FAQS
arc-t Twitlist FAQ

arc-t Twitlist FAQ

The current arc-t Twitlist is inspired by but in no way affiliated with the original arc-t twitlist which was created and maintained by Timothy Meyers, which in turn was inspired by in no way affiliated with the alt.atheist twitlist.

Qualifications to Vote

Anyone who posts to arc-t and is familiar to the regs (from this point forth, regs includes both regs and semi-regs) at arc-t may vote. This includes all regs and semi-regs, as well as anyone else who posts enough at arc-t to be known. If there is any question about the eligibility of a person to vote, then it will be put to question amongst the regs. At least two regs must give their approval for the person's vote to be counted; if there is dissent amongst the regs, then the majority opinion amongst the regs who voice opinion will determine the status of the person's eligibility. Note that reg approval for a person's eligibility to vote does not confer agreement or condonement of the votes cast by the person in question, only that the person is eligible for such.

It is no longer necessary to acknowledge that you have read this FAQ when you vote, however it is still a good idea for you to be familiar with the rules. Once a person is voted in as a Twit, they are there for as long as the list exists, so don't vote lightly!

Qualifications to be Nominated

Anyone who posts to arc-t and is familiar to the regs at arc-t may be nominated. This can include people who crosspost into arc-t, but aren't truly native to arc-t itself. If there is any question about the eligibility of a person to be nominated, then it will be put to question amongst the regs. At least two regs must give their approval for the person's nomination to be counted; if there is dissent amongst the regs, then the majority opinion amongst the regs who voice opinion will determine the status of the person's eligibility. Note that reg approval for a person's eligibility to be nominated does not confer agreement or condonement of that the person should be twitlisted, only that the person is eligible for such.

Casting a Vote

In order to cast a vote, you must add the word "[TWIT]", in capital letters, to the beginning of the subject of the message you are voting in response to, and you must clearly state that you are nominating them for the Twitlist. (Merely saying "You're a twit" will not count as it is not clear; you must state that you are nominating them or voting for them for the Twitlist.) If the post you are replying to already has the word "[TWIT]" in the subject, then you do not need to add it.

The maintainer of the Twitlist will reply to the nomination and state that the vote has been noted within two weeks of the vote. If this fails to happen after two weeks, please email you vote, with "[TWIT]" as the subject, to steve@arc-t.org and inform the maintainer that the post was made, but that you've not yet seen a confirmation.

When submitting your vote, please post under the name or handle by which you are best known in arc-t. Anonymous voting will not be allowed. Also, you may not vote for yourself - though trying to may result in others voting for you.

Making the Twitlist

In order for a person to be officially twitlisted, they must receive at least two votes from each side with a minimum twitscore of 9.

Generally speaking, there are two sides: Christian and non-Christian. All nominees will be put into one of those two categories if possible. If it is not immediately obvious or agreeable as to which side a person is on, then it will be put to a vote amongst the regs, with the majority opinion of the regs determining the side for the nominee. Likability of a person does not count towards which side they are on: a racist Christian is still a Christian and an ass-hole atheist is still a non-Christian.

Each vote for a nominee will add points to that nominees twitscore. If the voter and the nominee are on opposing sides, then only 1 point will be accrued. If they are on the same side, then 3 points will be accrued.

If a person who has voted or the nominee being voted on changes sides at any time, then the points accrued will be changed to reflect that.

Once a nominee makes the Twitlist, votes can continue to be cast for them, thus raising their twitscore. The Twits on the Twitlist will be ordered by their twitscores.

Retraction and Discardation of Votes

Any vote cast for a nominee who has not yet been Twitlisted may be retracted at any time but a valid reason (subject to a vote by the regs) must be given. This is to help prevent people voting all willy-nilly.

Any nominee who has not yet made it to the Twitlist and has made no posts to arc-t for three consecutive months will be removed from the nomination list, and any votes made for that the nominee will be automatically discarded. If the nominee was a reg, they must also be removed from the reg list before removal from the Twitlist and discardation of their votes.

The votes of any non-reg for a nominee will be automatically discarded if the person has made no posts to arc-t for three consecutive months.

The votes of any reg or semi-reg will be automatically discarded if the person has been removed from the reg list and has not made any posts to arc-t for three consecutive months. However, as long as the person remains on the reg list, their vote will remain en force.

If a person returns after having had their votes automatically discarded, then they will start from scratch. Any votes to nominate them will have to be made again, and any votes they wish to cast will have to be cast again. The exception to this is for votes cast on a Twit - those will be reinstated upon the person's return.

Removal from Twitlist

Once a person makes it on the Twitlist, they will remain on the Twitlist permanently. However, due to varying circumstances, their status on the Twitlist may change.

If enough votes are retracted or discarded that a Twit's twitscore drops below a 9, or if they no longer have at least two votes from each side, then they will be listed with a status of "Former Twit". Also, each person who had a vote retracted or discarded will be listed, along with the reason for retraction or discardation.

If a Twit stops posting to arc-t for a period of longer than 3 months, they will be listed with a status of "Inactive Twit". Should they at any point return to arc-t, they will be returned to active status, and will be listed as "Twit".

Twitlist Maintenance

The Twitlist was started on January 21, 2001. The FAQ was originally written on January 20, 2001, and was last modified on August 6, 2002. It is maintained by Steven Schrader. If you have questions or concerns about the arc-t Twitlist, you may direct them to Steve at steve@arc-t.org.