All about BHW Membership levels

[GreyWolf]

Membership Levels

I keep seeing a lot of posts from people asking about the requirements for different membership levels. So, here is pretty much everything you need to know about membership levels summed up in one easy to find thread.


BHW Membership Levels and eligibility requirements:

Super Administrator = appointed by site owner
Administrator = by site owner approval
Super Moderator = by admin approval
Moderator = by admin approval
Moderator in Training = Submit Staff Application [1] and have admin approval
Executive VIP = by invitation only (given only after vote from Exec VIP's) and have admin approval
Jr. Executive Vip = must post a thread that gets moved to Jr. Exec VIP forum and have admin approval
Jr. VIP = 100+ quality posts [2], 60 days on the forum and $97 donation [3]
Premium Member = $97 donation [3]
Junior Member = 100+ posts
Regular Member = 50-99 posts
Newbie = 0-49 posts

[1]To apply for Mod status click the Staff Application link on the top menu bar. (See thread Staff Application form for more info.)
[2]Quality posts are any posts that increase your post count. (See thread Post Count Not Increasing? for more info.)
Members are still expected to follow the rules and not make pointless posts just to inflate their post counts.
[3]To make donation click the Donate link on the top menu bar

Forum Access by levels:

Executive VIP has access to the ExecVIP, Jr.ExecVIP, Jr.VIP and the general forums.
Jr. Executive Vip has access to the Jr.Exec.VIP, Jr.VIP and the general forums.
Jr. VIP has access to the Jr.VIP and the general forums.
Premium Member has access to the general forums.
Junior Member has access to the general forums.
Regular Member has access to the general forums.
Newbie has access to the general forums.


Signature permissions levels:

Executive VIP can use images and approved links in signature.
Jr. Executive Vip can use images and approved links in signature.
Jr. VIP can use images and approved links in signature.
Premium Member can use images and approved links in signature.
Junior Member can only use text in signature and no links.
Regular Member can only use text in signature and no links.
Newbie no signature



Custom User Titles

Sometimes you'll see members with titles that don't match any of those listed. Those are 'Custom User Titles'. You can always tell someones real membership level though just by looking at the username color and (for general members) by their post count.

Once you reach Junior member (100 posts) you can choose a 'Custom User Title' if you want (might be available for Regular members too, I don't remember for sure. lol). Just go to 'Edit Profile' in your 'User Control Panel'. You can't choose any real titles though, (for instance you can't choose Jr.VIP as a custom title).

[GreyWolf]

Another big question I keep seeing lately is how to become Exec.VIP or Jr.ExecutiveVIP.

To become an Exec.VIP you have to be nominated and voted in by the other Exec.VIPs. Actively campaigning for it will likely get a negative result. Just being your best when participating in the forums is a positive way of getting noticed. Other than that though, there's really nothing proactive that can be done to get yourself into ExecVIP.

Since there's nothing you can actively do to get in, it's best not to give it a lot of thought or attention. I don't know anyone that was expecting or planning to get the upgrade to ExecVIP before they got it. You won't even know if you've ever been nominated unless you actually do get voted in.

To become a Jr.Executive VIP member you just need to share some really good method or technique that gets moved to Jr.ExecutiveVIP. Since there is way to get in that group (by making exceptionally good shares), that's the level to strive for. It's still a pretty high standard though and it's best to just make the shares without any expectations. Posting just for the purpose of getting an upgrade (like asking for it in your post), will likely get a negative result.


Another thing to consider regarding the membership levels above Jr.VIP.

There are over 180,000 members profiles on BHW. Granted a lot of those are non participating members, but even still... there are thousands of active members.

Take this stat from earlier today for instance:

What's Going On?
Currently Active Users: 3511 (1159 members and 2352 guests)

Most users ever online was 209,882, 10-15-2011 at 01:00 PM.

If you go the the Main Forums page and click on View Forum Leaders you'll see there are only 15 Jr.Executive VIPs.

The complete Exec.VIP member list isn't publicly available, but suffice it to say that it's a similarly small group. Exec.VIP is a small group by design, otherwise it would lose it's usefulness. It's very nice for anyone getting voted in and much appreciated by anyone that gets in, but it's always such a small group that most people (even if they have plenty of experience and knowledge) won't reach that level.

The point is... statistically not very many people ever reach Exec.VIP level. That's why it's not worth becoming too concerned about getting in.

