Hogwarts Elite Frequently Asked Questions
official frequently asked questions:
Welcome to Hogwarts Elite! This community is locked to outsiders. Only those who have been officially sorted into one of the four Hogwarts Houses at Sorting Elite (sorting_elite) have access. If you wish to become a member, please head over there, read the rules and fill out an application. There have been a lot of questions asked throughout the history of Hogwarts Elite. If you ever have a question, please refer to this post first. If the answer cannot be found on this post, then either contact a community administrator or make a post in Ministry Elite (ministry_elite).
official hogwarts elite banners:
Made by phuck
what are all the communities for?
Hogwarts Elite, like Hogwarts itself, is a spiraling labyrinth filled with hidden staircases and magical rooms. In order to keep things organized, Hogwarts Elite has multiple offshoot communities. Below you will find a description of the open access communities that everyone is free to join once they have been sorting into Hogwarts Elite.
the following are open for all members:
hogwarts_elite: General member discussions, announcements, fandom memes, assorted tomfoolery.
sorting_elite: Sort new applicants into the community. Make sure you sort 4 applications a week!
ministry_elite: Discussion of Hogwarts Elite itself, community announcements and other official business.
knockturn_elite: A variety of contests including graphics, writing, art, trivia and many more!
firebolt_elite: Live quidditch matches pitting house versus house. Who will be the winners of the Quidditch Cup?
diagon_elite: Select members who have earned posting access can post graphics, writing and artwork for points.
what about those other, secret communities?
Some of the Hogwarts Elite offshoot communities are only open to certain members of the community. Please do not try to join these communities unless instructed to do so by the Headmaster, the Headmistresses, or your Head of House.
do not join the following communities unless told to:
lions_heart: The Gryffindor tower is restricted solely for those members sorted into this noble house.
blood_serpent: Only Slytherin students shall receive access to this well hidden common room.
eagle_eyed: Students aspiring to follow in Helena Ravenclaw's footsteps only. No riddles necessary!
loyal_badger: It wouldn't be fair to let students from other houses into the Hufflepuff common room!
lounge_elite: This is the community where the staff of Hogwarts Elite can communicate with the moderators.
theveil_elite: This community is for the Heads of House and Head Girls to receive their secret missions.
hogsmeade_elite: A special weekend contest community. You'll find more out about this at the end of term!
what are these headmaster, headmistress and heads of house things?
In order to make the community run smoothly, we have an administrative staff in place to take care of the community. Most do this job admirably, and some like to cause mischief (kind of like our very own Peeves). Without the staff, Hogwarts Elite would probably implode into a large ball of wank and tomfoolery. While that sounds like good fun, it might not be the best for the community as a whole. Noah (phuck) is the Headmaster, Ali (ariesathena) and Katy (crazy_betty) are the Headmistresses. Tea (zia_narratora), Pika (pikacharma), Lily (nialyind) and Jess (liret) are the Heads of Houses for Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, respectively.
how can i contact the moderators?
The quickest way to contact any member of the administrative staff is by commenting on a recent post by one of them in the communities. Also, email and personal messages are acceptable means. If you have any question about contests, schedule or general community things, please contact Noah (phuck). Questions regarding the stamping applications can be directed to Katy (crazy_betty). Any issues regarding discipline or appeals should be taken to Ali (ariesathena). The Heads of Houses can be found around your common rooms. Look for them there if you want to contact them.
sorting elite
so how does this whole sorting thing work?
Read the Idiot's Guide to Sorting, not that we think you are an idiot. We won't know that until later! Fill out the sorting application. Join Sorting Elite (sorting_elite), and post your completed application to the community. If it does not show up right away, never fear! We've got it tucked safe and sound in the moderation queue, and it will likely be posted within the week. Once your app shows up in Sorting Elite, watch the votes pile up. While you are allowed to respond to votes and answer questions asked by voters, please keep in mind that if you wank it up, you might end up wanking it out and getting squibbed. That would be sad.
a squib vote? does this mean i'm not a wizard?
