R.A.T.S. Worth It?

Originally posted by bigbert81
That screenshot looks interesting, especially with the picture of God and all. Thanks for that.

I doubt you'll find anything on that level in there, but I will say that some of the stuff in there is really worth the read.

I agree with Roland. A topic was moved to the secret forum just a few days ago. I am opposed to that. This topic is very important to me and widely discussed on other forums and communities online. I didn't see the need for mods to move it.

Of course, it's been years since I had access to RATS so I can't really speak about the other discussions that are taking place there.

It seems there may be a problem with RATS at the moment!

When I went to ATS board home and clicked the RATS logo it took me here:

ERROR: You've Requested A Page That No Longer Exists

On July 28th, 2007, we underwent a significant upgrade to our servers and technology infrastructure. Part of that upgrade included some modifications to the information architecture across several sites. Perhaps you followed an old link, or used a bookmark to an old page, or, it may even be possible that you (or someone else) mistyped a link to our sites.

I tried it a couple times just to make sure the link loaded on the ATS board page correctly, but kept getting the same ERROR page.

reply to post by Keyhole


It works fine for me, maybe you have to renew your monthly subcription.

I can't imagine life without RATS.....

reply to post by AcesInTheHole


That's what it was, I thought it would have taken you to a page that would have told you that you need to re-subscribe, but it doesn't, it just brings you to that ERROR page if your "subscription" runs out.

reply to post by Keyhole



Yeah I think when they switched to the new servers a few pages don't work like they used to, and you end up at the 'error' page. Another one that comes to mind is when you click on a thread that was moved to the trash bin. Instead of the page telling you this, you get that same error page.


[edit on 2/5/08 by AcesInTheHole]

Good info guys thanks for the incite, I too have been wondering about RATS.

In a post I had someone mentioned getting a loan of points. Does this/can this really happen? I am a member for a while now, never had a warning or had a mod alter any of my posts. I reeeaaally want to get into RATS, any way for someone to help out here?

reply to post by sputniksteve


I think for every podcast you make you get 2000 points or somewhere close to that. Also, if you make a quality post you can get points from mods or FSME's applauding you. For every reply/post in a breaking news thread, you will recieve 5 points instead of 1 or 2 points.

The best way to get points though is through quality posts getting applauded, the FSME's and mods are hardly stingy with them and are happy to give them out.

reply to post by AcesInTheHole


Thanks Aces. I have been thinking about the Podcast, but I am nervous to do it. Luckily I have had 1 applause, its the only reason I have so many points now

I have a couple questions concerning the Podcasts though. Is there a certain length that they need to be? Is a podcast just a recording of yourself talking about a subject(s)? I am not familiar with them at all to be honest, never listened to one before. I am afraid I don't have enough interesting stuff to talk about.

**Thanks again Aces. Hopefully I will soon be on my way!

[edit on 5-2-2008 by sputniksteve]

reply to post by sputniksteve


Member Podcast Forum

Just check out the stickied threads at the top of the list, those should help get you started. Check out the other threads there to see what other members' podcasts are like. Good luck!

Originally posted by AcesInTheHole
The best way to get points though is through quality posts getting applauded, the FSME's and mods are hardly stingy with them and are happy to give them out.

Or alternatively, you can post sensationalist topics like "God is in FACT the DEVIL" or "ZOMG Bush is a Reptilian - WITH PROOF!!!!"

Titles with all caps and exclamation marks tend to get a lot of attention. Use of the words "SMOKING GUN", "PROOF", or "DEBUNKED" tend to attract replies because people like to argue. Whether positive or negative, you still get the points. How cool is that?

Woohoo, thanks to the nudge you guys gave me, I am now podcastin' with the best of them (well maybe not that good) and I'm cruisin RATS! For anyone nervous about it, It is pretty fun and easy to do. I am looking forward to doing it on a regular basis, and learning all the audio mixing stuff. Go for it guys, it sure beats a year of posting to get in!

