I wasn't sure if I could post the whole interview on here, but thanks @Sk8rblaze !
And @poisonedsodapop neither do I, both in terms of layout and content, which is why the interview surprised me even more.
I actually don't think it's something you should do. If you wanna read it, go to her site (even if you don't like it). SimsVIP made the interview for her site and I really think it's not a decent thing to just c/p everything (even if you give a source).
It's a bit like everyone screaming that people re-upload their stuff to the exchange/gallery.
That's just my opinion though.
Agreed. When someone works hard for something, they shouldn't be belittled. That site, like many others, works hard to give news and information to EVERYONE. They should be respected for their individual contributions.
Agreed, I usually don't visit simsvip because there's just so many ads (more than most other fan sites) and the news posts are usually just directly copied from the official TS4 site. However, this time they actually made the effort and posted exclusive news content, they shouldn't be short changed for that. I approve this type of community outreach 100%. (What I don't like is when special sim fans get exclusive invites to do surveys, and when the team listens to their feedback in person. That alienates everyone else)
You're taking away traffic from her site which could mean real ad money being taken away.
This isn't about credits.
HAHAHAHAHHA "ad money".
That's a good one.
Do ads still exist on the internet? I haven't seen an online ad since... oh, 2001?
Have you ever been on Youtube without an ad blocker?
Live your life to the fullest, don't wait for a miracle to happen, be the miracle to make things happen.
Sometimes your creativity is limited where you use it most, but you can use those limitations to inspire new forms of creativity you may never have thought of beforehand.
(What I don't like is when special sim fans get exclusive invites to do surveys, and when the team listens to their feedback in person. That alienates everyone else)
Well at least they're not called yibsims any more. That really was one step too far for me lol.
(What I don't like is when special sim fans get exclusive invites to do surveys, and when the team listens to their feedback in person. That alienates everyone else)
Well at least they're not called yibsims any more. That really was one step too far for me lol.
I don't care what they call them, personally, but rather whether or not they are still considered to represent us, like Rachel claimed in that call years ago.
You simply cannot have a fan site which rates every single pack 5/5 on their website be a representative or ambassador for an entire community.
Just wanted to jump in here to comment about something: Please don't copy / paste content from another site into here. Someone has taken the time to create the content and they should receive the viewership from that (regardless of whether you like them or not).
Let's be sure to continue to foster a positive community where we can celebrate content created by other members
I find it odd that you're defending a site that routinely copy-and-pastes news articles from TheSims.com and passes it off as their own.
Take the "Have Fun in the Sun With The Sims 4 Backyard Stuff" article for example. It's by @SimGuruGraham, but on SimsVip, it says "By SimsVip", and doesn't even bother linking to the original. http://simsvip.com/2016/07/12/community-blog-fun-sun-sims-4-backyard-stuff/
Defending the site that plagiarizes you guys on a pretty much weekly basis seems like a strange thing to do.
Just wanted to jump in here to comment about something: Please don't copy / paste content from another site into here. Someone has taken the time to create the content and they should receive the viewership from that (regardless of whether you like them or not).
Let's be sure to continue to foster a positive community where we can celebrate content created by other members
I find it odd that you're defending a site that routinely copy-and-pastes news articles from TheSims.com and passes it off as their own.
Take the "Have Fun in the Sun With The Sims 4 Backyard Stuff" article for example. It's by @SimGuruGraham, but on SimsVip, it says "By SimsVip", and doesn't even bother linking to the original. http://simsvip.com/2016/07/12/community-blog-fun-sun-sims-4-backyard-stuff/
Defending the site that plagiarizes you guys on a pretty much weekly basis seems like a strange thing to do.
I'm not here to defend anyone or argue about what they choose to do on their site. My personal philosophy is to always do a summary and link back to the original source for the full read. You will notice I do that in our news section and its something I've done in the past when I've run my own websites and such.
