Joining ZOID CITY?
Here's What to Expect
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The first part of joining ZOID or any other competition community involves a set of beaurocratic procedures that are hopefully not too nasty. The second part of settling in and becoming an active and productive community member requires some work on your part. If you are a former Site Fighter, Web Brawler, Fantasy Fighter, or Site Warrior, then you will realize that ZOID is more word-centered and a lot more legalistic. If your social experience on the net has been primarily mailing lists, then the voting and visiting competition will be the least familiar part of ZOID. If your social background is primarily MU*'s, then you will need to partially adjuust to a graphical world.
No matter where you come from, the
following guidelines are a good idea:
- Fill out the intake form. It is a bit
longer than you might expect, but it
helps us better know our membership
and be more culturally sensitive to
fighters and members from different
backgrounds. Remember, we keep all information
private.
- Explore ZOID CITY. Seventy percent of what is here is documentation. This may
strike you as way too many rules, but most of the site is explanations and instructions.
Most of what is hidden at traditional voting and visiting competitions is explicit
a ZOID. When there is a dispute, it is helpful to the trustees to be able to point
out a broken rule to the community and make everyone aware of the problem rather than
punish the offender in secret. Also written rules let you know what is expected
in advance, and they are much better than rule by fiat. You may even want to
print off much of what is on this site, and place it in a binder for reference.
- While you explore, ZOIDRubashov or one of the other trustees, is screening your site. The approval
process at ZOID is swift and inclusive. To read more about approval, please check out
our approval rules. You should know within five working days (usually sooner)
whether you are a member. If a trustee needs to reject your site, she will do so with
a letter explaining why. Most rejections are for business/commercial sites.
Making a few changes or severing a link between your personal
and business web sites can often help you get approved
- Once you are approved, you will find yourself on the zc2zc3@onelist.com email discussion list.
This is the heart of our community, and you will see email from zc2zc3@onelist.com in your
box on a regular basis. Please read your email at least every other day. Monday through Friday access
and weekends off is fine too. If you have never been on an email discussion list before, please
stop by The List FAQ and read them. Reading the List
FAQ is also a good idea for experienced discussion list participants because the ZOID email
list is a social contract list due to the presence of newbies, and people from different backgrounds.
A social contract list is one in which members agree not to flame or insult one another.
The idea of a social contract is to provide members with a safe environment, not to teach
them to be nice to the universe.
- If you would like to compete, the CALL FOR FIGHTERS goes out every other Wednesday,
simply answer it. If you can, please write your own description and disclosure
for your site, or ZOIDRubashov can write it. ZOID works on an alternate week Sunday through Thursday
competition cycle and scores by the percentile-range method. It is a good idea for new fighters
to read the Fighting and Voting FAQ and to visit
Stat Central.
- If you would like more involvement with ZOID, visit the work FAQ and
Work Board. Just about any option on that board can go live for you if
you would like to pursue it. Moreover, you will receive public recognition for the work you
perform.
- If you have any questions, please ask. The more you know and learn, the happier a community member you will become.
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