What kind of 'government system' do most internet forums resemble?

[Illumina Drathiran'ar]

It's a benevolent monarchy. The rulers have absolute power, but they are not heartless, and I do believe that our opinions as a whole matter to an extent.

[Black Baron]

Theocracy, look at Ziroc's avatar! [img]graemlins/choc.gif[/img]

[Animal]

Originally posted by Vaskez: Dictatorship, since as far as our behaviour on here is concerned, we have no rights, we do what the rules say without any leeway, or get banned.

I tend to disagree with this one. Every member has rights as outlined in the Rules and regulations, much the way each society has laws. The members are available to make choices and decisions within those laws/rules, however if the laws/rules are broken the offenders are punished.

Since this is the only forum I'm really involved in actively, I'm not sure I can decide exactually what form of government resembles forums. I'm sure, and heard as much, that there are many forums that are probably mirror fascism or dictatorship, and probably some that are similiar to democracies or monarchies.

I think for the most part, Ziroc and the mods allow most members to police their own actions, as most members are responsible and mature enough to do so. Those that don't meet those qualifications are ejected from "the society"

Perhaps Utopianism?

[Arledrian]

Geekocricy. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[Dirty Meg]

Antidisestablishmentarian.

[Bungleau]

I consider it a benevolent dictatorship. Z (Choc's minion) is the dictator, and what he says, goes. The benevolence comes in that the rules are not applied blindly, and can be adjusted per the dictator's wishes. But the bottom line is that it's Z's house, and all who wish to enter must abide by the rules or leave.

It's different from real life in that people who come here choose to do so, unlike "real" countries where people are born into citizenship. As well, there are many other options for those who don't wish to play by the rules.

I do find it interesting that, just like in a real country, the leader needs to get funds from the people every so often to keep the country running [img]smile.gif[/img] At least we're not going to war or anything like that... yet...

And I think it's a tribute to the mods and the regulars that the conversations within IW are generally on-target and flame-free. When I got one game, the publisher's help forum seemed to have a real bad case of "flame the newbie" spread throughout. Any simple question was hammered half a dozen times, making the poster look like a fool. I've yet to see that here... and for that, I'm grateful.

[Memnoch]

I reckon it's a mix of a number of models...a feudal benevolent dictatorship, pre-Magna Carta. Ziroc being the owner is the king and has absolute power, vested in him by Choc . He delegates some of these powers (ie gives some land) to some knights, who then are responsible for overseeing the land (forums) and are answerable to the king. One of these responsibilities is the welfare and safety of the people who live on his land (the forums) from marauding trolls.

Of course, there's one landless knight (Mouse ) whose role is to travel from land to land to make sure that the King's will is upheld and the people are safe.

As for the people who live on the land, they have rights as outlined in the Rules and Regs, and as long as they follow them they are more than welcome to be part of the society as it is their output which makes the realm as successful and pleasureable as it is. [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

As for the funding bit...it's interesting that watching an internet forum evolve is like an accelerated version of the evolution of society over the ages - from despotism, to feudalism, to perhaps an oligarchy, to a democracy. We're not there yet, but it's interesting so see where it could head maybe 10-15 years from now...

[ 07-18-2004, 10:54 PM: Message edited by: Memnoch ]

[Harkoliar]

you actually placed anarchy in one of the choices memnoch? . that did give me a laugh you know

[J'aran]

One of my regular 'virtual hang-outs' borders on anarchy, so it's not that far-fetched. Rules exist there, but enforcement of those is practcally non-existent. That system even works quite well there, because it's a relatively small forum, consisting of about twenty or so regular members, all of whom got to know each other personally over the years through various meetings. If a new person joins, he or she goes through an 'initiation period' of heavy abuse, and either goes away to cry in a corner or becomes a friend for life. In the almost three years I've posted there, I've only ever seen one person banned, and he was a really EXTREMELY annoying newbie, who only seemed to be able to talk crap.

[Dundee Slaytern]

Hmmmm... Dictatorship might seem to be a logical choice, but not quite. The Moderators do hold council meetings, with Ziroc having the final say.

It is not a case of "Whatever Ziroc says, my opinion holds jack squat". Yes, he has the final say, but he also listens to the "council" and bases his decisions on that.

Not sure what kind of government system reflects this though.