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Apparently, the sniping was getting pretty thick on the Facebook page, so Games Workshop released a statement requesting people's comments. Now, some of you might be able to actually talk to GW and address some of these rumors.

Your comments
by Games Workshop on Wednesday, May 18, 2011 at 10:35am

Hi everyone,



Well, we can see that there are quite a few of you with strong feelings about several issues, and the threads have gone a little crazy. We’re sorry many of you feel frustrated. We have read all of your comments and because we (the web dudes) don’t have the power to act on any of them, be assured that we have passed your comments on to the higher levels of management in GW.



We want to continue posting pictures of your fantastic miniatures, and link to hobby related items. We would like future threads to remain relevant to the topic in question, so everyone else can have their voice heard and enjoy the discussions about the hobby we all love.



We’ve got your comments both in this thread and on those older posts, which will remain open for you to carry on the conversation there – please, feel absolutely free to do so, we will indeed read them. But in any new threads, we want to celebrate the creative efforts of others. Any comments that stray off topic will be removed.



Just remember that we must remove any strong language and abusive users, in consideration of our youngest fans.



The web team.

Titled changed to better reflect that topic is distinct. ~Manchu

total avoidance and passing the buck.

Acardia wrote:total avoidance and passing the buck.

So Dakka avoids issues and passes the buck by requiring users to stay on topic and post about things in the appropriate thread? Yeah...

GW messed up, but they are at least acknowledging there is a problem and saying 'Keep posting over here, but let's keep the new threads on topic'.

Pretty much an attempt at placating people, that's how I view it. This disclaimer now gives them leave to delete negative comment, classed as being 'off-topic' while offering a sop to people that their views have been passed to those in authority, when we really know they are being ignored.

If GW were really serious about limiting the damage from this they would (other than not doing it in the first place) have released a meticulously crafted PR piece explaining their reasons and softening the blow. The deafening silence from GW ivory towers just adds to the anger, quite frankly.

Acardia wrote:total avoidance and passing the buck.

Really? you think the CEO of GW is running the Facebook page? That's like baming the guy who works in the mail room for the policies of his company. If people have real problems with GW, make them heard, and they are telling you now that they are!

It's an attempt at passing the blame, but something may come of it. Just because the individuals managing the GW Facebook group "don’t have the power to act" doesn't mean they're not GW.

Either way, at least this is something. I expected GW to pull an Iran and ignore the complaints until people got tired.

The comments have been posted in the multiple threads already complaining about GW's not-so-brilliant strategies and should probably be discussed there. While I'm all for peeing on GW right now (and have been doing a fair amount of it), I don't think dakka needs another thread on the same general topic in news and rumors. Just my two cents.

filbert wrote:Pretty much an attempt at placating people, that's how I view it. This disclaimer now gives them leave to delete negative comment, classed as being 'off-topic' while offering a sop to people that their views have been passed to those in authority, when we really know they are being ignored.

To an extent you are right, but you are attributing to malice what can adequately be attributed to incompetence. You do not know that the company isn't taking this seriously. Give it 20 minutes before you assume it is being ignored.

If GW were really serious about limiting the damage from this they would (other than not doing it in the first place) have released a meticulously crafted PR piece explaining their reasons and softening the blow. The deafening silence from GW ivory towers just adds to the anger, quite frankly.

They may not have expected the backlash, which is a bit silly. I totally agree they need to do some spin work though, cause right now they're letting the interwebs write the narrative, which just looks bad. That being said, big companies don't usually explain their every move to the populace at large.

filbert wrote:Pretty much an attempt at placating people, that's how I view it.

This disclaimer now gives them leave to delete negative comment, classed as being 'off-topic'

while offering a sop to people that their views have been passed to those in authority, when we really know they are being ignored.

If GW were really serious about limiting the damage from this they would (other than not doing it in the first place) have released a meticulously crafted PR piece explaining their reasons and softening the blow. The deafening silence from GW ivory towers just adds to the anger, quite frankly.

Be careful, the modquisition may be listening to your insolence...

The forum on Facebook is for people to share with GW what they do, as well as for GW to have another outlet to share the new stuff. The best part is it's free! (unlike White Dwarf) But a lot of people don't comment on the work, some think it's a place for debate, and not over the posted pics and the like.

pretre wrote:

filbert wrote:Pretty much an attempt at placating people, that's how I view it. This disclaimer now gives them leave to delete negative comment, classed as being 'off-topic' while offering a sop to people that their views have been passed to those in authority, when we really know they are being ignored.

