dativesingular is away and I'm a bit preoccupied at the moment, so I've opened the community membership again so people don't have to wait yonks before being approved.

This might mean some spam gets through, or it might make not a jot of difference. If you notice any, send me a PM and I'll deal with it (with a bit of a delay, depending on what time it is).

Similarly regarding rules violations, shitstorms or whathaveyou - a PM is the best way of this getting noticed at the moment, because I'm honestly not going to be paying much attention.

Play nice (you usually do). I doubt you'll notice any difference.

thanks,

- Dave

Apologies that I was not able to delete the OT post more quickly, I have been AFK for most of the day.

That said, this is the second troll post (on the same topic, I imagine it was a sockpuppet) to have been posted in less than 24 hours. Our behind-the-scenes co-mod pisica has been helping me keep an eye on things and notified me of it while unimag is busy taking care of Things More Important than ElJay.

There has generally been an increase in off-topic flamebait posts similar in content to these over the past several weeks (hopefully you haven't had to see many of them because we got them quickly!). I hate to have to make posting go moderated, and I don't think that's necessary yet, but if it gets to the point where you folks feel it's necessary, I am obviously open to that option.

Back to you regularly scheduled programming. Thanks to those of you who notified me, and please feel free to comment or LJ message me with any questions/concerns.

When posting in brits_americans, please do not delete comments that are posted in response to your post.

If you feel that a comment that has been made to you was out of line, please take it up with either unimag or myself. When comments are deleted, mods can't see them, and thus it's hard for us to work with you to handle the situation in a way that's best for both you and the community--without an accurate record of the conversation in the community we don't have any "evidence" to work with.

More importantly, this community exists to foster discussion and the exchange of information, and deleting comments goes directly against the spirit of that.

I understand that this was not explicitly stated anywhere in our community rules, so I'm not going to be thwacking you all collectively with the mod ruler or anything. :)

However, the community rules have been amended to reflect that deleting comments is not OK, and we hope you'll understand our reasoning for making this an official rule.

Thanks.

Note: deleting your OWN comment in response to someone's post because you realized you wanted to edit it and don't have a paid account is completely okay!

I’ve been getting complaints on both sides of the following issues, so I’m going to address them as best I can.

Thing 1: Self-Explanatory Posts

First off, I’d like to remind folks of Rule #4 of our community:

This community is not Google™

So please don't use us as such. If you have a simple question, research it yourself before coming here - Google and Wikipedia are incredibly useful tools & will probably get you your answer a lot quicker than waiting for a reply here.

Remember to check the FAQ & any relevant community tags before posting your question.

HOWEVER. If you did try and Google it and got nothing, *tell* us what you’ve tried yourself so far. Not only will this prevent your post from being seen as redundant, it will probably also get you some better answers. Tell us WHY your previous efforts didn’t answer your question.

Another thing I really want to discourage in this community is the habit of posters getting jumped on simply because the Google-fu is not strong with them. I work in the information sciences, so I know that sometimes extracting I really want to know from search engines can be a bit more difficult than I initially expect.

Good response: “Did you try Googling [suggestion]?”
Bad response: “You could have just Googled that!”

In summary: If you’re posting a question, you’re going to have to “show your work” to explain to us why Googling/Wikipedia/checking the tags just wasn’t good enough. Otherwise, your post is going to get deleted. We’ve been lax on this as mods (there have been a lot of posts about phone cards, banking etc. lately) and I apologize for that—it’s clear that we need to be more attentive to it. Remember that with having a Real Life (as well as the time difference that inherently comes into play in this community) it may be a while until one of us see it, so a PM in our general direction always helps.

Thing 2: OMG, the butthurt.

1.I don’t want to make this place puppies and rainbows. I’m not your mom (and heaven knows I’d feel bad for you if unimag were your dad); don’t come running to us if someone says something here that you disagree with. There's not really anything we can do (unless outright name-calling and personal attacks are going on). Of course, please let us know immediately if you see racism, homophobia or any of that nasty stuff happening.

2. If you’re commenting, remember that something which might seem obvious to you may very well not be to someone else. We’re two very different cultures with a common language, after all. Use common sense, we're all adults here, don't be a dick, etc. ;)

ETA: I forgot Thing 3. This community is called Brits Americans for a reason.