I read a couple of questions and then I had to stop reading because the interview is so staged, edulcorated, and it just sounds like a big marketing thing to me.
I do think it's very sad the way us fans of this game get treated - like this game is something right out of area 51.
I do feel for the gurus though. I'm not a big smarty when games and how they work behind the scenes is concerned but I have heard that devs like the gurus are more or less powerless to the bosses upstairs (EA) and that devs are required to work in sometimes difficult working hours with tight and demanding schedules. (This long wait for an ep could be EA letting the gurus have more time to develop things perhaps).
If that is true then I do feel for them cause they do get a lot of flack in that case of difficult work pressures, which wouldn't be warranted.
I don't think the gurus help themselves though by putting random teddy bears on top of a restaurant serving bit and a random babies bottle in a restaurant kitchen like a hint to the much coveted toddlers - but then come out and say they are not hints. If they aren't, why did you guys put them there?! Surely you are aware of the desperate demand that people have been endlessly waiting for, and so wouldn't then try to antagonise the fans by putting in random things where they don't belong and then come out saying they aren't hints. Surely they should be more considerate and mindful. Just stuff like that they do baffles me.
We should definitely be told more, but we aren't and it is borderline cruel when they have been much more generous with information in previous sims games and that is one of the things the fans simply want back - proper information.
Just wanted to jump in here to comment about something: Please don't copy / paste content from another site into here. Someone has taken the time to create the content and they should receive the viewership from that (regardless of whether you like them or not).
Let's be sure to continue to foster a positive community where we can celebrate content created by other members
I find it odd that you're defending a site that routinely copy-and-pastes news articles from TheSims.com and passes it off as their own.
Take the "Have Fun in the Sun With The Sims 4 Backyard Stuff" article for example. It's by @SimGuruGraham, but on SimsVip, it says "By SimsVip", and doesn't even bother linking to the original. http://simsvip.com/2016/07/12/community-blog-fun-sun-sims-4-backyard-stuff/
Defending the site that plagiarizes you guys on a pretty much weekly basis seems like a strange thing to do.
I'm not here to defend anyone or argue about what they choose to do on their site. My personal philosophy is to always do a summary and link back to the original source for the full read. You will notice I do that in our news section and its something I've done in the past when I've run my own websites and such.
@SimGuruDrake So if I ask you, or a developer of TS4 a couple of questions, do I have the right to claim the questions and the developers' responses as my own, not allowing anyone else to see unless they visit my site, generating me ad revenue on what otherwise should be a hobby website? Serious question -- I am genuinely curious. But I have to say, really, the exclusive "yibsim" relationship/partnership Maxis has with several fan sites comes off very ridiculous and strange at this point -- unlike anything I've seen.
Additionally, I think personal opinion and belief should be kept out of moderation..
Just wanted to jump in here to comment about something: Please don't copy / paste content from another site into here. Someone has taken the time to create the content and they should receive the viewership from that (regardless of whether you like them or not).
Let's be sure to continue to foster a positive community where we can celebrate content created by other members
I find it odd that you're defending a site that routinely copy-and-pastes news articles from TheSims.com and passes it off as their own.
Take the "Have Fun in the Sun With The Sims 4 Backyard Stuff" article for example. It's by @SimGuruGraham, but on SimsVip, it says "By SimsVip", and doesn't even bother linking to the original. http://simsvip.com/2016/07/12/community-blog-fun-sun-sims-4-backyard-stuff/
Defending the site that plagiarizes you guys on a pretty much weekly basis seems like a strange thing to do.
I'm not here to defend anyone or argue about what they choose to do on their site. My personal philosophy is to always do a summary and link back to the original source for the full read. You will notice I do that in our news section and its something I've done in the past when I've run my own websites and such.
@SimGuruDrake So if I ask you, or a developer of TS4 a couple of questions, do I have the right to claim the questions and the developers' responses as my own, not allowing anyone else to see unless they visit my site, generating me ad revenue on what otherwise should be a hobby website? Really, the exclusive "yibsim" relationship Maxis has with several fan sites seems a bit ridiculous at this point, and unlike anything I've ever seen.
