Please Help - Conducting a World of Warcraft Study

[Deleted]

Hi everyone,

I am a Postgraduate student in England and for my Dissertation (last piece of academic work), I have decided to write about my greatest passion - online gaming - and more specifically WoW. As part of my research, I intend on conducting a survey which aims to ultimately assess the potential (social and financial) of the enormous network market which has been created and developed in parallel to the game over the last 7 years. By network market, I mean the tens of hundreds of websites out there which have been created by individuals and/or companies from and all over the world which serve various purposes. Some of these websites aim to serve the needs of many (and so provide generic information/services) whereas other websites focus on specific areas or aspects of the game (and so provide more specialised information/services). The game's complex and multi functional nature is the reason WHY this network of supplementary services and websites is so large and has been so successful.

For those who are still puzzled by the above description, here are a few examples of what I mean by network market/supplementary services and websites

Examples:
Specific Class Forums/Blogs: howtopriest.com (personal favourite
General Forums/Blogs: battle.net/wow/en/forums
Gold Selling: wowgoldeuro.com
Trading Card Game: wowtcg.cryptozoic.com
Free Guides:wowguideonline.com
Paid Guides: zygorguides.com
Databases: wowwiki.com
Guilds: methodwow.com
Rankings: wowprogress.com
Players: athenelive.com
News/Info: mmo-champion.com
Addons: curse.com
Youtube: youtube.com/user/FatbossTV

The above sites have no particular significance. They are merely used as examples and were the first to pop in mind whilst writing this thread. There are tens of hundreds of other websites out there offering similar services and this is WHY I need your help.

What I kindly need from you to do is:

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A) LIST YOUR TOP 5 WoW-related sites based on usage.
--------------------------------------

It doesn't matter if you're repeating the 5 sites posted by any of the persons before you.
It doesn't matter what category your top 5 fall into.
It doesn't matter if your selection does not follow any particular/logical order.

Once you have listed your TOP 5 WoW-related sites, I then would like you to

--------------------------------------
B) LIST UP TO 5 SITES related to PAID services such as: Gold/Items/TradingCardGame/Power-Levelling etc.
--------------------------------------

These can be from the top of your hear OR advertised in-game OR advertised on websites OR for which you receive emails OR used by 'people you know'.


By listing A) YOUR TOP 5 and B) UP TO 5 third party paid sites, I will then be able to filter the most popular ones and conduct my research based on them.

I THANK YOU ALL FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ THIS AND GREATLY APPRECIATE YOUR COOPERATION.

[Darsithis]

Are you wanting people to post this here, or do you have a link to a survey?

[Deleted]

The purpose of the Forum thread is to get an idea of the most popular sites (paid and free) so that in the survey (which will follow) participants have a wide selection of sites to choose from. In the survey, participants will not be restricted to choosing a specific number of sites.

In answer to your question, Yes, I would like people to share their favourite WoW-related sites and also to address part B).

Thanks

[MoanaLisa]

I can't imagine that a list of places where people buy services that are clearly against the TOS, i.e. Gold Selling, would be allowed here.

So fair warning to anyone who does so.

[Deleted]

@MoanaLisa - I am well aware that these 'underground' websites breach both Terms of Service (ToS) and End User License Agreement (EULA) and I would like to make clear that my intentions are NEITHER to promote NOR condone such illicit behaviour.

The reality of the matter is that although these services are 'illegal', they not only exist in abundance, but they have also flourished over recent years. This means that people still use them and so in real nominal terms the market for such services is ENORMOUS.

This is the reason why I find this topic fascinating. The aim of the study is to find a fair equilibrium between both PAID and FREE services so that the actual Social and Financial Potential of WoW's network market can be captured.

This is purely educational as it is part of final piece of academic work and so the last thing I want is to stray people away from this thread.

So, sentiments aside, i please urge you to take a moment and assist me in this endeavour.

I hope I've clarified things.

Thanks

[Deleted]

1-Wowpedia
2-Wowhead
3-Mmmochampion
4-icy veins
5- Noxxic

1- Ultimatewowguide
2- Zygor Guides
3- Blueprint method

[BeastmasterGuardian]

This just smells like a setup.

Also, making reference to any "Gold/Items/TradingCardGame/Power-Levelling etc." could be misconstrued as Advertising for them and get us a one way ticket to Bansville. Maybe you could just get a clipboard and go to the mall.

[Priestiality]

This will end well.

OT: MMO-C, wowpedia, askmrrobot for free, never used paid.

[MoanaLisa]

The reality of the matter is that although these services are 'illegal', they not only exist in abundance, but they have also flourished over recent years. This means that people still use them and so in real nominal terms the market for such services is ENORMOUS.

This is the reason why I find this topic fascinating. The aim of the study is to find a fair equilibrium between both PAID and FREE services so that the actual Social and Financial Potential of WoW's network market can be captured.

Relevant sections from the MMO-C FAQ on posting:

The following topics are not to be discussed on MMO-Champion on penalty of ban.

