Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Which community managers do you love?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/24/the-daily-grind-which-community-managers-do-you-love/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/24/the-daily-grind-which-community-managers-do-you-love/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/24/the-daily-grind-which-community-managers-do-you-love/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Thank you!
Yesterday the world awoke to the grandest of holidays: Community Manager Appreciation Day. CMAD has a long and rich history dating all the way back to 2010, when the communities of games, websites, and forums decided they would stop bickering, trolling, flaming, squabbling, and misspelling long enough to mutter out a heartfelt "Thanks, I guess" to the community managers who swept their cages every morning.

I knew that Monday was CMAD because our very own Community Manager Rubi kindly informed us of this fact. "Hey bozos!" she crowed to the Massively staff. "It's Community Manager Appreciation Day! APPRECIATE ME ALREADY!"

Even though CMAD is over, today we'd like to give our MMO CMs a nod of gratitude and appreciation. Which community managers do you love the most and why?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Which community managers do you love? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cmcmadcommunity-managercommunity-manager-appreciation-daycommunity-managersfeaturedopinionrubitdgthe-daily-grindTue, 24 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Star Wars Galaxies gets a new community manager]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/01/star-wars-galaxies-gets-a-new-community-manager/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/01/star-wars-galaxies-gets-a-new-community-manager/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/01/star-wars-galaxies-gets-a-new-community-manager/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

In a week of transition for SOE, Star Wars Galaxies is changing things up as well. It appears that Community Manager Lydia "Zatozia" Pope is moving to other titles in SOE, making way for her replacement:
"Greetings Star Wars Galaxies players! Zatozia has been a part of your community for quite some time and not only brought mountains of feedback to the Development team, but created some exciting forum activities as well. She has truly made the Star Wars Galaxies community stand out among our products, and we wish her well as she moves to other games within SOE.

"At this time we would also like to introduce your new Community Manager Mepps. An MMO veteran, he looks forward to working with you all and making Star Wars Galaxies one of the best MMO communities to be a part of. Look for him to say hello in the very near future."
We look forward to hearing from Mepps and seeing how he fares in a galaxy far, far away.

MassivelyStar Wars Galaxies gets a new community manager originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cmcommunitycommunity-managerlayoffslydia-popemeppssoesony-online-entertainmentstar-warsstar-wars-galaxiesswgzatoziaFri, 01 Apr 2011 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Meghan "Patience" Jenks leaves Turbine, Andy Belford departs Mythic]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/01/meghan-patience-jenks-leaves-turbine/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/01/meghan-patience-jenks-leaves-turbine/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/01/meghan-patience-jenks-leaves-turbine/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Today, Turbine lost its Patience -- but not in the way you're thinking. Over Twitter, Meghan "Patience" Jenks announced that after six years, she is leaving the studio to move back to California: "I guess it's time to break the news -- Friday is my last day at Turbine. I'm heading back home to CA. It's been an AMAZING 6 years working on amazing games, but I need to be closer to my family."

Jenks has been the online community manager for Turbine since 2004; she was one of the studio's most vocal personalities and the face that the community most often saw in interviews and on convention panels. She indicated that she does indeed have a new job lined up, although she called her stint overseeing Lord of the Rings Online's community "THE highlight of my career."

If this news upsets you, then Jenks has a few words to cheer you up: "Don't be sad -- if you play Turbine games, you're still in excellent hands with the awesomeness of the Community Team! And no -- YOU CAN'T HAVE MY STUFF. :)"

Update: Meghan's not the only one going to California. BioWare Mythic Community Manager Andy Belford also made his farewells on Twitter earlier today. "Jumping on the go west mentality... I'm no longer with BioWare Mythic. I'm moving closer to the family and have a great new opportunity. [... ] Thanks to the WAR and DAOC communities for the last 2+ years. Thank[s] to Mythic for all of the amazing opportunities. I'll forever be grateful." The west coast (and, no doubt, the gaming companies therein) is certainly about to become much richer! Best of luck to the both of you!

MassivelyMeghan "Patience" Jenks leaves Turbine, Andy Belford departs Mythic originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>andy-belfordbiowarecaliforniacmcommunity-managercommunity-teamdaocdark-age-of-camelotgo-westlord-of-the-rings-onlinelotromeghan-jenksmeghan-rodbergmythiconline-community-managerpatienceturbineturbine-entertainmenttwitterWarhammerWarhammer-OnlinewbTue, 01 Feb 2011 14:30:00 EST<![CDATA[PAX 2010: Wrassling the FFXIV community with Square-Enix]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/05/pax-2010-wrassling-the-ffxiv-community-with-square-enix/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/05/pax-2010-wrassling-the-ffxiv-community-with-square-enix/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/05/pax-2010-wrassling-the-ffxiv-community-with-square-enix/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

It was hard to miss Final Fantasy XIV at PAX Prime this year -- its booth loomed large, white and sprawling right inside of the main exhibition hall doors. As players poured in to get their hands on this imminent title, Massively pulled aside Square-Enix's Yasu Kurosawa and Sage Sundi for a chat about managing the global community.

