Battle.net Update: Upcoming Changes to the Official Forums

Update - Added a clarification, your real name will not show up on old forum posts. It will only be displayed on the new forum system.

Oh and since a few people asked, now, I have absolutely no plan to do that on MMO-Champion forums. (And that's not sarcasm, I really don't like the idea of real names on a gaming forum)

Battle.net Update: Upcoming Changes to the Forums
Your real name will be displayed on the official forums now. You'd better think twice before you troll a bunch of angry ... trolls.
[blizzquote author=Nethaera source=http://blue.mmo-champion.com/t/25712374700/battle-net-update-upcoming-changes-to-forums/]Recently, we introduced our new Real ID feature - www.battle.net/realid/ , a new way to stay connected with your friends on the new Battle.net. Today, we wanted to give you a heads up about our plans for Real ID on our official forums, discuss the design philosophy behind the changes we’re making, and give you a first look at some of the new features we’re adding to the forums to help improve the quality of conversations and make the forums an even more enjoyable place for players to visit.

The first and most significant change is that in the near future, anyone posting or replying to a post on official Blizzard forums will be doing so using their Real ID -- that is, their real-life first and last name -- with the option to also display the name of their primary in-game character alongside it. These changes will go into effect on all StarCraft II forums with the launch of the new community site prior to the July 27 release of the game, with the World of Warcraft site and forums following suit near the launch of Cataclysm. Certain classic forums, including the classic Battle.net forums, will remain unchanged.

The official forums have always been a great place to discuss the latest info on our games, offer ideas and suggestions, and share experiences with other players -- however, the forums have also earned a reputation as a place where flame wars, trolling, and other unpleasantness run wild. Removing the veil of anonymity typical to online dialogue will contribute to a more positive forum environment, promote constructive conversations, and connect the Blizzard community in ways they haven’t been connected before. With this change, you’ll see blue posters (i.e. Blizzard employees) posting by their real first and last names on our forums as well.

We also plan to add a number of other features designed to make reading the forums more enjoyable and to empower players with tools to improve the quality of forum discussions. Players will have the ability to rate up or rate down posts so that great topics and replies stand out from the not-so-great; low-rated posts will appear dimmer to show that the community feels that they don’t contribute effectively to the conversation, and Blizzard’s community team will be able to quickly and easily locate highly rated posts to participate in or to highlight discussions that players find worthwhile.

In addition, individual topics will be threaded by context, meaning replies to specific posts will be grouped together, making it easier for players to keep track of multiple conversations within a thread. We’re also adding a way for Blizzard posters to “broadcast” important messages forums-wide , to help communicate breaking news to the community in a clear and timely fashion. Beyond that, we’re improving our forum search function to make locating interesting topics easier and help lower the number of redundant threads, and we have more planned as well.

With the launch of the new Battle.net, it’s important to us to create a new and different kind of online gaming environment -- one that’s highly social, and which provides an ideal place for gamers to form long-lasting, meaningful relationships. All of our design decisions surrounding Real ID -- including these forum changes -- have been made with this goal in mind.

We’ve given a great deal of consideration to the design of Real ID as a company, as gamers, and as enthusiastic users of the various online-gaming, communication, and social-networking services that have become available in recent years. As these services have become more and more popular, gamers have become part of an increasingly connected and intimate global community – friendships are much more easily forged across long distances, and at conventions like PAX or our own BlizzCon, we’ve seen first-hand how gamers who may have never actually met in person have formed meaningful real-life relationships across borders and oceans. As the way gamers interact with one another continues to evolve, our goal is to ensure Battle.net is equipped to handle the ever-changing social-gaming experience for years to come.

For more info on Real ID, check out our Real ID page and FAQ located at http://www.battle.net/realid/ . We look forward to answering your questions about these upcoming forum changes in the thread below. [/blizzquote]
[blizzquote author=Bashiok source=http://blue.mmo-champion.com/t/25712374700/battle-net-update-upcoming-changes-to-forums/]One important point which I don't believe has been relayed yet is that the switch to showing RealID on the forums will only happen with the new forum systems we're launching for StarCraft II shortly before its release, and a new forum system for World of Warcraft launching shortly before the release of Cataclysm.

