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1. Probationary Member:
Everyone who registers on our site starts off as a Probationary Member. This title will stick with you until you've been registered for 30 days and have 30 posts in the forums. You tend to see more advertisements when browsing the site and most people avoid dealing with Probationary members in the Classifieds due to the added risk.We encourage Probationary members to participate, interact with others in the public forums, and post useful replies as often as you can, pointing people to threads or resources that have answers to their questions. Get involved and contribute.
Probationary Members are expected to learn the Forum Rules and to abide by those policies. They will also be expected to do a little bit of research before they post tech questions in the forums - that includes having read all of the DSM FAQ's in the FAQ Forum, browsing and searching in the Tech Articles Archvies, all VFAQ.com articles, and to have done several Keyword Searches on any topic they'll be asking a question about.
Become a helpful, contributing member and help the DSM community grow.
2. Proven Members:
Once you have been a member for 30 days, you've posted a total of 30 helpful posts you will be automatically moved to Proven Member status the following day. You'll get a few perks, like additional PM storage, more signature space and avatars, and fewer advertisements when browsing. By now, you should already know the basics of modifying DSMs, how and where to reference tech info when needed, and the guidelines and policies of the site. You don't post common questions and you don't post misinformation.
2. Supporting Members:
Members with this title have elected to pay for an optional Membership Upgrade which affords them special recognition and extended access to site features, including a private "anything goes" forum. Their membership helps support the site's operating costs. These memberships are automatically renewed via Paypal Subscriptions on an annual basis. If you want to cancel your subscription/payment, you must log in to your Paypal account to do so. If you violate our site rules and get banned, you will lose all access to the site, and refunds for your paid membership will not be given. Get more info on Upgraded Memberships here.
3. VIP Members:
Members with this title have elected to pay for an optional Membership Upgrade which affords them special recognition and extended access to site features, including a private "anything goes" forum. Their membership helps support the site's operating costs. These memberships are automatically renewed via Paypal Subscriptions on an annual basis. If you want to cancel your subscription/payment, you must log in to your Paypal account to do so. If you violate our site rules and get banned, you will lose all access to the site, and refunds for your paid membership will not be given. Get more info on Upgraded Memberships here.
4. Supporting Freelancers:
Members with this title have elected to pay for an optional Membership Upgrade which affords them special recognition and extended access to site features, just like the optional memberships above. The main difference however, is that they receive access to post offers for products they make and/or services they provide in the Classifieds section. They also are granted special permission to post a one sentence description of the products/services they provide in their signature. You can find their offerings posted in the Freelancer section of the Classifieds. These members are not vendors, but private parties who make products or provide services to the DSM community as a hobby or side business. They do not represent a shop and the business is not their primary source of income - they usually have day jobs. We cannot vouch for the quality of their products or services. As such, you should take the same precautions dealing with them as you would any other unknown member of the site. These memberships are automatically renewed via Paypal Subscriptions on a monthly, bi-annual, or annual basis, depending on the option you select at sign-up. If you want to cancel your subscription/payment, you must log in to your Paypal account to do so. If you violate our site rules and get banned, you will lose all access to the site, and refunds for your paid membership will not be given. Get more info on Upgraded Memberships here.
5. DSM Wisemen:
Those who have the DSM Wiseman title are members of the DSM community who have been around the block and are knowledgeable in various areas of DSM performance and they typically go above and beyond when helping others on our site. They are considered the resident experts in the subjects they offer help in. They represent what this site is all about. They are to be treated with respect, as they've earned it with their contributions to the site and to the DSM community in general. Debate is fine, but insulting a Wiseman will not be tolerated. If you have a problem with a Wisemans' post, Report the post to a Moderator. Do not get into a pissing match with them publicly. They volunteer their time to help inexperienced members on our site and will not be hassled or subjected to ridicule by members who have made fewer contributions to the site than they have.
6. Moderators:
We have a number of Moderators on our site that help enforce the rules and keep order. Though these members might also be, but aren't always necessarily Wisemen, chances are they're just as experienced in various aspects of DSM performance. The Moderators have the difficult job of deleting posts, locking threads, moving posts to the correct forum, keeping an eye on problematic members, and overall just enforcing the spirit of the site. They are quickly criticized for their actions by people who usually haven't read or don't understand or have no regard for the policies of our site. If a Moderator locks or deletes your post or issues you a rule reminder, chances are you violated our policies somehow. Instead of publicly calling them on it, go back and read the rules and keep your mouth shut. Moderators are not power-hungry babysitters, they just offer their time to clean up messes when necessary. If you have a problem with a moderator, keep it offline and bring it to the attention of another Moderator or an Administrator. Complaining publicly about the moderation of the site will do nothing to help you prove a point.
7. Supporting Vendors and Non-Supporting Vendors:
Many sites like ours have Vendors who post in the forums. We invite all Vendors to participate in our forums to help share their knowledge and experience with our members. However, we have a strict Vendor Policy that states what is, and is NOT allowed to be posted by Vendors in our forums. Any person who appears to be affiliated with a shop or selling products or services for profit will be identified as a Vendor. Those Vendors who help contribute to the operating costs of our website will receive the Supporting Vendor title and will receive special privileges. Those who do not contribute to the operating costs are considered Non-Supporting Vendors. Non-supporting Vendors are to keep all product and self promotion out of our public forums as specified in our Vendor Policy. Only Supporting Vendors are permitted to promote their products/services in our Vendor Announcement forum and in the public forums.
9. Banned Members:
Members who have violated our site policies and have lost access to the site permanently.