This is slightly away from RATS, which I have membership in, and have authored articles in. It has to do with being credible and the points you show.

There's a lot more to credibility than points. It has to do with the content you post, with what people see in your style, with the trust they have for your consistent way of behaving. With the respect you show others.

I had many U2Us from people just letting me know they appreciated me long before I ever had enough points for RATS. I had many people choosing to post back into threads where I posted. I had people who disagreed with what I thought, yet seemed to respect me as a person. None of this was reflected in my points.

I had a couple or three threads that ran rather well, but they did not make me a point hog, and that was fine. I was more gratified by those times that I was given applause. Still, even counting the points I've spent, I have a far lower total than many people. It has not effected me in the slightest, for good or ill.

I considered the fact that I was an "underachiever" in the points department when I was asked to be an FSME and later a Moderator. Would there be those that considered my low point total an indication that I was not able or qualified for the position in question? I dismissed this on the grounds that points are only a small part of what a member really is.

It requires more than points to be a contributing member of ATS. It requires a presence that cannot be expressed in points or even words. It is a caring for truth and openness that shows through no matter the "score" beside your name. Those that are too shallow to see this, who think points are something to covet, usually have little else to offer.

The idea that a "cost" in points is required for RATS is not about someone's worth measured in marks on a board. It has more to do with their commitment to be a part of something greater than themselves. Someone who has the staying power to reach into RATS has shown that they are not a "fly-by-night" poster, but a part of the community.

RATS may not hold the secret to underground entrances to Area 51. It does hold the key to having more than average commitment to being a part of a great community of people. What you may learn by joining is just how much sharing your passion for CT and far out ideas is a part of who you really are. It is a definition and a mission and a passion.

It's not if RATS is right for you, but if you are right for RATS.

reply to post by NGC2736


Well said NGC. For new members it can be overwhelming to see people with such high tech avatars and tens of thousands of points and such. At least for me I thought it meant you were automatically a great poster and probably had a lot of respect here. Shoot, ATS/BTS can be overwhelming as a whole. It was only about a month ago before I ever even went to BTS to see what it is all about.

I have come to realize that this is a much larger and more diverse community then I ever thought it was. It is nice to get away from the sometimes intense conversations and relax just talking about normal life things. I am still learning something about the site everyday.

Believe it or not you were one of the first persons to ever respond to one of my threads. I had started one talking about Richard Hoagland way back when Dark Mission just came out. I am glad you were cool in the beginning of it, because it all turned into rubbish about non-related folks hogging attention. I had to take a break after that for a while because I was so frustrated. Thanks for that.

I just think having a restricted forum completely defeats the purpose of the open information society that ATS has become. The whole point of this website, I thought, was to lift the veil of secrecy on alternative subjects and information.

reply to post by Trauma


But the point of it being secret is not to hide it from the members. It is too hide it from search engines and other things like that. You are free to post here knowing that no one outside of ATS will ever see it. So you have freedom to discuss topics that you don't want non-members to have access too. While I agree with your logic in not having a restricted area, it is pretty cool to have a restricted area

Originally posted by sputniksteve
But the point of it being secret is not to hide it from the members. It is too hide it from search engines and other things like that.

If that were true, it wouldn't require 5000 points to subscribe to RATS.

reply to post by Kruel


I don't know it must be a conspiracy then. I'm not sure what else to say. I am not going to argue the point I just thought it was better understood that way.

Originally posted by Kruel

Originally posted by sputniksteve
But the point of it being secret is not to hide it from the members. It is too hide it from search engines and other things like that.

If that were true, it wouldn't require 5000 points to subscribe to RATS.

cosign. as much as we all like to play the "oh, it's just so search engines don't see it!" card, the truth is, since it takes 5000 points to get access, it's more of an elitist thing than it is about security. Perhaps if it was only open to members who have been around for X days, or whatever.. but since you have to "purchase" membership to that forum, I fail to see how that is a security thing involving search engine indexing.