Just to weigh in here...
I've done some extensive admin/mod work for forums. From large public websites to more personal forums to a "unmoderated" forum that's moved to a mildly moderated forum. It's not an easy job. You can't please everyone, and you have to tread a line of letting people talk and occasonally get angry, while not letting things get personal or letting posters bait one another. Beyond that, you need to deal with the anonymity of the internet, which results in people not really connecting that there are real people that they're talking to. The internet can be an ugly place.
I appreciate that the staff here doesn't want to let the forums degrade into such an ugly place, and appreciate the line PGI wants to talk. Folks are passionate about the Battletech and Mechwarrior universe, and that passion can spill over into conversations, sometimes positively, but often it can turn a normal conversation into something poisonous. It's not easy to control, and I'd be weary of a hard limit on problems, as if you intend on making a game that lasts for years to come, it's quite possible for someone to get banned because he earned 2 strikes years ago.
Nico, you want to make these forums a great source of information, a place for players to go with no fear and learn, as well as a cool place to hang out? Here's some things that need to be done IMHO:
1) Post every announcement and update on the forums. Period. I understand that Twitter and Facebook exist, and there's nothing like some direct links from the devs and staff, but far to often information from Twitter or Facebook never makes it to the forums in any official capacity. Such examples include the Phoenix mech previews, some of the clan previews, details on upcoming patches and fixes, etc. The forum needs to be the spot for most of this information, even if it's not the first place it appears.
2) Cleanup stuck announcements while giving players a good place to react to things. No announcement discussion thread for patches is a shame, while we don't need the announcements about the clan invasion to be stuck anymore. Make it easy to find new information and not intimidating.
3) Moderate as evenly as you can. If you're consistent, then everyone generally knows what to expect. I realize this is hard, as it's a multi-man job, but inconsistant moderation makes more people angry than it does help. It also tends to flag inocents more often than it should.
4) Allow infractions to expire after a time. So I got heated once or twice in 2012? Well, it's 2014 now, so at least one of those shouldn't count against me, as that's a pretty long time to go as a good citizen.
5) Avoid perma-bans. Sure, they happen, and are needed at times, but given the forums is also a place to get tech support as well as occasionally do in game things (like reserve units), simply giving folks the preverbial time out on occasion should more important than permanent removal.
6) Don't be one-sided. There will be plenty of criticism of PGI/IGP/MWO. Please don't use moderation to shut that down.
7) Name & Shame for players should still be a no-no. To much of a trial by mob. For mods? I think letting folks know someone has been banned isn't a bad idea at times. It gives people both a reference point for where did folks go, and what is acceptable and not. Don't need to make a huge deal about it, but letting folks know moderators where there isn't a bad thing IMHO.
8) More interactive feedback from the devs/team. Doesn't need to be a lot, but Russ, Bryan, Paul, and yourself occasionally making posts here (even if they're discussing builds they like or in the off topic area) make the team feel more accessible. It also gives players the feeling that their opinions are being read and matter.
9) Provide some positive feedback. For a while, there were some forum awards for helpful as well as amusing posts. As a positive member of the community, I had hoped I might win something (Hey, a few days of premium time or some small MC is still a nice thank you), but they disappeared.
Hope this feedback helps. I've generally been happy with the moderation here, and haven't seen it get truely venomous, but I'll admit my filter for that might be better than others.
CheebaMech, on 07 September 2014 - 01:55 PM, said:
[color=#00FFFF]freedom of speech is an essential right. We firmly believe that it is. We also firmly believe that we, as a business, may reserve our right to remove patrons who abuse that freedom[/color]
Nice, customer service straight out of Orwell's 1984.
Not really. Freedom of Speech means the goverment can't restrict it. The public and private corporations can react however they want.
Edited by Bront, 07 September 2014 - 02:10 PM.
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