This is wrong.

[DEA]

After wading through the contents of this thread, something dawned on me:

Do you people realize that if you stopped your whining and instead spent the time and effort on becoming better players and understanding Type 1 (and learning how to write, to a greater extent) you'd have full member status?

yowsa
the first guy that really makes sense in this thread
actually, i don't think it really makes a difference whether or not one is a full member
the important thing is to have fun, something which many people forget to have, either while playing magic or talking about it
peace out

[jsg7440]

The fact is , is that people do not wish to work for what they desire.  It is obviously my goal to become a regular member of TMD forums, but I have to work to earn that right.  Handing out what people demand on a silver platter does not make for a better community, it instead turns the boards into a reckless chaos of posts.  Sure, people can say that they have posted here X number of times, or have been well behaved for a certain amount of time, but that should not be the defineing factor as to why people should be allowed to post.  As for myself, I am content to continue posting as a newb.  I know that I am not a newb, and it does not bother me when people assume that I am simply because I am not a full member.  People have to understand that not all of the people in the newb forums and the open type 1 forums are idiotic peons.  I think a lot of the members and casual posters would be shocked as to who some of the people are who post on this site.  

I hope that everyone takes this with a grain of salt.  It is not my belief that TMD should change any of its current policies regarding membership to this site.  Membership is a privelege, and as such, should only be given to those who show that they will not abuse their standing, when and if they ever attain it.

Jay

[Tychoides]

You're going to have a problem when you come up with a selective membership process. It comes with the territory. The problem is that even if people do post well in the Open Type 1 Forums or the Newbie Forums, it seems like those sections aren't read very often by any of the elite and without knowing who the committee is (and that is perfectly acceptable, since they'd get hounded) and what they're reading, it's hard to know what's going on.

I think that maybe there needs to be some sort of annoucement when (and maybe why) people get promoted. That way, people can actually have a better sense of good posting (and I don't think that'll stifle individual writing style) and see that there are, in fact, people moving up because of good performance. I think it's a big moral booster to those who want to become full members to see that some of the people around them are making it and that it is possible without having to know someone or be a part of an elite group. I don't speak for everyone else, certainly, but it does come across that way. If you know Zherbus or any of the Paragons, you get in because of favortism, even if you don't post often. That may or may not be the case, I'm not one to know, but that's how it seems to me and I get the impression it is that way with others.

[Ephraim]

First, I am grateful for The Mana Drain forums and I am glad that Zherbus maintains a limited access for non-members. And I don't even play Type I. Because of the restrictions placed on membership, this place attracts and keeps some of the brightest Magic players I've ever seen. Now, I specialize in casual play and I am currently dabbling in tournament play (mostly Type 1.5 and Type 2). However, because of TMD's Newbie forum, I find myself able to benefit from these bright minds, since eventually, they'll comment on most of the decks I post, whether they're Type I viable or not. It might take a long time, but I am a patient man. I may also not get much commentary, but I wouldn't get any, if I didn't try.

Second, I enjoy talking about Magic. Many people here might not consider me a serious player, because I do not make a large commitment of my resources (both time and money) to the game. However, to swipe a term from Smennen (I think it was Smennen, if it wasn't forgive the misatttribution), I consider myself to be a seriously casual player. In most regards, I have to concede that at the moment, I can't play Type 1 or Type 1.5. Type 2's a little closer to my reach, because I can get Type 2 material easily by drafting and trading. However, within the boundaries of my casual play, I would like to believe that I construct with a serious attitude. By coming to a site where there are many serious players, I can participate in engaging discussion about a game that I love.

Lastly, In time, I will probably be in a better position to play Magic competetively. I'm not saying with certainty that I will play Type 1 (and wouldn't my falling out with the administration over at The Source be a pain in the butt, if I decide to go into Type 1.5!). However, if I do decide to play Type 1, when I'm better-off financially, then I will have established myself as a reasonably intelligent (you guys don't think I'm an idiot, right?), courteous (you guys don't think I'm a jerk, right), well-spoken (except for this very sentence) individual. If I don't benefit as much as I could now, from TMD, I am investing in the possibility of benefitting a great deal from this place, in the future.

**edit**
I wish to issue a general apology. Having read the forum rules on the old site, I failed to read them here on the new site. I apologize for posting "serious", but non-type-1 decks in the Newbie forum. I will refrain from now on, or put them in the Casual forum, where they belong.

[Thissa]

Hmm... well, I've been debating if I should put in a reply.

Well, hmm... what the hell should I say.

Eh, lets give it a go. It would be wrong to hold back any feelings on this subject.

I would definitley like to be a full member, and if I said I didn't mind and am glad, then I would just be lying and sucking up heh   .

I don't really have any problems with restricted access to the elite Type 1 Forums, as the administrators do have a point about how the overall quality of the posts there would be lowered if access was unrestricted.

So fine, let that be. Both sides have their points. Us Basic Users all want to be accepted by the super-cool Type 1 adepts and want to post their thoughts where all of the full users will see them. Lots of full users want to post their thoughts so they can be improved only by the most competitive eyes. This issue appears to be drawing to a standstill though.

There is one other issue that I think needs addressing. I see absolutely no need to restrict access to the Type 1 Tournament forum and the Community/Rumors Forum. Basic Users posting there won't really lower the overall quality of the tech, as that isn't where it is discussed. Perhaps there is a good reason as to why it is restricted though, but I have not seen it yet  

[Plainswalker]

I'm not sure about the community/rumor forum, but I wouldn't want everyone and there mother posting about how they got 4th in there 9 person T1 tournament.