wizards forums are up

[ProfessorCirno]

THe question isn't "WHY DO YOU FEAR PUTTING IN YOUR ZIP CODE?!"

The question is "Why the hell did WotC decide to axe their forums, turn it into a psuedo-social networking site, force mandatory avatars and jarringly invasive questions, and then not give a simple goddamn forum to people who just want to chat on some simple goddamn forums.

I have a facebook.

I don't need Gleemax 2.0.

Meanwhile more people drift away from the website because all they want is a simple forum to post things at.

Sorry, but this is epic fail. I mean, don't get me wrong, it might be rather dandy and good for a social networking website, but it's supposed to be a set of forums. And as a set of forums, for christ's sake, I perfer PAIZO'S.

 

[Paradox]

Actually, people want more than just a place to post. Otherwise we wouldn't see "Are there gamers in my area?" posts all over the place. Same for all those "trade" threads. People are looking to connect. Making it easier do to so isn't a crime.

 

[ProfessorCirno]

Actually, people want more than just a place to post. Otherwise we wouldn't see "Are there gamers in my area?" posts all over the place. Same for all those "trade" threads. People are looking to connect. Making it easier do to so isn't a crime.

I'm not doubting that some people wanted a social networking place. But you didn't add that to the forums, you replaced the forums with it. That's the problem. You had fully functioning forums pre-existing, and instead of building your social networking thing connected but separate, you had it devour the forums and, well, allow it to leave via the other end.

I just don't see the logic. "Hey, we could improve our forums a bit." "I have a better idea. Let's just axe most of the good stuff about it entirely and throw a social networking blanket on top!" You can have the blanket without turning the bed into firewood!

 

[wedgeski]

I just don't see the logic. "Hey, we could improve our forums a bit." "I have a better idea. Let's just axe most of the good stuff about it entirely and throw a social networking blanket on top!" You can have the blanket without turning the bed into firewood!

I'm afraid I don't understand your complaint. Yes, they've added a load of (IMO pretty good) Web 2.0 guff, but the forums are all still there, now just one part of a bigger site. You can use them in complete isolation from the rest if you want (profile setup aside).

 

[slwoyach]

I'm afraid I don't understand your complaint. Yes, they've added a load of (IMO pretty good) Web 2.0 guff, but the forums are all still there, now just one part of a bigger site. You can use them in complete isolation from the rest if you want (profile setup aside).

The problem is that they messed up the forums. I love the new features, but the forums are just plain difficult to navigate now. It does look like they will be fixing it though.

 

[CharlesRyan]

I have to confess that I'm not a huge user of the WotC fora--I prefer the more mature environment here at ENworld. And even as a light user, I can see that the WotC fora--as they are at this moment--have moved backward in terms of features. So I guess I get that if all you care about are the fora, this change could be disappointing.

But that's not the case for me--I LOVE the new site. I'm already finding myself interacting with my friends and acquaintances from across the D&D-sphere far more than I was a few weeks ago. And I'm looking forward to using the groups, and wiki, and other bits to support my own games.

Here's my gut feeling: Most of the people who are unhappy will come around over time. Not just because they'll continue to bring the forum features back to the levels of the old boards, but also because a lot of the functions that people used to use fora for will move to different, more appropriate tools.

The jury is still out, but I have pretty high hopes.

 

[Aeolius]

The question is "Why the hell did WotC decide to axe their forums, turn it into a psuedo-social networking site... I have a facebook... I don't need Gleemax 2.0.

For some reason, this comes to mind:

 

[ProfessorCirno]

I'm afraid I don't understand your complaint. Yes, they've added a load of (IMO pretty good) Web 2.0 guff, but the forums are all still there, now just one part of a bigger site. You can use them in complete isolation from the rest if you want (profile setup aside).

As the guy with the name I don't think I could pronounce in real life said, the forums aren't just the same. They're really hard to navigate, and really, really ugly. And really hard to post on BECAUSE of the profile setup.

 

[darjr]

I have noticed that lots and lots of WotC folks are posting in their blogs on their pages and that is fantastic.

I hope they keep it up.

 

[Scribble]

It would be cool if, like facebook, they opened it up to people building stuff for it. Like so it could integrate with other things like twitter and facebook.

I'd also like to see them add sms support... but that's probably too expensive.