All posts here on the current World of Warcraft forums, or any of our classic Battle.net forums, will remain as-is. They won't (and can't) automatically switch to showing a real first and last name.

All posts in the future on the new forum systems will be an opt-in choice and ample warning will be given that you're posting with your real first and last name. [/blizzquote]
This article was originally published in forum thread: Battle.net Update: Upcoming Changes to the Forums started by Boubouille View original post
Published on 2010-07-06 04:39 PM
2074 Comments
Comments 2071 Comments
  1. Valarauko's Avatar
    While I'm not 100% doom and gloom on this change, I honestly do worry about how women will be treated. Many female WoW players already avoid vent and RealID to avoid harassment and "lulnogirlsplaywow" type of crap. Forcing us to reveal obviously female first names on the forums could really be unpleasant.
  1. mmoca812163483's Avatar
    Uhm.... ok.... that's it for posting on the official forums, I can already see the # of postings drop 90% or more.
    I don't troll on the forums but I really don't need any online-community, especially not the WoW one to see my real name. That's what the whole concept of online-avatars/nicknames is for FFS... what the hell are they thinking?
  1. Vasz's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Anobix View Post
    absolutely asinine idea. In my guild (of 3 years) less than a handful even know my first name, why the hell would I want to give that out to every person who views the OBoards?
    I couldn't of said it better myself.
  1. Kokiron's Avatar
    Wow Blizz, GG. This is the most fail idea I believe I've seen them have yet. Creepers stalk bad enough in-game, I don't need some sweaty fat neckbeard creep seeing one of my posts on the forums and plugging my name in on Facebook to find me. Even with your profile set to private on Facebook it gives people a city and state if you have it on your account at all, and that's enough to single out a lot of people. I put my city and state on Facebook so people who KNOW ME can find me, not so some random stranger can put in my name that he found on WoW forums can find me.

    I wont be posting on the official forums anymore, not like I did much anyway.
  1. Shampox's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by my ledge ends View Post
    Your name is not unique. You are not a special snowflake.
    I'm fairly positive nobody else has my name. For one, the majority of people with my last name are not from the US, and on the US forums that kind of singles me out. Overall, my first name is an "American" name, so the combination alone singles me out, ala, defeating the whole idea of privacy. John Smith may not have an issue with this, but the people with unique names, and they do exist, do have an issue.
  1. tusker's Avatar
    This news is getting more mmo-c feedback than when beta was officially announced! Must mean something..
  1. sicness's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Nyn View Post
    You people are MAJORLY unimaginative.

    Do you KNOW what Social Engineering is? All I have to do is engage you in a conversation and get your reveal ANYTHING about yourself that helps me zero in on which Aaron Poulin you are. Are you the one from New York that lives at 239 Broad St.? Are you the one in school in Arizona? How's the weather in Memphis? And I didn't even really try. Seriously, the only way to put less effort into what I did, would have been to not do it at all.

    And there is MUCH more than Google for tracking people down.
    And do what exactly with their information? I'm sorry but the majority of people's information that's on the internet is completely useless for doing anything you mention because the time isn't worth the effort. Social engineering happens on a professional level and doesn't come from people who want to just steal your email address or your wow character.

    If you're in any sort of environment that could be subject to real social engineering then you already have gone through the procedures of protecting your identity and information and that won't be connected to a video game.
  1. nicolasquoibion's Avatar
    LOL you guys care so much, it your NAME ffs, you can get the name of anyone easily.
  1. Eciencic's Avatar
    AWESOME !!!! This is the end for trolls good decition blizz !
  1. Kaneiac's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Kyocere View Post
    What privacy do you need? You are posting in a forum. It is not like you are taking naked pics and hosting them on an account without a name associated. once again what privacy do you need to respond to a post? Are you that ashamed of yourself?
    You have absolutely NO idea what people can simply do with a name. Mine is relatively unique, and googling, for example, brings up results immediately. Where I went to school and my high school sports records.

