Gleemax

[Mercutio01]

It didnt help that one of the terms of agreement was any material you put up there- story, characters, adventures, became their property. Thats didnt sit well with consumers.

I'd like to post something in rebuttal - here's Facebook's terms of service, first bullet point in "Sharing Your Content and Information. http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/terms.php?ref=pf

For content that is covered by intellectual property rights, like photos and videos ("IP content"), you specifically give us the following permission, subject to your privacy and application settings: you grant us a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use any IP content that you post on or in connection with Facebook ("IP License"). This IP License ends when you delete your IP content or your account (except to the extent your content has been shared with others, and they have not deleted it).

You'll note that it reads pretty close to what Gleemax's old terms read. Indeed, apart from specific wording, IIRC it's identical.

 

[Mark]

Was the downfall of Gleemax also the deathknell for Gamer Zero?

 

[Dire Bare]

It was a terrible concept that we gamers are better off without.

Oh I disagree. The concept behind Gleemax was awesome! It's the execution that was abysmal.

If someone with the right budget, experience, and skills could actually make the original Gleemax concept work, I'd sign up in a heatbeat! But I won't hold my breath.

 

[Dire Bare]

Thing is, a lot of websites have similar wording to what they had - which wasn't EXACTLY "they owned what you posted" - The discussion threads on that are still around here somewhere. That particular part was IMO a tempest in a teacup.

Heh, seems whenever I check the internet fandom's weather report, it's always 95% chance of a tempest in a teacup!!!

 

[Hussar]

Yeah, the Gleemax TOS was pretty much standard boilerplate. Take a look at something like Science Fiction Book Club and you'll see the same thing almost word for word.

But, let's not forget timing. With the release of 4e, and the changeover of Dragon and Dungeon, WOTC could have been giving away free hookers and beer and some people would still have gone ape.

 

[Shemeska]

Was the downfall of Gleemax also the deathknell for Gamer Zero?

I'm of the opinion that Gamer Zero was the downfall of Gamer Zero. As someone hired to be a community liason, he seriously pissed off a ton of people on the WotC boards, including a number of people working for him (including one of my players). There's a lot of drama there that I won't get into in public. His personality and management style didn't work for what he was supposed to be doing suffice to say. I think the complaint thread of 50+ pages may still be over on Gleemax from that period.

When Gleemax died, he was part of the layoffs. It's anyone's best guess if he was a victim of cost reduction versus anything else (because his replacement, who was by contrast very well liked, was a victim of the round of layoffs after that). I can speculate, but I don't know anyone inside who was privy to that specific info.

 

[Henrix]

Thing is, a lot of websites have similar wording to what they had - which wasn't EXACTLY "they owned what you posted" - The discussion threads on that are still around here somewhere. That particular part was IMO a tempest in a teacup.

Well, had it not been because they explicitly wanted other companies to use Gleemax it would have been contained in a teacup.

 

[carmachu]

Thing is, a lot of websites have similar wording to what they had - which wasn't EXACTLY "they owned what you posted" - The discussion threads on that are still around here somewhere. That particular part was IMO a tempest in a teacup.

Alot of websites/webboards arent comercial enterprises. Which worried more than a few people. YOU may think its a tempest in a teapot, but I know more than a few that backed away from Gleemax becuase of it, becuase it wasnt clear on the nuts and bolts.

 

[carmachu]

I'd like to post something in rebuttal - here's Facebook's terms of service, first bullet point in "Sharing Your Content and Information. Login | Facebook

I will also point out that when Facebook tried to change the terms to say they owned the pictures you put up on facebook, there was a huge outroar and they backed down from it.

Yes, its a problem.

 

[Dyson Logos]

Oh I disagree. The concept behind Gleemax was awesome! It's the execution that was abysmal.

If someone with the right budget, experience, and skills could actually make the original Gleemax concept work, I'd sign up in a heatbeat! But I won't hold my breath.

Agreed in full and then some.