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I agree about the Skyrim thread. That was pure joy. There are a lot of good memories of sharing and interaction there (and yes even ugly arguments). But it was rarely over the top when all 1000s of pages are considered;, not to mention, as you said, it is a goldmine of information for newer players.
There is literally nothing here on these boards that cannot be found in other places, usually done better. The devs are ghosts here by and large, so there is zero added value to Bioware's DA/ME forum sections versus those found elsewhere. The only difference was the name Bioware at the top may invite some developer interaction or involvement (a moot point for the last few years) and the people here.
If people is the only thing that separates this place from a fan forum or even a place the DA or ME Wiki discussion sites, then does it make sense to cut out some of the longest lasting people? It's a common adage that the value of a forum is the amount and quality of unique content it presents. In the DA/ME sections, that exists largely in their mod community and their Feedback sections. The rest is mostly pedestrian requests, praise or criticism, usually rehashing of threads and posts made thousands of times prior.
The part of the forum that saw the most value added, the most catalogued and useful content, was Off-Topic. I kept track of comic book news more up to date than my friends who stalk comic book Facebook groups and news channels. I was introduced to new music I would have never seen before by the What Are You Listening To thread. I had news updates of things happening in the gaming industry that were larger than Bioware or EA's games and could provide feedback and ask questions that would have never been allows on a Gaming News comments section.
The Off Topic may have been filled with silly posts and nonsense, but it was also a treasure trove of discussion that worked better than combing through dozens of different pages, news sites and areas across the web and it was filled with not nameless faces and sites, but personalities and people I knew and enjoyed.
Bioware may have intended the forum to only be about their games, but they followed the basic tenets of having a forum by including an Off Topic section simply because it is a smart idea, no matter what your forum's purpose is. And Bioware's Off Topic was above and beyond those seen elsewhere because it was filled with people who really cared and were consistent through years of changes in Bioware.
So what does the forum have now? Do you want technical support for your game? Well, you go to EA for that. Do you want to hear the latest information on an upcoming title? Well, you go to Twitter/Facebook for that. Do you want to talk to devs? Well, you go to Conventions for that. Do you want to talk about your desire to have more nudity and sex with Bioware character's? JACKPOT! THIS IS YOUR PLACE!
Pardon me while I bask in the glory of the value of the new and improved forums.
You're on a roll but I really shouldn't be surprised.
Perhaps opinions differ, and more support the idea than some initially believed.
Do you have anything new to add? Something to say you haven't said before? If so, you should post that right now. Otherwise... why repeat yourself? Your support for the idea was noted. What more could you do? Best to protect the thread while it's still useful (too late for that one I'm afraid) and lock it before it gets spammed or the discussion becomes offtopic.
If in a month someone else wants to add something to the topic, they can make a new thread and a mod will merge it into the old one, reopening it. Or they can PM the mod to open the thread for them.
This is how I handled things when I was a mod... at least in the ontopic sections. That way you only have relevant info in your threads, you avoid most spam and make your job easier because you have less threads to watch. It also prevents necros.
This practice does require one to actually read the threads though, to know when a discussion has reach its end. It may not entirely practical in such a huge forum.
A reason I am glad they re=opened the form, even if one cannot reply any longer.
I don't think they did anything after locking it, it has been read-only since Monday.
There is literally nothing here on these boards that cannot be found in other places, usually done better. The devs are ghosts here by and large, so there is zero added value to Bioware's DA/ME forum sections versus those found elsewhere. The only difference was the name Bioware at the top may invite some developer interaction or involvement (a moot point for the last few years) and the people here.
If people is the only thing that separates this place from a fan forum or even a place the DA or ME Wiki discussion sites, then does it make sense to cut out some of the longest lasting people? It's a common adage that the value of a forum is the amount and quality of unique content it presents. In the DA/ME sections, that exists largely in their mod community and their Feedback sections. The rest is mostly pedestrian requests, praise or criticism, usually rehashing of threads and posts made thousands of times prior.
