Holy smokes, sometimes a search turns up the weirdest things…this isn’t just a stale-thread resurrection, folks, this is a “zombie thread”. Run! Run for your lives!
“The Night of the Living Un-Thread” … coming this Hallowe’en to a message board near you! 
In light of the fact that it takes more than $25k per year (:eek) to run this board, perhaps making us pay for custom titles would be something worth considering.
Mind you, these things get suggested all the time and I am aware of the myriad reasons Ed, Tuba et al have for not wanting to go down that route. But no harm occasionally reminding them of some of the better ideas…
pan
ninja statistician
It’s not a massive effort for an Admin. to change a name or title – it merely means loading the “back end” of the board (a separate entity), summoning up the user profile, and making the desired changes – total time elapsed less than two minutes. However, the Admins. do do all this stuff as volunteers, they probably spend as much time discussing how to handle one given problem poster as most of us do reading MPSIMS or the Pit on any random day, and it’s asking extra effort for the pleasure of an individual. So one can hardly blame them for not wanting to take the time to do the tweaks individually – and we’ve already covered why it can’t be an option for each member (a few bad apples will spoil it for everyone).
That said, there’s something to be said for the idea that “personalized titles” be awarded by consensus of the Staff for longtime posters whom they feel deserve recognition for special efforts in behalf of the community – it being understood that such awards are arbitrary and at their sole discretion and as they find time to do so, and nobody as a “right” to get one.
Three examples I can think of, right off hand:
Scotticher
Maternal Spirit and Fundraiser
Esprix
The Gay Guy
The Bad Astronomer
Astronomically Valuable Resource
Each has given of him/herself in ways unique to themselves which others have not seen fit to do, to the lasting benefit of all members. Other examples may come to mind; those three happened to be ones I’ve had personal contact with in my time on the board.
I’d ask if there are logical objections to doing this, on the specific rule above (arbitrary staff decision), and if not, I’d like to see it considered as a “community-builder” and way to recognize special contributions to the virtual community that is the SDMB.
Interesting notion, Poly. Kind of like a New Year’s Honours List for the SD.
Might cause some spite in the long run. People are paranoid enough about post counts. I still think this would be a way to raise some money, though. I’d pay $10 a year for a title of my own choosing.
And I’d pay $20 a year to have a title for eris of my own choosing
Now that’s a money-making idea.
I dunno, that usually costs a lot more than I’d be interested in paying.
Let’s talk big-time, here. How about an auction for the rights to change Ed Zotti’s title, or TubaDiva’s? Subject to administrative approval, of course.
TubaDiva
KazooYodeler
EnderW24
Owes Much Chocolate
No… no, I’m happy with the rights to eris. That would be just dandy.
Polycarp
LotsaFish
Heck, why stop at a fee for a neat appendage to your moniker.
How about a fee for a sock puppet (I’d love to have one name for my mature, respectable, informational posts, and another one for the inane fly-bys, like this one [maybe])?
Or, how about a monthly fee for the right to be a jerk? This way I can troll about for the humorless clueless and then sass back to a moderator when confronted without fear of being banned.
How much to have Cecil stop by the house for a singing informagram?
Peace.
Back off, Mod! I paid good money to a be a jerk!
Hmmm, I’d prefer “Moon Trash Debater” since that’s a perfect anagram, but the sentiment is appreciated.
Anybody remember the banned member who’s title was changed to “Too Stupid For Words”, or some thing like that? Is it still like that?
I should think that was a Serlin clone. Or Concrete, I suppose.
“Boomerang” has also been used for one of those two.
pan
I imagine that as much as a “community builder” it would be, it would be more of a source of complaints over favoritism, cries for fairness, yet another reason to berate the mods and admins, and otherwise generate more hassles.
And it’s not necessary. Most of us recognize the good posters by their posts. Isn’t that the whole point? And the best measure of their worth?
Tell that to those who so recently received their various OBEs, CBEs and knighthoods
pan