Communication through forum posts in 2023: predicted target vs. realization?
patsufredo-PGO
Posts: 3,742 ✭✭✭✭✭
First let me bring this up before Niantic make some questionable claims before end of this year:
Today, we’re responding to just over 40% of forum posts and in 2023 we’re aiming to increase this to 50% through things like these AMAs, challenges, increased engagement from our team in Explorer created posts, updates to bug reports, and @NianticTintino dedicating more time in the forums engaging with you all. We don’t want this forum to be an announcement board or a one-sided communication channel. Our goal isn’t for Niantic to be present in every thread, but to make this a place where you can safely and kindly express yourself.
They targeted that they'll aim to increase forum engagement to 50% but in reality does it feel like that they have met the quota (or keep within the targeted 50%)?
Let's start with forum appeals and abuse reports since they should give huge contributions to forum engagement. Based on my observations, I feel that Niantic would respond to them at their own will. Some appeals are responded in under a week. Some are responded almost immediately after being posted. Some are responded more than 1 months and sometimes users need to bump their posts so that Niantic would notice them. Sometimes they have took their action but not to respond to the appeal. The rest of them have been forgotten by them and likely to ignored without action for up to 1 year, with current record is up to 18-20 months. Why the difference treatment of each appeals? Did they found difficulties to review certain appeals i.e. if the user didn't provide enough evidence? Also one particular appeal posted since last month have been bumped several times yet there is no answer from the staffs. Was it hard to them to just tell, "your appeal is under our review, please wait" or "due to insufficient evidences etc. etc. etc.", when the users asked them?
Then, the AMA. We do have two AMAs this year—huh, wait. Is it just me or did we missed June AMA? Where did it go? Did they forgot to post it or did they already posted it at somewhere I can't find?
Then the forum engagement itself. They claimed that they don't need to present in every thread. But where are them when users need their presence at most? Then their tendencies to post new, controversial updates in Friday (see Abuse Ladder Policy for example). What are their reasoning to do that? Did they avoid being questioned by many users so they choose to post before they enjoy their weekend?
Meanwhile I have to admit that they did a better job in another form of forum engagement. They've hosted 3 Wayfarer challenges this year, listened to users' thoughts and did improvements in each challenges althought they need to do better about rewards distribution. Then about bug reports, they did a good job to post about FB login issues after many users have reported that althoughy they need to resolve it ASAP or even more users keep complaining for the same thing.
Anyone else have their thoughts?
Comments
I totally agree!!!!
It will be impossible.
They are currently silent as soon as their position gets bad.
It might have been possible with the old team, though.
@patsufredo-PGO
Thanks for creating this thread.
It will come as no surprise to regular forum users that this is a subject that is one I have a particular interest in. I openly raised points in a recent Wayspotters podcast (@Glawhantojar-PGO @BlameJamal-ING ) about some of my thoughts around the forum including staff involvement.
I think as a team of Ambassadors more of us have been engaging in the forum. This is part of building a stronger bridge between the whole community of Wayfinders and the Wayfarer Team.
Ambassadors doing more should not be seen as a reason for the Wayfarer Team not to up the engagement level.
My personal view is that I dislike AMA (that developed before I was an Ambo 😂) and think that it is a form of communication that has had its day. I would prefer more regular active engagement.
I’ll leave it at that for now, and I am interested in all points that are made.
I have been complaining as loudly as I possibly can on this forum about being sent an email telling me I was reviewing incorrectly and threatening my Wayfarer and Pokemon Go accounts. I have been reassured by the Ambassadors that Niantic is going to correct this and that my account is not in danger, but have had no word from Niantic. Even before getting this email, I begged for help but got none from Niantic in the section of the forum devoted to using the new review process. I did get replies from other Wayfarers including Ambassadors, who also don't always know what Niantic wants. I cannot operate in the dark like this with uncertainty and threats if I guess wrong, and no word from Niantic.
I will give them credit for looking at a rejected appeal again after an ambassador tagged them. But that leads to another issue for me: a straight answer on how to report what kind of issue. Help chat was originally awesome, then stopped handling anything that might require removal. And now I have received a "We don't do that" answer from help chat, the property owner report form, and the new abuse reporting form when I have reported something for removal. And when I complained here, I got the answer that I need to understand that the right team needs to be contacted without ever telling me which was the right team for which issue. I guess it doesn't matter now if I know which team to report what to now that I am no longer reviewing and uncovering abuse. I will start again if I ever get that acknowledgement that Niantic messed up sending me that email, but I don't expect that to ever happen.
The only thing I ever wanted from AMA's were criteria clarifications on how to review. They have removed anything they ever posted along those lines in help and said they aren't going to address criteria. I don't see what good an AMA is going to do if they don't answer any questions that offer any guidance. They ignored all my questions last time, so I haven't asked any this time.