Is it acceptable/welcomed by pros to be messaged on B Net?
the reason i ask is i played in craftcup the other day and saw MaNa's character code so i added him (lol) looking through his division i also saw a lot of pros i am a fan of.
So I'm wondering what you guys think about messaging pro players when they're in between games?
And I'd also like to know what the pros themselves think about a random fan popping up to say that they love/admire them.
I personally only talked to MaNa once, told him i was a huge fan and i was rooting for him in his future endeavours. he thanked me and that was it, i mentioned dreamhack and he said sometimes it's a tough break and Naama was just better that day.
It's not much but i was all giddy at speaking to someone i really like to watch play at the highest level.
I added a few pros on my friends list to check out their profiles from time to time but have not talked to any of them. I'd really like to chat with White-Ra but i'm nervous and don't want to be rude/bother him lol.
so what is your take guys?
EDIT: you people do know that there is a difference between a short message saying you're a fan, once, and continually going like 'hey, hey, dude, wassup, you training? wanna play? can i ask advice? hey, hey!' right?
I mean half the answers are people that didnt read the OP or the thread and are like 'OMG HE GONZ SPAM THE PROS?!' answer is NO!
I think it probably varies from one player to another, but whatever you do, make sure that they're not IN a game or even in the lobby for a game. I don't think random messaging is welcomed by anybody while they're in game.
You can do it if you have a reason to, but otherwise it's not advisable. If you're a fan, it's okay to message someone when they're not in game just once, but I don't recommend doing it multiple times, and certainly not while they're in-game.
What it really comes down to is-- If their status isn't set to busy, they know it's possible to be messaged, and they're set to available, so it's not "rude", but can get frustrating. That's my take on it.
What do you think? Do you know that high leveled players want to be messaged every few minutes? I wouldn't think so. That is why many put their status as busy to avoid being messaged.
Personally, I don't like getting messaged randomly at all. I log in to Starcraft to play, not to talk to strangers.
tbh I don't think you should. Can you image what is its like have people message you at all the time? I understand that you just want to show them support, but it is much better to just leave them a message on the forum imho.
well i'd never message someone in game, thats just plain rude and inappropriate. Im talking about when the icon is the green diamond, not busy, not ingame just sittin there
It can get annoying even for me when a friend messages me during a game, so i can imagine a pro being extremely annoyed. That being said, he's probably on busy all the time anyways and i believe that hides messages so it probably doesn't matter in the end. Go ahead and let them know ur a big fan and theyll probably read it after their match is over and im sure they'd appreciate that, but I'd say dont try to get a conversation going because these guys are on to work and train, not to socialize.
I was a top player in other games and I had very many people adding me on msn and emailing me and loads of pm's on mirc. It was cool and flattering at start, but after a while it got pretty annoying tbh.
edit: and in sc2 it's even more annoying if you get msg'ed during a game, obviously.
I believe it's ok with the following stipulations: - You don't do it when they are set to busy or they are in a game. - You don't try to start a conversation, if they want to have one let them initiate it. - You keep your message concise and let them know that you appreciate what they do. - You only do it once to any pro you are a fan of.
The fact of the matter is, when they are on B.Net they are probably working (practicing, watching reps, laddering, etc.) and most people don't like to be bothered when they are working. At the same time, if we didn't watch and support them then there would be very little money in it for them. So don't be annoying but it can't hurt to let them know that they have fans that are reasonable and sane.
From my experience (on EU server), most of them will respond politely. Don't piss them off by asking for 1v1s, coaching, advice and what not, or message them while they're in game obviously.
It's just like approaching a player in between games during a live event. You can be obnoxious and get ignored, or you can be nice and just wish them gl in the next tournament or something.
I added ret through fb friends (I dont remember how i found his fb but who doesnt wanna stalk ret right?) I didnt expect him to accept though since i thought pros dont come on bnet to talk he accepted and was super nice to me and replied to everything I wrote, didnt even seem bothered when i kept squealing like the fanboy that i am. I doubt all (or any of the other) pros are as amazingly baller as ret though
I often wish my favorite pros good luck before tournaments, but generally try not to bother them too much. A lot of them are super nice and won't mind chatting (like Ret or White Ra) for a bit.
Haven't talked to any pros in SC2, but in BW I expressed my admiration quite briefly a coule of times, and they were always super polite and appreciative of it. Probably differs a lot between player to player though.
I played against one popular player who happened to be playing 2v2. I then went to his stream and it was actually running. I then messaged him even though he was in another 2v2 after my game. I made one message saying I just played him and that I'm a fan. He responded with a thanks, keep playing and appreciates the support. Just picture yourself getting messages while playing. I wouldn't mind fan messages at all, these players have insane apm, doesn't take much to reply. If they don't its ether they're in an intense situation or away. If players are getting annoyed with it they can easily just turn off messaging or squelch you.
Don't bug them in games or anything but if you want to message someone and wish them good luck go for it. They might not have time to respond so don't do it just to fish for responses. If other people wishing them well actually bothers them hopefully it gives them pause so that they can reflect on how big of a douche they truly are
I don't whisper pros because I know they don't really wanna talk to a stranger or they don't have the time, however once I whispered Jinro about a week before he left for korea 'good luck in korea ' to which he replied thanks . I didn't bother saying anything else cos I just assumed he was busy, but I'm sure they don't mind that kinda stuff
I dunno... I guess it's not a big deal if you just send a quick message while they're not in game. But just think, would you want a bunch of people you didn't know messaging you all the time? Like someone mentioned above I suppose it depends on the person, but I don't think I personally would.
If I were a pro I'd be super annoyed at it. When you're on bnet you don't want to chat usually, and if you do it'll be chat channels not random ppl. But I'm sure some wouldn't mind.
I think it really depends on the pro. Someone like Jinro would prob have a conversation with you because he's just so friendly where as others will just be annoyed. Also I think if you played them before or had contact before it can be ok. Then again it really just depends on the person.
In my opinion, no, leave them the hell alone. Support in other ways such as through the forums or if you go to events. If they browse any of the community sites they will get wind of it and be able to appreciate it on their own time. If you do it on Bnet it could actually go the other way and they could just get annoyed by the support rather than appreciate it. Maybe it is OK if they are out of game, but I would not advise it. If they are in game, that is a BIG no no or at least I think it would. Its like bugging a celebrity whilst they are eating say at a restaurant. Let em enjoy their meal.
Edit: I cringe when I am watching streams and a fan asks for them to add them or to play games with them. I mean wtf seriously. Stop.
I think the general rule people should follow is don't randomly message people if you don't have them added as realID or have a purpose. I know lots of pros and tournament runners add players with character code and message them and that's fine, but in my opinion, it's pretty annoying to get messaged by strangers just wanting to talk to you as a fan. I really don't know why Blizzard didn't make a non-realID invite. (Unless they did and I am mistaken.)
On December 19 2010 02:28 TheAntZ wrote: I added ret through fb friends (I dont remember how i found his fb but who doesnt wanna stalk ret right?) I didnt expect him to accept though since i thought pros dont come on bnet to talk he accepted and was super nice to me and replied to everything I wrote, didnt even seem bothered when i kept squealing like the fanboy that i am. I doubt all (or any of the other) pros are as amazingly baller as ret though
On December 19 2010 02:53 travis wrote: how did u get their character code/email? through legitimate means?
if not, don't message them
You can add almost anybody if you search through divisions long enough and it should only become easier once chatrooms are released. Is your choice of words possibly suboptimal?
On December 19 2010 01:51 PlaGuE_R wrote: I added a few pros on my friends list to check out their profiles from time to time but have not talked to any of them. I'd really like to chat with White-Ra but i'm nervous and don't want to be rude/bother him lol.
so what is your take guys?
White-Ra is one of the nicest guys around and if hes not busy with a game at that moment he would probably be willing to chat a bit. He likes saying hi to his fans!
On December 19 2010 02:04 RafikiSC wrote: I believe it's ok with the following stipulations: - You don't do it when they are set to busy or they are in a game.
if they are set to busy u can msg them without disturbing them! profit!
On December 19 2010 03:16 msnger wrote: If they didn't give you the code leave them alone, put yourself in the same shoes.
I really don't understand why people open these threads.
I personally wouldn't mind at all if they just followed the basic etiquette that some people have already mentioned (such as not messaging when in a game).
I think all the progamers appreciate kind words and encouragement from their fans every now and then. Just dont be the douchenozzle that spams them while theyre in game. Thats rude as fuck.
On December 19 2010 03:25 Chairman Ray wrote: I always add pro gamers. I like to rickroll them! They can't tell me to stop unless they find my character code and add me.
Actually when a chat window pops up there's a little slidder on the right of it. You can open it up and block communication/add friend etc. from there. So no need to find your code.
On December 19 2010 03:25 Chairman Ray wrote: I always add pro gamers. I like to rickroll them! They can't tell me to stop unless they find my character code and add me.
Personally, I don't think that adding and/or chatting to people on BNet without invitation or legitimate reason to believe that the other person would like to talk to you, too, is a mannered thing to do. You wouldn't take your phone to unsolicitedly call a celebrity when you see their phone number on TV, would you? In fact, you'd probably think it's a rather odd thing to do.
Plus, judging from what I've seen on streams people who receive a lot of such unsolicited messages (e.g. Day9) must be very annoyed having to close a gazillion chat windows to find the one conversation they are looking for. It's spam people. Don't do it.