The part of the forum that saw the most value added, the most catalogued and useful content, was Off-Topic. I kept track of comic book news more up to date than my friends who stalk comic book Facebook groups and news channels. I was introduced to new music I would have never seen before by the What Are You Listening To thread. I had news updates of things happening in the gaming industry that were larger than Bioware or EA's games and could provide feedback and ask questions that would have never been allows on a Gaming News comments section.
The Off Topic may have been filled with silly posts and nonsense, but it was also a treasure trove of discussion that worked better than combing through dozens of different pages, news sites and areas across the web and it was filled with not nameless faces and sites, but personalities and people I knew and enjoyed.
Bioware may have intended the forum to only be about their games, but they followed the basic tenets of having a forum by including an Off Topic section simply because it is a smart idea, no matter what your forum's purpose is. And Bioware's Off Topic was above and beyond those seen elsewhere because it was filled with people who really cared and were consistent through years of changes in Bioware.
So what does the forum have now? Do you want technical support for your game? Well, you go to EA for that. Do you want to hear the latest information on an upcoming title? Well, you go to Twitter/Facebook for that. Do you want to talk to devs? Well, you go to Conventions for that. Do you want to talk about your desire to have more nudity and sex with Bioware character's? JACKPOT! THIS IS YOUR PLACE!
Pardon me while I bask in the glory of the value of the new and improved forums.
There is a lot of value in some of the posts and topics in OT which may have been a reason it wasn't closed down sooner. It was also a great place to ease into the community. BioWare knows the forums can benefit from an OT section but things have come to a point where closing OT has become the lesser evil, somehow.
As for developer communication with the community, where and when seems, for the most part, to be decided by each individual employee.
Pertaining to any remaining value on the forums, there must be something to be gleaned, preferentially for BioWare, above all other content that has been abolished. These changes were done with intent, some forethought and ruthlessly.
I really wish I knew why the "Open Letter to Bioware Regarding Explicit Content" thread was still open. That one's a head-scratcher.
A lot of times threads can last a long time without being closed or say moderated, but it usually means its being monitored just in case rules get broken, things get out of hand, some such or however.
Other times its simply that a thread hasn't been seen. Though I have wondered, supposedly Bioware lurks the forums a lot as opposed to posting and appearing online. So if this is the case, wouldn't certain threads get noticed earlier and be reported to the right people?
*shrugs*
Except no one is talking about the idea anymore, so that's unlikely.
So its off topic then? Spam or whatever? In that case it hasn't caught the attention of anyone.
So what does the forum have now? Do you want technical support for your game? Well, you go to EA for that. Do you want to hear the latest information on an upcoming title? Well, you go to Twitter/Facebook for that. Do you want to talk to devs? Well, you go to Conventions for that. Do you want to talk about your desire to have more nudity and sex with Bioware character's? JACKPOT! THIS IS YOUR PLACE!
Pardon me while I bask in the glory of the value of the new and improved forums.
I remember when the forum was for all of that. Wish it could be again.
You're on a roll but I really shouldn't be surprised.
We all have been. Every single person who's put enough thought into sharing their opinions here at length has done a good job of it. Even if we don't all agree on the same things, we're all here for the same reason.
There is a lot of value in some of the posts and topics in OT which may have been a reason it wasn't closed down sooner. It was also a great place to ease into the community. BioWare knows the forums can benefit from an OT section but things have come to a point where closing OT has become the lesser evil, somehow.
As for developer communication with the community, where and when seems, for the most part, to be decided by each individual employee.
Pertaining to any remaining value on the forums, there must be something to be gleaned, preferentially for BioWare, above all other content that has been abolished. These changes were done with intent, some forethought and ruthlessly.
What use is a BioWare forum if the devs don't use it and news pertaining to BioWare products/events aren't posted there?
What use is a BioWare forum if there isn't a community management team engaging the gamers, gathering feedback and keeping the community informed?
Without that, this forum is as important as any other fanforum. So why use it if the climate is better elsewhere? What do we gain from posting here? What does BioWare get out from having this forum?
Individual BioWare employees can post on other sites and have done so.