Jr.Executive VIP is still a small group because it's only a few months old. Anyone can become a Jr.Executive VIP member by sharing some method or technique considered good enough, so in time it will grow a bit larger group. The standard to get in is pretty high, so it will always be a pretty elite level, but since there is something you can do to get in that group, that's the one to strive for.

There's just no need to be a 'grass is always greener' type. There's plenty of value to the forum (especially if you upgrade to Jr.VIP), so there's nothing to be ashamed of or to get upset about even if that's the highest level you ever get.

[IamBlackhatter]

Thanks for the info grey hope no one will mess up with these here again in bhw !

[GreyWolf]

A lot of people also ask about the benefits of becoming a Donor.

Usually people asking that are talking about the pink member level. Most people think of the pink level as 'Donor' members, but the pink level is actually called 'Premium'. Actually both Jr.VIP (blue) and Premium (pink) memberships are actually 'Donor' member levels.

The main purpose of Premium membership is for people that want to use images and links in their signature, but don't want to wait till they meet the qualifications for Jr.VIP. (It used to also let you make a BST thread, but the BST requirements have changed so this isn't the case anymore.)

If you donate to become a Premium member in order to get the benefit of links in your signature early, then you'll still need to donate to become a Jr.VIP when you qualify if you want to have access to the Jr.VIP forum. In other words if you want to use signature links without waiting to join Jr.VIP, you have to donate twice for that extra privilege.

(If you do want to become a Premium member so that you can use signature links, you need to read through the Forum Rules regarding signatures. There have been members in the past that were upset to find after they became Premium members that the links they wanted to use were still not allowed.)

[GreyWolf]

Is it worth becoming Jr.VIP? Are all the good threads in the Jr.VIP forum?

It's definitely worth joining because it give you access to another whole forum full of more information.

Well, of course it's worth it. Yes, there are many good threads in the Jr.VIP forum, but there's even more good threads in the general forums. Iif you aren't able to learn how to make money from threads in the general forums, joining Jr.VIP isn't likely to change that.

There's still no 'magic bullets' in there that will just rake in the money without any work, but it does have a lot of methods that aren't shared in the general forums. This isn't done out of selfishness, it's just that the private forums don't get crawled by google. If someone wants to share a way they're making money, but don't want all the noobs on the internet to ruin it with saturation, then sharing it in Jr.VIP will keep random people searching google for 'how to make money' from finding the thread.

So, if you can't figure out how to find your own niche, or create your own sales copy, or what a keyword is, or how backlinks work then you probably won't get much benefit by joining Jr.VIP. If you suffer from information overload in the general forums, then adding another forum full of information isn't likely to change that.

Jr.VIP is for those that can read a thread and see how to apply it and make some money without needing to duplicate every minor detail. If that describes you, then Jr.VIP is absolutely worth joining because it gives access to another forum full of information that can give you even more ideas.

[GreyWolf]

Another question asked a lot is about which is better, Premium member or Jr.VIP. Even though I explained in the above posts about the benefits and requirements for each level, I didn't actually give a comparison. So for anyone still confused about it here's a comparison:

Premium Member vs. Jr. VIP

The main difference between Premium Membership is the post & time requirements and access to the Jr.Vip forum. Both will cost you a $97 donation, get a Donor icon under your username, give you a larger PM box, and allow you to post links in your signature.

• Premium membership can be paid without having 100 posts, but there is NO automatic upgrade to Jr.Vip once you reach 100 posts. You would have to donate again to become Jr.VIP.
• Jr. VIP membership can only be paid for after reaching 100 quality posts and being a member of BHW of 60 days. Jr.Vip receives every advantage of Premium membership PLUS access to Jr.VIP forum.

The advantage of becoming a Premium member is if you're selling something it allows you to include links in your signature without waiting till you reach 60 days and 100 posts. The thing to remember about that though is the mods don't allow just any links, (typically the mods interpret the rules to only allow affiliate referral links, links to your approved BST threads, or links to other BHW threads or pages).

If you do want to have a bigger PM inbox and use links and images in your signature, AND you don't want to wait 60 days or don't plan to make 100 posts for a while then it might be worth it for you to donate for Premium membership. Otherwise you're getting more for your money if you wait till you have 100 posts and been a member for 60 days so you can join the Jr.VIP.

