Breakfast Topic: Why stay in general chat?
by Chris Miller 
Jan 29th 2007 at 8:00AM
I see lots of complaints both here and on the official forums about General Chat, and how people are tired of other players asking the same questions, over and over and over again. I don't know about you, but when I create a new character, the first thing I do, even before getting the character added to my guild or getting my interface set up, is /leave general. Maybe I was just brought up in the "don't complain about what you can't fix" school, but why doesn't everyone who complains leave general? Have you ever left it and gone back because you missed it? (Picture Credit: Mankrik)
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Features
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Heyasuki Jan 29th 2007 8:22AM
I'm in the same boat' I always /leave trade, general, defence because I do not care what the hell is going on in the, it's just too messy :P I guess reading n00b comments all day keeps me away!
My wife on the other hand enjoy's looking at general chat to see what's going on etc.
What channel I do miss is /lookingforgroup because even with the new system nothing is better than asking around for peeps to join, many people don't even know what instances they can run at their levels & will not head into the new window unless their looking.
Brim Jan 29th 2007 8:44AM
tbh, I guess I'm a novelty then.
I actually try to be helpfull and anwser any questions asked. Yes that incluedes the 40th time people ask where to find the .
I mean when I was a noob, way back when... I was glad when someone took the time to awnser my noobish questions.
And really it takes as much time to type
"Read the quest text for once wanker!"
as it does to type:
"South of Xroads, go left at bridge!"
Positive energy people
Hellbena Jan 29th 2007 8:45AM
I have general open most of the time because sometimes I'll learn something I didn't know, teach the noobs so there's less of them, and it's the LFG channel per zone now.
Brim Jan 29th 2007 8:46AM
Off course ye wanna go right at the bridge...
*cough*
Zuuler Jan 29th 2007 8:48AM
Though I do find it annoying, i never leave the general chat as people have now taken to it to help find groups for instances. I also remember what it was like being a noob and needing help (though i found mankirks wife all on my own). And now with the expansion, I don't need to ask for help on general, since everyone else asks the same questions repeatedly, such as I know the assasin is at 33.44 in hellfire peninsula. Also starting a BE I've watched the general chat for answers to quests that I get later, and then I already know where to go and what to do.
Wreckless Jan 29th 2007 9:03AM
I left Gen Chat in the original beta and never came back.
John Jan 29th 2007 9:08AM
I tried being nice to a person who was asking questions the other day. They wanted to know where to find "the old gift" in outlands. No problem, lots of people ask. I was very helpful with them, not only telling them but trying to work them through how to read the quest text (as it says exactly where it's located). They apologized after they found it, saying they felt like such a noob. I restated to them how they should ask for help if they really needed it, but to take an extra two seconds before writing anything in general chat as people can be brutal.
Well, my 10 minute counseling session apparently did nothing, because I see them asking for a handout on the next quest on their list right after they completed this one. I helped him again, but reminded him of what I had just said about reading the quests (because this one again stated clearly where to go). He stated that he understood what I was saying and that he felt so dumb for asking for help and that "it was just this one quest he was stuck on."
Long story even longer, I watched as he continued to ask for the quick answer to EVERY. STINKING. QUEST. IN. HIS. LOG. for the upper part of two hours. I finally did yell at him because here's a person ruining the general chat for everyone else. Here's someone that's not just asking for help, but asking for help on EVERY quest so they don't have to think about anything. Anyone who has a valid one-time question is going to be hated because of people like this guy who just abuse the kindness of other players.
Worst experience in general chat EVER. I can't believe I wasted as much time as I did trying to educate that guy. He basically lied to my digital face for 20 minutes about how "he'll read the quests from now on" and "he's never had to ask for help on any other quest, it's just this one" and "he'll think before just typing something out in general"
Come on thottbot, get your stuff updated so we don't have to deal with people like this.
liz Jan 29th 2007 9:22AM
I love general channel, I use it to find out where later quests will be, and if i know any answers to any questions I also answer them, I think I've only ever used it once my self to ask something, but I love some of the banter that goes on, especially on the RP realms, people get into such a hissy fit over general and not using the ((OOC)) stuff lol
Seper Jan 29th 2007 9:17AM
I leave general open because sometimes its really funny to watch all the stupid people go at it.
