What is this place?

It's an offshoot of the forums on Fametracker, a site devoted solely to celebrity snark. Many of us had a tendency to drift off-topic or a desire to “talk about the boards on the boards,” much to the chagrin of the FT mods. In the FT Off-Topic Zone, however, nothing is forbidden! Meta to your heart's content!


Is the Off-Topic Zone an official part of Fametracker?

No. We are not affiliated with Fametracker, Wing Chun, Glark, or Über Interactive in any way. Most of us merely met there and found our way here.


Do y’all hate FT/Wing Chun & Über/Glark then?

Again, no. We did not start this forum to compete with Fametracker. The majority of us still post there.


Who runs this joint anyway?

Your OTZ administrators are Sarahpi, who created the forum in August of 2004, and ruby, her able and trustworthy partner-in-crime. We're not running around with heavy sticks or anything, though. Well, not usually.

So please, feel free to email us with any questions, comments, or suggestions.


So are you bitches all straight-edge and shit?

Heh, hardly.


But what’s with the FAQ? It seems awfully ... official. Who do you think you are, anyway?

Dude, it’s either this or answering the same questions many times over. Personally, we’d rather go with the first option and just come off as huge geeks as a result.


What if I need help or have questions I want to ask directly on the site? What if I have a great idea?

Questions and comments about the forum can be placed in "Forum Questions, Answers, and Ideas.", found in the Welcome area.


I don't like the way my name shows up among the "active users" stats every time I come on here. Have you no respect for my privacy?

If you'd prefer to remain anonymous, simply check the "Don't add me to the active users list" box when you log in. Then you can lurk/post as much as you'd like.


What are the different member designations?

0-9 posts Spawn
10-32 posts Imp
33 posts Leave Her Alone
34-49 posts Goblin
50-99 posts Demon
100-199 posts Succubus
200-299 posts Devil
300-499 posts Diablo
500-665 posts Beezlebub
666-999 posts Gwyneth
1000-1999 posts Shits on Lilies
2000-2999 I Hav 9.65 Computerrs
3000-3999 Cheating Manhopper
4000-4999 It's Pronounced HARE
5000-eternity Heterosexual Lover

Mods reserve the right to add higher designations as they become necessary.

The Admins, Sarahpi and ruby are now and forever currently Bearded and Erratically Bitchy, respectively. Past Admin titles include Surly, Impertant Amish Queers, a tribute to the OTZ's Fisher-Price My First Troll; Get a room!, in honor of our spectacular thread-derailing skills, Jack Chick and, um, that's all. So far.


Can I really start a thread about anything?

For the most part, yes! Just check out the different forum areas and find the one that seems the most appropriate to house your thread. (If you're confused, we'll be happy to move it for you.) Try to think big, though. A thread called, say, "Your Mom" could easily be incorporated into the much broader, "My crazy family is crazier than your crazy family."

There is a search function, so please try searching for what you're looking for first. It could have been around just a few days before you arrived.

Oh, and if your thread is offensive to the majority of the people here, trust us, you'll know soon enough.


So this whole meta thing ... does that mean I'm free to say super rude and nasty things about FT?

Because we do so love the circular chatter, responses to posts made by FT members or mods are okay, even if they're critical. Gratuitous sniping? Not so much. Think, "I don't like the XYZ thread because (......)" as opposed to, "That thread is full of no-talent assclowns."

For further information, please check out this post. It'll tell you everything you need to know.


What about double posting, "netspeak," smileys, being a douchebag, and all that other fun stuff?

Well, we do admire the general orderliness of Fametracker, but you won't be warned if you make a few double posts. Signatures and avatars are enabled; smileys are not.

Basically we figure that if you're here, you appreciate a forum that is easy and enjoyable to read, populated by thoughtful posters, and not cluttered with lots of OMG!!!11! and LOLZZ!! Use common sense, check your spelling, respect your fellow humanoids, and help everyone out and keep things neat, huh?

By the way, flame wars are an unnecessary bitch, don't you think?


How do I add spoilers to a post?

While we don't have actual spoiler tags, we've found that it's most effective to note the presence of spoilers, and then change your text color to white.

Use the following code: [spoiler][color=white]ruby eats babies.[/color][/spoiler]


Do you ever edit our posts?

We'll edit a thread title if it's misspelled or contains major punctuation/grammatical errors, but that's about it.


What about warning/banning?

We do have a system. Fortunately, we don't have to use it very often.

The Basics:

- Very small matters such as straying off-topic will be addressed on-board in the form of, "Hey, let's take this to the ___ thread!" We're not insane.

- More important matters will be dealt with through PMs.

- Crossing the line once (this includes outright fighting with fellow posters on the board, making derogatory or otherwise inappropriate posts, disrupting the boards in any serious way): Suspension for 3 days.

- Crossing the line after that: Banned.


Is this a closed forum?

No, not at all. If you know people who’d like it here, by all means send them over. We’d love to see more people join. A knowledge and appreciation of FT is how this forum started; it’s not a requirement to join.


Anything else we should know?

Not really! We'll add to this if and when major issues present themselves. Welcome!


P.S. You do realize that you misspelled Beelzebub up there, right?

Shhhhh.