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[Merdaneth]

Many RP MUDs have a Rumors board for this kind of thing, and it works very well. I support developing something like this for Eve.

Backstage rumor section?

[Ciarente]

Created in Fiction and stickied
here

[Ghost Hunter]

Created in Fiction and stickied
here

The question becomes if there should be an anonymity feature, or if knowing who is making the hook line is better to know than not.

Something of a metagame approach by not involving one's self based solely on who the rumor creator is, as it were.

[Ciarente]

The only argument against anonymity is that, as a [mod]moderator[/mod] I'd like to be able to be confident that rumors aren't being started maliciously, without the player's consent.

[Ghost Hunter]

The only argument against anonymity is that, as a moderator I'd like to be able to be confident that rumors aren't being started maliciously, without the player's consent.

That is a position I did not consider. What I originally thought of was "Oh, so and so made this. Well I don't want to be involved with that player even though that storyline would be useful to my development".

Your point holds more merit over mine though, I think.

[Graanvlokkie]

The only argument against anonymity is that, as a moderator I'd like to be able to be confident that rumors aren't being started maliciously, without the player's consent.

That is a position I did not consider. What I originally thought of was "Oh, so and so made this. Well I don't want to be involved with that player even though that storyline would be useful to my development".

Your point holds more merit over mine though, I think.

I think being able to post anonymously could be important in some circumstances. If I post a rumour about my charater people would be more likely to regard it as fact. If there isnt a source for that rumour people would be more likely to engauge my charater IC about the rumour.

Its a nice way for people, like me, who's charaters would never showboat on IGS to put out info and story hooks. Obvious story hooks are obvious, and are usually ignored.

[Mithfindel]

The halfway would be a system that shows posters to the mods, but not to the general public. Another possibility would be a player-run "gossip rag" on IGS/some blog site accepting hints from people by EVEmail, but that needs a few good volunteers and some moderation on what to publish. (Hints from 1-day alts? Sure, the yellow papers would publish those, too, but it's not necessary fair in this case.)

[Ciarente]

The halfway would be a system that shows posters to the mods, but not to the general public. Another possibility would be a player-run "gossip rag" on IGS/some blog site accepting hints from people by EVEmail, but that needs a few good volunteers and some moderation on what to publish. (Hints from 1-day alts? Sure, the yellow papers would publish those, too, but it's not necessary fair in this case.)

I don't know how to set up an 'invisible poster' thing on this board and it may not be possible. Aside from the external blog solution (and if anyone wants to take that idea and run with it ...) there's also the possibility that someone could mail a mod with a rumor about their character that they want to be published 'anonymously' but people would probably just assume that the character who the gossip was about was the source anyway ...

[Isobel Mitar]

I think being able to post anonymously could be important in some circumstances. If I post a rumour about my charater people would be more likely to regard it as fact. If there isnt a source for that rumour people would be more likely to engauge my charater IC about the rumour.

In practice, the above has not been a problem for Gradient or Electus Matari. We have found that players who actively use the gossip pages will happily write both lies and truths, and regard what they read more as invitations to find stuff out than facts.

Personally, I consider the ability to know who posted a certain rumour to be good feature. It both gives due OOC fame to awesome gossip writers for what they give to the RP community, and makes people accountable for what they post about other characters.

[Casiella]

Eh. One could also PM a friend (or random stranger) to post a rumor on one's behalf. On the Internet, everything IS anonymous, or at least pseudonymous.

Until subpoenas get involved. And sometimes even then...

[Elsebeth Rhiannon]

Random comments on this one from my point of view...

1.

That IGS is not a place for schemes any more than the CIA uses LiveJournal to plan clandestine
operations.

QFT.

2. Secrets tend to come out. Also in EVE, though maybe due to the "bandwidth issue" Ulph mentions slower and/or with lower frequency than in RL - but you'd be surprised of the amount of stuff that does come up eventually. Secrets tend to come out because people in general suck at keeping a secret and so go and tell: drunken gossip at parties, just needing someone to share the burden, the sheer glee of showing to be "in the know". And yes, so-called professionals do this too. One problem in EVE (and other games) is that sometimes people overcome the urge to tell IC by telling OOC, and assuming the other party won't use the info. This causes an unrealistic situation where it is easy for the character not to share with anyone, because the player already has.

3. EM "gossip wiki" is private (though I am not exactly sure if it needs to be, or if this is just a technical thing, it being on a private wiki), and the page itself is OOC. You do not have to find out about its existence IC. The information on it is obtainable IC from tabloids, "dockside gossip", etc - and is often misleading and sometimes factually wrong. But it offers you a way to ask.

4. Spying on other RP organizations and pirates is surprisingly easy to do without requiring alts or NPCs. "I asked them" is my main source of intel over the years, I think. Though why would anyone pay to know when PIE directorate holds a meeting is beyond me.

[Merdaneth]

4. Spying on other RP organizations and pirates is surprisingly easy to do without requiring alts or NPCs. "I asked them" is my main source of intel over the years, I think. Though why would anyone pay to know when PIE directorate holds a meeting is beyond me.

That's my primary source of intel too! Even some EM pilots seem to be quite willing to tell me all kinds of stuff.

However, I'm not often asked stuff IC, and I've not gotten much feedback out of any of my 'schemes' unless I made them public.

[Vieve]

However, I'm not often asked stuff IC...

Ditto.  But I think it's because people fear my characters will actually answer the questions.

[DosTuMai]

Ask Dossie a question IC and she'll answer. Whether you like those answers is another thing entirely.
By the way, I'd like a bowler and a trilby. Good hats.

[Louella Dougans]

I was thinking about this the other day, and how it relates to the current RP 'scene'.

As an example, on the one hand, we have Nauplius, who I think it is fair to say, is definitely wearing a hat. There are a lot of threads on the IGS, and occasionally some argument in the Summit channel, as a result.

However, much of it is criticism about "attention-seeking", or about the "futility" of becoming involved (game mechanics/capsuleer mechanics). People seem to be rather tired of interacting with Nauplius, or about hearing about interacting with Nauplius. Or at least, that's the impression they give in the OOC channels/forums.

On the other hand, there is a corporation, that has an RP thing in space, where people can interact with it, but it isn't trumpeted from all corners on the IGS, so hardly anyone has heard about it. This would be an entirely in-character approach, given the nature of that corporation's RP.

And yet, the OOC channels accuse that corporation of "not doing anything in space".


People talk about "go out and create things if you want people to get involved", while criticising "attention seeking behaviour". If you do something, but don't wear the hat, then nobody hears about it, nobody gets involved, and not a lot happens, and it is demoralising. If you do wear the hat, then everybody hears about it, and many people complain, and it is still demoralising.

Resolve this conundrum.