Is ENWorld getting less friendly?

[buzz]

The last couple of weeks, I feel like just about every thread I've been watching has at some point devolved into a system war, or overt snarkiness, or just plain had to be shut down by the mods. I've seen a lot of d20-bashing, and I've seen a lot of (sometimes retaliatory, sometimes not) bashing of other game systems. I've also noticed a lot of these threads involve people with very low post counts, as well as names I recognize from RPG.net.

Has anyone else noticed this? Has there been a mass exodus from RPG.net? Is ENWorld finally getting big enough that we're seeing an "AOL effect"?

Or is it just me?

 

[Hand of Evil]

While I have noticed something, it is something I have seen before. I think there are periods, like high tides, that things get (can't put finger on it), the mods handle it and everything gets back to normal. Maybe it is new users, or quite users that try and push the envolope.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

OK, I have not been an EnWorlder for long so I cannot speak to the kind of history that you have, but I have found overall that these boards are much friendlier and civil than most I've encountered. There are some]/I] people who seem to provoke others, and from what I've seen, not all of them are relative newbies; there are some people with pretty high post counts who seem to be able to flame with the best of them.

Personally I have just had to learn that there are certain people on the boards whom I will likely rarely agree with, and therefore I stay away from threads they start or from responding to comments they make, though sometimes it is difficult to restrain myself.

Honestly, if it is noticably worse than it used to be, it must have been a pretty amazing lovefest once upon a time, sorry I missed it.

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

Don't you know that this should be a Meta thread? Geeez!

(I'm kidding, buzz )

I'd go with the "many new users that don't quite know the rules / the ENWorld Etiquette / are used to other, less-friendly boards" theory. As HoE (teehee, never noticed) mentioned, people either realize that this place is different and adapt or move on.

AR

 

[Dimwhit]

Maybe the Nothingland attitude is leaking back on ENWorld...

 

[Crothian]

Yes, it has.

It is still friendlier then most other messageboards, but not as friendly as it was just six months back. It really seemed to start with the DrivethroughRPG fiascal and the hate that that generated.

 

[Mouseferatu]

I've gotta go with Hand of Evil here. Yes, I think there's been a change recently. But I'm also pretty sure it's a change I've seen before.

So long as our esteemed moderators can keep a lid on it, I think it'll calm down again shortly.

 

[Desdichado]

I've been gone for nearly three weeks, and the place goes to hell in a handbasket, apparently. Is there a connection? Hmm....

 

[buzz]

I guess I'll put my faith in HoE and Mouseferatu and hope that this is a passing thing. ENWorld is such a nice haven from places like RPG.net; I'd hate to see that end.

 

[Pielorinho]

Moved to Meta.

Joshua, you think YOU'RE worried. Me, I'm wondering it's got something to do with me being a moderator!

But honestly, I've seen similar waves come and go. Tempers flare up, and then things cool back down. If we all remember not to respond in kind to meanspiritedness and rudeness, it'll go a heckuva long way toward keeping the peace.

Daniel