Answers in Blue Tweets being arrogant

[yjmark]

Also, some of the tweets themselves are sarcastic and unnecessarily impolite. In customer service (and yes, he's in "customer service", anyone and everyone who speaks to customers in relation to their business is actively performing a customer service), it would be generally assumed that he would be polite even when the customers (the players) are being rude. But, as the lead game designer of a very successful game and a person who puts up with a lot of crap in general, he finds that he is in a position that allows him to drop the polite customer relations attitude when dealing with his customers.

Something that many people don't consider is that Blizz's online activity is a VERY different form of customer service. They have actually molded it into a marketing buzz. That is the most probable reason that they have thrown the standard form of customer service (i.e. always being nice and polite) out the window. Nobobdy wants to hear "Yes sir, we are trying our best to resolve your issue, blah blah blah".

Think about it. Look at all the discussion and buzz going around about these Twitter responses. Some love them, and some hate them. It creates discussions/arguments, and keeps the forums alive. I hate to admit it, but controversy really does sell. The more people talk about it, the more alive it is. If GC answered all questions in a calm & collective manner, they would mostly be quite boring. However, when he responds with some sarcasm, personality, etc..., all of a sudden there are discussions around it, perople can relate to it, people can hate on it, etc.. Overall, he's drumming up response. That is the benefit of public customer service. You now have a marketing tool. It has become it's own form of entertainment. Heck, some people spend just as much time on the forums as they do in game. So, it keeps their interest in the game even when they aren't playing.

Just something to consider.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

Something that many people don't consider is that Blizz's online activity is a VERY different form of customer service. They have actually molded it into a marketing buzz. That is the most probable reason that they have thrown the standard form of customer service (i.e. always being nice and polite) out the window. Nobobdy wants to hear "Yes sir, we are trying our best to resolve your issue, blah blah blah".

Think about it. Look at all the discussion and buzz going around about these Twitter responses. Some love them, and some hate them. It creates discussions/arguments, and keeps the forums alive. I hate to admit it, but controversy really does sell. The more people talk about it, the more alive it is. If GC answered all questions in a calm & collective manner, they would mostly be quite boring. However, when he responds with some sarcasm, personality, etc..., all of a sudden there are discussions around it, perople can relate to it, people can hate on it, etc.. Overall, he's drumming up response. That is the benefit of public customer service. You now have a marketing tool. It has become it's own form of entertainment. Heck, some people spend just as much time on the forums as they do in game. So, it keeps their interest in the game even when they aren't playing.

Just something to consider.

More like a negative marketing tool.

[yjmark]

More like a negative marketing tool.

Considering how a large amount of people on this thread think he did fine, I'd say the opposite.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

Considering how a large amount of people on this thread think he did fine, I'd say the opposite.

I know it's fine but some people really need to get told how it is. How they go about it is another matter.

[Brightamethyst]

Truth be told, it appears to me that they respond to the 'dumb' questions simply to get out of answering the trickier ones that actually require a bit more thought and technicality than, "How can I make this question and/or poster look silly?"

I doubt they're actively trying to avoid answering tricky questions. They probably just can't answer most of the more complicated ones within the twitter character limit.

Have any of you ever worked in a call center? Because his job is pretty similar to that... hell. Well, enjoyable job until you have to answer to idiots asking dumb questions.

Ha ha, tell me about it. I spent 8 years working at a call center and let me tell you, most callers are dumb as ****.

(No, crazy lady. I don't care how hot the guy you just met is. I'm not paging the doctor at 2am so you can get an emergency birth control refill. Call back during office hours.)

[yuca247]

When I see the mind numbing stupidity of the questions I don't blame him.

[Triptych]

If you've ever seen Greg Street in interviews or at events or anything like that, I don't see how you could consider him arrogant?! He comes across as a very gentle and intelligent guy. Always smiling and good-humoured, and he's really enthusiastic about his job and the game and the players.

And it's no different in his forum posts and tweets and developer blogs. If you're feeling upset about any of those responses in the OP, then you're hyper-sensitive, in my opinion.

[MoanaLisa]

Am I the only one who thinks GC is being WAY TO ARROGANT when answering tweets? He never really answers the questions either.
I mean, this is the lead designer of the game, and as we know, hes not doing a very good job. He could be polite atleast.

I took a look through your post history to see if you have any business calling anyone else out as being arrogant and impolite.

You don't.

GC's tweets are highly entertaining and fine.

[Exorte]

Which one seems arrogant at all?
Also tell me which one is actually wrong. Except the last one since we don't know that yet.

[Deleted]

Most questions are either stupid or require answers OVER 140 chars
It's the Twitter-issue.

Ah, missed this the first time round. That makes more sense, I don't think he was being arrogant anyway, I was thinking generally.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

I took a look through your post history to see if you have any business calling anyone else out as being arrogant and impolite.

You don't.

GC's tweets are highly entertaining and fine.

I swear I can could see these things ahead of time. I just think people don't like being told they're wrong. Nobody does but at least I don't throw a fit or "I HOPE YOU GET FIRED111"

Really sad to see people wanting others to get fired.

