Where has Ramone Russell gone?

[dalger21]

He's a regular on Twitter. I said this a long time ago that I was shocked they (meaning SDS) came here as much as they did with all the vitriol and negativity they constantly received for some of the most trivial things (such as seat coloring in a stadium, dirt, rain delays, etc.). I personally, would have bailed a long time ago and just monitored the forums but rarely respond. Some times, it's just not worth the hassle of trying to reason with some people over the internet.

[BigOscar]

Quote: Originally Posted by dalger21

He's a regular on Twitter. I said this a long time ago that I was shocked they (meaning SDS) came here as much as they did with all the vitriol and negativity they constantly received for some of the most trivial things (such as seat coloring in a stadium, dirt, rain delays, etc.). I personally, would have bailed a long time ago and just monitored the forums but rarely respond. Some times, it's just not worth the hassle of trying to reason with some people over the internet.

I'd agree about the programmers and other people who work at SDS in general, but isn't Ramone the Community Manager? Dealing with the community doesn't really seem like the sort of thing a community manager can sack off if he doesn't fancy the hassle of wading through the criticism tbh.

Maybe my idea of what a community manager is supposed to do isn't accurate though.

[aholbert32]

Quote: Originally Posted by BigOscar

I'd agree about the programmers and other people who work at SDS in general, but isn't Ramone the Community Manager? Dealing with the community doesn't really seem like the sort of thing a community manager can sack off if he doesn't fancy the hassle of wading through the criticism tbh. Maybe my idea of what a community manager is supposed to do isn't accurate though.

I think his title is designer and community specialist. With that said, there are lots of ways to interact with the community. Through twitter. Twitch. Lurking on boards like OS and collecting info.

OS does the best that it can to protect its devs but I dont think people understand how taxing having people trash your product (for some legitimate but mostly trivial reasons) is. He gets paid whether he comes on OS or not and given that he can still read the feedback without interacting, it may be a blessing for him that Sony is restricting his interaction.

[BigOscar]

Quote: Originally Posted by aholbert32

I think his title is designer and community specialist. With that said, there are lots of ways to interact with the community. Through twitter. Twitch. Lurking on boards like OS and collecting info. OS does the best that it can to protect its devs but I dont think people understand how taxing having people trash your product (for some legitimate but mostly trivial reasons) is. He gets paid whether he comes on OS or not and given that he can still read the feedback without interacting, it may be a blessing for him that Sony is restricting his interaction.

His twitter says he's community manager, but who knows how up to date that is, he may well now be a "community specialist". Like I said, I don't entirely know what that job entails, but to me at least it implies interacting with the community, which I don't think he really does. Reading the forums is good and all, but at least to me, a community manager should be active in the community?

I don't really buy into the whole "dealing with criticism is tough" as an excuse not to do it either, as no one likes criticism but if it's part of your job then that's just something you've got to deal with. Maybe they need to hire someone else to do the job, someone not a programmer/designer so a little less emotional about criticism of the game? Either that or just don't call him a community manager and go on with not having anyone directly converse with the community.

Personally I think there is a lot of value to be gained from interacting with the community, although it would involve some pretty thick skin and a lot of wading through absolute nonsense. I'm not convinced their current emphasis on telemetry data is the way to go.

[KnightTemplar]

I'm pretty sure SDS knows, at this point, what the game needs and what needs to be done. The developers aren't the last word when it comes to what is prioritized and put in the game. As far as coming here, criticism is one thing, but this place can get ridiculous. I've seen this coming for some time.

[aholbert32]

Quote: Originally Posted by BigOscar

His twitter says he's community manager, but who knows how up to date that is, he may well now be a "community specialist". Like I said, I don't entirely know what that job entails, but to me at least it implies interacting with the community, which I don't think he really does. Reading the forums is good and all, but at least to me, a community manager should be active in the community? I don't really buy into the whole "dealing with criticism is tough" as an excuse not to do it either, as no one likes criticism but if it's part of your job then that's just something you've got to deal with. Maybe they need to hire someone else to do the job, someone not a programmer/designer so a little less emotional about criticism of the game? Either that or just don't call him a community manager and go on with not having anyone directly converse with the community. Personally I think there is a lot of value to be gained from interacting with the community, although it would involve some pretty thick skin and a lot of wading through absolute nonsense. I'm not convinced their current emphasis on telemetry data is the way to go.

A couple of points:

- OS doesnt encompass the community. In fact its a small part of the community.

- Responding on Twitter is considered interacting with the community. Ramone does that. Occasionally posting on the official forums is also considered interacting and I believe Ramone does that occasionally.

- Interaction isnt the only part of his job whether its a community manager, specialist or just a developer. If anything, interaction is probably the smallest part of it. The biggest part is providing the community with information about the game before release and immediately after.

[Speedy]

Quote: Originally Posted by KnightTemplar

I'm pretty sure SDS knows, at this point, what the game needs and what needs to be done. The developers aren't the last word when it comes to what is prioritized and put in the game. As far as coming here, criticism is one thing, but this place can get ridiculous. I've seen this coming for some time.

That's why constructive criticism and true feedback about what is occurring now how to make it better will provoke more communication. I was on Google trying to find a Directional Hitting guide because I wasn't getting the function of it and it was frustrating me...and I found an AMAZING write-up thread here on OS that the game doesn't provide...that's what we need more of.

[BigOscar]

Quote: Originally Posted by aholbert32

A couple of points: - OS doesnt encompass the community. In fact its a small part of the community. - Responding on Twitter is considered interacting with the community. Ramone does that. Occasionally posting on the official forums is also considered interacting and I believe Ramone does that occasionally. - Interaction isnt the only part of his job whether its a community manager, specialist or just a developer. If anything, interaction is probably the smallest part of it. The biggest part is providing the community with information about the game before release and immediately after.

-os isn't all of the community, but you'd probably say it's one of the main 3 places where the game is discussed, along with the official forum and reddit and I don't believe he is active on any of the 3. Developers very occasionally post on the official forum (kudos to them, it's a swamp) but I haven't seen Ramone there.

- Yeah he very occasionally responds on twitter, most of the time when the game was just released to tell people the email address to send complaints to

-I guess that's the main point on where we differ. To me, what you described isn't a community manager, it's a salesman, someone who's job it is to advertise, hype and sell the game. Nothing wrong with that, everyone needs someone to do marketing, but to me at least that's not what a community manager is.

The Tips account does a lot more imo in terms of actually releasing information, responding to questions and generally dealing with the community. It's just a shame that he only deals with DD stuff