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Dear Ms. Netiquette,
I saw something in a game room the other day that quite honestly disturbed me to the point that I haven’t wanted to play Pogo since it happened.
I like to play a certain game. When I play I usually go to the same uncensored room because that is where my friends play. In this room, there is a group of what you might call “regulars” who chat in the lobby. I have, on more than one occasion, seen them gang up on a person over some perceived insult until the torment forces that person to leave the room. I’ve been careful to avoid this group, I come to Pogo to unwind and enjoy myself, I have no desire to be targeted by bullies.
In the lobby of this uncensored chat room, two people – we’ll call them Mr. A and Ms. B to avoid confusion – were having a conversation that contained a lot of innuendo. It was rather silly, some of the conversation even made me laugh. Had I found them offensive, I would simply have muted them. One of the above mentioned group of “regulars” took offense to something said by Mr. A and began harassing the couple, “yelling” at them in all caps and demanding they leave the room and not come back. A and B just ignored the harassment and continued their odd conversation.
At this point the rest of the group of regulars joined in, outraged that their demand was not obeyed. The usual screaming, profanity and name calling ensued and Ms. B left the room. Mr. A hung around though, and the level of hostility continued to increase when he wouldn’t leave. This part of what happened is not what my question is about. This happens all the time, I just mute the screamers and move to another room or quit playing if it gets too bad. The part that so disturbed me happened the next day.
In the lobby of the same room around the same time the next day, one of the “regulars” came in, complaining that Mr. A had reported him for harassment the night before. Another “regular” responded that he should wait until Mr. A came online and they would “get” him. A little while later Mr. A came in the lobby. Half the room immediately jumped all over him, cursing him for reporting one of them and threatening him if he didn’t leave. This went on for several minutes until one of the “regulars” claimed she’d hacked Mr. A and had his IP. She then posted a full name and claimed it belonged to Mr. A and claimed she was booting him.
At that point Mr. A disappeared from the lobby. She proceeded to advise the person who’d been complaining about having been reported not to worry because she was going to “take care of” Mr. A’s computer. The person who’d been complaining made happy faces and I left the room, feeling like a coward for doing so instead of reporting the claimed hacker. My first instinct was that she was full of baloney, that she couldn’t have hacked him through Pogo and that there is no way for a player to boot someone else from the lobby, it was all just a scare tactic. Unfortunately, that tiny part of my brain that fosters irrational fears insists that it might be possible.
I guess what I’m asking for here is some reassurance, Ms. Netiquette. Tell me I can’t be hacked through Pogo, that there’s no way the bogeyman can get my real name and come find me, because it’s way too close to Halloween for things that go bump in the Pogo night…
Thanks for your help!
Hiding Under the Covers with Flashlight in Hand.
| Dear Hiding Under Covers, Fear not! Your more rational side of the brain is correct. Unless you actually give a “hacker” personal information, your system is safe on Pogo. I’m not sure what happened in the case of Mr. A. My guess is that the supposed “hacker” – let’s call her Mrs. H – created a similar screen name to Mr. A and joined the room only to exit when Mrs. H supposedly did her thing. Unless Mr. A at some point provided Mrs. H with information that Mrs. H could actually use to access Mr. A’s computer, then my guess is that this was a show put on for the benefit of the players in the chat room. And believe me – people go to great lengths to put on a show. I strongly urge everyone who spends any time on the Internet to make sure they’ve done what they can to protect themselves. In fact, if you need some guidance, take a look at my Ms. Netiquette Talks Safety on the Internet! column from 2009. We have millions upon millions of folks who play on Pogo. There are essentially two ways you might find your account compromised: if you have a bad password, or if you give out too much information to someone who is out to takeover your account. |
Ms. Netiquette,
You said:
“I’ve heard from many players who have difficulty reading the lowercase chat over many years, and I have no reason to doubt that…”(Ms. Netiquette, October 8, 2010)
Really? All the studies showing that a mix of upper and lower-case letters is more legible than all upper-case letters isn’t enough for you to doubt people who claim otherwise? Do you also doubt that we put a man on the moon?
I have to wonder about the people who insist that all upper-case is easier to read than a mix of upper and lower-case. We know that isn’t true. So why do they say so?
It’s certainly Pogo’s right to decide not to judge the intent to be “an attempt to disturb others”, but the fact is that it does disturb others.
I think you’re going to need a new peg to hang your hat on as to why the rule about using all-caps applies to some people, but not others. And I would suggest that the TOS be rewritten to reflect the arbitrary enforcement, or that the arbitrary enforcement be corrected. The standard of “in an attempt to disrupt” doesn’t really cut it in light of all the studies that show the defense of “all upper-case is easier to read” is bogus.
Done the Research
| Dear Done the Research, Wow! You definitely have strong feelings about this issue. However, my advice and conviction stand. You do not have the benefit of access to my e-mail box, so you have not read the many letters I have received from players over the years claiming that they find it easier to read the chat when it is in all capital letters. While for some, myself included, it is easier to read the standard mix of upper and lower case chat, I don’t believe I have the right to say to another that they’re wrong if they’ve tried both and find that caps work better. They’re going to know what works better for them than me or any study. If it were, say, a MiX Of CApiTAL aNd lOwEr caSE lEtTers, Oh @nD L3Ts thR0\/\/ NumB3rs ANd Ch@r@{ters In thErE t00, then I would agree with you 100%. The research you quote is likely true, but there are always exceptions to every rule. While many of us might like to take a trip to the moon, there are some that find moon rocks cause their sinuses to act up and would rather stay earthbound. The bottom line here is that players with difficulty seeing and use caps to make it better are not out to disrupt the chat. They’re just using the options available to them to make the best of their experience. You know, sort of like how you have the ability to mute players using all capital letters. |
Please Ms. Nettie,
Another lesson on Pogo etiquette.
Recently in Golf Solitaire there were the usual wtg’s, gg’s, etc. to which there was no response from the winner. One of the other players remarked, “She (meaning the winner) doesn’t respond to kindness”.
Excuse me but I always believed that a “kindness” or politeness” was something you gave from the heart, NOT just so you would be given a pat on the back for being the wonderful person you think you are for doing so. Don’t get me wrong, I think politeness and kindness are wonderful, but for far too many players it is way too highly rated.
There are several reasons why a player might not give back a “ty” and it has nothing to do with them being rude. Maybe they have chat turned off. Maybe they ran to the bathroom or to get another cup of tea.
To me, the rudeness of the player(s) making remarks about the winner’s non response far outweighs the supposed rudeness of the winner who doesn’t reply.
Heartfelt Kindness Preferred
| Dear Heartfelt Kindness Preferred, Thanks for the reminder. While it does sting a bit when we offer a politeness and it is not reciprocated, we must remember that we shouldn’t expect a response. And whatever we may think inside our minds, the minute we complain to others about how someone has not met our expectations in responding to our well wishes, we become the rude one. Giving a compliment or wishing someone luck is nice and if you mean it, you should expect nothing in return. If it is important to you that you receive a “thank you” or any other acknowledgment of your kindness, then you should not offer the well-wishes to begin with, as your motivations are more about yourself receiving recognition than they are about sincerely wishing another some form of happiness. |
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