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Facebook's new tools help build supportive Groups
Facebook has been steadily improving things for groups on the social network. The company added administration tools like membership insights for community pages. It also created Groups for Pages to let businesses, artists and brands create their own communities. It also shuttered a standalone Groups app in the hopes of bringing the functionality into the already existing Facebook app. Now the company is adding new features for groups to help build communities, including welcome posts, group-specific badges and member profiles. Group admins will also get new features like expanded insights and tips to help them manage contentious conversations and to know when is the best time to schedule posts.
RuneScape increasing subscription prices on February 1st
In a new post on the official RuneScape site, the game's vice president Daniel Clough has announced that, beginning in February, RuneScape membership prices will be rising from $5.95 US per month to $7.95 US per month. If you're already a member, don't worry! Anyone who is a registered member prior to February 1st will still be able to subscribe to the game at the current fee of $5.95 US per month, and the rate will not rise as long as the subscription isn't cancelled. So if you were thinking about shelling out for a RuneScape membership, act before the end of the month in order to lock in the current, lower pricing model. For the full details, click on through the link below to the RuneScape official site. [Thanks to Sean for the tip!]
City of Heroes bringing early Freedom to lapsed subscribers
It's quite possible that you've fallen out of love with City of Heroes over the years. Actually, it's quite possible that that itself was some time ago, and while you've been eying the game every so often, you've never quite found the time to come back. But if you've got an old account and you're curious about what things will be like after the free-to-play conversion, you're getting to sign on board for part of the head start as well. Throughout the weekend, the team at Paragon Studios will be reactivating lapsed accounts as premium members, the tier for players who were once subscribers but decided to take a break from the game. And while you won't get all of the VIP content for free, you will be able to enjoy the game and your old characters without owing a dime. So if you've got an old account, keeping checking in to see if you can get a little early play on City of Heroes Freedom over the weekend... and if you don't, you can look forward to the servers opening up sometime next week.
MobileMe Calendar web app out of beta
Apple has announced that the MobileMe Calendar web app is now officially out, leaving beta and becoming available to all MobileMe customers. The service allows you to check or update your MobileMe calendar from any computer or iOS device, share or publish calendars out to friends, family, or coworkers, and even send invitations straight from the calendar for upcoming events. If you're already using the beta, of course, you don't have to do anything at all, but other MobileMe members can sign in to me.com/calendar, and click "Upgrade Now" in the lower left. There's nothing super new here (there are certainly lots of other ways to do these kinds of things using MobileMe and other free services), but having what was previously in beta open to all customers is a nice benefit. [via MacRumors]
Guildwatch: We're over applications, too
The image above is a little tough to read, but you can probably get the gist: someone posts on the forums that secretly, he's been taking things from the guild bank and selling them off on the AH to make money for himself. He posts on his alt, supposedly, but whoops: he leaves his forum signature up. And the very next post is someone from the guild saying he's been caught red-handed, with a gkick imminent. Moral? Steal if you want, we guess, but never, ever tell. Or at least don't use your forum sig when posting on your alt. Much more drama, downed, and recruiting news in this week's Guildwatch, which starts right after the break. We are super low in the buffer for tips, so please be sure to let us know about your guild's action in Icecrown, any recruiting you're doing, or any drama you see on the forums by sending us a quick email at guildwatch@wow.com. Thanks! Enjoy this week's column.
Azeroth United announces Hearts, Hands and Voices charity drive
Our good friends over at Azeroth United have announced their charity drive for the year, and while it's still getting underway, you can now head over and start giving donations, of either money or items to be offered as prizes for sponsorships. The drive doesn't officially start until November 1st, but especially if you have a site that has WoW-related items or services to offer, AU could use your help putting together gifts for people who donate. Additionally, they've put together mp3 promos of various AU members, so if you have a podcast in the community or any other audio outlet, you can run promotions of your own to help out the cause.Said cause is an excellent one, of course: they're aiming to get at least $5,000 to donate to Child's Play, the charity started by the Penny Arcade folks that helps get video games together for children in hospital. The drive, we're told, will run through December 13th, so they've got a long way to go, but right now they're working hard at getting sponsor items together and getting the community revved up for the event. Stay tuned for more -- this seems like an excellent opportunity for the Warcraft community to do good and help out the world outside of Azeroth.
