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[Tamarsamar]

I remember recently reading an article abut how Americans (and potentially other nationalities, but the person could only speak about Americans from personal experience) are more obsessed about "winning" an argument than learning anything productive from it.

Would certainly explain a lot of the internet, including the phenomena we are currently witnessing in this thread. >.>

[Greatguardian]

The point is it was primarily marketed as a communication conduit between SE and the players--the players have molded it into a more social environment, while it has continued to be presented by SE to be more for a support role than a social one. The forum guidelines are even crafted to keep posts restricted strictly to FFXI related content,and give them the right to remove any and all personal, social, political, religious, etc. content from the threads.

While the guidelines do allow them to remove non-FFXI related material, that isn't to say that SE didn't specifically design parts of the forum to function as a social base in the context of FFXI. Server forums, Job forums, and the General Discussion forum are all primarily social mechanisms by design. Personally, I think the only reason we really see "Suggestion threads" being directed to GD is because it's easier than making a separate section for them.

The only explicitly endorsed "Feedback/Suggestion" threads are the Dev Tags. The rest of GD is merely a social discussion base. I would assert that it was the players who took the Feedback portion of the site a step further and attempted to turn GD into a direct line to the Developer's office rather than a forum for the social discussion of FFXI-related business.

What this boils down to is simply that the forums, by design, are not intended to be a purely support-based structure. Would public account linking be beneficial in a support structure? Not really. Would it be beneficial in a social structure? I believe it would be, and I believe that the web development team feels the same way.

[ShadowHeart]

lol i am waiting for the first mule to come out called troll XD

[Tamarsamar]

I understand precisely what's going on. Both of you are trying to come off as if what each of you has to contribute to the discussion is more valuable, to promote some sense of self-worth, perhaps. When in reality, you're both right, and simply are talking in circles now.

Not that I can blame you. I just fell in to that same trap myself. But it's no reason to be so defensive about it.

[Darkshade]

Oh man. I'm no longer anonymous!

[Bumbeen]

I am still anonymous.

[Karbuncle]

Just wanted to say goodbye to the people who stop posting now !

[Runespider]

Just wanted to say goodbye to the people who stop posting now

Mule, np.

I wouldn't of bought one for this, screw giving them more money for such an underhand tactic but since I already had one and Square are incompetent (forcing it and letting you use level 1 mules? XD) business as usual I guess.

[Karbuncle]

So everyone freaked out for no reason.

Color me shocked.

[Tenfooter]

Some forums let people do this (not forced), and they don't use mules.