[New website] FAQ Content
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[New website] FAQ Content
Starting another thread for this since this will undoubtedly get long...
I added in Harvey's responses and started writing a few of my own, including a long-winded response to Q#2.
Still working on #4 and removed a couple from Spangle's list that I didn't really see a point to.
1. What is Micras?
Micras is the name given to the planet designed and maintained by the Micronational Cartography Society (MCS). It is a fictional world that exists for the purpose of enhancing the experience of simulating a country. It further serves as a basis upon which multiple micronations can find a common ground and interact in ways that otherwise would not be possible; this includes such factors as recwar (see below), economics, trade, commerce, and many other cultural assets.
2. What are micronations?
Micronations began as a serious secessionist (break-away) hobby in which most participants truly sought to separate from an existing country (often referred to as a macronation) and form an independent micronational entity. The earliest micronations were based on such small independent states as Monaco, Andorra, San Marino, and so forth. Often they utilized the terms of the Montevideo Convention, combined with other grievances, as justification for seceding. Precedents for micronationalism had already been established throughout history (Vermont Republic, Poyais, Indian Stream, Ossola, etc.). With the advent of the Internet, a whole new medium was presented for micronations to exist and interact, eliminating their previous isolation. As time progressed however, more and more micronations began to establish themselves as “virtual states” that existed solely within the medium of the Internet and a community often centered on a forum or bulletin board. By the year 2000, there was a rough 50/50 split between virtual or “simulationist” micronations and secessionist micronations. The next decade saw a sharp decline in actual secessionism and a sharp rise in simulationism. While simulationist micronations are now predominant, some secessionist and several other self-designated types of micronations also still exist. It is not uncommon for hybrids or crossovers to be present in the hobby. Today a micronation can range from a one-man project to a community of hundreds of people.
3. Is any of this illegal?
Unless you live in a country where personal freedom is severely restricted, or if you plan to use violence or criminal activities such as theft, property damage, embezzlement, and so forth to achieve your goals, then none of this is illegal. The right to form a community is one that goes back to ancient times, and is not in itself an illegal practice. Nor is it illegal to develop a culture that is unique unto it.
4. What is the difference between micronations?
You will often hear the terms “simulationist”, “virtual”, “non-territorial”, “secessionist”, and others used repeatedly. All these, and others as well, can and do refer to the various types of micronations that exist.
5. What is recwar or recwarring?
6. What is the Montevideo Convention?
Article 1 of the 1933 Montevideo Convention on Rights and Duties of States defines a state as possessing a permanent population, a defined territory, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other states. Furthermore, in the Charter of the United Nations, article 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights recognizes that all peoples have the right of self-determination. The right of self-determination is of particular importance because its realization is an essential condition for the effective guarantee and observance of individual human rights and for the promotion and strengthening of those rights. Article 1 further states that all peoples may freely "determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development". These two articles often serve as the pretext for micronations’ declaring their sovereignty.
7. What is PPD?
PPD stands for "posts per day," as in average posts per day on a messsage forum. It is a measure that some organizations, such as the MCS, use to gauge the activity and liveliness of micronations. The most posts a message forum has, the higher their posts per day will become. Although there is some good-natured competition and ribbing about PPD counts, higher PPD nations don't gain any special privileges within most organizations. However, newcomers to the hobby may see a high PPD count as a sign of a very active and vibrant community that they may desire to join as well as seeing a low PPD count as a sign of a very slow, possibly dying country.
8. What can I do?
9. Why is there so much focus on forums and PPD?
Largely for accountability reasons. In this hobby, where basically everyone claims to be the leader of a powerful country, it can be difficult to tell the real strengths of communities apart. Forums provide ways for participants to interact and PPD shows how many interactions are happening. It's the most reliable system we've found so far and far from perfect - many beloved countries have very low PPDs. If you have any suggestions for other practical, unbiased ways of comparing micronations, we'd love to hear them.
10. What do "Alive" and "Dead" mean in micronational terms?
It's largely semantics, but an "alive" nation is one that currently has participants and a "dead" nation is one that has either been abandoned by all of its participants or has ended with a statement formally closing it dow. If a nation has never been declared dead by its management but is clearly no longer a functioning micronation due to rampant inactivity, various organizations that it was involved in may declare it dead for their purposes. The procedures for declaring a nation dead vary between organizations. For example, the MCS requires either 4 months of 1 PPD or less or 3 months of 0 PPD or less to declare a nation dead and remove it from their maps.
Even dead nations can "come back to life" if their former participants show renewed interest - this is fairly common, and usually a cause for praise within the hobby. However, trying to revive a dead nation without the consent of its founder and/or former important members is generally considered very bad taste.
