311 replies to this topic

[Sky Hunter]

Tina Benoit, on 27 February 2015 - 10:50 AM, said:

Hello MechWarriors!

I would also love to hear the community’s thoughts on what your ideal community and/or community manager is like to you! Please share on this thread and feel free to ask questions too!

You will most often find me on the forums and the social media channels,

Now let’s hear you!


Regards,
Tina Benoit
Community Manager

Greetings Tina!

What I would like to see in a community manager is this. PLAY THE GAME!

1 Hour a day. How to do this, make an account, make in game name, how about Miss Benoit. Strap into a battlemech and play the game. 5 days a week.

You can sit in your office at your PC and read the comments on the boards and you will not see what the players want.
You can sit at your desk reading posts that some assistant decided was worth your attention or you can read the comments that the players in game are griping about while you play the game.

True, there are trolls in game but those trolls are actually playing the game. On the forum there are trolls who will gripe and argue everything, who's only pastime is to get attention by bashing every aspect of the game.

Real players deal with game issues in game (griping, complaining, coping and continuing to play) and not on the forums.

Support is for when the game cannot or will not run properly, for problems with other players who just play to kill their own team (I think they got tired of posting complaints on the forum and are trying to ruin the game for others because it is the only way for them to get attention), support is for bugs and repeatable in game issues.

If you want know what the players hate, if you want to know what the players love, if you want to know what the players want.... then play the game. See the game from the real players perspective.

Top down view is cheating, no guts no glory.

Have fun, sit back, strap in, power up, engage shutdown override and rush in. It is not a game until someone gets hurt.

Cya

[CHH Badkarma]

Good luck, you are going to need it.

As far as thoughts on what we think an ideal CM should be, well we got along just fine without one since "you know who" got canned.

Edited by CHH Badkarma, 27 February 2015 - 01:19 PM.

[Deathlike]

Good luck Tina.

I can't tell you chapter and verse what you should do or not do.

I can only suggest reading up on the issues of PGI Community Manager past and not repeat the mistakes of the previous ones.

You will find people of all different creeds and you know that everyone will have their soapbox from time to time. The question is ultimately whether you understand what is actually being said through all the noise and not shoot down any/all legitimate criticisms that exist in the game. These will be amplified on the days towards the Steam release...

So as I've said earlier... good luck and please take your time on figuring out the real issues on all sides of the table... because the road to success isn't by trying to take shortcuts.

[Tarogato]

Alilua, on 27 February 2015 - 11:51 AM, said:

I would try to get 60 hours of gamplay as a free to play account in the next two weeks to experence what this game is like and some of the major gripes.

Oh, I strongly second this notion. You should probably spend a week or two playing the game alone (I'd suggest under an alt account without the PGI tag) to get a feel for the new player experience, and then maybe later start to hang out with NGNG to pick up some pointers. Phil's been doing a lot in particular for the livestreaming part of the community, it'd probably be nice to hang with him at some point.

TheB33f, on 27 February 2015 - 12:18 PM, said:

Welcome to the gun show Tina. <o>

I have witnessed B33f's 100th post?

... also, quit stealing gunshow84's thunder. He allchat's that phrase every time he scores a kill (which is often). =P

Edited by Tarogato, 27 February 2015 - 01:30 PM.

[Noober]

Welcome from QQmercs!

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[Rebas Kradd]

Jody Von Jedi, on 27 February 2015 - 01:06 PM, said:

Welcome to MW:O, Tina.

I can't echo the concerns about the Forums being the official source for news, events, content announcements, etc.

There are many times, Reddit or Twitter gets the news before the forums.

Doesn't really matter what you can echo.

New players and players unfamiliar to the community landscape only know this site, because PGI advertises it. They're going to come here looking for information. It makes no sense to send them elsewhere, and will only frustrate them.

[Alienized]

welcome tina o7
I am Alien, my signature says it all

[Gauvan]

Welcome! It’s great that we are finally getting a community manager again. I think you are coming in during a period where customer-PGI relations are on a high, which is good for everyone.

Hopefully this means the forums and Web site will see a little more official attention. While I realize why it was happening, it’s been disappointing to have the interaction between PGI and the players occurring mostly on third party sites.

