Date created: April 24th, 2004

What do they mean by mop? A ClanBOB Guide

a dissertation by synkr0nized

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There's a decent amount of new people floating in to ClanBOB (to whom I say, "Hello," in case I haven't already).

 

Many of you have probably already been "accosted" by existing members concerning this issue of "mopping." Well, you may be thinking, what the Hell is mopping? This is a text-based forum. Are these people all on some sort of mind-altering hallucinogen? Are they that retarded? Are they really robots living in the network, forcing me to do their work, or else they will send sentinel droids to kill me?

 

Well, you could consult the FAQ thread for the answers you seek.

 

Or, you could read this little thing I whipped up while not doing any homework this evening.

 

ClanBOB, Web Forums, Virtual Mops, and You

A supposedly helpful thread for our newbies.

 

"What is mopping?"

Mopping can range from the very literal to the very metaphorical, depending on which BOB you talk to. Some share the same idea, some disagree, but it's clear that all BOBs recognize the "desire," if you will, of encouraging mopping.

 

Mopping is the action which helps to identify the newbies from those who have been here. ClanBOB firmly believes in quality of posts as opposed to quantity. To quickly understand this concept, consider myself. I have probably the second-largest post count currently at ClanBOB. HOWEVER, there are several people here who have been around longer than I; take this a step further and consider how many users have post counts in similar ranges to each other. Now, some of these could be "elder" members (meaning they've been here the longest, usually for several years) that have post counts lower than those of us who have been here for one or two years only.

 

 

 

How does this apply to new people? Granted, I started to ramble in that last paragraph. We basically don't care about post count. Some people hardly ever post and have been here for a while. However, if they're new, mopping helps point that out and clue the rest of us in so that we may welcome these people to our community and learn to recognize them here in the forums.

 

"Who is supposed to mop?"

All newbies mop. That's just how it works. Sorry.

 

You are not special, you are not an exception, and you are not exempt. Come on, it's not like you are actually doing anything, it's hardly difficult, and you are in the same boat as everyone else was, is, or will be.

 

"How do I 'mop?'"

 

It's simple, really. These posts are all made from text, right? Simply use whichever symbols you prefer to denote actions (such as *action* ) and include something along the lines of * mops up the dirty, dirty mess that is this thread * in your posts.

 

See how easy that was? Those of you who pick up on this quickly may realize you can expand upon this basic idea.

 

Near as I can tell, it's preferred if this is done post-by-post and not in signature lines - that's like using auto-fire in a video game. As Revolver Ocelot says, "Don't use auto-fire, or I'll know."

 

"What forms of mopping are there?"

This is where it gets interesting, as some people agree on various ideas within this section, others plain don't like it, and others don't care.

 

Literal Mopping

This is when the user types something akin to the prior question's example - an action that essentially denotes the user mopping the thread, nothing more.

 

• *mops*
• *mops up the thread until others can see their reflections*
• *gets in a Zamboni and powermops the thread*
• *mops the stupidity out of the thread*

 

 

Metaphorical (aka synkr0nized likes to think of "mopping" as something more than a waste of a spare 4 seconds to your day)

This is what made mopping fun for me when I first joined these forums. Taking the information concerning mopping that I had read from other threads and newbie threads back when I joined (in the days of TWC - I arrived here in early November of 2002, after the first migration/crash took the BOBs off of ezBoards... and now, we're back), I liked to think of it as the actions and characteristics that really made it clear you were new to these parts. This means that typing an action is not the sole form of mopping.

 

New users with botched avatars or signatures mop by continuing to post with the errors or posting in attempts to fix the errant images. Xaenyth actually mopped for another member, Shairel (forgive if spelled incorrectly, as he hasn't been around) by insisting that he did not have to mop. Several times in various threads (to which I argued that he was already :P). Our very own d20BOB "mopped" by creating a d20 system for ClanBOB's The Life of Riley webcomic. Every now and then, when time comes, you'll see me "mopping," as I love to talk with the BOBs elder than myself about the old days.

 

Other

I'm not too sure, as I haven't seen it, but it would seem that some people get magical exceptions to the normal mopping procedures by divine intervention of Dan or Aaron, for example.

 

"Ok, great. When CAN I STOP, YOU FREAKS?!?"

Never.

 

Ha ha, just kidding.

 

Many say that you may stop whenever an "elder" comes along and tells you that you may.

Many (yes, forget that the first many implies a smaller number remain) would say that "a n00b may cease mopping once a n00b has realized he or she is done mopping." Chew on that one, Descartes.

 

What's my advice? It'll just make sense eventually. Of course, creating a thread or post to the effect of "LOLOLOL am I dun moping n e more?!!1!?!11?!11? LOL WTF??" obviously will be grounds for more mopping and a beating* (*beating will be withheld if the post is typed in proper English). Just let it happen. Kind of like puberty.

 

"You guys are losers. This is gay."

Right. You haven't been paying attention, or don't get it.

 

"Can I be creative?"

Yes, of course! By all means, come up with your own way of mopping.

 

"Why are some people being rude about it?"

 

Most BOBs aren't actually being rude - they are merely acting out of adoration for a tradition that they themselves had to get accustomed to in their early days and posts.

 

However, it may be true that you feel you are being needlessly and tactlessly harassed concerning the subject of mopping. It is my hope that this thread will not only help you to understand why this may be occurring but also allow those "heckling" to remind themselves what it's all about. Some may need a refresher now and then.

 

If this answer has not satisfied you, and you are still upset with a poster or posters and their treatment of you, I wish you the best of luck and offer my regret that you feel that way about one of my fellow forum members (or possibly myself).

 

"What are 'elderBOBs?'"

This definition varies greatly depending on whom is providing the frame of reference.

Just forget about seniority (note: this does not undermine the goal of mopping, if you recall what that is) and treat everyone with the respect you wish to receive.

 

Addition

Hi again. I'm synkr0nized, or synk, unless you have a nickname you'd prefer to use.

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So ends the dissertation of synkr0nized. This is the original source, where this discussion was found, though in time it will disapear. That's why this is here. To make sure that synk's words are never lost to time.

 

A few comments from the peanut gallery

 

In closing...

Don't forget the Newbie Check In thread in the General_Discussion.

 

That's all from GharbadTheWeak. May your experience as a newbie be a fun and rewarding one... or at least may you mop lots and get it over with quickly and effectively.

 

Source

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