What are the rolls of an EM?

[tjm6f4]

I'd like to know what the job description of an EM (Event Moderator) is.
Since I started playing UO, I always thought that there were different ranks of in-game staff, i.e., GM's, EM's, and so on. GM's would handle jailing, item loss, abuse, scripters/hackers, bugs, etc..; EM's would handle events; Counselors would handle basic inquiries.

According to UOGuide.com, a site which UO supports, the description of what EM's do is:
"An Event Moderator is a paid "contract employee" of EA. Their job is to run in-game events (see EM Events), similar to those run by unpaid volunteers called Seers many years prior."

If this quote is all that EM's are supposed to do, I must ask why they are not doing their job and only their job. I am starting to see EM's doing things in-game that just makes me feel uneasy:
* Talking to players in general chat
* Handling player issues when they ask in general chat

Is there not a Help button for a reason? If you want to interact with players, is that not the purpose of making your own player character on a shard (or account) where you are not an EM? Why are EM's fast tracking any particular player's complaints straight up the ladder to a person who can make a change?

Unless I can see a logical reason as to why EM's are not favoring players needlessly and interacting with players in a such a way that is not compliant to their description, I will be complaining more.

I am not against Events and Role-playing, but what the EM's do is not in character nor are they sticking to working on their events.

 

[Taylor]

You feel that EMs should be prohibited from being helpful and/or social? I find that pretty silly. Being social and helpful may not be required, but it benefits a community without any drawbacks whatsoever. I think that this sort of activity by EMs should be encouraged.

 

[startle]

Hey tjm, shouldn't you be out killing something?

 

[tjm6f4]

You feel that EMs should be prohibited from being helpful and/or social? I find that pretty silly. Being social and helpful may not be required, but it benefits a community without any drawbacks whatsoever. I think that this sort of activity by EMs should be encouraged.

As I said, I am not against them promoting community but they should do so through their EVENTS, not by providing customer service outside their job description in a biased manner. There is a way to ask for help, it's called the Help button.

 

[Taylor]

As I said, I am not against them promoting community but they should do so through their EVENTS, not by providing customer service outside their job description in a biased manner. There is a way to ask for help, it's called the Help button.

Scenario:
1. A player asks a question in chat about the game.
2. An EM, who knows the correct answer and who also happens to be a player, responds.

You feel that the scenario above is somehow harmful? Explain what harm this could cause.

 

[Kylie Kinslayer]

Dude would have went ballastic back when actual GM's would bank sit and hang out with us huh?

I applaud the EM's that do the above. Nothing builds communtiy like interaction.

 

[Sevin0oo0]

2. An EM, ... who also happens to be a player

/this - whether they get their account free or they pay for it themselves, doesn't matter, does it? Like Mods here, they're people too, with their own thoughts. Just because they're in-game doesn't mean they're on-the-clock either, just another knowledgeable player at that point. If you have a specific issue with firsthand knowledge, I'd send a PM to Mesanna or the Producer, and let it be handled as they deem appropriate.

 

[Martyna Zmuir]

The only potential "problem" I see with EMs engaging in non-event-related global chat is that in their EM capacity they are seen as EA/BioWare Mythic representatives. While they ARE representatives, they weren't meant to be frontline CSRs. I think we've all seen how EMs are treated by the people who just don't get the fact that the EMs have zero control over what gets fixed, what a publish did, artwork, bugs, etc. They open themselves up to this kind of abuse, and worse, by wading into GC. I'd rather not have an EM burnt out that kind of trash.

Another aspect I know will get brought up eventually is "favoritism." There have already been cries of that recently, some more valid than others. If an EM on shard X regularly wades into GC to field questions, but EMs on shard Y only do it infrequently, and EMs on shard Z never do it - how long till we have threads decrying favoritism or "lazy" EMs?

If we want someone to answer questions in-game who has an air of authority, we should pressure BioWare to reinstate the Counselor and/or Companion programs.

 

[Taylor]

Another aspect I know will get brought up eventually is "favoritism."

Don't buy this. What many people call favoritism is simply EMs being friendly to players who are friendly to them. The OP, for example, mentioned favoritism. His examples? Being (a) helpful or (b) sociable. If you are friendly to EMs, they will be friendly back.

