RuneScape Forum Archive | Where to find?

2_Tron

Posts: 22,959 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Is the information about Community Helpers ‘incomplete’ or is it written down somewhere else in The RuneScape Official Forums or in Jagex’s Support Centre?

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The reason for making this thread is that there is an ever growing believe that Community Helpers are specialized helpers

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- are allowed to ask for specific kind of account information
- have specialized training
- have knowledge and regular players aren’t allowed to contradict this information
- are the only ones capable escalating issues
- have special channels to Player Support being able to flag an issue
- have access to specific information regular players don’t have

I have gone above and beyond to find this kind of information but there’s nothing to find to support these claims

:

Community Helper - Info

Helper Team

https://secure.runescape.com/m=forum/forums?408,409,rules (Forum Specific Rules)

13-Oct-2021 12:39:58

2_Tron

Posts: 22,959 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

There’s an ever growing bubble of false information surrounding Community Helpers as if they would be specialized people with specialized access to Jagex/JMods being able to access specialized information.

Of course, I do understand that Jagex/JMods are guiding these players in their special endeavors helping Jagex/The RuneScape Community but there’s also a growing dangerous aspect of making it easier for phishing/scamming getting the hands on account details.

From a ‘regular player perspective’ you might very easily believe that these Community Helpers are almost equivalent to JMods. The danger is is that players safely assume that they can escalate almost everything to them, meaning giving away details better not to be shared in public.
You can find examples enough where players post account details that forum moderators have to hide, so players aren’t becoming victim of phishing/scamming.

There are circumstances that players have ‘private contacts with Jagex/JMods’ and for the best outcome of the process it is better to keep these contacts short & private so there’s no damage done to the process.
Or do Jagex/JMods have specialized investigation teams to question regular players in The RuneScape Official Forums?

In the ‘Login-logout (account restoration) issue’ of the past there was almost a revolt between affected players and Community Helpers.
Community Helpers didn’t had more/better information than players who were affected by the issue and already had contacted Jagex/JMods private through Jagex’s Support Centre.
Still, Moderators & Community Helpers gave the impression that Community Helpers had better and more knowledge ending up in moderators stepping in choosing the side of Community Helpers with actions, we all know what they are.

13-Oct-2021 12:40:27

2_Tron

Posts: 22,959 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

If you do believe this is a RuneScape Official Forums issue then you are wrong as it also is spreading to other Social Media Channels where players freely do post their account information to Community Helpers without realizing that phishers/scammers easily get their hands on private information.

13-Oct-2021 12:43:57

Jan

2008

Samora Kiba

Posts: 9,252 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Well, this is going to be interesting.

- are allowed to ask for specific kind of account information
We dont ask for confidential things, but we may ask for things that help us pinpoint the issue (e.g. payment type in case a payment goes wonky or a screenshot of an offence).

- have specialized training
We do.

- have knowledge and regular players aren’t allowed to contradict this information
Our priority is to ensure that the player with an issue gets appropriate help. Whether that information comes from us or someone else doesn't matter, as long as they get the correct information. If we're wrong and someone else is right, we'll happily stand corrected. Usually it's the other way around and we're trying to help someone with a wellmeaning stranger offering kind but inaccurate advice. In that case we'll ask the wellmeaning stranger rather firmly to butt out.

- are the only ones capable escalating issues
In some cases, we are.

- have special channels to Player Support being able to flag an issue
We do.

- have access to specific information regular players don’t have
We do.

In the ‘Login-logout (account restoration) issue’ of the past there was almost a revolt between affected players and Community Helpers.
I was heavily involved in this process and from what I noticed, there was no revolt between helpers and other players. There were moments though where I contradicted statements of Community Management after seeing conflicting results from players and confirming the inaccuracy with Player Support. Overall I got a very positive response from players during that period.

Helpers have been active in the support field for a very long time & from a different point of view than a Jmod. We're not Jmods and we don't pretend to be. We do, however, have a ton of experience that Jagex allows us to share with them to help spot & resolve individual and community issues smoother.

~Samo

Community Helper

Member of the godless. It's not that I don't want to devote my soul to an RS god, the problem is that I can't find it.

13-Oct-2021 16:20:03

Mrs Ana

Posts: 8,998 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Hi, 2_Tron.

I think you have a lot of misconceptions and erroneous information pertaining to Community Helpers (CHs). Personally, I haven't seen you that often inside the community-led sub-forums and the very first time that I saw you post was here back during the month of June: 2_Tron's post . Having said this, I think that there are a lot of facts and information that you may be missing and this may be the cause of your confusion or misinterpretation when it comes to CHs.

First of all, there isn't a "growing believe" that CHs are "specialized Helpers". The only person stating this is you. CHs are indeed specialized Helpers because they have been given the tools and trust from Jagex to endure in their daily voluntary duties to try their best to assist the community around them. It's a fact that they have certain additional tools that may aid them in providing thorough and credible assistance to players.

13-Oct-2021 16:53:37

Mrs Ana

Posts: 8,998 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

To tackle some of your comments...

- are allowed to ask for specific kind of account information
- have specialized training
- have knowledge and regular players aren’t allowed to contradict this information
- are the only ones capable escalating issues
- have special channels to Player Support being able to flag an issue
- have access to specific information regular players don’t have

1.

