Mods shutting down threads for threadcrapping

[Alzrius]

My understanding is that (+) threads are, by their very nature, threads where you're not allowed to say "I don't agree with the premise that this thread is predicated on (and here's why)," which therefore means that it is acceptable to come in and say that for threads which aren't marked with a (+) indicator.

 

[Umbran]

Maybe the answer is more moderators. But moderators do burn out pretty quickly.

So, we have considered, and had, more moderators before. This falls prey to a very common issue of staffing - the relationship between staffing, and volume of work.

Most of the time, the boards don't need many moderators. What we have typically suffices. Indeed, a while back I left off for an entire year, and the boards kept working. I don't even think many realized I wasn't here.

So, we only need more moderator capacity at unpredictable moments when the need spikes dramatically. Permanently staffing for that moment of high need is akin to the problem of perpetual vigilance.

If we bring on more moderators, the vast majority of the time there will be nothing for them to do. Some members of the moderation staff will understandably lose interest and wander away, and then won't be around for that unpredictable moment. This has happened at least twice before, if I recall correctly, so I don't think adding moderators is a great solution.

 

[Malmuria]

The easiest way to influence a company is to vote with your dollars.

1. How is wotc supposed to know why you are not buying their game unless people tell them

2. The fact wotc had made any changes to their races (floating asi etc) is not because of actual slumping sales but because of bad PR. That’s people noticing and complaining

 

[Umbran]

My understanding is that (+) threads are, by their very nature, threads where you're not allowed to say "I don't agree with the premise that this thread is predicated on (and here's why)," which therefore means that it is acceptable to come in and say that for threads which aren't marked with a (+) indicator.

Nothing is acceptable if the author is a dismissive jerk about it, Alzirus.

 

[Alzrius]

Nothing is acceptable if the author is a dismissive jerk about it, Alzirus.

That's true, Umbarn, but presupposing that someone is being knowingly disruptive without adding anything constructive simply because they're challenging the premise of a thread does not, in and of itself, meet the "dismissive jerk" threshold.

 

[Umbran]

That's true, Umbarn, but presupposing that someone is being knowingly disruptive without adding anything constructive simply because they're challenging the premise of a thread does not, in and of itself, meet the "dismissive jerk" threshold.

See above where I said that, to be fair, we have to review each report individually.

The "dismissive jerk" is not in the content, but in how the content is delivered. It is entirely possible for folks to come into such a thread, and raise an objection in a reasoned, thoughtful, respectful way. The problem lies with the ones who resort to dropping their objection in like steamy hot mess.

And even then, we generally leave a message of warning before we take meaningful action against the poster.

We give folks ample opportunity to reverse course, dude. There is only so much leeway you can expect.

 

[beancounter]

1. How is wotc supposed to know why you are not buying their game unless people tell them

2. The fact wotc had made any changes to their races (floating asi etc) is not because of actual slumping sales but because of bad PR. That’s people noticing and complaining

Well, in the case of spelljammer, for example, if sales are below expectations, they'll look to understand why. That's why surveys and focus groups are used.

It's unlikely that WoTC monitors this forum to gauge the pulse of the community at large.

Writing a letter directly to the company would probably be more effective.

 

[Retreater]

I think a good course - once a problematic issue is identified - is to think of the positive we can do (rather than gripe about it for twenty pages). So we can start another thread about introducing a new homebrew species to Spelljammer that could replace problematic ones. We can highlight the works of diverse creators and encourage others to purchase/play/support them.
We can't punish the major producers when they cross a line - but we can lift up the smaller content creators and try to improve each other's games.

 

[Malmuria]

Well, in the case of spelljammer, for example, if sales are below expectations, they'll look to understand why. That's why surveys and focus groups are used.

It's unlikely that WoTC monitors this forum to gauge the pulse of the community at large.

Writing a letter directly to the company would probably be more effective.

They were trending on twitter because of this. I have to think that probably causes an exec to sit up an pay attention

 

[Umbran]

I think a good course - once a problematic issue is identified - is to think of the positive we can do (rather than gripe about it for twenty pages). So we can start another thread about introducing a new homebrew species to Spelljammer that could replace problematic ones. We can highlight the works of diverse creators and encourage others to purchase/play/support them.
We can't punish the major producers when they cross a line - but we can lift up the smaller content creators and try to improve each other's games.

Yep. That would be a reasonable action.