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To: TXBlair

What does IBTZ mean?


94 posted on 07/26/2009 5:24:26 AM PDT by National Treasure
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To: National Treasure
Lol. IBTZ stands for In Before the Zot. You may also see it as IB4Z or IB4TZ. FReepers will post this to someone, usually a newbie, but not always, who looks suspiciously like a troll. If they come across a thread that was started by a newbie, such as yours here, that is incoherent, inflammatory, or just plain weird, they will start replying to the suspected troll with IBTZ. Sometimes the troll isn't the one who originally posted the thread, but may have made a reply somewhere downthread that raised the suspicion of some FReepers. The result is the same: "IBTZ."

If FReepers are REALLY suspicious of a poster, they will report that person to the admin moderator. If the moderator thinks it is warranted, he or she will "zot" the suspected troll. This means that the person's account will be suspended or even banned. No more posting privileges. Sometimes this is exactly what the troll wants...attention, lots of hostile posts from annoyed FReepers, and the satisfaction of being a disruptor. Sometimes the mods will zot right away; other times they'll leave the troll's account active for a while so that FReepers and troll alike can play!

Once the troll has been zotted, FReepers will post "IATZ," which you can figure out means In After the Zot. Posters who are new to the thread are usually disappointed at being in after the zot because they missed out on some of the fun while it was happening.

In your case, no one has reported you to the admin moderator. You haven't been zotted. Your thread raised suspicions, obviously, but no one was bothered enough by you to report you. So for now, at least, you're in the clear! :)

You can tell if a thread is active or not by clicking on the poster's screen name. It will either take you to his/her homepage or give you a message saying "This account has been banned or suspended."

You can go to the admin moderator's homepage for some helpful information for newbies:

Click here for some n00b info. Be sure to scroll down to "History of the Zot."

Enjoy FR, but try to stay out of trouble! ;)

95 posted on 07/26/2009 9:57:10 PM PDT by TXBlair (www.ragingelephants.org)
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