Welcome to this particular community! :D Hope you brought your flame-retardant suit -- I can't lend you mine, it's in use.

Seriously, most people here are lovely. A few are in it just to spew vitriol for its own sake, but they're quickly spotted and ignored (as elsewhere).

As someone who's been in the same gaming guild for going on 11 years now (only a few 100 people but just as stable and no leadership changes, nor are any likely), I know how to value my tribe. Looking forward to more columns!

I find it ironically amusing that the entire purpose of this 'new feature' is about mmo communities, yet the MMORPG.com community has unanimously pointed out their feelings on the biased amount of publicity this one single solitary guild is receiving.


If this is about many different guilds and communities then I'm all for it, but to make a utterly ridiculous statement claiming NOONE is more qualified that the CEO of The Syndicate is beyond reasoning. There are professionals and academics who far surpass the 'expertise' of a so called 'guild leader' in social communities of all kinds. Just the fact he is calling himself a CEO like hes the head of some kind of billion dollar multinational financial institution is out right silly and preposterous.


I like many others come here to read about news on mmo games, not to stare at the blatant obviousness of certain articles attempting to make us believe this 'guild out of millions' is some how superior to everyone else's guild and that these guys speak for the entire MMO community 'for our own good'.

Come back to reality, this is a mmo news site read by intelligent people, not a bias The Syndicate Knows Best concoction.

 

Sorry, but why? Why do you MMORPG crew THINK we want to read stuff from this guild? I THINK we, as a MMORPG community, made it pretty clear the last few weeks that we don't want any more articles from The Syndicate.

And I know this is not about The Syndicate, but when the President & CEO (whatever) talks about a community I just give up. 1200 people and he talks about community? I think he doesn't even know 95%.

Well, its a very self-confident arrival and i am totally sure "The Syndicate" is a bunch of elitist bastards but i respect competence even if it is from a paramilitary organized sort of a mmo guild.

Community is a key to MMOs and many decisions have the WTH factor so its already leading into a direction of interest and impact and i am curious what wisdom will spring out of this puddle of thoughts.

PS: I dislike the pictures...powerpoint type and not mmo worthy.

Originally posted by causs

Sorry, but why? Why do you MMORPG crew THINK we want to read stuff from this guild? I THINK we, as a MMORPG community, made it pretty clear the last few weeks that we don't want any more articles from The Syndicate.

I wonder this myself

Originally posted by Tyrang

As long as this column doesn't become Syndicates' ego blog, I will entertain it.

I believe this idea springs from our comments on the not-so-bright post from Syndicates on April 1st. The least we can do is let them try this out before we burn them with more hate comments. :D

 

Agreed. I have nothing personal against The Syndicate but in all their posts I've read, this introductory column included, they've come across as arrogant and egotistical. I'm happy to have a new columnist to write about community but if all their articles are laced with not-too-subtle Syndicate ego stroking I will quickly stop reading.

Could someone post links to them chasing other guilds off for using the name? My lazy google didn't bring any up.

The King declares that if you get paid well enough to have such fancy titles while playing poorly designed video games...

Where can I sign up?

Do you offer a 1-800 number that I can call and order your kit for 6 easy payments of 19.99?

Originally posted by causs

Sorry, but why? Why do you MMORPG crew THINK we want to read stuff from this guild? I THINK we, as a MMORPG community, made it pretty clear the last few weeks that we don't want any more articles from The Syndicate.

And I know this is not about The Syndicate, but when the President & CEO (whatever) talks about a community I just give up. 1200 people and he talks about community? I think he doesn't even know 95%.

Well, like an actual CEO or President of a large company, they might not know everyone but they can help shape the corporate culture. It's more about driving the engine of the big picture.

Setting the tone for a guild, making sure that the guild is running well on a higher level.

As far as this article or any article, well they are a part fo the gaming world. Like it or not. When a guild has such a large member base and is run in a way that is highly organized, I can easily see why there would be articles about it.

My thought is that this is an mmo/gaming site and anything that is noteworthy, good or bad, is fair game to be discussed.

My other thought is that MMORPG.COM should (as another had indicated) open the door to other larger guilds or just guilds that do things that are noteworthy.

My last thought is that if a topic makes people uncomfortable, forces them out of their comort zone, elicits strong emotions on either side of the fence then it's something worth talking about.

Exploring topics, guilds, people, games, etc that are notable, even if maligned (whether justified or not) makes for a well rounded site.

Listing articles that are about things that everyone loves might be popular or desired but it doesn't necessarily force us to think outside the box.

Information is information.

Besides, I dont' know if some of the people in this thread are part of the group who is alwasy clamoring for less censorship but keeping articles off the site because people have decided that it doesn't fall into their world view might be viewed as a sort of censorship.

If there is going to be freedom of information then there needs to be freedom of information on all sides. Not just what one group decides is acceptable. Sometimes having an open society means that we hear from parts of that society that we don't like. Otherwise it becomes more about "it's an open society with a free exchange of ideas but only the ideas 'we' decide are valid".