A squib vote is the proverbial gong, thumbs-down, or a vote off the island. If a Hogwarts Elite member feels that an applicant will not be a good fit for the community, or the application does not offer enough insight into the applicant's personality to get an accurate read ("no vibe"), a Squib vote can be given. Almost everybody gets a few squib votes, so if this happens to you, don't sweat it! Don't start flaming the people who are squibbing you, or it really won't end well. If you receive more overall squib votes than house votes, you will not be stamped into the community.
if i am branded a squib, will i have to mop the floors like filch?
Being stamped as a Squib used to exile you to a life of sadness and despair, but we're growing soft in our old age. If you have been squibbed in a previous term, you can go ahead and re-apply. However, we will ask you to come clean about your sordid past and link us to your old app. This is not so we can mock you mercilessly. Your new application will be looked at as a fresh start; we only ask for the link in order to keep track of previous applications and applicants.
so, err, i totally screwed up my application and it is already in the queue. help?
If your application hasn't been posted yet, then just go here and ask that it be nuked from the queue. Change what you want, then re-submit. If the application has already dropped into Sorting Elite, then you can still edit it for technical issues (typos, formatting buggery, etc) for up to 24 hours. However, after it is posted, no changes to content can be made.
now that i have made it into the community, how do i vote?
Complete rules can be found in the User Info of Sorting Elite, but there are the basics things to keep in mind. Make sure you post your vote as a reply to the appropriate comment. One of the Hogwarts Elite officials (usually nike_of_athens, our Sorting Caretaker) will post four comments with the names of each house on the applications. Your vote needs to be posted as a reply to your house's comment. You vote goes in the subject line of your comment. So if, for example, if you are a member of the Hufflepuff house and you want to sort the applicant into Slytherin, you would comment in the Huffelpuff thread with the word "Slytherin" in the subject line. Elaboration of your vote in the body of the comment is highly encouraged, but not required. And lastly, please keep things under control. Make sure nothing you say in a comment is a personal attack on the applicant themselves.
what is a sorting quota?
All Hogwarts Elite members are required to sort at least 4 applications in each sorting period. If a member fails to meet quota for two weeks in a row, he or she will be flagged as "inactive" on the member registry, which will essentially make the member into a ghost; a ghost can still wander the halls, but his or her lack of participation can no longer negatively impact a house's overall sorting percentage. An inactive member is also unable to earn points for his or her house, and therefore cannot enter contests. In order to re-gain "active" status and return to the land of the living, an inactive member must sort 4 applications posted in Sorting Elite at that time.
what about a newly sorted member who never joins the community?
If a new member is sorted into a house and he or she shows no signs of life at all (voting, contest participation, etc.), this person's failure to meet quota will not negatively impact the house's overall sorting percentage. The new member will not appear on the student list until they have officially reached their sorting quota one time.
you keep on talking about a sorting percentage. what is that?
Sorting percentages are lump sums of points awarded each period to houses based on the percentage of members in each house who met quota. The reasoning for this is to make sorting based on the entire houses participation, as opposed to the work on individuals within the house. Also, it helps to keep the possibility of earning points more equal, no matter how big or small a house might be.
sorting percentage points:
7,500 Points: 100% Reach Sorting Quota
5,000 Points: 90% - 99% Reach Sorting Quota
4,500 Points: 80% - 89% Reach Sorting Quota
4,000 Points: 70% - 79% Reach Sorting Quota
3,500 Points: 60% - 69% Reach Sorting Quota
3,000 Points: 50% - 59% Reach Sorting Quota
2,500 Points: 40% - 49% Reach Sorting Quota
2,000 Points: 30% - 39% Reach Sorting Quota
1,000 Points: 01% - 29% Reach Sorting Quota
diagon elite / knockturn elite / firebolt elite / ministry elite
how else can i help my house earn points?
There are a few other communities where points are available through sharing your talents at Diagon Elite, entering contests at Knockturn Elite, and competing with your house in quidditch matches at Firebolt Elite.
can you tell me more about diagon elite?