Additionally, I think personal opinion and belief should be kept out of moderation.
I determine what is and isn't okay to be shared on the forums I manage and run. You may not like my decision but you should respect it.
We also have really good working relationships with our fan sites because we care about fostering community relationships versus press/media ones. You will notice we don't do too many things with the press and media because outside of our fan sites / youtubers / twitch streamers we know that we are a niche product and won't get the same amount of attention from press compared to FPS games or big MMORPGs. So we choose to spend our time and energy fostering relationships with those who care about reporting on our game.
And any magazine, web site, youtube influencer, etc. that reaches out for an interview and pulls together the questions they would like answered to create content that they think people would enjoy reading should be respected to have their content read on their site / channel. The same would go for any interview piece done by any site / writer.
In general: If anyone has problems with visiting a fan site that is running ads they probably shouldn't watch youtube videos or live streams as the same argument could be used against them as well.
Just wanted to jump in here to comment about something: Please don't copy / paste content from another site into here. Someone has taken the time to create the content and they should receive the viewership from that (regardless of whether you like them or not).
Let's be sure to continue to foster a positive community where we can celebrate content created by other members
I find it odd that you're defending a site that routinely copy-and-pastes news articles from TheSims.com and passes it off as their own.
Take the "Have Fun in the Sun With The Sims 4 Backyard Stuff" article for example. It's by @SimGuruGraham, but on SimsVip, it says "By SimsVip", and doesn't even bother linking to the original. http://simsvip.com/2016/07/12/community-blog-fun-sun-sims-4-backyard-stuff/
Defending the site that plagiarizes you guys on a pretty much weekly basis seems like a strange thing to do.
I'm not here to defend anyone or argue about what they choose to do on their site. My personal philosophy is to always do a summary and link back to the original source for the full read. You will notice I do that in our news section and its something I've done in the past when I've run my own websites and such.
@SimGuruDrake So if I ask you, or a developer of TS4 a couple of questions, do I have the right to claim the questions and the developers' responses as my own, not allowing anyone else to see unless they visit my site, generating me ad revenue on what otherwise should be a hobby website? Serious question -- I am genuinely curious. But I have to say, really, the exclusive "yibsim" relationship/partnership Maxis has with several fan sites comes off very ridiculous and strange at this point -- unlike anything I've seen.
Additionally, I think personal opinion and belief should be kept out of moderation..
I wanna say something as I was the one to start this whole conversation even if @SimGuruDrake already answered your question:
So: Of course. The same rules apply to EVERYONE. If you make an interview and post it on your tumblr/forum/blogpost/whatever, no one is allowed to post it on their own site and take away your views. I've seen it done many times on here and it's just not right. It's not right if a small game website that post a three line article and it's not right if you re-upload a whole Let's Play some youtuber made. Maybe everyone should just pay more attention to this things and let people that do it know that they shouldn't. Educating is a good thing. Many people might not be aware that it's a bad thing.
This is regardless of the site in question does it themselves or not. I could come up with the famous: If they jump of a bridge, would you too ? but you get my point without that.
If an established news site posts an exclusive interview and you were to upload it somewhere .. just in how much trouble would you be ? Fan sites aren't any less dependent on traffic and yes, the same goes for every forum member and Sim player on this planet. Doesn't matter what relationship you have with EA. There's so much stealing and not giving credits and c/p done on the Internet. Doesn't mean you need to engage in it.
The only time this is ok is if the person that made the post/interview/whatever comes here and posts it themselves.
So basically, if you wanna re-post news about something, you can re-write it in your own words and then post it on here giving the original source of the news but if you quote an entire article, you only do an excerpt and link to the rest. If you just quote one line, that's fine just as it's ok to quote a line from a book or article.
Just wanted to jump in here to comment about something: Please don't copy / paste content from another site into here. Someone has taken the time to create the content and they should receive the viewership from that (regardless of whether you like them or not).
Let's be sure to continue to foster a positive community where we can celebrate content created by other members
I find it odd that you're defending a site that routinely copy-and-pastes news articles from TheSims.com and passes it off as their own.
Take the "Have Fun in the Sun With The Sims 4 Backyard Stuff" article for example. It's by @SimGuruGraham, but on SimsVip, it says "By SimsVip", and doesn't even bother linking to the original. http://simsvip.com/2016/07/12/community-blog-fun-sun-sims-4-backyard-stuff/
Defending the site that plagiarizes you guys on a pretty much weekly basis seems like a strange thing to do.
I'm not here to defend anyone or argue about what they choose to do on their site. My personal philosophy is to always do a summary and link back to the original source for the full read. You will notice I do that in our news section and its something I've done in the past when I've run my own websites and such.
@SimGuruDrake So if I ask you, or a developer of TS4 a couple of questions, do I have the right to claim the questions and the developers' responses as my own, not allowing anyone else to see unless they visit my site, generating me ad revenue on what otherwise should be a hobby website? Really, the exclusive "yibsim" relationship Maxis has with several fan sites seems a bit ridiculous at this point, and unlike anything I've ever seen.
Additionally, I think personal opinion and belief should be kept out of moderation.
I determine what is and isn't okay to be shared on the forums I manage and run. You may not like my decision but you should respect it.
We also have really good working relationships with our fan sites because we care about fostering community relationships versus press/media ones. You will notice we don't do too many things with the press and media because outside of our fan sites / youtubers / twitch streamers we know that we are a niche product and won't get the same amount of attention from press compared to FPS games or big MMORPGs. So we choose to spend our time and energy fostering relationships with those who care about reporting on our game.
And any magazine, web site, youtube influencer, etc. that reaches out for an interview and pulls together the questions they would like answered to create content that they think people would enjoy reading should be respected to have their content read on their site / channel. The same would go for any interview piece done by any site / writer.
In general: If anyone has problems with visiting a fan site that is running ads they probably shouldn't watch youtube videos or live streams as the same argument could be used against them as well.
I just don't think that strategy has worked out well for TS4. Whenever I hear TS4 mentioned "IRL", the first thing I hear is "oh, didn't they get rid of x, y, and z?". I think it just ultimately comes down to the content of the game itself selling the product. Going to niche websites (the vast majority not a lot of people know to begin with) to advertise a niche product, an entry that has emerged itself to be controversial amongst the fans of this game due to its shortcomings just, to me, would seem as if it would prevent large growth, and even growth amongst your established fan base already significantly! If that's what is desired, trying to gain appeal through the portion of the fan base which has already accepted the new, almost "reboot" to the franchise, rather than try to appeal to widespread players of the ever-increasing and growing sandbox genre within the gaming industry, shown to work wonders for many indie developers of this genre alone, as well as the hard-to-sway players of the past iterations, then more power to you. I just don't see it working out well, and if anything, a large portion of sales will continue to be from the brand name alone, the fact the logo "The Sims" is slapped on the cover.
Either way, I don't have anything against fansites, or YouTubers, which also make up the list of "yibsims". But I do think this idea to foster support, attention, and appeal through little, smaller fansites and streamers, to focus on your already established fan base is not going to be effective for the franchise. Additionally, I think it does not solve the issue I see many people express, that being it does not feel as if EA, Maxis, The Sims Studio, etc. work with player first in mind. Many people disliked the idea Maxis would be taking fansites in as their eyes and ears into the playerbase, because, more than often, these fansites already show immense interest and support for the product itself, and if anything, represent only a small portion of the very large playerbase. To me, this effort has always seemed to be to bank in on already-garnered support, rather to try and increase the relationship with players, unlike claimed. I mean, I think I speak for everyone when I say things like polls hosted on this forum, only done very recently with your poll of the previews, and looking directly for player opinion, accomplish that way more than inviting fansites to take pictures of new content and waiting for an embargo to end ever could.
Anyway, I am assuming you are head mod (it does not state that anywhere I could find), but I think people would be more approving with consistent moderation, rather than one built around case by case. Those tend to not work out so well, greatest example being with all the issues that I, a user of these forums, have seen to persist only recently, compared to the many, many years of it being more "laid back", so to speak, the past several years. As far as the interview goes, this is a forum, nobody is looking for any kind of gain, but to just discuss the interview with their fellow players. Not allowing us to paste some or all of the interview here is just so petty, IMHO, when I would think the whole reason that interview was agreed to happen was to improve the PR of the game, not the PR of the fansite. Also, please note, me talking about these case-by-case rules does not necessarily mean I disrespect you or said rules at all. But I will do what I always do, and share my 2c on it, which, kindly correct me if I am wrong, is fine to do. But thank you as always for allowing discussion on this to persist, rather than be dismissive.
@Sk8rblaze, have you thought about starting your own sim site? Then you could be head moderator, copy and paste articles as you see fit and not be subjected to the petty rules and inconsistent moderation on this site.
I think overall the marketing for this game is questionable at best. It simply doesn't make sense why a business would try to spend its resources to recruit a group of people that already get the vision especially after having attended several EA-sanctioned events. Fansites are not partial enough be objective on the game. They already like the game! And they're certainly not going to be too critical about the game when they are getting EA goodies.
I admit there are some fan sites that I don't care for, but I can see where SimGuruDrake is coming from. Just because I don't want to be a member of some sites doesn't mean I don't like reading stuff from it. Plus if you don't like ads, there is always adblock. I did think it was a good move on her part allowing reviewers outside the typical niche reviewers with allowing LGR to try out packs. He often has a different POV with his reviews, which I like and very entertaining to watch. With attending college and university, yes sources always had to be provided when writing my class papers and Wiki wasn't allowed. Personally I think it is ok to quote parts of an article along with your own words as long as the source is shared, but that's just me. A quick summary of the article in your own words, kind of like a teaser I think is ok too which is kind of what occurs with Sims announcements anyways. Part of it is shared, so if you want to read further on it, you can visit the Sims site.
I do have a lot of respect for Lyndsay Pearson. She manages to still visit forums from time to time and I can tell she really cares and has a lot of knowledge and experience with the Sims series.
“Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” –Helen Keller
@Sk8rblaze, have you thought about starting your own sim site? Then you could be head moderator, copy and paste articles as you see fit and not be subjected to the petty rules and inconsistent moderation on this site.
@simgirl1010 I'm sorry my post was too long to keep your attention, but the discussion is not surrounded around posting an interview with on another fan site seeking revenue, but rather, post an interview which a developer mutually agreed to do for the sake of improving the PR of their game, on a forum for all users to purely see and discuss (along with credits and the URL), rather than to be required to generate ad revenue for the other party involved.
As far as the forum rule remark you've made, I've been a member of the forums for over 5 years now. I'm allowed, and yes I have reviewed the rules (unless this is a minute made one I am violating) to maturely and respectfully give my opinion on moderation. I have not violated a single rule in all of my time here thus far, and I'm happy to be a member of these forums.
Anyway, all that I have wanted to say has been said, and I am glad to have been able to share my 2 cents.
@Sk8rblaze, have you thought about starting your own sim site? Then you could be head moderator, copy and paste articles as you see fit and not be subjected to the petty rules and inconsistent moderation on this site.
@simgirl1010 I'm sorry my post was too long to keep your attention, but the discussion is not surrounded around posting an interview on another fan site, but rather, post an interview which a developer mutually agreed to do for the sake of improving the PR of their game, on a forum for all users to see, which then discuss the game and all that pertain to it.