I like how you're still giving BioWare the benefit of a doubt but let's be fair: It could have been handled a lot better. The problem is, if they had announced it days early, the forum would have gone up in flames. That is because BioWare isn't as trusted as it used to be. So... as a CM, I would have done exactly the same as Conal. This thread is much less of a problem than a dozen new flame threads in the OT forums every day.
What baffles me is the decision to remove the OT forum in the first place. That's the part that makes no sense to me. As CM and/or mod I'd insist on having an OT section in my forum, simply because it keeps a forum healthy and orderly. It functions as a valve for the community, because there they can continue the offtopic discussions that cropped up in ontopic threads. You can't forbid an entire community from doing something, you can only redirect them.
In this case, I guess it's redirected offsite. That significantly lowers the appeal of the BW forums and I don't think it's a good longterm strategy.
So its off topic then? Spam or whatever? In that case it hasn't caught the attention of anyone.
No one is apparently a bit of an exaggeration. What I have noticed is that those that support the idea are quickly shouted down by those of a differing opinion. This is also noticed at other forums on the same topic.
As for OT, I miss the Workday Cheer humor, and the old Skyrim thread; tons of good gaming info stored in there.
It's not being "shouted down" when four people want something and literally everyone else in the thread disagrees with you. And a dev has stated why it's extremely unlikely to happen. That's called being outvoted and outgunned.
It actually is one which BJ posted, and has moderators looking in frequently. It seemingly goes astray often, but no more than this thread.
As for here, guessing more will be addressed after official functions like Cons.
Ahh, in such a case its acceptable. Threads across the forum go astray often but its allowed as long as its brought back to the original subject.
I've noticed this happening in some threads I've been a part of in the past and my way to swing things back around is try to link what we were talking about to the original subject, as a lead in for others to drift back on course.
Ahh, in such a case its acceptable.
At this point, not really. It's 100+ pages of people going in circles and BJ stopped posting after page 6 or so.
It's not being "shouted down" when four people want something and literally everyone else in the thread disagrees with you. And a dev has stated why it's extremely unlikely to happen. That's called being outvoted and outgunned.
Ahh. So is the idea that the thread should be closed? Because I've made a thread a long time ago where I was definitely in the minority and people didn't agree with my position;in that case I just stopped posting in that thread as I knew it wouldn't go anywhere. It didn't get closed but died down naturally. However that instance was a less populated one.
At this point, not really. It's 100+ pages of people going in circles and BJ stopped posting after page 6 or so.
Hmm, fair enough. I have to admit I haven't visited that thread beyond once or twice and only to look, not participate. I've grown tired of talking about sex scenes and nudity and romance type things in these games. I've added my opinion on that so much in the past that naturally I could use a break.
Additional thoughts:
Why would I remove a flourishing offtopic forum? Because the posters there use it as their private playground and for the most part don't take part in the ontopic discussions. They probably formed cliques and do their own things, unrelated to the rest of the forum. That's not the purpose of an OT forum.
So I would remove that OT forum completely, wave those cliques goodbye and then make a new OT forum with different rules.
This has nothing to do with toxic environments, it is simply streamlining. If a significant portion of the activity of a forum happens in offtopic, then something has gone wrong. In these forums this is probably a direct result of BioWare's inactivity. If there's nothing to talk about ontopic, people naturally wander off to offtopic.
So if they overhaul the forums completely, update the rules and create a new OT forum, then they would indeed make the first steps to a stronger community. The next steps would be a larger, better mod team and active community management. I have my doubts about that part.
Anyway, food for thought.
Additional thoughts:
Why would I remove a flourishing offtopic forum? Because the posters there use it as their private playground and for the most part don't take part in the ontopic discussions. They probably formed cliques and do their own things, unrelated to the rest of the forum. That's not the purpose of an OT forum.
So I would remove that OT forum completely, wave those cliques goodbye and then make a new OT forum with different rules.
This has nothing to do with toxic environments, it is simply streamlining. If a significant portion of the activity of a forum happens in offtopic, then something has gone wrong. In these forums this is probably a direct result of BioWare's inactivity. If there's nothing to talk about ontopic, people naturally wander off to offtopic.
So if they overhaul the forums completely, update the rules and create a new OT forum, then they would indeed make the first steps to a stronger community. The next steps would be a larger, better mod team and active community management. I have my doubts about that part.