Sage deals with more of the global aspect across multiple regions, while Yasu is Square Enix's North America representative and is tasked with bringing the community's voice back to Japan. Unfortunately, we were limited from discussing gameplay aspects of FFXIV, but the pair were open about the challenges and difficulties of handling a community worldwide, especially in regions where the game's developers are not linguistically fluent. Read on for their thoughts on the subject.

Continue reading PAX 2010: Wrassling the FFXIV community with Square-Enix

MassivelyPAX 2010: Wrassling the FFXIV community with Square-Enix originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cmcommunitycommunity-managerfeaturedff11ff14ffxivfinal-fantasy-11final-fantasy-14final-fantasy-xifinal-fantasy-xivgame-managergmpaxpax-2010pax-primepax-prime-2010sage-sundiSquare-Enixyasu-kurosawaSun, 05 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[News article sparks debate among Community Managers]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/05/news-article-sparks-debate-among-community-managers/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/05/news-article-sparks-debate-among-community-managers/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/05/news-article-sparks-debate-among-community-managers/#commentsFiled under: , ,


An article at GamePro caused a bit of a stir in the gaming industry yesterday, sparking discussion on a topic covered at this year's PAX East -- namely, that of the history of Community Managers and what their jobs entail.

Now, there is a fair amount of background to AJ Glasser's article that we won't delve into, because the comment that many readers focused on was this one: "Before Xbox Live's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb -- who holds the ambiguous title director of programming for Xbox Live -- community managers were mostly forum moderators, people whose job entailed monitoring message boards and weeding out trolls. "

Not so, said many current CMs. Familiar names such as Daeke and Aether began popping up in the comments section of the article, contending that Community Managers were much more than forum mods before Major Nelson came on the scene. The conversation began in the article's comments section and continued via Twitter with quite a few people in the industry lining up to join the debate. The discussion offers several varying opinions and is definitely worth following if you've got an interest in the role of community management.

MassivelyNews article sparks debate among Community Managers originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 May 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aj-glasserCMcommunity-managerdavid-bassgameprolarry-hrybMajor-Nelsontroy-hewittWed, 05 May 2010 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Jagex Community Dev Diary: Striking a balance]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/01/exclusive-jagex-community-dev-diary/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/01/exclusive-jagex-community-dev-diary/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/01/exclusive-jagex-community-dev-diary/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Massively has invited Jagex Games Studio, developer of RuneScape and other online titles, to share with the MMO community some of the unique challenges and tasks that they deal with on a daily basis. In the first of a regular dev diary series, Jagex's Kelvin Plomer (Head of Community Management) and Paul Mayer (RuneScape Community Manager) open up about the difficulty of striking a balance between the needs of players and the direction of developers.

The Community Has Spoken: How MMO Creators Balance Development Plans with Player Feedback

Community and player involvement are the backbone of any good MMO. One of the huge issues we face as a Community Management team, and as a game developer and publisher, is that all of our players have an opinion on pretty much every aspect of our games...and they're not afraid to let us know about it! What's the issue, then? Well, when you have the largest free MMO in the world in your game catalogue with millions of players, that's one hell of a lot of opinion to attempt to digest, respond to and factor into game development.

Continue reading Jagex Community Dev Diary: Striking a balance

MassivelyJagex Community Dev Diary: Striking a balance originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cmcommunity-dev-diarycommunity-managerdev-diaryfeaturedfeedbackjagexkelvin-plomerpaul-mayerrunescapeThu, 01 Apr 2010 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Spellborn dropping out of the Japanese market]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/02/spellborn-dropping-out-of-the-japanese-market/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/02/spellborn-dropping-out-of-the-japanese-market/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/02/spellborn-dropping-out-of-the-japanese-market/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The somewhat European inspired fantasy MMO The Chronicles of Spellborn is shutting down its Japanese service, causing a stir of worry and discussion about the title's future in other territories within the community at large. To make matters worse, the one person who could've cleared up any confusion, TheHistorian, is no longer with publisher Acclaim as community manager for the game. Given that he was the sole link between the community and developers, it's no wonder people are feeling a bit unsettled by the whole affair.

