Successfully Managing a Community Emergency

Moderator: Craig Dalrymple, Sony Online Entertainment
Panelist: Victor Wachter, Cryptic Studios
Panelist: Katie Postma, FireSky
Panelist: Alan Crosby, Sony Online Entertainment
Panelist: Meghan Rodberg, Turbine, Inc.

You’ve just arrived at your desk to begin your day, a hot cup of coffee is within arms reach, and you begin to dig into the pile of messaging that has accrued since you last checked in six hours ago… when you discover that a well meaning developer sparked off a community riot at 4:00 AM while attempting to explain the recent changes to grouping content…

You are working on an established title that has peaked and your company is now looking for different ways to extend the life of the game and maximise the revenue stream without bulking up for yet another expansion; your Producer just hopped into a podcast and casually said “We are not going to develop another expansion for this game.”

You’ve already put in 40 hours this week and it’s only Wednesday. Your spouse and children no longer recognize you when you get home, you have a migraine, the soda machine is empty, and there is only decaf available in the coffee pot, under all of this stress you snap and not only ban a naughty user, but publicly shame them for their actions…

The entire company is home for Thanksgiving. All the servers go down and stay that way…

Community emergencies happen for a number of reasons, and they will happen no matter what we do to prevent them. How we manage those emergencies will define how they are remembered far longer than the actual cause of the crisis. This panel will explore some of the best methods to employ when the community is on fire and subscriptions are in the balance.

Intended Audience: Anyone who works in the online gaming industry and interacts directly with their community (community managers, designers, producers, etc.).

Prerequisites: Attendees should have a basic understanding of the dynamic nature of online communities.

Format: Panel

Track: Community

Date/Time: Tuesday, 3:30 PM

Room: Harbor