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Thought this was big news enough, but nothing was online, seems people are getting numb to GW doing silly and abusive things.

Anyway.

Forge World, Digital Editions, and Black Library have all been pulled from Facebook and Twiitter, which is a real shame because it was one of the few avenues of customer interaction. All searchs dump you back to the newsfeed or a generic search.

http://natfka.blogspot.ca/2014/03/its-gone-forgeworld-and-digital.html

*Slow clap*

It's stupid, moronic, utterly opposed to the position bigger and more successful companies have adopted in relation to social media and therefor exactly what we should expect from GW.

Also should this be in News and Rumors?

Ready for there new website maybe ?

Positive thinking !

*Shakes head slowly*

GW... what a stupid way to run a company which should really rely on interacting with customers...

It was actually mentioned in a few other threads -- the new website one for example.

There's also this link



http://warhammerworld.games-workshop.com/



WE'll leave this open to discuss what, if anything this means.

One suspects it's a combination of the new site coming and the changes on FB with regards to businesses and promotions.

According to http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2014/03/gws-recent-decisions.html it was just pure stupidity:

"It is with regret that Forge World has decided to stop its Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest sites. As these sites have grown in popularity over recent years it has become increasingly difficult to give them the support and attention required from within the FW team. Therefore we have taken the difficult decision to stop them completely."

So yeah, every sane company says "hey, this social media thing is kind of important, we should hire someone to manage it for us". GW, on the other hand, says "it's still 1990, have someone do it in their spare time as long as it doesn't keep them from doing more productive things, like turning every random unit into its own $50 'codex'". You know it's bad when their excuse is so unbelievably stupid that you hope it's just a case of them lying about the fact that they shut it all down because they don't want public criticism.

 Ravenous D wrote:
Thought this was big news enough, but nothing was online, seems people are getting numb to GW doing silly and abusive things.

Anyway.

Forge World, Digital Editions, and Black Library have all been pulled from Facebook and Twiitter, which is a real shame because it was one of the few avenues of customer interaction. All searchs dump you back to the newsfeed or a generic search.

http://natfka.blogspot.ca/2014/03/its-gone-forgeworld-and-digital.html

You'd like to think it was because of the new upcoming website but even my natural hyper-optimism is becoming eroded. The statement that as the community on the FW page was becoming too big, they couldn't devote enough staff time to, so shut it down, is worrying.

One of the few things that GW has done recently that has had a majority positive reaction was interaction and talking to customers via Digital Editions and so on.

Even if there was no possibility of having a full time member of staff, some interaction would be preferable to none

 Peregrine wrote:
According to http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2014/03/gws-recent-decisions.html it was just pure stupidity:

"It is with regret that Forge World has decided to stop its Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest sites. As these sites have grown in popularity over recent years it has become increasingly difficult to give them the support and attention required from within the FW team. Therefore we have taken the difficult decision to stop them completely."

So yeah, every sane company says "hey, this social media thing is kind of important, we should hire someone to manage it for us". GW, on the other hand, says "it's still 1990, have someone do it in their spare time as long as it doesn't keep them from doing more productive things, like turning every random unit into its own $50 'codex'". You know it's bad when their excuse is so unbelievably stupid that you hope it's just a case of them lying about the fact that they shut it all down because they don't want public criticism.

Or more importantly they don't like others seeing the criticism... it may make the viewers stop and think about getting into GW games

If there's a replacement shouldn't it be announced and introduced before the old is gradually taken down? You don't just axe the old without warning, leaving confusion. It seems like a warm up for this new website that's supposed to be coming.


I fear for Forgeworld coming more under the controlling culture of GW main. While they're the same company anyway, FW show some autonomy and do a lot right through their site and blog, open days and generally delivering some of the most imaginative stuff being made at GW. If they get subsumed into the main GW site I can just see the culture there being the norm and all that is good about Forgeworld being stopped.

"They're too popular, we have to shut them down."

It hurts my brain.

It is obvious what is going on. The one intern they use to manage the FB page has been retasked to design them a new website in the next week and a half. Nothing could possibly go wrong.

It really does make you wonder what is going on over there. FW and Black Library social media places were actually fairly decent places to get info and be teased. Even the staff responded to questions. The up high directive rumour makes you wonder if they're starting a restructure on how FW and Black Library operate. I'll just re-post these comments I made from the FW thread as it merits some thought at least:

See, these subtle changes worry me. Idle speculation mode:

- could the rumoured website merger and disappearance of social media be the sign of a more radical restructure?
- FW being split up - a GW resins department and a 30k department?
- The FW brand being dropped
- An attempt to force traffic and buyers through the latest plastic releases on the site before reaching old FW stuff.

