On why class CMs do exist, and why we need them

WoW Priest - Image 1 It has been noted time and again in the World of Warcraft Forums that there isn’t such a thing as a class CM (Community Manager) – at least “officially.” However, WoW Forum Member Tanque posts an argument on the Forums saying that there are Class CMs, and that their existence matter because CMs who “play the class know how to identify important issues in the community and insure that it gets the proper attention.”

Tanque cites an old thread in which Community Manager Nethaera wrote:

As some of you know, I run a Discipline/Holy priest myself and this bug affects me the same as anyone else. I would love to have it fixed sooner as well, but realize that there are many other issues that are being worked on at the same time and being fixed concurrent to these bugs. In the meantime I’ll make due.

Tanque notes that this is a nice moment where a CM was representative of a class in World of Warcraft. Tanque goes on to assert that Blizzard should hire Class CMs, and give up this no Class CM status quo, as Class specific CMs would be better equipped to enter class related threads in the forums, and thus be better able to address player concerns.

Blizzard Community Manager Nethaera, of course, was quick to respond with this (brace yourself, it’s a long one):

We don’t have class specific CMs because it would actually hinder our ability to share information with a class we weren’t seen as being “in touch” with should we have information to share. Our credibility as being capable messengers for that class is questioned when we are bringing valid and important information. If one of us isn’t available to share the information, another can step in easily and relay the information. If we had a specific person dedicated only to that class and someone else stepped in, people would say they didn’t believe it and wouldn’t until “x” person said it. This is not how we want to relay information. We are all equally given the ability to relay information to anyone as it’s made available to us and that’s an important part of our jobs.

Many perceptions of us not understanding the “plight” of a class come from when we have to say “no” or have an answer for people that isn’t particularly popular.

Yes, sometimes we share what we play on occasion when relaying information for the sake of letting people know we’re right there with them playing and seeing the issues, but we don’t want that to pigeon-hole us in the eyes of the community to only being able to communicate on those particular issues.

Ah, the many plights of being a Community Manager. Well what’s your take on this folks? Will Class CMs indeed allow Blizzard to better communicate with their players, or will it only “pigeon-hole” the CMs and place them in a position where they’re alien to a whole group of players? Feel free to discuss this in our comments below.

Via WoW Forums

WoW Priest - Image 1 It has been noted time and again in the World of Warcraft Forums that there isn’t such a thing as a class CM (Community Manager) – at least “officially.” However, WoW Forum Member Tanque posts an argument on the Forums saying that there are Class CMs, and that their existence matter because CMs who “play the class know how to identify important issues in the community and insure that it gets the proper attention.”

Tanque cites an old thread in which Community Manager Nethaera wrote:

As some of you know, I run a Discipline/Holy priest myself and this bug affects me the same as anyone else. I would love to have it fixed sooner as well, but realize that there are many other issues that are being worked on at the same time and being fixed concurrent to these bugs. In the meantime I’ll make due.

Tanque notes that this is a nice moment where a CM was representative of a class in World of Warcraft. Tanque goes on to assert that Blizzard should hire Class CMs, and give up this no Class CM status quo, as Class specific CMs would be better equipped to enter class related threads in the forums, and thus be better able to address player concerns.

Blizzard Community Manager Nethaera, of course, was quick to respond with this (brace yourself, it’s a long one):

We don’t have class specific CMs because it would actually hinder our ability to share information with a class we weren’t seen as being “in touch” with should we have information to share. Our credibility as being capable messengers for that class is questioned when we are bringing valid and important information. If one of us isn’t available to share the information, another can step in easily and relay the information. If we had a specific person dedicated only to that class and someone else stepped in, people would say they didn’t believe it and wouldn’t until “x” person said it. This is not how we want to relay information. We are all equally given the ability to relay information to anyone as it’s made available to us and that’s an important part of our jobs.

Many perceptions of us not understanding the “plight” of a class come from when we have to say “no” or have an answer for people that isn’t particularly popular.

Yes, sometimes we share what we play on occasion when relaying information for the sake of letting people know we’re right there with them playing and seeing the issues, but we don’t want that to pigeon-hole us in the eyes of the community to only being able to communicate on those particular issues.

Ah, the many plights of being a Community Manager. Well what’s your take on this folks? Will Class CMs indeed allow Blizzard to better communicate with their players, or will it only “pigeon-hole” the CMs and place them in a position where they’re alien to a whole group of players? Feel free to discuss this in our comments below.

Via WoW Forums

Add a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *