Okay, serious question - would it be immortal for them to remove the forums entirely?
No?
Then how is it immoral for them to remove anonymous forums and have only non-anonymous forums?
How is it a moral issue at all? You know it's entirely possible to be a bad decision (the point you made Koronis is a good example, as it will likely discourage some really good posters) without being an immoral power-grab by a money grubbing corporation.
Talk about confusing the issues. And Koronis, sorry I didn't mean to snap at you, it's just that my entire post was about how people are making largely irrelevant points and confusing the issue of the forums here with unrelated battle.net issues, and then you quote that post and then do exactly that.
I was once banned for simply mentioning that i'd had a couple beers on a friday night in the blizzard forums. Part of me is worried about how just stating that could somehow bite me in the arse someday on a professional level. The standards people are creating in HR departments and online are becoming f*cking ridiculous, it's a scary world that's emerging in the facebook era.
So much has changed, Blizzard used to have such an amazing repertoire with their customers. Remember Bill Roper? That dude used to be a god to me. Blizzard had a face, was personable with their fans. Now it feels as though they think we're all rabbid dogs from 4chan, and there are certainly many fans like that, but not all of them. We're probably making more of a big deal out of this than we need to, just a forum policy, heck my name's in my sig here, I really don't stress about it too much. I'm not condoning Blizzard's actions, but in many ways it was their awesomeness that is leading to their inescapable downfall as a company (not in a profit sense, but a more general one). Blizzard will continue to be more and more profitable, gain more and more fans, some of whom are bound to be troublesome on the boards.
Maybe the best thing blizzard can do is just get rid of their boards. If they're forced to make them stale, boring, and childproof, the best thing that could happen is to just take 'em down and let a community site host a better forum with less legal implications since they aren't directly involved with the profits of the game. But then again, Blizzard may be trying to build an empire with their real.id system, much like steam and facebook and a large portion of that is the forum and community.
Quote from Dumorah:
@TheSecretArts: Go
"
Posting some ones real name in a forum is just asking for trouble. I'm pretty sure you will be able to find out where some one lives nowadays with just their name. Heck check out this webpage, http://www.123people.com. The reason why people create nick names is to keep their identity anonymous so that freaks on the internet can not stalk them or find out where they live (Yes some people are so stupid on the internet that they can accidentally release important information about themselves OR others). I can see something serious happening from this and i hope that Blizzard changes their mind before they implement this.
If they are planning to cut down on trolling and offensive behaviour then they should do what Aegis posted, which is actively, immedietly, and openly punish those who cause problems. Suspend them from the forum (and display for how long). Also allow people to flag forums or posts so that moderators can respond quicker to offensive behavious.
"
If someone gets me on their forums lol, I'd sue blizzard in a heartbeat. then spend the money on workout equipment and maybe fund a game that is a user-oriented SC killer.
It would feel no different then suing Acti, i could spend their money to also get a billboard that says "remember when u banned me?" advertising valve's impending Half-Life 3 or something. lol.
Am I the only person here who actually likes most of these moves by Blizzard?
- I never really liked internet anonymity, IMO all it does is promote ignorance, hatred, and fatuousness. If I want to act like an immature idiot, i'll just do it on youtube or some kiddie forum website where nobody will listen or care. If for reason it's backwards for you (people are assholes to you IRL) then...er... nevermind I won't go there...
- If Blizzard is going to listen to our opinions and feedback/criticism, they demand our utmost respect and decorum. I mean, you're not going to act like an idiot if you were to talk to someone face to face right? But yeah I can understand people not wanting their real names shown on the blizzard forums. In that case, either make a fake name or go somewhere... like this website you're currently looking at. (Or http://www.staredit.net ;D)
However, the one thing that I am pretty pissed about is the fact that screennames are only 12 characters max (I can only squeeze in "MillenniumAr"). And that these screen names are not unique. I do not believe I need to elaborate on this matter.
The SC2 Beta forums either weren't moderated, or were poorly moderated. What difference does it make if "TrollUser123" or "John Smith" make a troll post? None.
If anything, we may see more racism because of different ethnic names... just my 2 cents.
I believe that Blizzard is probably doing this, not out of some naive idea that it will stop spamming or something, but because they want to make the forums and mapping community a more legitimate operation, if you know what I mean. For the same reason that they give people the option to publish maps using their actual name. So that it can become more recognized as a legitimate community for game creation.
However I do understand and agree with peoples concerns especially considering cyberstalking and employers googling your name.
