Awhile back Misty wrote up
a blog post about the getsatisfaction thread I had started trying to lobby for the option to remove ourselves from stalled operations. I'm thinking that perhaps Zynga needs a few more visual examples of why this is needed, especially in light of all the new operations that have been released.
Currently when we go to join in on an operation this is what we see. We can't see if the operation belongs to our friend or one of their friends, nor can we see how far along each section of the operation is.
It isn't until we choose which spot we want to have and join it that we can see who the op owner is and if any of the taken spots are done. Luckily for me all the spots on this one were already completed and I have a good chance of not having a stalled operation in my queue.
But then I came across this one. If I had the choice and could see what is currently only seen once joining, I wouldn't have joined this operation at all. Who knows when or even if the joiner is going to start and complete that job. The longer it takes the fewer operations I can help on. The one highlight of this operation is that the owner who joined it finished their part. (Even though it is a complete waste of their stamina/energy for the same loot they would get even without joining it.)
Unfortunately not all operation owners who join their own operation actually do their part. If I had been able to see this prior to joining I again would not have joined. If I had the option to leave this operation before it expired I would have done so. Having 10 operations stalled in my queue is not a pleasant experience.
Granted operation owners are able to manage their operation by removing any person who has not completed the job, not all do. There are some people who believe in having operations done ASAP and there are others who believe in giving plenty of time for the person who joined to complete it. Both sides have very valid reasons for managing the way they do.
The argument can be made that the joiners are able to publish a reminder post the operation owners wall for them to check on the op. This is a good feature and I utilize it when necessary, however, this can't be done if the operation owner is not on my friends list. I also shy away from sending a personal message to a person who is not on my friends list because that message can be reported to Facebook for unwanted contact and that could jeopardize my Facebook account.
For a time operation owners who joined their own operations were not able to manage their operations and remove campers/slackers. Since that has changed I wonder if people realize it can be done, I also wonder if people are even aware that they can remove incomplete positions and fill them with somebody that will get it done.
I can't stress enough how important it is to those who concentrate on operations to have control over being able to leave an operation or even be able to see the progress of an operation prior to joining it. The amount of stamina and energy wasted because they expire is asinine. If an operation is going to expire anyways I might as well be able to vacate my spot and open up a slot in my queue for a person who is willing to manage their operation.
