Originally Posted by
Aikiebo
I disagree that the GoA program should be disbanded. It is an extremely beneficial program. Problems are developing because some forum members have forgotten the stated purpose of the GoA program. A quote from the thread that started the program:
GoAs should:
1. Proved useful and constructive feedback to both players and STS devs.
2. Help keep forums clean and friendly by reporting inappropriate posts and to attempt to diffuse arguments and flamewars.
3. Fostser community development with player run events and good will, etc.
4. Be visible, helpful and constructive.
Who would want to end a program like that? That is exactly what we need more of, not less.
However, some forum members are confused and expanding on the above in ways that are causing a lot of problems.
So now, some want to end the program cuz they are upset at the way STS is going to pick the next GoA. Why shouldn't the person who is the most helpful on the support portal get rewarded for their effort? The current GoAs got rewarded for their effort.
Just cuz someone is answering a lot of questions doesn't mean they are only doing it to get the shield. That may or may not be one of the incentives, but for many there are other incentives as well. People keep trying to read other player's minds. That is impossible.
People saying that just cuz they doing it to get some kind of reward that that is "dishonest" or it's not as pure as doing it for no reward or whatever ideas. That makes very little sense. In the entire history of mankind and for the rest of eternity, 99% of all achievements, successes, accomplishments, progress, and most discoveries will be the direct result of someone sitting down, figuring out some goal they would like to accomplish or some problem they would like to resolve, then planning out bunches of steps to achieve their dream, and dedicating themselves to that idea.
So what if someone is answering questions in hopes to become GoA? There is nothing wrong with that. The devs set up some sort of support portal and want players to answer questions. Sounds like a good idea to me.
Every charitable organization spends huge amounts of time and some money to thank and honor the people who have helped them out. Wut, you think the Red Cross says to their volunteers, come help us during the next big flood, however, we not going to honor you or thank you.
I find it hard to believe that there are some who have a problem with someone saying, "wow, I'd love to be acknowledged and have that shield and that title and have people look up to me, sooo, the devs said that I could participate in the new support forum, so I'm going to answer as many questions as I can". What is wrong with that. That's not being dishonest, that's having a plan.
Btw, DI has a sig that promotes a blog that he writes. Hmm... Do I have a prob with that? Is that bad? NO NO NO NO, it is self-promotion and millioins of people do it every single, every single day especially in social media. So, unless the devs don't permit, and why they would care, i couldn't possible come up with even a guess, so as long as ok with the devs, who cares, so what, no biggie, live and let live, who cares if someone puts in their sig to vote for them or w/e so maybe that help get them GoA. In fact, an absolute wonderful thread that was just started the other day, the senior member asked for a thumbs up. I've seen it lots of times.
Then some are saying that the only forum members "worthy" of this honor are the current ones. That in the furture, no other "honest", helpful people will exist. Are people saying that the current GoAs are the only ones who are honest and helpful. Hmm... That is quite a accusation if that is what some are saying. It's completely false and a bit of an insult.
No wait, some are saying that there will be "honest" and helpful members in the future, but they don't really need or deserve to be rewarded. Hmmm.....why is that?
Then a second problem: Many,many times when someone disagrees with them, if they don't have logic or reason to respond with, they just start accusing that person of flaming, even when no flaming happened.
Look at the forum rules: A flame is a post specifically designed to berate or insult another player.
But what happens so often is if player A disagrees with player B, and player B don't really have logic or reason on his side, player B just starts screaming, "you're flaming me". A disagreement is not a flame. A flame is a flame. There is a difference. You will be able to read this entire post and not see one flame. Or, some will try to get threads locked and now, some are trying to get rid of the GoA program all together.
You don't want to be GoA, that cool, just give back the shield (or keep it as a reward for past help you gave), step down and others will gladly take your place. Or..... Just revisit the stated goals of the program and rethink the way you handle some threads/posts. Option two = best option.
I just read a thread, that actually inspired me to respond to this one. Everyone knows which one I'm talking about. The one where a player was suggesting a trade of different bows in game. People responded in unnecessary ways and as it turns out with incorrect information. Turning a simple, perfectly innocent post into a ridic onslaught against the op. And what I was so surprised and very happy to see, is that this op stood up for himself.
And it seems like sometimes people can't stand to have their "authority questioned". That thread like so many others got worse and worse cuz, not what the op was saying cuz of what the others were saying.
Please re-read the purpose of the GoA as typed above and the ACTUAL, REAL definition of flaming if you disagree with the last paragraph above.
Some, many, many times, have no prob breaking the very rules, they try to "enforce". No one ever says anything cuz either don't care that the rule was broken, cuz after all he senior member, or afraid that he is going to get flamed for standing up for himself or someone else.
Then others are going on and on and on about how the poor GoAs are being flamed. I have not seen one, not one, not one flame against against a GoA that wasn't only after the player was treated inappropraitely by one or more senior member. Not saying that ok, but..... What was happening to the jr member was not ok either. In fact worse, cuz the senior/goa members should no better and have somewhat of a heavier burden to ACT RIGHT.
People need to start being more nicer, lol.
The problem is not that GoAs are inactive (well, idk, maybe some are, but many are not, lol), the prob is that they have taken their "authority" far too far. They seem to have forgotten the stated purpose of the program.
Some patrol the forum boards like the security guard that drives around the Walmart parking lot constantly on the lookout for some "trouble maker".
Then the slightest problem, instead of handelng it in a useful manner they approach it like it's a fire that has to be put out. OVERKILL Then, often more than one join in tossing more and more water on the "fire", but, hmm.. Fire still burning, cuz they either missed the point all together or they made the discussion worse by the way they handeled it.
Please re-read the stated purpose of the GoA program as typed above. Supposed to diffuse arugments and flame wars, not start them or make them way worse. Supposed to proved USEFUL and CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK to the devs and to other players.
The GoA program shouldn't be abolished. Everyone should just remember what we are all supposed to be doing as GoA, senior members, jr members, etc. It is extremely beneficial when everyone simply remembers what they are supposed to be doing.
To bring more players into the forum, we need the correctly functioning GoA program.
As stated above, this post does not have one flame. Not even one. There is nothing here purposly designed to insult anyone. It is someone speaking up cuz of what has been happening.
But, we should realize, that it is an extreme priority to bring more people to this board. Hmm.... Maybe we should stop scaring them away. This forum is in urgent need of the GoA program cuz:
1. We need USEFUL and CONSTRUCTIVE FEED BACK.
2. We need a FRIENDLY forum.
3. We need to increase COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. Hmm.. Lets stop scaring off new and kinda new members.
4. We need people who are HELPFUL and CONSTRUCTIVE to be very VISABLE.
Those are the four stated purposes of the GoA program. We need tons more of all four!