Comments About BGA changes Limited to Facebook

[wentley]

With reference to the recent article https://en.boardgamearena.com/#!headlines inviting comments about users' desired changes to BGA, I think this is a very worrying precedent to set. This should be an independent website, its users are subscribed to BGA, not Facebook! Or any other website. To suggest that users should comment about BGA matters through Facebook is insulting. We are proud to be BGA members. To actually be forced to use another site for comments, instead of these forums, is completely unacceptable in my opinion.

Apart from simple loyalty and sentiment, this also suggests that there is undue influence being exerted by these mega corporations and websites. Facebook already has a massive amount of power, due to its ability to extract so much valuable information from its subscribers. I am not at all happy to see its tentacles extended in our direction. What next, is BGA becoming a subsidiary of Facebook in the same way that Youtube became Google's personal toy? If so, you can bet the main winner will be Facebook rather than BGA users.

[Jest Phulin]

I agree with the main point, BGA should not require any other website to use, unless it wants to become a subsidiary of that website, or at the very least dependent on the whims of that website.

Yes, apparently it is more convenient for users to vote on suggestions than the method BGA has developed. Which just means if you switch to that system, you will have people influencing decisions that can't be bothered to put effort into how the decisions should be made.

This is apart from any of the "evils of Facebook" bashing that goes on. (But, seriously, have you read the terms of service? Why the [profanity] does Facebook want to know my battery power, and specifically list it as one of the items they're allowed to track if I use their site?)

[sourisdudesert]

Hi,

As explained in the news, we may do differently in the future. However, we wanted to setup this "poll" and we had a very limited time for that, so we couldn't develop any "BGA system" to do such a thing.

The results are also interesting because making this poll on Facebook allowed us to get the opinion from players who are using the platform at now, but also the opinion from players who WAS using the platform.

But I want to make 100% clear that we know the limit of this and that we have no intention to become a "subsidiary" or a "dependence" of Facebook.

[wentley]

Seriously you did not have time to set up your own system? I'm seeing online polls on websites all the time, and for much less significant issues! If this survey is important (which it should be to gain users' views) then surely it was worth taking a bit of time and trouble over? Also to truly gain a full range of members' views, perhaps you should consider the possibility that not all of them are on Facebook? It has not quite managed total domination of people's personal lives yet! Still I am glad to hear at least some statement of BGA independence in the future. Let's hope it's carried through on.

[anteater]

Add me as one who isn't going to create a facebook account for partaking in this poll. I'm sorry, it's less about the "dependence" or whatnot, and the pain of making an account just for this. Facebook doesn't seem to allow new accounts without a phone number these days.

One of the changes I'd love to see is an API where I could query to see if it is my turn or not; and then I could write a script to put that in my menu bar. Having a tab open on boardgamearena is still too easy to miss; when I get 20 or 30 tabs open it's buried on the other side and I don't see the flashing indicator, and frequently I'm working on something that is not in the browser anyway.

[JollyBird]

Seriously you did not have time to set up your own system? I'm seeing online polls on websites all the time, and for much less significant issues! If this survey is important (which it should be to gain users' views) then surely it was worth taking a bit of time and trouble over? Also to truly gain a full range of members' views, perhaps you should consider the possibility that not all of them are on Facebook? It has not quite managed total domination of people's personal lives yet! Still I am glad to hear at least some statement of BGA independence in the future. Let's hope it's carried through on.

+1

[sourisdudesert]

Seriously you did not have time to set up your own system?

No, we don't, as explained in the initial post.

I want to relax everyone on this: this is just a Facebook post, and a poll, once this year. This is not driving the whole strategy of BGA for the next years. In comparison we are reading your suggestions and comments on this forum all along the year, so please do not say that "BGA is a subsidiary of Facebook" because we did one Facebook post. Thanks.

[JollyBird]

I want to relax everyone on this: this is just a Facebook post, and a poll, once this year. This is not driving the whole strategy of BGA for the next years.

ok, thanks for this explanation; takes away some of my initial concerns.

In comparison we are reading your suggestions and comments on this forum all along the year,

Yes, I notice this often when following posts here on the forum by seeing your and Een's responses.
I'm very impressed by it and appreciate it a lot!

[Caffe Latte]

I also appreciate a lot Sourisdudesert and Een reads and hears us. When I read their replies it feels like if Zuckerberg would always reply to something I suggest to Facebook.

Yes, I voted in Facebook. There are as well cool ideas as "MammaMia, seriously?". No, I am not worried someone will now calculate who am I. I am an adult and have rights to play any board game until I dont slip into Pentagon or Area 51 with a chessboard to do it. Even more, I am proud to be here and have quite nice ELOs. If I'd be looking for a job I might proudly mention in hobbies section some achievements from here.

[Biking Gamer]

I agree -- I'm not going to sign up for Facebook so you won't get my two cents from such a poll. May I suggest using surveymonkey.com next time you need a poll done? Easy to set up and people don't have to be "members" to vote.