Random Question For Massively
June 4, 2008So how come, when Mythic shows up for major conventions (NY Comic Con, the Paris Event), every single site that covers this stuff gives us the exact same info, with only minor variations — and yet when Massively heads over to Mythic, they walk away with giant grab bags full of exclusive goodies seen nowhere else up to this point?
I assume that Mythic has their own “talking points” they drum up at conventions, features that they want journalists to cover above all else. It just seems weird, however, that one site is suddenly given such a boon (kind of how TTH got that huge gift of video interviews a while back). Wouldn’t Mythic be better served to show off all of these new goodies to a wide media audience instead of just one site?
Waaagh! A Warhammer Online Blog 
Maybe Massively will be starting a blog named WARInsider? I’m sure they have thought of it. After seeing some of Paul’s podcasts tho, I do believe Massively brought a Keg.
I prefer the more personnal blogs. They show heart and not what the wallet wants. Regergitated mass media articals are long and same old stuff in new words.
I think that’s a concern a lot of WAR bloggers and fan site owners have right now — that a well-funded company will create a site or a blog that will make the rest of ours look like little doggies trying to run after the Big Dog. And yeah, it’ll probably happen.
The only reason I keep doing WAAAGH! instead of just shrugging and letting the future get me down is to say that — as you said — it’s all about being personal. I have the freedom here to write on whatever I want, whenever I want about WAR. I don’t answer to editors or feature directors. I, and a lot of others in this community, might not get all the huge press and notice of the mega-sites, but we do fill a vital niche that can’t be co-opted by the St. Bernards out there.
I wouldn’t worry too much Syp. Look at Wowinsider. It might be a decet site run for information purposes, but the general responses are similar to what you get on the forums.
WoW has a lot of personal bloggers (I was one) that did more for the community and their classes than WowInsider ever did.
As for Massively getting the scoop..I can only guess as it is a newer media outlet that is getting a lot of page views daily makes it a prime place to reach a broader audience of other games to try to get people interested in WAR.
…and that is how it should be. Those big blogs have too much red tape to bring the stuff Waagh!, Thegreenskin, and others I can’t name because I suck up my phone battery everyday before noon just on those two great blogs ( not butt kissing, just enjoy the unedited well thought of content). It is worth the life of my battery to read and I’m sure everybody that post here likes it too. I read many posts on WoWinsider that hated what they read and couldn’t figure why they too the time to read it. Just my opinion. Thanks for the blog and hope you stick around so I can read good stuff.
Thanks for the encouragement guys!
I feel for you Syp. I just refuse to report on all those things at Massively because its just simply “too” much. I did a big post a couple days ago thinking they were done but since then we’ve seen double that again.
the way I see it is, I write my blog for me and a few friends so we can get the info we want and discuss it. If others want to come see it and read my and my sister
s opinions – then that’s great. Can’t imagine that’ll change if a big blog comes along because well.. they can’t be as personal or as irreverent about things they don’t like.
Zenke is a great journalist, and is the most qualified on the team. Mythic gave Massively a wonderful opportunity, no doubt, but Zenke’s reporting and presenting that information back to the public are the result of some hard work and the pursuit to do the best job to his ability. I wouldn’t be surprised if he surprised Mythic with his in-depth reporting!
Why did Mythic give Massively the opportunity, why not another outlet? That I do not know, but the big sites normally always get the big dev scoops. That’s a question to ask Mythic and not Massively.
It is certainly well-done, and new info is always welcome — I have no qualms whatsoever with the articles themselves. Just always wondering what goes on behind the scenes for these huge publicity splurges to happen.
I really love that you asked this and I really enjoy hearing all these positive responses. Our blogs are our outlets for our own opinions (that’s a lot of o’s) and I’d never wish to see it any differently!
In the defense of Massively, not that it needs one, Krones’ comment is right on the mark. I think it’s slightly unfair that one media outlet gets to break the largest amount of new game information we’ve seen in months (while I’m restricted by the NDA), but they sure have done a stellar job of it! 🙂
On top of that, I really think they should have spread it out some. They could have had like one article a day for the next 2 weeks. Material that was the most likely to expire soon as far as exclusive wise goes would have been posted in the first few days.