Anyway, food for thought.
I'd actually love to go on about this. What kind of different rules would a new OT forum have? Because without freedom it wouldn't really feel like a true OT forum and if there's something in place like say, post limitations, that'd just keep people from it entirely. Perhaps I'm not of the mind to think of how it would work barring an increase in the community management and moderating team, but what do you have in mind?
Additional thoughts:
Why would I remove a flourishing offtopic forum? Because the posters there use it as their private playground and for the most part don't take part in the ontopic discussions. They probably formed cliques and do their own things, unrelated to the rest of the forum. That's not the purpose of an OT forum.
So I would remove that OT forum completely, wave those cliques goodbye and then make a new OT forum with different rules.
This has nothing to do with toxic environments, it is simply streamlining. If a significant portion of the activity of a forum happens in offtopic, then something has gone wrong. In these forums this is probably a direct result of BioWare's inactivity. If there's nothing to talk about ontopic, people naturally wander off to offtopic.
So if they overhaul the forums completely, update the rules and create a new OT forum, then they would indeed make the first steps to a stronger community. The next steps would be a larger, better mod team and active community management. I have my doubts about that part.
Anyway, food for thought.
LOL so I just checked BSN as I do every now and then, seeing as it's not terribly interesting around here atm (I didn't like DAI, don't feel like discussing in circles about MEA cause there's not much known) and I see this drama. Do hope you all get your forum back, though I won't be frequenting it much, but I am kinda baffled by this decision on Bioware's part.
Ironically, the French/German/Polish off-topic forums are still up and I'm surprised they've not been invaded yet 
Edit: I see they're not as accessible as they seemed at first glance, nvm.
LOL so I just checked BSN as I do every now and then, seeing as it's not terribly interesting around here atm (I didn't like DAI, don't feel like discussing in circles about MEA cause there's not much known) and I see this drama. Do hope you all get your forum back, though I won't be frequenting it much, but I am kinda baffled by this decision on Bioware's part.
Ironically, the French/German/Polish off-topic forums are still up and I'm surprised they've not been invaded yet
Additional thoughts:
Why would I remove a flourishing offtopic forum? Because the posters there use it as their private playground and for the most part don't take part in the ontopic discussions. They probably formed cliques and do their own things, unrelated to the rest of the forum. That's not the purpose of an OT forum.
So I would remove that OT forum completely, wave those cliques goodbye and then make a new OT forum with different rules.
This has nothing to do with toxic environments, it is simply streamlining. If a significant portion of the activity of a forum happens in offtopic, then something has gone wrong. In these forums this is probably a direct result of BioWare's inactivity. If there's nothing to talk about ontopic, people naturally wander off to offtopic.
So if they overhaul the forums completely, update the rules and create a new OT forum, then they would indeed make the first steps to a stronger community. The next steps would be a larger, better mod team and active community management. I have my doubts about that part.
Anyway, food for thought.
What kind of different rules?
LOL so I just checked BSN as I do every now and then, seeing as it's not terribly interesting around here atm (I didn't like DAI, don't feel like discussing in circles about MEA cause there's not much known) and I see this drama. Do hope you all get your forum back, though I won't be frequenting it much, but I am kinda baffled by this decision on Bioware's part.
Ironically, the French/German/Polish off-topic forums are still up and I'm surprised they've not been invaded yet
Any attempted posting in those sections of the forums in the English language would be seen as breaking the rules. Blatantly. People want a place where they can talk to one another, not get banned together. Otherwise whats the point?
As for why those are still up, its that those sections didn't have as much activity as the one that was closed did. At least thats my assumption.
Any attempted posting in those sections of the forums in the English language would be seen as breaking the rules. Blatantly. People want a place where they can talk to one another, not get banned together. Otherwise whats the point?
As for why those are still up, its that those sections didn't have as much activity as the one that was closed did. At least thats my assumption.
The French OT is seemingly unaware or uncaring and it's about the only other place I could post. German OT, however, is already on it.
On it how? Preventing people from posting there?
On it how? Preventing people from posting there?
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