Gold-selling/Account selling or trading websites
Activities considered illegal by Blizzard Entertainment (botting, hacking, cheating, exploiting,...)

All I'm really saying here is that anyone listing a Gold/Account Selling website or websites that provide information or services for activities considered illegal by Blizzard Entertainment is liable for breaking long-established rules for this site. Rules that will very likely take precedence over your personal dissertation project. As a moderator, I have no problem with what you're trying to do. But that doesn't mean that we'll toss out the rulebook for your convenience.

People considering a response that would verge onto topics that would cause a problem should be aware of that.

Best regards.

__________________________________________________________________________________________ ____

EDIT: Sites I use/

MMO-Champion: News and forums (of course)
Blizzard: Website and forums
HowToPriest: Forums and theorycrafting
Wowhead
Wowpedia
Curse.com: Addons
Many blogs and podcasts. I have at least 3 dozen RSS feeds in my reader.

Paid sites: Blizzard's corporate store for in-game items such as pets, etc.

[Deleted]

What’s the title ?
Justifying an addiction… maybe.

[Kantoro]

What a colossal waste of an education. This smacks of a scam in the making.

[Deleted]

@MoanaLisa - I appreciate you clarifying the delicate nature of the situation, though I am still left entirely bemused as to how this Thread can be approved by one Moderator yet frowned upon by another.

Has this Thread been approved purely on the basis that PART of what I am asking is entirely legitimate?

Relevant sections from the MMO-C FAQ on posting:

The following topics are not to be discussed on MMO-Champion on penalty of ban.

Gold-selling/Account selling or trading websites
Activities considered illegal by Blizzard Entertainment (botting, hacking, cheating, exploiting,...)

On the basis of what you wrote above, sorry to be pedantic, though I did not request any sort of "DISCUSSION" relating to these sites and/or services. I solely requested people to LIST some. I do not intend on expressing opinion or sharing ideas on the subject.

Is this still concerning?

[BeastmasterGuardian]

@MoanaLisa - I appreciate you clarifying the delicate nature of the situation, though I am still left entirely bemused as to how this Thread can be approved by one Moderator yet frowned upon by another.

The other Mod never approved it. He asked a question which you never answered.

Are you wanting people to post this here, or do you have a link to a survey?

Probably would have given the same warning had you responded. But that is for him to answer and not for me to speculate on. I just wanted to clarify. The link to a survey would probably be a more "anonymous" idea and would be completely away from Blizz sponsored sites.

[TaurenNinja]

A)
1.) wowhead
2.) mmo-champion
3.) icy-veins
4.) arenajunkies
5.) noxxic

B) I don't use any but I've thought about paying for:
1.) skill-capped (not illegal)

[Tureni]

A)
* Wow Insider
* MMO-Champion
* Wowhead
* Noxxic
* Big Bear Butt

B)
* Curse.com premium

[MoanaLisa]

@MoanaLisa - I appreciate you clarifying the delicate nature of the situation, though I am still left entirely bemused as to how this Thread can be approved by one Moderator yet frowned upon by another.

Has this Thread been approved purely on the basis that PART of what I am asking is entirely legitimate?

Darsithis asked a question. That neither signifies approval or disapproval. I haven't 'disapproved' as such the thread either. In fact, I contributed to it.

On the basis of what you wrote above, sorry to be pedantic, though I did not request any sort of "DISCUSSION" relating to these sites and/or services. I solely requested people to LIST some. I do not intend on expressing opinion or sharing ideas on the subject.

Is this still concerning?

To the extent that your thread is an invitation to every gold seller on the planet to wander in, list out a few things and then include their site, absolutely.

If you have problems with any of this, I'd invite you to send a PM to Sunshine or any of the other site administrators.

Best regards

[Boricha]

A)
1.MMO-Champion
2. Wowhead
3. Noxxic
4. WoW Insider
5. Wowpedia

B)
Not worth it.

[Deleted]

@BeastmasterGuardian @Kantoro - As much as I appreciate you taking time to reply to this Thread, I would have appreciated it much more if your contribution was, let say, at least mildly constructive. Nonetheless, thanks for stopping by.

@Mephismo - The title is in the making. So I'll answer your question by clarifying the entire Dissertations aim which is: to measure the social and financial potential of the network markets fascilitated by successful MMOG's. With the help of a survey I also intend on assessing (WoW) User Perception towards these various services.

---------- Post added 2012-12-21 at 08:02 PM ----------

@MoanaLisa - Once again I see your point and i sincerely appreciate you clarifying things.

If I were to request section B) to be enclosed in a PM would that elevate the bad vibes?

[Darsithis]

I think we're going to close this for right now. I admit I made a mistake by replying without clearly looking at all of the content.

AngelofDeath: there are a lot of free survey sites you can make a survey on, such as http://www.surveymonkey.com/. This will allow you to get the information you want, anonymously without violating our policies. Please create a new survey on one of those sites, then link that survey in a new, fresh thread.

Thanks!