Does Etiquette + QWERTY = EtiQWERTY or QWERTYquette?

We’ve been discussing “thank you” a lot recently, and each situation is very different. A polite game player will most assuredly show their gratitude for a time extension in a game with a quick “thanks”, “thank you”, “much appreciated”, or “ty”. This is, in essence, a gift that will play a major role in the outcome of the game. The player likely went into the game knowing that there’d be a time limit, and when you extended it, you really did a nice thing, and it should be acknowledged.

Good for you for biting your tongue and refraining from showing impatience. For someone who is trying to take their turn, and having difficulty, impatience just adds to the stress and frustration. Practicing patience is to be commended.

As for limiting your extensions, that is solely up to you. Personally, I think two extensions is fair in a time game. Here’s why – I set up a timed game with the expectation that my opponent knows how to play, and that he or she understands that this is a timed game. I do recognize that things happen, and I’m willing to allow for a couple of extensions

However, after the second extension, I draw the line. Especially if my opponent isn’t making good use of them. I shouldn’t have to waste my time, and my opponent needs to reel in his or her expectations that an extension is a “given”.

There are, of course, exceptions. If my opponent is up front with me and says “I’m very new to this game, so please forgive my bad playing” or something, I will do my best to help and of course I’ll extend.

In regards to “running up the game” when your opponent knows that a win is at hand, I don’t see anything wrong with that. Games are competitive – not only with our opponents but with ourselves. It’s our nature to want to make the best move possible, no matter how much we’re clobbering our opponent. It’s not personal – it’s just a game.

I’m terribly sorry that you were subjected to such a bad experience. Hate speech is hate speech is hate speech, and it’s unacceptable on Pogo in any room. What you saw violated our Terms of Service and should have been reported.

I’m not sure where you got the idea that you can’t report abuse from an uncensored room. Simply highlight the screen name of the person making the violations, right click and choose “Report Abuse”. The Abuse Report Form will take you through the steps, and our Customer Experience Representatives will evaluate and take the appropriate action.

If you find yourself unable to make an Abuse Report from an uncensored room, that’s a bug! You can report the bug to us by clicking the “Contact Us” link in our Customer Support Center

While the chat filter does manage to filter many of the more common swear words, it can’t get them all. People are very clever in how they bypass it, and some words are offensive only in some situations. For instance, if I were to say “I can’t wait to visit China next year!”, I’m not violating any Terms of Service. However, if I were to something derogatory about people from China, that would be a violation.

Well, I have to disagree with you. You seem to be very good with words! Your letter brought a big smile to my face and made my tea even sweeter! I read a lot of letters about rudeness, so yours is a breath of fresh air!

Thanks for sharing and reminding us that there are a lot of truly wonderful Pogo folks out there!