As far as the forum rule remark you've made, I've been a member of the forums for over 5 years now. I'm allowed, and yes I have reviewed the rules (unless this is a minute made one I am violating) to maturely give my opinion on moderation. I have not violated a single rule in all of my time here thus far, and I'm happy to be a member of these forums.
Anyway, all that I have wanted to say has been said, and I am glad to have been able to share my 2 cents.
Thanks for explaining. With my limited intelligence and short attention span it was a bit difficult for me to fully comprehend your intentions.
I think overall the marketing for this game is questionable at best. It simply doesn't make sense why a business would try to spend its resources to recruit a group of people that already get the vision especially after having attended several EA-sanctioned events. Fansites are not partial enough be objective on the game. They already like the game! And they're certainly not going to be too critical about the game when they are getting EA goodies.
It really depends on the 'fansite'. Some focus on just news which doesn't have a personal opinion in it. Some focus on community. And if you haven't seen me advocating for toddlers, then you're crazy. XD
Regardless of how one feels about the fansite, blog, whatever, one shouldn't copy/paste entire articles, interviews, etc. I know there are some places and times when you can quote parts, but not the entire thing.
It's sometimes frowned upon in college classes, schools, and other kinds of forums as well.
Comments
Agreed, I usually don't visit simsvip because there's just so many ads (more than most other fan sites) and the news posts are usually just directly copied from the official TS4 site. However, this time they actually made the effort and posted exclusive news content, they shouldn't be short changed for that. I approve this type of community outreach 100%. (What I don't like is when special sim fans get exclusive invites to do surveys, and when the team listens to their feedback in person. That alienates everyone else)
HAHAHAHAHHA "ad money".
That's a good one.
Do ads still exist on the internet? I haven't seen an online ad since... oh, 2001?
Wonders what ad blockers are for then .. yeah get Opera and you don't have to deal with them :P
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Well at least they're not called yibsims any more. That really was one step too far for me lol.
I don't care what they call them, personally, but rather whether or not they are still considered to represent us, like Rachel claimed in that call years ago.
You simply cannot have a fan site which rates every single pack 5/5 on their website be a representative or ambassador for an entire community.
I find it odd that you're defending a site that routinely copy-and-pastes news articles from TheSims.com and passes it off as their own.
Take the "Have Fun in the Sun With The Sims 4 Backyard Stuff" article for example. It's by @SimGuruGraham, but on SimsVip, it says "By SimsVip", and doesn't even bother linking to the original. http://simsvip.com/2016/07/12/community-blog-fun-sun-sims-4-backyard-stuff/
Defending the site that plagiarizes you guys on a pretty much weekly basis seems like a strange thing to do.
I'm not here to defend anyone or argue about what they choose to do on their site. My personal philosophy is to always do a summary and link back to the original source for the full read. You will notice I do that in our news section and its something I've done in the past when I've run my own websites and such.
I do think it's very sad the way us fans of this game get treated - like this game is something right out of area 51.
I do feel for the gurus though. I'm not a big smarty when games and how they work behind the scenes is concerned but I have heard that devs like the gurus are more or less powerless to the bosses upstairs (EA) and that devs are required to work in sometimes difficult working hours with tight and demanding schedules. (This long wait for an ep could be EA letting the gurus have more time to develop things perhaps).
If that is true then I do feel for them cause they do get a lot of flack in that case of difficult work pressures, which wouldn't be warranted.
I don't think the gurus help themselves though by putting random teddy bears on top of a restaurant serving bit and a random babies bottle in a restaurant kitchen like a hint to the much coveted toddlers - but then come out and say they are not hints. If they aren't, why did you guys put them there?! Surely you are aware of the desperate demand that people have been endlessly waiting for, and so wouldn't then try to antagonise the fans by putting in random things where they don't belong and then come out saying they aren't hints. Surely they should be more considerate and mindful. Just stuff like that they do baffles me.
We should definitely be told more, but we aren't and it is borderline cruel when they have been much more generous with information in previous sims games and that is one of the things the fans simply want back - proper information.
