Hail Norrathians!
Greetings and salutations! My name is Piestro and I'm your brand sparkling new Community Manager. I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself to all of you and get to know you folks a bit better. We'll be seeing a lot of each other over the coming years, so let's get started!
I'm a long time EverQuest player, although I've had a good sized break in there. I'm currently back in the game leveling and enjoying all the improvements EQ has seen, as well as familiarizing myself with the numerous changes that have been made while I've been gone. While I have a number of older characters I'm sure to revisit at some point, I've made the decision to start fresh from the beginning so I'll have the best possible understanding of the game at every level. I have to say playing EQ again has re-ignited my love for the game, and I feel like I'm coming home. As Zatozia has also indicated on the forums, I'm a Community Manager with experience in MMOs, so I should be able to jump in and start working with you folks right away.
I probably should also explain a little bit more about what a Community Manager does for those of your who are unsure. One of my most important responsibilities is to help build the relationship between the Development Team and you, the player community. Whether it's explaining to the Development Team what the needs of the players are or explaining to the players exactly how and why things work the way that they do, it's my job to facilitate communication and make sure that everyone is fully informed! One of my favorite tasks is working on new and exciting ways for the Development Team to communicate directly with the players through chats or blogs. If there is a topic that you are particularly interested in, let me know and I'll do my best to set it up!
Another of my responsibilities is helping all of you build relationships with one another. Whether it's throwing contests such as the recent Pumpkin Carving competition or helping to make people aware of all the amazing player events going on in the community, it's my responsibility to make sure that you're "in the know" so that you can get involved if you want to. What makes EverQuest so great isn't just the game itself, but the wonderful people you play with. I have made many friends playing EverQuest that I speak to constantly both in and out of game! They are people that I feel will be a part of my life for the long haul.
Of course, a part of my day is always watching over the forums, making sure that everyone is contributing constructively and having a good time, and running up the flagpole the feedback you folks are giving us. I started in Community Management as a Forum Moderator and the number of amazing suggestions and stories I've heard over the years has proved to me time and time again the importance of forums in understanding the myriad of different types of players who we share our online adventures with…and how we can improve things for each and every one.
There are a ton of other exciting tasks I have, including helping prepare for SOE Fan Faire (I can't tell you how excited I am by this one), but really there are far too many to list. I like to think of myself as someone who is here to help you in any way I can, so if you have an off the wall idea, don't be afraid to let me know!
If you have any questions, I'm more than happy to answer them, but for now let me just reiterate how excited I am to be here and meeting all of you. I know there are great times in store for all of us!
Thanks,
Eric "Piestro" Cleaver
