CTL - Cynic Trust Level

In this guide you will find out all you need to know about Captain Cynic CTL's, what that means, how it affects you and your Captain Cynic membership:

When you read through the posts and pages of Captain Cynic (CC), you will notice that every member has a 'CTL' icon underneath their Avatar. CTL stands for Cynic Trust Level and is a security feature of Captain Cynic. CTL's are determined by how many posts you have, how often you post and how long you have been an active member of the site.

CTLs protect Captain Cynic members and the discussion environment from spammers and individuals trolling the site. It is a mechanism of sifting between people who have a true interest in the Captain Cynic environment and those who are utilizing the site for unwarranted purposes (eg simply to advertise a third party website or product without permission / to spam CC members) or are simply passing by.

First of all, casual visitors to the site who do not have a CC account cannot create posts, submit quotes, contact users or view user profiles, nor can they view full-sized versions of images posted in threads. So the first step towards utilizing the benefits of the CTL system is to create a user account. Creating a user account is totally free and you can do so easily through the Registration Page. Once your account is created, working your way up to higher CTL's is easy and totally dependent on you and how you wish to utilize CC's dynamic environment. Each CTL comes with increased privileges:

= CTL 0
A CTL of zero essentially means you are a new member of the site and you have less than 15 posts. Your newly created account enables you to make posts in existing threads, submit quotes, view full sized versions of images posted in threads and view user profiles of other CC members. All new members are required to fill in captchas to use certain features of the site until they reach CTL 1.

Other security limitations on CTL 0 are that users cannot:
- initiate private messages to other users. However if another user sends you a private message, so long as the message thread is not closed by you or the other user you will be able to send messages to them.
- view photo albums of other users.
- post in threads that require a CTL 2 minimum
- add urls/links to posts or to your user profile page
- make quick succesive posts (i.e. make posts that are within a few minutes of each other)

= CTL 1
At CTL 1 a user has demonstrated that they are now an active member of CC. To reach CTL 1 you need to have made at least 15 posts.

You now have more intimate access to other users and have the ability to contact them privately and view their photo albums. You are no longer required to fill in captchas once you are logged into your account.

You can also add links to your posts so long as the link is related to the topic being discussed. You can also add one link to your user profile. Profile links that are added for the purpose of spam will be removed.

Security limitations on CTL 1 are that users cannot:
- post in threads that require a CTL 2 minimum
- report posts to administrators
- apply to become forum administrators

= CTL 2
CTL 2 users are consistent members and a large majority of users fall into this group. For CTL 2 you need to have made at least 100 posts and log in to your account at least once a year.

CTL 2 members can report posts to administrators and may post up to 5 links in their user profile. CTL 2 members may also apply to become forum administrators.

= CTL 3
CTL 3 indicates that the person has been a member of CC for quite some time and continues to engage in discussions throughout the site. CTL 3 is reached when you have made 500 posts and you continue to post at least once every 45 days.

CTL members have the freedom to add up to 20 links to their profile page. This feature is in place for the purpose of providing you with a publicly viewable bookmarking tool that allows you to share your interests with other members and visitors to the the site. Profile links that are added for the purpose of spam will be removed.

To find out how many posts you have made you will need to Login to your account and then go to your user center by clicking on the 'Inbox / User Center' button. If you have new mail in your inbox then instead of this button a blinking 'New Mail' button will appear - click on the 'New Mail' button to go into your user center. In your user center, you will find your 'Total Posts' count displayed in the left most column under the 'Post' section.

Although the CTL system is there to protect users and CC from unauthorised use, it is not foolproof and sometimes trolls will attempt to circumvent the system by making meaningless posts just to reach CTL 1. Users who are caught doing this will face restrictions and this may include having their account disabled. We encourage new users not to make numerous short one sentence posts. If you want to post but don't know what to post about, try using Captain Cynic's 'Random' link - on the top navigation bar. Every time you click on it you are taken to a randomly selected post. CC has over a six thousand threads so the the chances are you will definitely come across some topic that will peak your interest. And don't be shy to post in old threads - we love it when forgotten topics are bought back to life!