take the responsibility. I'm also a moderator in other forums, so..." During my short period as a moderator, I managed to be as "moderated" as posible, and just issued one griefing warning after re-reading the etiquette rules carefully.

What I didn't try was the irc channel. I suposse the joke would reveal itself as soon as I entered. Speaking of which... was it functional?

Anyway, I must bow before you.

Regards.

What I didn't try was the irc channel. I suposse the joke would reveal itself as soon as I entered. Speaking of which... was it functional?

Despite several claims to the contrary, the channel was fully functional. At least 100 RMs managed to drop by and chat, with the "Global Mods" in attendence and providing guidance and advice. While there was some skepticism from some of them, most seemed to enjoy their new roles.

No, the joke didn't reveal itself in the IRC channel until midnight PST, same as here. Keep 'em guessing, always.

Always nice to know the people in charge have nothing better to do with their time than play pranks (that aren't even amusing, for that matter). Bravo.

Always nice to know the people in charge have nothing better to do with their time than play pranks (that aren't even amusing, for that matter). Bravo.

Your sense of humour appears to be broken. Take it back to the store from which you purchased it. With any luck, it'll still be under warranty, and you'll be able to replace it with one that works properly.

When I first read about this, I thought the mods were insane. I'm glad it was only a joke. But I still think the mods are insane.

When I first read about this, I thought the mods were insane. I'm glad it was only a joke. But I still think the mods are insane.

Oh, they are. And we make sure they stay that way. ;)

I would like to point out that the RMs did actually serve the "intended" purpose though. We did catch some legit rule violations thanks to the RM report log, and the RM who caught it is credited in the official warning tag on the nations they caught =)

As for sharing some of the funnier warnings... we're discussing that. I'm certainly in favor (Of course, this is slightly because my younger sister and I got into a warnspam battle a few minutes before midnight! =p)

A part of me is greatly relieved that barely active (for me, more like almost no activity prior to the last two days) people like myself aren't also tagged to moderate. But a part of me wants to write a couple of people up.

I would like to point out that the RMs did actually serve the "intended" purpose though. We did catch some legit rule violations thanks to the RM report log, and the RM who caught it is credited in the official warning tag on the nations they caught =)

As for sharing some of the funnier warnings... we're discussing that. I'm certainly in favor (Of course, this is slightly because my younger sister and I got into a warnspam battle a few minutes before midnight! =p)

This is exactly why I didn't realize it was fake. I think it does have some value and while it probably needed some work, I could see the value in it and the possible thinking behind it. Perhaps I have too much faith in nations using this responsibly.

I'd love to see this implemented but ...The world contains 90,873 nations in 11,440 regions.There's no way for us to select a regional mod in every region. Even assuming that half or more are one-player regions, possibly with several puppets, that's still 5000 regions that would need a mod. We either have to do it programmatically or not at all, which means that otherwise-deserving people would be skipped over, and some bad apples would inevitably get in.

As it was, we were able to use the data generated to get rid of a reasonable number of rulebreaking nations, and further identified a few people who would NEVER be considered for any position of power in this game. (Even when you KNOW it's a joke, there are lines you shouldn't cross, folks.)

Anyone who wants to be a Regional Mod still can be, of course. Just use the Getting Help (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/page=help) page to report infractions. The results are the same ... minus the neato-keen-green logo, of course.

But you took away my awesome powers!

I suppose I could content myself with the founder powers of arbitrarily removing UN delegates and nations, banning people and in general being the most awesomest nation in the region.

But still! I had a nice big banner-thingy, and a dropdown menu! Gone forever.

You mods are so cruel. You haven't been this cruel ever since you promised me romance and love via nationdates, and then snatched away my hopes and dreams and threw me into isolated miserable despair. :(

I'd love to see this implemented but ...There's no way for us to select a regional mod in every region. Even assuming that half or more are one-player regions, possibly with several puppets, that's still 5000 regions that would need a mod. We either have to do it programmatically or not at all, which means that otherwise-deserving people would be skipped over, and some bad apples would inevitably get in.

As it was, we were able to use the data generated to get rid of a reasonable number of rulebreaking nations, and further identified a few people who would NEVER be considered for any position of power in this game. (Even when you KNOW it's a joke, there are lines you shouldn't cross, folks.)