I've never done it, but if they are not set to "busy" I think it's ok.
Think about real sports: if you catch, say Roger Federer walking on the street not seeming super-busy, I'd consider it to be ok to say a quick "hello, I'm your biggest fan". But obviously you don't follow him every step he takes, stalking him while he's busy/etc. And also obviously you don't try to chat with him while he's playing a game during a tournament.
hmm. some people are nice, some arent. some will mind, some wont. a few rules of thumb would be: -never while they are in game. -dont spam them or send too many messages, if you have zero reason to message them probably try to keep it short.
most ppl are probably busy and could really careless but not always. some will appreciate you saying hello and give thanks.
On December 19 2010 02:53 travis wrote: how did u get their character code/email? through legitimate means?
if not, don't message them
You can add almost anybody if you search through divisions long enough and it should only become easier once chatrooms are released. Is your choice of words possibly suboptimal?
On December 19 2010 02:53 travis wrote: how did u get their character code/email? through legitimate means?
if not, don't message them
You can add almost anybody if you search through divisions long enough and it should only become easier once chatrooms are released. Is your choice of words possibly suboptimal?
haha possibly
but at least you know what i mean
I've done it before, and all I asked was, "Hi do you mind if I ask you a question?" and I do realize that that is a question, but if a pro is busy he'll say sorry I'm busy, or sure go ahead. I think its all about being as polite as possible because you are asking them for a response or some time to chat with you.
i think it's fine to drop them a "hey man I really look up to you and i've learned a lot from your replay/stream/etc, thanks for being so cool." Just don't be the Stan to their Slim Shady.
On December 19 2010 03:49 universalwill wrote: i think it's fine to drop them a "hey man I really look up to you and i've learned a lot from your replay/stream/etc, thanks for being so cool." Just don't be the Stan to their Slim Shady.
Do NOT kill your girlfriend because White_ra didnt respond to your message. Bad idea. ^^
Even tho im not pro I dont like to get whispered during tournaments between rounds even if its "gl' or some simple question, because sometimes admins contact you or 1-10 streamers whisper you, so sometimes you got 10+ chat windows open while doing map bans which can be annoying sometimes
I guess pro's have same or similiar opinion on that, but if they arent playing tourny or anything like that I doubt they would mind to get whispered, but then again dont be Stan like universalwill said, tell them "hi balblala love you ♥♥♥" but dont over do it
plz never message somebody unless you have good reason or they have said in interviews they don't mind it. More than LAN i want the /DND command back. I personally can't stand when people who knew me from wc3 message me, if you want to talk to the pros ask for their msn.
On December 19 2010 02:53 travis wrote: how did u get their character code/email? through legitimate means?
if not, don't message them
You can add almost anybody if you search through divisions long enough and it should only become easier once chatrooms are released. Is your choice of words possibly suboptimal?
haha possibly
but at least you know what i mean
I've done it before, and all I asked was, "Hi do you mind if I ask you a question?" and I do realize that that is a question, but if a pro is busy he'll say sorry I'm busy, or sure go ahead. I think its all about being as polite as possible because you are asking them for a response or some time to chat with you.
yeah i mean it's not the end of the world or anything
but understand that if the player is very popular there will be plenty of people just like you that do the exact same thing, and it just might be the case that the player doesn't want to be bothered by any of them and just wants to play
i'd say an occasional compliment based on a recent tournament result or team news or whatever would be acceptable... but if you ask for games or wahtever youll most likely be ignored
i am obviously NOT a pro at all, but even being simply a featured streamer at TL (which is super cool ofcourse dont get me wrong!) i get numerous people who watch my stream messaging me daily, asking for games, advice, general chit-chat, whatever. even when i'm laddering with Busy up i'll still occasionally get people constantly messaging me
if youve seen my stream you know i always talk to viewers, and i always take time to respond to peoples PMing me when i'm not busy, playing, etc, but when im practicing hard with my team it gets frustrating to constantly be bombarded with little yellow text boxes
basically what i'm trying to say is that it is situationally welcomed, and otherwise situationally disliked, depending on the "pro"'s personality and what they are doing at that time.
and keep in mind i'm no pro so i can't imagine how tough it can be for them sometimes
Why would you even want to add "pros" and talk with them on b.net?
Get IRC and talk with them there instead if you want to have some conversations
As I'm a nice guy, and you might not be familiar with IRC (quakenet), download a client like www.mirc.com , choose quakenet as server and then connect. When connected write #teamliquid, you will find many "big" names in there, whois some of them and see which other channels they are in. Go there (most likely you get to talk with some in their own channels or smaller ones than a big one as teamliquid).
Well I can speak out of personal experience and to be honest it can be fairly annoying. I always try to remain calm and friendly but I mostly ignore people now. Earlier it was okay I answered every one but I get about 100 messages each day, if I place well a tour or anything I get instantly spammed by a ton of people. So I wish I could talk to each and everyone but I hope people understand if I ignore them (sometimes I receive flames for not responding even, so silly^^)
Why do you guys think that a "pro" is some special vip guy?!
For example, i met all the Quake pro's at the IEM at GamesCom this year. I talked to them, we had a lot of fun, later at this day we went out to eat and drink something together in a very nice bar.
What is the problem to talk to them? Sure its not the best if you write them like "omg im your biggest fan!!1" but it shouldnt be a problem if you contact them like you would contact any other guy.
So I'm not exactly a pro but I'm pretty high on the ladder and have gotten far in craftcups or similar a bunch of times, resultsing in me getting whispered occasionally by random people. If someone tells me they're cheering for me or something like that, it's great, much appreciated but it's very annoying when people ask for games or coaching or generally trying to be friends (as in asking to play 2v2, whispering my all the time etc.)
No its annoying, trust me. I can't say I am famous directly but I have almost 9,000 people subscribed to me on Youtube because of Call of Duty videos I make. That is the most annoying thing ever good thing is that you don't notified from friends request. Still getting messages in the middle of playing is annoying and adds up. Even if you think you are semi on there level. Just don't message them. Really if you make a name for yourself I am sure they will be more receptive to your message because they know you know how it is.
So No don't message them unless its for something specific like coaching lessons or something like that then maybe you befriend them. Random message out of the blue don't do that.
On December 19 2010 04:31 Liquid`TLO wrote: Well I can speak out of personal experience and to be honest it can be fairly annoying. I always try to remain calm and friendly but I mostly ignore people now. Earlier it was okay I answered every one but I get about 100 messages each day, if I place well a tour or anything I get instantly spammed by a ton of people. So I wish I could talk to each and everyone but I hope people understand if I ignore them (sometimes I receive flames for not responding even, so silly^^)
Silly indeed. I only comment in IRC chat if their is a live stream. I never would want to interrupt a pro (like TLO) while their trying to practice. I'm sure the spam does get old.
Also wishing you a speedy treatment for your injury
Depends on the person really.. Some people are cocky and look down upon others, some realize that just because a person hasnt put in the time to become a progamer doesn't mean you can act like an ass. If i'm on a losing streak i'll be the first, but if you aren't annoying and I didn't just get rushed 5 games in a row I'll usually be the second. If you are boxer or something I think its reasonable to not expect a reply though...
I'm sure it's about as welcome as receiving unsolicited phone calls. That is, totally annoying. Why are there so many people who think it's ok to harass these players? If you want to get in contact with them most of them are on TL, send them a PM here if you have actual reason to contact them. Those who wish to be in contact with fans will have some way of doing it outside of battlenet, those who want privacy should have that respected.
Used to have alot of people msg me or try to add me as a friend when I was playing COD mw1, now people have started doing it on black ops. It doesn't bother me because I don't really have to pay it any attention, and I don't, not because I'm trying to be a dick, but because I really don't have any interest in playing with people that I don't know IRL. The ones that send multiple messages and are very persistent are annoying though.
On December 19 2010 02:53 travis wrote: how did u get their character code/email? through legitimate means?
if not, don't message them
legitimate means? hell this is battlenet 2.0, what does privacy mean? You get 1 pros char.code (which you can through any tournament) you will have them all by checking out their division.
I would not message a "pro" while he/she is playing or over bnet but I think it's totally fine to chat over IRC for example. This is also the case for casters which I think is important not to forget.
I think it's ok to message them but i can't image what TLO is saying. When like 50 people message you every day it could start to be annoying ;p On the other hand a few fans every day is a nice thing to have.
On December 19 2010 02:36 JoLanTru wrote: I played against one popular player who happened to be playing 2v2. I then went to his stream and it was actually running. I then messaged him even though he was in another 2v2 after my game. I made one message saying I just played him and that I'm a fan. He responded with a thanks, keep playing and appreciates the support. Just picture yourself getting messages while playing. I wouldn't mind fan messages at all, these players have insane apm, doesn't take much to reply. If they don't its ether they're in an intense situation or away. If players are getting annoyed with it they can easily just turn off messaging or squelch you.
I played a 3v3 against the legendary CombatEx, I had a brief conversation with him and that was it.
-I- don't like getting messaged by randoms after the fact. People who add me and want to play tons of games with me, or do achievements.