Meanwhile, it's extremely easy to report evidence of favoritism. A screenshot and an e-mail/conversation to Mesanna takes a matter of minutes.

Not a matter of cheer-leading here, either. I find it genuinely baffling to complain that someone is helpful/friendly. Of all the things to be upset about . . .

 

[Dol'Gorath]

EM's main focus is to run events. But they aso are there to foster and promote community. Their job is not to help players with questions and such, but if they do so out of the goodness of their hearts then so be it. As long as players realize that :

1: EM's are mainly Event Staff, not Customer Support
2: They are helping players by answering basic in-game questions and anything more than a basic in-game question must be brought up with proper support staff, GM's

There is nothing wrong with them speaking on chat channels or helping otgher players with questions.

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

I have long-stated that we UO players would literally complain about everything. Until I saw this post, however, I always thought I was exaggerating.

-Galen's player

 

[Uriah Heep]

As I said, I am not against them promoting community but they should do so through their EVENTS, not by providing customer service outside their job description in a biased manner. There is a way to ask for help, it's called the Help button.

LOL have you ever used that help button? You're not serious, right?

 

[Dol'Gorath]

Counselors would be nice to have back, but with sites like uoguide.com and other resources their niche of "answering questions" or "Moving stuck players" [stuck menu] pretty muchn limits what a counselor used to do. As much as I would love to see Counselors come back, there is no reason for EA to pay people to answer questions and offer no other service. Where as EM's can run events and answer questions on their own time. Believe it or not, EM's are usually on alot more than their contract time allows and they essentially volunteer their free time to answering questions and helping players above and beyond their duties.

Companions would be nice to have back as well but UO just really doesn't have many new players these days to benefit from them and the few Companions that are left often have to hide because players demonize them and make them out to be hackers.

 

[Martyna Zmuir]

Don't buy this.

Since you took what I said completely out of context, I'm not surprised.

 

[Dol'Gorath]

LOL have you ever used that help button? You're not serious, right?

GM's arent there to answer every question that comes their way. They are there for actual issues. I've never had a problem getting a GM because I always page with legitimate issues.

 

[Uriah Heep]

Some of the good and dedicated EMs I have met will even hop on a shard when there's no event scheduled, and run an improptu chess tourny, or checker tourny, or whatever, just to get people together


And if I was an EM, I would want my rolls to be yeast

 

[Taylor]

Since you took what I said completely out of context, I'm not surprised.

Or maybe I was agreeing with your point in the portion that I quoted . . . jesus christ...

 

[Taylor]

GM's arent there to answer every question that comes their way. They are there for actual issues. I've never had a problem getting a GM because I always page with legitimate issues.

A lot of GMs don't play UO. All EMs do.

 

[Uriah Heep]

GM's arent there to answer every question that comes their way. They are there for actual issues. I've never had a problem getting a GM because I always page with legitimate issues.

Twice we've had stuck spawn, whre we couldnt get to it, and it slows the spawn rate down to nothing...both times paged, both times just logged and went to FB after waiting 30 mins. (happenings were 5 days apart). Once I demo'd my house, to place larger. Spot was blocked by unreachable items still locked down. Waited a few minutes and tried again, still locked down. Paged, was told nicely that they did not handle environmental issues. Logged...sent in an email to reviews and was pretty ugly about it (I know some of ya can't imagine that ) About three hours later I got an email back from a GM that my problem was resolved. Logged back in and got that castle placed, before someone else stole the plot. I woulda been seriously mad if a game issue cost me a castle spot. Most times (in my experience) if you can't get something done, page again, it does really depend on which GM takes your call as to whether they will do it or not. And these are actual issues...it's not like we page to ask how to place a goza mat

 

[Dol'Gorath]

A lot of GMs don't play UO. All EMs do.