@SimGuruDrake So if I ask you, or a developer of TS4 a couple of questions, do I have the right to claim the questions and the developers' responses as my own, not allowing anyone else to see unless they visit my site, generating me ad revenue on what otherwise should be a hobby website? Serious question -- I am genuinely curious. But I have to say, really, the exclusive "yibsim" relationship/partnership Maxis has with several fan sites comes off very ridiculous and strange at this point -- unlike anything I've seen.
Additionally, I think personal opinion and belief should be kept out of moderation..
I determine what is and isn't okay to be shared on the forums I manage and run. You may not like my decision but you should respect it.
We also have really good working relationships with our fan sites because we care about fostering community relationships versus press/media ones. You will notice we don't do too many things with the press and media because outside of our fan sites / youtubers / twitch streamers we know that we are a niche product and won't get the same amount of attention from press compared to FPS games or big MMORPGs. So we choose to spend our time and energy fostering relationships with those who care about reporting on our game.
And any magazine, web site, youtube influencer, etc. that reaches out for an interview and pulls together the questions they would like answered to create content that they think people would enjoy reading should be respected to have their content read on their site / channel. The same would go for any interview piece done by any site / writer.
In general: If anyone has problems with visiting a fan site that is running ads they probably shouldn't watch youtube videos or live streams as the same argument could be used against them as well.
I wanna say something as I was the one to start this whole conversation even if @SimGuruDrake already answered your question:
So: Of course. The same rules apply to EVERYONE. If you make an interview and post it on your tumblr/forum/blogpost/whatever, no one is allowed to post it on their own site and take away your views. I've seen it done many times on here and it's just not right. It's not right if a small game website that post a three line article and it's not right if you re-upload a whole Let's Play some youtuber made. Maybe everyone should just pay more attention to this things and let people that do it know that they shouldn't. Educating is a good thing. Many people might not be aware that it's a bad thing.
This is regardless of the site in question does it themselves or not. I could come up with the famous: If they jump of a bridge, would you too ? but you get my point without that.
If an established news site posts an exclusive interview and you were to upload it somewhere .. just in how much trouble would you be ? Fan sites aren't any less dependent on traffic and yes, the same goes for every forum member and Sim player on this planet. Doesn't matter what relationship you have with EA. There's so much stealing and not giving credits and c/p done on the Internet. Doesn't mean you need to engage in it.
The only time this is ok is if the person that made the post/interview/whatever comes here and posts it themselves.
So basically, if you wanna re-post news about something, you can re-write it in your own words and then post it on here giving the original source of the news but if you quote an entire article, you only do an excerpt and link to the rest. If you just quote one line, that's fine just as it's ok to quote a line from a book or article.
Please do not send me PMs/post on my wall if you're looking for help. I can't attend to those. You can find me at AnswerHQ.
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I just don't think that strategy has worked out well for TS4. Whenever I hear TS4 mentioned "IRL", the first thing I hear is "oh, didn't they get rid of x, y, and z?". I think it just ultimately comes down to the content of the game itself selling the product. Going to niche websites (the vast majority not a lot of people know to begin with) to advertise a niche product, an entry that has emerged itself to be controversial amongst the fans of this game due to its shortcomings just, to me, would seem as if it would prevent large growth, and even growth amongst your established fan base already significantly! If that's what is desired, trying to gain appeal through the portion of the fan base which has already accepted the new, almost "reboot" to the franchise, rather than try to appeal to widespread players of the ever-increasing and growing sandbox genre within the gaming industry, shown to work wonders for many indie developers of this genre alone, as well as the hard-to-sway players of the past iterations, then more power to you. I just don't see it working out well, and if anything, a large portion of sales will continue to be from the brand name alone, the fact the logo "The Sims" is slapped on the cover.