Anyone who wants to be a Regional Mod still can be, of course. Just use the Getting Help (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/page=help) page to report infractions. The results are the same ... minus the neato-keen-green logo, of course.

Ah, but there's the rub.

Why would you have to have one per region? Let's use JuNii as the example. He's active in the mod forum, and generally pretty reasonable. (Let's pretend you agree.) The mods notice and give him the status of "limited moderator" with limited meaning only able to do a small number of things in the game and all of his warnings being reviewed by mods. With a little time he could easily be seen as his warnings standing unless there is a complaint against him.

And let's say you also give me the status. And I abuse the privelege, using it to get back at GnI for not supporting my arguments, let's say.

You'd end up with knowledge prior to modship of who you'd NEVER want to have that kind of power, and you'd have knowledge of who actually would use such things responsiibly. When you have a gap in the moderators, now you've got a pool of people you already know to be reasonable. Sounds like all good things. And for those that do abuse it, they lose it like every other privelege on NS.

It seems like in limited use, it would have quite a bit of value. Perhaps, they're have to be more thinking about how to execute, but not an idea worth chucking on the surface.

I believe that in theory there is really a regional mod.

To me, the Founder is a regional mod, since they have the power to eject and/or ban an unwanted nation from the region. It may not be the same as what reploid and the others thought of, but in essence it is.

And the Regional Delegate, provided they are granted access as well, can also serve the same purpose.

I'd love to see this implemented but ...There's no way for us to select a regional mod in every region. Even assuming that half or more are one-player regions, possibly with several puppets, that's still 5000 regions that would need a mod. We either have to do it programmatically or not at all, which means that otherwise-deserving people would be skipped over, and some bad apples would inevitably get in.

As it was, we were able to use the data generated to get rid of a reasonable number of rulebreaking nations, and further identified a few people who would NEVER be considered for any position of power in this game. (Even when you KNOW it's a joke, there are lines you shouldn't cross, folks.)

Anyone who wants to be a Regional Mod still can be, of course. Just use the Getting Help (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/page=help) page to report infractions. The results are the same ... minus the neato-keen-green logo, of course.

I swear Fris, I thought it was a joke......don't ban me! :p

I believe that in theory there is really a regional mod.

To me, the Founder is a regional mod, since they have the power to eject and/or ban an unwanted nation from the region. It may not be the same as what reploid and the others thought of, but in essence it is.

And the Regional Delegate, provided they are granted access as well, can also serve the same purpose.

But they don't create the history, which, from experience, is a huge value in modding.

As it was, we were able to use the data generated to get rid of a reasonable number of rulebreaking nations, and further identified a few people who would NEVER be considered for any position of power in this game. (Even when you KNOW it's a joke, there are lines you shouldn't cross, folks.)
Everyone in my region had it coming, and the reasons I listed were wholly legitimate. Especially the bizarre sexual allegations.

hahaha i knew it was an april fools joke :p
So i didn't get owned like some other people i know. hahaha:p

I swear Fris, I thought it was a joke......don't ban me! :p
I gotta admit. That post made me paraniod. I've been running through the "warnings" I issued, wondering if any were over the line.

Despite several claims to the contrary, the channel was fully functional. At least 100 RMs managed to drop by and chat, with the "Global Mods" in attendence and providing guidance and advice. While there was some skepticism from some of them, most seemed to enjoy their new roles.

No, the joke didn't reveal itself in the IRC channel until midnight PST, same as here. Keep 'em guessing, always.

I finally go my issues sorted. It wasn't so much that the IRC channel wasn't funtional so much as it was operator error.

I finally go my issues sorted. It wasn't so much that the IRC channel wasn't funtional so much as it was operator error.

hence the keyword pebcak?

*hides*

I gotta admit. That post made me paraniod. I've been running through the "warnings" I issued, wondering if any were over the line.

There were two or three standout posters who caught our attention. Let's put it this way - if your posts didn't include combinations of "nazi", "ghey", "homo", "dick", and/or "fuck", you're safe. Completely.

Whilst reviewing yesterday's results ...(Of course, this is slightly because my younger sister and I got into a warnspam battle a few minutes before midnight! =p)... speaking of people who should never be allowed near a mod console ...


Lordy! There's no heat that can quite compare to sisters in a bitchfest.

Whilst reviewing yesterday's results ...... speaking of people who should never be allowed near a mod console ...


