I won’t even bother to try to add my own thoughts to this, I’ll simply link you to his post.

Ardent Defender on Blogspot.

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This could be long winded, it could be brief, but the message would still be the same regardless…

I will no longer be actively encouraging the usage of *any* addons that analyze specs and make assessments on the capabilities of the player therein.

Theorycrafting is all well and good, but it doesn’t always accurately reflect how someone *really* plays.

Popularity: 2% [?]

I know this is a topic that’s been covered (and covered, and covered some more) by those more prolific then me…I figured I’d still try and exp and upon my thoughts on the LFG system, now that I’ve been using it near constantly for the last month while I try to collect Primordial Saronite. I know that I still owe readers (are there any of you really left?) that promised “gearing to raid tank” guide, but it’s still in progress.

I’ve read various different opinions on how to deal with strangers in these LFG groups, and while most groups do their thing with nary a word (besides the hellos and goodbyes, and sometimes not even that), the thing that most often seems to stir conversation is “underperformance.” There seems to be several trains of thought on how to deal with these situations. The Greedy Goblin advocates a “tell me if I suck” approach, while WoW.com’s Drama Mama’s prefers a kinder, gentler “don’t hurt their feelings” stance. Me? I’ve come to the conclusion that I fall somewhere in between.

As perhaps noted in my tweets, I’ve become a big fan of the addon, REMOVED, that, amongst its features, pops up a box at the start of groups, letting you see how “geared” your group is. Do they have gear appropriate for their spec? Is it gemmed, enchanted? Or are you looking at a hunter in spell power gear with a tanking necklace? REMOVED answers all that before a pull is even initiated, which can give you a good idea of what to expect from those you’re with. But what if someone still performs worse then their gear suggests they would? Then what? I’ll never boot someone (or encourage the booting of someone) for low performance, but I am of the mindset that it should be addressed.

As such, the tactic I’ve been using is to ask them if they’d mind a suggestion (typically in say rather than party chat, since whispers weren’t working in these new cross-server groups for awhile). I’ve yet to have someone say no, and often times, the person is a fresh 80 or someone playing a class they weren’t familiar with. I suggest other blogs I think might be helpful (like Pike’s or Rilgon’s for the struggling hunter). The last time this happened, when I was on my fledgling paladin (in a group with 3 other paladins and a hunter), the other party members also jumped in with friendly thoughts for our hunter group-mate. I believe the bulk of that group even continued to run several more dungeons after I had to leave (due to time constraints) – and I’m hopeful that the player behind the hunter benefited from being able to pick the brains of several “veteran” hunters.

Overall, I’m generally happy with the LFG system. It’s not without it’s bad quirks (like some loot abuse loopholes I’ve seen a few times now), but I really can’t complain. Without this system, I wouldn’t have been able to quickly turn around Grim into a raid-ready member of his guild, nor my hunter as a viable raid alternative.

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