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Dear Nettie,
The other night I was playing in a room and the conversation was about Hurricane Irene. Another player made a derogatory comment about NYC and 9/11. I know most people probably wouldn’t have been bothered by this. However, while I am not from New York, I knew many people who were on the planes and in the towers. Seeing this comment was disturbing to me since that event did effect so many lives.
I kept my tongue and didn’t say anything in the room, but I am wondering if this players comments were against TOS or not?
Thanks,
9/11 is Not a Joke
| Dear 9/11 is Not a Joke,It’s truly a shame that there are people who take some sort of pleasure in riling others up. Although I don’t know what was said, I can imagine that most people actually *would* have been bothered by an unkind comment regarding New York and September 11. Especially as this month marks ten years since that most horrific day. I’m sorry that you had to witness such insensitivity. I do commend you for keeping your thoughts to yourself. If you’d said anything it would have likely only made things worse. The folks that partake in this kind of talk are only trying to get your goat. If you respond in any way, it only acts to encourage them and will likely just upset you (and the rest of the room) even more. Without seeing the actual chat, I can’t say for certain whether or not what the player said actually violated our Terms of Service. However, my guess is that it did. In the future, I encourage you to go ahead and file an Abuse Report. If there is no violation, then no action will be taken. And if a violation did occur, well, you never know… maybe a warning or suspension might cause the offender to rethink his or her ways! This is going to be a rough month for a lot of people, and unfortunately, I expect we’ll see a rise in these instigation tactics amongst less polite players. Let’s keep that in mind, and rather than argue with these folks who are likely lost causes, let’s spend our energy supporting those who need it. |
Dear Ms. Netiquette,
I recently played a four player game in Canasta where one player was instructing another player on how to get her rating up in Canasta. The scheme was pretty ridiculous, but the newbie Canasta player was hanging on her every word, and was even taking notes!
I am an avid Canasta player and yes I dream of the coveted red or purple circles, but really, I want to win that rating through my own efforts and skills. What a hollow victory if I were to stoop to cheating. (IE: playing myself and letting one of my screen names win.)
Also, I see that there are petitions going around to take away the red threes. Ummm, that would mean changing the game completely, so much so that it won’t be Canasta anymore. I like the red threes. I like Pogo’s Canasta game. The colors are great, the deck is cute and the graphics rock. And let’s face it, Computer Player One is sorta cute! ;)
Please Pogo gamers, let’s keep our wonderful playgrounds free of ideas on how to beat the game and just play fair and square.
Crazy for Canasta
| Dear Crazy for Canasta,Playing fair and square is for true gamers. People who attempt to “beat the game” or make up rules that work in their favor, or do whatever they can to win regardless of the rules are cheaters. They must live with themselves, and while they may cause us some strife, we can be (and should be) very thankful we don’t have to walk a mile in their shoes. Their shoes, I imagine, smell ghastly. Instead, we who appreciate the challenge of the game, gracefully accept our wins and losses, and play for the pleasure of the game also reap the rewards of doing so. We know we play fair. We know that our progress in games is wholly ours. And there are good feelings that come from playing fair that cheaters will never get to experience. Don’t worry about the petition. While Pogo might look at petitions on occasion, unless the petition truly has some sort of merit, we don’t pay any mind. So, ultimately, we have to accept the fact that there are some people who will do anything to get ahead. They’re like ants at a picnic. They’re annoying, but you can’t let ’em ruin your day. Finally, in regards to Computer Player One. He is rather cute. Stay away from him. He’s MINE! ;) |
Hey, Ms Netiquette!
I’m sure this won’t be the first letter you get on this subject, but in Flash games – as opposed to Java games – you cannot report abuse by right clicking the mouse.
It takes a left click, which will bring up the same menu that a right click will bring up in Java games. Although this is not a bug, it sure is a pain in – wait, is this an uncensored room?
Yes, I Am Picky
| Dear Yes, I Am Picky,Indeed, you are correct. And I’m glad that you wrote. I imagine there are some folks who have attempted to report abuse but couldn’t follow through due to the way things work in the Flash games (Poppit!, Word Whomp, etc…) Ol’ Nettie’s not going to argue with you. It is a pain to have a function work one way in some games, and another in different games. This is somewhat age related. Pogo just turned 12 years old this week (13 if you count the year we spent as ten.net!). And as some of us know, as we age some things don’t work as well as they used to (metabolism, I’m talking about YOU!). Alas, that’s the way it is, and we adapt. So, Reporting Abuse in the Pogo Flash games is a bit of a change. As you point out, you must left-click upon the name of the abuser and take it from there. And, to repeat myself from last week – if the Abuse Report doesn’t work in an uncensored room – that is a bug! You can e-mail me at msnetiquette@pogo.com to let us know. Include the game and room name please! |
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