...is now recruiting
I've been reading the comments from some of our recent posts and realized that there is quite a bit of mismatch between players and guilds. There are casual players in hardcore guilds that find themselves being passed over in content. There are hardcore players in casual guilds that don't get to move on to things they want. Some players need a higher level of maturity.There are usually a handful of guilds recruiting in the Guildwatch column, but I think, for today, we can do better. If your guild looking for more take a moment to comment with the nitty gritty. If you're interested in putting up a little advertisement take a moment to copy/paste and complete the following form:
Forum post of the day: I'm just not that into you
Tymestryker of Aerie Peak is frustrated because players are leaving his guild. Despite his loyalty to the guild and the effort he's put into the guild, he's facing some significant churn. His guild, though apparently a friendly, social place lacks in endgame experience. He seems to be taking it personally that people are leaving for guilds in endgame progression. He feels that others should share his loyalty. Many responders pointed out that heart only goes so far in World of Warcraft, but there's a lot more to the game. Most successful guilds have a purpose, maybe doing regular raids or being the best they can be at PvP. Some suggested that the original poster chose not to take the situation personally.
Breakfast Topic: Guild sayings
Anteia emailed us about sayings that her guild has -- when guildies enter guild chat, apparently they say "Parn," for no other reason than at one point someone said "Hola" while their Draenei filter was on, and it came out as "parn." Thanks to a guild typo, they also use "exacrit" in place of "exactly" (as something that crits logic), and running away in cheetah form is referred to as "hauling cat out of there." That's a good one, actually.My guild has a few sayings (most of which have already sneaked into Guildwatch), though my personal favorite is simply yelling "Shaman Power!" when a Shaman in guild gets a nice drop or does something spectacular. Not nearly as catchy as Anteia's examples, though.Has your guild built up your own jargon or sayings? When a group of people are placed in situations like this, it's almost unavoidable that they'd build up their own meanings and words among each other. What are some good sayings and phrases that your guild uses ingame?
Officers' Quarters: When members vanish
Every Monday Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership.Most guilds see members come and go from time to time. It's never a pleasant feeling to see someone leave, but in most cases you know why they're leaving. That gives you and the other officers the opportunity to fix the problems that led to their departure, so you don't lose anyone else for the same reason. By far the most frustrating gquits are the ones where people just disappear with no explanation. That's what the author of today's e-mail is facing. Hello Scott,(Insert Random Pleasantries Here)I have a question for your column, which I read regularly.I'm an officer in a progressing casual guild. Over time some of our key faces have changed as real life, drama, and other events weathered the shape and nature of the guild. Up until now players either gave clear reasons for leaving, or had been so apathetic and uninvolved that none were needed. Recently we discovered two of our original raiders, highly esteemed members, had vanished from our roster. We checked the guild log and found no trace of them quitting or being booted. Months ago they had drastically reduced their playtime (less than a couple hours a week, if that) due to real life concerns. Worried that maybe their accounts had been hacked, we attempted to track them down. After a little sleuthing, we found them on a different server and in a new raiding guild.
Square Enix members-only site opens for pre-registration
Love Square Enix? So do we -- after all, they're an absolute powerhouse when it comes to DS games. Thus we can't help but be intrigued by the announcement of Square Enix Members for North America, the company's answer to their existing Japanese site. SE promises a bevy of exclusives for members, including developer interviews, media, and the best part -- free stuff. You had us at goodies!The site is currently open for pre-registration, but won't go live until March 24.
Apple offers $20 iLife '06 discount to .Mac customers
In their true spirit of integration, Apple has finally decided to offer .Mac customers a small kickback on the purchase of iLife '06 (just in time for that iLife '07 sting to really get ya in January). In Apple Stores or online, the .Mac blog has announced a $20 discount (it's a mail-in rebate if you purchase from anywhere else) on the purchase of either a single or family pack of iLife '06, bringing their respective prices down to $59 and $79. Not a bad deal considering these two services are joined at the hips. You can also walk - no need to run - as they've left the discount/rebate open for (most of) the holiday shopping season - it ends December 13th.
