Industry Information Influx?

[Michael Silverbane]

I don't really have much else to add at this point, except to say that I cannot help but chuckle every time I read the phrase, "kicked in the junk". It should be used much more often.

Later
silver

 

[lurkinglidda]

So if EN World is People ... RPGNet is US ... Forge is Cosmo ... and the WotC boards are National Inquirer ...who is Paris Hilton?

Dunno but can I be Lindsay Lohan?

 

[MerricB]

Dunno but can I be Lindsay Lohan?

If you wish. I don't know *why* you'd wish that, Linae, but you can if you want to.

Cheers!

 

[Umbran]

To quote Shakespeare: Every subject's duty is the King's, but every man's soul is his own.

And, seeing as the only royalty around here is Henry - the point is that each and every individual is responsible for their own actions. Ultimately, the buck stops with the individual expressing the opinion - if you can't do it like a mature adult, you shoot yourself (and several other people) in the foot by making the people who ought to hear that opinon reluctant to enter discourse with you. If you behave badly, you don't get what you want. If you tolerate other people behaving badly, you don't get what you want.

Folks get awful used to free exchange of information, so they learn to expect it when and how they want it. But they never have been getting that information from the company - there's no reason in heck why they should expect it if they can't collectivley keep a civil tongue in their heads.

The gamers doth protest too much, methinks.

 

[Mark CMG]

If you tolerate other people behaving badly, you don't get what you want.

Obviously, not everyone has the same ability or leeway to deal with people who behave badly and not everyone is dealt with in the same manner.

 

[MerricB]

Obviously, not everyone has the same ability or leeway to deal with people who behave badly and not everyone is dealt with in the same manner.

Which is, of course, why I say the responsibility lies with the moderators.

If someone makes an outrageous statement on EN World, if I attack them right back, I will get banned. Well, at least, I hope I'll get banned, along with the original poster.

Instead, I should report the post to the moderators, who will deal with it.

It's nice to say that it lies with each individual person to keep the atmosphere nice, but, although it's true in the general sense, it doesn't allow any room to move if there are a few people trying to cause trouble. The only way to keep the situation from getting worse is to allow some people - the moderators - to deal with the situation in a manner that keeps the boards nice.

It's a tough job. I know it is. But it can't be avoided.

Obviously, *some* designers can tolerate a poisonous atmosphere on the boards, and perhaps even thrive in it. But for full participation, you have to have a steadying hand. If that hand is not there, then anything can happen... and normally will.

Cheers!

 

[Michael Silverbane]

Instead, I should report the post to the moderators, who will deal with it.

Of course, if you are reporting posts to the moderators, then you are, to an extent, taking personal responsibility. We all know that not every thread gets read by the moderators, so we should, when we see a post that has inflammatory language, or whatever, report it to them so that they may be able to take the appropriate action.

That can bring us to the differing tolerance levels. If you (general you) report a post that you find to be insulting or offensive, but the moderators don't see it as such, then you'll have just created more work for yourself and the moderator for no real effect. Its hard to tell, in some cases, if action is warranted or not.

Later
silver

 

[Piratecat]

That can bring us to the differing tolerance levels. If you (general you) report a post that you find to be insulting or offensive, but the moderators don't see it as such, then you'll have just created more work for yourself and the moderator for no real effect. Its hard to tell, in some cases, if action is warranted or not.

This is certainly true. In fact, there is at least one member we've asked to stop reporting posts, just because their view of "problematic" varies quite a bit from our own.

In general, we'd rather have potential problems flagged for us when you think they're serious enough to warrant it. we may not always agree, but it's far better we know.

I think that as mods we take responsibility for the kind of community we foster. If we allow folks to be bullies and jerks, we'll reap what we sow. If we encourage actual conversation, we'll see that result of that as well.

 

[Khairn]

I dunno. People keep crying that "the silence is deafening" out of WotC, while pointing to ex-WotC employees and employees of other companies as examples of companies who do web presence "right," and I think a lot of that is unfair. Even though I read these boards every day, this is my first post outside of Star Wars topics in...months? Hell, I'm worried that just posting in this thread about a totally different topic is going to make me a target just because I work for WotC. A lot of the time, it's not worth the emotional abuse you suffer, and even if 90% of the people are totally rational and calm, that 10% (who embrace hyperbole and knee-jerk reactionism) ruins it for everyone else. Sad truth, but it applies across the spectrum of life.

The boards can be tough. No doubt about it. But they also create buzz, generate interest, generate sales and help keep the community in touch. You might think its unfair to label those companies who were communicating over the past week as better than WotC at handling customers, but it really was the perception that WotC helped to create. Seeing and hearing from you on a regular basis can change perceptions. But staying away and saying nothing until the fan has been whacked won't.

Welcome to the other side of the force, and I hope you stop by more often.

 

[Riley]

People keep crying that "the silence is deafening" out of WotC, while pointing to ex-WotC employees and employees of other companies as examples of companies who do web presence "right," and I think a lot of that is unfair. Even though I read these boards every day, this is my first post outside of Star Wars topics in...months? Hell, I'm worried that just posting in this thread about a totally different topic is going to make me a target just because I work for WotC. A lot of the time, it's not worth the emotional abuse you suffer, and even if 90% of the people are totally rational and calm, that 10% (who embrace hyperbole and knee-jerk reactionism) ruins it for everyone else. Sad truth, but it applies across the spectrum of life.

I'm glad you've come by, and I really appreciate honest postings like yours that aren't carefully parsed. No desire to flame you at all. I don't actually play SWRPG, but I've picked up the core rules and a couple supplements and found them to be quite good. Given that you (presumably) have power to determine what is in the books that I buy and read, I'm inclined to be interested in your thoughts on anything tangentially related to your job, or to games in general. Post away!