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Seraphina · 10-12-2002, 04:17 PM

Molly, Kavir, Jazuela, and TruthfulThomas, I am really impressed by your eloquent comments. Some of you are clearly more familiar with the background of some participants than I am which colors your views though not necessarily inaccurately. I agree with one major issue. That is the dishonesty of leaving the monetary options unclear or placing that information in a "fine print" area leaving new players in the dark until after they have invested time in creating a character. It is not enough to say, well, they could have found the information if they clicked on every link on the site. As a consumer I am highly offended by such tactics no matter what the product is. It's misleading. If a company has to try to trick me into using their product it doesn't say much for the product or the company.

The existence of such entities on this site does reflect on it's integrity. I realize that TMS's cannot possibly supervise or impose standards on all the MUDs registering here. A disclaimer is sufficient to make that aspect clear. You can't be sure any MUD is being honest about any aspect of their game. You can still set standards that will disqualify a MUD from participation *if discovered* participating in activites barred by the site. If potential players end up in MUDs and invest time before discovering there is a monetary component some will feel suckered and some will think TMS is a feed site for internet scemes. Bad for the site and bad for MUDs in general be they p2p or free.

The flood of sites "with an angle" aimed at children and adults alike makes it difficult to find anything really free. Those sites that do offer useful free activities or information without either charging or bombarding you with advertising get buried in the avalanche. They are getting harder and harder to find. One of the concerns expressed is that by being pushed down on the list they risk being skipped over, or rather, not even seen. Putting a bold FREE in their description won't be enough if other sites say the same and end up having some form of payment structure. It casts doubt on everyone listing here that does not proclaim themselves p2p upfront. Even if they put "absolutely truely free not shareware or anything else" people will still suspect it is just another pitch.

The problem the free muds seem to be facing is echoed on the net in general. I think the presence of commercial muds on this site is still a good thing, but there should be a clear and obligatory designator to let people know which muds are really free. It can really be discouraging nowadays to try to find genuinely free content on the net. So many commercial enterprises use the word "free" as a sales hook that it is very difficult to get away from commercial sites when searching for non-commercial content.

If would be a shame for completey free non-commercial muds to become extinct due to difficulty in finding them except by those already in the know. That they exist on this site isn't much use if they aren't clearly designated as such at a glance.

10-12-2002, 04:17 PM	#105
Seraphina Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 49	Molly, Kavir, Jazuela, and TruthfulThomas, I am really impressed by your eloquent comments. Some of you are clearly more familiar with the background of some participants than I am which colors your views though not necessarily inaccurately. I agree with one major issue. That is the dishonesty of leaving the monetary options unclear or placing that information in a "fine print" area leaving new players in the dark until after they have invested time in creating a character. It is not enough to say, well, they could have found the information if they clicked on every link on the site. As a consumer I am highly offended by such tactics no matter what the product is. It's misleading. If a company has to try to trick me into using their product it doesn't say much for the product or the company. The existence of such entities on this site does reflect on it's integrity. I realize that TMS's cannot possibly supervise or impose standards on all the MUDs registering here. A disclaimer is sufficient to make that aspect clear. You can't be sure any MUD is being honest about any aspect of their game. You can still set standards that will disqualify a MUD from participation if discovered participating in activites barred by the site. If potential players end up in MUDs and invest time before discovering there is a monetary component some will feel suckered and some will think TMS is a feed site for internet scemes. Bad for the site and bad for MUDs in general be they p2p or free. The flood of sites "with an angle" aimed at children and adults alike makes it difficult to find anything really free. Those sites that do offer useful free activities or information without either charging or bombarding you with advertising get buried in the avalanche. They are getting harder and harder to find. One of the concerns expressed is that by being pushed down on the list they risk being skipped over, or rather, not even seen. Putting a bold FREE in their description won't be enough if other sites say the same and end up having some form of payment structure. It casts doubt on everyone listing here that does not proclaim themselves p2p upfront. Even if they put "absolutely truely free not shareware or anything else" people will still suspect it is just another pitch. The problem the free muds seem to be facing is echoed on the net in general. I think the presence of commercial muds on this site is still a good thing, but there should be a clear and obligatory designator to let people know which muds are really free. It can really be discouraging nowadays to try to find genuinely free content on the net. So many commercial enterprises use the word "free" as a sales hook that it is very difficult to get away from commercial sites when searching for non-commercial content. If would be a shame for completey free non-commercial muds to become extinct due to difficulty in finding them except by those already in the know. That they exist on this site isn't much use if they aren't clearly designated as such at a glance.