When you're ready to become a Premium Member or Junior VIP just go to the "Donate" link on the top menu.

[popzzz]

..... Sometimes you'll see members with titles that don't match any of those listed. Those are 'Custom User Titles'. You can always tell someones real membership level though just by looking at the username color and (for general members) by their post count.

Once you reach Junior member (100 posts) you can choose a 'Custom User Title' if you want (might be available for Regular members too, I don't remember for sure. lol). [COLOR="rgb(255, 0, 255)"]Just go to 'Edit Profile' in your 'User Control Panel[/COLOR]'. You can't choose any real titles though, (for instance you can't choose Jr.VIP as a custom title).

Thanks Greywolf! Great posts!

I cannot find anywhere to edit the "custom user title" in the edit profile area.

Enjoy .....

[GreyWolf]

Thanks Greywolf! Great posts!

I cannot find anywhere to edit the "custom user title" in the edit profile area.

.....

Huh? Well if you never changed it then maybe 'Power Member' is another level for Regular forum members. I always thought it was just a custom title. lol.

Do you know what you're post count was when you're title changed from "Junior member" to Power member"?

Anyway you can't find it in the 'Edit Profile' area because that's the wrong area. lol. I should have said click on the 'Edit Your Details' link. I can't always be right about everything.

If you're able to choose one then it's found underneath where you change your email and password. It's in the same area that you can put your homepage url and instant messaging IDs.

[Seo Lover]

All points cleared . Awesome explanation

[popzzz]

Yep the custom user title is not there in the edit your details page either
Greywolf so it's not optional yet.

It seems it was around 450 post count when it changed to power member but
I'm not 100% sure on it. I think it changed when the third star was added.
Perhaps someone else remembers.

And thanks also for the other thing. (you know what)
It was a pleasant surprise.

Enjoy .....

[abecobacoba]

Good explanation for better understanding when hanging around.
This is such a good place to be. Thank you BHW for being here with me

[orzyman]

ok so i have more 200 post but still stuck at regular member

[boy_in_the_box]

thanks for information. Appreciate it.....

[sin_tzu]

Great info. I understand the hierarchy better now.

[GreyWolf]

ok so i have more 200 post but still stuck at regular member

Yeah it looks like they may have changed the Regular Forum member titles. So the first post is still accurate as regards to the colored member levels, Gold - Regular members, Pink - Premium members, Blue - Jr.VIP members, etc. But the user title hiearchy based on post counts for the Gold members looks to have changed some lately.

[GreyWolf]

Yep the custom user title is not there in the edit your details page either
Greywolf so it's not optional yet.

It seems it was around 450 post count when it changed to power member but
I'm not 100% sure on it. I think it changed when the third star was added.
Perhaps someone else remembers.

Ah. Then custom user titles must just be another benefit once you become a Donor then (Jr.VIP or Premium).

Some of the things I posted about the Regular (Gold) membership levels was based on memory. (It's been awhile since I donated for an upgrade to Jr.VIP. )



So...
For anyone else wondering about it, the 'Custom User Titles' apparently aren't available till you upgrade to a donor level.

and...
Regular (Gold) members get the 'Power Member' title around 450 posts.

[dunhill]

Now I really understand the proof of concept.. Hehehe

[ChaRoN.StYx]

Hey GreyWolf,

Just thought I'd chime in and mention...I'm at 65 posts and I'm still a newbie (which isn't something I'd deny quite yet ) so the regular membership levels must have changed.

On a side note, I have noticed that I've got a blue star now (woop woop), but I would like to be lifted out of the ranks of newbies.

Another thing I was wondering about the other day was Signatures and Custom Avatars...In the ToS it says I'll be allowed to use a sig at 50 posts, but no sign of that either yet and theres no mention at all about avatars.

Oh well...something might change at 100 posts I suppose.

~|ChaRoN|~

[GreyWolf]

Hey GreyWolf,

Just thought I'd chime in and mention...I'm at 65 posts and I'm still a newbie (which isn't something I'd deny quite yet ) so the regular membership levels must have changed.

On a side note, I have noticed that I've got a blue star now (woop woop), but I would like to be lifted out of the ranks of newbies.

Another thing I was wondering about the other day was Signatures and Custom Avatars...In the ToS it says I'll be allowed to use a sig at 50 posts, but no sign of that either yet and theres no mention at all about avatars.

