Ranking Guidelines for a Freebuild Server

[LogicaLucidity]

Hello Everyone.

The following was written by me 2+ years ago.
These are guidelines for staff members to use when ranking on a freebuild server.

The server that this was written for was an FCraft server.
I have been administrating for a long time and I have tweaked this for many servers.
This version is the most general version I have.

I wanted to post it here for general use as it serves as a good starting point.
Feel free to tweak and edit it all you want.
Giving this to your staff, on a freebuild server, provides structure.
Let your staff know that what you expect from them.

Adding the line... "Email me with the numbers 34 after reading this" ...in the middle of the guidelines is nice.
If they do not email you in 3 days with the numbers then they did not read it.
If they can not read the guidelines on ranking as a staff member...are they really staff material?

It is written in a general way as to not be server specific.
The only specifics in the guidelines are the 9 ranks.
I used 9 very common ranks and you can easily adapt this to your ranks.

As I said, feel free to edit and tweak it all you want.
I am not going to be in need of it anymore and there is no reason for others not to use it.

More to come...

- Logic

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Ranking Guidelines for a Freebuild Server

The following is based on a 9 Rank freebuild server.
For this guide and examples I will be using the following 9 common ranks:
Builder, ExpBuilder, AdvBuilder, MasterBuilder, Advisor, Patrol, Operator, SuperOp, Owner

This was written for staff only. Please keep it that way.

If a user receives a new rank twice within a short period of time, that user will have to wait much longer for the next rank. This does more harm than good. The user will expect ranks just as fast in the future. Spacing the ranks out helps everyone and keeps everything in rhythm.

Please, read the user's information. It is in your best interest to do so.

Before we get started, please be aware that the higher a person ranks the less their builds and stats have to do with their rank. For example, for a user to rank from Master Builder to Advisor+, they must show an effort in protecting the server by warning, reporting, and then possibly kicking those who refuse to respect the rules of the server. Once you are an Advisor, your builds have very little to do with your future ranks.

Let's get started...

First, and obviously most important, a user’s ability to follow the rules is the number one issue.

A user should not be ranked twice within 14 days unless they truly deserve it. Even then, going a month or more without a rank is normal. Those who ask for or constantly talk about rank should ‘not’ be considered for rank and reprimanded for it. We do not ask for rank on this server.

A staff member should not rank a person twice in a row regardless of how much time has passed since they last ranked the user. Other Staff members should be involved in the ranking of a user. This eliminates the appearance of favoritism and allows the staff to better know a user. Ranking your friends time and time again will not serve you well as a staff member on this server.

As you read the following…remember…time, whether it is ‘hours logged’ or ‘time since they first joined’, is only used as a base line. Time is not a defining factor. No user should be ranked by time alone. No single factor dictates a promotion.

Attitude and the ability to respect others are the most important traits to observe other than a user’s ability to follow the rules. This server does not tolerate those who feed off of conflict and/or aim to cause disruption among the community. A person’s attitude is a huge factor and the number one thing I personally look for.

After judging a person’s ability to follow the rules and their attitude, you are to consider their time and the number of bricks that they have built (built/deleted ratio). A person can be nice and have plenty of time logged, but if they are just sitting around trying to rack up time to rank then they are not here for the correct reasons.

For a user to even be considered for rank, use the following times and bricks built.
Again, just because the following ‘minimums’ are met does not mean a person should rank. When in doubt, consult other staff.
A group decision among staff will lead to better results.

NOTICE: The delete count should not be anywhere near the built count. Always be aware of the built/deleted ratio.
NOTICE: The number of Bricks 'Drawn' has no relevance in any way. Anyone can draw Air over and over to increase this statistic. Bricks ‘built’ and bricks ‘drawn’ are different stats.

Builder - Default Rank -
ExpBuilder 2-5+ Hours 2000+ Bricks Built
AdvBuilder 10-20+ Hours 10,000+ Bricks Built
MasterBuilder 25-35+ Hours 25,000+ Bricks Built
Advisor 45-60+ Hours 45,000+ Bricks Built Do They Protect the Server?
Patrol 70-85+ Hours 70,000+ Bricks Built Do They Protect the Server?
Operator 100+ Hours 100,000+ Bricks Built Do They Protect the Server? Ok With Owner?
SuperOp - Owner's Call -
Owner - Obvious -

ATTENTION Super Ops: All ranks that move a user into a staff position (Op+) should be passed by the Owner first. Do not Rank a user to staff (OP+) without The Owner's consent, even if they are a former staff member. The Owner has the final call on all staff positions.

Now, look at their builds. If the build is not lazy, an effort was made, and everything we have discussed up to this point is good, then a rank may be considered. Remember, there is no rush to rank. Allowing a user to sit for a day or two can show the staff a lot about the user.

Lastly, are there any better candidates for this rank you are about to give? Think about that for a moment before you rank. Does this person deserve this rank over all other users that are eligible?

There are ALWAYS exceptions. Every user is different. What you just read is only a guideline. You will have to learn to judge the situation, talk to other staff, and make the call. This is why you are Staff. If in doubt, please consult another staff member. No one wants to have to demote anyone due to a mistake that you have made.

DO NOT FORGET. It is your responsibility to educate the newly ranked member. Explain what their role is with their new rank. Explain the new commands. Teach them how to handle rule breakers with possibly a Warning, Freeze, Kick, and then a Ban. Seeing instant bans happen with no warning is not what we want. No one should be eager to ban people. Users need to know these things. It is your job to educate them on these matters. Please do so.

Thank you for your time.

- LogicaLucidity -

[HelloWorldCool]

Nice essay. Definitely would earn an A for the length. I didn't know you had an fcraft server; I did before also!

I'm glad you did not put too much bias in here. Ranks are somewhat of the owner's choice: for this reason I would not come up with the craziest names, but also not bad names.

But of course I feel this is good advice, and I thank you for giving your thoughts!

[LogicaLucidity]

Thank you.

Giving such a guideline to my staff has always helped immensely.

I have rewritten the guidelines many many times to fit many many servers.

Each time the owner was very grateful.

Giving such a guideline to a new staff member Provides Structure.

There are, and have been, so many servers that lack such answers.

A staff member should know exactly what is expected of them.

As on Owner, it is your job to provide the answers.

Having something like this up front prevents you from repeating yourself.

As I said, feel free to alter and change anything in it to fit your server.

This provides a starting point and should be tailored to suit your server's needs.

- Logic