3173 réponses à ce sujet

[LPPrince]

I didn't say "in on it," I said, "on it," in that they're talking about it. And by "it" I mean the fact that they shut down the English OT.

 

Ahh, when you said "on it" I thought you meant moderating people trying to go there and use it. Never mind. 

[DaemionMoadrin]

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?

 

I'd change the rules for the entire forum. Don't ask me for details though, I'd have to sit down and work those out... and my time is precious. ^^

 

I can tell you how I handled it in the past though. For example... thread topic was the current patch to the game and people started "Wouldn't it be cool if the next patch contained feature X?" conversations. I asked them to take those conversations to OT, which they did.

 

Someone found something cool on the internet and wanted to share it? Into OT it goes. Perhaps there's some kind of collection thread for these things, like the Workday Cheer one.

 

Threads that are only people talking to each other though... over hundreds of pages... yeah, that would not be okay. This doesn't benefit the community, it benefits the clique forming there. If you want to have those chats, create a group. Honestly, never happened in the forums where I was mod. We never let it go that far.

 

 

If you propose to eliminate the OT in order to create a new one, then my question to you is this: Why should I invest any more of my time engaging with people in BioWare's OT, posting news, commenting on different games/movies/etc., in short helping create and strengthen a community, if BioWare can make it all go away in the blink of an eye with little to no accountability?

 

That's not what I meant and not how things are supposed to go.

[OdanUrr]

That's not what I meant and not how things are supposed to go.

Oh, you were considering a hypothetical scenario in which you'd consider shutting down OT, correct?

[Monica21]

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?

 

I don't know if Conal's job is just forum management, but I'd hire someone just to do that. Then that person would also be responsible for explanation and clarification of site rules. The moderators would report to Conal, as much as a volunteer can. The moderators would lose their anonymity, and lose moderating privileges after six months of inactivity. The point system would actually mean something. Five points (or something) is a perma-ban. (You'd probably see a lot fewer warning points with an active moderating team.) The moderators would be much more active and actually moderate. Conal (or whoever) would be much more active and engage the members in all sections of the forum. Conal (or whoever) would encourage devs to also be somewhat active, but his presence would take a lot of the pressure off the devs to post.

[Teddie Sage]

The offer for the group still stands, I'll leave it open for anyone who wants a hub to talk pretty much about anything the lounge used to -- without having to register to a new board. If you want the link for the new boards, here it is: http://vroomvroom.freeforums.net/

 

Meanwhile, the BSN group will be in my status.

[bEVEsthda]

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.

 

Yes.

...And EA have a curious tradition of "always" shooting themselves in the foot.
There have to be a chain linked together. We want to do this <- It would accomplish this <- Because there are reasonable and credible reasons why it would <- And no reasonable and credible reasons why it would blow up in our face instead/ alt. doesn't matter if it does <- Resulting in a situation that is more to our liking, because it is beneficial <- Truly, as in better business and finances.

Intent, some forethought and ruthlessly. Yes, it's tempting to assume that. But from wanting to do something, how is that want aligned with a better situation for EA/Bioware? That's harder to figure. What is it that they see?

[LPPrince]

I don't know if Conal's job is just forum management, but I'd hire someone just to do that. Then that person would also be responsible for explanation and clarification of site rules. The moderators would report to Conal, as much as a volunteer can. The moderators would lose their anonymity, and lose moderating privileges after six months of inactivity. The point system would actually mean something. Five points (or something) is a perma-ban. (You'd probably see a lot fewer warning points with an active moderating team.) The moderators would be much more active and actually moderate. Conal (or whoever) would be much more active and engage the members in all sections of the forum. Conal (or whoever) would encourage devs to also be somewhat active, but his presence would take a lot of the pressure off the devs to post.

 

HAH! We're of the same mind to a degree. *high five*

 

I actually had this conversation before(the one I'm about to describe, only in more detail) in PMs with a dev(not with Conal in particular, though someone should).

 

From what I've been told, community management currently runs by brand. So like Mass Effect, Dragon Age, New IP, that sort of thing.

 

My idea was to divide by location. So there'd be Conal and others at the top. But below them would be someone for the forums, someone for twitter, someone for Facebook, etc etc. Basically a different person for each locale. A community manager for that particular subset of the community.

 

That person would be in charge of moderators, handling requests, etc etc depending on location. So for say Facebook, they'd be coming up with contests to hold, things to post, etc etc.

