Hey guys!
I've got to step in here. There are some serious accusations being thrown at theory11 that are simply not true in any sense. I have multiple points to respond to, so I apologize in advance for the long reply.
TylerRouss - Check your PMs for further discussion on this topic. I won't clutter up this conversation with my specific points that are for you specifically.
We have been accused several times recently that we do not care about or listen to the members of our community. As Tyler put it "Your utter lack of empathy for this community is mind boggling." This is something that deeply bothers me. Thankfully we have only heard this from a vocal minority, but I will address this here and now.
theory11 has hosted a weekly Saturday Night Contest every week for several years now. 52 contests per year. Do you understand that number? This is 52 nights a year occupying out team's time in preparing, running, and judging these contests (sometimes this takes longer than one night for a contest, but that is not important). We also are putting out there 52 prize packages a year. We frequently give away six packs, bricks, new tricks, or even release bundles, costing anywhere from $5 (for a limited edition deck) up to a couple hundred dollars, depending on the prize, EVERY WEEK, 52 weeks a year. SNCs are very expensive to host every week. What does it cost you to enter these contests? Only the time required to prepare your entry. If we didn't care, if we didn't empathize with you all, these contests would not exist. Period. We put these contests out there to help grow the community and to give back to the people who made theory11 what it is today.
We hear sometimes that we don't take any suggestions from our members. This could not be further from the truth. Recently it was suggested that we offer 1st and 2nd place prizes. While we don't do it with every contest, we have started to offer 2nd place prizes. This is 100% from a suggestion, and would have not happened if it was not for the suggestion. Also, we have heard that we run too many "lottery" style contests. The contest last night was one of these. How often do we do this style of contest? Go back and look through all the contests since August. 17 contests in total, 4 of these were lottery style "guess the card" kinds of contests. This means that there are THIRTEEN contests of other sorts. We have actively been reducing the number of lottery style contests because it was suggested that we do more contests of other sorts. To say that we aren't listening to suggestions like this is simply not true.
We do the lottery style contests because they are easy for people to enter, they are fun, and they drive a LOT of people into the forums. Does every person who enters end up participating in the forums long term? Of course not. Some of them, however, do indeed end up joining the forums. Calling the people who enter the contests like this "leeches" is harmful to the community. People have to come to the forums before they can participate. If you don't like these contests, don't participate. Simple as that. You would miss out on less than 1/4 of the contests by simply skipping these. We try to mix up our contests to interest the various kinds of people here. Nobody expects you to be involved in every contest, as each contest has a specific focus.
If you hate the idea of the lottery style contests, you best be on your way. We WILL be continuing these contests (though at a lesser rate as per suggestions) because, firstly, they are fun and they get a massive response, and secondly, because they are our contests, our giveaways, and our generosity. We reserve the right to host the contests that we feel to be best for the goals of theory11 and the community. These contests give EVERYONE, including people who don't have access to a camera or video recording software, the chance to participate, and these contests will not go away.
The issue of these kinds of contests has been brought to our attention and we have addressed this feedback. Let this dead horse rest, the conversation has been heard, understood, and responded to in our best judgment. We have already adjusted how we do these contests. There is no reason to fling insults and accusations at theory11 for giving away thousands of dollars in free merchandise to our members.
Steerpike - You posted "There was that brief moment where they seemed to take complaints to heart. I almost got banned for it, but there seemed to be a change in the way things were being done." You almost being banned was in regard to your persistent negativity on the forums, both to theory11 and to members of the community, an issue I have already addressed with you in private. I now have to clarify in public because you are trying to use this to paint theory11 in a negative light. We listen to feedback and use it whenever we can, but negativity like that is not welcome here at all.
Thanks guys.
// L