While the closure of The Chronicles of Spellborn Japan isn't a good thing, it doesn't necessarily spell out a dark future for the title. A business deal could've gone sour, or perhaps the audience in Japan just wasn't strong enough to maintain the title. Just in cast something does happen, however, we'll be keeping an eye out for any further development.

MassivelySpellborn dropping out of the Japanese market originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>acclaimclosedcmcommunity-managereuropeeuropeanjapanshut-downshutting-downspellbornspellborn-internationalspellborn-japanthehistorianTue, 02 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[WoW Insider's new writer comes in from the Blizzard]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/11/wow-insiders-new-writer-comes-in-from-the-blizzard/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/11/wow-insiders-new-writer-comes-in-from-the-blizzard/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/11/wow-insiders-new-writer-comes-in-from-the-blizzard/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Our big sister site WoW Insider has always been hella fun to read, but this week they got some serious new assistance in the form of an ex-Blizzard Community Manager. Michael "Belfaire" Sacco (his icon was a Talbuk) has moved on from World of Warcraft CMing, and is now offering up his knowledge and expertise to our favorite WoW-focused website.

He kicks off his time with the team over there by highlighting a great new change coming to World of Warcraft mounts. After Patch 3.0.8 hits the live servers, there will no longer be any racial restrictions for mounts on either the Alliance or Horde factions. That is to say, the Tauren will be able to ride any Horde-faction mount they want, and even the biggest Human will enjoy the experience of riding a Gnomish Mechano-strider. Check out the full PTR 3.0.8 Patch notes over on WoW Insider, and stay tuned over there for more of Mr. Sacco's insights!

MassivelyWoW Insider's new writer comes in from the Blizzard originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blizzardbloggercmcommunity-managementtalbukworld-of-warcraftwowwow-insiderThu, 11 Dec 2008 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Rumor: Warhammer Online to open official forums in 2009]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/06/rumor-warhammer-online-to-open-official-forums-in-2009/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/06/rumor-warhammer-online-to-open-official-forums-in-2009/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/06/rumor-warhammer-online-to-open-official-forums-in-2009/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Somewhere, somehow, William Shatner and Roseanne Barr are singing a duet. That appears to be the implication of a highly unexpected rumor reported on the Warhammer Alliance forum. Apparently, Warhammer Online will soon be launching company-sanctioned official forums. Back in March of this year, Mythic Entertainment's Mark Jacobs went on a ranting rampage about the very concept of official forums. In that whole discussion, he at one point stated he'd rather hear the two above celebrities slam out a duet together than bear the thought of official forums. His statements came during a period were other companies were making similar announcements, and some companies with official forums were even thinking of shutting theirs down.

So this (at this point) rumor as offered by Warhammer Alliance is something of a surprise. Forum admin Garthilk states this comes from "unofficial people in and out of Mythic, as well as inside EA, all tell[ing us] the same thing." He goes on to say that, if true, this will be a boon for the unofficial fan community. It will take pressure off of their taxed volunteer resources and allow them to better serve the community. We'll watch for an official response from Mythic, as well as further developments on this story.
[Via Broken Toys]

MassivelyRumor: Warhammer Online to open official forums in 2009 originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 06 Dec 2008 01:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>breakingcmcommunity-managementforumsmythic-entertainmentofficial-forumswarwarhammer-onlineSat, 06 Dec 2008 01:15:00 EST<![CDATA[EQII gets a new Community Manager]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/17/eqii-gets-a-new-community-manager/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/17/eqii-gets-a-new-community-manager/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/17/eqii-gets-a-new-community-manager/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Just a bit over a month ago, SOE introduced EverQuest II fans to a new Community Manager by the name of Amnerys, and this week another CM will join the team. Christie Renzetti (or "Kiara"), formerly of Ten Ton Hammer and Allakhazam, will now be looking after the EQII community along with Amnerys, Gnobrin and Grimwell.

Having started playing EverQuest in 1999, and EQII since its beta, Kiara is certainly qualified to be representing the interests of Norrathians. She has also been very active on the community forums, something which she enjoys and is now lucky enough to be paid for. You can find out more about Kiara and her love of Dark Elves, and add your own personal greeting, at her welcome thread on the official forums.

MassivelyEQII gets a new Community Manager originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>christie-renzetticmcommunity-managerdark-elfeq2eqiieverquest-2everquest-iikiarasoesony-online-entertainmentThu, 17 Jul 2008 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: To forum, or not to forum?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/07/the-daily-grind-to-forum-or-not-to-forum/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/07/the-daily-grind-to-forum-or-not-to-forum/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/07/the-daily-grind-to-forum-or-not-to-forum/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

It seems like no matter where you go on this World Wild Web, you can't help but stumble across all manner of trolls. Out of game, you can hear the echoes of "qq moar nub" as they rampage around. Indeed, this is why we suspect some games are loath to spend man-hours creating and manning forums, such as Tabula Rasa's stance on them. As routinely surfing forums on the lookout for news is part of our job, we can't help but notice that some companies do a fantastic job of keeping their forums under control, such as the CoX team. Other forums such as the WoW official forums are an absolute epidemic of trolls that seem to be far more pronounced than just about anywhere else.

