[This thread can be closed.] Why the hate on people with private profiles?

[Amon]

Greetings all;

So, I have noticed that alot of people looking to for friends or cleaning their perspective friends lists seem to dislike or put the ban on people with private profiles. Why is that? Exactly?

I mean you are going to interact with us on the forums anyway, why not get to know us a bit through the game forums or groups that we share membership with? I have asked a few questions on game forums and have offered up help on game forums. I do my best to be polite. Granted I do tend to ramble on a bit while chatting ( {virtually}, which is weird or ironic really, considering when my neighbor feels chatty I seem to always have to go pee and leave). But only when I am asking a question (case in point). When I am answering a question that I believe I know the answer too or can provide some guidence I am straight and to the point, ( your welcome).

Alot of people have their profiles actually set to freinds only (like me) so if you were a friend the profile would not be private. At least not for those who dared friend someone without first being able to paruse their profile.

Is it really because we appear as strangers? If so, then why the heck are you trying to make friends with a stranger in the first place? Or is it just the market? Do you need to be friends to trade? Does'nt the market hook you up with perspective traders already? Or no? That would require traders to be screened, that means more code, that means more costs, that means no right.

What if you just wanted to chat a bit and say whats up? What if you were ok with being social occasionaly but not into multiplayer games, but wouldn't mind a conversation on related issues or events and such.

Anyway, thats all. Thanks.

[💢𝓐ℓ ¢нємιѕт💢]

Postat inițial de Rochas:

Postat inițial de Al Chemist Mining:

'Too much effort' is a relative term. I wouldn't even bother getting a free game if it requires signing up in some website or following them on facebook unless its a new AAA game on Steam. And I never bother with Origin's 'on the house' games cuz the only reason I use Origin is Battlefield.

On other hand someone went to an elaborate effort impersonating me (with my profile picture and name) to scam people using my reputation in a trade forum. Most people were smart enough to realise that (different steam id) but in the end he managed to scam one person for few TF 2 keys

So yeah, just because its too much an effort for you doesn't mean it's not for others. Otherwise we wouldn't have so many scammers.

I really do not know how to respond to that, since I have done a wopping three whole trades in my tenure at Steam. So, what do you buy a bunch of keys from the humble bumble and then use them for currancy for trades?
On the Steam market or becuase the key were purchased off steam you need to use a outside venue?

At what value? Retail? Or What you donated?

What do you do with the items you trade for? Trade those again?

What value do you place on the items? The market value?

Can you convert them into actual cash? Or just Steam wallet funds?

Now I am not trying to push your buttons, as I have stated I have very little trade experience. So I am trying to grasp what the big fuss is about. Really it seems that the scammers would browse the public profiles looking at what games you play then noting them for future use, and probability of high dollar virtual items. The ones that seem to be victimized allot are the CS:Go crowd and Various CoD flavours. Predomenatley frequented by the under 17- 25 year old demographic. Which would explain why they are targeted. ( I mean that in the nicest possible way. No really I do).

Basically can you pay your mortgage with them? Because Steam gets a percentage for each and every transaction so they get real cash. The question is does anyone else?

That's a very loaded question and to answer it properly would require couple of dozen paragraphs which is beyond the scope of this discussion. There are all kinds of trades besides CS:GO/ TF2 items. Though CS:GO/TF2 keys are the default currency in Steam trading. Just to give you a clue, I have bought Amazon and Newegg giftcards with them. Which then I used to buy all sorts of stuff including my last graphics card and gold certified PSU.

The largest single transaction I ever did related to Steam was around $950 which I paid the guy through PP before I received anything from him. So that should tell you that if you know what you are doing, you can make pretty good judgements on who you can trust for how much.

And no, I don't make a living from trading (although I know a guy who paid all his college tuition fees with it). For me trading is a game. Infact before all these restrictions were put in place, trading was by far my favourite game on Steam.


As for CS:GO crowd and their young demographics, no that's not how it works. For example, I have bought and sold thousands of CS:GO keys but I don't play CS:GO. I tried hard to like it just to understand the skin market if nothing else but just not my cup of tea. I am a Battlefield guy.

As for COD games, there is no in-game market. I have many copies of them because they are good for trading. If you look closer you will notice that I don't own a single COD game in my library.

[Abc]

good question, not any of them are cheatin but the most :(

[Boosted Panda]

I just like to know if the person im adding has ever been vac banned. So I can't see that if their profile is privite.

[Sayaka]

I only do it because bots that try to steal accounts don't target private/friend only profiles. It's easier than just blocking them.

[Mercuri]

Postat inițial de cinedine:

Postat inițial de «HK» Kensta:

all we can see is what games u PLAY!!!!!!

No it's not.

You can also see how long I played each game, which is non of your concerns.
You can see who is my friends list, which is non of your concerns.
You can see in what groups I'm involved, which is none of your concerns.
You can see the comment section, which may contain things that are none of your concerns.
You may see information I posted for my friends, which are none of your concerns.
You can see my badges, which are none of your concerns.
Even the games I own - on Steam - are none of your concerns.

I'm more suspicious of people who want to know what's on my profile than of those who don't want anyone to know what's on theirs. Because absolutely none of the information on there is of anyone's concern.

I don't need people to call me a low life because I spend hundreds of hours in a certain game.
I don't need people to call me filthy casual because I like certain types of games.
I don't need people to call me whatever because I have more badges than them, more games than them, more hours played, more friends, more of this or that. Or less than them.

