Redeem your 
Hi Nettie,
I’m thinking today is a black coffee day….
I like to read the Pogo page on Facebook. I’ve experienced lots of problems or issues with some games on Pogo and like to share how to fix them so that others can get back to playing the games. In general, people appreciate the help or direction and either say so (or say nothing).
I’m shell-shocked today after all the anger, frustration and rudeness toward a few people on that page who were trying to help. I’m also surprised by the anger towards Pogo because of either server issues or other things (so that people weren’t able to play on Pogo for a short period of time twice in the afternoon).
Today I was called an incredibly racist name and I was accused of being an employee of EA and Pogo which, they said, was why I was defending Pogo (when I’m only talking about my experience with Pogo and EA help), and that my name is fake, etc…
Within the past few months, posters have insisted that I and another person be banned from the page because no one wants to see the stuff we post. We’ve also been called nasty names, harassed and laughed at…and I haven’t even mentioned the worst of it. Couple that with a person who likes to add onto many postings about contacting the BBB in California to file a claim against Pogo/EA, and people who aren’t willing to try any of the suggestions given to fix a problem cause they’re tried them all already, nothing works, and they shouldn’t have to do anything anyway cause it’s all Pogo’s and their servers fault.
I’m not computer literate naturally, and learned things from others on the Pogo Facebook page, Pogo forums, etc… I learned how to clean my cache, change the zoom, make sure Flash was stored on my computer, uninstall and reinstall Java and browsers, and a whole lot of other things that I never knew. While I wasn’t thrilled initially with having to learn these things, I did realize that a computer needs regular maintenance (like a car or a home) and that things won’t work well if general upkeep isn’t taken care of.
I don’t get all the blame and anger put on Pogo, EA and those people on the Facebook page that try to help others. I understand being frustrated but most of us are adults and know there are ways to handle frustration without taking it out on others (especially strangers on the Internet who are trying to help). I also know that it’s very easy to bypass courtesy online (just because you can)…. but it still doesn’t make any sense to me. Why would people be so nasty towards those who are trying to help?
I’m still perplexed by those who refuse to understand that things happen, that sometimes you have to wait, that it’s best to be polite when contacting customer service or in requesting help for something, that it might take a while to learn how to do something new (but once you’re familiar with it it’ll go quickly… i.e. cleaning out cache’s, using EA help, etc), etc.
I know that the Pogo Facebook page is a fan page, and I am perplexed by people’s insistence that it be what they think it should be (i.e. help for their computer problems, or a place to offer feedback or get account help). And then there’s the usual spam, and refusal to use EA help or the Pogo forum along with all the rumors, etc…
Amidst all of this are the few postings where people say they love the games on Pogo or have something nice to say. I know there are more players who have had a good experience, and I wish they would stop by the page to say so.
I sit here perplexed… how about you?
Confused by Comments
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Dear Confused by Comments, If it’s coffee you’re serving, it’s coffee I shall have! I will admit, however, coffee does cause me to be a little sharp in the tongue – so be careful what you ask for! Am I perplexed? Alas, I’m probably more jaded than anything. Having been in the online and gaming business for as long as I have, and in the positions I’ve held (nearly all of them in some form of Customer Service), I’ve seen a lot of trash talking – even long before Facebook. We call them “griefers” because they cause grief. Yes, there are times when people get frustrated with Pogo (even I get frustrated sometimes), and sometimes people say things they wouldn’t normally say. You kind of have to take that with a grain of salt and be a little understanding. But those who repeatedly trash talk, or make people feel bad definitely fall under the “griefer” category. We’ll be forgiving to those who are frustrated and deal now with the griefers. And guess what? As offensive and upsetting as some of what you see is , Pogo griefers are nothing compared to those of more “hardcore” type games. Still, I definitely understand your concern, which leads to your other question – why would people be so nasty to those attempting to offer help? That one, thankfully, I can’t answer, because everyone is different and my reality is so far removed from that of someone who would willingly cause such upset, I’ll never truly understand. It could be a number of things, but it’s pretty obvious these people are unhappy. Some of them may be on drugs or alcohol and are so lost they don’t even recognize what they’re doing. Or maybe they just had a bad day. Or maybe they stepped on a crack, broke their mother’s back and want to take it out on you. Some folks are just looking for anything to complain about, and they will focus on something small that they can find fault with, rather than looking at the complete picture. So, you never know what’s going on in the minds of griefers. Of course, we run the risk of appearing sympathetic towards those who enjoy giving grief to others when we speculate, and, as harsh as this may sound, the best thing we can do for ourselves and for them, is to report them and then ignore them. They’re out for one thing – attention. When they get it, they continue. When they don’t they move on to find someone who will give it to them. If they lose their account along the way, then that’s the price they pay. It may be the wakeup call they need. So, what do you do? In any case, like the example you gave, where the statement is abusive or offensive,, you should report the player. How? It’s a little hidden, but once you know how to do it, it’s a piece of cake. If you put your mouse pointer to the right of the name, you’ll see a little “x”. Click that and you’ll see a “Hide Spam” message, and then the following message will appear (using ‘Pumpkin Overshoes’ as a first and last name): This comment has been hidden as spam. You can Undo this, Report it as abusive, or Block Pumpkin Overshoes . You may also give Pumpkin Overshoes feedback. From there, you can report the player, undo the “hide”, block any messages from being seen in the future, or give the player feedback. Now, do understand that you are reporting the player to Facebook, and not Pogo. I can’t speak to what happens to any abuse reports on Facebook, but the assumption is that abusive users will face consequences. Finally, the other productive way to combat griefers is to CONTINUE to do what you’re doing! Continue being helpful. Continue having fun. Continue enjoying yourself and keep being yourself. The message you’re sending there is important – that their misery is theirs, and whatever they do will never stop you from being a positive person. If you hesitate to post something out of fear that they’ll say something, then you’ve deprived yourself the pleasure of bringing to good to others, and you’ve prevented someone from receiving help. Furthermore, the more positive messages people see, the more they see Pogo as a friendly place. |
Dear Ms. Netiquette,
I have recently received two types of chain letters in my messages. Should these be allowed? I have deleted them, but one of the people that sent the first one is still on my friends list. Should I delete her as well? I don’t like chain letters and never respond to them, but I wonder about people who may believe in them and do what’s asked for. Any suggestions on this matter before we are all swamped with these?
