# Question about member titles **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [May 31, 2006, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-member-titles/358870 "2006-05-31T14:03:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![melondeca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@melondeca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melondeca)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-member-titles/358870/1 "2006-05-31T14:03:05Z")
I was just looking through some old threads and I stumbled upon [this one.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=41359) I got to post #10 by 2SexyForMyComputer and I was a bit surprised at what was under his/her name. Was this something commonly done? If so, why is it no longer done? I thought it was highly amusing and not something I had seen before. Maybe an older member or a mod can help me out. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-member-titles/358870/2 "2006-05-31T14:14:07Z")
There are default titles in VBB, and, the Dope not having chosen to go with the post-count hierarchy (“Hey, get to 1,000 posts and you become a ‘Hamster Trainer’ :p”), only six show up normally: **Administrator** is a person who has global access to the entire board including the Control Panel which manages it. **Moderator** is a person who has access to certain tools like the ability to edit and delete posts, move threads to hidden areas, etc. **Charter Member** is a person who has had unbroken membership since before we went to pay status. **Member** is someone who’s sent in their $14.95 since we went to paid status. **Guest** is someone who has registered to post here but not yet bought membership (and is limited to a month), or someone who has let their membership lapse. **BANNED** or **Banned** is a person who trolled or otherwise abused the rules and was banned from posting here by an Administrator. Generally posts by banned members are taken out of public view, but software quirks and thread flow sometimes make it wise to leave them in place. The Administrators have the right to assign personalized titles, but it is an annoying PITA to do so, and they do it rarely. The example you give is a particularly egregious nutball who irked one of the Admins. enough to call forth that response. There is, however, one personalized title you may be fortunate enough to see: **Cecil Adams** posts rarely on the message board (something like 120 posts all told over seven years), and he rejoices in the personalized title of _ **Perfect Master** _. ---
**Author:** ![melondeca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@melondeca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melondeca)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-member-titles/358870/3 "2006-05-31T14:27:53Z")
I am already familiar with all those titles. The title I am asking about is in the linked thread. 2SexyForMyComputer TOO STUPID FOR WORDS ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-member-titles/358870/4 "2006-05-31T14:29:22Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > only six show up normally. Ahem! ^^^^^ You forgot the one routinely-used custom title. And since the OP is gonna ask anyway, SDSAB stands for Straight Dope Science Advisory Board–we’re the lowly folk who answer the questions Cecil finds too easy or demeaning. ---
**Author:** ![melondeca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@melondeca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melondeca)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-member-titles/358870/5 "2006-05-31T14:29:55Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > The example you give is a particularly egregious nutball who irked one of the Admins. enough to call forth that response. Sorry, I didn’t see that. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-member-titles/358870/6 "2006-05-31T14:30:29Z")
That was probably one of **Lynn** ’s expression of annoyance and she used it in lieu of the more common “BANNED” ---
**Author:** ![melondeca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@melondeca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melondeca)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-member-titles/358870/7 "2006-05-31T14:31:08Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > Ahem! ^^^^^ You forgot the one routinely-used custom title. > > And since the OP is gonna ask anyway, SDSAB stands for Straight Dope Science Advisory Board–we’re the lowly folk who answer the questions Cecil finds too easy or demeaning. Surprisingly enough, that I did know. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-member-titles/358870/8 "2006-05-31T14:43:32Z")
> [@melondeca](#): > > I am already familiar with all those titles. The title I am asking about is in the linked thread. > > 2SexyForMyComputer > TOO STUPID FOR WORDS Every once in a while Lynn has done this. We prefer our staffers not make such public value judgments, but in the circumstances I can understand why she felt obligated to give him a more honest appraisal. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, I have shown him correctly as being banned. ---
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-member-titles/358870/9 "2006-05-31T19:07:50Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > Every once in a while Lynn has done this. There has been more? Please tell. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-member-titles/358870/10 "2006-05-31T23:51:37Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > There are default titles in VBB, and, the Dope not having chosen to go with the post-count hierarchy (“Hey, get to 1,000 posts and you become a ‘Hamster Trainer’ :p”), only six show up normally: Apart from the SDSAB, you also forgot “Suspended” and this other one I forgot sometimes used when someone voluntarily requested to be temporarily prevented from posting. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2006, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-member-titles/358870/11 "2006-06-01T04:12:38Z")
> [@Lakai](#): > > There has been more? Please tell. I think she changed **Otto** ’s title to ASSHAT once. It was a humourous reply to a joke he’d made. After a little searching, [thread=169246]this is the thread[/thread] where it happened. **Ed** wasn’t too happy about it, apparently. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2006, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-member-titles/358870/12 "2006-06-01T05:04:16Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > Apart from the SDSAB, you also forgot “Suspended” and this other one I forgot sometimes used when someone voluntarily requested to be temporarily prevented from posting. Posting Sabbatical ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-member-titles/358870/13 "2006-06-02T13:01:31Z")
Wasn’t the TOO STUPID incident the last of several bannings and socks of the same person within a very short time? I rather liked that final response. I seem to recalla discussion about letting a certain member level (extra cost) allowing custom, user self assigned member titles, like what we already have in the location field. To difficult to implement? Too corny? Too open for abuse? (I want to be a firetruck!) ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-member-titles/358870/14 "2006-06-02T13:07:34Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > (I want to be a firetruck!) Sweetie, to me, you’re already a firetruck. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-member-titles/358870/15 "2006-06-02T13:08:37Z")
You’re raising my ladder! ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-member-titles/358870/16 "2006-06-02T14:42:00Z")
Ok, put that hose away before you put someone’s eye out! ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-member-titles/358870/17 "2006-06-02T15:01:07Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > Wasn’t the TOO STUPID incident the last of several bannings and socks of the same person within a very short time? I rather liked that final response. > > I seem to recalla discussion about letting a certain member level (extra cost) allowing custom, user self assigned member titles, like what we already have in the location field. To difficult to implement? Too corny? Too open for abuse? (I want to be a firetruck!) Under consideration (along with other stuff) but not yet implemented. Some technical issues with this one, including how to charge and how much and is this permanent or something you rent and what if you want to change? It’s a bunch to figure out.