Guild Wars 2

So, I just read that a few days ago ArenaNet published some current vote results for evon/kiel on their Facebook page.

Yet, none of this information is available here on their own website. Why do I have to go to an entirely different company’s website to view information on your game/product?

This is an unsettling new trend I have seen many game devs do now. They leave their playerbase that visits their own official website and forums for information in the dark, and then post the information on some social media site. It should be available both places, and more importantly, on your own official website first.

That is all.

Yep, it’s awful. The few times I’ve seen game devs reply about why, they usually say it’s because they’re so busy and it’s more convenient to quickly post something on Twitter than make a proper statement on the forums, which sounds like rubbish to me.

I really don’t know why they do it and why they want people to constantly be checking Facebook/Twitter for information instead of at least posting all of it on their official website too.

I guess it’s something to do with marketing. Even though you don’t need to like/follow/whatever them, a lot of people will, and then their friends will see that, and maybe one of those friends will start playing GW2 as a result.

This has become the “norm” for companies these days. “Oh everyone does social media so let’s post all details there and forget our own WEBSITE that our customers mainly use”.

I think I’m going a bit too far but I think this info should also be INGAME.

Aldred.9345:

Yep, it’s awful. The few times I’ve seen game devs reply about why, they usually say it’s because they’re so busy and it’s more convenient to quickly post something on Twitter than make a proper statement on the forums, which sounds like rubbish to me.

I really don’t know why they do it and why they want people to constantly be checking Facebook/Twitter for information instead of at least posting all of it on their official website too.

I guess it’s something to do with marketing. Even though you don’t need to like/follow/whatever them, a lot of people will, and then their friends will see that, and maybe one of those friends will start playing GW2 as a result.

Glad to see I’m not the only one that feels this way.

And I do understand the use of social sites for marketing — I don’t, however, understand why it can’t be posted on the forums or official site.

I feel this living story was a great opportunity to even have a page on this site with a vote counter of sorts. If not a constant-updating one, one that will give out the same updates that they have been done / will do on facebook. Would have been pretty neat.

Bambu.4270:

This has become the “norm” for companies these days. “Oh everyone does social media so let’s post all details there and forget our own WEBSITE that our customers mainly use”.

I think I’m going a bit too far but I think this info should also be INGAME.

Sadly this is the case, and no it does not really make sense.

I definitely agree. If they don’t want to make brief news posts out of them then they could at least modify the design a little to feature a Twitter feed on the side with tweeted info. At least that way you wouldn’t feel like having to go to either Twitter or Facebook to keep on the up and up with info.

Bambu.4270:

This has become the “norm” for companies these days. “Oh everyone does social media so let’s post all details there and forget our own WEBSITE that our customers mainly use”.

I think I’m going a bit too far but I think this info should also be INGAME.

I’d totally be up for seeing this in-game. Perhaps even in the achievement panel where the living story achievements are — they could have had a nice graphic of each candidate, what they promise, where they stand, etc.

I think it makes a lot of sense from ArenaNets perspective. I suppose far more people will read the facebook or twitter posts.
All of my friends who also play Guild Wars never even went to the forums but they are all Facebook followers.
So this way ArenaNet probably reaches far more people. Nevertheless, the information should be put here as well for all the people that don´t have Facebook or Twitter.

Maybe Facebook pays ArenaNet since it will bring more traffic to their site.

I don’t like/use facebook or twitter. I find them generally pointless. If my friends want to tell me something they can call me or use skype. o.o I’d rather they put info on their main website/forums.

Fakebook and TWITer! I don’t use them, if I want to socialize I do this thing called leaving my house.

Its a matter of format and marketing. Larger more detailing articles are placed on the website. Quick blurbs and one offs get directed towards social media sites. Why have a whole new news article if all its going to have is less than two sentences?

Stopped using farcebook at least 2 years ago. Never signed up for twitter. Am not going to reconnect just to get updates about GW2. Anet do neglect a section of their player-base by posting solely to these sites. I read the forums, check news/updates here. It is the OFFICIAL site. It is a shame that it is not used as such.

Lunaire.5827:

Why do I have to go to an entirely different company’s website to view information on your game/product?

Welcome to PvP, where if you want something you can mine it from the catacombs of Twitch.

Bambu.4270:

This has become the “norm” for companies these days. “Oh everyone does social media so let’s post all details there and forget our own WEBSITE that our customers mainly use”.

I think I’m going a bit too far but I think this info should also be INGAME.

I didn’t even consider that results could be posted ingame.

There’s still a hologram projector in Lion’s Arch where the fountain should be. Just put Elli there and have her announce poll progress.

really on facebook?, that sucks… just checked it out looks like they wont even reach the 1 million mark.

well at least they have forum support on their site. I still lament big sites like hulu and colbertnation dropping their forum support.

I love how some topics get closed while others saying something similar stay open. either way it will be nice to have a forum community manager that at least relays FB post like this one and twitch show, etc…

… because they would be ‘preaching to the choir’ on the forum. You already know about the game. They already got you. Social media on the other hand has many potential customers.

Using your own site doesn’t get you as many search results as using social media.

It’s part of those new fancy SEO techniques.

Hey everybody.
As Regina has already made a statement about this, which you can find here, we have decided to lock this thread. Thank you for your understanding.