No one concerns? Okay, I understand if you don't want to meet people and game with them on steam, that's fine, make your profile private, you have every right to as long as steam allows it.

But if you are looking to make friends, almost every thing you listed as none of anyone's concerns is a concern for people that are looking to making gaming friends.

[The End]

Postat inițial de Irony:

I just like to know if the person im adding has ever been vac banned. So I can't see that if their profile is privite.

Yes you can, all kind of bans is fully visible on privat profiles too.

[Joki the Disco Bandit]

Yep, because when I go looking to make new friends the first things I want to know are:

-How long they've played each and every game they own
-Who all their other friends are
-What groups they belong to
-Their shinies
-Comments on their profiles

I mean, who in their right mind would become friends with someone absent all that data? That'd require that I like, actually get to know someone as opposed to just making a judgement of their character based on an arbitrary set of criteria, and that's too much like work. I'm here to game, select my friends based on rigid stipulations that have nothing to do with the word "friendship", and that's it. If Steam would just require that everyone post their shoe sizes thing's be just about perfect.

[Mercuri]

Postat inițial de Hotblack Desiato:

Yep, because when I go looking to make new friends the first things I want to know are:

-How long they've played each and every game they own
-Who all their other friends are
-What groups they belong to
-Their shinies
-Comments on their profiles

I want to know how much they play, or how much they're online, doesn't even matter if its mostly idle, because if they are idle in a game they are online and are mostly reachable. This applies specifically to games I own that they also have. I always check potential friends gamelist, to see if there are any other games I want to play with them, as well as how many hours they have. For instance borderlands 2, I still haven't finished it but have started it with about 4 different people who didn't like the game that much, so I like to see if ppl I meet have tons of borderlands 2 hours, or if they have less than me. I could go on.

If they have too many friends, then I'm kinda iffy, I clean my flist, I know many people don't but people with 200 or even 100+ friends, I mean cmon, its ridiculous, I like to game with the people on my list. Also, profiles let you know if you have others friends in common, not sure if it does that with a private profile... so, I can't be like "hey, you know bobthecob? me too! lets play this with him"

If we have groups in common, then we most likely share the same interest.

Idagf about shinnies, but some people may(traders or w/e) and the comments reflect the company they keep, as well as their reputation.

The most important to are games and flist numbers, location, possibly an informative comment.

So yeah. I didn't read the last part of your post, as you failed to comprehend why these things are important, leading to private profiles being ignored automatically.

[Eludium]

Steam should let us make private only the features we want to, not the entire profile..

[76561198188152325]

Postat inițial de Irony:

I just like to know if the person im adding has ever been vac banned. So I can't see that if their profile is privite.

Wrong. Thanks for playing...

[The End]

Postat inițial de Asteo600:

Steam should let us make private only the features we want to, not the entire profile..

Yes, it would be great if we could set friendslist to privat but let the profile be public.

[cinedine]

Postat inițial de Mercuri:

No one concerns? Okay, I understand if you don't want to meet people and game with them on steam, that's fine, make your profile private, you have every right to as long as steam allows it.

But if you are looking to make friends, almost every thing you listed as none of anyone's concerns is a concern for people that are looking to making gaming friends.

I'm not out to make friends on Steam, I want to play games and enjoy them.
If I play a game and someone is a pleasure to have around enough that I want to befriend him, He most likely knows who I am from that game. And we most likely communicated already.
If the other person only knows me as "the guy from Borderlands", then fine. If he sees me playing L4D2 later through status or notification and we have an enjoyable game there too, then even better.

I'm a bit sceptical at people who want to see everthing I play ASAP. It's like opening the closets and drawers of someone when you visit them. I also hate it on PSN (where you can see the whole trophy (read: games played) list of someone) when the next thing I hear from a new friend is "can you help me with this and this and this ..." or I get a stream of invites to a game I either have not installed anymore or simply don't want to play right now.

Some people know no boundaries and it gets worse thanks to the internet.

[Толик]

LF lf

[Mercuri]

Postat inițial de cinedine:

Postat inițial de Mercuri:

No one concerns? Okay, I understand if you don't want to meet people and game with them on steam, that's fine, make your profile private, you have every right to as long as steam allows it.

But if you are looking to make friends, almost every thing you listed as none of anyone's concerns is a concern for people that are looking to making gaming friends.

I'm not out to make friends on Steam, I want to play games and enjoy them.

No need for me or anyone else to read anything else you wrote.

I respect your choice. No idea why you are even posting, you have nothing to prove to anyone.

Why do you care if people with private profiles won't get friend invites?

I told you why we want to see your game hours, friendslist, location, short message, etc.

Go play games.

You have the right to go private, but there are consequences. We have freedom of speech, but there are consequences.(especially on steam, you can't say ♥♥♥♥) Same concept.

[cinedine]

Postat inițial de Mercuri:

I respect your choice. No idea why you are even posting, you have nothing to prove to anyone.

Why do you care if people with private profiles won't get friend invites?

Because of your second sentence.
People with private profiles can still get friend invites and do. I want to dispell the believe that you need to go public to get friends - which seems to be the main reason for many here.

I make friends through communicating with them beforehand. Therefore my profile status is secondary, because they already got to know me.
How do others befriend people? I'm genuinly curious, because from what I can deduct from the posts so far is through random invites or from the occasional "I need friends"-thread.