Don’t poke the beehive unless you are prepared for the swarm
Social media has enabled communities to come closer together better than ever before (everyone is 4.74 steps away from each other according to Facebook). It has allowed them to have a higher public profile, allowed game developers to become closer to their fans and has also enabled the fans to influence the game developers they look up to.
Becoming close to your fans is a great thing and many developers make great use of it. From becoming known in the forums to talking directly on Twitter, it is the perfect way to keep the fans of your game loyal. However it is also a one stop shop for controversy, trolling and an easy way to upset fans of your game and the fanboys of other popular titles/media channels.
Unless you are a company or a person who is prepared for backlash and trolling as it is just part of your DNA always think carefully before you post a message that could possibly upset people. This doesn’t mean censor yourself by any means (indeed, you can spend your whole life trying to please everyone) but just be sure you are fully informed and ready to back yourself up.
Over the past 24/48 hours we’ve seen a very uncharacteristic public laundry airing by Notch about something that he wasn’t happy that the Yogscast crew have done. Now we’re not going to get involved in the debate as frankly it is their business. What we will say is this was a misstep in Notch and Mojang’s previously (fairly) flawless record. The Yogscast crew (as of the time of writing) have also not been great at responding. This ladies and gentlemen is an example of how to not do it because these things always get blown up out of all proportion and ultimately can harm the community. There will now be a certain section of both of their communities who will be anti Mojang or anti Yogscast which isn’t healthy for anyone.
This is how the darkside of fanboyism starts. Think Battlefield and the crazy metacritic scoring of MW3 or Android vs iOS… well perhaps it won’t be that extreme but you get the point. Cultivating your community, thinking about the bigger picture and keeping somethings behind closed doors are important in this new connected world.
Notch, Mojang and the Yogscast crew seem like genuine people, and this issue will probably get sorted out between them. Sadly the initial damage is done. You just need to look at the endless Twitter comments from blowing it out of all proporation fans to see this.
Keeping perspective, using common sense and staying informed are vitally important in online communication, especially in the early days of developing your community. It’s easy to get caught up in the moment, but just think before you hit the send button.