Deconstruct a JMod

I got the idea to examine how things go wrong in customer support when the following series of events occurred...

I was asked to be more positive about Runescape.

For the last eighteen month or so I've talked mostly about Runescape to people who have no idea what it is.  It's part of an ongoing campaign to kill Squeal of Fortune, which I see as gambling for kids and the roadblock to any future success of Runescape.

While Squeal lives, Runescape dies.

As a result of being asked to be more positive, I wrote this...

http://wizzley.com/a-runescape-suggestion/

Which includes a discussion with Mod Ash at the end.  Mod Ash leads the group of four who run 2007scape.  The alternative five year old Runescape which was hurriedly formed when the contemporary Runescape became contentious. 

As a result Mod Ash also asked me if I would like to post the article on the Runescape forums.

*awkward pause*

At this point I had to tell Mod Ash that Jagex had banned Fargrist and Vivathia because of our opposition to Squeal of Fortune.  Banned people can't post on forums.

That awkward pause hasn't stopped.  Mod Ash never replied.

It did get me thinking though.  Could I write an article about how little things get big bad things happening?

Here is that attempt.  It is again, a positive thing.  Something to help Runescape.

So I went to the forums and plucked a pair of butterfly wings.

They tell the story of a Jmod interacting with players on the forums about an issue which is unimportant in the scheme of things, what is important is what happens...

I copied and pasted four posts from the Jmod here.  Names are unimportant.

These four posts occurred over 14 minutes.

Sequence of events...

First Jmod post...

Nine player posts...

Second Jmod post...

Five player posts...

Third Jmod post...

Three player posts...

Fourth and final Jmod post.

~~~

Have a read and see what you think, I'll pop up at the end and definitely say what I think.

Over the course of 14 minutes the JMod seems to engage emotionally.

With the final post indicating some frustration and the Jmod justifies his status as a player by describing in-game accomplishments.

But even before that, right at the very beginning, we see an emote, :P

A cheeky little grin if you will.

So how in 14 minutes, and with only 17 player posts in that time, did the Jmod get frustrated?

I don't intend to answer the questions I raise, they are merely talking points.

Now imagine if this JMod continues.

What will be the likely pattern of behaviour?

Will exuberant helpfulness be the order of the day?  Or is it more likely the JMod will become ever-more reluctant to communicate on forums, and less happy when doing so.

What does that indicate for Runescape's future?

The last thing I'd recommend is customer relations training.  It's mostly bullshit.  And customers will rip apart people bearing gifts of bullshit.

But having some awareness, deconstructing what happens, will let JMods become aware of what goes on inside them, and they can come up with their own fixes then.

I find the internet a peaceful place.

My past was unpredictable.

Work involved a lot of heavy engagement with people.

Death threats and violence were not uncommon.

The internet, to me, is watching a sunset over the ocean, hearing the waves.  A serene place.

That difference in experience influences how we react to the internet.  We will all come from different places.  Others will find the internet a place of safety, some will find it a place of danger.

The easiest answer might be detachment.

To not care about emotional things.

To look for ideas mainly, those emotionless things, and focus on them, rather than on being right or wrong.

It can be tremendously exciting to have many people talking to you at once, like being pursued by paparazzi.  But in this example it seems to have overwhelmed one fine young Jmod.  

And that's not a good thing for Runescape, and Jagex should be thinking on it.

As a final reminder, there is no fault nor blame here.  We are looking for a better place for Runescape to be in.