Does Guild Wars 2 have a Community Manager?

[Offair.2563]

Once there was a forum specialists project which failed extremely hard. And there was a Gaily Gray but that was not really much about managing.

 

[ProtoGunner.4953]

Wasn't Gaile Gray CM until they fired 40% of their staff? About online seeing staff members: I played GW1 for 4-5k hours (not sure anymore) and GW2 for more than 5k hours and I saw Gaile in Kamadam GW1 once. I never saw any staff in GW2.

[NARanique.7102]

Actually Gaile left as a community manager in 2008 (so 3 years after launch of GW1 and 4 years before launch of GW2). The game didn't had a community manager till 2014, but instead it was done by a team of players. In 2014, Gaile returned to a role with more interaction with the players, atleast in this forum (forum communitions team lead), but left earlier this year as part of the massive lay offs at Arenanet. (as far as we know, she stepped down on her own). Since then the role has been filled in by the rest of the team.

 

I personally never liked having one person in such a role. She was too much the middle man and split into two. This might makes her more likeable, but in the end her loyalty is with arenanet and a company is always more powerfull then the needs of an individual. I think having the role split in a team, makes it less personal and more fitting for the role.

[Dami.5046]

> @"Inculpatus cedo.9234" said:

> Gaile left of her own accord. It was her choice. I suppose they could not force her to stay.

 

Yes and I even read her last wiki page too.

So I know her reasons, thanks.

[ugrakarma.9416]

> @"ProtoGunner.4953" said:

> Wasn't Gaile Gray CM until they fired 40% of their staff? About online seeing staff members: I played GW1 for 4-5k hours (not sure anymore) and GW2 for more than 5k hours and I saw Gaile in Kamadam GW1 once. I never saw any staff in GW2.

 

they appear almost at NA prime time, i had see Gaile like 5x or 6x and other randoms staff like 10x + .

 

the devs tends to appear on new released maps too and meta events.

[Conncept.7638]

Gaile Gray, previously, though she was always more moderator than manager.

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

Her self-proffessed title was 'Communications Manager'. Another title assigned to her was 'Forum Communications Team Lead'.

(See her signature and Wiki.)

[Erasculio.2914]

> @"Conncept.7638" said:

> Gaile Gray, previously, though she was always more moderator than manager.

 

That's true. As mentioned above, Gaile was the Community Manager for the original Guild Wars, and then left that role on 2008; there was even a ["Farewell to Gaile"](https://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Farewell_to_Gaile) event when she left her old position. She spent the next 10 years more on a support liason and forum moderator role. So players who joined Guild Wars after 2008 have never seen Gaile as the Community Manager.

 

After that it gradually became the mess we have today - no community manager, instead a somewhat large marketing team, strong focus on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc) and so on.

[Acheron.4731]

I mean, why post stuff in the official forums?

It makes sense....right?

[Zet.9130]

The way players behaved during Gaile's visits in GW1 made me embarrassed to be human. It wasn't everyone but who would want that crap in their life? Who would want a job that included 1000's of angry people complaining the the game wasn't the way they wanted it? The way it looks Anet has decided to let Marketing make announcements and support handle problems. Simple and cost effective. May not the best CR policy but I'd bet it's cheaper

[Drakz.7051]

Because it is all about social media now.

[SkyShroud.2865]

Gaile is moderator team leader. There is never a community manager.

What does a community manager do anyway?

[Vayne.8563]

> @"SkyShroud.2865" said:

> Gaile is moderator team leader. There is never a community manager.

> What does a community manager do anyway?

 

I'll go out on a limb here and say that a community manager manages the community. That is they liaise with the community as a point man/woman for the rest of the company. I wouldn't want to be the community manager on these forums for sure.

[SkyShroud.2865]

> @"Vayne.8563" said:

> > @"SkyShroud.2865" said:

> > Gaile is moderator team leader. There is never a community manager.

> > What does a community manager do anyway?

>

> I'll go out on a limb here and say that a community manager manages the community. That is they liaise with the community as a point man/woman for the rest of the company. I wouldn't want to be the community manager on these forums for sure.

 

Oh. That means the person gotta be a hardcore gw2 players, right? Otherwise, he/she not able to understand what the community talking about, isn't it? Likewise, not able to clarify the story too. In that case, wouldn't existing players able to do the job already?

[Vayne.8563]

> @"SkyShroud.2865" said:

> > @"Vayne.8563" said:

> > > @"SkyShroud.2865" said:

> > > Gaile is moderator team leader. There is never a community manager.

> > > What does a community manager do anyway?

> >

> > I'll go out on a limb here and say that a community manager manages the community. That is they liaise with the community as a point man/woman for the rest of the company. I wouldn't want to be the community manager on these forums for sure.

>

> Oh. That means the person gotta be a hardcore gw2 players, right? Otherwise, he/she not able to understand what the community talking about, isn't it? Likewise, not able to clarify the story too. In that case, wouldn't existing players able to do the job already?

 

Well, the community manager would talk for Anet but they wouldnt' have to be a hard core player. Gaile was never that. But she did have people she could ask questions to that she could come back to us with answers for. In fact, most of the community are not hard core players. Most of the community are casual players. I have never seen a community manager that was hard core in all my years of MMO playing. That's not the job. Their job is to liaise, not to directly have all the answers.

[Endless Soul.5178]

On a side note, Gaile still plays the game. I spotted her in Sparkfly Fen a few weeks ago.

[Zola.6197]

Gaile deserved better.

[Prisms.6012]

It was Gaile, she was the voice for us. She shared in our love, our enjoyment and even empathized in our frustrations. Even if there was announced as a new community Manager, she will always have been mine.

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

> @"Svennis.3852" said:

> Gaile deserved better.

 

Better than the choice to leave or stay? What would have been better?

[SkyShroud.2865]

> @"Vayne.8563" said:

> > @"SkyShroud.2865" said:

> > > @"Vayne.8563" said:

> > > > @"SkyShroud.2865" said:

> > > > Gaile is moderator team leader. There is never a community manager.

> > > > What does a community manager do anyway?

> > >

> > > I'll go out on a limb here and say that a community manager manages the community. That is they liaise with the community as a point man/woman for the rest of the company. I wouldn't want to be the community manager on these forums for sure.

> >

> > Oh. That means the person gotta be a hardcore gw2 players, right? Otherwise, he/she not able to understand what the community talking about, isn't it? Likewise, not able to clarify the story too. In that case, wouldn't existing players able to do the job already?

>

> Well, the community manager would talk for Anet but they wouldnt' have to be a hard core player. Gaile was never that. But she did have people she could ask questions to that she could come back to us with answers for. In fact, most of the community are not hard core players. Most of the community are casual players. I have never seen a community manager that was hard core in all my years of MMO playing. That's not the job. Their job is to liaise, not to directly have all the answers.

 

Gaile has prejudices and also lack the ability to differentiate the complains. I remember there was a time when players complaining WvW reset bugging out. She thought it was players complaining bad relink and just trashed them.

 

A person that act as a middleman need to be able to understand both sides clearly to be one. It is pretty much like a simpler version of business analyst.