Blogs, forums and Jerks : Oh My!

In a suprise announcement Tobold is taking a break from blogging for 3 weeks. After the 3 weeks is over he'll decide if he wants to continue blogging again.

Hopefully I'm paraphrasing correctly when I say he's taking a break because of the rude tangents some commenters take on his blog. His main reason for blogging is to have discussion about topics he's interested in, not spend time moderating, filtering through garbage of other commenters agendas.

I'm reminded of one of Tseric's (an ex-WoW forum Community Manager) last posts before he left to do other things:

"When you can understand how a group of belligerent and angry posters can drive away people from this game with an uncrafted and improvisational campaign of misery and spin-doctoring, then perhaps, you can understand the decisions I make. Until you face mobs of psychology, you will not see my side.

Until you see some bright-eyed player coming onto the forums wanting to know what they should spec as this class, and see them shat on and driven away by petty and selfish people who are simply leveraging for game buffs, you will not understand.

You will not understand until you have to see it daily, for years...

Until you understand that many people will trod over you to get where they're going, or to get what they want.

Until you understand that so many people will agree, completely, 100% with a loud, vulgar and assertive individual, not because he is right, but because he is making a stand against "the Man"; to take no critical thought in what they say, but simply to hop on board."

Now while I read Tobold's blog with some regularity, I don't usually keep up with all the comments to his posts. I can't say exactly if Tseric's experience is what Tobold is going through but it sure sounds like it.

I've posted genuine questions on WoW forums, hoping for advice, comments, suggestions or some form of discourse by the people who supposedly love the game and instead have been met with negativity. I take it in stride of course. The suggestion is usually to go to Elitist Jerks if you want better conversation, but even that forum has been invaded by garbage you have to sift through to get anything of real use.

Like a commenter said, this is a result of "e-fame". Tobold is popular and WoW is popular and Elitist Jerks is popular and with the larger audiences you risk being exposed to a larger amount of...jerks.

I made a post previously about how EJ seems to no longer be able to keep up with the amount of unhelpful posts that make it to their forums. It is expected on WoW forums, but EJ expounds it is a "site dedicated to intelligent discussion".

I think EJ should take a cue from Tobold. I realize shutting down may not be an option, but they should revoke everyone's access. Perhaps only allow certain people to post, everyone can search and read of course, but you should have some sort of credibility before you are allowed to post. Hmm that's starts veering into free speech and the like...

(I realize this post ends abruptly, sorry for now!)