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Dear Ms. Netiquette,
I don’t know whether or not swearing or calling someone a dirty name is against Pogo policy, but I think it should be. This happened to me, and while I admit he used a language other than English so that most players wouldn’t know what he said, I did know and I don’t appreciate it at all.
I say if you can’t lose with grace, you shouldn’t play.
Can he be reported and if so how do I go about it? He left the room immediately, so there was no using the “report abuse” button…
Thanks for letting me vent,
I Know What You Said
| Dear I Know What You Said, I’m sorry you had to experience such rudeness. It’s funny that some people think that they can say whatever they want in another language and it won’t matter because the other person won’t understand. As you have proved with your letter, this is not the case. It is against the Terms of Service to call other people dirty names in any language. Furthermore, it’s also a violation to swear… but we need to be careful with that one. So, let’s talk about swearing in general first. Let’s face it, we all know that a lot of well-meaning and normally polite people sometimes let one slip, even in chat. If they are swearing at the situation and not at another person – and it offends you – the polite thing to do is to ignore it and give them the opportunity to apologize for it. If they don’t immediately apologize and you want to let them know you’d appreciate it if they didn’t do it again, politely let them know. You can do it jokingly (“Oh my ears!”), or just matter-of-factly (“Please watch the language. :)”) or even with the “surprised” emoticon. However, if someone swears at you or calls you a mean or dirty name – in any language – it is a violation. They are harassing you and you can report them for abuse– even if they’ve left the room. To report abuse after the person has left the room, simply right click your own name and choose any other player’s name (don’t worry, you won’t report them). From there, you’ll see the Abuse Report Form, and be asked to “Add Players”. The top of the list shows “Not Listed”. Choose that. When you click “Done”, you’ll see on the report form “Not Listed” as the player being reported. From there, you can fill in the rest of the information and click “Submit”. |
Dear Ms. Netiquette,
Recently I’ve been playing Texas Hold em’ (which I love!) But, there is a problem that I and many people face when playing on Pogo. It never fails – when I am at a non-ante table a few bad players always seem to chime in with “This is a non-ante table NO pre-flop bets…”
I always tell them that if I have a good hand then I will bet. If I have an ace and a king or suited straight runners I will bet pre-flop as any good player would. And if Pogo had some rule against the pre-flop, bet they would not allow you to do so!
What is the proper etiquette to people who make up rules to benefit their token count?
Texas Scold’em!
| Dear Texas Scold’em!, I like your approach. If they want to make up a rule that doesn’t jibe with the rules of the game, they can find like-minded people and create a private table. In that table, they can play with whatever rules upon which they agree. For that reason, you have the expectation when joining a table you’ll be playing with the options listed for that table. So, if you end up in this situation again, I recommend doing exactly what you did. You were honest, and simply let them know that you’re playing the way the game was meant to be played. You may want to remind them that if they wish to play by their own rules they have the option of creating a private table. |
Dear Nettie,
I was playing a solitaire game this afternoon. Two people were talking about a practical joke that one of them played on another person. The joke involved a sign on a person’s car that questioned his sexual orientation.
They both had a good laugh about it. If they were talking about a person in the chat room they would be guilty of hate speech. I wasn’t sure how to handle this situation. It’s not my nature to butt into a conversation. When I could take no more of this conversation I took your long advertised advice and muted the two people.
Was this chat a violation of TOS or not? How should I or another person handle this in the future?
Thanks for being our beacon here at Pogo,
Where’s the Line?
| Dear Where’s the Line?, The simple answer is that yes, it is a violation of our Terms of Service to make fun of someone for their race, religion, sexual orientation, heritage, etc… and you can be reported for abuse for engaging in it. Essentially, if what they’re talking about would be a violation of the Terms of Service if the person they were talking about were actually there, then it’s still a violation if that person is not. So, should you ever find yourself in that situation, go ahead and report them. |
Have an etiquette question for Ms. Netiquette? Email msnetiquette@pogo.com
Want to chat with others about this column? Visit the Ms. Netiquette section of the Pogo Forums!