To an extent you are right, but you are attributing to malice what can adequately be attributed to incompetence. You do not know that the company isn't taking this seriously. Give it 20 minutes before you assume it is being ignored.

If GW were really serious about limiting the damage from this they would (other than not doing it in the first place) have released a meticulously crafted PR piece explaining their reasons and softening the blow. The deafening silence from GW ivory towers just adds to the anger, quite frankly.

They may not have expected the backlash, which is a bit silly. I totally agree they need to do some spin work though, cause right now they're letting the interwebs write the narrative, which just looks bad. That being said, big companies don't usually explain their every move to the populace at large.

I'm not attributing anything to malice - its pretty clear the web team have little or no relation to the corporate movers and shakers at GW, beyond being employed by them. Frankly, incompetence and GW go hand in hand and for GW to not expect some sort of reaction to their latest stunts shows a criminal lack of research and shows just how out of touch they are with their consumers and market. And that is pretty shocking.

filbert wrote:Pretty much an attempt at placating people, that's how I view it. This disclaimer now gives them leave to delete negative comment, classed as being 'off-topic' while offering a sop to people that their views have been passed to those in authority, when we really know they are being ignored.

If GW were really serious about limiting the damage from this they would (other than not doing it in the first place) have released a meticulously crafted PR piece explaining their reasons and softening the blow. The deafening silence from GW ivory towers just adds to the anger, quite frankly.

Entirely in agreement. They give people somewhere to vent where their comments will be "passed on" to a "higher power" and then give themselves power and justification for stopping people from complining and essentially flooding their FB page with negative comments in the hope that it gets buried in that single thread (I would bet anything there will be a whole flurry of posts by GW now to push it off the front page as well) and thus passes out of the public eye.

A lot of the problem comes from the complete lack of communication from anyone in power at GW (although obviously they are based on the genuine complaints and anger over the choices made) and their seeming deafness to anything that the playerbase is saying.

I'm really surprised that there was any response at all. To me, it makes the fact that they're "just web dudes" more believable.

SoloFalcon1138 wrote:The best part is it's free! (unlike White Dwarf).

That's only because GW hasn't figured out how to charge for it yet.

Could i have a link to this, as i'd like to get my opinion down as well.

filbert wrote:Pretty much an attempt at placating people, that's how I view it. This disclaimer now gives them leave to delete negative comment, classed as being 'off-topic' while offering a sop to people that their views have been passed to those in authority, when we really know they are being ignored.

If GW were really serious about limiting the damage from this they would (other than not doing it in the first place) have released a meticulously crafted PR piece explaining their reasons and softening the blow. The deafening silence from GW ivory towers just adds to the anger, quite frankly.

Agreed,this appears to be little more than a pat on the head before getting back to "business as usual".

Manchu wrote:I'm really surprised that there was any response at all. To me, it makes the fact that they're "just web dudes" more believable.

Don't worry, they've already been fired

http://www.facebook.com/notes/games-workshop/your-comments/227241343957370

Bloodhorror wrote:Could i have a link to this, as i'd like to get my opinion down as well.

Go to facebook.

Search for Games Workshop.

Done.

SoloFalcon1138 wrote:

Acardia wrote:total avoidance and passing the buck.

Really? you think the CEO of GW is running the Facebook page? That's like baming the guy who works in the mail room for the policies of his company. If people have real problems with GW, make them heard, and they are telling you now that they are!

I think any rational person would say no to the first.

However, one must equally accept that GW HQ could also post up something on Facebook and everywhere else they do their marketing (WD, newsletter, website) if they wanted to as well. The CEO's direct presence is not required for him to communicate with us via the Facebook page. It merely requires an actual response.

It is a fine line here, I can completely understand that they don't want their Facebook page hijacked into a non-stop bitchfest, it is not the purpose or design of their work there.

I can also understand that they have cut off all other venues of actually getting a non-automated or stock response that they themselves own, so where else can we go to complain to them directly? Sending emails that are most likely deleted before being read? Go to non-existent GW forums?

I understand the need to protect their interests, but they also need to give their customers a place they can go where genuine communication takes place, otherwise they cannot be surprised when people will take whatever opportunity arises. Up to and including the Facebook page.




Automatically Appended Next Post:
NOTE - Addressing the issue, however noncommittally was at least a step in the right direction, and I think someone there should at least get a little credit for stepping up and not pretending the room isn't on fire.

SilverMK2 wrote:

Manchu wrote:I'm really surprised that there was any response at all. To me, it makes the fact that they're "just web dudes" more believable.

Don't worry, they've already been fired

No doubt!

