April Fool's 2010: How Much Was A Joke?

[Zestanor]

Everything at the bottom of here: http://bzpower.com/a...x=17&submit.y=1Civilian discussion here: http://bzpower.com/f...T&f=11&t=321763and here: http://bzpower.com/f...T&f=11&t=321819(These will log you out!)If I recall correctly, after a few days, BZPower just assumed it was all a joke. Why? Because the staff wouldn't give an answer! This really bothered me back then. Normally the prankster reveals the prank afterwards, but here, there was no explanation, no official resolution. The only thing we got was what seemed to be an 'everything is back to normal' update, and that update still seemed to have some residual bitterness (which was fake, right?) sill lingering.But everything wasn't back to normal! Apparently there were some notable members that were banned as part of the joke! Does anyone remember who and why? If they were really that loved and notable, and they weren't banned for anything malicious, then why, oh why, was conversation questioning their bannings stifled? I hate to side with [removed], but why didn't anyone explain after it spiraled out of control? Pride? Please, someone prove me wrong, and explain what the heck happened?Sorry if this is the wrong section.

Edited May 13, 2012 by Than the Moa
Do not discuss banned members/hackers

[Ballom Nom Nom]

The 2010 prank was entirely that -- a prank. Staff members temporarily changed positions as they claimed control, and a few were temporarily banned as I recall (Smeag and someone else, I think?), but everything was changed back afterward.~B~

[Bfahome]

People don't normally get banned as a prank (or if they do, they're in on the joke and agreed to go along with it), and it definitely wouldn't be permanent if they did.I don't remember any "notable" members getting banned then, outside of the big administration "change/coup/switcheroo" that happened.Someone might have wildly overreacted to it, broken some rules, and gotten banned for that. But I don't really remember.(P.S.: Events that take place on April 1st aren't often followed by big explanations.)

[Zestanor]

Thanks for explanations everybody. It's weird that I feel relief from this 2 years later... About the bannings, the reason I thought they were serious was because staff edited any posts that acknowledged them. I think the main problem was that many 'civilians' were either trolling, or being trolled, and also trollbaited in the talkbacks, and so mass confusion happened, and not every party got an explanation.

(P.S.: Events that take place on April 1st aren't often followed by big explanations.)

Mmmm... from my experience, they usually are. At least, big dramatic ones like this like are. I thought they were completely serious at the time, and still was uncertain after reading the talkbacks. Imagine if dramas like this were left unexplained more often... Edited May 13, 2012 by Zestanor

[Velox]

Thanks for explanations everybody. It's weird that I feel relief from this 2 years later... About the bannings, the reason I thought they were serious was because staff edited any posts that acknowledged them.

That was exactly the point. Banned members aren't allowed to be discussed on BZPower, so when certain staff were banned as part of the prank, they weren't allowed to be discussed, as per the rules. It really just added to the prank to make it seem more real. For a prank you want confusion, so from a staff standpoint it's a good thing there was confusion, haha.

(P.S.: Events that take place on April 1st aren't often followed by big explanations.)

Mmmm... from my experience, they usually are. At least, big dramatic ones like this like are.

As far as I can recall, that's never happened on BZPower. I realize that's the usual chain of events, but we've just never done it here. Personally I kind of like it that way; it makes for a more successful/enjoyable prank because people are forever "whoa, what happened?" yet are given enough explanation/evidence to realize that it wasn't real. Edited May 13, 2012 by Velox

[Makuta_of_Oz]

Methinks they milked the what became an RP as much as they did because it was funny how we were reacting.

[Zestanor]

Yeah, so the fact that I was still confused means it was a really successful prank. I never considered that the prank was as well planned as you say, Velox, so I guess I change my mind. From the mass confusion standpoint, prank gets an A+. Well, I don't really know what to say. Umm... Thanks. Right now I feel like the guy who couldn't figure out the Zelda puzzle so I looked it up on the Internet, and the solution was stupidly easy.Still... It was taken just a smidgen too far. Well, I have something fun to do: read through all the hilarity again!

[Bfahome]

(P.S.: Events that take place on April 1st aren't often followed by big explanations.)

Mmmm... from my experience, they usually are. At least, big dramatic ones like this like are.

As far as I can recall, that's never happened on BZPower. I realize that's the usual chain of events, but we've just never done it here. Personally I kind of like it that way; it makes for a more successful/enjoyable prank because people are forever "whoa, what happened?" yet are given enough explanation/evidence to realize that it wasn't real.

There were a couple, one because people went bonkers over the "removal" of COT and LGD (I'm not entirely clear on this one, since I joined after it, but there was a topic about it in the archived Reference Desk), and one in Bink's blog about the "Cooking With Makuta" fake book announcement.So there was one because people were really taking a prank far too seriously, and one that was unofficial and really more of a "how-I-did-it" than anything else. Uncommon, but it has happened. Though not likely. Edited May 13, 2012 by Bfahome

[Than the Moa]

Any bans surrounding the April Fools joke of 2010 are purely coincidental and unrelated to the joke itself. We do not openly discuss the reasons members are banned as it brings unnecessary attention to them for their actions that cause them to be banned.Anyway, there isn't anything else to discuss here. This "event" was in fact an April Fools joke and anyone banned as part of joke had their status returned. Any other members banned had reasons behind it and those reasons will not be discussed.Topic closed.