[Edit: EN World is gonna change! If you want your say, you're running out of time!]

[Vyvyan Basterd]

How do they identify social networking sites? I mean, it's not as if there is an HTML tag indicating "insert social network stuff here"...

I don't know. But Facebook, MySpace and Wizards Community are all blocked here. I don't know what identifier causes our block filter to pick them out, but I can't get to those sites. I used to be able to get to the WotC boards before they "upgraded" to be more like a social networking site.

 

[harpy]

Wait? What's going on?

Are there still going to be forums or do we have to friend all of the members to see postings?

My main usage here is for the forums, I wouldn't have any need with social networking functions.

 

[Tinker Gnome]

Will our accounts be carried over? Or will we all have to re-register?

 

[Grymar]

How do they identify social networking sites? I mean, it's not as if there is an HTML tag indicating "insert social network stuff here"...

Most companies will use a service like Websense or SurfControl. At these companies they have massive teams that look at websites and categorize them, or participating companies can submit a website and categorization recommendation. Plus someone within the company can always make a custom re-categorization that will just affect the users in that company.

So if someone at Websense looks at ENWorld and decided it is looking like Facebook one day, rather than a gaming/entertainment site, then it gets shifted. Otherwise, someone in his company can do the same.

So it generally is a manual process. Most sites don't get re-categorized often, but it does happen.

<NOTE: I administer Websense for my company>

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Wait? What's going on?

Are there still going to be forums or do we have to friend all of the members to see postings?

My main usage here is for the forums, I wouldn't have any need with social networking functions.

No panic. (Unless you want to , this is a free internet). Forums will still be there, there is just additional functionality.

We actually already have ways to make "friends" on EN World now.There are just more features for it.

Will our accounts be carried over? Or will we all have to re-register?

For the test server, Morrus imported "old" accounts - basically everyone that had registered at the point he set up the new database, I guess. I suppose this will happen with the final version too (anything else would probably a nightmare for Morrus and us.)

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Most companies will use a service like Websense or SurfControl. At these companies they have massive teams that look at websites and categorize them, or participating companies can submit a website and categorization recommendation. Plus someone within the company can always make a custom re-categorization that will just affect the users in that company.

So if someone at Websense looks at ENWorld and decided it is looking like Facebook one day, rather than a gaming/entertainment site, then it gets shifted. Otherwise, someone in his company can do the same.

So it generally is a manual process. Most sites don't get re-categorized often, but it does happen.

<NOTE: I administer Websense for my company>

So let'S just hope the WebSense and SurfControl "scanners" are all D&D players and wouldn't want other gamers to live without EN World access...

 

[Kafen]

What if the new site went over to the social network and used the "login" from the new site to keep up the old forum? We could have cake and eat it, too.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

What if the new site went over to the social network and used the "login" from the new site to keep up the old forum? We could have cake and eat it, too.

It seems people are misinterpreting things.

Did you ever notice that you have a Friends function on EN World? Do you visit the news site? Do you check the Gamers Seeking Gamers stuff? Do you use the blog(s)? Regardless of whether you do or not - does it inhibit your ability to post on forums and threads?

The new stuff Morrus mentioned basically is some additional functionality in that area. It doesn't replace the forum functionality. It will also improve the forums itself (there are a few bugs in the current software that lead to stuff like moderations being unable to move threads, getting sent to wrong threads after answering a poll and so on).

Of course Morrus could keep the old forum around. He could, for example, double the subscription cost to pay for it. Or win in a lottery.

The worry that EN World might get classified as a social networking site is probably the only real worry. But unfortunately, it doesn't really matter if Morrus changes the site or not. This can always happen, since EN World is already used for this, and I doubt many companies would consider surfing on a RPG forum to be a fruitful and produce use of the company's internet connection or the time of its employees. (Aside from gaming companies, of course. ) EN World not being filtered is mostly due to an oversight...

 

[DaveyJones]

How do they identify social networking sites? I mean, it's not as if there is an HTML tag indicating "insert social network stuff here"...

i will be blocked at work too if this happens.

i guess i will have to get in a few last posts before then.

nice to have met some of you. if you see me at Gen Con say hi.

 

[diaglo]

i will be blocked at work too if this happens.

i guess i will have to get in a few last posts before then.

nice to have met some of you. if you see me at Gen Con say hi.

that goes for this account too.