The people will rise: first Tunisia and Egypt, then Lybia and Syria, now the GW fans? I hope it works out better than those other cases . . .

I think this was the only acknowledgment the web dudes dared. Others would just have deleted the posts or closed the thread or facebook page.
Keep in mind that GW's internal atmosphere is very restrictive, with critique/feedback not encouraged and often leading to being fired.

Cheers, i've made my voice heard and was surprised to see that others have as well !


Hopefully it'll acheive something ^^

I don't do facebook (it's the devil!) but it's nice that someone there is actually saying something and I agree with them about not putting replies from complainers where they don't belong since we do the same thing here. Maybe this will get someone there that gets paid more than $10 an hour to do something about it.

I wish people would just leave them alone.... If anything, you don't want a company to hate its customers...

Their jobs are safe because no one else in corporate can figure out facebook. But just wait til those execs replace the web dudes with their teenage daughters.

Maybe people should respond to that Facebook post praising the web dudes for at least admitting publicly that all is not well from the customer perspective.

Also, could "GW Web Dudes" be an emergent dakka meme? Something like "Web Dudes Resistance Front"? Or "Dakkanauts for Encouragement of Web Dudes" (D.E.W.D.). I'm not trying to blame the victim here or anything . . .

MajorTom11 wrote:
It is a fine line here, I can completely understand that they don't want their Facebook page hijacked into a non-stop bitchfest, it is not the purpose or design of their work there.

I am sure that GW views Facebook as a form of advertising, and thus certainly do not want negative posts on their Facebook page. However, it is also a social network. If you piss people off then they will react. I think that GW will find that they either have to treat their customers right or pull out of Facebook.

I decided to leave a comment:

"Please, please, please, GW - even if this is only the web team - realize that you have to change. This isn't the 1990's, or even the early 2000's, when Games Workshop was quite literally the only game company people could turn to for a fun miniature game. Today, we have Battlefront, Privateer Press, Wyrd Miniatures, Mantic Games, Spartan Games - so many competitors that have quality products that disillusioned Games Workshop fans can turn to. GW, at this rate, is going to lose veterans who can no longer afford to purchase new models, or have become unhappy with the current rules/releases/structure of the company, while at the same time restrict new players from entering the hobby. The child who's parents gives them the 5-10 dollar/pound allowance, the high school student who barely makes over minimum wage, the grown adult who lives comfortably - none of them will be able to afford to purchase a single army, let alone the other ranges that they will undoubtedly feel a pull towards. Already, I never go to my local GW store - there's no reason to. My local FLGS has regular sales that allows me to makes purchases at slightly more reasonable prices. There's also the restriction on Wayland and Maelstrom. Our Australian brethren can no longer make use of these companies, meaning its now -less-expensive for them to purchase from Forgeworld than it is to order from the GW website. This cannot continue. I don't want to see Games Workshop go under. You make a great game, with fantastic models and an amazingly deep background. But a continuing of these bussiness practices means that people will turn away. A trickle at first, perhaps, but more and more will continue to stop making purchases and put away their models, or go to other companies."

Samus_aran115 wrote:I wish people would just leave them alone.... If anything, you don't want a company to hate its customers...

SoloFalcon1138 wrote:

Acardia wrote:total avoidance and passing the buck.

Really? you think the CEO of GW is running the Facebook page? That's like baming the guy who works in the mail room for the policies of his company. If people have real problems with GW, make them heard, and they are telling you now that they are!

Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic: The Gathering, owns both a twitter feed, a facebook page, and a main site. All three are frequented and often updated by higher-ups such as Mark Rosewater. People may criticize MtG for being expensive, but they currently hold the majority of the TCG market and yet their community relations are excellent and their product balanced.

Manchu wrote:

SilverMK2 wrote:

Manchu wrote:I'm really surprised that there was any response at all. To me, it makes the fact that they're "just web dudes" more believable.

Don't worry, they've already been fired

No doubt!

The people will rise: first Tunisia and Egypt, then Lybia and Syria, now the GW fans? I hope it works out better than those other cases . . .

The Nerd Spring?

The Web guy comments are just what would be expoected by any web team i'm sure. If GW FB page gets pulled it will be after a few days when the passed on comments reach the boardroom.

Web lacky - "Mr Kirby, its the Internet, they are disrupting the Facebook page" [cowers]

Kirby - "the Intenet has reached facebook now!......Hmmmmmm it is like a Tironad swarm it gets into everything! We call them Tironads don't we?"

"Release the FLYING LAWYER MONKEYS!" [cackling]