Don't forget that when you're posting (especially with cultural questions), make it as inclusive as you can. Answering questions like "What's your favorite British TV show?" isn't quite the same for one half of the Atlantic as it is the other. ;)

So guys, any progress on the "moving to the US" bookend to our "moving to the UK" post linked on our profile? Don't know how much I can do at the moment (I'm sick, blech) but today's posts reminded me that it would probably be a good idea to get that up there as well.

I'm thinking that having it take the same sort of format as our "moving to the UK" post, with info changed appropriately (and some would even be the same, e.g. BUNAC).

I really would do more of it myself, but I don't know the best resources for moving in the other direction and I don't trust my own research on this, having not gone through the process myself.

Maybe we can get some stuff started here. The "moving to the UK" post does seem to have been effective in doing what we wanted to do.

As promised, it's time to start finishing off the FAQ - that is, answering those questions that have remained blank for god knows how long (and adding in any obvious ones that we've somehow missed while we're at it)

Actually (thanks the 'so you want to move to the UK' post you guys came up with while I was absent, which I've now incorporated into the FAQ), the British half is almost complete.

The only blank spaces we've currently got there are UK visa questions, specifically :

"What sort of visas are available?" and "How long can stay in the UK on each visa?" (which will probably end up incorporated into the first question when we answer it).

Answers (or partial answers) in the comments. Obviously sources for our answers to these are pretty essential, and if any other questions come to mind relating to UK visas, suggest them in the comments.

As you may have noticed, I haven't exactly been around for the last couple of months. Actually, those of you who've joined the community in this period are probably wondering who the fuck I am, but I digress. I've been absent for a while, is what I'm getting at. This has been primarily due to dealing with a lot of personal shit that just kept on happening (abridged details in my main journal for anyone who's feeling nosey) - but things have calmed down now.

Or, in other words, I should be back around here a lot more.

I've been getting myself up to speed on happenings, obviously the other moderators - dativesingular in particular - have survived without me. Which is rubbish, incidentally - things are supposed to fall apart in my absence, so it looks like I'm essential...

So basically I'm apologising for being gone for so long, and letting you all know that I'm officially clocking back on shift - which means I'll be responding to e-mails (@livejournal.com) and enforcing my own particular brand of tyranny from now on. No, really - there's no need for applause.

One of the things I will be doing is getting the FAQ finished - and by 'I will be doing' I of course mean 'you lot will be doing'. As there are still a lot of unanswered and half-answered questions on there, I think it would be nice if we just went through them as a community and answered them - so I'll be posting a question that needs answering every so often (one a week, maybe? We'll see how it goes) so we can actually focus on each one, and eventually end up with a (more) complete FAQ.

In the interim, if you think up any more questions for the FAQ, please add them in as a comment.

Oh, and thanks for not being wankers and destroying the community while I was away. Jolly decent of you, that.

Welcome to brits_americans! So, you're thinking about moving to the UK, eh? Before posting any questions you might have, please look over the following questions:

1. Are you a current student? If yes, then study abroad through your university. If your university does not offer a study abroad program, it may be possible for you to study abroad through a different university and transfer your credits.

2. Are you a recent graduate or student on summer break? If yes, then check out the BUNAC, where you can obtain a 6 month work visa to work in the UK.

3. Are you an aspiring student? If yes, then apply to UK universities through the UCAS system if you're going to be an undergrad, or directly through the university you're interested in for graduate study. You may be able to stay longer through the International Graduates Scheme or Scotland's Fresh Talent Scheme. Feel free to ask questions about study abroad here or in nor_am_uk_ac and colddampgrad, both great communities dedicated to North Americans wanting to study in the UK.

4. Do you have one or more degrees and earn at least $55,000 a year? You may qualify for the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme.

4a. You may also qualify for the HSMP if you are under 27, make $40,000 per year and have earned your graduate degree in the UK, or if you graduated from a top 20 US MBA program.

5. If you work in a Shortage Occupation, you may be able to obtain a work permit.

6. Are you the child of a British citizen? You are probably eligible for citizenship by ancestry. If you are the child of an EU or Commonwealth (e.g. Canadian) citizen, there may also be other options for you, such as the Working Holidaymaker visa.