Of course this is wild guesswork, but the changes we've seen have a certain feel of desperation around them. Unlikely any of it is true but trying to meddle with a successful part of the business is a huge risk for them.

...

It's recently occurred to me that FW probably runs some of the rest of GW up the wrong way. A plastics kit flops, a middle manager misses targets and then watches 'those mavericks' from FW produce a resin kit that they can't produce fast enough because they have the freedom and agility that the wider business doesn't. Some would probably love to 'bring them to heel' so to speak.

That or GW about to do something mentally stupid and there dropping the sites in anticipation of the uproar that will fallow.

I'm dreading the repricing of the Forge World items in the same way the main site gouges you geographically.

Perhaps they are anticipating a similar response from others being posted on their social media sites.

 Eldarain wrote:
I'm dreading the repricing of the Forge World items in the same way the main site gouges you geographically.

Perhaps they are anticipating a similar response from others being posted on their social media sites.

Its the ole "If we never go into the forest, who cares if the tree makes a sound."

"It is with regret that Forge World has decided to stop its Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest sites. As these sites have grown in popularity over recent years it has become increasingly difficult to give them the support and attention required from within the FW team. Therefore we have taken the difficult decision to stop them completely."

That is.. I don't... surely that isn't for real?

I can't believe it.. even the smallest miniature start-ups and painting studios have their own social media content and keep it updated. Maybe something else going on?

Not that I honestly care at all about GW and it's products any more. I just look at these threads as a kind of dirty indulgence, like rubber-necking at a car crash.

Yup and the continue erosion of services will continue. The struggles of a company who still believe that they are AWESOME. God they are a non issue now.
I'll insert my maniacal laughter here.... or over there.... or maybe there....

I like how GW has come to the exact opposite conclusion that literally every other business in the world has come to: that an online presence is not only not necessary, it's actually bad.

There's a taco truck around here with a facebook page. The idea a company doesn't have the time/personnel to manage one is hilarious and just a blatant lie that I don't think even GW expects anyone to buy. They're just trying to shut any avenue for customer interaction. You will buy what you are told and you will not say a damn word about it!

The real problem though is FW, the one thing with a shred of humanity and an actual future in the hobby, is getting sucked further and further into the complete clusterfeth that is GW.

 Harriticus wrote:
I like how GW has come to the exact opposite conclusion that literally every other business in the world has come to: that an online presence is not only not necessary, it's actually bad.

There's a taco truck around here with a facebook page. The idea a company doesn't have the time/personnel to manage one is hilarious and just a blatant lie that I don't think even GW expects anyone to buy. They're just trying to shut any avenue for customer interaction. You will buy what you are told and you will not say a damn word about it!

The real problem though is FW, the one thing with a shred of humanity and an actual future in the hobby, is getting sucked further and further into the complete clusterfeth that is GW.

I absolutely agree with what your saying there but technically I'm not sure it is a lie. At the rate GW are cutting costs they may genuinely believe that having a couple of guys spend a few hours a day on social media is not something they can afford.

Which is an even more horrifying thought than it being a total lie...

You would have to really not know how people use the internet if you think removing yourself from facebook and twitter but opening up a new website with the same stuff would be better.

Most young people will automatically open facebook and twitter when they launch their browser, or will periodically check in throughout the day on their phone.

You guys, everyone knows this internet thing is just a passing fad.

They really need a rolled up magazine or fat phone book with the word no written on it and just start declaring assaults on management or whoever coming up with these treasured idea's. Don't forget to roll difficult terrain.

Damn, I really liked the digital editions page. Eddie seemed like a good guy and he always tried to respond. Sad to see that aspect of GW go.

 Wolfstan wrote:

 Peregrine wrote:
According to http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2014/03/gws-recent-decisions.html it was just pure stupidity:

"It is with regret that Forge World has decided to stop its Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest sites. As these sites have grown in popularity over recent years it has become increasingly difficult to give them the support and attention required from within the FW team. Therefore we have taken the difficult decision to stop them completely."

