Editing Team Internet (section)

== Membership ==

=== Eligibility ===

The rec.sport.paintball FAQ identified three basic membership requirements.

Prospective members were expected to:

* Have played paintball at least once.
* Be able to read rec.sport.paintball.
* Demonstrate good sportsmanship.

The sportsmanship requirement included avoiding cheating and helping new players.[2]

The criteria reflected the organisation's informal and inclusive nature.

=== Membership numbers ===

Members received individual Team Internet membership numbers.

The numbers were displayed using the abbreviation TIP followed by a number.

Examples appearing in historical sources include:

{| class="wikitable"
! Identifier
! Historical context
|-
| TIP#327
| Kendrick See, documented in a 1994 Usenet discussion
|-
| TIP#3326
| Paul "Stryder" Kloehn, documented in the paintball FAQ
|-
| TIP#2750
| Used in a 1997 Usenet message
|}

The numbers served as membership identifiers rather than tournament jersey numbers.

They should not be interpreted as proof of the total number of active members at any particular date.

=== Keeper of the List ===

Team Internet maintained a membership list.

Administration was handled by a person known as the '''Keeper of the List''', commonly abbreviated '''KotL'''.

Prospective members could request membership by contacting the Keeper of the List.

Once accepted, a member received an identifying number.[3]

The precise succession of people who maintained the list has not been fully reconstructed.

=== Online signatures ===

Team Internet members commonly included their membership numbers in Usenet signatures.

This allowed other participants to identify them as members.

The practice was part of a broader culture of online paintball organisations.

Similar membership identifiers were used by equipment-oriented groups such as:

* Mag Owner's Group (MOG)
* Spyder Owner's Group (SOG)
* Palmer's Owner's Group (POG)

The groups were informal associations rather than conventional competitive teams.

=== International membership ===

Team Internet was not restricted to a single region or country.

Membership was based on participation in the online community.

The organisation therefore allowed players from different geographic areas to share a common identity.

This was particularly unusual during a period when most paintball clubs and teams were organised around local fields or stores.