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[Inquiry to Reds] How do you learn to handle people?

Aglimagli·7/25/2015, 4:09:18 AM·3 votes·1,502 views

So I wasn't really sure where to ask this, but after my interactions on a non-League-related forum (Smashboards, for those who are curious), I have to ask. How do you guys learn to interact on the forums?

Most forums proceed along these lines: NewGuy is a new guy to a forum; unspecified amount of time playing game and genuinely excited about the game. Good_at_Game is a player who has established some standing in the community of the game in question.

NewGuy: I've been doing this thing that I haven't found any documentation on. I think it's a new mechanic. [insert details of new mechanic here] Good_at_Game: Nice job, kiddo, that's not new. That's known as [mechanic name] here. Research your stuff before you post. NewGuy: I'm not sure we're referring to the same thing. Maybe the results are similar, but there's a major exception in this scenario. Could you supply some documentation? Good_at_Game: They're definitely the same thing.

And so on, with Good_at_Game getting a lot of support from higher elo players. Granted, that's arguably similar to an average player talking to a higher ranked player on the League forums, and not indicative of interactions between an average player and a mod. But that kind of scenario saddens me since the worst player in the world can know something that the best players in the world might not. Maybe it's extremely unlikely, but that doesn't matter to me. I just find it saddening that new knowledge and the general health of the community are snuffed out in scenarios like that.

I find that the mods on the League forums give me hope against that kind of thing. It's not the same thing as community open-mindedness, but the behavior of most Rioters I've seen on the forums has given me a taste of what a healthy community should look like. When there's a less-than-intelligent-sounding statement, it's not met by "learn to"-style statements, it's almost always followed by actual clarification. I appreciate how the League mods often actually encourage discourse and community interaction rather than stifle new ideas.

So I have to ask, how do you guys get to that point? How do Riot employees prepare to deal with the forums? What do the League forum mods reference to guide their actions?

I know there's got to be a lot of "We try. Hard. A lot." But do you guys have any other tips? I basically just want this kind of thing to be more practiced. Every community, gaming or not, could use more informed and civil discourse. Thank you for your time.

7 Comments

Riotmoonstones7/27/2015, 5:32:25 PM4 votes

Hey Aglimagli,

While I can't speak for everyone (and I'm not a mod), I can speak to my personal experiences.

So I have to ask, how do you guys get to that point?

Seven years working customer service at a supermarket gave me a large chunk of experience when it came to interacting with others - in particular, people who had problems that needed solving and weren't in the best of moods. I learned what kind of responses worked well, and those that didn't. I learned how to diffuse situations and to hear others out before making conclusions. Kill 'em with kindness was a great rule of thumb - remaining calm and keeping positive goes a long way in many cases.

How do Riot employees prepare to deal with the forums?

There isn't a lot of prep for it, I suppose, at least in my case. It was more of a start with easy topics, and once I became more confident/comfortable, I'd hop into more in-depth difficult topics.

For example - Starting with threads like "Why is x skin x price?", and moving towards threads about the process of creating skins.

Riot Baconhawk took me under her wing (heh) and gave me advice when I first started posting. She'd actually proof some of my posts, and gave me advice on how/what I could improve. This gave me more confidence to interact.

I've learned quite a bit since I first began responding on the boards.

I've learned to stay in my area of expertise (skins and various other odds and ends) because that's where I can offer the most value. In those situations, I'm able to spill my knowledge and answer questions. That said, I know very little about gameplay/balance, so you'll likely never see me post there.

I've learned to be honest. While it may not be the answer someone wants, it's better to state the facts. That said, once the facts are laid out, it becomes easier to explain the 'why' aspect.

(I could keep rambling, but I'll spare you. :P)

That said, I'm still learning - but practice makes perfect in cases like these. Sure, there are negative experiences along the way, but I consider them stepping stones and learning experiences to better my communication skills.

TotalJerk7/28/2015, 4:10:54 PM2 votes

I think I know what Smashboards thread you are talking about, and you're kinda misconstruing how it actually went down.

CaptainTatertits7/25/2015, 6:37:23 AM1 votes

or

yet another noob with silly idea comes to a forum frequented by veterans, only to troll.