Ah, missed this the first time round. That makes more sense, I don't think he was being arrogant anyway, I just was thinking generally.

It's hard enough for me to ask questions.

[Bullcephus]

If he didn't answer like that you would make a post saying he is just tiptoeing around this issues. The fact that he answers some of these questions is pretty cool of him. Put your pitchfork down and realize that he is doing and has done an excellent job. He isn't afraid to make big changes, and will own up to mistakes. How many times have you seen him take credit for the 99 percent of the game that you and I consider fun (the stuff that keeps us paying $15 dollars a month)? None.

[Yriel]

Also, some of the tweets themselves are sarcastic and unnecessarily impolite. In customer service (and yes, he's in "customer service", anyone and everyone who speaks to customers in relation to their business is actively performing a customer service), it would be generally assumed that he would be polite even when the customers (the players) are being rude. But, as the lead game designer of a very successful game and a person who puts up with a lot of crap in general, he finds that he is in a position that allows him to drop the polite customer relations attitude when dealing with his customers.

No he is not in customer relations. See thats the funny thing : People generally hate the PR-talk that the CMs often do and want to speak with a real developer and want to hear the truth but then when they´ll actually talk with a dev and get an answer that they don´t like they complain that he is so direct and didn´t use PR-talk.
If you want the "we love you all and we will forward all of your ideas" routine then don´t read GCs twitter, read one of the CMs.

[yjmark]

I know it's fine but some people really need to get told how it is. How they go about it is another matter.

I'm not sure what you mean here. It kind of sounds like we are saying the same thing...

[Aeluron Lightsong]

I'm not sure what you mean here. It kind of sounds like we are saying the same thing...

I mean people need to be told "You are being unreasonable so please refrain from doing X" Some people would say "Just stfu already you big whiner!!!"


As to why...well...we can be VERY needy.

[Varyk]

The people asking those questions don't really deserve a polite (he wasn't even necessarily impolite) answer when the questions are ridiculous. He's telling them the truth in every instance.

[Pascal]

Well at some point you have to tell a person that it is WRONG. No matter how you do that, in essence you're the asshole after that.

Most humans out there are unable to admit that they erred and think they lost their face / honor whatever and thus go enrage.

It's stupid. We err all the time. Get used to it, and get used to being told "you're doing it wrong".

It's possible to tell someone they're doing it wrong without being a jerk. GC, for better or for worse, just finds no reason to try and do that, so he goes for inexplicably condescending and sarcastic.

For instance, the tweet asking for a class q&a session for mists, which has been done already and is therefor a redundant question, could easily be answered with a "We already did do one, if you didn't see it, it's [here]," or whatever. Instead, he was a sarcastic jerk and went for the "You mean the thing we already did? LOL WOULDN'T THAT BE COOL," route.

It may make it worse that it's in tweet format, as I hear they have a limited amount of characters available to allow polite wordplay. It still doesn't account for questions easily answered with less snark AND fewer words.

He's an angry trade chat troll, as far as it looks to me. He gives the same type of answers you get when you ask a question to fellow players while in game.

Surely, of course, some of the questions are sarcastic themselves, but some of them are simply misled suggestions presented with a neutral attitude, yet still get snark.

[Mongoose19]

You should stop posting again, once you can rename yourself into mongoose30 or something like that, implying the 19 stands for your age.. Cause that's about as immature how you appear right now.

What makes him the worst lead designer.... Reasons with facts and not opinion please.
What makes him dumb........ Reasons with facts that counter his education level.
What makes him arrogant...... Reasons with facts and not opinion please.

Otherwise, please resort to my first sentence.

Facts is what you want? Really? Then just look at WoW since he took over in Wrath, one big downhill. That's the best fact you can get.

[Nerraw]

Facts is what you want? Really? Then just look at WoW since he took over in Wrath, one big downhill. That's the best fact you can get.

And yet Wrath had the biggest active subscriber count of any MMO in the history of mankind.

[Orange Joe]

It's possible to tell someone they're doing it wrong without being a jerk. GC, for better or for worse, just finds no reason to try and do that, so he goes for inexplicably condescending and sarcastic.

For instance, the tweet asking for a class q&a session for mists, which has been done already and is therefor a redundant question, could easily be answered with a "We already did do one, if you didn't see it, it's [here]," or whatever. Instead, he was a sarcastic jerk and went for the "You mean the thing we already did? LOL WOULDN'T THAT BE COOL," route.

It may make it worse that it's in tweet format, as I hear they have a limited amount of characters available to allow polite wordplay. It still doesn't account for questions easily answered with less snark AND fewer words.

He's an angry trade chat troll, as far as it looks to me. He gives the same type of answers you get when you ask a question to fellow players while in game.

Surely, of course, some of the questions are sarcastic themselves, but some of them are simply misled suggestions presented with a neutral attitude, yet still get snark.

I think you are reading it wrong.

Q: Would it be possible to see a class balance Q&A soon, kind of like you guys did in Cataclysm?
A: You mean with user questions like the Cover it Live or Reddit we did? Would be fun.

I'm pretty sure he is saying. "You mean like these that we have done. Yes another WOULD BE FUN."