The very idea of a hidden profile is stupid.
Just make it so people can have the option to see who is currently replying to the thread. The other function is dubious. It makes so that that person’s posting history is not easily searchable. If seeing what the other person has posted is such an issue, they can just get around this with alts.
It’s rather helpful sometimes to see what the other person has posted in the past.
I would be absolutely in favor of requiring a max level character to post on the forums (except the new player forum, of course).
If nothing else, it would keep the square enix marketing department away.
but at the cost of opening people up to potential harrassment
If I were required to only post on a lvl 70 and I planned to post on a character that I wasn’t going to play then I’d buy a boost, it would take me less then 3 mins. There is no effort involved beyond me typing my account information in.
But then you’d waste a boost just to talk on the forums.
The amount of people that would do that is astronomically low.
not as low as you may think
See, hidden profile doesn’t prevent people from searching history. It just makes it harder.
Now, I can search Madelke, and get a semblance of what you posted. Using your own words, it only take 2 seconds, why does it matter?
We can go back and forth about it all day long but $60 USD isn’t a lot of money to a lot of people.
if it only takes you 2 seconds to search my history if i have a hidden profile, then it shouldn’t matter to you in the slightest, right?
Then, we should scrap the hidden profile function.
no, you should just learn to spend an extra 2 seconds
No, but the more effort or $$$ something requires, the less people will want to actually do it.
Thus removing trolls with minimal effort on blizz’s part by simply raising restrictions.
You need to toggle the function on, just to inconvenience other people for two seconds.
Why does it matter again?
“Mah privacy!”
is 2 seconds really an inconvenience to you?
if not, you shouldn’t even worry about it.
have a lovely day, friend
Okay, lets use your logic.
Report said trolls, it only takes a few times and you’re essentially banned since you have a 1,000 year suspension. Now that troll has to keep getting new accounts and buying more game time for said accounts with wasted days on their banned account(s).
So then the following happens >
No more trolls, you solved the whole trolling issue on the forum.
^ I don’t even know what this person is babbling on about, anymore.
Is removing a feature that takes 2 seconds to by pass, while making quality of life better for most forum users a downside?
Do you really want an answer or even enough time to go into detail of what’s wrong with them
Hidden profiles should have their own forum area, and can only talk to other hidden profiles.
Problem solved, less headache for people who don’t have anything to hide.
Most hidden profiles are trying to be clever trolls, hiding their post history because they don’t want others to see.
Also, notice that most trolls are low lvl chars, classic toons, etc.
It’s rarely ever a max-level retail character in the most recent gear- that’s way more likely to be an actual player.
Sure, I’m sure some folks do spend money on WoW and do nothing more than stir the pot in the forums, but anything to cut down on that is a win, imo.
Blizzard themselves probably don’t care because the trolls still spend money to be here- regardless of what they themselves think, they are still helping the company/game.