Either way, I don't have anything against fansites, or YouTubers, which also make up the list of "yibsims". But I do think this idea to foster support, attention, and appeal through little, smaller fansites and streamers, to focus on your already established fan base is not going to be effective for the franchise. Additionally, I think it does not solve the issue I see many people express, that being it does not feel as if EA, Maxis, The Sims Studio, etc. work with player first in mind. Many people disliked the idea Maxis would be taking fansites in as their eyes and ears into the playerbase, because, more than often, these fansites already show immense interest and support for the product itself, and if anything, represent only a small portion of the very large playerbase. To me, this effort has always seemed to be to bank in on already-garnered support, rather to try and increase the relationship with players, unlike claimed. I mean, I think I speak for everyone when I say things like polls hosted on this forum, only done very recently with your poll of the previews, and looking directly for player opinion, accomplish that way more than inviting fansites to take pictures of new content and waiting for an embargo to end ever could.
I'm just going by what I have seen, as a player of this franchise for many years. While I'm no PR person, the things I have seen spew out of Maxis' PR department have certainly been entertaining to watch, at the very least, particularly on Twitter during the game's unveiling follow up to its release, and have surely played a role in the "terrific" initial reception of TS4.
Anyway, I am assuming you are head mod (it does not state that anywhere I could find), but I think people would be more approving with consistent moderation, rather than one built around case by case. Those tend to not work out so well, greatest example being with all the issues that I, a user of these forums, have seen to persist only recently, compared to the many, many years of it being more "laid back", so to speak, the past several years. As far as the interview goes, this is a forum, nobody is looking for any kind of gain, but to just discuss the interview with their fellow players. Not allowing us to paste some or all of the interview here is just so petty, IMHO, when I would think the whole reason that interview was agreed to happen was to improve the PR of the game, not the PR of the fansite. Also, please note, me talking about these case-by-case rules does not necessarily mean I disrespect you or said rules at all. But I will do what I always do, and share my 2c on it, which, kindly correct me if I am wrong, is fine to do. But thank you as always for allowing discussion on this to persist, rather than be dismissive.
I think overall the marketing for this game is questionable at best. It simply doesn't make sense why a business would try to spend its resources to recruit a group of people that already get the vision especially after having attended several EA-sanctioned events. Fansites are not partial enough be objective on the game. They already like the game! And they're certainly not going to be too critical about the game when they are getting EA goodies.
Morever, I think using fansites as your source of marketing can be worse than not marketing in traditional marketing arenas. These fansites with which you guys have relationships don't represent me. I don't see any of them advocating for things that I and other players want: reduced culling, better communication, toddlers, cars, supernaturals, etc. The list goes on.
I do have a lot of respect for Lyndsay Pearson. She manages to still visit forums from time to time and I can tell she really cares and has a lot of knowledge and experience with the Sims series.
@simgirl1010 I'm sorry my post was too long to keep your attention, but the discussion is not surrounded around posting an interview with on another fan site seeking revenue, but rather, post an interview which a developer mutually agreed to do for the sake of improving the PR of their game, on a forum for all users to purely see and discuss (along with credits and the URL), rather than to be required to generate ad revenue for the other party involved.
As far as the forum rule remark you've made, I've been a member of the forums for over 5 years now. I'm allowed, and yes I have reviewed the rules (unless this is a minute made one I am violating) to maturely and respectfully give my opinion on moderation. I have not violated a single rule in all of my time here thus far, and I'm happy to be a member of these forums.
Anyway, all that I have wanted to say has been said, and I am glad to have been able to share my 2 cents.
Thanks for explaining. With my limited intelligence and short attention span it was a bit difficult for me to fully comprehend your intentions.
It really depends on the 'fansite'. Some focus on just news which doesn't have a personal opinion in it. Some focus on community. And if you haven't seen me advocating for toddlers, then you're crazy. XD
It's sometimes frowned upon in college classes, schools, and other kinds of forums as well.
(She/her)
The funny thing is I know some of their names as they had Simselves of them years ago.
Mellissa and Chris Roomies where named after two devs I think