7. Are you the significant other of a Brit and looking to take the plunge? Look into a fiance, civil partnership or spousal visa (depending on your situation--more info here). Unfortunately there's no way for international couples to have that "get to know each other" period, other than through the options described above.

8. Are you 17, broke, unqualified but OMG just LOVE England!!!111!!!?
If so, go get a degree and then see the other options. If you don't want to, forget it. The UK already has enough useless teenagers.

8a: If you are 17, broke, unqualified and post on this community without having read this entry, we reserve the right to take the piss mercilessly until a mod sees the post and deletes it. Think of it as a useful introduction to British culture. :)

To sum up, you can't just move to the UK and hope you can find a job. If you're thinking about moving to the UK, just remember the process is tedious in just about every route you go through, even if some of these situations apply to you.

That said, if you *are* in a situation where emigrating to the UK is a viable option, please feel free to post questions in this community. Many of our members have studied abroad, worked abroad, or married British citizens (or some combination of the three), and would be glad to share their experiences with you. Be sure to have a look through the community tags to see if your question has already been answered. We'd be glad to help with questions that may be a little less straightforward (e.g. moving to the UK on a spousal visa/student visa/work permit with a dependent).

---

This post will be subject to change. As immigration laws tend to be. We'll do our best to keep it current, though. :) If the tone makes you a bit nervous, maybe you should reconsider being part of this community--dativesingular may have posted this, but the phrasing of the content was very much a group effort. A little bit on the snarky side is just how we roll. :)

The poll currently stands at an overwhelming 114 to 12 in favor of keeping our useless teenagers, but that said, I think people came up with some ways to couch it that convey the humor implied behind it a little better. Don't worry, it's still there, just made a few changes. And I added a few more links and clarifications that people suggested. Anything else missing (gah, it's times like these that I wish LJ was more wiki-like)?

Also, astrogeek and goose_entity have expressed interest in creating a parallel UK-->US post, if anyone else would like to contribute. I think the way we've been doing this as a group effort thus far has been really helpful, so I'd suggest we do the same for their version.

Regarding #6 in the Moving to the UK post--some members find it hilarious, others find it offensive.

Poll #1068808 well?
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

What would you prefer me to do?

I can see both sides of the argument here, so I'm just going to go with majority rule.

Further edits have been made to the Moving to the UK post, incorporating many of your suggestions. I'm re-posting the link in case anyone else has any further input. I'd like to have the post go "live" before the end of the week if possible.

Additionally, I'd like to put up a parallel Moving the US post if possible (I know we don't get the same volume of questions about that direction, but it would still be good to have). However, I'm not quite as knowledgeable about moving the other way, and if any of you are willing to draft something up/make suggestions, it would be a huge help and you would get about twelve gold stars.

Thing #1: Draft for the entry I talked about here. Thanks to thischarmingmeg and thekumquat for most of it, I copied your comments and really didn't need to add much.

WARNING: May contain humour--with a u, damnit.

Welcome to brits_americans! So, you're thinking about moving to the UK, eh? Before posting any questions you might have, please look over the following questions:

1. Are you a current student? If yes, then study abroad through your university. If your university does not offer a study abroad program, it may be possible for you to study abroad through a different university and transfer your credits.

2. Are you a recent graduate or student on summer break? If yes, then check out the BUNAC, where you can obtain a 6 month work visa to work in the UK.

3. Are you an aspiring student? If yes, then apply to UK universities through the UCAS system if you're going to be an undergrad, or directly through the university you're interested in for graduate study. You may be able to stay longer through the International Graduates Scheme or Scotland's Fresh Talent Scheme. Feel free to ask questions about study abroad here or in nor_am_uk_ac and colddampgrad, both great communities dedicated to North Americans wanting to study in the UK.

4. Do you have one or more degrees and earn at least $55,000 a year? You may qualify for the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme.

4a. You may also qualify for the HSMP if you are under 27, make $40,000 per year and have earned your graduate degree in the UK, or if you graduated from a top 20 US MBA program.

5. If you work in a Shortage Occupation, you may be able to obtain a work permit.

6. Are you the child of a British citizen? You are probably eligible for citizenship by ancestry. If you are the child of an EU or Commonwealth (e.g. Canadian) citizen, there may also be other options for you, such as the Working Holidaymaker visa.

