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| Thread: HC Sociogram |  This thread is pages long: 1 2 3 4 · «PREV / NEXT» |
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roy-algriffin
Supreme Hero
Chocolate ice cream zealot
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posted January 02, 2008 03:50 PM |
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I Blame Democracy .
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"Am i a demon? No im a priest of the light! THE BLOODY RED LIGHT"
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VokialBG
Honorable
Legendary Hero
First in line
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posted January 02, 2008 06:07 PM |
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Quote:
Vlaad is evil! 
Nothing new here, daddy is evil just like me 
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Wulfstan8182
Famous Hero
, eh?
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posted January 03, 2008 01:31 AM |
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if half of the members will do that, then ours is gonna be much, much bigger, and waaaaaaaaay more complicated than that:
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Vlaad
Admirable
Legendary Hero
ghost of the past
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posted January 03, 2008 01:44 AM |
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Quote:
if half of the members will do that, then ours is gonna be much, much bigger, and waaaaaaaaay more complicated than that:
Heh, I doubt it...  I've just checked it: I sent about 60 private messages, and got replies from 40 members so far. Very few ignored the topic. Most of the remaining 20 haven't logged in yet (it's been just a day, so I'll give them more time of course). However, I don't expect more people than in the chart above - 70+ is a lot, and I'm doubtful there are that many active posters willing or interested... We'll see soon enough.
Regardless of the total number of participants, we will be able to see some patterns, just like in any similar survey.
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Vlaad
Admirable
Legendary Hero
ghost of the past
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posted January 04, 2008 09:48 PM |
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Edited by Vlaad at 02:02, 05 Jan 2008.
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I hope you will forgive me for my poor graphic skills and focus on the content! 
Nearly 50 members took part in the survey, 11 ignored my private messages, about 20 didn't log in in the last couple of days to check their HCMs, while 1 person is obviuosly not aware of HC Messanger at all.
Most of the participants were able to name two "best friends" at HC (some wanted to list more). At least a quarter chose one friend only, while a few felt they didn't have true friends here (or their friends were not active anymore).
Before I proceed, please keep in mind this is the simplest form of sociogram. I've included only one question ("positive choice") and decided to leave out the "negative choice" part; the latter wouldn't bring anyhing good or new - it would simply point "the isolates" in the community (i.e. the most annoying spammers ). In other words, the sociogram does represent the relations within HC, but - due to its simplicity - may not reveal the way those relations are formed. However, there are cues and we can all try to guess the reasons things work the way they do.
You'll notice "closed groups", most notably two rectangles. The bigger one on the right represents the Heroes 5 and Modders Workshop posters. The smaller one on the left are our WoG modders. The ToH and H3 members are fewer and isolated (EDIT: H3 are on the left). There is no such thing as a H4 group. The third big group are people under the bigger rectangle - oldtimers (joined 2005 or before) who mostly post in off topic subforums.
Needless to say, Binabik was right in his post on page 1 - the subforums are the key. This situation resembles real life (people who share interests tend to bond easily). However, the first pattern is "the cleavage" (no, TNT, not THAT kind of cleavege ) - the clear break between the groups. Are closed groups normal? Do we need "the intermixing" and is it possible in the first place? And whatever happened to the Tavern...? Was it like this even in the good old days... or not?
Just a note regarding mutual friendships (which are rare, huh?) - working together on ANYTHING seems to have brought some members together.
There is another kind of segregation, which I think is closely related to the shared interests issue: old farts (joined before) stick to old farts, the new kids on the block hang out with their kind. There are very few exceptions. It'd be nice to think that old friendships still last, but there might be more than meets the eye.
[Insert here your own rant about the state of HC nowadays ]
The third kind of segregation is also a natural one, but still a bit surprising: it's the language barrier. Native speakers (English, since it's HC's official language) choose their best friends among other native speakers (and, occasionally, among naturalized folks). In case you're wondering, I've grouped 90% of native speakers along the bottom. You may notice they do NOT form one distinctive subgroup though. 
The fourth pattern is "the star" - the most popular member(s). This is NOT normal. Obviously, we have one superstar (more than 10 votes) and one star (more than 5 votes). There's also a third member with 5 votes, though. This phenomenon can be good IF the stars are aware of their influence and unite the community ("lead by example"?). But what happens if the stars leave...?
What makes you a star? Or what makes you a good friend? If you want to be popular or simply make friends with someone, the number of posts does NOT matter. Surprisingly enough, neither does the fact that you are smart, funny, friendly or helpful; sadly, it seems you need all those. In addition, being active at HCM helps.
The final form of segregation in the community is the age - members who are 25 or older stick with their own kind. Again, natural...?
