if you want to invite me to party, ASK ME first.

I have taken the liberty to circumvent the obvious retorts to my post with the following hypothetical questions:

"If you don't wanna be invited to groups, you should just go play a single-player game."

No. I don't mind being invited to groups. What I do mind is someone inviting me to party without showing me the courtesy of ASKING me first if I wish to party with them.

"Turn on auto-decline group invites if you are such an anti-social person. Gawd, it's an MMO, people group to do stuff."

I love to group with people in order to meet a common objective. In fact, I am usually quite enthusiastic to party up with other players...provided they are willing to behave in a social manner themselves by being POLITE. It's RUDE to ninja-invite. Is it so hard to WHISPER someone and ask them if they even WANT to do the same thing you are doing?

And incidentally, I HAVE toggled auto-decline after today...didn't even know it was an option till my husband showed me. It cheeses me off that I have to and that people are so socially stunted that they can't be bothered to ASK first.

I'm all for efficiency. But when someone just spams me with his party invite without any regard to what I may be doing, it just makes me NOT want to party with him on principle alone. Like, even if I do want to do the same thing he wants to do, Saving Face, Personal Challenge, whatever....if he sends an invite without asking first, it's a forgone conclusion that I will NOT group with that person.

Typically, just today, the following happened:

On Nar Shaddaa, Nikto sector, there is a bonus mission that ends with killing a pretty tough elite. At least, he can be tough to solo.

I come running up to the location and see him up. There is a Jedi Shadow standing there, ready to pounce, so I invite him to group up while standing right next to him so he can see I'm out for the same goal as him.

Instead of accepting the invite he rushes to attack the elite, and declines the invitation. I sigh and roll my eyes, casually watching him fight alone...

...and die - with the elite still half-health.

This would be the point that I say 'F it'. I charge alone (with companion), and kill the elite without a sweat (though my companion died in the process >.>), effectively kill-stealing? I can't care less.

THAT is the consequence of never accepting unannounced group invites. If you are being anti-social by declining in this situation, you deserve to wait another 5 minutes before the mob spawns again.

Typically, just today, the following happened:

On Nar Shaddaa, Nikto sector, there is a bonus mission that ends with killing a pretty tough elite. At least, he can be tough to solo.

I come running up to the location and see him up. There is a Jedi Shadow standing there, ready to pounce, so I invite him to group up while standing right next to him so he can see I'm out for the same goal as him.

Instead of accepting the invite he rushes to attack the elite, and declines the invitation. I sigh and roll my eyes, casually watching him fight alone...

...and die - with the elite still half-health.

This would be the point that I say 'F it'. I charge alone (with companion), and kill the elite without a sweat (though my companion died in the process >.>), effectively kill-stealing? I can't care less.

THAT is the consequence of never accepting unannounced group invites. If you are being anti-social by declining in this situation, you deserve to wait another 5 minutes before the mob spawns again.

Agreed 100%

I cut my teeth on FFXI, and blind invites were HIGHLY discouraged. It's just polite to ask someone if they want to join you. I'm not anti-social, but maybe I don't feel like grouping at the moment, or maybe I don't have time to commit to a group. My playstyle is often interrupted every few minutes to take care of my young son, so most of the time I can't be part of a group because I'll just be standing around while the other person is doing all of the work.

Take a few seconds to send a quick message and ask if I'd like to join. This is supposed to be a social game after all.

Blind invites has always been considered rude in the online gaming community for as long as I have played.

I have taken the liberty to circumvent the obvious retorts to my post with the following hypothetical questions:

"If you don't wanna be invited to groups, you should just go play a single-player game."

No. I don't mind being invited to groups. What I do mind is someone inviting me to party without showing me the courtesy of ASKING me first if I wish to party with them.

"Turn on auto-decline group invites if you are such an anti-social person. Gawd, it's an MMO, people group to do stuff."

I love to group with people in order to meet a common objective. In fact, I am usually quite enthusiastic to party up with other players...provided they are willing to behave in a social manner themselves by being POLITE. It's RUDE to ninja-invite. Is it so hard to WHISPER someone and ask them if they even WANT to do the same thing you are doing?

And incidentally, I HAVE toggled auto-decline after today...didn't even know it was an option till my husband showed me. It cheeses me off that I have to and that people are so socially stunted that they can't be bothered to ASK first.

I'm all for efficiency. But when someone just spams me with his party invite without any regard to what I may be doing, it just makes me NOT want to party with him on principle alone. Like, even if I do want to do the same thing he wants to do, Saving Face, Personal Challenge, whatever....if he sends an invite without asking first, it's a forgone conclusion that I will NOT group with that person.