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Dear Ms. Netiquette,
I have been playing Pogo for quite sometime now and I have a simple question that I’m sure some other people may want to know the answer to.
Lately there has been a rash of some very rude player names. Isn’t there a programmer who sees these and say, “Hey, that’s a disgusting name!” and let’s that player know that that name is unacceptable?
If not, is there a way to let some one know that there is a player with a rude name?
Thanks,
Simple Player, Simple Name
| Dear Simple Player, Simple Name,It’s probably not so much lately as it is you’ve just had a recent rash of run-ins with players with questionable names. While we do run potential screen names through our profanity filter, there are clever folks who figure out how to get around the filter to create less-than-polite names. And while we’d love to personally put our stamp on approval on each account, we have far too many people joining Pogo at any given time to realistically even consider that option.So, it is really left up to the community to report any names that appear to be offensive. If you see a screen name you know to be in poor taste, then report it either through our Help Site or by right clicking on their name in the chat window and filing an abuse report. But what may appear to be offensive to you may not actually be the intent of the player. For instance, a while back a player who was a lover of a particular breed of dogs, the Bichon Frise, and had the word “Bichon” as part of her screen name. She was reported many times and lost her account many times. I think we finally gave her a name change, but to her the name was just an ode to her dog and she meant no harm by it. To others, they saw the “b” word. We’ve also had people who have used their last names in their screen names and people have mistakenly thought the last names were offensive. And remember, Pogo is available to the entire planet, so what may be offensive in our language – local or otherwise – may not be elsewhere. So, if it’s a borderline case, you might check their profile to see if they’ve addressed the concern there, or on the flip side, made statements confirming that their screen name is as what you thought it to be. If you’re still not sure, you can still file a report, and put in the “notes” section that you’re not sure if its offensive or not, and our Customer Support representatives can investigate. |
Dear Ms. Netiquette,
I have been in many game rooms where the players start putting Pogo down and griping about various issues that they have with Pogo.
It ranges from not believing that there are real jackpot winners, to Pogo being cheap about giving out tokens on spins, to how worthless the tokens are, to the fact that you can’t use the tokens to buy gems, etc. I do not participate in the chat too often, but like to read it and see what other people are doing and thinking.
The negative talk about Pogo bothers me but I do not respond to it. I have not had the problems that they are talking about. No one forces us to buy gems. No one forces us to be members of Pogo. We are all here voluntarily to try to have a little fun and play games.
If the talk continues I will usually vacate the room and try to find a friendlier, more upbeat room. I know that you say we should use the mute when we are bothered by the chat, but watching the chat is part of the fun for me.
As I previously mentioned, I rarely contribute to the chat, but I would like to say something to these people when they get going on these negative rants. Do you have any suggestions, or should I just continue as I do now and leave the room?
If they are so unhappy with Pogo why do they continue to play?
Let’s All Have Fun
| Dear Let’s All Have Fun,Let’s address your last question first. Why do people continue to play on Pogo if they’re so unhappy? The answer is that most people who are still playing on Pogo aren’t really that unhappy. If they were, they’d leave.So, why all the griping? Probably because it’s a conversation starter. Also, people are passionate about Pogo. Sometimes when people love something, they also find fault with it, and like to dream about what it would take to make it better. The specific issues you mention we’ve all heard before, and all pretty silly. Of course, our beloved Pogo is not perfect, and there are folks who have legitimate gripes. And then there are personal preference issues – there are some things about Pogo that some people love while others find annoying. And this goes for a lot of things in life. I have a friend with a certain smart phone made by a company we’ll call Pineapple. When he first got it, it was all he could talk about. “I love this” “I love that” was all he could say. As time went on, he began to discover small things that annoyed him about it. He quit talking about how much he loved it, and focused on those things he felt Pineapple could have done better. Does he still love his phone? You betcha! And he’ll no doubt buy another. But, it’s his passion for the product that makes him wish that the problems would be fixed. So, what can you do? You might try steering the conversation into a more positive place. You might say “Well, I love the weekly challenges”, or “I have to give it to those artists, as much as we whine about the challenges themselves, some of the art is amazing!”. Basically, just talking about the things you appreciate about Pogo may remind people why they’re here. Even reasonable, well-mannered people get caught up in the critiquing sometimes. So, hopefully, those folks will join you in appreciating Pogo, and if they don’t? Well, then you’re probably in a room full of people who just enjoy complaining, and maybe finding another room isn’t such a bad idea. |
Hey Nettie,
I am very confused by your response to the first letter in your column this week (Ms. Netiquette, 5/21/2010). As, you may know, from previous letters to you, and your appreciated help with a similar incident, I am a gay male. I absolutely hate when people discriminate about that.
As for the reason I am writing, I disagree 100% that calling someone an “old fart” is “hate speech and derogatory”. Where I’m from it’s considered a funny joke. Not once, out of the countless times I have called someone that, or heard others call each other that, saw anyone, anywhere near offended by that phrase.
In my opinion, its a harmless joke and should not be against Pogo’s TOS. If Pogo thinks a commonly used phrase invented to be a harmless joke is derogatory, that makes me wonder what other harmless phrases are also considered derogatory.
How would I know if what I am saying is against the TOS if phrases that have been used nearly everyday is derogatory? Please explain to me the best you can.
Baffled by your Response
| Dear Baffled,It’s really all about context. The letter writer had described a situation where someone said “Whatever, you’re probably just an old fart”. In that context, the harassing player was making an ageist comment.Similarly, if a friend of yours were to say “well, you’re gay!”, it would be quite different from a stranger saying “whatever, you’re probably gay.” Although, on Pogo, both could result in the communicator getting a warning. If you’re confused, you have good reason. Language is a very tricky thing. You can say “I’m gay” but you could get in trouble for saying “you’re gay.” Thus, we really have to look at the intent of the message. I did receive a few e-mails questioning this, and I don’t want to come across as if I encourage people to report every possible Terms of Service violation, because people say a lot of things that in the right context are completely harmless. Essentially, if everyone is in on the joke, then you can get away with saying a lot. If, however, you use words to hurt or harass others, that’s where the line is crossed. |
Have an etiquette question for Ms. Netiquette? Email msnetiquette@Pogo.com
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