Expectations, Part 29548

The bulk of a community manager’s job, once the community is set up and running, is expectation management. When you invite people to ask questions, you create an expectation that you’ll answer them all, not cherry pick the easy ones. When you post five times a day, you create the expectation that you will continue to do so. When you moderate gently and lightly, you create the expectation that it will be always thus. When you respond to a user’s feedback with an immediate change in the game, you create an expectation that you’ll do that forever.

This is all very simple stuff. I am not sure the explosion of community-style jobs has been a good thing for the industry, because these basics don’t seem to have been learned.

But enough of my cranky old person’s ranting. I actually came in to post something interesting that I’ve noticed over my last few gigs. And then I realized I didn’t have an Examiner post up for today, and decided to experiment with posting it there. It’s obvious truth, to some extent, but the seven of you are a little more informed than the average bear.

Just how much more informed you are is the subject of another post.

Consulting Again

There was once a repairman called in to fix a big, expensive machine. He examined it for a few minutes, whacked it with a hammer, and the machine started right up. He presented his bill for $400. “But all you did was hit it with a hammer!” complained the customer.  The repairman said “Oh, I only billed you $5 for that. The other $395 was for my knowing where to hit it.”

I am still with Quick Hit, but I’m back on the terms where I was over the summer - part time, and non-exclusive. Ain’t nobody going away mad, now. Dunno if you all have noticed, but the economy is in free fall, and venture capitalists are telling their projects to spend every dollar like it’s their last. A community manager retains customers. A community manager acquires customers. Community managers can help you prioritize your to-do list, even. What a CM can’t do is build features out of raw code. For that, you need a programmer, and headcount budgets are what they are.

I don’t have to like it in order to understand it. I love the Quick Hit team, and I really love the Quick Hit community. I’m honored to still be associated with the project, but I am, once again, consulting, writing, and raising hell.

Respecting Your Players

I have mentioned before that one of the obvious truths of community management is respecting your players.

The fact that it has to be said is a little disgusting.

Don’t get me wrong, at industry events I was just as likely as the next CM to sit around participating in the Crazy Player Olympics. (The judges once gave me all 10s for the guy who flew out to Virginia from Illinois to demand his lost hammer back.) But the nuts are the outliers. If you do not genuinely care for your players, and think of them with respect, you are going to burn out like a White House press secretary.

Having respect for players means caring about the things that are important to them, both in the game itself and with the influences that shape their response to your product. So, in a traditional sword and board game, you should both care about the game, and at least respect the RPG mentality that leads people to your game.

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Apropos of Nothing

It’s hard to write a blog about community when you are working community, and my hat is off to those who do it. Me, I find myself writing posts that cross all kinds of lines. I had two paragraphs of a rant about people who pick inappropriate names just to try and be all shocking, and that the only thing worse than that kind of asshole is the guy who isn’t doing it to be shocking, but actually believes the stuff he’s spewing. Then I realized I shouldn’t post.

The trouble is, examples are what make rants worthwhile, and I simply won’t use examples from a job I’m actively performing. I lack filters, and the only way for me to stay out of trouble is to not get in a position where filters are necessary.

But here’s a PSA: “Jokes” about raping, lynching, or genocidal maniacs are never actually funny, even when they involve people you don’t like! Okay, I take back the bit about genocidal maniacs. “Springtime for Hitler” was hilarious. But unless you are Mel Brooks, you are not allowed to make those jokes with your avatar name. And if you ARE Mel Brooks, and playing a casual online football name… call me!

Anyway, just wanted to dust the blog off to post a fascinating link from the NYT, one that I, ahem, think might apply to lots of game companies suffering growing pains: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/business/10corner.html?em

Things I Already Love About Non-traditional MMOs

1. The work you do is on the game, not endless rounds of “executive demos” and “press event demos” and other assorted Potemkin villages that ultimately accomplish nothing but make the team feel like hamsters running on a wheel.

2. Pre-launch expectations aren’t skyhigh (that is to say… delusional).

3. There are few conventions/features that you have to include lest everyone cry, “why,” and die.

4. There’s an assumption among users that “launch” is not the starting point, but rather a milestone on a multi-year plan.

Community Motto

“We’re community - we SURF the catastrophe curve.”

New Job!

My last column at MMORPG just went up.

Now you know why I’ve been so quiet. Closed beta! New websites! Designing tools! Forums! Slipped milestones and understandably cranky players!

God, I missed it. I feel like I’m home.

More when I’m not so crazed.

Feedback Column at MMORPG.com

I started to write this somewhat wonky piece for this blog, and realized that I had a column due at MMORPG. That happens to me a lot, lately. I got the kernel of the piece - that bit of research - from my friend and former minion Jeremy, who also wrote a blog post about it.

The article ended up being a little different from my intended writeup, because the audience there is more general than the seven of you, who read, presumably, because you care about community stuff.

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Work Stuff

If you don’t stalk me on Examiner, I posted the news about Mark, and then I did a followup post to explain some nuances missed by people who read the strangely written announcement boilerplate and emerged confused.

A slightly more nuanced take on the general topic, if not specifics, appeared ten written drafts later at MMORPG.com. Gonna be my final word for awhile. My feelings are… mixed.

As soon as preorders are available for the tell all, I’ll let you know.

But I don’t just navel gaze, no sir. I’m still working on the football game. To that end!

If you are/were a Steelers fan, and if you ever wanted to ask Coach Cowher anything, my Quick Hit friends are doing a podcast with the illustrious coach as a guest. If you want to submit a question, send it to askacoach AT quickhit DOT com. Send your real name and address too - the chosen questions will get the asker’s name read out on the air, and you’ll get  a thank you t-shirt. The contact information will go on a spam list over my dead body, so please send your real address.

Finally, if any of my team leads or guild leaders are reading this, and you think your various groups of players would like to take a break from elves and beta test a browser based football game, give me a buzz, please. Each “game” is 20 minutes long, maybe a half hour with the various extra bits.

Thanks!

Back In the Saddle

So, I’ve been waiting until there was something I could actually, you know, show you. And at last there is!

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