Tropical Fish Forums

[Marcos Avila]

All participants of this board are ranked according to the following categories:

Special Ranks (invitation only)

Advisors: This is the top-level rank on this board in terms of fishkeeping expertise. The group is composed of valued members who've shown outstanding knowledge and achievements in one or more aspects of the hobby, and are willing to pass that knowledge onto others with politeness and clarity. Although the focus of this rank is on advising, it also has moderation privileges in the Freshwater Basics, Best of the Board, Gallery Submission and Article Preparation forums.

Exemplars: Regular members who've demonstrated exemplary participation (regardless of fishkeeping skill level) and consistently help to promote a healthy, enjoyable atmosphere and fruitful discussions on the board.

Moderators: These are regular members who were recruited to help me with the board maintenance. They can edit/move/delete topics and posts on all forums, create polls, etc. Some of the oldest moderators also have administration privileges and can create/delete/modify user accounts, ban members, etc. Although the main focus of this rank is on the board's maintenance and directives, most of these members are also very experienced and accomplished fishkeepers.

Benefactors: These are the members who gave regular financial support to help cover the costs of hosting the board during a time it was needed, allowing it to remain public and free to all other visitors (no longer accepting new entries).

Standard Ranks (automatic evolution)

Regulars: Participants who've posted 100 messages or more.

Members: Participants who've posted 30 messages or more.

New Members: Recently registered participants.

The three ranks above enjoy the same privileges, I.e., no privileges whatsoever are gained on this board simply by posting more messages. What we value here is the quality of the messages, not the quantity. Standard members can post in all forums except a few with restricted access. They can and should edit/delete their own topics when necessary, create their own profiles (see rules for Avatar, Sig, etc) and use the board's private messenging (PM) system.

Visitors

Non-registered participants can read all public forums, search the board for specific topics and browse the memberlist, but cannot post on the board.
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Success with a fish/tank is measured in YEARS, not months or weeks...