When will people understand that nothing you put on the internet is safe? Your facebook is probably what people would look for first, and everyone feels the need to put their address, birthday, location, phone, and whatever they are doing every 5 minutes up there.
Personally I think as long as they don't make this change retroactive it is fine. If they don't show real name for any posts created before this change goes live I don't really see a problem with it. Once you know that your real name gets stuck up there with whatever you post, most people are going to post more serious replies. At least those of us who realize that most employers will google your name.
So yeah, I don't mind this change. Even if it is a retroactive change the only thing I've posted on the official forums is constructive posts, so I'm fine with it, but I can see why other people might not be so happy about it.
- I never really liked internet anonymity, IMO all it does is promote ignorance, hatred, and fatuousness. If I want to act like an immature idiot, i'll just do it on youtube or some kiddie forum website where nobody will listen or care. If for reason it's backwards for you (people are assholes to you IRL) then...er... nevermind I won't go there...
Well, so why are you called "MilleniumArmy" and not John Smith (or however your name is)? Because you prefer it like that, amirite? And they take that from you.
I would like to have see more responsibility in these forums (and anywhere else), but I don't want to give up my "internet identity", or anonymity.
What they are basically doing is tying your right to post in the forums to your account. So if you behave badly they can just tempban your account and thus punish you - and that's good! Very good! People finally have a reason to be more polite to each other! It's a horrible thing already that they NEED an incentive to be nice to each other.
But honestly... what does our real name have to do with this? Nothing! Whether Blizzard bans me under "s3rius" or under my real name doesn't change anything as they'd just ban my account in both cases.
I don't like my last name, it draws unwarranted insults and i'd rather not have internet kiddies target me like it's bloody elementary school all over again. I'm very opposed to this, and the company's current and future direction.
But honestly... what does our real name have to do with this? Nothing!
Whether Blizzard bans me under "s3rius" or under my real name doesn't
change anything as they'd just ban my account in both cases.
It does: if you troll or get banned under your real name, people might see it. Like your future employer or (for the younger generation) your parents and friends. This keeps people in line even when they no longer really care about getting banned, like if they're going to quit the game anyway.
My real name in that Blizz account is "Mr. Rabbit" - and I can tell you that my parents didn't name me like that ^.^
There is no difference between displaying my nick name or my real name, since my real name is just another nick name I am forced to use in order to not make my real name public.
Anyone coming to the forums with the intend to troll would do the same.. It would be even more fun if they'd pick the real names of other people and start trolling (nobody can prove it unless Blizzard makes you send them a copy of your ID card before being allowed to post).
Nothing is funnier than being falsly accused for something a complete stranger did just because he happened to troll under your name.
That might not happen very often - but it CAN happen.
And IF it happens then this somebody is thoroughly screwed.
Okay, serious question - would it be immortal for them to remove the forums entirely?
No?
Then how is it immoral for them to remove anonymous forums and have only non-anonymous forums?
How is it a moral issue at all? You know it's entirely possible to be a bad decision (the point you made Koronis is a good example, as it will likely discourage some really good posters) without being an immoral power-grab by a money grubbing corporation.
Talk about confusing the issues. And Koronis, sorry I didn't mean to snap at you, it's just that my entire post was about how people are making largely irrelevant points and confusing the issue of the forums here with unrelated battle.net issues, and then you quote that post and then do exactly that.
I was once banned for simply mentioning that i'd had a couple beers on a friday night in the blizzard forums. Part of me is worried about how just stating that could somehow bite me in the arse someday on a professional level. The standards people are creating in HR departments and online are becoming f*cking ridiculous, it's a scary world that's emerging in the facebook era.
So much has changed, Blizzard used to have such an amazing repertoire with their customers. Remember Bill Roper? That dude used to be a god to me. Blizzard had a face, was personable with their fans. Now it feels as though they think we're all rabbid dogs from 4chan, and there are certainly many fans like that, but not all of them. We're probably making more of a big deal out of this than we need to, just a forum policy, heck my name's in my sig here, I really don't stress about it too much. I'm not condoning Blizzard's actions, but in many ways it was their awesomeness that is leading to their inescapable downfall as a company (not in a profit sense, but a more general one). Blizzard will continue to be more and more profitable, gain more and more fans, some of whom are bound to be troublesome on the boards.
Maybe the best thing blizzard can do is just get rid of their boards. If they're forced to make them stale, boring, and childproof, the best thing that could happen is to just take 'em down and let a community site host a better forum with less legal implications since they aren't directly involved with the profits of the game. But then again, Blizzard may be trying to build an empire with their real.id system, much like steam and facebook and a large portion of that is the forum and community.