Does that make me a dick? I guess, but I really don't like getting messaged online by people I don't know. Hence, I would never bother pros.
i get so annoyed while watching day9, and 5 people spam him, you're not busy! hur hurr! don't spam him and he wont need the busy tab. thats just imo though
On December 19 2010 05:22 KillerPlague wrote: i get so annoyed while watching day9, and 5 people spam him, you're not busy! hur hurr! don't spam him and he wont need the busy tab. thats just imo though
I think the "he's not busy so it's OK" argument is a lot like saying it's OK to spam someone's phone because "they didn't turn it off, so they must not care."
On December 19 2010 05:34 Socke wrote: you know whats the worst & probably most common query i get?
stuff like 'can i ask you a question?' BARTHARHARHRHR
Haha, awesome.
I´ve messaged QXC once but that was because I had a question like 3 days after we had a coaching-session and I just wanted to know a little detail. Other than that it´s just because of different tournament-matches.
personally I don't like messaging people, and looking at some of the pros posts in here, i feel justified in my position. I just feel that it is rude to talk with someone you only know because of the fact he is popular rather than knowing him personally. That is just my 2 cents on the topic.
asking them for 1v1's and advice seems really, really rude, just a simple "good luck in the gsl" would be acceptable, but definitely not in games or when they are busy. don't prolong it, don't try to initiate a conversation yourself, don't do anything stupid.
On December 19 2010 05:02 Tump wrote: I've got a case where it's quite alright to message a pro. Anyone remember the infamous IdrA vs QXC series at MLG DC?
Well, here's what I messaged to QXC after one of the games. Enjoy!
This happened in more than one game, it had to be done!
That's actually pretty hilarious haha!
I would rather not message pros, and instead try to talk to them in their streams if they have one, or I guess you could even PM them on TL. I can just see how it can get very annoying if you get a message every 10 seconds, no matter how good natured they are.
I think for messaging any player, well-known pro or some stranger, you should try to not do any of these things: - Messaging them while they're playing a game. - Messaging them more than once without a response. - Trying to start a conversation, asking a question, or anything that would be looking for a response. - Sending a message that isn't concise.
As for short statements (you praising a pro, or maybe a short comment to a player from the game you were just in) that aren't looking for a response, I think those depend on the individual player. I think those would be generally okay.
I'd suggest you don't message anyone that you don't know. But.. if you really feel strongly about it, I don't think you'll be doing much harm as long as you follow the above guidelines.
I think the best way to communicate with a pro would be to post on the forum's of their team's website. In that way, you're supporting their team/sponsor. I've heard a lot of players on teams suggest visiting their website to ask questions, so I think its pretty acceptable.
On December 19 2010 06:23 GinDo wrote: Personally i think its kind of weird.
In some states its called Stalking.
holy mother of god! does that mean i have to move out from the house i rented across from white-ra's house and stop following him around everywhere?????
I'm not stalking anyone, and I'm not looking for any answers or looking to ask questions/advice/1v1s
just wanted to know the opinion on a message like what i sent to MaNa the other day which was
'Hi MaNa, I'm a big fan of yours, sorry if this isn't cool. btw i loved your play at dreamhack, i really learned a lot from it so thanks and its a shame you lost'
to which he responded 'thanks, naama was better that day and np'
I'm a top player in some crappy mmorts game, and I have people msg me and ask to be my friend often, and I ignore them. So I wouldn't recommend harassing any pros in SC2.
On December 19 2010 06:23 GinDo wrote: Personally i think its kind of weird.
In some states its called Stalking.
holy mother of god! does that mean i have to move out from the house i rented across from white-ra's house and stop following him around everywhere?????
I'm not stalking anyone, and I'm not looking for any answers or looking to ask questions/advice/1v1s
Asking questions and advice should definitely be done on either a team forum or on TL. When the new patch goes live those things can be done in public channels if they want to be available for it.
i think while practising (especially when the 'pro' lost against some all in or shit like that) they will easily get angry, but it would be stupid to flame your fans
On December 19 2010 06:56 Barrin wrote: If you want to have a conversation with a pro your best bet is to wait for chat channels. Find out what channel they frequent, then become a regular in that channel and make sure to say things that don't sound stupid when they're in it THAT ARE NOT NECESSARILY DIRECTED TOWARDS THEM.Eventually you will most likely get the opportunity to have a short talk with them. After this happens, stay a regular in that channel and more likely than not you won't just have opportunities to talk to them, but you will probably even become their friend. [/secrets]
This probably the best way to go about it. I think if you whisper them randomly they will just put you on ignore.
On December 19 2010 06:56 Barrin wrote: If you want to have a conversation with a pro your best bet is to wait for chat channels. Find out what channel they frequent, then become a regular in that channel and make sure to say things that don't sound stupid when they're in it THAT ARE NOT NECESSARILY DIRECTED TOWARDS THEM.Eventually you will most likely get the opportunity to have a short talk with them. After this happens, stay a regular in that channel and more likely than not you won't just have opportunities to talk to them, but you will probably even become their friend. [/secrets]
Are you trying to date them? At what point can you suggest a practice match at your place?
Pros are just people, and like all people there will be differing opinions between them. I'm sure some love having fans and attention, and many probably find it very annoying. You don't see celebrities, sports stars, etc walking around in sunglasses and hats most of the time for no reason.
Dont ask "can i ask you a question?" or randomly invite to a game or party, these are the most annoying things that come to mind that happen like 10-20 times a day -_-
My question is: Why would you want to message them? If you think they are awesome and you are a fan, you can easily support them here on TL, or GosuGamers or whatever site you may use. If you think they suck and you hate _____ then there is no reason to start a flame war.
Last time i checked anyone can make a "Official _____ Fan Club" thread right here on this very site as long as you put some content in it, that is a great way to show your respect and admiration for a player
Asking for advice, coaching or a 1on1 is not acceptable, this isent some hidden rule, its just pure human courtesey, no pro gamer wants to waste his time on some random guy on Bnet, they need to practice.
On December 19 2010 06:56 Barrin wrote: If you want to have a conversation with a pro your best bet is to wait for chat channels. Find out what channel they frequent, then become a regular in that channel and make sure to say things that don't sound stupid when they're in it THAT ARE NOT NECESSARILY DIRECTED TOWARDS THEM.Eventually you will most likely get the opportunity to have a short talk with them. After this happens, stay a regular in that channel and more likely than not you won't just have opportunities to talk to them, but you will probably even become their friend. [/secrets]
Are you trying to date them? At what point can you suggest a practice match at your place?
Hahahahahahaha.
I got a little giddy simply coming across someone somewhat 'known' in the TL community.
Some players might like to know they have fans and support. I imagine they don't want to be messaged while in a game, so I'd personally be more inclined to message a higher level player only if they were out of a game, and even then it would be more along the lines of "Hey, good luck in your matches later today," or "(player name) fighting~!" or something to that effect.
But i am no pro or semi or whatever, but i can say it can get quite annoying. And most pros get online for playing games, practise efficient and getting queried all time can get annoying :D.
Honestly what is the point of messaging a pro for any purpose other than if they've invited you to do so because of paid coaching sessions or something else legitimate? You aren't going to get much info back from gameplay questions and if you do it's probably going to be really general and short so they can get rid of you. You aren't going to make friends with them and insert yourself into the pro scene on your wit and personality either. They have better things to do than close 30 messages every time they get out of a game.
Just exercise some self control otherwise you make yourself look really loony.
As long as u don't send it in game, i'm sure most of them are indifferent about people messaging them. Pros in the sc community seem to be pretty down to earth =]
Its funny because some people don't realise how annoying it is to talk to people in a game. Should be a chat option to store all the PM's until after the game.
No, its never okay and is actually creepy. You don't know these people and they're too busy to chat with the thousands of fans that they have while they're trying to play the actual game. This is doubly true for people who have had to buy extra copies of the game to escape from internet stalkers.
I personally think that its fine to message pros on bnet just wishing them luck in a tourney or telling them amazing game blah blah blah complements basically is I would like to think alright. But messaging asking for games or annoying them to death is beyond stupid. Most of them make their emails public to ask questions people should use that ^_^
I messages IncontroL once to see if he wanted to join a group. He said thx but he was in a coaching session. Seemed like a nice guy.
I figure if anyone doesn't want to be messaged, he'll just set his status to busy. It would be nice if there were more settings, such as 'busy for everyone not on my friends list,' but the system is solid enough as it is.
Obviously you're always going to have trolls and stalkers, but the typical fan is just going to say something nice in a single message, which the pro can read or not, and respond to or not.
I would like to hear from more pros in this thread, though. Socke, thanks for your input.
Yeh depends on situation, who it is, reason for messaging etc but generally it's ok provided you have and excercise common sense (imo).
One of my friends added a few of the 'not quite so well known but still pro' people to spectate some matches to learn how to play better and what not, turns out this doesn't seem to be particularly uncommon either.
if you think its ok, Me and 50 other people will add you on bnet, and every-time you come on line we will constantly message you and see how you like it.
On December 19 2010 11:11 TheGiftedApe wrote: no. end of discussion.
if you think its ok, Me and 50 other people will add you on bnet, and every-time you come on line we will constantly message you and see how you like it.
It never hurts to share love and show some support. If they don't like or appreciate it they will tell you. But I think you should be able to talk to the people you are fans of - there's no such thing as too much love. Unless it's obsessive, and requires a restraining order. But this is just words
some of the not so well known pros might like it, because it makes them feel admired. But then most of the time it is annoying, because of the way bnet messaging works. A better way is just leave a message for them through other methods that doesn't involve a blinking alert on their screen.
