C R.

I have been on this site for several years and have had nothing but positive experiences. I've made friends who've carried me through tough times, including both physical and mental health problems. I've had a wonderful time competing in numerous contests and to gather items that I adore. There are so many wonderful and talented people that make this site truly a special place.

I read so many of the reviews below, though, and can't help but realize that the common denominator is fairly simple: if you abide by site terms then you can easily avoid the problems that these folks are describing. And it's not as if site terms are hard to follow. Don't want to get an owl about having multiple accounts? Don't make more than one. And if you think you may have had an account before or have someone else in the household who uses the site, be upfront about that.

The fact is that this site is a game. All games have rules. Those rules need enforced for the game to remain fair. I'm not going to say that everybody is going to like the way the rules are enforced - I'm sure there have been times where a message could have been more kindly worded or a rule more clearly communicated - but so many people are complaining because they got in trouble for breaking site rules that they agreed to when they joined. It seems wrong to blame the site for bad choices these users made.

HEX is a diverse community. There are plenty of people you won't get along with or like. I can think of many that have rubbed me the wrong way or with whom my personality or ideology clashes. But there are also people who I cherish. The site is big enough that I can enjoy the latter without having to be around and conflicting with the former. If you don't want drama, or can't stomach people with different opinions from you, then it's once again very simple to get along here: don't engage with people who stir you up. Walk away and enjoy a different part of the site for a while. The basic kindergarten rule that if you can't say anything nice then don't say anything at all will help you avoid any negative interactions with staff or admins on this site. It'll probably help you in most any aspect of life.

In short, the site isn't perfect. No site is. But if you can follow a few simple rules like limiting yourself to one account and speaking kindly to other people (or else saying nothing to them at all), then there's no reason HEX can't be a wonderful place to spend a lot of time with some truly fantastic people who share a passion for the wonderful world of Harry Potter.