Which is why I am supportive of EM's helping out whenever they can. =]

 

[Dol'Gorath]

Twice we've had stuck spawn, whre we couldnt get to it, and it slows the spawn rate down to nothing...both times paged, both times just logged and went to FB after waiting 30 mins. (happenings were 5 days apart). Once I demo'd my house, to place larger. Spot was blocked by unreachable items still locked down. Waited a few minutes and tried again, still locked down. Paged, was told nicely that they did not handle environmental issues. Logged...sent in an email to reviews and was pretty ugly about it (I know some of ya can't imagine that ) About three hours later I got an email back from a GM that my problem was resolved. Logged back in and got that castle placed, before someone else stole the plot. I woulda been seriously mad if a game issue cost me a castle spot. Most times (in my experience) if you can't get something done, page again, it does really depend on which GM takes your call as to whether they will do it or not. And these are actual issues...it's not like we page to ask how to place a goza mat

I do understand the GM department can be rather inept at times, mainly cause some of the GM's have never played or experienced UO at all. Usually it helps to send a msg to Mesanna on the forums if the GM's are being...difficult.

 

[Taylor]

Which is why I am supportive of EM's helping out whenever they can. =]

Obviously.

 

[Viper09]

I'd like to know what the job description of an EM (Event Moderator) is.
Since I started playing UO, I always thought that there were different ranks of in-game staff, i.e., GM's, EM's, and so on. GM's would handle jailing, item loss, abuse, scripters/hackers, bugs, etc..; EM's would handle events; Counselors would handle basic inquiries.

According to UOGuide.com, a site which UO supports, the description of what EM's do is:
"An Event Moderator is a paid "contract employee" of EA. Their job is to run in-game events (see EM Events), similar to those run by unpaid volunteers called Seers many years prior."

If this quote is all that EM's are supposed to do, I must ask why they are not doing their job and only their job. I am starting to see EM's doing things in-game that just makes me feel uneasy:
* Talking to players in general chat
* Handling player issues when they ask in general chat

Is there not a Help button for a reason? If you want to interact with players, is that not the purpose of making your own player character on a shard (or account) where you are not an EM? Why are EM's fast tracking any particular player's complaints straight up the ladder to a person who can make a change?

Unless I can see a logical reason as to why EM's are not favoring players needlessly and interacting with players in a such a way that is not compliant to their description, I will be complaining more.

I am not against Events and Role-playing, but what the EM's do is not in character nor are they sticking to working on their events.

Are you suggesting that EM's being helpful is preventing them from doing their events? I see them putting on events all the time and yet their occasional support and interaction doesn't seem to interrupt their work at all. Why do you suggest that they shouldn't talk to people or help them with issues?
And please, for your answer, don't say it isn't in their job description...and no it has nothing to do with bias either unless you're suggesting they only purposefully help certain people.

 

[Ashlynn_L]

It's posts like this that usually result in EMs and other staff becoming totally disengaged from the community and only doing exactly what they are tasked with doing in a robot-like fashion to the detriment of EVERYONE. I've seen it happen in other communities and stuff too. I just don't understand what this thread is trying to achieve besides bring that about.

 

[Frarc]

EMs are people with feelings and emotions and not just driods. They have passion about he game or they would not do this. Communicating in chat or appearing as a geust on player events is a good way to get a feeling how the community is on their shard.

Some people need to learn that the EMs are a lot more then the Event Item givers.

 

[Dan123The123Man]

TBH, I was just scrolling down through this thread looking and thought it was strange how none of the EMs have replied to this yet. (if they are even aloud to, i mean discuss their role on the forums here)

 

[Kylie Kinslayer]

TBH, I was just scrolling down through this thread looking and thought it was strange how none of the EMs have replied to this yet. (if they are even aloud to, i mean discuss their role on the forums here)

It used to be that the EM's could only use certain forms of communication, like their shard EM page etc but not on other forums. I honestly have no clue if that is still the case, but could explain why none of them have spoken up.

 

[Cirno]

I'm pretty sure they'd have a policy of not getting drawn into discussions such as this.
Nothing good could really come of it, if one did, anyway.

Though, this is the first time I think I've seen complaints that someone's doing too much

 

[Dan123The123Man]

"complaints that someone's doing too much "

 

[Petra Fyde]

The 'help' button is not intended to ask for gameplay information, it's meant to resolve situations which can not be fixed by the player alone.
Since no one is able to comprehend why you would wish EMs to be limited in this way, I'm calling this thread finished.