 

Conal and above would the ones in charge of figuring out if one site is behind the others, how they can help each other, okaying or nixing ideas presented by the community manager of a particular site, organizing things where multiple sites would work together, etc etc.

 

I did acknowledge it'd be a bit complicated though. But I believe that it'd help, from whatever perspective I have down here without the inside details.

 

Far as the forum goes, I do think it needs a resurgence and new organization of responsibilities and how things are handled, like warning points, suspensions vs. perma bans, verbal warnings, etc etc.

[DaemionMoadrin]

Oh, you were considering a hypothetical scenario in which you'd consider shutting down OT, correct?

 

No, I was considering possible reasons why I would shut down -this- OT. Those reasons wouldn't apply to the next one because I'd grow that one with more care.

[LPPrince]

No, I was considering possible reasons why I would shut down -this- OT. Those reasons wouldn't apply to the next one because I'd grow that one with more care.

 

Forgive the metaphor but the idea is to basically remove the weeds and grow some emerald green grass?

[DaemionMoadrin]

I don't know if Conal's job is just forum management, but I'd hire someone just to do that. Then that person would also be responsible for explanation and clarification of site rules. The moderators would report to Conal, as much as a volunteer can. The moderators would lose their anonymity, and lose moderating privileges after six months of inactivity. The point system would actually mean something. Five points (or something) is a perma-ban. (You'd probably see a lot fewer warning points with an active moderating team.) The moderators would be much more active and actually moderate. Conal (or whoever) would be much more active and engage the members in all sections of the forum. Conal (or whoever) would encourage devs to also be somewhat active, but his presence would take a lot of the pressure off the devs to post.

 

I'd add a rule that warning points decay with time. They are supposed to do that here, too... but so far I haven't seen it.

[LPPrince]

I'd add a rule that warning points decay with time. They are supposed to do that here, too... but so far I haven't seen it.

 

This. Though if I handled it, I'd have private reports written up on specific members and their reputations. Rule breaks included. Even if a warning point for a particular thing fades, a note would be made that at that point in time on that date, they got a point for whatever it was. So if it fades over time but they did it again, someone can say, "Hey, its been a long time since you made that mistake but you've done it before, so lets talk about ways to avoid doing it".

 

I think that'd help those who might not intend to make the same mistakes and don't for quite some time but might do so on an off chance. Like say, me. /nobody's perfect

[Monica21]

My idea was to divide by location. So there'd be Conal and others at the top. But below them would be someone for the forums, someone for twitter, someone for Facebook, etc etc. Basically a different person for each locale. A community manager for that particular subset of the community.

 

My only concern is that that might actually be too many people. Too many cooks, as it were. Bethesda is a much larger community and they have a community manager and he's got one direct report (I think). If you've got enough active moderators then you shouldn't have much difficulty with the forums themselves. Older moderators would train the new ones. The community manager should be more than able to keep up with the different IPs, especially with their staggered releases.

[DaemionMoadrin]

Forgive the metaphor but the idea is to basically remove the weeds and grow some emerald green grass?

 

More or less, yes.

 

I don't see the offtopic posters as weed but you have to see BioWare's point of view, too. They are basically hosting this forum for your private conversations. You have to prove to them that your inside jokes, your love advice to Bunz and all the other threads actually benefit the whole community and not just a select few.

[LPPrince]

My only concern is that that might actually be too many people. Too many cooks, as it were. Bethesda is a much larger community and they have a community manager and he's got one direct report (I think). If you've got enough active moderators then you shouldn't have much difficulty with the forums themselves. Older moderators would train the new ones. The community manager should be more than able to keep up with the different IPs, especially with their staggered releases.

 

Thats my worry. Too many people. But I'm afraid that one person in charge of multiple locations could get swamped and then unintentionally neglect.

[fchopin]

Pardon me while I bask in the glory of the value of the new and improved forums.

 

Stop making me give you likes.

[aoibhealfae]

I've just finished Attack on Titan live action and then the first thing I do was log on to Bioware forums........and I remembered off-topic is dead.... too soon...

[bEVEsthda]

More or less, yes.

 

I don't see the offtopic posters as weed but you have to see BioWare's point of view, too. They are basically hosting this forum for your private conversations. You have to prove to them that your inside jokes, your love advice to Bunz and all the other threads actually benefit the whole community and not just a select few.

 

No.

