Redeem your 
Dear Ms. Nettie,
I love to read your column as often as I can. I have a strange question and hope you will answer.
I was playing in a room that was quiet and relaxing, because the less stress I’m under, the better for me. Anyway, a woman entered the room with a name that was filthy. I won’t say it because maybe to her it was fine. It bothered me so badly, I left the room.
Can we report to the Powers That Be the names that offend us? Does Pogo look at names when people sign up and try to reject some that are offensive? What should I do if I see another name that offends me, other than leave the room?
Thank you, Ms. Nettie!
Offended in Solitaire
| Dear Offended in Solitaire,
Screen names fall under the same Terms of Service rules that apply to chat, so yes, you can report the names of players who sport offensive screen names to the Powers That Be. In fact, when you open up the Abuse Report, you’ll see that the last option is “Bad Screen Name (Vulgar, Spoof, Impersonation)”.While Pogo does have a filter to keep many bad screen names from getting through, there are clever people in the world who can get around it. Furthermore, there are perfectly innocent words that when combined with other innocent words create an offensive combination. So, while the filter does catch a lot of them, from time to time you’ll see one that shouldn’t be there.There are also times when we misread a screen name. There was once a player who loved a particular breed of dog, so she gave herself a screen name that combined her favorite breed with another word. People misread the name and reported her repeatedly. She was blocked, unblocked, blocked and unblocked several times before she finally had her name changed. So, if you do come across someone with a name that looks offensive, but you’re not 100% sure it is, and the person seems nice, you might just ask before making a report. |
Dear Ms. Netiquette,
I enjoy Pogo gaming! My cousin and I are in states far apart and it is an excellent way to connect with her and keep abreast of family events. HOWEVER, I’m having issues with ‘stalking’ on her part. It’s like there is some alarm that goes off on her computer when I connect to Pogo. I can almost guarantee that as soon as I get online I can expect her to follow me and pop up.
Don’t get me wrong. I dearly love playing games with her, but she is constantly following me around Pogo – or calling me, since she knows I’m home and on the Pogo site. There are moments that I like to pop in, play a couple of games in peace and go on about my day and avoid the ‘drama’ that goes with my cousin and her world.
I tried blocking her so that she wouldn’t know I was online, but it appears that Pogo informs the blocked that they are being blocked. That brings a call that lasts half the day and a boohoo about my being ‘mean’ and blocking her.
Is there ANY WAY that we can block our friends without their knowing it? I’ve even used different passwords in games I’d rather she not follow me to, but she gets angry because I have excluded her. I dearly love cuz, but there are times I like to play a game in solitude and not have to deal with her or her drama club.
Suggestion: Please allow us to block friends on our list without their knowing so that we can browse Pogo in peace when we aren’t ‘in the mood’.
I’m sure there are others who have had this problem. Any way we can fix this ‘stalking’ problem? I can’t (won’t) report her as stalking, as she is my dearly beloved cousin. And MOST times I am happy to see her, but not ALWAYS and EVERYTIME I get online!
Sometimes I Need My Space
| Dear Sometimes I Need My Space,
You have my sympathies. It’s a tough situation. You love her dearly, but she does sound like she’s a bit of a drama queen, and sometimes you simply don’t want to deal with her. And, unfortunately, there is currently no way to efficiently hide from someone when you just want to be left alone. She definitely seems to be aggressively looking for you. In order for her to know that you’ve blocked her, she must be clicking on your profile fairly regularly. That is a bit invasive. Clearly, she’s not respecting your privacy on her own. Have you talked to her frankly about it? If you haven’t, then I suggest talking to her on the phone and reaffirming how much you value having her as part of your family, but that there are times when you need your space and prefer to play games without distraction of any kind. In this crazy world we live in, that’s certainly understandable. Hopefully she’ll be able to understand. Of course, it sounds like she is wrapped up in her own world and may not, for whatever reason, be able to see how others may feel. So, she could take this as a slight. And it’s possible you’ve already tried talking to her about it. If so, you may have to be a more firm with her in a future conversation and bluntly tell her something like: “You know I love you to death, but there are times when I need my space, and on those times, I do block everyone on my Friends List so I can have a little me-time. I’m sorry if you don’t like it, but know that I still love you.” If she makes a big huge stink about it every time you do that, there is a sort-of-clunky way to make it so you don’t appear like you’re blocking her. Here’s what to do:
That should allow her to see your profile without having her see where you are. Best of luck to you! |
Dear Ms. Netiquette,
A while back I asked in the forums if anyone knew how Pogo felt about talking about other games you play on Pogo. I don’t mean sites similar to Pogo, but sites where just one game is played, for example World of Warcraft.
I always put other games I play in my profiles, so I can both find friends from those games on other sites, and find new friends. I’d like to put them on my Pogo profile, and possibly talk about them in chat if I find someone I’d really enjoy playing another game with, but I don’t want to offend Pogo or other players.
Thanks,
Looking for Friends
| Dear Looking for Friends,
Anything you feel passionate about – that doesn’t actually violate our Terms of Service – is fine to put into your profile. Games, when you break them down, are an art form. From the way they appear to the way that they engage the player, games appeal to our sensitivities much the same way music, theater, literature and art do. Few people only enjoy one play, book or song. Pogo provides a great number of wonderful casual games, but there are other types of games out there that people enjoy. Everyone here at Pogo, as much as we love the Pogo games, have a great appreciation for a lot of other innovative and enjoyable games out there, and we expect that our players will, too. So, if you’re looking for someone else who enjoys both Pogo and World of Warcraft, then by all means, put that in your profile. |
