In a recent e-mail from Einstein, a regular on the BBS, it was pointed out to me that at times I seem to dwell on the fact that there is a SW:CCG community. This an excellent observation. I am indeed fascinated by the SW:CCG community, particularly in the way it exists on the BBS. Last spring, I took a class here at UF about electronic publishing and its impact on a variety of societal factors. Professor David Carelton, teacher of the course, said that "the Internet has literally changed the meaning of the word ‘community'." At the time, I didn't think this was a profound statement, but I now realize that it is describing a fundamental shift in the way that people interact with people.
As interesting as it would be to discuss the concept of "virtual communities," I don't think that many of you would interested in that. What I do think you will find of some interest is that fact that I also believe there to be a social structure that exists on the BBS. I've been watching the interactions on the BBS (which reminded me a little of Jane Goodall living among the chimpanzees) and have come up with a loose system of categories in which I believe most of the BBSers fit. I believe that a single individual can occupy a spot in serval categories and that an individual can move from category to category. As you read them, keep an eye out for who you think might fit in each one. I've tried (somewhat unsuccessfully) to stay away from naming specific names in this article simply because I don't want people sending me nasty e-mail, but if you've been watching the same BBS that I have, you'll know exactly who I'm talking about in a few of the categories.
Elders. These are people who've been around seemingly since SW:CCG time began (the examples that come to mind are ZippyDaJedi and faramir). They are, for the most part, well-liked and respected. Most of them are on the board far less than many regulars, but when they do arrive, they receive something akin to reverence. Many of the Elders are unknown to recent BBS arrivals, but often have an aura of respectability. Most of the Elders fit into other categories (such as rule masters), but others have moved beyond all other distinctions and exist only as elders. It is possible for an elder to be absent from the board for so long that they lose their status as an Elder and become a Has-Been.
Rule Masters. These are the people on the BBS who you look for when you have a rules question that needs to be answered correctly and promptly (three of my favorites are Moff Phrim, Aniolek, and Walkingcarpet). These people can either quote the rules from memory or know exactly where in the CRD they can find the answer. Many of them love to be challenged by rule questions, and if they don't know the answer, they will ask RBL or the listserv. These are generally the guys whose posts often begin with "an interesting ruling from the listserv." Some of the Rule Masters, most notably Statman, are able to put complicated rulings or rules into simple language that even a jawa like me can understand. Unfortunately, there are also wanna-be Rule Masters, who rush to be the first to answer a rules question, but are often wrong or incomplete in their answers. There is generally at least one Rule-Master on the BBS at any given time during the day or evening.
Traders. Just as the name suggests, these are the people who seem to always be in the middle of a trade, looking for a trade, or asking if they made a good trade. Just to be clear about this, not everyone who makes a trade on the BBS is in the trader category. I'm talking about those who always seem to be talking about trading or advertising the newest trading alliance or group. Traders often the recipients of suggestions that they go post on the Trading BBS.
Web site Counter Obsessees. Members of this group are those who are constantly advertising their URL and begging for decks or articles to be submitted to their pages. One of the more pathetic of these is a rather recent arrival to the BBS who wouldn't post a link to a particular site on the BBS - instead, he made everyone who wanted it go to his page for the link so they would "add hits to his counter" (that's a quote from his post ladies and gentlemen). Obsessees are also the ones who offer prizes to those who submit the most material to their site. Perhaps it's because I see how much work Beakman put into generating most of the material posted on Beakman's World from scratch, but I find these Obsessees to be most annoying. Just to be clear, this category does not include those who let the BBS know when their site has been up-dated or who post the URLs for new sites to be reviewed. I talking about those who are constantly posting their URL and practically begging for visitors and submissions (I'll give a big jawa hero cookie to the first person other than Beakman who can tell me via e-mail who I consider to be the most prominent member in this category).
Belligerents. This category consists of BBSers who are often "looking for a fight." They generally don't care who they offend and are comfortable with minor conflict. Although conflict is inevitable when humans interact, belligerents are those who always seem to be involved in the latest argument or spat. I almost named this category the "screw-yous" since that seems to the attitude that many of them seem to have. Many members of the Belligerent category are also Adolescents - they squabble amongst one another with frequency. There's a particular Belligerent who has taken to using his web page to attack those who he interpret to be his adversaries or competitors (despite the fact that this guy is too old to be an adolescent, he certainly portrays some of the negative aspects of the adolescent group in excess).
Adolescents. This category wasn't designed to insult anyone (plus, I didn't really design the categories, I simply gave names to what I have observed), but it is useful in describing many on the BBS. These are the BBSers who are obviously between the ages of 12 and 16 years of age. The are eager to please, need to be accepted, and desperately want to be liked. They also thrive on interaction with Elders or those in the Popular Crowd). I think that a subcategory of Adolescent is the Please Love Me's. I am certainly not suggesting that anyone in the suggested age range fits into this category -- I'm talking about those who know exactly how old they are by the tone of the posts.
The Popular Crowd. Somehow, I mistakenly thought that once I left high school, I would never have to operate in a social system in which there was a popular crowd. I was terribly wrong. I now know that no matter where I go or what I do, as long as there is a group of people involved, there will be a popular crowd - the BBS is no exception. The Popular Crowd is exactly what it sounds like - these are the people who can generate between 5 and 10 "hello" posts just by arriving on the board. The funny thing is that in the case of the BBS there is a somewhat different popular crowd for different times of the day. There's a definite morning crew and a definite evening crew and a nighttime crew as well (though nighttime interactions on the board are generally a little different anyway).
Average Joes. This category was establish for all of the people who are regulars on the board don't really have any characteristics or mannerism that would put them into another category. They might be slightly popular, pretty good at answering questions about rules, just a little belligerent, or involved in a decent amount of trading, but not distinctive in any of those traits to belong in another category. I think the BBS is full of Average Joes, but all Average Joes have the potential to swing into other categories.
Braggarts. Braggarts are those who post jus t to inform the rest of us that they just won a game by 72 force or that they just pulled three rares from a single pack of New Hope (OK, so perhaps I'm exaggerating just a little bit). While I think it's cool to want to share the news about a good win in a game or an especially good pull from a pack, but some people consistently rub our noses in their good fortune. The funny think is that many Braggarts' claims seem to be consistently outrageous (see above).
Newbies. This is a very self-explanatory category. These are people who are very new to the game and are full of questions. Although I sometime wish that the Newbies would first consult the CRD and the FAQ before posting their questions, I am reminded that the same could be said for virtually everyone else who asks a question of the Discussion BBS. Newbies rarely stick around for any real length of time, but sometimes that stick around and find their ways into other categories.
Occasionals. These are people who drop in and drop out. Sometimes we remember their names and sometimes we don't. My friend GAWD is a pretty good example of an Occasional. He only posts when he has something real or important to say and actually has better things to do with his life anyway.
Has-Beens. This category contains people who were once regulars on the board, but who, for one reason or another have been gone so long that virtually no one knows them (with the probable exception of the Elders) and they have no idea of what's been going on since they've been gone.
Well, that's my categorical system thus far. As I said, the categories are not discreet or static (meaning that categories often overlap and that they change). An individual can be a member of any number of categories, though there are some that do not naturally overlap (such as Newbies and Elders).
Let me what you think about my little system here and let me know what categories I should add or change. I think it's fun to try and place names within categories (if you'd like to mail me a list of who you think fits into each category, I would love to see it and promise on jawa honor not to make your mail public). I'll admit that not all of the categories are particularly flattering, but then again, neither is all of the behavior on the Discussion BBS.
-Queen Jawa