Oh well...something might change at 100 posts I suppose.

~|ChaRoN|~

Yeah, like I said in an earlier post it looks like there's been some changes to the Regular (Gold) membership titles. It might also be that its a factor of time and post count together, rather than just post count alone.

Yeah you should have got your first star at 10 posts and you should get your next one at 100 posts. I made up a chart about the stars a while back. I'll see if I can find it again and when I do I'll post it in this thread as well.

As far as the 'Edit Signature' and 'Edit Avatar' they should be found in your UserCP under 'Settings & Options'. The 'Custom Avatar' option box is found at the bottom of the 'Edit Avatar' page underneath the 'Pre-defined Generic Avatars'. If your membership level allows them then that's where you'll find them. If the Admins have made some changes to the Gold member user titles, then that may well have affected when those options will become available though.

[aldragon]

Is it a Democracy?

[GreyWolf]

There's a good discussion about the stars in this thread
When do I get glowing stars next to my name?

Here's the chart I made in that thread though. I think this is how the star system is still currently set up. This is just for standard membership levels. The mods and admins have some additional spinning stars that i didn't bother sorting out.

????+ posts

2000 - ???? posts

1000 - 1999 posts

800 - 999 posts

600 - 799 posts

400 - 599 posts

200 - 399 posts

100 - 199 posts

10-99 posts

... 0-9 posts



Hope that helps.

[GreyWolf]

Is it a Democracy?

Well, the forum has an owner who ultimately decides how he wants things to operate, so No... it's not really a democracy. LOL

But that's pretty off topic for this thread.

[mohitjmehta]

@greywolf
could you tell me wots the level for stars ?

get it soorry

[ChaRoN.StYx]

Never even noticed the star until now lol...but it looks like ill just need to be active in the forum an will come in good time

I want some of those green stars like you, they look cool hehe got a fair amount of contributing to do before that comes though lol

~|ChaRoN|~

[GreyWolf]

A few people have sent me PM's because they haven't been upgraded to the next gold level even though they've made enough posts. I'd like to make it clear that I'm not an admin or mod, so even if there is a problem there's nothing I can do about it.

Only admins have access to the actual settings so the information in this thread is based only on my observations of how things are set up on BHW based on my general knowledge of vbulletin. As such the information is subject to errors and should only be used to get a general idea of how the membership levels are set up. While it may not be perfect, (unless an admin someday decides to make any corrections) this thread is most complete information on the matter you'll find on the forum.

To answer some of the questions I've been asked though, here's an update to the first post in this thread.
These are the general Gold membership levels

Power Member
Junior Member
Regular Member
Newbie

On average the post count requirements listed are correct.
Newbie 0-49 posts, Regular Member 50-99 posts, Junior Member 100+ posts.
In addition there's an upgrade to 'Power Member' somewhere between 400 and 500 posts.

Those post count requirements aren't absolute though. How long you've been a member and possibly even your rep count can have an effect as well. In some cases (especially if you've been a member for less than 60 days) you might have over 50 posts and still show as a newbie, or over 100 posts and still show as a 'Regular Member'. Also some members might have over 500 posts and show as 'Power Member' while others still show as Junior Member. I'm not sure why this is but it seems like it might be related to rep count, but maybe not. It could just post and account age as well.

So if you fall into one of those categories where it seems like you should be at the next level, don't worry about it. Especially if you've been a member for less than 60 days, just give it some time. Keep participating in the forum and you'll progress through the gold levels as your time and post count requirements are met.

[HoNeYBiRD]

i did a little research regarding to bhw's membership levels w/o upgrading to vip/donor/mod and i come up with this:


Newbie: 0-49 posts
No stars: 0-9 posts
10-49 posts

Registered Member: 50-99 posts


Junior Member: 100-199 posts


Regular Member: 200-499 posts
200-399 posts
400-499 posts

Power Member: 500-799 posts
500-599 posts
600-799 posts

Senior Member: 800-1,199 posts
800-1,000 posts
1,000-1,199 posts

Supreme Member: 1,200-1,599 posts


Elite Member: 1,600-1,999 posts


Ultimate Member: 2,000< posts
2,000-2,999 posts
3,000< posts


but you can't pay neither with these stars, nor even with your blue nick, collect mollah instead

i found these numbers are accurate, feel free to correct any of them

[auuuu]

There is also the Power Member man it's not a custom text...

