There is much to comment on your comments, but in short, we are thinking on similar lines.

My use of the term caste was not a rebuke, it was a slightly tounge in cheek use of somwthing other than “role”, or “permissions level”, etc.

The zone has for some time had a caste system, of sorts, even back to when it was you and Justin keeping an eye on things. Then we went to the moderator system, which created three castes: ubermod, moderators, and users. DamnTikiWiki had many levels of users.

This is part of the software now, and if you can free it from the pre-determined configuration, (as described in the Codex) that’ll be great. Then we can all decide how those powers will be assigned, and how they can be tailored for new members. As I see it, there will have to be more than two levels of users and probably several.

Thank-you for your meta-comment. I’m glad you threw your two pennies in, not only as Ubermod but as one of the HZ inmates. My intention was to make using the site easy for everyone who is actively contributing to the conversations. The html edit bug in comments was handicapping some of our best and brightest.

I considered whether to post at all, actually, because I didn’t want it to seem as though I have to pass judgment on what you’re doing. Nor would I want the absence of a comment to seem like a comment. Most appropriate, perhaps, is a meta comment: I’m getting what I hoped for when I delegated all that responsibility. Making the present membership uniformly editors is a further step along that road, and I like it.

I should apologize that we had that two-caste system at all. I understand that the word “caste” is a rebuke, and I accept it.

The editor “caste” probably has too broad a scope for its power (visualize a matrix of what_you_can_do * where_you_can_do_it), and for a while the honor system will indeed apply. And some caution will be necessary: No digital guardrails.

Look for the upcoming access control system to let you define the what and where for a “Distinguished Zoner” group that has lots of what (power) but safer restraints on where. The control should be very fine-grained, and it’ll be accessible through simple forms. You’ll be able to discuss the what and where as a matter of policy, rather than an arcane technical hack that you have to get me to set up.

When you think about it, the settings of the access control system are a significant part of the “laws” of the community. Use of terms like “caste” makes clear that y’all understand how the digital rules of the environment shape the society that forms here. Self government in cyberspace should include the right to make security policy.

And it’ll be interesting. Sure, it’s easy to be egalitarian in a small group where you know everybody. But what if the Zone grows? (It will.) There will be two castes then. The logic of the situation demands it, and it’s reasonable. But you have to factor in the effects of it on the development of the society in the future.

Yes, this will be interesting. And already is. Well done.

He’s already making able use of this ability.

But I can threaten.

Anyone who has started a thread on the New Zone can edit their posts. And anyone else’s. Honor code applies.