I would avoid messaging pros unless it was just to say something small, like good luck and I'm a fan or something similar. Don't expect an answer, these guys are very busy (which is why there's so good). I would also try to avoid messaging them during a game at all costs, this is their lively hood so disrupting their practice time could hurt more than help! Just be courteous and act how you would like to be treated. Personally I wouldn't mind a small and friendly message between games or the sort, however I can understand the other side of things, it could potentially be really annoying.
Please don't message the top players unless it's for a very good reason. Even though there are a lot of guys who are nice and will answer you, this is just because they are nice not because it is not annoying. Instead if you are really a fan just visit a live tournament sometime it is a much nicer setting to meet a player and ask him some questions.
Something I've been wondering is if tournaments enforce busy. Otherwise what is to stop somebody from messaging their favorite player during the game from watching the stream?
"Hidden exp at 12 o clock."
During MLG somebody in #teamliquid IRC claimed to have done this, and the player in question immediately went to scout for hidden expos. Seems fucking lame if that's true.
Well it can be annoying sometimes, i mean its probably not only you who have been messaging this guy. If they had the time, they probably will reply but if you message them from time to time w/o any reason then consider yourself block I used to play RS and this happen to me since i had a youtube acc plus leader of a clan. But yeh i mean there are ways communicating to top players w/o messaging them in game like in TL in particular or the clan/team site the player is on I think that is more suitable and polite way of doing things
On December 19 2010 11:29 wxwx wrote: some of the not so well known pros might like it, because it makes them feel admired. But then most of the time it is annoying, because of the way bnet messaging works. A better way is just leave a message for them through other methods that doesn't involve a blinking alert on their screen.
I agree with this, plenty of them are on here and/or other sc2 forums, contacting them via these means would be infinitely less annoying than through bnet (especially if they're playing).
On December 19 2010 11:44 Liquid`Nazgul wrote: Please don't message the top players unless it's for a very good reason. Even though there are a lot of guys who are nice and will answer you, this is just because they are nice not because it is not annoying. Instead if you are really a fan just visit a live tournament sometime it is a much nicer setting to meet a player and ask him some questions.
I think in most cases a lot of people dont live close to an area where a lot of major tournaments go down...But even then I think if you want to speak with a pro etc, use forums or even watch there streams. Ive seen pro's chat with there stream viewers all the time. In the case that you do message a pro player, keep it short, show your appreciation and bounce, if they want to respond they will if not, they got your message and thats enough. You can learn just as much if not more from watching there tournament play or replays as you can busting into there pratcise time to ask 1 question.
Remember pros are easily startled, so it's best to start down wind from them. I would suggest approaching slowly with some nuts or berries in your hand, kneeling down and waiting for the pro to come to you. If they begin eating out of your hand then it's safe to tell them how much you "wuv" them and how much they mean to you.
BEWARE! Some pros can be very aggressive so petting them is not advised.
On December 19 2010 11:46 dvide wrote: Something I've been wondering is if tournaments enforce busy. Otherwise what is to stop somebody from messaging their favorite player during the game from watching the stream?
"Hidden exp at 12 o clock."
During MLG somebody in #teamliquid IRC claimed to have done this, and the player in question immediately went to scout for hidden expos. Seems fucking lame if that's true.
What would stop a player from watching or listening to a stream while he plays the game?
In live tournaments you must set the state to busy or you can get disqualified.
Basically as Jinro / TLO said: Just leave em alone. There's no reason to and there r just too many ppl that spam em, so u adding into it is just annoying. Send em a pm on TL.net or other places like that if u must.
Well like others have said, don't message them while they're in a game or while their status is set to Busy, that's just being annoying. However, if they're available, I really think encouragement is a positive thing. It's always good to know you have people supporting you and letting you know that all the work you've put into this game is bearing fruit. I'm sure no one can be pissed at being popular when it's not invading their life.
EDIT: After noticing TLO's post I must admit that my post was more designed towards lesser known players, who can really benefit from the support. Big names will just have too many messages, it's better to simply post a comment in a Fanclub thread.
Why do you think Day9 plays on a smurf account instead of using DayNine? You wouldnt want to get spammed by randoms while trying to play a game of starcraft and its probably the same thing for them.
I used to message Sheth during beta sometimes when it looked like he wasn't doing anything, and he was super chill and would always reply and sometimes let me observe games. It was very awesome. I have also talked with Lalush once or twice because I played him on ladder right after he got his NA account and had a low MMR. I assumed he was a smurf until he crushed me. He gave me some really awesome tips.
it really depends on the player but most the time they want to be left alone. Sometimes ill talk to IdrA and TT1... IdrA doesn't respond to "Fanboi messages" as i call them but sometimes he does respond when i ask him about patches and his thoughts when he just logs on to NA server but that was months ago so he will probably flame you now.
THIS WAS PATCH 1.1 NOT 1.2 rofl
Honestly, though It is better to just post on their Fanclub page and if they don't have one... make it
On December 19 2010 11:58 Desiato wrote: Remember pros are easily startled, so it's best to start down wind from them. I would suggest approaching slowly with some nuts or berries in your hand, kneeling down and waiting for the pro to come to you. If they begin eating out of your hand then it's safe to tell them how much you "wuv" them and how much they mean to you.
BEWARE! Some pros can be very aggressive so petting them is not advised.
Where's that "like" button when you need it? XD
Personally, I'd be too chicken/starstruck to message a pro on bnet, because who am I to try to talk to them? I'm just a little newbie bronze! Though if I saw them in person at an event, I would definitely jump at the chance to say hi and let them know I'm a fan. ^^
On December 19 2010 14:25 BetterFasterStronger wrote: it really depends on the player but most the time they want to be left alone. Sometimes ill talk to IdrA and TT1... IdrA doesn't respond to "Fanboi messages" as i call them but sometimes he does respond when i ask him about patches and his thoughts when he just logs on to NA server but that was months ago so he will probably flame you now.
THIS WAS PATCH 1.1 NOT 1.2 rofl
Honestly, though It is better to just post on their Fanclub page and if they don't have one... make it
Dude, that pic is tiny. Mind resizing it? I want to read it. ^^
no. avoid it unless you really need it i would say. i have perform good (not pro though) in other games and i have encountered a lot of people trying to befriend with me just to want some influence in the community or some benefits. this is very annoying. i can imagine that at pro level.
Now that I think about it, random messaging pros is just plain weird, if not creepy. They're just regular people/kids, like yourself. I could understand stalking say, Natalie Portman; as messed up as it would be, it's understandable to a certain point. But messaging pros or semi-pros, quasi-celebrities in a niche scene... cmon, that's sad. Why do it? Need a father figure? Need friends?
If you want to show your appreciation for a player, or your out of control fan-boyism make a post on one of the many threads here, create some fan art, compose a song, watch their games...
On December 19 2010 14:25 BetterFasterStronger wrote: it really depends on the player but most the time they want to be left alone. Sometimes ill talk to IdrA and TT1... IdrA doesn't respond to "Fanboi messages" as i call them but sometimes he does respond when i ask him about patches and his thoughts when he just logs on to NA server but that was months ago so he will probably flame you now.
THIS WAS PATCH 1.1 NOT 1.2 rofl
Honestly, though It is better to just post on their Fanclub page and if they don't have one... make it
Dude, that pic is tiny. Mind resizing it? I want to read it. ^^
On December 19 2010 01:59 alepov wrote: I was a top player in other games and I had very many people adding me on msn and emailing me and loads of pm's on mirc. It was cool and flattering at start, but after a while it got pretty annoying tbh.
edit: and in sc2 it's even more annoying if you get msg'ed during a game, obviously.
omg knaller :S? ":D" OT ya pm them once to wish them luck w.e if you feel the need to and theyre not busy but imo dont expect a chat or anything just a thx ^_^
"Welcomed" may not be the best term. It's cool if you do it once(when they aren't in a game) but if you spam them it's annoying. Imagine if 10 people messaged you constantly when you logged on. That would kind of suck, right?
i personally thinks its fine if you just played in a game on ladder or you were invited to ob their game or something but messaging them out of the blue is probably not ok
There's a decently large scene that watches "pro" streams. And if you're thinking about messaging them, do you think you're the only one? Sure, everyone loves to have their ego stroked every once in a while, but leave it to the 14 year old fanboys who don't know any better yet. IMO it would be a better use of your time to play and try to get near their level... then you can actually play vs. your idols.
Its just rude and annoying to message a pro as they most likely either training, playing etc, and would find it most annoying for randoms to ping them saying ur great
The only time that u should message a pro is if they message u or ask u to message them on say a board or other place.
Its like if u went onto the practise feild for a sporting team while their doing drills and said i just wanted to tell u guys that ur awesome, how pissed would the players be about u interupting their training, i think they would be very.
It really depends from player to player, a friend of my ask dimaga in sc1 for some reps and even go a huge autoreplay pack so some players are just super friendly and have no problems with it, i wouldn't do this to other players (Idra etc)
I'm not a pro, obviously, but even I get annoyed when I'm watching a stream and some nonamer messages the streamer asking for a 1v1.
Don't, it's rude and annoying.
