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Dear Ms. Netiquette,
I just wanted to see if what I “heard” in chat during a game the other night is true. A player claimed that she was given a 72 hour suspension of her Pogo account because she used “wtg” more than 5 times while she was in a room playing a game. She said that Pogo told her it was a violation of the rules. She also said that she was given a list of words that could not be used on Pogo. She swore that she did not swear and was told by Pogo it was for over-use of “wtg”.
Could this possibly be true? I would presume that someone had to file an abuse report, and I just can’t believe that someone would do it for that reason. I and others often use the commonly used words of congratulations, thank you, etc.
Thanks for taking the time to address this issue for me. I would like to be able to set people straight should I run into someone else who claims a 72 hour suspension for something trivial.
Signed,
Chat Without Fear
| Dear Chat Without Fear, Could it possibly be true? Alas, it could be. Would it be right if it were true? Most definitely not. Obviously, all we have is the story the player gave, thus we have no clue what actually as to happened. All we can do is speculate. It could be that the player got in trouble not for saying “wtg” but for screen scrolling “wtg” over and over again non-stop and causing a disturbance in the chat room. Or it could be that the player is leaving something out. While it is unlikely, it is also possible that the player is telling the truth and one of our Customer Experience Representatives mishandled the situation. We’ll never know. In any case, repeating “wtg” or any non-offensive message in the chat room as part of the normal flow of chat is not a violation of our Terms of Service, and you need not worry about getting suspended for it. |
Dear Ms. Netiquette,
Yesterday I was playing a few games of Jungle Gin when another player joined my game. We were not chatting, just playing. I was having one of those Pogo lucky streaks and won two games in a row. After my second win, she typed into the chat “enjoy the virus” and left.
Now, this may sound ridiculous to a computer savvy person, but I found it very discomforting. I am not knowledgeable enough to know whether someone can attach a virus to my computer through a Pogo game or not. Can they? Normally I just ignore rude comments, but this was a threat. I feel very uncomfortable with it.
No Virus for Me, Thank You
| Dear No Virus, I’m very sorry that you were treated so poorly by another player. She was attempting to upset you by telling you this lie. She would not be able to give you a virus merely by playing a game on Pogo. In order to receive a virus, she would have to send you to another web site or get you to open something in an e-mail. She was merely trying to scare you. If you should be in this position again, you can report them for making threats. But let’s all turn her negative into a positive by making sure that we’ve got our computers as safe as can be! Take a moment and make sure your virus software is up to date. I also recommend reading Ms. Netiquette Talks Safety on the Internet! |
Dear Nettie,
This is in response to the letter dated July 1, “Hey Nettie, Are People Nuts” regarding people posting personal information in order to garner sympathy or attention and engaging the abusive behavior of others.
Although I have no issue with this post and I tend to agree with him/her and with your advice regarding the issue, my question is this: Do you think it is prudent as an advice and etiquette columnist to call these people “nuts”? I take no issue with the poster stating as such because they are presumably stating an opinion and not bound by as strict “etiquette” rules as a professional, paid employee such as yourself is on this site.
Condemning someone’s behavior is one thing, issuing insults of their character is quite another.
Sincerely,
Mindful of My Manners
| Dear Mindful of My Manners, Thank you for your letter. I did have to sit down with a nice hot cup of Earl Grey – my “tea of contemplation” – over this. I re-read my response and I actually didn’t just call the people who engage creating a lot of drama nuts, I actually called all people nuts. I said “Yes, people are nuts” and then advised the letter writer to choose her nuts carefully. While I do understand what you’re saying, and I do try to be careful about not minding my own manners with this column, I am actually going to stand by my statement. People *are* nuts. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Our nuttiness leads to wonderful inventions, like art, music and even many of your favorite Pogo games! Re-reading my response, I’m much more offended by my egregious run-on sentence in the third paragraph! How could the Editor have missed that? (Editor: Oops!) I’m actually surprised nobody called me to the table on that one! Anyway, my actual wording was: “So, yes, people are nuts, and we have to choose them carefully. Some nuts are wonderful. Some not so much”, and I do stand by that. |
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