Please note I'm not saying these choices are made consciously.
The good news is there are no
- gender segregation (believe it or not, being a girl on a gaming forum means little )
- ethnic, racial or religious segregation
- yellow and red star segregation (although mods mostly stick together)
Why...? Well, here are a few words of wisdom on a similar topic:
"Electronic messages lack such social information as senders' and receivers' job titles, social importance, hierarchical position, race, age and appearance. The context is undifferentiated too, since formal and casual exchanges look about the same. People (might) have information about senders, receivers, and situations from other sources, but there are few cues in the computer interaction itself to remind people of that knowledge." (S. Kiesler)
Therefore, we get "the flattening of hierarchies" present in real life and "the channelling of attention away from the messenger to the message".
Which is good.
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antipaladin
Promising
Legendary Hero
of Ooohs and Aaahs
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posted January 04, 2008 09:53 PM |
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war there such whpo chosed others,but wasent choised?
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types in obscure english
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Vlaad
Admirable
Legendary Hero
ghost of the past
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posted January 04, 2008 10:01 PM |
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Edited by Vlaad at 22:03, 04 Jan 2008.
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Quote:
war there such whpo chosed others,but wasent choised?
Sure - just look at the arrows (if you chose someone, your arrow points at them).
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Elvin
Admirable
Omnipresent Hero
Endless Revival
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posted January 04, 2008 10:41 PM |
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Most intriguing Vlaad
For me it depends mostly on personality, how interesting I find someone, how long I know him/her and of course interests - not referring to gaming preferences as the subforums would seem to group us. Of course chances are I would not know much about the wog group unless they post elsewhere because I just don't read what happens in all the subforums.
Age plays a part in that I find people over 18 easier to relate to but is not a decisive factor, it still depends on what person we are talking about.
Sticking around to share thoughts through hcm and posts goes a long way in the case I don't know some members enough. I have found it easy to like new members just as old though old are more 'proven' so to say.
While one member I could select for sure there have been more than a few to get the second place and I might have chosen differently had I a second choice.
Somehow celestial heavens seems more tied, at least in the campfire section because there are not many other offtopic subforums to dissect the members(and the others are not visited as frequently) but I could be wrong.
To be frank there are members I like, some I consider buddies, a few friends though I sincerely cannot know for sure how they would feel about me. Not all anyway. Because let's face it, online is totally different from rl and unless you have shared some experiences, seen how the other lives, what his actions are, what might affect his reasoning etc you cannot know if you would be friends outside the computer screen.
Thankfully that does not really matter because I know that as things are I am grateful to know and communicate with some people just as I enjoy being a part of this community And thinking things too much is bad for oneself, sometimes it can serve you better to just be optimistic.
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H5 is still alive and kicking, join us in the Duel Map discord server!
Map also hosted on Moddb
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emilsn
Legendary Hero
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posted January 04, 2008 10:41 PM |
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So if i really wanted, could I get to know if anyone picked me  It would be fun to see if i think i have friends but dont, or someone thinks me of a friend and i dont I hate it just being dots !
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Don't walk behind me; I may not
lead. Don't walk in front of me;
I may not follow. Just walk
beside me and be my friend.
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Gnoll_Mage
Responsible
Supreme Hero
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posted January 04, 2008 11:17 PM |
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Did someone really participate and list no-one? Doesn't that count as not participating... 
But great work Vlaad, obviously would be fascinating to be in your position and know who put who.. I apologise for ignoring you, but you did say I could Now I just feel guilty...
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Daystar
Honorable
Legendary Hero
Back from the Dead
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posted January 04, 2008 11:25 PM |
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Edited by Daystar at 23:33, 04 Jan 2008.
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Who got the big one in the upper box?
And did anyone pick me as a friend?
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maretti
Responsible
Supreme Hero
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posted January 04, 2008 11:30 PM |
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Sorry but I dont understand your explanation of what is what.
As I understand it the "closed groups" are the 2 rectangles made for the illustration and with no connection to the dots. "The smaller one on the left are our WoG modders". 14 WoG modders?, I guess i dont know what a WoG modder is.
"The H3 and ToH members are fewer and isolated (left)." You mean the 4 dots above the small rectangle? Today ToH is about H5 so im a bit confused why H3 and ToH are mentioned together. There is very little connection.
I asume that "off topic subforums" are forums that are not about HOMM.
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Crag rules, Orrin and Ivor suck
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alcibiades
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
of Gold Dragons
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posted January 04, 2008 11:52 PM |
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I think it's interesting that some members become so popular - what character trait is it that make people like you without ever meeting you? Guess are just more open and friendly, while others use more time to beat members in the head with their hammer. 