Slightly related, but at a Marduk show, this guy came up on stage and hugged the lead vocalist. The lead vocalist slammed him into the floor. Flip at 1:15
On December 19 2010 14:25 BetterFasterStronger wrote: it really depends on the player but most the time they want to be left alone. Sometimes ill talk to IdrA and TT1... IdrA doesn't respond to "Fanboi messages" as i call them but sometimes he does respond when i ask him about patches and his thoughts when he just logs on to NA server but that was months ago so he will probably flame you now.
THIS WAS PATCH 1.1 NOT 1.2 rofl
Honestly, though It is better to just post on their Fanclub page and if they don't have one... make it
Dude, that pic is tiny. Mind resizing it? I want to read it. ^^
My bad heres the real pick
nice, a response from Idra himself! probably thats pretty rare...
at topic: I don't know why somone wants to start a conversation with a pro player in Battle.net... Cant you guys just write them a PM on TL.net? Battle.net-Chat wasn't supposed to be for mass conversations. I think its pretty annoying.
On December 19 2010 01:59 alepov wrote: I was a top player in other games and I had very many people adding me on msn and emailing me and loads of pm's on mirc. It was cool and flattering at start, but after a while it got pretty annoying tbh.
edit: and in sc2 it's even more annoying if you get msg'ed during a game, obviously.
omg knaller :S? ":D" OT ya pm them once to wish them luck w.e if you feel the need to and theyre not busy but imo dont expect a chat or anything just a thx ^_^
wow, is that realy knaller :OO I was a huge fan in cod2 !! awsome too see you playing sc2 ♥♥♥♥
I don't mind at all when fans wanna chat with me a bit :D Unfortunatley I d ont have any
It really depends on the person whether he will find it annoying or whatever, but I think messaging someone in-game will always be annoyed. Try to message PsY, I bet he loves it :D
To all the people saying things along the lines of "they can set you to ignore/ set themselves as busy etc" to Me that is like saying its fine to harass and stalk a person, if they don't like it they can get a restraining order.
At the end of the day, if you don't know them IRL or at the very least played against them, it's just unacceptable to messenge them on b.net
I've got lots of EU pro's added, but refuse to message them unless needing them to submit results/replays in cups. I think it's a bit rude to downright message them out of boredom/fanboy, technically the "pro's" are working and you wouldn't go into someones work place and start a conversation with them.
THe only time I talked to one out of asking for replays to be submitted was when totalbiscuit was looking to run a £50 showmatch so i tried getting a few involved, but all was busy
On December 19 2010 05:34 Socke wrote: you know whats the worst & probably most common query i get?
stuff like 'can i ask you a question?' BARTHARHARHRHR
Remember that pros are just people. Would you have reason to talk to a random person on battle.net?
I mean if you do go for it but I'd say it depends on who you're trying to talk to and what they're doing that makes a situation acceptable and unacceptable.
And if you don't know the person you should definately tread lightly
I always wonder what jerks write to pros on bnet.net when I watch their streams from time to time.
If you are a real fan of a player, I mean with posters and stuff. Then its really a thing you should do once. Otherwise dont write them, especially not if you are just a random dude that watched a few games of the player.
Imagine everyone would try to start a chat with the pros. They would have to blacklist everyone once they write them, even if they are kind personalities.
For example, everytime i'm bored, i like to check Aristeo's status. Take a brief look at his match history. If he is playing some 4v4, i wait until his status switchs from "ingame" to "available" and then immediatly click on find a 4v4 match. Not many people play 4v4 so it usually puts me in the same game as him. I like to annoy him by typing "OMG IT'S ARISTEO" at the beginning of the game.
This method pretty much works to stalk any proplayer that often plays on 4v4s or 3v3s. It also yorks if they are playing custom games such as micro tournament etc...
Yeah i know it's kind of BM but its actually quite fun
It's flattering, but don't expect long conversations. A message saying "I like your style and im a huge fan!" is always welcome, but usually thats followed up by "you know i'm struggling tvz can you go through a few of my replays..." That's basically asking to make us work for free and it's not really adviseable. But if you were to just encourage us or whatever I dont have troubles writing a short "thank you!" or something a long those lines.
i think most pros appreciate fans and supporters when they write something nice to them on bnet but whats not as appreciated is when ppl ask for games or advise
so basically everything merz said after reading his post :p
On December 19 2010 07:38 DarKFoRcE wrote: Dont ask "can i ask you a question?" or randomly invite to a game or party, these are the most annoying things that come to mind that happen like 10-20 times a day -_-
ye thats so true, its very annoying when they invite to party or invite to game in middle of nowhere. i wish there was an option to bnet so u could only get invited from ppl you have on your friend list or open chat window with
Looks like a number of SC2 pros already commented on this thread, but I'll just reiterate what they said (being a top player in other games). I'm a narcissist so having fans is awesome to me, but I don't really care to learn about what your cat's name is or analyze your gameplay. If I were pro in SC2 I would welcome all friend requests and casual messages "Nice game! Can you post the replay on TL?", yeah that's fine, but maintain the difference between 'fan' and 'friend'.
On December 19 2010 22:09 MorroW wrote: i think most pros appreciate fans and supporters when they write something nice to them on bnet but whats not as appreciated is when ppl ask for games or advise
so basically everything merz said after reading his post :p
On December 19 2010 07:38 DarKFoRcE wrote: Dont ask "can i ask you a question?" or randomly invite to a game or party, these are the most annoying things that come to mind that happen like 10-20 times a day -_-
ye thats so true, its very annoying when they invite to party or invite to game in middle of nowhere. i wish there was an option to bnet so u could only get invited from ppl you have on your friend list or open chat window with
Yes, i've been even thinking about requesting something like that on battle.net forums. but then again, im not sure how much sense it makes to post on battle.net forums.
On December 20 2010 00:25 DarKFoRcE wrote: Yes, i've been even thinking about requesting something like that on battle.net forums. but then again, im not sure how much sense it makes to post on battle.net forums.
The battle.net forums will always be a major source of mental anguish for any half intelligent starcraft player.
It's so much better with chat channels because then you can say stuff to people in there (including skilled players) otherwise I think it's stupid because being spammed is zzz
OGRE 1 Former halo pro (now retired) once posted a screenshot of what happens when he logs into aim. you literally couldn't see his screen for little boxes of people saying hello. Can't find the screen shot anywhere but it was pretty funny. I'd say unless you meet them on ladder, then no leave them be, They're just people, they are busy playing (or technically working if they are pro players)
Message them if you want. Hell internet celebrity is easy. Imagine real celebs with paparazzi and you cant even go outside. Thats crazy. Its easy to ignore someone on the internet.
On December 19 2010 17:16 LoLAdriankat wrote: I'm not a pro, obviously, but even I get annoyed when I'm watching a stream and some nonamer messages the streamer asking for a 1v1.
Don't, it's rude and annoying.
Slightly related, but at a Marduk show, this guy came up on stage and hugged the lead vocalist. The lead vocalist slammed him into the floor. Flip at 1:15 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuqboGYK9dA&hd=1
rofl that guy got pwned. That's a slightly different situation though since in a setting like that I wouldn't put it past a fan to have a gun or a knife or to just hurt they singer with his bare hands. Kinda bad that security or the other band members didn't try to stop the guy before he got that far on stage.
On December 19 2010 14:58 BetterFasterStronger wrote:
On December 19 2010 14:33 Moonloop wrote:
On December 19 2010 14:25 BetterFasterStronger wrote: it really depends on the player but most the time they want to be left alone. Sometimes ill talk to IdrA and TT1... IdrA doesn't respond to "Fanboi messages" as i call them but sometimes he does respond when i ask him about patches and his thoughts when he just logs on to NA server but that was months ago so he will probably flame you now.
THIS WAS PATCH 1.1 NOT 1.2 rofl
Honestly, though It is better to just post on their Fanclub page and if they don't have one... make it
Dude, that pic is tiny. Mind resizing it? I want to read it. ^^
My bad heres the real pick
nice, a response from Idra himself! probably thats pretty rare...
at topic: I don't know why somone wants to start a conversation with a pro player in Battle.net... Cant you guys just write them a PM on TL.net? Battle.net-Chat wasn't supposed to be for mass conversations. I think its pretty annoying.
to the guy who posted that picture... a majority of the time sending a person you don't know well (in this case we talking about a percieved "pro") a random question out of the blue when they log on to practice, albeit not "fanboing" as you put it which is good, still doesn't change the fact that they don't know you and are trying to practice for what they play professionally, so likely wont want to be debating potential patch notes with someone they don't know. Honestly, i am unsure if you felt like sending him the message to help work into his friends group or whatever, but if he truly doesn't find you annoying then wait and see if he is the one that messages you first
like i said i'm not trying to bash on you but taking different "approaches" to contacting a pro don't work quite as well in use as they do in theory
It just seems like bad manners, even if they are being nice you have no way to know if they are just doing that because they themselves have good manners and do not want to tell you that you are putting them out. I think other indirect messaging is better like through their own fan website and such.
On December 19 2010 11:44 Liquid`Nazgul wrote: Please don't message the top players unless it's for a very good reason. Even though there are a lot of guys who are nice and will answer you, this is just because they are nice not because it is not annoying. Instead if you are really a fan just visit a live tournament sometime it is a much nicer setting to meet a player and ask him some questions.