EDIT:

I'm sure the folks at PGI have provided you some light reading if you were not previously familiar with the BT background. Might I suggest adding to the stack Catalyst Game Labs' pdf introduction to the BT universe? I think it provides a great summary.

http://bg.battletech...the-board-game/

The specific document is linked as the "BattleTech Universe Guide."

Edited by Gauvan, 27 February 2015 - 01:37 PM.

[Big Tin Man]

Welcome!

As part of your initiation to MWO and the forums, you are hereby required to play the game using a 6 flamer locust. No further upgrades, responsibilities or respect until you get 4 kills in a match, or break 1,000 damage. Screenshot required, video is better. No superbuffs from the devs either.

Ok, maybe that is harsh, but having a CM who actually knows and understands the workings of the game makes for a much more productive and effective CM, as you will understand our concerns. Playing the game with us should be mandatory. Read, listen, and if you have new or relevant direction to add to threads, please do so. Avoid the CM trap of 'That sounds like a great idea, I'll pass that on.' to make your presence known. Doing that occasionally is good, doing that too much can be vapid.

One of the main things that this community needs is a cohesive new player experience. Between probably several hundred threads, there is a full, detailed and complete player guide that covers the basics, the hidden game mechanics, strategy's for builds, game modes and maps, tips, the whole enchilada. The community is open and willing to share, and probably willing to help write it, but it is fragmented and scattered. Gathering the pieces could truly help the new folks.

[Jody Von Jedi]

Rebas Kradd, on 27 February 2015 - 01:27 PM, said:

Doesn't really matter what you can echo.

New players and players unfamiliar to the community landscape only know this site, because PGI advertises it. They're going to come here looking for information. It makes no sense to send them elsewhere, and will only frustrate them.

You misunderstand me. The forums should be the official source for MW:O news!

I'm echoing the concerns others have expressed over the forums not being the official source for news.

I'm not advocating the use of Twitter or Reddit. mwomercs.com should be the source for news.

Do you understand the words that are coming out of my keyboard?

[BourbonFaucet]

Welcome aboard!

[Pjwned]

Just don't have a particularly thin skin when dealing with the community and that's all I would really say since I imagine you know how to do your job properly, though just as with preceding staff you clearly shouldn't expect people to be vulgar & abusive just because they're getting into a heated argument or something.

Also, it would be nice to see the Comstar Focus Group forum section in use again, so if you could get that going again (assuming you have the authority) that would be pretty cool.

[Athrael Emathors]

Welcome aboard Tina!

[FrDrake]

CaptRosha, on 27 February 2015 - 10:59 AM, said:

Welcome!

I think the first thing you can do ... is when Russ Tweets about something, you Post it on here ASAP too!

What this guy said, if you could compile Russ' tweets and have a thread/subforum for them you would get a million upvotes.

[Chronic Rune]

Welcome.

[Anders]

Hello Ms. Benoit:

We here at The Word of Lowtax wish you nothing but luck in your endeavor here. We are very sure that you will have received countless pieces of advice and the like, and we proffer the following from what we here at the Word of Lowtax have borne witness to.

Be on the lookout for those villainous, predatory, and despicable buses. They are a constant danger, and you should be forever vigilant about those hell-beasts. Trust us.

We here at The Word of Lowtax thank you for your thread. We here at the Word of Lowtax realize that you have limited entertainment electrons and appreciate that you're spending your entertainment electrons. Please continue to choose the Word of Lowtax in your future electron spending! We are grateful for your out of the box, blue-sky thinking, and appreciate you touching base with us here at the Word of Lowtax. We hope to synergize our efforts to achieve quantifiable paradigm redefinitions in a future collaboration soon.

As always, I humbly remain:

Robotically Yours,
Anders

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[Gimpy]

Hi Tina,

Welcome to the MWO community and good luck!

[DaniBot]

I, am, DANIBOT! *squeeks in highpitched suratish voice*

[New Day]

Welcome aboard

[Creag]

I bid you welcome on behalf of The Templars, good luck and hope to see you on the Battlefield sometimes