7. Are you the significant other of a Brit and looking to take the plunge? Look into a fiance, civil partnership or spousal visa (depending on your situation--more info here). Unfortunately there's no way for international couples to have that "get to know each other" period, other than through the options described above.

8. Are you 17, broke, unqualified but OMG just LOVE England!!!111!!!?
If so, go get a degree and then see the other options. If you don't want to, forget it. The UK already has enough useless teenagers.

8a: If you are 17, broke, unqualified and post on this community without having read this entry, we reserve the right to take the piss mercilessly until a mod sees the post and deletes it. Think of it as a useful introduction to British culture. :)

To sum up, you can't just move to the UK and hope you can find a job. If you're thinking about moving to the UK, just remember the process is tedious in just about every route you go through, even if some of these situations apply to you.

That said, if you *are* in a situation where emigrating to the UK is a viable option, please feel free to post questions in this community. Many of our members have studied abroad, worked abroad, or married British citizens (or some combination of the three), and would be glad to share their experiences with you. Be sure to have a look through the community tags to see if your question has already been answered. We'd be glad to help with questions that may be a little less straightforward (e.g. moving to the UK on a spousal visa/student visa/work permit with a dependent).

----

(Anyone have any tips on how to address the rare few who are working in a field that the UK actually needs more of? How should it be worded?) The text on the userinfo would say, "Thinking of moving to the UK? STOP! READ THIS FIRST. (which would link to the entry)
---

Thing #2--and this is random: Anyone know how to get British academic regalia? I'm in the US now, but I could probably have someone on the other side of the pond mail it to me. I've recently accepted a position at a US university, and I need stuff to wear to graduation. I know about Ede and Ravenscroft, but it seemed to cost a fortune just to rent the things, and I can hardly do that from here. I just want the damn MA hood; I could probably get a black gown over here.

Okay, okay, the real reason I have to find this hood is because the Leeds colors make me look like I belong in Slytherin. ;)

Some rules of thumb to ask yourself before posting links to articles:

1. Does the article itself compare certain apects of the US and the UK?

2. If not, can questions be raised about it? (e.g. "Hey, Neighbors Across the Pond, why do you deal with Issue X (gun control, gender equality, scarcity of dill pickles, ponies) the way you do?")

3. Does this article deal with an issue that could affect community members directly? I know that sounds vague, but the post last month about the Home Office raising fees for visas is a good example of this.

Also, I think I may have accidentally marked someone's entry as "spam" when I deleted it (I don't remember whose it was); I didn't mean to do this and I apologize for any inconvenience--please get in touch with me if the LJ Powers that Be give you grief. :( As always, deletion is nothing personal; just trying to keep the entries on-topic.

Of course, you are welcome to leave feedback in the comments or email one of the mods. I've just finished up my last week of spring semester, so if you have any questions, please ask. It's likely my stress-addled mind didn't type this up too clearly. :)

EDIT: Further Advice from unimag:

I'll just add that it's good practice to post your opinions on the article, or any questions it has raised with you, along with the link - rather than just posting a link on its own.

This way you're immediately giving the link some context with the community, and providing a jumping-off point for further discussion (which might not have been apparent from the link alone)

      dativesingular
We've recently become aware that there's a hell of a lot we don't know about other as a community - which isn't all that surprising, given the size of the community and its active membership, to be honest, but it'd be nice to rectify it at least a little. There are also a few trends that we've all probably assumed about the community membership (gender, politics, age and what-have-you), that it'd be interesting to verify one way or the other.

Or, to put it another way - we're nosey bitches; Fill out the survey.

(if you want to)

( survey underneath cut )

Well, ladies and gentlemen of the community, as you can see, theempathogen has won the super-duper prize of having her icon as our new default! However, it was incredibly close between hers and chiller2's, so unimag and I decided that we should keep his in our arsenal of iconage, since we tend to rotate them every once in the while anyway.

And while I've got your attention, if you need to get in contact with a mod about anything in the next few days, you'll probably have better chances with unimag until Sunday as I'm off go enjoy massive tryptophan-induced turkey naps with family and won't have much access to a computer.

Congrats!