Now while we would definitely agree that the WoW forums undoubtedly suffer from more trolls due to sheer population density in comparison to other titles, we can't help but wonder... What would it be like if game companies opted to move all official forums to player-run and maintained setups and just popped in like Tabula Rasa has? Would it make more sense to do so and let the communities police themselves? Some of the player-run forums we read, such as different EQ, EQ2, and even WoW resources, seem to do a very good job of policing themselves and keeping the trolls to a minimum. There also isn't backlash into the games overall as they're completely separate. If you do something stupid on a player-run forum, you simply get banned more often than not. The trolls can't argue that they're a paying subscriber and deserve special treatment. (Not that it tends to hold a lot of weight on the WoW forums when you throw that around after a CM has gotten to you.) There are also generally lots of folks who will volunteer time just from the sheer love of the game, getting nothing in return save for a troll-free environment in which to talk about their favorite games.

So this morning we ask you. Is it better to let the players run the forums, or the game companies? Do you think that player-run forums tend to be, on the whole, better than official forums, or do you really think it depends on the title involved? Are there any benefits you see with one over the other, or does it all perhaps just come down to a question of official forums needing more staff to deal with the trolls in their communities?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: To forum, or not to forum? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Dec 2007 08:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>CMcoxeqeq2forum-moderatorforumsgame-forumsofficial-game-forumsplayer-run-forumstabula-rasathe-daily-grindtrolltrollswowFri, 07 Dec 2007 08:02:00 EST<![CDATA[LotRO in-game help demands extra login credentials]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/01/lotro-in-game-help-demands-extra-login-credentials/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/01/lotro-in-game-help-demands-extra-login-credentials/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/01/lotro-in-game-help-demands-extra-login-credentials/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Reports are coming in on the award-winning Lord of the Rings Online's official forums that players are being prompted to enter their username and password when trying to use the in-game help facility. This thread contains posts from some people worried about security issues, some saying that in-game help has always asked you to login, and others disagreeing with them.

It is all cleared up, however, on the second page, when Turbine's Community Manager makes a post confirming that it should not be happening. The quote from CM Patience: "it's definitely borked, and we'll get it fixed as quickly as possible". So if you're worried about entering your login details twice, hopefully there will be a fix going live soon. Just add the name of that annoying gold spammer to your list, and start a voodoo ritual fire the whole thing off when the issue is resolved.

MassivelyLotRO in-game help demands extra login credentials originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 01 Nov 2007 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>CMcommunity-managerhelpin-game-helploginlord-of-the-ringslord-of-the-rings-online-shadows-of-angmarlotropasswordshadows-of-angmarturbineusernameThu, 01 Nov 2007 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Chronicles of Spellborn CM interview]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/10/26/chronicles-of-spellborn-cm-interview/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/10/26/chronicles-of-spellborn-cm-interview/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/10/26/chronicles-of-spellborn-cm-interview/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

We haven't heard much here at Massively about The Chronicles of Spellborn, but what we have heard has been interesting. It's definitely a lesser-known MMORPG, and doesn't have the promotional power of Warhammer or some other MMOs currently in beta, but the dev team over there is definitely throwing around some interesting ideas. Want to play a fantasy MMO where gear doesn't matter, or where player skill is supposed to trump dicerolls? Then if this interview over at TenTonHammer is any indication, Spellborn might be your new favorite upcoming game.

TTH talks with Community Manager Pierre-Yves Deslandes about a game that seems to be aiming to break every MMO convention out there. Gear has no stats on it, so you can wear whatever you like anytime you want. Skills are layered, and meant to be used in conjunction with combos. And there is no auto-lock-- while Deslandes strays away from the "twitch" idea, they instead want to call it "focus." Instead of mindlessly clicking, you've got to be involved in the game.

Not all of it sounds completely new-- NPCs still give quests, and their big innovation in that area is that it's a book floating over their head rather than an exclamation mark. But Spellborn might be an interesting outing, especially if you're looking for something new in MMORPGs.

MassivelyChronicles of Spellborn CM interview originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Oct 2007 22:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chronicles-of-spellbornCMcombosdevfocusgearinnovationsinterviewnpcsspellspellborntentonhammerFri, 26 Oct 2007 22:25:00 EST