    Sure, that information is there, but if someone really wants to find my name, they have to work even harder. With these changes, you're handing people a key and asking them to use it.
  1. cyloria's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Sarila View Post
    I don't know why everyone is getting their panties in a bunch over this, it is just your real name. Unless you have some very strange foreign name like Ujval Makamali and you are ashamed of it, what is the problem? I for one support this new change as I feel it will clean up the official forums quite a bit. Sure they are entertaining right now because some trolls are funny. Once this change happens though, people will be too scared since they can't post behind an alt anymore.

    Now if they could just find a way to clean up trade chat...
    Well everyone i play with kinda knows where i live, because i mention things about what i do when i am not playing, or on applications to guilds i put the state, and i am the only person in this state with my name. And all the search engines give my address and telephone number. I don't like people knowing that much about me.
  1. Dare's Avatar
    /applaud

    I for one am thrilled. No trolling.
  1. rkma's Avatar
    The libertarian ideal:

    1) Give everyone a button to trigger armageddon.
    2) ???
    3) Profit!
  1. molinator's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Rellekk View Post
    This is an amazing idea. Trolls and QQ on /b/ about being anon
    It's not amazing. It's fucking horrible.

    It's fucking horrible not because it prevents trolls from happening, but it enables people to stalk and harass in real life, and enables more sensitive information to be stolen from them when their accounts are hacked.
  1. Tsimp's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Swizzle View Post
    your name isn't all that personal. holy balls.
    I see you still haven't posted your real name, even though its not personal...
  1. Etain's Avatar
    I work in a public school. I try to be careful as it is about what my "real name" is tied to on the internet, particularly with the kids in school being more and more internet and computer savvy.

    I've posted on the official boards a handful of times before, mostly giving feedback when there were regional outages or things of that nature. Yeah, no way is that going to happen now.
  1. Usagi Vindaloo's Avatar
    Another point or two about the Facebook thing for those that are saying it's ridiculous to have a problem with this but not Facebook:

    1) Plenty of people AVOID using Facebook etc for just this reason.

    2) Okay, let's talk about those that do use it (such as me). Joining up with Facebook was a *choice*. I knew going into it that my real name was going to be used, because it was CLEAR from the start. Same with LinkedIn. Every post I make on those platforms is a deliberate and conscious decision... ie "I want this particular piece of info to be connected with ME, ie my real name."

    WoW forums don't work that way. For one thing, BattleID is a new thing, one that we never expected to develop this way. Plenty of people went into this with the assumption (a pretty strongly encouraged one) that we were dealing with avatars and pseudonyms. This has changed the gameplan, and it is not what we originally signed up for. Secondly, while I FULLY agree that trolling and bad behaviour is a horrible thing and should never happen, do we really want to slave and deliberate over every post to make sure it reflects on US (ie our real identity) the way we want it to? Bear in mind, I'm not defending things like, "You are a terribad and you should die." I'm defending the right to write something like, "OMG HOLY CRAP, I finally got the shield from the gunship fight after 10 tries! THANK GOD! I'm SO excited!" and not have to worry about how it reflects on you as a person, as a professional etc.
  1. sicness's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by frott View Post
    bottom line is if i posted my real first and last name here, right now, it would take anyone about 5 minutes to be able to:

    1. call me at work.
    2. call my boss at work. I'm sure to tell me i'm very pleasant and helpful.
    3. stop by my house or job and bid me a good day.
    4. read my amazon.com reviews and reply kindly to them
    5. locate clients of mine and give them an update as to my opinion of them.


    Are you out of your fucking mind? Do you think I'm concerned about this because I like to post ASCII middle fingers?
    And you really think that someone would go through that trouble just to annoy you? I mean seriously do you really? The primary reason people post trolling or flaming responses is for the 'e-fame' that comes with it, take out any sort of fame and the majority of them won't even consider it.
  1. misterpuk's Avatar
    So.... what's the capacity of the new mmo-champ forums again? Incoming overload in 3..2...
  1. Neichus's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by tusker View Post
    This news is getting more mmo-c feedback than when beta was officially announced! Must mean something..
    It means it's a topic people can have an easy opinion on. Now we can all spew our two-cents and rehash what's been said 20x times before in the thread.
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