11. What is a papel?
A papel is a fake second account pretending to be a distinct, different person (sometimes known as a double-login, paper doll, sock puppet, or chain account). The idea behind running a papel is that it gives someone a second voice to support whatever he or she are doing in the hobby, such a second vote in national elections or a second viewpoint in a key debate. These can be difficult to track since a lot of the activity in the hobby happens online so it can be difficult to tell if you're talking to a distinct person or just another login of someone else. Running a papel is highly discouraged in the hobby as being misleading and unethical, and accusations and proof of running a papel will call a person's character into question for a long time to come.
It's worth noting that one person using multiple login names for roleplaying or other national culture matters (such as a separate account for a new King of the land) is not, in itself, unethical and discouraged, provided that the person informs the public at large that they are controlling the multiple logins. This is different from running a papel, because a papel is designed to deceive others into thinking that the papel is a real, separate person.
12. What's a YAMO? Why are they discouraged?
YAMO stands for "Yet Another Micronational Organization." Many newcomers to the hobby come up with the idea of starting a United Nations or European Union type group for various reasons involving diplomacy, trade, and other matters. The problems with these are 1) nearly every single nation tries to start one of these at some point in their lifetime, which means there are far more of these around than is actually needed, and 2) most micronations don't require a separate organization to help them conduct diplomacy and are uncomfortable with the idea of surrendering some of their authority to an organization that can boss them around. Because so many powerless or pointless organizations spring up, the term YAMO has developed to refer to them in a derogatory way.
This is not to say that all micronational organizations are useless. The MCS (Micronational Cartography Society) provides a very useful and fun service to its members by updating maps of the fictional planet of Micras based on the current happenings in the hobby. Still, for every one winner, there are dozens of YAMOs. It's our recommendation that people interested in starting a micronational organization think very carefully about what their purpose will be and try to find a unique function that both enhances the hobby and has the longevity last more than a few weeks. Share your ideas with others and obtain feedback before starting your organization. The results will more than likely be extremely useful.
I added in Harvey's responses and started writing a few of my own, including a long-winded response to Q#2.
Still working on #4 and removed a couple from Spangle's list that I didn't really see a point to.
1. What is Micras?
Micras is the name given to the planet designed and maintained by the Micronational Cartography Society (MCS). It is a fictional world that exists for the purpose of enhancing the experience of simulating a country. It further serves as a basis upon which multiple micronations can find a common ground and interact in ways that otherwise would not be possible; this includes such factors as recwar (see below), economics, trade, commerce, and many other cultural assets.
2. What are micronations?
Micronations began as a serious secessionist (break-away) hobby in which most participants truly sought to separate from an existing country (often referred to as a macronation) and form an independent micronational entity. The earliest micronations were based on such small independent states as Monaco, Andorra, San Marino, and so forth. Often they utilized the terms of the Montevideo Convention, combined with other grievances, as justification for seceding. Precedents for micronationalism had already been established throughout history (Vermont Republic, Poyais, Indian Stream, Ossola, etc.). With the advent of the Internet, a whole new medium was presented for micronations to exist and interact, eliminating their previous isolation. As time progressed however, more and more micronations began to establish themselves as “virtual states” that existed solely within the medium of the Internet and a community often centered on a forum or bulletin board. By the year 2000, there was a rough 50/50 split between virtual or “simulationist” micronations and secessionist micronations. The next decade saw a sharp decline in actual secessionism and a sharp rise in simulationism. While simulationist micronations are now predominant, some secessionist and several other self-designated types of micronations also still exist. It is not uncommon for hybrids or crossovers to be present in the hobby. Today a micronation can range from a one-man project to a community of hundreds of people.
3. Is any of this illegal?
Unless you live in a country where personal freedom is severely restricted, or if you plan to use violence or criminal activities such as theft, property damage, embezzlement, and so forth to achieve your goals, then none of this is illegal. The right to form a community is one that goes back to ancient times, and is not in itself an illegal practice. Nor is it illegal to develop a culture that is unique unto it.
4. What is the difference between micronations?
You will often hear the terms “simulationist”, “virtual”, “non-territorial”, “secessionist”, and others used repeatedly. All these, and others as well, can and do refer to the various types of micronations that exist.
5. What is recwar or recwarring?
6. What is the Montevideo Convention?
Article 1 of the 1933 Montevideo Convention on Rights and Duties of States defines a state as possessing a permanent population, a defined territory, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other states. Furthermore, in the Charter of the United Nations, article 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights recognizes that all peoples have the right of self-determination. The right of self-determination is of particular importance because its realization is an essential condition for the effective guarantee and observance of individual human rights and for the promotion and strengthening of those rights. Article 1 further states that all peoples may freely "determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development". These two articles often serve as the pretext for micronations’ declaring their sovereignty.
7. What is PPD?
PPD stands for "posts per day," as in average posts per day on a messsage forum. It is a measure that some organizations, such as the MCS, use to gauge the activity and liveliness of micronations. The most posts a message forum has, the higher their posts per day will become. Although there is some good-natured competition and ribbing about PPD counts, higher PPD nations don't gain any special privileges within most organizations. However, newcomers to the hobby may see a high PPD count as a sign of a very active and vibrant community that they may desire to join as well as seeing a low PPD count as a sign of a very slow, possibly dying country.
