How to use the role forums

These new role forums are a new experience for all of us. Part of their intent is to consolidate class balance discussions into one place. If you want to discuss class balance in PvE or PvP (and yes I realize this is a tanking forum), this is a great place to do it. The existing class forums are intended primarily for distributing information among players. The class designers, such as myself, visit those less often than the role forums.

Here are some suggestions so that we can all get the most benefit out of the role forums.

1) These forums will be moderated more heavily than you might be used to. To some extent, we are encouraging debates between different classes and at times those discussions may get heated. Please make some attempt to treat each other with respect. Flames and trolls tend to get deleted. Repeat offenders tend to get banned.

2) Before you start a new thread, look to see if there is already an existing thread on the topic. If there isn't, that's cool. But we would rather have fewer, longer threads than many short threads.

3) Please don't bump. If everyone bumps their own posts, this forum is going to be a mess.

4) Sometimes Blizzard employees, such as me, respond to threads. We decide which threads we respond to. Please do not complain about which threads we respond to.

5) I personally read all threads in this forum even when I choose not to respond. This also means you don't need to address me or any blue in the topic to get attention. Again, if you want to discuss class balance, this is the place to do it. I do not read the class forums regularly -- those are for providing information to other players.

6) However, even in this forum, you should be here primarily to communicate with other players. You shouldn't have the expectation of ever getting a blue response. You certainly shouldn't have the expectation that any suggestions you make will get implemented in the game.

7) Before you hit that Post button, ask yourself if other players or blues will really get anything out of your post. If not, don't do it.

8) Be reasonable. If you're smart enough to be an expert on your class, you are smart enough to have a civil conversation. Blizzard developers have no problem if you want to challenge our decisions, make a complaint about class design, comment on a spell, or make suggestions on a talent. But you must make it civil and you must make it informative. If you just want to vent about something, we are certain you can find a better place on the Internet to do so.

Q u o t e:
4) Sometimes Blizzard employees, such as me, respond to threads. We decide which threads we respond to. Please do not complain about which threads we respond to.

Complaining about which threads Blizzard posters respond to will likely result in your post being deleted and the poster being banned. Sorry to be so negative but there is just too much of this going on.

Hint: discuss class mechanics, not Blizzard mechanics.