Lordy! There's no heat that can quite compare to sisters in a bitchfest.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

Whilst reviewing yesterday's results ...... speaking of people who should never be allowed near a mod console ...


Lordy! There's no heat that can quite compare to sisters in a bitchfest.

Did their posts include those words?

And you've never heard my sister and myself pretend to argue (I'm not a sister which is why it contradicts your statements), considering neither of us really swear, most people who witness it find it pretty shocking. It's mostly a test to see who can say the dirtiest, meanest thing about the other with points for originality and alliteration.

There were two or three standout posters who caught our attention. Let's put it this way - if your posts didn't include combinations of "nazi", "ghey", "homo", "dick", and/or "fuck", you're safe. Completely.

Unless I suffered from amnesia and tourettes at the same time then that excludes me.

What can I say? I'm ex-Catholic. I have a guilty conscience.

Are their any more new features in the new update?

speaking of people who should never be allowed near a mod console ...


Lordy! There's no heat that can quite compare to sisters in a bitchfest.

Yeah, this is why it's the eldest Amahira sister that's the NS mod, and not the younger! :D Man, and she got the last word in, no less!

Ahh foo I didn't get a chance to take advantage of the April Fool's joke :(

Gotta love this april fools joke!

Ah, but there's the rub.

Why would you have to have one per region? Let's use JuNii as the example. He's active in the mod forum, and generally pretty reasonable. (Let's pretend you agree.) The mods notice and give him the status of "limited moderator" with limited meaning only able to do a small number of things in the game and all of his warnings being reviewed by mods. With a little time he could easily be seen as his warnings standing unless there is a complaint against him.

And let's say you also give me the status. And I abuse the privelege, using it to get back at GnI for not supporting my arguments, let's say.

You'd end up with knowledge prior to modship of who you'd NEVER want to have that kind of power, and you'd have knowledge of who actually would use such things responsiibly. When you have a gap in the moderators, now you've got a pool of people you already know to be reasonable. Sounds like all good things. And for those that do abuse it, they lose it like every other privelege on NS.

It seems like in limited use, it would have quite a bit of value. Perhaps, they're have to be more thinking about how to execute, but not an idea worth chucking on the surface.
I'm liking what Jocabia is thinking of...it defintely would help matters.

And think about it...far too often we have problems that go on for hours because the few moderators we DO have are so busy with their own lives that they often don't have the time to swing by and judge things. While in its current form it is not implimentable in reality, regional moderators do make sense, as would, perhaps, forum specific moderators eventually, like a moderator confined purely to modding Internation Incidents or General or something. The idea is to help the mods, and they definitely need the help.

pfft, I ended up ejecting all of my regional mods. :p (they're back, now, though)

And I agree, LET REPPY SHARE THE GOOD ONES! :D

The idea is to help the mods, and they definitely need the help.Not sure I agree with you there. We're really the only ones who are fully aware of our workloads, and if we needed help, we'd have added it by now.

And think about it...far too often we have problems that go on for hours because the few moderators we DO have are so busy with their own lives that they often don't have the time to swing by and judge things. This wouldn't help, except on Regional Messageboards. The time-sensitive stuff you're talking about usually takes a forum mod or game mod anyway. There's also the matter of timezone difficulties, as we don't have a particularly strong international component right now. Stuff that happens US overnight doesn't always get addressed quickly.

To be honest, a few hours of just about anything won't really hurt anyone. People aren't bleeding out or dying when somebody posts tubgirl - it's just gross for a while. No matter what you're doing, a bit of spam is, at worst, going to make you walk away from your computer for a while.


While in its current form it is not implimentable in reality Not with 23%, but the basic idea may be sound

regional moderators do make sense,There's some who agree with you.

as would, perhaps, forum specific moderators eventually, like a moderator confined purely to modding Internation Incidents or General or something. That's much less likely, since we don't control Jolt. Adding a NS mod is a chore. Adding forum-specific mods would be much worse.

There's merit in this joke, no doubt about it. There are also problems, and we've considered some doozies. We're not necessarily closing the door on this concept, but don't hold your breath waiting for your invitation to RegMod. No matter what happens, it's not likely to happen fast.

Are their any more new features in the new update?There was no update. The whole thing was the frame for the Regional Mod joke.