This bulk is crazy. Readers in my opinion will be overwhelmed (in a bad way) and not just fansites reporting on it. I think it would have been better for search engine optimization too as we’re all looking to improve our “Warhammer online” keyword 😉
Personally,
I think Mythic doesn’t do as good of a job as it could with it’s external community. Blogs like this, fansites, etc. The contact and information they recieve, is nil to none. I’m not saying I could do it better, just that I’ve seen it done better. Even when James was doing CM at Sigil he did more interaction than he’s done at Mythic. Which leads me to belive that it’s the management/marketing that determines, who gets contact, information, publicity, etc.
Yet for whatever shortcomings Mythic may have in this area, they do more things right than wrong as far as I’ve seen.
And actually, even though places like Massivley and TTH might get the scoops all the time, I actually never hear about it from those sites. All the alerts I get of new articles/news/etc. comes from, WarhammerAlliance (love dev tracker), MMOGeek (they don’t ever seem to miss a beat) and Waaagh, and TheGreenskins weekly forum and news wrap ups. Then the opinion pieces from all these sites are wonderful.
Just, right now it would seem the best way to spread the word on Warhammer is through sites that cater to multiple MMO’s that reach the broadest audience. Once you start paying attention to Warhammer, all you have to do is follow one site, and because the majority of WAR fansites all link to each other you come to wonderful places like this blog and others that I’ve mentioned and that I have have not.
(I am really bad with run-on sentences, so sorry 😦 )
Basically, the best way to get people to focus on WAR is to give news to sites that cater to other games, so that you could be coming on to see new WoW news, but this WAR article looks interesting and you click the link and are hooked (that would be me). Though actually I got interested when on my Manno server there was a guild called or some such.
Think it was mentioned on WARGeek (and other sites also in different ways) how unlike many other communities the Blogs and fan sites dedicated to WAR aren’t each their own little island.
I’m rambling again, but it’s late for me. In the end once WAR is released you can probably count on the fan sites, especially the old guard of the bunch (like this will soon be considered), to get the majority of the new news, since once one of these sites posts it, links to it are spread across the rest like a virus in moments. And rotating between which fan sites get the info will probably simply be the best approach. After launch there will be other ways, like free trials, to attract new players.
I know I ramble a lot but I do hope some of this made since. I did try to proof read, but grammar is not my forte. x_x
p.s. since y’all don’t do surveys they way I found out about WARGeek, The Greenskin, Waaagh, and many other sites was:
WAR looks cool -> goes to official WAR site -> sees link to Warhammer fan sites -> likes Warhammer Alliance -> reads in news posts that a new blog “The Greenskin” has started up. And that’s how it works for all the sites I visit basically. Don’t know why I put this here, but my brain is fried, and I’ll stop typing now.
I put something in < not thinking html was enabled in comments. Here is the correction.
Basically, the best way to get people to focus on WAR is to give news to sites that cater to other games, so that you could be coming on to see new WoW news, but this WAR article looks interesting and you click the link and are hooked (that would be me). Though actually I got interested when on my Manno server there was a guild called “Only on WoW till WAR” or some such.
From what I heard from inside people, all of Mythic’s public relations has to go through EA first. Did you know that employees at EA aren’t even allowed to say they are employees at EA on places like facebook and so on? They are sticklers. SOE and other companies do a much better job at providing help and support to all fansites (even new ones) and have more of an open policy which many prefer.
I really enjoy the articles and having some more information out there but right now it’s getting into information overload. And some of that info (like details of class mechanics) really should have been on the Mythic site first.
You have to wonder what the point is of all the little monthly grab-bags where they take questions from the bboards etc if they will release the bulk of the information this way instead.
Agree that he’s an excellent journalist though and like I say, I’m enjoying them a lot. I just question how well Mythic is handling the PR right now. I can see that they are trying to build up a strong fansite community, it just sometimes doesn’t seem very adept.
I definitely think it’s down to a marketing strategy, and one I hope to write something about since that’s kind of my background workwise. Although, I might take a look at GOA a little more, since their marketing of DAOC was tragic!
And now, for an off-the-cuff, spur-of-the-moment question, this thread has become the most commented upon (so far) on this blog. Wild!
I hope nobody interprets these posts as wild attacks or disgruntled musings. It’s great to have new info, as everyone says. It’s just weird that we get it drip-drip-drip at times, then *BOOSH* as it explodes on a site.
Rule #1 of blogging:
Controversy sells newspapers! 😉
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