I agree with this, I feel bad for the lack of privacy pros have, you really shouldn't message them because you found their character code through illegitimate means, only message them if they specifically gave you their character code in my opinion...isn't that the idea of the character code in thef irst place...
On December 19 2010 11:46 dvide wrote: Something I've been wondering is if tournaments enforce busy. Otherwise what is to stop somebody from messaging their favorite player during the game from watching the stream?
"Hidden exp at 12 o clock."
During MLG somebody in #teamliquid IRC claimed to have done this, and the player in question immediately went to scout for hidden expos. Seems fucking lame if that's true.
I don't think this is true, one, people troll the shit out of IRC, but mostly, the rules at MLG state that you MUST be on DND mode at all times during a game, so the scouting had nothing to do with a message he got.
How is this even a thread, and why was it not closed?
Do you seriously think it is appropriate to spam messages to someone who is working?
That's like asking if it is a good idea to phone up all your friends when they are in the middle of their shifts at work. SURE, sometimes some of them wont mind, but it is still wildly inappropriate to do so.
Leave the professional players alone. If you want to show your support for them, open a fanclub thread like others have, and leave your comments there, I am sure the pro's attention will be brought to the fanclub threads eventually, and see your kind words of encouragement.
If you are asking for advice or replays, book a lesson or leave them alone. It is quite rude to spam the player for replays or advice if you are not friends with them in the first place.
NOTE: You shouldn't be able to randomly add friends to your account like that. You should have to 'accept' in order for them to be able to message you or something. Or at least have better 'privacy' blocks like an offline mode or something. I still get messaged after games when I'm in busy mode.
Being messaged by strangers is something that's nice and flattering in moderation but grows increasingly tiresome as the volume of messages increases. Sometimes I want to talk to people and sometimes I don't.
Unfortunately the 'busy' setting isn't quite what it needs to be. Sometimes I'll be watching a replay and talking to teammate(s) about what's going on and such and so I need to be set to available to easily see their messages.
If you want to talk to a pro I suggest you keep your message short / concise / somewhat infrequent.
When I log on battle.net a lot of the time it's like signing into work. Would you call your friend at work and try and start a conversation? I'm not generally on b.net to hang out or socialize. I'm there to play tournaments/practice/watch replays - in general ofc.
Sigh I can't really believe this is being debated. It's obviously not acceptable. I am a HUGE MMA fan but do I call my favorite fighters even though I have their phone # just to call and say "Hey, sup?"??
Shit no. It's just rude.
Almost every SC2 progamer is one one forum or another, it'd be much more appropriate to shoot them a PM on TL, Gosugamers, or whatever. Messaging them on battle.net is just plain intrusive. Really it should be impossible but B.net is a bit too open. Things like this will unfortunately push the pros towards the BW system of smurfing, which benefits no one.
It's different if say you meet Ret at a LAN and he says "here's my character code and whatnot, hit me up whenever!" Then feel free to message them. But if you did not get the info in a legit manner then leave them alone. I know I'm no where near popular or anything and I still get 10+ messages a day, I can't imagine how bad it must be for people like Day9, IdrA, HuK, etc.......
The worst being the people that act like you know them and go "oh i just needed new practice partners so hit me up for some games" Oh how thoughtful of you..... Already happened 3 times today (rage).
On December 20 2010 07:25 qxc wrote: When I log on battle.net a lot of the time it's like signing into work. Would you call your friend at work and try and start a conversation? I'm not generally on b.net to hang out or socialize. I'm there to play tournaments/practice/watch replays - in general ofc.
This x100. This is work for pros, not just for fun.
On December 20 2010 07:26 iCCup.Diamond wrote: Sigh I can't really believe this is being debated. It's obviously not acceptable. I am a HUGE MMA fan but do I call my favorite fighters even though I have their phone # just to call and say "Hey, sup?"??
Shit no. It's just rude.
Almost every SC2 progamer is one one forum or another, it'd be much more appropriate to shoot them a PM on TL, Gosugamers, or whatever. Messaging them on battle.net is just plain intrusive. Really it should be impossible but B.net is a bit too open. Things like this will unfortunately push the pros towards the BW system of smurfing, which benefits no one.
It's different if say you meet Ret at a LAN and he says "here's my character code and whatnot, hit me up whenever!" Then feel free to message them. But if you did not get the info in a legit manner then leave them alone. I know I'm no where near popular or anything and I still get 10+ messages a day, I can't imagine how bad it must be for people like Day9, IdrA, HuK, etc.......
The worst being the people that act like you know them and go "oh i just needed new practice partners so hit me up for some games" Oh how thoughtful of you..... Already happened 3 times today (rage).
On December 20 2010 07:25 qxc wrote: When I log on battle.net a lot of the time it's like signing into work. Would you call your friend at work and try and start a conversation? I'm not generally on b.net to hang out or socialize. I'm there to play tournaments/practice/watch replays - in general ofc.
This x100. This is work for pros, not just for fun.
How do you have MMA pros phone numbers? Aren't phone numbers difficult to attain?
On December 20 2010 07:26 iCCup.Diamond wrote: Sigh I can't really believe this is being debated. It's obviously not acceptable. I am a HUGE MMA fan but do I call my favorite fighters even though I have their phone # just to call and say "Hey, sup?"??
Shit no. It's just rude.
Almost every SC2 progamer is one one forum or another, it'd be much more appropriate to shoot them a PM on TL, Gosugamers, or whatever. Messaging them on battle.net is just plain intrusive. Really it should be impossible but B.net is a bit too open. Things like this will unfortunately push the pros towards the BW system of smurfing, which benefits no one.
It's different if say you meet Ret at a LAN and he says "here's my character code and whatnot, hit me up whenever!" Then feel free to message them. But if you did not get the info in a legit manner then leave them alone. I know I'm no where near popular or anything and I still get 10+ messages a day, I can't imagine how bad it must be for people like Day9, IdrA, HuK, etc.......
The worst being the people that act like you know them and go "oh i just needed new practice partners so hit me up for some games" Oh how thoughtful of you..... Already happened 3 times today (rage).
On December 20 2010 07:25 qxc wrote: When I log on battle.net a lot of the time it's like signing into work. Would you call your friend at work and try and start a conversation? I'm not generally on b.net to hang out or socialize. I'm there to play tournaments/practice/watch replays - in general ofc.
This x100. This is work for pros, not just for fun.
How do you have MMA pros phone numbers? Aren't phone numbers difficult to attain?
I used to run a MMA site and did many interviews. I have almost every important fighter on the planet in my phone book. Yet I ONLY contact them regarding business except for 3 who I talk to all the time that I'm pretty tight with. But only those 3 who said "hey man call me anytime, I just love talking about MMA and stuff, dosent even have to be an interview"
the problem is, u may just say one or two lines, but if EVERYONE is saying one or two lines, then they're just getting spammed while they're trying to do what is their job
Well i met Jimpo in go4sc2 and he was very friendly so i kept him in list. He helped me a bit when i asked him what to vs some strats, and he even played some cg with me and my team mates for an evening, it was definately worth it to keep him and talk from time to time. I respect him even more for that.
Furthermore i got another mate who has been spamming most pros and some take it very well, MoMaN the french zerg even taught him a lot of things.
Imo u gotta take a risk sometimes to see whats the water temperature but do it in a wise way not to bother the player.
I'm sure it's both flattering and annoying, depending on how you talk to them and how often. A nice short compliment or something is probably very flattering and they'll appreciate it, but if you keep pestering them, asking them a ton of questions, and message them all the time, I'm sure it gets annoying very quickly.
I have never done it, never considered it before reading this thread.
When i first thought about it (sending a short brief "GL, like your play" message not requring reply) i figured it would be kinda okay. I am comparing it to say a NHL-player, if you see him in the street not being busy giving him a thumbs up, big fan good luck, being breif, not creepy and not overly intrusive would in my opinion be okay. If they say busy or is obviously busy dont be a dick. Like many celebrities say "It comes with the job" and without the fans they would not be where they are today, so taking some time for the fans is something i expect out of my favorite players regardless of being in Hockey or SC2. That was my first thought.
But after reading the rest of the thread i changed my opinion, Battlenet is not the same as seing them on the street. There is no way for me to know (busy-system being to limited) how busy they are, if they are in 20 conversations already etc. It is also "intrusive" in thier job and not at all the same as writing a fan-letter.
So, until there are some system in place to show that they really are busy and only have time for thier mutual friends i would say no and stick to email/PM/fan-thread. Even if they are not set to busy there is no way for you to know if they are in the middle of something or not. If you really want to do it, start with writing email/PM/fan-thread wishing them good luck and explain that you are a big fan and ASK if it would be okay to msg them GL on battlenet when you see them or if they prefer to be left alone. And be understanding if they want to be left alone.
I really find it rude. I hate watching a high level stream or cast with people bugging them all of the time for stupid requests or just saying "Hey, I love your stream!". I mean, it is nice and all, but just because someone is high level does not mean that they shuld have to be on busy all of the time. Yes, it may come with the territory like famous people and fans, but that does not mean that it is not rather rude.
you people do know that there is a difference between a short message saying you're a fan, once, and continually going like 'hey, hey, dude, wassup, you training? wanna play? can i ask advice? hey, hey!' right?