Lordy! There's no heat that can quite compare to sisters in a bitchfest.


I've got two older sisters and a handful of older half-sisters (my father had some rather fertile loins apparently). Yeah, don't wanna piss 'em off. I'm almost 35, and they all still scare me.

Always nice to know the people in charge have nothing better to do with their time than play pranks (that aren't even amusing, for that matter). Bravo.

Dude, it's a free game played for pleasure which has spun itself off from an advertising campaign... what exactly should the unpaid people in charge be doing?

Why, serving Unkerlantum, of course. :p

it never did fool me

... No matter what happens, it's not likely to happen fast.

Though the mills of Mod grind slowly,
Yet they grind exceeding small;
Though with patience they stand waiting,
With exactness grind they all.

Actually, this is a misquote. Retribution was in fact written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's evil twin, and the last line originally read --

Betcha they won't catch us all.

Not sure I agree with you there. We're really the only ones who are fully aware of our workloads, and if we needed help, we'd have added it by now.

This wouldn't help, except on Regional Messageboards. The time-sensitive stuff you're talking about usually takes a forum mod or game mod anyway. There's also the matter of timezone difficulties, as we don't have a particularly strong international component right now. Stuff that happens US overnight doesn't always get addressed quickly.

To be honest, a few hours of just about anything won't really hurt anyone. People aren't bleeding out or dying when somebody posts tubgirl - it's just gross for a while. No matter what you're doing, a bit of spam is, at worst, going to make you walk away from your computer for a while.


Not with 23%, but the basic idea may be sound

There's some who agree with you.

That's much less likely, since we don't control Jolt. Adding a NS mod is a chore. Adding forum-specific mods would be much worse.

There's merit in this joke, no doubt about it. There are also problems, and we've considered some doozies. We're not necessarily closing the door on this concept, but don't hold your breath waiting for your invitation to RegMod. No matter what happens, it's not likely to happen fast.

Fair enough, Fris. Just thought I'd toss in my two cents. One of the great things about you mods here is that you let us speak up on these issues even if you don't agree with us. Far too often I see forums with authoritarian mods who clamp down on any and all suggestions and treat the general user population as if they were naught but children or something.

Fair enough, Fris. Just thought I'd toss in my two cents. One of the great things about you mods here is that you let us speak up on these issues even if you don't agree with us. Far too often I see forums with authoritarian mods who clamp down on any and all suggestions and treat the general user population as if they were naught but children or something.

Heehee, we just take out our meglomaniacal tendancies on the users in the fictional NS populated by our "Bastard NS Mod from Hell" alter-egos! :D Which reminds me, I am terribly overdue for a new post to that.

There was no update. The whole thing was the frame for the Regional Mod joke.

Lol. I found that out this morning. But it does make me wonder though, is their a game update in the near future?

Great job moderators. That was a good joke, and it really got some laughs.

Heehee, we just take out our meglomaniacal tendancies on the users in the fictional NS populated by our "Bastard NS Mod from Hell" alter-egos! :D Which reminds me, I am terribly overdue for a new post to that.

Where's the link to that, anyways? (knowing me, it's probably stickied, but I never browse the forums. ;))

Oh, and you still told me where your avatar came from... >.>
:p

EDIT: Nevermind, saw the threads. :D

We are only human.
LIES!

LIES!
OK, at least half-human. But the other half is always something normal, like ginormous mecha, or recreational throwing disc, or grue. Et cetera.

Heehee, we just take out our meglomaniacal tendancies on the users in the fictional NS populated by our "Bastard NS Mod from Hell" alter-egos! :D Which reminds me, I am terribly overdue for a new post to that.

you're cheating on us?!

is their a game update in the near future?Probably not. I think most of our wish list involves beating Jolt with large saps.

Probably not. I think most of our wish list involves beating Jolt with large saps.

which they wont let us do

Probably not. I think most of our wish list involves beating Jolt with large saps.

Which probably isn't a good idea.

Damn. Just my luck to miss this.:(

Oh well, I'll still be here next years to see what our evil-minded little mod-crew come up with. :p

Who, us?:fluffle:

Who, us?:fluffle:

no the other lot we have :D

no the other lot we have :D

Shh!!

Shh!!

:eek: :(

:eek: :(

The others are a secret :D

As this appears to have degenerated entirely into spam, iLock.