I have just a question: is it true that you can be promoted for free in Jr.Vip? I've heard stories about free membership for people with a lot of thanks and +rep is it true?

Thank you so much!

[GreyWolf]

There is also the Power Member man it's not a custom text...

If you read through the thread you would have seen that discussed.
In fact just above your post HoNeYBiRD made an excellent post regarding the Gold general membership levels. I upgraded to Jr.VIP soon after I had made enough posts to qualify, so I never went through any Gold levels other than Junior Member. HoNeYBiRD's chart is much more complete for the Gold levels.

I have just a question: is it true that you can be promoted for free in Jr.Vip? I've heard stories about free membership for people with a lot of thanks and +rep is it true?

Thank you so much!

There was a time a few years ago when you could be promoted to Jr.VIP just for having enough posts and membership age. If you look for posts on the topic you may run across old posts discussing that, but it's way out of date. That was back when the forum was still young. For the last few years the only way to get Jr.VIP is to meet the requirements and pay the donation.

It is possible for the owner or superadmin to give someone a free Jr.VIP membership, but that happening is such a rare occurrence it's statistically insignificant. So, if you don't plan to make a donation to become Jr.VIP someday then I'd say don't expect it to ever happen.

[madblkhatter]

Thanks, this helped me out tremendously, considering Ive been a member of this forum for years now

[ardavidr]

I was looking for this info, good post

[ExecutiveCloser]

subbed

[JoomLAB]

Its all clear, but 97 usd is too much for 1 person company. I think its worth paying, so i need to think about that

[tonegawa]

Just for curiosity, can you tell us how many members have over 100 posts?
I always wanted to know but I don't know how to get this number

[GreyWolf]

Its all clear, but 97 usd is too much for 1 person company. I think its worth paying, so i need to think about that

Well $97.00 per year is the same as...
$8.083 per month, or...
$1.865 per week, or...
$0.265 per day.

So for just about 27 cents per day you can have access to the Jr.VIP forum.
That doesn't really seem like a bad investment at all.

[popzzz]

Just for curiosity, can you tell us how many members have over 100 posts?
I always wanted to know but I don't know how to get this number

By going to the members list and clicking on the post count column to sort it there are 45 pages out of 6701 pages or roughly 1300 out of 201022 (as of today) that have >100 posts.

Enjoy .....

[Digital_Man]

This seems like a dumb question. I am not seeing how to start a thread. I asked this in two thread that were silly questions in an effort to not hijack a thread that had good content, but got no answer. I also saw someone else ask the same question and the answer he got was make more posts. The both times I asked- the thread was started by someone who had less post than I did, so I don't think that is the right answer. can someone please help me with this? thank you for any help. also thanks for this thread it help clear up some other Q's..... This seemed like a good thread to ask.. Have come to love this site. thanks again.

[davids355]

This seems like a dumb question. I am not seeing how to start a thread. I asked this in two thread that were silly questions in an effort to not hijack a thread that had good content, but got no answer. I also saw someone else ask the same question and the answer he got was make more posts. The both times I asked- the thread was started by someone who had less post than I did, so I don't think that is the right answer. can someone please help me with this? thank you for any help. also thanks for this thread it help clear up some other Q's..... This seemed like a good thread to ask.. Have come to love this site. thanks again.

Just go to any section and click "new thread" - it's at Topleft.

[pathart]

Great guide greywolf, its very clear a lot of thought went into this.

You're a valuable asset to the forums

[MrBeastsOnToast]

Out of interest, how active are the JR Vip Forums?

[davids355]

Out of interest, how active are the JR Vip Forums?

Only one way to find out

[manjeet036]

thnk u so much for good information about BHW,, BHW is really so helpful forum in the world,, i can't leave it,, i dont open my email id but i use BHW regularly,,,
thnx BHW,,,
cheers,,

[manjeet036]

can anyone tell me??? after how many post i can upload picture and use youtube url....???

[popzzz]

can anyone tell me??? after how many post i can upload picture and use youtube url....???

Have you checked the OP in this thread?


ALSO, this thread should be a sticky or at least linked to from the FAQ page, hint, hint.

Enjoy .....

[Submission Zone]

is it separate $97 donation for Jr.VIP?
so Premium + Jr.VIP = $194

[Hamstamasta]

Why am I not a junior member lol :P

O hang on lol I am higher :P