Diagon Elite is an excellent source of points for members who like to show off their talents and post things they have made (graphics, writing and art), but posting access can be earned through placing in the Diagon Access section of contests at Knockturn Elite or through an application. You can only apply to post graphics and art. Placing in contests is the only way to gain access for writing. If you would like to gain posting access, or if you have recently gained posting access and aren't sure how to go about using it, then please review the the User Info of Diagon Elite for more information.
what kind of contests can i enter?
The most common types of contests are graphics (icons, banners, wallpapers), writing (fanfics, drabbles, essays), timed puzzles (word scrambles, trivia, encrypted passages), fan art, and caption. However, there are also "random" contests, and these can involve anything from photography, to cooking, to creating mixtapes. These types of contests will be hosted in Knockturn Elite, and there will usually be several of them running at any given time. Also, there will be quidditch matches taking place throughout the term in Firebolt Elite, and these will be held over AIM, in real-time. Quidditch matches will be between two specified Houses (whereas regular contests are open to members of all Houses).
how do i enter contests?
The method of entering contests varies from contest to contest. Please join the appropriate communities and read the contest posts, as they will have more specific information available for each type of activity. Most of the time entering involves commenting in specific threads in the contest posts. Please make sure to read carefully and enter in the appropriate places. We would not want your entry to be accidentally missed. If voting goes up and your entry does not appear, please contact the contest host immediately. Sometimes Live Journal has the nasty habit of flagging well-meaning comments like contest entries as suspicious. When it does this, it is sometimes extremely easy to miss the flag and your entry will be missed. This does not mean your entry has been disqualified and if we catch it early enough, we can add it into the voting post.
how are the winners selected? who votes for what?
All contests where winners are chosen based on quality will have the entries posted in Knockturn Elite for the community to decide. Voting posts are anonymous, so no one will know which entry belongs to each member. After the voting period is over, votes will be weighted (5 for a first place vote, 3 for a second, 1 for a third) and a results post will be made announcing the winners. On contests based on who can enter the quickest, no voting will be necessary and results will be posted shortly after the contest closes.
so, is that all?
Well, actually, no. There is one more way members can make small amounts of points for their house. And that is by keeping an eye on Ministry Elite. Making sure that everything runs smoothly in Sorting Elite is a difficult job, and volunteer posts will go up before and after stamping asking for help tallying sorting votes and making sure members have met the sorting quota. You will earn your house some points by volunteering and make the lives of the moderators much more enjoyable.
miscellaneous questions
i do not feel that i was sorted into the right house. is there something i can do?
If you strongly feel you have been sorted into the wrong House, there is an appeals process that can be initiated by contacting Ali (ariesathena) the moderator in charge of handling appeals, or one of the Heads of House. However, we strongly encourage you to give your house a chance; and even if you do decide to make an appeal and jump the fence, this doesn't necessarily guarantee that you'll end up where you want to be. If you decide to carry on with the appeal, a case will be made in The Veil Elite for the Moderators, Heads of House and Head Girls to review and vote on. This is not something we generally take lightly, so make sure you are positive before making initial contact.
i hate you, i hate this community, i hate everything. what should i do?
If you feel this way, the most obvious solution is to leave. If you have a concern about the community in general, that's fine! Just drop a post in Ministry Elite. Everyone might not necessarily agree with you, but we'd be happy to discuss the issue. Similarly, if you wish to make a resignation post*, dramatic flounce, conspiracy theory implicating Noah, Ali, Katy, half of Slytherin, and the Filch in a world domination plot, etc., please save that for Ministry Elite as well. If you post it in Hogwarts Elite Main, it will get deleted, now matter how many comments you have received.
*Resignation posts are also fine in your common room.
i love you and i love this community, but i had to leave. can i come back?
Yes! Simply leave a comment on the Official Member Registry. Once the Ministry Registrar on duty responds to your comment, feel free to request admission to all the open access communities of Hogwarts Elite.
past house cup winners:
the end.