I mean half the answers are people that didnt read the OP or the thread and are like 'OMG HE GONZ SPAM THE PROS?!' answer is NO!
The problem is, if everyone does that it comes together as spam, also no one really wanted to be spamming. A more elegant way might be to leave the a PM or an Email...
Don't spam them. there should be a good reason to message. else don't. This is like saying "it is okay to message CEO's of companies on a daily basis" on b.net there's no secretary to screen crap for you.
i rarely message pros when i am not casting, but i last week or so i saw EGAxslav play a really nice PvZ in the FXopen cup and shortly after the match was over i hopped on bnet.US and informed him about my appreciation for his nice play, wished him luck in the next round and so on. he of course thanked me and i didn't bother him any further. i think this kind of behavior is completely alright, because it's just friendly. just don't try to force a conversation.
It's kind of ridiculous to think this is ok. I'm real ID friends with Diamond so I can see...basically every pro online, lots of which I'm fans of. The only person I've ever messaged through this was djwheat when HE was looking for practice partners on twitter. Even then it was concise "Saw your tweet and wanted to offer help"
Don't Do It. Meet them at a Lan. (personally I hate when a random kid messages me or even a kid I had to play at a tournament)
On December 20 2010 22:40 drooL wrote: i rarely message pros when i am not casting, but i last week or so i saw EGAxslav play a really nice PvZ in the FXopen cup and shortly after the match was over i hopped on bnet.US and informed him about my appreciation for his nice play, wished him luck in the next round and so on. he of course thanked me and i didn't bother him any further. i think this kind of behavior is completely alright, because it's just friendly. just don't try to force a conversation.
How this could be alright !? Imagine all people watching the FXopen cup doing the same thing ?
Normally, I don't bother the pros. The only time i send them a pm is like before a tourney saying GL, or after watching one of their games saying good job/whatever. I don't want to interfere too much with their business.
Oh, and i pm casters occasionally when they are out of game asking their opinions on the tourney/event so far.
Imho its good as long as its short and constructive .
For all ppl saying "its theyr work " - yes it is , but so is communicating with fans . Player might ignore msg , might respond friendly - its up to them , but i see no reason to be scared to msg them . World works this way : if someone is popular - that person will get atention .
On December 20 2010 22:40 drooL wrote: i rarely message pros when i am not casting, but i last week or so i saw EGAxslav play a really nice PvZ in the FXopen cup and shortly after the match was over i hopped on bnet.US and informed him about my appreciation for his nice play, wished him luck in the next round and so on. he of course thanked me and i didn't bother him any further. i think this kind of behavior is completely alright, because it's just friendly. just don't try to force a conversation.
How this could be alright !? Imagine all people watching the FXopen cup doing the same thing ?
Don't forget that if you choose to go professional in any area, be it sports, music or Starcraft - you WILL get more attention than you might want/can handle. But regardless of that, it comes with the area and you'll have to accept it.
Anyways, I suppose that there ought to be done something with battle.net to make this, at least, easier to handle for the celebrities.
On December 19 2010 22:09 MorroW wrote: i think most pros appreciate fans and supporters when they write something nice to them on bnet but whats not as appreciated is when ppl ask for games or advise
so basically everything merz said after reading his post :p
On December 19 2010 07:38 DarKFoRcE wrote: Dont ask "can i ask you a question?" or randomly invite to a game or party, these are the most annoying things that come to mind that happen like 10-20 times a day -_-
ye thats so true, its very annoying when they invite to party or invite to game in middle of nowhere. i wish there was an option to bnet so u could only get invited from ppl you have on your friend list or open chat window with
Yes, i've been even thinking about requesting something like that on battle.net forums. but then again, im not sure how much sense it makes to post on battle.net forums.
A good post, well-written with (good) arguments in your request should be enough to get an answer from blueposter(s), especially if you're not the only one (at least, as I can read in this post) who wants that feature to be added or discussed.
On December 20 2010 00:25 DarKFoRcE wrote: Yes, i've been even thinking about requesting something like that on battle.net forums. but then again, im not sure how much sense it makes to post on battle.net forums.
The battle.net forums will always be a major source of mental anguish for any half intelligent starcraft player.
Don't spit on bnet forums this way, that does not make you cool or w/e.
I have a bunch of the Root guys added to my list but I never have messaged them, and don't plan on it. I just like to view their profiles and it is cool seeing them log on. Root has a website, so I go to their forums when I want laud my adulations upon them.
This can make it harder to contact these people for legitimate reasons. I mean look at Day[9] it is almost impossible to contact him unless you already know him. It could be a legitimate business proposition but since most avenues were so exploited they now tend to be ignored.
this thread is pretty damn tilting, almost every pro that chimes in here says its annoying and please dont do it and still people try to justify their creepiness for no reason. Just leave people alone if you don't know them or they have given you their ID.
Im not sure if this was mentioned earlier (sorry if it was).
A lot of pros have websites or fan pages or something of the sorts. Try finding their fan page on facebook or twitter. You could even go to their team website and see if they choose to give out a fan mail email address then use that as a means of communication. If they don't, then they probably prefer to not be bothered.
Just think if your about to play a game and like 20 people send you "quick messages." I could see it being irritating messaging back everyone saying "thanks" while then getting more quick messages at the same time.
Personally I would never randomly message a pro over battle net. I have a couple of pro's on my friends list due to playing them in the ESL (and got beat each and every time), and have kept them on my friends list, but would never consider messaging them. I think this is largely just common sense. It must be extremely frustrating to recieve tons of messages on a dailly basis from people you don't know when you just want to play/practise/watch replays etc.
I believe there are many better situations and/or places where you could talk to a pro player and it would be absoloutly fine, at live tournaments, on their streams, perhaps even pm's over TL (although i still personally don't think I would ever do this). Basically I don't think battle net is the right platform to start a conversation with a pro
It's rude. Period. If it's in a stream, leave it in the chat, if they have a fanclub, leave on the TL Fan club post. For example I have day9 on my contacts list only as a reminder to watch his show. I acquired his contact through being in the same league with him (what a coincidence out of 100+ divisions of platinum.)
Would i ever message him? No. A pros job is SC2, you don't run out onto a football field, american or regular football in the rest of the world and ask your favorite football player "what do you think about that keeper?" Off the job I could see it being fair game(in a polite way at a LAN/Tourney), but their job is SC2 so no contact in game is not fair.
If they want to give their opinion on a patch, they will state their opinion in a interview or a podcast, if you want tips/tricks/hints or general information about the game, you can pay them for their coaching service. If you want to say anything else, remember there is probably hundreds of people at any given time who considered it, and a huge percent are probably doing that. No wonder they have smurf accounts >.>
Bottom line, it's rude, and kinda weird. When you randomly message someone you don't know to say anything, even if it's "just" good luck or well played or whatever your justification, you're not really messaging them to congratulate, you're doing it just so you can talk to them. And randomly talking to someone you don't know just for the sake of talking to them, to me is incredibly weird. The guys trying to talk to the "famous" players are probably the same ones who creep chicks out trying to date them by being too insistent. Meh, just my opinion, you should never message someone you don't know unless it's for a legitimate reason.
I don't like the word 'pro' concerning sc2 players at all. A physician is a pro. A pro gamer in sc2 is someone who makes a living out of advertising contracts playing a broken game.
On December 21 2010 02:05 Perscienter wrote: I don't like the word 'pro' concerning sc2 players at all. A physician is a pro. A pro gamer in sc2 is someone who makes a living out of advertising contracts playing a broken game.
pro·fes·sion·al - pruh-fesh-uh-nl - following an occupation as a means of livelihood or for gain.
Pro in something is. Getting paid to do something. Getting paid to play Football Getting paid to play Starcraft
They wake up, practice SC2, work out, play SC2, practice Sc2, then play in a tourney for SC2. 10 hours a day is devoted to SC2.
Everytime I see a scrub messaging a 'pro' I can't stop smiling, it makes me think of some random fan humping the window of a hollywood-celeb. "I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN! *Celeb screams, and fan tongues the window a bit* HELLO? ARE YOU IGNORING ME? BUT I LOVE YOU <3"
How would you feel if random people just started calling you on the phone all day? You'd probably be pretty annoyed, same thing goes for battle.net. Unless you know them or have a good reason to contact them then leave them alone.
I think most pros don't like getting messaged by people they don't know, even if they are fans. The ones who do reply are probably doing it because they don't wanna come off as an ass.
there are better ways to support your favorite pros. dont message them like an asshole. They are on Bnet to train/play, not be harassed by people from bnet 2.0 shitty system.
Not sure if I posted this already, but stop it. Get real friends instead of bugging random people who don't know/want to talk to you. If anything doing this will only make them not want to talk to you even more.
They are normal people past their rts skills, they probably don't want to spend their time chatting with every stranger who decides they want to talk to them.
they are busy and you're just interrupting their practice or downtime you should just leave them alone.
In WoW at 60 I released a warlock PvP video and it was one of the top3 popular ones (along with DrakeDog and Maerad, two koreans) and I got a lot of spam and it was so annoying lol. At the very least I'll say this: if you message someone don't present yourself as completely inferior to them. Don't be like blah blah /suckup /ursogood /10lines later ask for tips.