8. What can I do?
9. Why is there so much focus on forums and PPD?
Largely for accountability reasons. In this hobby, where basically everyone claims to be the leader of a powerful country, it can be difficult to tell the real strengths of communities apart. Forums provide ways for participants to interact and PPD shows how many interactions are happening. It's the most reliable system we've found so far and far from perfect - many beloved countries have very low PPDs. If you have any suggestions for other practical, unbiased ways of comparing micronations, we'd love to hear them.
10. What do "Alive" and "Dead" mean in micronational terms?
It's largely semantics, but an "alive" nation is one that currently has participants and a "dead" nation is one that has either been abandoned by all of its participants or has ended with a statement formally closing it dow. If a nation has never been declared dead by its management but is clearly no longer a functioning micronation due to rampant inactivity, various organizations that it was involved in may declare it dead for their purposes. The procedures for declaring a nation dead vary between organizations. For example, the MCS requires either 4 months of 1 PPD or less or 3 months of 0 PPD or less to declare a nation dead and remove it from their maps.
Even dead nations can "come back to life" if their former participants show renewed interest - this is fairly common, and usually a cause for praise within the hobby. However, trying to revive a dead nation without the consent of its founder and/or former important members is generally considered very bad taste.
11. What is a papel?
A papel is a fake second account pretending to be a distinct, different person (sometimes known as a double-login, paper doll, sock puppet, or chain account). The idea behind running a papel is that it gives someone a second voice to support whatever he or she are doing in the hobby, such a second vote in national elections or a second viewpoint in a key debate. These can be difficult to track since a lot of the activity in the hobby happens online so it can be difficult to tell if you're talking to a distinct person or just another login of someone else. Running a papel is highly discouraged in the hobby as being misleading and unethical, and accusations and proof of running a papel will call a person's character into question for a long time to come.
It's worth noting that one person using multiple login names for roleplaying or other national culture matters (such as a separate account for a new King of the land) is not, in itself, unethical and discouraged, provided that the person informs the public at large that they are controlling the multiple logins. This is different from running a papel, because a papel is designed to deceive others into thinking that the papel is a real, separate person.
12. What's a YAMO? Why are they discouraged?
YAMO stands for "Yet Another Micronational Organization." Many newcomers to the hobby come up with the idea of starting a United Nations or European Union type group for various reasons involving diplomacy, trade, and other matters. The problems with these are 1) nearly every single nation tries to start one of these at some point in their lifetime, which means there are far more of these around than is actually needed, and 2) most micronations don't require a separate organization to help them conduct diplomacy and are uncomfortable with the idea of surrendering some of their authority to an organization that can boss them around. Because so many powerless or pointless organizations spring up, the term YAMO has developed to refer to them in a derogatory way.
This is not to say that all micronational organizations are useless. The MCS (Micronational Cartography Society) provides a very useful and fun service to its members by updating maps of the fictional planet of Micras based on the current happenings in the hobby. Still, for every one winner, there are dozens of YAMOs. It's our recommendation that people interested in starting a micronational organization think very carefully about what their purpose will be and try to find a unique function that both enhances the hobby and has the longevity last more than a few weeks. Share your ideas with others and obtain feedback before starting your organization. The results will more than likely be extremely useful.
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Re: [New website] FAQ Content
2. Micronations are political entities that claim to be independent states in some form or another, but whose claim is unclear, contested, invalid or imaginary. Micronations do not usually meet any of the established standards of statehood - that is to say, they do not posses sovereignty. Typically, they differ from the other 192 countries in the world in that they don't posses many of those characteristics that most of the the 192 do (see box).
3. Is this legal?
Depends on what "this" is! If you're just interested in starting an online micronation, you won't have any problems at all. If you claim your local park, or back garden, then you should be fine as well. But if you start raising an army, stop paying your taxes or start-up activities that are detrimental to your host country, you might find yourself of special interest to men in grey suits. Don't be this guy.
Micronations come in all shapes and sizes - some are genuine attempts by people with political grievances to secede, others are "new country" or "utopian" projects. The most numerous today are "simulationist" micronations, which are largely based on the internet. They seek to recreate a type of real-world nation or state, but entirely online, without claiming land or forming an army! Most of the people who use hub.mn fall into this category, though some users maintain notional claims, often involving their gardens or local parks - this is usually not a problem (see below).Characteristics possessed by most sovereign states
*a permanent population,
*a defined territory,
*government,
*capacity to enter into relations with the other states, and
*recognition by other states.
This is a combination of the theories of declarative and constitutive sovereignty.
3. Is this legal?
Depends on what "this" is! If you're just interested in starting an online micronation, you won't have any problems at all. If you claim your local park, or back garden, then you should be fine as well. But if you start raising an army, stop paying your taxes or start-up activities that are detrimental to your host country, you might find yourself of special interest to men in grey suits. Don't be this guy.