wow-community-managers
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How to post a good thread on the WoW forums
The WoW official forums are known as many things among fans and players, and some of those things are not-so-nice. However, they can also be an invaluable resource for both players and developers alike. I personally will forever be grateful to the very useful thread several years ago that taught me how to level my priest without dying every two minutes, and the community managers do consistently remind us that they use the forums as a way of consolidating player feedback, especially for the PTR. Sometimes, though, things get ugly. People get emotional, and in a fit of anger or frustration they post something they either wish they hadn't, or which turns out sounding less like an eloquent criticism and more like an incoherent rant. Over on the EU forums, Pondato is tired of seeing their posts get locked or ignored, and wants some advice on how to avoid that fate. The thing that's really great about this post is that it immediately has useful answers. Especially good is how MVP Shammoz quickly breaks down the difference between "discuss" and "vent," two things that are often mutually exclusive. The advice to write your post out in advance, in another window (or word processor), give it some time, and then go back to it is also a good thing to keep in mind, and something I do regularly for all types of writing. If you've found your posts on the wrong end of a banhammer recently, or know someone who has, this might be a nice resource to keep in mind.
The role of community managers
Despite the header image, Blizzard Community Manager Zarhym has been being a little less cuddly than he looks lately. Oh, wait... you're saying Zarhym's the one on the right? OK then. Zarhym has been weighing in on the role of Blizzard's Community Managers, following a couple of critical posts on the US forums. One post was elicited in direct response to Zarhym's own replies on a thread about dailies. Zarhym Quote: I think what should be taken out of the responses of those players frustrated at the CMs response is the standard of discourse that is being set, through said CM, in threads like this. A CM is blizzards representative on these forums and the closest we come to hearing/seeing information straight from "the horses mouth". Now the wow forums are at times very cynical and baiting/trolling can be rife, but for a CM to come into a thread (one that didn't dignify a response) and basically condone certain behaviours through both the language he used and the context he used it in is quite disgraceful and reflects pretty poorly on both blizzard and the CM team. It is up to the CM, not the players, to set the standard when it comes to meaningful debate and conversation. Showing otherwise further condones bad behaviour and meaningless posts in this thread and others all over general. That's a fair point and I'll honestly think about that more as I'm flipping through the front page of the forums. This is also a good time to remind people you can email WoWCMFeedback@Blizzard.com with your thoughts on our methods of community engagement. The posts in this thread commenting on my performance as a Community Manager, positive or negative, are better sent to my superiors so the topic of the thread stays on course. You can also personally give me feedback or chat with me on Twitter: @CM_Zarhym. I promise I at least read every tweet, and respond as often as I can. ;). source
On the subject of blues and their forum communication, with love from Zarhym
The lack of direct interaction from Blizzard with the WoW community has been talked about a bit in the forums, comments, and blog posts around the 'net lately, and we're now seeing that it's been a nagging issue for Blizzard as well. Community Manager Zarhym posted last night, from home, a rather lengthy letter to the WoW world. It summed up nicely the different jobs of the community team at Blizzard and what their goals are. Zarhym also went a step further and said that they (the blues) haven't been posting on the forums as much as they would like to and that they're going to continue to improve their communication with the community. It's an interesting read and should be taken as welcome insight from someone at Blizzard who honestly cares about the community he services. The entire post, after the break.