So yeah, every sane company says "hey, this social media thing is kind of important, we should hire someone to manage it for us". GW, on the other hand, says "it's still 1990, have someone do it in their spare time as long as it doesn't keep them from doing more productive things, like turning every random unit into its own $50 'codex'". You know it's bad when their excuse is so unbelievably stupid that you hope it's just a case of them lying about the fact that they shut it all down because they don't want public criticism.

Or more importantly they don't like others seeing the criticism... it may make the viewers stop and think about getting into GW games

That's the crux of it, GW HATE informed opinions, they even have their sell bots saying "That unit isn't bad, it just offers a different hobby challenge".


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Harriticus wrote:
I like how GW has come to the exact opposite conclusion that literally every other business in the world has come to: that an online presence is not only not necessary, it's actually bad.

There's a taco truck around here with a facebook page. The idea a company doesn't have the time/personnel to manage one is hilarious and just a blatant lie that I don't think even GW expects anyone to buy. They're just trying to shut any avenue for customer interaction. You will buy what you are told and you will not say a damn word about it!

The real problem though is FW, the one thing with a shred of humanity and an actual future in the hobby, is getting sucked further and further into the complete clusterfeth that is GW.

Its GW cutting off avenues of criticism and more importantly to stop anyone from seeing them. On the forums GWs past transgressions are well documented, and there has been so many in the last 2 years that we have started to forget about some of them. I always say GW is at war with its customers and fully blame us for everything bad that happens.

 A Town Called Malus wrote:
You would have to really not know how people use the internet if you think removing yourself from facebook and twitter but opening up a new website with the same stuff would be better.

Most young people will automatically open facebook and twitter when they launch their browser, or will periodically check in throughout the day on their phone.

Well, I must be the customer GW is trying to communicate with then. As I have neither a Twitter account nor Privacyinvasionbook.

 Grimtuff wrote:

 A Town Called Malus wrote:
You would have to really not know how people use the internet if you think removing yourself from facebook and twitter but opening up a new website with the same stuff would be better.

Most young people will automatically open facebook and twitter when they launch their browser, or will periodically check in throughout the day on their phone.

Well, I must be the customer GW is trying to communicate with then. As I have neither a Twitter account nor Privacyinvasionbook.

Guess we've found GWs target market then. Grimtuff, you are GWs only hope

I don't see this as a wise move to leave everything without forewarning everyone "hey! Our new page is on the way! Stay tuned!"
instead its just a blackout. Awesome.

It isnt a wise move, period.

Even if they were to replicate the functionality of Twitter and Facebook, they would fail to achieve its purpose.

The social aspect is based on people following and reposting things. Signing up to your feeds so that your posts go directly to them. By having their own versions, it lacks that connection to the rest of the world. No one will stumble on the GW website like they might do when someone reposts a picture from the FW Facebook page. They wont see a retweet.

The management at GW seem hell bent on taking things that people respond positively about (by most accounts the Digital and FW pages had been well managed) and replacing it with a half thought out version which only causes more of a chasm between them and their customers.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Grimtuff wrote:

 A Town Called Malus wrote:
You would have to really not know how people use the internet if you think removing yourself from facebook and twitter but opening up a new website with the same stuff would be better.

Most young people will automatically open facebook and twitter when they launch their browser, or will periodically check in throughout the day on their phone.

Well, I must be the customer GW is trying to communicate with then. As I have neither a Twitter account nor Privacyinvasionbook.

I actually am in a comparable boat. I dont use either, but that really isnt the point. That would be like me saying that since I dont watch TV, Toyota should stop making car commercials.

That is ridiculous, billions of people watch TV. Facebook has 1.23 billion accounts. Twitter has 243 million active accounts. According to Alexa, 6% of GWs referal traffic is from Facebook.

Cutting themselves off from those users, for whatever reason is dumb. Regardless of my own personal opinions of social media sites, it is a bad move to stop using them. Just like I think it is a bad move for the companies which only use them.

Funny enough they still have their Youtube channel up, Im actually surprised GW hasn't capitalized on youtubes new polices and claim the revenue from all the videos using their stuff.

The search results were pretty funny as well, "GW rant" and "GW is evil" were in the top 5.

 Ravenous D wrote:
Funny enough they still have their Youtube channel up, Im actually surprised GW hasn't capitalized on youtubes new polices and claim the revenue from all the videos using their stuff.

The search results were pretty funny as well, "GW rant" and "GW is evil" were in the top 5.

GWs YouTube channel is unlisted to ensure as little people as possible see it. Really a baffling and astonishing policy.