Boys and girls, we've been around for a while now, and the structure of the site, while holding up pretty well, is showing its age. We've got 22,000 members and over 100,000 torrents; a truly prodigious feat of which every member can be proud. However, the rules as they were set in place in the days of yore weren't really formulated with such a large site in mind. We'll be making tweaks here and there, and the first of those tweaks, a pretty major one, is on the way.
On or about September 19th this year, all VIPs will be demoted to Superfan.
We're announcing this now because it will have a serious impact on some members, and two months is time enough for them to get their house in order. Once they've been made Superfans, all VIPs will be subject to the normal rules of promotion and demotion; if their ratio is too low, they could find themselves as normal users in short order. If you look at your user page and see a ratio less than one, then now is the time to start seeding your little heart out.
Everyone who has been demoted will receive a refund of 800 credits. If you were promoted by other means, then this is our little gift to you. VIPs who have a ratio > 1 will keep any invites they currently have; if your ratio is less than 1, you lose all your invites.
I'm sure you're all aware that this is a necessary step; the ability to automatically promote oneself above Power User and Superfan after twenty minutes on the site with one cigar is an untenable position for the site to be in. Call it unfair if you wish, but in your heart of hearts I'm sure you realise that the existing system as it stands is much less fair on those who upload and seed.
So what's happening to VIP, then? The class will still exist, and will be given to those members who've made important contributions to the site, but who haven't become or are unwilling to seek, team status. If you want to be excluded from VIP class forever, then there's a simple way: just ask to be promoted.
Celebrate and/or decry the new rule in the VIP RIP thread.
On or about September 19th this year, all VIPs will be demoted to Superfan.
We're announcing this now because it will have a serious impact on some members, and two months is time enough for them to get their house in order. Once they've been made Superfans, all VIPs will be subject to the normal rules of promotion and demotion; if their ratio is too low, they could find themselves as normal users in short order. If you look at your user page and see a ratio less than one, then now is the time to start seeding your little heart out.
Everyone who has been demoted will receive a refund of 800 credits. If you were promoted by other means, then this is our little gift to you. VIPs who have a ratio > 1 will keep any invites they currently have; if your ratio is less than 1, you lose all your invites.
I'm sure you're all aware that this is a necessary step; the ability to automatically promote oneself above Power User and Superfan after twenty minutes on the site with one cigar is an untenable position for the site to be in. Call it unfair if you wish, but in your heart of hearts I'm sure you realise that the existing system as it stands is much less fair on those who upload and seed.
So what's happening to VIP, then? The class will still exist, and will be given to those members who've made important contributions to the site, but who haven't become or are unwilling to seek, team status. If you want to be excluded from VIP class forever, then there's a simple way: just ask to be promoted.
Celebrate and/or decry the new rule in the VIP RIP thread.