And that my friends is creepy.

Originally posted by elocke

I would like to see a poll and results on who wants to read this type of column.  Just to see if I'm in the minority or majority as I could really care less about it or this "Syndicate" who I've never heard of until now.

 Yes I agree with this.  I had already put a post over in the section that I was asked to about what we would like to see and not like to see.

So I put one out there saying please don't prop this guild up,  and what do we do.  Ahem.

Well at least I know why were been seeing several news stories on them.

Honestly I been around tons of games without ever running into any of their guild mates, and I am expected to believe this guy is a coe, and he wants to dictate to me terms of how the guilds I play in should be operated.

Oh well back to my cave.

I am, like most of the readership here, skeptical about a column from the Syndicate. I believe this will end up being one giant advertisement for their guild/company/whatever. Welcome to MMORPG.com Dragon.

Originally posted by SBFord

@finnmacool1: Fixed the wording for you. Better? ;)

much, thanks.

Originally posted by NameWasTaken

The Syndicate? Who are those guyes?

Been playing MMO's since Ultima Online, and never heard of that guild.

 

Besides when I think of "The Syndicate" I think of...

Ma I loved that game back in the day. :)

that game was great :)

Originally posted by elocke

I would like to see a poll and results on who wants to read this type of column.  Just to see if I'm in the minority or majority as I could really care less about it or this "Syndicate" who I've never heard of until now.

This.

However, I've gone from never having heard of The Syndicate, to disliking them based upon the unwarranted coverage they receive on this site, and the unashamedly derogatory way they respond to any form of criticism.

Originally posted by elocke

I would like to see a poll and results on who wants to read this type of column.  Just to see if I'm in the minority or majority as I could really care less about it or this "Syndicate" who I've never heard of until now.

 

 Really?  So you did not read it, could not care -a-less about it - yet u post a message on it's page about it?  Hmmmmmmmm........

Originally posted by NameWasTaken

The Syndicate? Who are those guyes?

Been playing MMO's since Ultima Online, and never heard of that guild.

 

Besides when I think of "The Syndicate" I think of...

Ma I loved that game back in the day. :)

OH WOW I loved that game back in the day.  I used to run around with a flame thrower and blast everything.  I played the DOS version on my 486 haha.  It's funny, but I am the same and to this day when I see or hear the word 'syndicate' I think of this game.

No idea who the Syndicate guild is and I have been around the block.  The only multi gaming guild I am aware of is my own and the Goons of course.  Good luck to them regardless :)

A lot of the people seem to have 'Not Heard' of The Syndicate , yet there has been quite a lot about them on this site over the last few weeks - so What have u been reading, that u have 'Never Heard' of them?

Seems to be a lot of Nasty Comments going on.

I have heard of them, and Yes b4 I read about them on this site.  And quite frankly I have never heard anything bad - well not until I read the comments on this site via Members of the Forums - so I am not sure where All this Ugliness is coming from - could it be ...........Jealousy?

Originally posted by S00S00

A lot of the people seem to have 'Not Heard' of The Syndicate , yet there has been quite a lot about them on this site over the last few weeks - so What have u been reading, that u have 'Never Heard' of them?

Seems to be a lot of Nasty Comments going on.

I have heard of them, and Yes b4 I read about them on this site.  And quite frankly I have never heard anything bad - well not until I read the comments on this site via Members of the Forums - so I am not sure where All this Ugliness is coming from - could it be ...........Jealousy?

I have first hand experience with the Syndicate through its beginninng and into the very first days of the UO beta and beyond.  It is not Jealousy.  Simply put if he is here. . I am not. . last post from me on this site.

EDIT:  had to rebutt somewhat. . 3rd last post :)

Oooops Correction -  IT actually said - not I actually said   :P

Originally posted by S00S00

A lot of the people seem to have 'Not Heard' of The Syndicate , yet there has been quite a lot about them on this site over the last few weeks - so What have u been reading, that u have 'Never Heard' of them?

Seems to be a lot of Nasty Comments going on.

I have heard of them, and Yes b4 I read about them on this site.  And quite frankly I have never heard anything bad - well not until I read the comments on this site via Members of the Forums - so I am not sure where All this Ugliness is coming from - could it be ...........Jealousy?

 We have heard about them for 3 weeks running,   I done a lot of research trying to find out what they been doing.  Google barely has any information,  lorebooks have some point at a guild that does not exist any more in lotro.  Jealousy no. What we have hear is a a corporation we know nothing about, and as far as I can tell lives in the shadows. I ask what they have really done, I would like to hear their client base speak out about what they have done for them.

Actually I think they were named something different in Lotro other than the syndicate.  I remember back before moria rolled out there was a guild who had an organization like that that went around trying to recruit smaller guilds spouting the same thing were here to keep the community together and prevent guilds from falling apart.

All I can say is I look at this entire thing, and all I can say is caveat emptor.   I will just have to take things as they come and trust in my own judgement.  Right now  all I see is smoke and mirrors.