The State of the Community
TappedOut forum
Posted on April 1, 2015, 12:33 a.m. by CanadianShinobi
Tapped Out Community I think we need to talk; and by we I mean all of us, together.
I don't know if I have a right to do this and I don't want to step on anyone's toes too much, but someone needs to say something. Because, as far as I can tell, and as far as many of the people I talk to on here can tell, the Community isn't doing so great. I would even hazard to say that the Community is doing rather poorly.
I've been on Tapped Out for nearly two years now. And for the majority of my time it has been a fantastic place to be. Tapped Out has introduced me to a number of great people and has generally made me a much better Magic player. Even before I joined the site and was looking into Magic I browsed the site for deck ideas. But recently, Tapped Out hasn't been so great. There's been a substantial amount negativity and I will be the first to admit that I have done my fair share of contributing to that negativity.
I can't say for certain when it started, but I first picked up on it back when the Ban lists were announced in January. I'm not saying that's the root cause, but it did polarize the Community. I know I was pissed off and maybe we haven't gotten that anger and vitriol out of our systems. But we have to. Because one of the best aspects of this Community is that it isn't policed by Moderators as some sites are. And it shouldn't have to be. I see the Moderators as something of a last resort and even then I hesitate to bother them because they're players and people just like everyone else.
I don't know what needs fixing, but I know something needs fixing. And a lot of people know that. This isn't the Community I decided to join, because that Community was fun and compelled discussion. I don't know what made us all bitter and ready to insult someone instead of assisting them, but it needs to stop. Because it just isn't fucking healthy. I don't have a solution. I don't even have a suggestion for a solution, but I'm hoping we can pull together and think of something.
Thanks T/O. Now let's talk.
Arigato gozaimus
Well, this is what I was saying before and what zandl said earlier. Honestly, if you feel yourself getting angry - leave the thread. I really think people have a massive responsibility to behave maturely here.
April 8, 2015 11:40 a.m.
kmcree i have thought about hiding wall chat from the front page. one of the main reasons I don't get into private chat or obscure those comments is mostly because I don't want predators messaging people through the site trying to do things such as trade scamming, etc.
I do think you have hit the nail on the head, so to speak, when it comes to regulars vs new. I've been part of many online communities in the past where it was clear when I joined that there was a calcified group of people who were there, who had their own style of humor and values, and with that came some negative things such as ridicule of unsophisticated or newer users, hazing, exclusivity, etc. what can I say? I have tried to stamp the bad out like a fire without trying to step too much on the many positive things. I don't know if there's a mechanical way to prevent that besides just making sure that when people, no matter how frequently they come, run aground of the principles of the site such as politeness to others, they are called out.
April 8, 2015 11:41 a.m.
...but hey most people would kill for 3 pages of discussion on their post in DH...
:P
April 8, 2015 11:43 a.m.
Femme_Fatale says... #6
IM claims to be 30, but has never gone to university or college so definitely doesn't understand the importance of posting references and all that stuff the rest of us think is taken for granted. I also think that he lives in Texas, hinted at his mannerisms, but I'm not too well versed in linguistical dialect to give proper conclusive evidence on this.
April 8, 2015 11:47 a.m.
Rhadamanthus says... #7
@ChiefBell: Yeah, I think you, me, and zandl are all on the same side in that respect (if linking posts works the way I think it does, this was my first post in the thread). I just felt the need to bring it up again since the same dumb thing was happening again.
April 8, 2015 11:48 a.m.
Rhadamanthus says... #8
@Femme_Fatale: This isn't a personal dig at you, but your post tells me you've already spent 10x more time worrying about this guy than he's worth. That's the problem I see around here.
April 8, 2015 11:49 a.m.
Yeh, Femme_Fatale, and to be honest I think there is some element of academic / intellectual snobbery or prejudice going on here when we pile onto him. Especially with comments that bash spelling and grammar even when it's all understandable. Some people aren't well educated - their standard of english is poor. I don't feel comfortable hounding them for it.
April 8, 2015 11:51 a.m.
canterlotguardian says... #10
I think what a lot of people are pissed about is that he continues to do things the way he wants to do them, and doesn't take other people's constructive criticism into account, even when it's clear that we're only doing this for his benefit.
(And I don't even feel comfortable about posting this, seeing [as it's already been stated] that these are public forums, which means IM can come over here and see us all talking shit about him... Again... In another forum post. It's just not something I would advocate.)
Rhadamanthus says... #1
And I can tell you're not one of the ones getting mad. Others, though... It just doesn't make sense to me how they can let themselves get sucked in like that.
April 8, 2015 11:37 a.m.