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Hello, Freelancers! It’s been a while since our last State of the Subreddit message and we wanted to give some updates as well as provide clarification on some of our policies.
Since launch, we've been very busy moderating the subreddit due to the increased activity. At our busiest time, we saw over 16,000 comments and 3,000 posts made within a span of 24 hours: we were basically in the top ten most active subreddits for a while post-launch. As you can imagine, we had a lot on our plate but we're now ready to sit down and discuss the subreddit after launch.
Our Rules: Ch-ch-changes
After feedback, we’ve made some changes to our rules. Some of the changes simply involved setting some ongoing policies into stone, such as duplicate posts under rule 7; we've always removed and redirected duplicate posts as needed, to prevent users from posting the same tweet or asking about the server status when they go down for example.
We implemented other changes, such as adding 'goodbye stories' to our content restrictions, due to feedback provided through comments and modmail. We removed tweets and discord posts from the content restrictions; pre-launch, we had an incessant amount of posts on simple tweets with little significance to Anthem. This has changed and so has our policy.
We've also relaxed our no 'simple screenshots' policy on a trial basis; we used to not allow them at all but we've changed it to allow 'informational' screenshots, or screenshots that show something interesting and cool, with some effort. This means we will continue to remove screenshots of your loot sitting on the floor after a Stronghold among other repetitive screenshots such as a headless Javelin or the stupendous and terrifying combination of Colosceptor in the Forge.
For the sake of transparency, we've also cleaned up our 'removal reasons' in an attempt to provide further clarity on why we've removed a post. We provide removal reasons almost always when we remove something, so you know exactly why your comment or post gets removed. If you have feedback on those, please let us know.
In summary:
- Clarified 'duplicate posts' and 'short posts' under Rule 7: Content Restrictions
- Added 'goodbye stories' under Rule 7: Content Restrictions
- Relaxed 'simple screenshots' policy on a trial basis under Rule 7: Content Restrictions.
- Removed 'tweets' and 'discord posts' policy from Rule 7: Content Restrictions
Incivility and the Subreddit
Long story short: we've observed an uptick in uncivil behavior in this community. We do our best to combat incivility in this community where we can, and we will continue to do so. Please report any uncivil comments you see and we will look into it as soon as possible.
We should clarify what incivility means in our community. Aside from the obvious, such as the usual insults like calling someone else a moron or idiot, we also don't like users calling others a 'fanboy' or 'shill' -- those have insulting implications and will face removal and other mod action as needed. We typically hand out warnings and bans on an escalating basis, but at times, we may permanently ban on the first offense, such as telling another user to kill themselves. Those comments are never acceptable.
Also, the 'they started it first' defense didn't work in elementary school and it doesn't work here either. If someone attacks you, do not respond in kind: instead, report their comment and walk away. If you respond in kind, you may also face mod action.
This protection from incivility applies to all members of our community including BioWare and EA staff. They are members of the community as much as the players are. You can still criticize and complain about BioWare and EA. However, do not go naming a specific developer and insult them. For example, a comment like "Kaiden Alenko sucks and should give up their children for adoption and go into rehab because they're so bad at game development," will get removed and actioned.
However, this does not mean we police positivity and negativity, praise or criticism in general. Remember: other players' experiences may differ from your own. The parent who comes home from work to play an hour or two of Anthem may have a different experience than a college student who shoves 30 hours of play into a single week. The community may hold different and apparently conflicting perspectives at times. Do not attack them for views that differ from your own, whether they're giving Anthem some criticism or praise.
Every community has their highs and lows. We will weather any storm until the waters calm and the skies clear. In the meantime, if you want a salt-free subreddit, here's a shout out to /r/LowSodiumAnthem; feel free to join their community until the storm has passed.
In summary:
You can still disagree with other users in a civil manner and not get in trouble. Nothing on the subreddit is moderated on the basis of positivity, negativity, or the opinions of those posting it. We moderate exclusively on the merits of posts. Don't be jerks to each other and we won't have an issue.
Upcoming
We continually strive to keep the subreddit updated in response to the needs of the community. Our CSS maestro is working on adding in a new post flair, 'INFO', for guides, tips, and PSAs. Due to the nature of the subreddit's CSS, this will take a little time to implement but it's coming!
We will also be updating our FAQ with common guides for fresh level 30s, as well as people starting the game. If you would like to contribute to this, please let us know.
We are recruiting moderators!
Due to the substantial increased activity in the subreddit, we've decided to add more members to our moderator team! Please apply here. We prefer applicants with prior modding experience and timezone coverage other than North America. For those of you who live on the other side of the world, this is your chance!
Feedback from You
As always, we incorporate feedback into our decision making when looking at changes and updates for our rules and policies. Now, you have an opportunity to let us know what you'd like to see from this subreddit. We think some of these changes, requested by some users, should receive some consideration from you.
These are not changes we've made, but tentatively considering, and we want your feedback on them.
- Shifting the subreddit to text-only, becoming primarily a discussion-oriented subreddit. This means no more screenshots, direct links to YouTube videos or articles, etc. You can incorporate those into a discussion, however, as long there's effort, good titles, etc.
- Instead of weekly threads, such as our weekly Silly Saturday, we allow you to post directly to the sub directly on a given day. This means your fashion posts would be allowed on Fridays, memes on Saturdays, loot posts on Tuesdays, etc. This would prevent those posts from overwhelming the subreddit throughout the week while providing an avenue for focused discussion on a given day. (This would be on a trial basis and subject to feedback.)
- People would love to post their loot on the subreddit; is this something we should allow overall? Please let us know! What about screenshots? Should we relax this rule or disallow screenshots entirely?
- Before the game launched, we instituted a moratorium on requests for PvP and text chat at the request of users, since they began to overwhelm the subreddit. Now that Anthem has launched, do you want us to lift this moratorium?
If there's any other changes that you'd like for us to consider, comment below: we want to hear from you! We'll do our best to answer questions as well. Thank you!
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