The kind of account information that a CH may ask for is the account's display name , for example. This is needed in order for them to properly liaise with Player Support J-Mods in behalf of the player in question. In certain occasions, there are players that inadvertently provide their login email address without knowing that this puts their account in jeopardy. In this case, you will see CHs advising the players to edit the information out to protect their account. If they do not promptly comply, then the specific post is reported to Forum Help to protect their login information.

There has been instances when a CH wanted to help the player, but they really couldn't because it'd mean that the player had to divulge their login information. You may see that response HERE . This shows you that they respect the rules and guidelines that they have been provided with.

2.

Of course they have specialized training. As stated in the Community Helper - Info sticky by Mod Infinity,

" [...]To ensure our helpers are providing the best possible service, they're issued with a set of guidelines and are regularly provided feedback by Jagex.[...] "
" [...]They have access to a private forum where they can liaise with other Helpers and Jagex on support related issues.[...] "

If they aren't properly and specially trained and provided with constant support from Jagex, how can they carry out the position of CH?

13-Oct-2021 16:53:41 - Last edited on 13-Oct-2021 19:03:27 by Mrs Ana

Mrs Ana

Posts: 8,998 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

3.

They do have the knowledge, the most accurate and most up to date information when it comes to account, technical and billing support concerns. As mentioned above, they are in constant communication with Player Support J-Mods, you know, the people tasked to ultimately deal with these kinds of issues. If it's obvious that a player is providing incorrect information when compared to what a CH is saying, then those seeking assistance should always follow the advice provided by a CH and not a regular player for the reasons and facts enumerated above. Of course, this doesn't mean that you and I cannot help others there. We can, as long as we are providing information that helps OP and doesn't contradict what has been established as a fact.

4.

When it comes to the community-led sub-forums (account, technical and billing support), CHs are indeed the only ones capable of escalating and forwarding to Jagex certain issues and concerns. It's paramount to mention that they have guidelines to follow in order to determine what situations are allowed to be escalated. They can't just escalate anything because they want to help someone. There are rules and procedures to be followed in order to carry out an escalation.

5.

Yes, they do have special channels, i.e., a private sub-forum where they are able to converse with Player Support J-Mods in order to fully carry out the voluntary position that is a CH. This was explicitly mentioned in the sticky above by Mod Infinity.

6.

Yes, they do have access to certain information that regular players do not; however, it doesn't include personal/private details regarding someone's account . This kind of information may be pertaining to ongoing issues regarding account, technical and billing support assistance, i.e., updates regarding current issues that are affecting everyone and they need this to be able to provide the most accurate information when assisting someone.

13-Oct-2021 16:53:46 - Last edited on 13-Oct-2021 16:58:19 by Mrs Ana

Mrs Ana

Posts: 8,998 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Most active CHs have the "Community Helper" title in their signature. I know that this may not be 100% bulletproof, but if someone were to read the Community Helper Team Support article and Mod Infinity's Community Helper - Info sticky, they'd have access to a current list of CHs. I'd find it extremely rare for someone to claim that they are a CH without being one. I am not saying that it's impossible, but throughout the years that I have been part of Account Help and since CHs were introduced, I have not seen this occur yet.

CHs are not Forum Moderators (even though some Forum Moderators are CHs) and they are definitely not Jagex Moderators. They do have the ability to move threads WITHIN the community-led sub-forums and in certain occasions, they are able to lock threads if the issue has been resolved. Other than these tools and the ability to escalate certain situations, CHs do not have access to further personal information regarding any player's account.

As of right now, if a player gets an email that their account has been unbanned but the account is still banned, then they are welcome to post a thread asking a CH to escalate their display name to have the account fully un-banned. Sadly, there is no current process within the Support channels to have this double-checked. It needs to be escalated by a CH in order for a Player Support J-Mod to "tweak" the account.

CHs have been working and helping others excellently since their genesis. Malua, whom I personally know, has been active in the Account Help sub-forums since their introduction by Mod Kat back in June 10th, 2010. She has not stopped since. It is very obvious that the most active CH is Malua as her work and dedication are unmatched.

Malua, thank for your outstanding and incomparable contributions to the community

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13-Oct-2021 16:53:51

Dec

2007

Asahel Frost

Posts: 16,536 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

2_Tron said :
If you do believe this is a RuneScape Official Forums issue then you are wrong as it also is spreading to other Social Media Channels where players freely do post their account information to Community Helpers without realizing that phishers/scammers easily get their hands on private information. Official Helpers on social media channels are clearly identified.

The Twitter profiles for Helpers are linked on the "Community Helper Team" support page that you linked in your first post. Our profiles are also followed by the official @JagexSupport account.

The Helpers on the official Discord servers have a role (Support Volunteer), assigned by the chatmods there (who are recruited and managed by Jagex), which identify them as a trusted source of advice. Not all Support Volunteers are also Community Helpers.

It's not the free for all you imply it is. It is a system largely run by volunteers, but overseen by Jagex. Glad to be of service

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Official Community Helper

( Info )

Discord: Asahel Frost

FC: SilverScaper

13-Oct-2021 16:54:37

Mrs Ana

Posts: 8,998 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Ah! While I was typing, Samora Kiba engaged in the conversation. Thanks for providing some details regarding CHs. I sure hope that we see more CHs posting here if the situation merits it. I'm sure that it'd definitely help clear some misunderstandings that OP may have about CHs.

Edit: Now Asahel Frost. Thanks, guys

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13-Oct-2021 16:55:30 - Last edited on 13-Oct-2021 16:55:59 by Mrs Ana