I dont help out most of the noobs because whenever i'm on, I follow whatever I planned on doing earlier in the day. When my buddy's on its non-stop lvling and farming. When I hit 60 or so ill probably help out any noobs I can.
Rassama Jan 29th 2007 9:22AM
John (post 7.) makes a good point at the end and that is that most sites (Thott, Allakhazam, Goblin Workshop, et al) don't have the goods when it comes to Outland. The General chat there feels (or is?) like the chat in a starter zone all over again. Which is either amusing and entertaining or irritating and frustrating depending on your viewpoint.
BlizzardSucks! Jan 29th 2007 9:23AM
General Chat serves one purpose and one purpose only -- to ridicule people who asks inane questions about quests, locations, and what not.
Prauche Jan 29th 2007 9:25AM
Well, I don't /leave general. However, I do have a couple of other chat panes that I created. One specifically for Guild chat only, and one for any time I'm in a group. Those channels filter out all of the crap. The only time I watch General or Trade is when I'm actually in a city with nothing to do. And even then it's more like when you catch a domestic dispute from across the parking lot....just mouth open aghast at what is going on.
BlizzardSucks! Jan 29th 2007 9:35AM
Sorry, actually two purposes -- to offer hundreds of gold and add anyone who whisper you for the offer to your ignore list because they're no-good beggars anyway.
Sylythn Jan 29th 2007 9:35AM
I /leave both general and trade. In the rare instance where I have a question, or something to buy that isn't on the AH, I'll join, ask and leave once I get my answer. 90% of all /general questions can be answered by reading quest text - and that gets old fast.
I generally stay in localdefense (especially on pvp servers), just so I know what's going on in the region I'm in.
Jason Jan 29th 2007 7:51PM
@everybody
Thottbot/Allakhazam are not doing a great job of keeping things updated. I'd recommend checking out http://www.wowhead.com/. The content is user generated (via a WoW mod) and Outland content is constantly being updated as people get to new areas and complete quests/pick-up items/talk to NPCs/etc.
Excellent site.
ocsrep Jan 29th 2007 9:36AM
I glance at the chat channels to get a kick out of the questions/comments. I'll also help someone from time to time with advice, just like people helped me when I started out. My favorite was light night when someone typed: "Need someone to help me kill stuff for a quest PST Plz"
chodur15 Jan 29th 2007 10:00AM
I leave it on and help out when I can. Most of the time I really don't pay attention of what is going on. If I am doing a quest or grinding I switch it to Combat log so don't see any of the chat anyways. I switch it back when I go to cities and look at it a little bit to see what is going on.
Chris Jan 29th 2007 10:07AM
1.) Not everyone is in a guild. I am currently, but from 1-60 I wasn't.
2.) Even if you are in a guild, sometimes you need help with a random quest or want to pug an instance. While the LFG tool has been improved, sometimes it's just easier to say "LF1M tank the bog".
3.) General fosters a sense of community (even with the idiots). When I was on Medivh, and we were closing in on opening the AQ gates, everyone on the server was working together until the final bell. Without General, you can't coordinate this kind of effort with random people.
Matt Jan 29th 2007 2:31PM
I love general chat. Sure, in HFP it can be a bitch, but by the time you get to Terokkar and Nagrand, everyone has settled down, and there are some fun comedy moments to be had. I feel like I'm missing something if im not in general or trade.
Buruko Jan 29th 2007 10:13AM
I think General chat is more hilarious in Outlands than any of the Starting zones for the same reason someone said earlier.
Here are the lvl 60s, the end gamers. The Players 'newbies' look up too... and they can't even follow basic instructions in a quest log. Can't trouble themselves to think and read the entire description before asking for coordinates or directions on something. And the amount of lvl 60s that need a hand with the most basic quests...
It really makes you wonder who leveled to 60, and who kept bashing their head against the wall til they got through the otherside.
I leave general chat up and will throw out the odd answer or two if I can be brief but I usually don't go out of my way to answer every question.