F it, i just wont post in their forums.
Am I the only person here who actually likes most of these moves by Blizzard?
- I never really liked internet anonymity, IMO all it does is promote ignorance, hatred, and fatuousness. If I want to act like an immature idiot, i'll just do it on youtube or some kiddie forum website where nobody will listen or care. If for reason it's backwards for you (people are assholes to you IRL) then...er... nevermind I won't go there...
- If Blizzard is going to listen to our opinions and feedback/criticism, they demand our utmost respect and decorum. I mean, you're not going to act like an idiot if you were to talk to someone face to face right? But yeah I can understand people not wanting their real names shown on the blizzard forums. In that case, either make a fake name or go somewhere... like this website you're currently looking at. (Or http://www.staredit.net ;D)
However, the one thing that I am pretty pissed about is the fact that screennames are only 12 characters max (I can only squeeze in "MillenniumAr"). And that these screen names are not unique. I do not believe I need to elaborate on this matter.
The SC2 Beta forums either weren't moderated, or were poorly moderated. What difference does it make if "TrollUser123" or "John Smith" make a troll post? None.
If anything, we may see more racism because of different ethnic names... just my 2 cents.
I believe that Blizzard is probably doing this, not out of some naive idea that it will stop spamming or something, but because they want to make the forums and mapping community a more legitimate operation, if you know what I mean. For the same reason that they give people the option to publish maps using their actual name. So that it can become more recognized as a legitimate community for game creation.
However I do understand and agree with peoples concerns especially considering cyberstalking and employers googling your name.
When will people understand that nothing you put on the internet is safe? Your facebook is probably what people would look for first, and everyone feels the need to put their address, birthday, location, phone, and whatever they are doing every 5 minutes up there.
Husky puts it nicely:
I not happy :(
Personally I think as long as they don't make this change retroactive it is fine. If they don't show real name for any posts created before this change goes live I don't really see a problem with it. Once you know that your real name gets stuck up there with whatever you post, most people are going to post more serious replies. At least those of us who realize that most employers will google your name.
So yeah, I don't mind this change. Even if it is a retroactive change the only thing I've posted on the official forums is constructive posts, so I'm fine with it, but I can see why other people might not be so happy about it.
Well, so why are you called "MilleniumArmy" and not John Smith (or however your name is)? Because you prefer it like that, amirite? And they take that from you.
I would like to have see more responsibility in these forums (and anywhere else), but I don't want to give up my "internet identity", or anonymity.
What they are basically doing is tying your right to post in the forums to your account. So if you behave badly they can just tempban your account and thus punish you - and that's good! Very good! People finally have a reason to be more polite to each other! It's a horrible thing already that they NEED an incentive to be nice to each other.
But honestly... what does our real name have to do with this? Nothing! Whether Blizzard bans me under "s3rius" or under my real name doesn't change anything as they'd just ban my account in both cases.
I don't like my last name, it draws unwarranted insults and i'd rather not have internet kiddies target me like it's bloody elementary school all over again. I'm very opposed to this, and the company's current and future direction.
It does: if you troll or get banned under your real name, people might see it. Like your future employer or (for the younger generation) your parents and friends. This keeps people in line even when they no longer really care about getting banned, like if they're going to quit the game anyway.
@BrotherLaz: Go
My real name in that Blizz account is "Mr. Rabbit" - and I can tell you that my parents didn't name me like that ^.^
There is no difference between displaying my nick name or my real name, since my real name is just another nick name I am forced to use in order to not make my real name public.
Anyone coming to the forums with the intend to troll would do the same.. It would be even more fun if they'd pick the real names of other people and start trolling (nobody can prove it unless Blizzard makes you send them a copy of your ID card before being allowed to post).
Nothing is funnier than being falsly accused for something a complete stranger did just because he happened to troll under your name.
That might not happen very often - but it CAN happen.
And IF it happens then this somebody is thoroughly screwed.
Well its their fault if users turn back on them.
If they dont care for users(gamers) then they dont deserve to be game developer company.
Time to track down the guy responsible for this and 'convince' him to reverse it. Now we can, blues have their RL names in the forums too! :D
I have a feeling that fake names will cause problems too. I mean that blizzard will do something about fake names. (Obviously fake names)
@TheSecretArts: Go
I just hope they dont follow suit with this, if they do then starcraft II mapsters will become my new official blizzard forums
Actual on the blizz forums they stated that blues will not have there RL names to avoid harass/issues.
@Rakgoska: Go
Wow are you serious? so the guys forcing us to show our real names will not show theirs? those hypocrits