RAWA is our new community manager

[Dhelayan]

and will get to open source as resources become available

*sets his clock to 12/31/12*

[J'Kla]

Thats not fair you know there will be delay applogies to see before that date.

[Jamey]

Are you people seriously fighting and at each others throats because of the status of a topic on the MOUL forums, in a topic on the GoW forum that has nothing to do with the matter? This is beyond stupid.

I will ask you all again, to please stay on topic. I created this topic about RAWA to report news, express my satisfaction, and possibly exchange ideas on the issue. I did not create this topic just so it could get locked because of some off-topic flame war. If you want to fight, do it somewhere else.

Now, I will ask my question that I asked before, in addition to a few more.

What would you like to see RAWA do as our community manager above all?
How would you like to see him get involved?
What problems could we possibly fix with RAWA's assistance?

And once again, I will repeat my stance; I'd like to see him look more into how ages are made, maybe make a few more (no pun intended) guidelines, and perhaps be more involved in the process such as approving FCALS.

Mod Note: The fight mentioned in this post was split to this topic.

[Chacal]

I have to agree with you about this thread.
Now to answer your question, for now I'd like RAWA to provide honest and simple answers to simple questions.
Honest answers include "Yes", "No" and "We don't know" when needed.
Honest could also be "We said this at this date in the past, but now we have changed our mind, or now we have learned that we can't fulfil our promise".
A good example would be "We have promised to release the source code for the MOUL engine and the MOUL client to some form of open-source license. However we don't even have the staff to review the code and take out commercial parts from it. We have pushed back the ETA to June 2011".

What I grew tired of is corporate-speak, announcements so carefully screened to avoid the risk of bad press that they are devoid of any meaning. That's what I was making fun of in a previous post. Listen to any Rand Miller interview if you want examples.

If necessary, have different spokesmen, and different languages, for "Cyan" and for "the Uru team".

***EDIT***
I just found a great example on the Silent Hunter 5 forums, in a Q & A thread:

Q:Will SH5 allow the ability to command a sub fleet or squadron from a naval base thereby determining duty rosters, assign commanders their boats, and establish objectives?

A: Our focus is to create the perfect German submarine experience, with the highest detail current technology allows in real time. Silent Hunter is not about surface ships, is not about strategic decisions. What truly means Silent Hunter is life of a captain, his boat, his crew, a desperate battle for survival they themselves may not understand or agree with, sinking ships, live a drama on the high seas.

The answer I'd have liked to see:

A: No.

[J'Kla]

I find myself agreeing with Jamey and Chacal on the thread direction and Chacal on what I would like to see from RAWA that's simple answers to direct questions. At the moment we have had the standard new manager self introduction and a potted history of the show to date.

I would like to see some key dates even if they are provisional, An outline of what there is to do (a list of what's stopping release) I suspect we are not going to see this.

Finally some direct answers to simple questions with regard to RAWA's area of expertise D'ni language. I have in the past e-mailed him with direct questions and now with him as community manager I will use first PM and if that fails then questions in open forum.

I would rather not use open forum as it has always been my intention to use the answers to my questions as the basis for in game puzzles. An example would be I have placed a request for D'ni symbols for

+ and - and =

There's others as well one of the most important being the D'ni decimal point (I know it won't be Decimal in base 25 but you know what I mean) this could be as simple as the knife symbol in a string of numbers. plus could be the first letter of the word for plus in D'ni whatever that is.

I have resolved to give RAWA a couple of weeks before I start any serious campaign of querying. To be fair he only needs to look through his inbox the questions have been pending for months.

[Zardoz]

I would suggest that we view RAWA as a messenger, and that we adopt the credo, Don't Shoot the Messenger. RAWA cannot provide answers he does not have, and so asking the right question will be important. A question such as, On what date will Open Source begin? is a stupid question to ask RAWA, because if he knew, he would have already announced it, and if he doesn't know, he will be accused of obfuscation when he honestly answers, I don't know. Cyan (really meaning Rand and the other powers-that-be) has a horrendous history of using go-betweens (liaisons, anyone?) to communicate. Why is anyone expecting anything different this time? I will take RAWA's answers at face value.

[Aloys]

for now I'd like RAWA to provide honest and simple answers to simple questions.

While that is very understandable let's never forget this golden rule of marketing and community building:
In times of difficult situations (such as the one we've had for the last couple years) the moment you give honnest and simple answers is the moment you lose everyone.

I would suggest that we view RAWA as a messenger, and that we adopt the credo, Don't Shoot the Messenger.

Pretty much. Rawa is just doing his job. And given the current circumstances, he's doing pretty well.

[BAD]

I would suggest that we view RAWA as a messenger, and that we adopt the credo, Don't Shoot the Messenger. RAWA cannot provide answers he does not have, and so asking the right question will be important. A question such as, On what date will Open Source begin? is a stupid question to ask RAWA, because if he knew, he would have already announced it, and if he doesn't know, he will be accused of obfuscation when he honestly answers, I don't know. Cyan (really meaning Rand and the other powers-that-be) has a horrendous history of using go-betweens (liaisons, anyone?) to communicate. Why is anyone expecting anything different this time? I will take RAWA's answers at face value.

There's no such thing as stupid questions. Everyone is already asking him this question. It is wrong for us to insist on an answer, but I believe it is obvious that this question is in every fans mind. He has already made it clear he doesn't know when this will happen. He has made it clear that no one at Cyan knows when the open source issue will be taken care of.

Personally that's fine with me. an "I don't know." is far better than silence. Careful Zardoz, this isn't the MOUL forums. Sure we are having a minor scuffle here, but this place is not home to the annoyances that thrive on the MOUL forums instability. You may actually get some intelligent replies here.

[Zardoz]

There's no such thing as stupid questions.

You're right - there are only stupid questioners.

[BAD]

Now now, you really shouldn't sink to my level.