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What will happen now?
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Vlaad
Admirable
Legendary Hero
ghost of the past
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posted January 05, 2008 12:06 AM |
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Edited by Vlaad at 06:29, 08 Jan 2008.
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Elvin:Quote:
While one member I could select for sure there have been more than a few to get the second place and I might have chosen differently had I a second choice.
True, and there's no doubt that the sociogram would have looked differently (like a web) if I had told you that you can list as many people as you want. But we wouldn't be able to see the hidden patterns then. Quote:
Somehow celestial heavens seems more tied, at least in the campfire section because there are not many other offtopic subforums to dissect the members(and the others are not visited as frequently)
Precisely - and the question is whether all our off topic subforums actually serve to bring members together... or to divide them even further?
emilsn:Quote:
could I get to know if anyone picked me
If I tell you, I'll have to kill you! 
Gnoll_Mage:Quote:
Did someone really participate and list no-one? Doesn't that count as not participating...
Yes and no - some people said they couldn't choose ("not participated"), others said they didn't have true friends here ("participated").Quote:
I apologise for ignoring you, but you did say I could Now I just feel guilty...
Oh, please don't feel bad... Seriously, I had a lot of work the way it was. But you can feel guilty if someone chose you as their best friend and you didn't return the favor.
Daystar:Quote:
Who got the big one in the upper box?
And did anyone pick me as a friend?
"AND YES I WONT GIVE ANY DESCRIPTIONS" (Namus)
maretti:Quote:
As I understand it the "closed groups" are the 2 rectangles made for the illustration and with no connection to the dots. "The smaller one on the left are our WoG modders". 14 WoG modders?, I guess i dont know what a WoG modder is.
"The H3 and ToH members are fewer and isolated (left)." You mean the 4 dots above the small rectangle? Today ToH is about H5 so im a bit confused why H3 and ToH are mentioned together. There is very little connection.
Sure, there are ToHers in the H5 section but I listed them mostly as H5 posters. They were members of HC before H5 multi even launched, discussing the previews etc. There are also ToHers who post primarly in the Temple, so...
My statement above (about "isolation") refers to people who frequent HC mostly for ToH and do not interact much with the rest of us (especially not in the off topic subforums). I'm not saying everybody is like that, and I'm not judging anybody...
H3 players and ToH were mentioned together not because they mingle, but because they have that one thing in common: less interaction with the rest of HC (outside the Library and ToH subforums). When was the last time you spammed in the Volcanic Wastelands, maretti? Again, I'm not saying that is a bad thing or a good thing.
Finally - yes, there are more than 14 WoGgers and more than 4 H3 players. This is just a sample. It's statistics.
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Gnoll_Mage
Responsible
Supreme Hero
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posted January 05, 2008 12:08 AM |
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Thanks. `Who` are the two people who don't seem to be grouped at all?
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roy-algriffin
Supreme Hero
Chocolate ice cream zealot
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posted January 05, 2008 12:23 AM |
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Theres all those "Big circles" With everyone else isolated because theres too many outstanding people in HC which people get attracted to and then take noone else.( or noone else is appealing enough after that)
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"Am i a demon? No im a priest of the light! THE BLOODY RED LIGHT"
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Vlaad
Admirable
Legendary Hero
ghost of the past
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posted January 05, 2008 12:24 AM |
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Quote:
Thanks. `Who` are the two people who don't seem to be grouped at all?
Do you mean the dots on the far left and far right...? Not even playing Heroes.
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Vlaad
Admirable
Legendary Hero
ghost of the past
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posted January 05, 2008 12:29 AM |
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Quote:
Theres all those "Big circles" With everyone else isolated because theres too many outstanding people in HC which people get attracted to and then take noone else.( or noone else is appealing enough after that)
It's not that bad. There are a few "outstanding" posters who got no votes. Roy, you don't have to be outstanding to be someone's friend. Sometimes the opposite is true - people find "perfect" individuals too demanding. There's nothing wrong with imperfection - just find people who will like you despite your faults (or because of them! ).
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Elvin
Admirable
Omnipresent Hero
Endless Revival
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posted January 05, 2008 12:34 AM |
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Definitely something I wanted to add Most of my rl friends I love for what they are even if I used to find some things about them annoying Which also applies to people online after some point. So were YOU in the chart?
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H5 is still alive and kicking, join us in the Duel Map discord server!
Map also hosted on Moddb
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wog_edn
Promising
The Nothingness
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posted January 05, 2008 12:47 AM |
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Quote:
There are a few "outstanding" posters who got no votes.
Me? 
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