This is a tired subject for me and the rest of the administration but it seems that this question has once again been brought up and there are those who seem to feel that our lack of revealing the identity of the Dent indicates a deep dark secret among the administration and an effort to play cloak and dagger games with the membership. This couldn't be further from the truth.
We have never made this public knowledge, although we have shared it with most who have asked, but seeing that some seem to be completely consumed with discovering the "truth" of the matter, we will share a bit more info about the Dent.
The Dent is a title and position, much like the PresiDENT of the United States. That position is occupied by a single individual, again like the Presidency, but over time, the person occupying that position may change. Unlike the President of the United States, the Dent, who is appointed, not elected, is not made publicly known, and there is not a public notice when the Dent changes. Only two people have occupied the position of the Dent in the past 5 years.
The Dent is the owner of the board and forums, but the Dent is NOT the owner of thedentedhelmet.com. As anyone can see from a WHOIS search, Brak's Buddy owns the website, but the website is a separate entity from the board. There has been great confusion about this in the past, so I want to make sure this is clear. Brak's owns the website. The Dent owns the board.
So, why don't we share the identity of The Dent? There are a couple of reasons. First, we do not want members to treat the person occupying the office of the Dent differently than any other member. Second, we don't want those who might know the person occupying the office of the Dent to show disrespect to the Dent simply because they know the member on a personal level. We are all flawed and all have our weaknesses. However, here on TDH, the Dent has the final word and regardless of who fills that office, the Dent is to be shown respect. Please do not think this means the Dent is to be shown reverence or expects some sort of worship. This couldn't be further from the truth. We simply aren't interested in falling into deep debates over decisions made by the administration as that is not the point or purpose of this board.
TDH's administration is setup as a monarchy. While the Dent has the ability to act unilaterally, we strongly believe that there is wisdom in a multitude of council and each administrator is often given an opportunity to voice his or her opinion before a final decision is made. We do not vote and I have the final say on any decision, but I always take the rest of the administrations' counsel into account when making a decision. Even though the administration is comprised of individuals, when we have our "admin" hats on, we are a unified group and our voice is one, even though we might not always completely agree with one another on a personal level. Contrary to what has been stated by uniformed members, I am the only person with access to the Dent account and no other admin posts for me. If my posts mirror those of others in the administration, it is because we are a very tight-knit group. Many members might find this form of administration troubling, but so far, it has worked for us, and there has been less fighting at TDH than at virtually any other board we know of. This also cuts down on red tape and allows decisions that will benefit the membership to be made much more quickly.
As mentioned above, the administration of TDH has been setup with a single leader as we have seen the failings of boards who vote and get deeply entangled in politics and do not wish for TDH to become politically polarized. Is our approach the best? It is doubtful but it has worked for us very well and outside of a few dissidents who have a false sense of entitlement to both information and authority, it has worked almost flawlessly. We are well aware that everyone will not agree with this approach but we are committed to it until we find something better and all that we ask is that you respect it while you are here. You don't have to agree and you don't have to change your personal beliefs, but we are growing very weary of the constant grumblings and sideswipes from a disenchanted minority. If those who bark so loudly are in such disagreement with the way this board is run, there are plenty of other boards run in other fashions that might be more to your liking. They are but a google search away.
On a final note, as we have always said, the purpose of the administration is to serve the interests of the membership (as a whole) of TDH. We are here to help make your experience in your quest for a Boba, Jango, Zam or Variant costume as good as can possibly be. While we will not be dictated to or intimidated, we have always been and will always be open to constructive criticism. Many of the changes we have made in years past have come directly from the suggestions of our members. If your interest is in making general complaints, you will find us fairly unreceptive. However, if you have specific recommendations or disagree with a particular decision we have made, please feel free to PM, email or even post a thread about it.
While we know even this "admission" will not satisfy those with a constant ax to grind and we realize the majority of the membership is not even concerned with such trivial issues, we hope this information has helped ease the minds of those in the middle who have always been curious about how the administration is run and who the Dent is.
D
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By the way, I like that "presiDENT" anology!
Originally Posted by TeamFett 