Excuse me for being petty here, but no.  All threads do not have to actually benefit the whole community. It's the other way around. They have to be sure that "inside jokes, your love advice to Bunz" etc is A: damaging to the community, B: more damaging than removing OT, C: that damage is more of a concern than what this does to Bioware.

[DaemionMoadrin]

No.

Excuse me for being petty here, but no.  All threads do not have to actually benefit the whole community. It's the other way around. They have to be sure that "inside jokes, your love advice to Bunz" etc is A: damaging to the community, B: more damaging than removing OT, C: that damage is more of a concern than what this does to Bioware.

 

Removing OT because of this (if it even is the reason) is like burning down your house after you found wasps nesting in the attic. Hard to top that damage. We also shouldn't forget them merging/removing subforums.

 

But BioWare is a company and companies don't think "What's the harm in that?", they think "How do we benefit from it?".

 

I'd love to see the forum statistics. How many posters even frequented the OT forums? I know I rarely did, almost all my posts were written in the ME3 and DA:I forums. What's the percentage? Did the most active posters in OT contribute to the rest of the forum?

 

Decisions like these don't happen in a vacuum. I can only speculate right now and I doubt BioWare will ever share their statistics with us.

[Liamv2]

Well using the new forums user number as a guessing point. 155 people posted in offtopic. Not sure how many of them posted in other sections a lot of people stayed there due to how awful the other sections were.

[Kantr]

Anyone remember the DA:I Follower Fridays? Where on one friday of each month a new follower would be revealed. We got one Follower Friday but then some of us waited and waited and waited for another Follower Friday but that day never came. There was no announcement as to why there wasn't one or when another one would occur. Follower Friday only lasted one friday! One! But the person who was in charge of it never communicated as to what had happened even though people were waiting for an explanation.

 

Well, my point is, even though it's not the same thing, I don't think anyone is going to come back here and explain what happened or what will happen. The Lobby is gone...gone... for good. 

 

 

I'll eat a slug if it does come back.

I think they did provide a reason along the lines of they had a schedule for character reveal and that follower friday was too quick or something. However seeing as N&A no-longer exists I can't find the post.

[Fast Jimmy]

Removing OT because of this (if it even is the reason) is like burning down your house after you found wasps nesting in the attic. Hard to top that damage. We also shouldn't forget them merging/removing subforums.

But BioWare is a company and companies don't think "What's the harm in that?", they think "How do we benefit from it?".

I'd love to see the forum statistics. How many posters even frequented the OT forums? I know I rarely did, almost all my posts were written in the ME3 and DA:I forums. What's the percentage? Did the most active posters in OT contribute to the rest of the forum?

Decisions like these don't happen in a vacuum. I can only speculate right now and I doubt BioWare will ever share their statistics with us.

If they base it off activity right now, then of course OT activity would be higher than any other forum. There's nothing to talk about with the other games. DA:I is releasing lackluster DLC and winding down a year after release and ME:A is little more than empty speculation and cyber stalking in the Twitter thread.

Why WOULDN'T people go talk about something else? ANYTHING else?

[Kantr]

If they base it off activity right now, then of course OT activity would be higher than any other forum. There's nothing to talk about with the other games. DA:I is releasing lackluster DLC and winding down a year after release and ME:A is little more than empty speculation and cyber stalking in the Twitter thread.

Why WOULDN'T people go talk about something else? ANYTHING else?

Some people on the German OT section speculated that the people who made the decision were (according to google translate) elementary school dropouts

 

 

ED: (changed high school to elementary due to getting it wrong in the first place )

Modifié par Kantr, 27 août 2015 - 11:06 .

[SmilesJA]

Anyone remember the DA:I Follower Fridays? Where on one friday of each month a new follower would be revealed. We got one Follower Friday but then some of us waited and waited and waited for another Follower Friday but that day never came. There was no announcement as to why there wasn't one or when another one would occur. Follower Friday only lasted one friday! One! But the person who was in charge of it never communicated as to what had happened even though people were waiting for an explanation.

 

Well, my point is, even though it's not the same thing, I don't think anyone is going to come back here and explain what happened or what will happen. The Lobby is gone...gone... for good. 

 

 

I'll eat a slug if it does come back.

 

Never give up..... and fight to the end......

[Fast Jimmy]

Never give up..... and fight to the end......

Are you talking about the slug?

[Fast Jimmy]

Stop making me give you likes.

I live to serve, fchopin. I live to serve.