Good Morning, CCP

Hobbits don't deserve the Precioussss!

Last night, CCP Pann started a new thread on the EVE General forums.  CCP Pann is CCP PR & Communications Director Valerie Massey.

An overdue apology and request for parley

The thread is about to pass 130 pages.  The actual number of CCP replies in the thread has been crushed by an avalanche of player response.  This morning, I've gone back to work trying to get CCP to engage.  

This was my Good Morning post to CCP on the CSM forums:

I saw this SO MANY times when I worked there - you seem so busy trying to come up with a 'strategy' to deal with the community that by the time you release something, it looks like exactly what it is - a strategy (not all the time, but a lot of it). Time after time when there was something I or another person in GD could have resolved with a couple sentences, we were told over and over to not say anything.  So while you are having meetings repeating the internal messaging to each other until you believe it, the community you should be just openly talking to feels more and more ignored.

You guys know you do this, as a company. There is no divide between strategic direction and internal messaging. The Fearless newsletter is internal 'kool-aid' that most people swallow without even a second thought. Because it's an official internal newsletter, large numbers of CCP employees assume that whatever in it is written by smart people that are in touch with the players.  If 'Fearless' says something, it's obviously backed up by lots of research and must be true, right?

I've worked here and many forget, all too often, that CCP is not an island. You are connected to many places and events where you are object of study through your actions and statements alike. What CCP has a tendency of presenting as "research" to validate decisions, is research which suffers just like everything else from the relentless quest to just affirm your own desires, wishes and wants. People CAN see that, because you go everywhere with it. Those who do not 'get' the messaging can punch through it and see the gaps between what you say, how you roll with it, and what you do with it often regardless of it.

CCP seems to forget that many of its customers are professionals in their own right. Bankers, lawyers, venture capital managers, CEO's, CFO's, and so forth. You're at a point where you are no longer validating any research or metrics whatsoever, even those outside this forum can see through the divide between what you say and what you are actually DOING. BTW, you guys should really read this as well:

Dierdra Vaal's post

Remember him?  Three time CSM member, past chairman?  He's also the guy that did the Excellence presentation that upset so many apple carts last year and woke people up.

There needs to be another wake up call.  We want to help, not make it worse, but as Stephan says, you guys have got to look outside of your own borders and accept the reality that nothing short of brutal honesty, and perhaps even taking a step back, is going to help.

Best Summary so far

I've also pointed CCP to Tippa's excellent summary and post:

Summary linkage

Original Post

Everyone should read those and post the links everywhere possible.

Other CSM Replies

My fellow CSM delegate,Meissa Anunthiel, has made a post on his own blog about this as well:

The recent CCP fuck-ups

I will keep you all updated as best I can.  It seems everyone at CCP is in meetings this morning.  :)