Breaking the Chain
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Dear Breaking the Chain,
You don’t give me a lot of information to go on with your letter, so I’ll do my best.Sending chain letters in the Pogo Messaging system is Terms of Service violation that can cause the sender to be warned or suspended. I encourage players to be polite about it. Rather than report the sender for the violation (which you can do right there on the messaging page), I’d contact the player and request that he or she take you off the list they have. A simple message like: “Hi friend, I received that chain letter you sent me, and wanted let you know that I don’t believe in chain letters, so if you could please remove me from your mailing list, I would appreciate it” should do the trick. It’s direct, it’s honest, and if the recipient of that message freaks out about it, then you know you don’t want to remain friends. If the message sender continues to send messages after you politely asked them not to, then you may wish to send in an abuse report. If the sender has never been reported, they will simply receive a warning letter informing that they’ve violated the Terms of Service. If it’s not, they do risk being suspended. If they’re intent on sending them, they could, eventually, lose their account. |
Dear Ms. Netiquette,
Good grief!!! I cannot believe how many people get so upset that their Minis weren’t chosen in one of these events – even the games-themed one yesterday. You know – that wonderful event that brings the world together for 17 days every 4 years in peaceful, harmonious competition where the runners up congratulate the winners and most people don’t whine and complain about losing?
Well… today, while logging on, I realize it’s Friday so as soon as POGO loads up I head to your column…
And there it was, just as I knew it would be, another letter (yes another… I can’t believe people are so fixated on this…) complaining about the judges, the other Minis, not being picked….
It’s just a cute little contest. Your very lives do not depend on whether you go to the Hall of Fame or not. If not this week, then maybe next… or the week after… I’m sure everyone will eventually win. Plus, the judges who do these all the time are probably familiar with some of the attendees because they are there every time so, sure….maybe they do get picked a little more often… but so what? Be happy for the winners and move on. Everyone’s turn will come.
There are more important things to get fired up about: the price of gas, the economy, jobs, children, and spouses – real things to be concerned about. Don’t let the fact that your cute little mini-me didn’t get picked ruin your day… or your week… or your life! People will still love you even if your mini didn’t win this time.
On another note…well, really kind of the same subject…
I entered the Amazing Mini event myself for the very first time yesterday, though I’ve been a Club member for years. My mini was already dressed up for the big games anyway and I noticed a special mini night with the games theme so I figured since I was all dressed up and now actually HAD someplace to go, I went. I didn’t talk to anyone, just looked at and admired all their Minis and played Lost Temple and wondered what it is that goes on at these events.
After a while I noticed a judge in the room so I kept up with reading the chat until the judge left. Everyone said good luck to everyone else and most left.
Having never been to one of these, I didn’t even know where to look for the results… but I dug around today until I found the HOF. I couldn’t believe my Mini had been chosen! What a surprise. I had 2 London things and 2 USA things, some confetti, and the caption read “Thanks London – Go USA” – not too busy or spectacular but I guess someone liked it enough to pick it so thanks to the judges.
But the really amazing thing about this amazing mini event is that today I noticed I had 2 gifts and 9 entries in my guestbook. This seemed unusual until I discovered that it all was from nice Pogonians, none of whom I had even ever met, congratulating me on my win.
I was overwhelmed!!! I always knew the people on Pogo are among the nicest people on the planet but this went beyond. How touching! I did write to convey my thanks to them and hope to see them again… maybe I’ll go to another event – though I can promise everyone I will NOT complain if I don’t win!
Thanks for letting me vent. Enjoy your tea!
Sign me…..
Win or lose, it’s still FUN!
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Dear Win or lose, it’s still FUN! Thank you for your insightful letter. Try as we might to explain that the judges truly do not pick favorites, there will always be some folks who believe that they do. Thankfully most people find the events enjoyable enough that they continue to come to the events. I’m going to wrap this column up with an apology – last week the column went out with the most annoying blue my poor eyes have seen. I’m still pretty new to the way the new Pogo News page works, so I wasn’t sure how to fix it. I’d like to thank Pogo_Bret for fixing the color for me last week. This week the colors look a lot better, although from my end they don’t match, even though they should. Ugh! Well, at least it’s not blinding. My apologies to every eyeball that had to read through that blinding blue! |
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