Cut to the chase with your first msg, if you really are set on pming a pro =p. Ask him if he has tips on X strat or whatever. Or just PM them... bnet privacy features suck so abusing them kind of blows
I would say no to be honest. I know a lot of people look up to these guys which is kind of weird. I had my clan on the "team and clan recruitment" thread and I was getting like 20 messages a day above just straight spam and I was at the point where I was getting pissed, so I can only imagine what pro players have to go through if they're getting 100+ messages from randos.
Why not send them a PM via TL or an e-mail, some sort of fan mail or something? Why does it have to be via B.net? Using B.net to pm somebody you don't know, even somebody famous, is borderline BM. People of notoriety would probably rather have all messages like that be sent to a fan email address (non personal email i mean) where they could read them when they want to. I doubt Jinro/etc. is getting on B.net to hear from his fans.
I talk with a few 'pros'. They're just people like you and I that play the game and are ranked a little higher. It's just a game, and they are just people.
When I was big into WoW I didn't really mind people messaging me asking for advice and stuff. It kinda depends on what you're doing at the time. I'm sure if they're in a lobby or obsing a game or something they wouldn't mind you messaging them, but obviously not if they're playing a game.
On December 21 2010 08:54 Ksyper wrote: TL;DR I would hate to be spammed, I'd even buy a new game just to not have to deal with idiots asking me stupid questions.
Stupid questions and shit ignore but some guys I've messaged were down to play and get specc'd/casted and it was fun.
Honestly, if I were professional, I wouldn't mind it, but then again, I also would to an extent if some exuberant kid decided to try and become my best friend. I mean, if I saw some of the pros I like on, I'd be VERY tempted to message them just to say "you had a good game there, i'm pulling for you" or "thanks for the idea on that build, it helped me a lot" because I have sent Day9 a PM thanking him for the dailies. I won't bug him anymore or even expect a reply, but I can see both ends of the spectrum. I used to be sponsored in skateboarding by a local shop, so the younger kids were like "AWMIGAWSH" and tried to be my friend, I didn't want that, I just wanted to grab my parts and go skate. Then again, I also skated with them from time to time. I would say at the very most, just quickly say something complimentary, and then "see you around Bnet" or something as a friendly greeting. Maybe you'll play with them, maybe not. Realistically I want to play with some of the pro players...but that ain't happening unless I get super good or end up somehow becoming friends with one, but I won't really pursue that because I'm sure it's common place for them. Professional athletes like that you're their fan, but don't want to go for drinks or dinner with you, unless you're gonna get em in the sack... =D
but since reading OP edit, i think that one message expressing how much you appreciate their play is fine. i mean, the nature of the fan-pro relationship in E-Sports is completely different to other sports or celebrities. I'm fine with sending some 'fan mail' like:
'Hey [insert pro name here], i find your play really inspiring. Loved your work with [x] build in [x] game. Looking forward to your games in future tournaments'
if anything i think pro's would like it because i'm sure they spend alot of time practicing, and there isn't much face to face communication between the pros and the commoners like in other sports. Other 'real life' celebrities get plenty of fan mail.
On the other side of that, i think you should limit the traffic towards them. Don't be sending them heaps of messages hassling them for games, advice etc. And DEFO no trolling.
but
one thing i cannot stand is messaging Casters. eww that's annoying. nothing i worse than watching one of DAY[9], Husky or HD's casts and having to put up with some gromit messaging them live. ugh, thats a little pet hate of mine.
I few pros have posted in this thread, and they both said it is flattering but annoying. So there is your answer to your question. The only one that matters. Just don't do it. It is like getting a pop up ad. It sucks.
Even if it is just a short, you rule, type message. I would say just don't do it.
You've seen the streams of pros or casters when they are in the game menu screen, and they always have a full row of flashing boxes of random people saying nothing of importance, and they just quickly close them all, play a game, and all those boxes are back, so they close them all again. It must really suck.
Message whoever you want, how can this be not acceptible..? They are same people just they usually get much more messages than regular players so don't expect the answer.
On December 26 2010 21:10 Jimmy Raynor wrote: Look at QXCs stream. It is freaking terrible hundreds of people to message you every second. I wonder why he doesn't set his status at dnd.
Yeah was actually kinda interesting to watch his stream when he wasn't set to busy. Nonstop flood of messages streaming on the screen (while he was ingame aswell), I'd consider that distracting as fk.
stop spamming the pro's! its annoying as hell when watching their stream and johnny diamond comes along and is like hey 'pro want my advice, or how about a game to bash me?'
I faced WhiteRa in a 4v4 a few weeks ago while I was playing with my team. We got crushed, and I messaged him right afterwards to say it was a pleasure facing him and that I was a fan. He answered kindly, and that was it.
On December 26 2010 17:12 DeltruS wrote: After viewing QXC's stream, this thread makes me lol.
I saw that shit too. People were telling QXC what to do when he got matched up against Catz. What the fuck is wrong with you people
People message qxc in-game because he asked them to. I don't understand this high-and-mighty attitude from so many of you. If you don't want to message pros, that's fine, and they probably appreciate it, but why on earth would you denigrate people who are joining qxc in having fun?
On December 26 2010 17:12 DeltruS wrote: After viewing QXC's stream, this thread makes me lol.
I saw that shit too. People were telling QXC what to do when he got matched up against Catz. What the fuck is wrong with you people
People message qxc in-game because he asked them to. I don't understand this high-and-mighty attitude from so many of you. If you don't want to message pros, that's fine, and they probably appreciate it, but why on earth would you denigrate people who are joining qxc in having fun?
It's annoying as shit as a viewer....... Just because QXC allows it does not mean it's fun to look at. I go to streams to watch games, not chat channels.
you obviously cannot bracket qxc (or any player who is streaming AND asks viewers to interact) with the essence of the question here, and it seems pretty simple:
hey man, i think your awesome, love watching your games = probably fine
have you tried XXX/you should have XXX can you watch my replay/how do you counter XXX/invite to party = no
I'll be straight out honest, I messaged IdrA and said "Merry Xmas IdrA" and then proceeded to state I wouldn't be messaging him again. I was just in the xmas spirit. However, I wouldn't think to msg pros anyway, though they aren't celebrities IRL, on bnet they probably get that kind of shit all the time. Why would they take the time to read my messages? I am a nobody.
If you wanted to contact a pro, how would you go about doing it? In game messaging and PMs for those on TL seem no very personal and most pros it seems don't openly display an email address.
I think it's acceptable to message them if you understand that you are probably just another annoyance to them since they get it all the time I think it's definitely not acceptable to somehow get ahold of one of their personal contacts(MSN/skype/icq/aim) and bother them there because that's just plain stalkerish ^^
Just congratulated with cloud once(some tournament win),and gave a "get well soon" wish to demuslim(for his broken limb). I personally did not care whether or not I got answered back. Afterall they are perfect strangers to me,and I to them. I just generally feel that kind words are nice,expecially towards strangers in some cases.
I know what's like to have a whole flock of naggers ready to bug you every single second of your life , so I don't really want to disturb them, afterall they are just people doing their job, and I don't think that I will message them ever again.
On December 19 2010 04:31 Liquid`TLO wrote: Well I can speak out of personal experience and to be honest it can be fairly annoying. I always try to remain calm and friendly but I mostly ignore people now. Earlier it was okay I answered every one but I get about 100 messages each day, if I place well a tour or anything I get instantly spammed by a ton of people. So I wish I could talk to each and everyone but I hope people understand if I ignore them (sometimes I receive flames for not responding even, so silly^^)
On December 19 2010 11:44 Liquid`Nazgul wrote: Please don't message the top players unless it's for a very good reason. Even though there are a lot of guys who are nice and will answer you, this is just because they are nice not because it is not annoying. Instead if you are really a fan just visit a live tournament sometime it is a much nicer setting to meet a player and ask him some questions.
On December 19 2010 13:02 FlamingTurd wrote: Basically as Jinro / TLO said: Just leave em alone. There's no reason to and there r just too many ppl that spam em, so u adding into it is just annoying. Send em a pm on TL.net or other places like that if u must.
On December 19 2010 22:09 MorroW wrote: i think most pros appreciate fans and supporters when they write something nice to them on bnet but whats not as appreciated is when ppl ask for games or advise
so basically everything merz said after reading his post :p
On December 19 2010 07:38 DarKFoRcE wrote: Dont ask "can i ask you a question?" or randomly invite to a game or party, these are the most annoying things that come to mind that happen like 10-20 times a day -_-
ye thats so true, its very annoying when they invite to party or invite to game in middle of nowhere. i wish there was an option to bnet so u could only get invited from ppl you have on your friend list or open chat window with
On December 20 2010 07:25 qxc wrote: Being messaged by strangers is something that's nice and flattering in moderation but grows increasingly tiresome as the volume of messages increases. Sometimes I want to talk to people and sometimes I don't.
Unfortunately the 'busy' setting isn't quite what it needs to be. Sometimes I'll be watching a replay and talking to teammate(s) about what's going on and such and so I need to be set to available to easily see their messages.
If you want to talk to a pro I suggest you keep your message short / concise / somewhat infrequent.
When I log on battle.net a lot of the time it's like signing into work. Would you call your friend at work and try and start a conversation? I'm not generally on b.net to hang out or socialize. I'm there to play tournaments/practice/watch replays - in general ofc.
general consensus from themselves is NO, if you must keep it short, friendly, quick, and infrequent.
EPT
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