1. People have applied for it and been rejected, leading to resentment and anger;

2. There’s a disconnect between what the program is actually designed to do and what some people on the forum think it is designed to do.

Given the history of how polarizing and downright ugly the public HCV debates have gotten, coupled with how entrenched positions have gotten on this topic, it’s easy to see that a more effective means of offering feedback would be to submit it privately instead.

Y2 and the others HCVs are fine additions to our program. I know the program inside out and trust me. It is on pace with how it was designed.
I can not go in to details but we are expanding and it will be nice for everyone when it does.
Although some will still find fault. it’s the way it is.

The only logistically feasible way to have an interactive help desk is if it’s completely automated — which is precisely what Lockwood has already done with VICKIE in the Sodium Hub.

For those who believe the HCV program should fulfill this function instead: the basic problem with this is logistics. Assume Home has, at any given time, 500,000 active users. Now assume one percent of them need help at any given time. That’s 5,000 users. A public space can hold a maximum of 64 people. That means you’d need 80 HCVs around the clock doing nothing but manning help desk instances. Even if we assume every HCV could run an eight-hour shift every day (which is unrealistic), that’s a minimum of 238 HCVs. And that’s assuming an average of 500,000 active users out of 27,000,000 registered accounts, with an average help load of only one percent of the active population.

There is no feasible way that the HCV program can possibly serve this function. I’d held off on going into this much detail elsewhere because I thought the math was fairly obvious. Hopefully this clarification helps explain things a bit.

The next problem with any sort of manned help center in Home is the human element. Picture an instance of 63 people tossing questions at one HCV, all at the same time. Even if some of the questions were easy and quick to answer, the only way to keep things from degenerating into chaos would be to implement a queue system, like some of the games in Home have. And how would you feel if you saw you were #60 in the queue? Would you stick around? Try another instance of the help desk (and end up with the same result)? In fact, would it create a very negative perception of Home?

Of course, you could try a free-for-all instead of a queue, but those don’t end well. Ever been to a public event where GlassWalls was in attendance? I’ve watched the poor guy get mobbed by people who saw the red jacket and immediately started unloading on him about personal tech support issues, which is very disruptive when he’s trying to host an event.

We’re also not taking into account the challenge of finding sufficient people who would be willing to endure such a thing, day in and day out. Annual call center turnover rates in the United States consistently hover around 30%. And those are paid employees. I shudder to think of what it would be with volunteers. And let’s not even get into the liabilities of having non-employees represent SCEA in such a support capacity.

I know there are people on the forum who froth at the mouth (for years…) because of what they perceive as a doorslam to HCV program feedback. Thing is, though, if you start really working out why things are the way they are, it’s not that hard to see why suggestions which seem good at face value are, in fact, doomed to failure from the get-go. And that’s just the good ideas; we’re not even tackling the people who have a personal axe to grind against the program.

HearItWow correctly observed that a lot of support resources are already built into the Home interface for people to utilize. The flaw that I personally see is that they’re not readily apparent, and since help items are designed to support those who probably know the least about the interface, this constitutes a design flaw with the Home interface. Which is why a publicly visible automated FAQ, such as what Lockwood did with VICKIE, is in my mind a good idea. Granted, there may be a reason this hasn’t been implemented.

The point remains, however, that accomplishing the most effective means of supporting the userbase is not the same thing as enhancing the HCV program, and the two items should be decoupled. Logistically, it’s fairly easy to see why. As far as I can ascertain, the HCV program is doing exactly what it’s designed to do — not necessarily what some people on this forum want it to do, but what it’s actually designed to do — and doing it quite well. From personal observation, though there are a few former HCVs whose behavior I find deplorable, I’d say the current group of HCVs — veteran and new alike — are a really good group.

I did not see one idea on the forums that we have not talked about and most over 2 years ago. Glasswalls being of sound mind has thought this out completely. Unless you see it from the inside you aren’t getting the full picture. Your assessment of Glasswalls was unwaranted but no fault as you do not have informed opinions.

Being an HCV is luckily a desirable job for some. It helps Sony and other developers and they get paid in virtual items. Unless I am missing something, this is like being crossing guard at Elementary School (I was a crossing guard at my school); a prestige position for sure, but we had to get there earlier and stay later.

The HCV special power to make others feel like they are missing out is cool. But remember, you have to invite the vampire into your home for him to be able to use his powers on you. Same for HCVs.

I wish there was a way to check the age of the poster and whether they have multiple identities. I have a feeling that a lot of discussions would be ignored if we knew that the three people we were arguing with were really one thirteen year old kid. I imagine the people who run the forums must know and react to such arguments appropriately.

At some point, someone has to take their ball and go home. As a kid I dreaded that moment. As an adult I look forward to it.

Complaining with tact is called constructive criticism. Complaining without tact is whiny. Complaining to draw attention to oneself is called sad.

An organization like the home community volunteers may not be perfect, although I can’t think of any fault right now. And if you don’t like them or think that you can do it better, then why aren’t you doing that? It’s easy to say how things should be done when you are not doing it. Put your controller where your mouth is and show the world how much better you could run things. Until then, try using constructive criticism! Whining and trolling will not gain you respect nor will it motivate change.

And if it’s so bad, and everything that is done is wrong, and Sony doesn’t care about anyone but themselves and the bottom line, and Home will never get better, and the mods don’t do their job, and the home community volunteers are power-hungry glory hogs… Feel free to run into the arms of Bill Gates and have fun on your Xbox 360 and pay a monthly charge for your hydrocephalus bobble headed avatar. To quote Dennis Miller… “But that’s just my opinion I could be wrong.”

Or any other helpful Home group. Ya know?

I know your post really wasn’t directed at me. I understand the events you went through that day so no worrys. What I do worry about is the perception on my team. It’s very unfair to the new HCVs and to those who come to the forums looking for help. The threads are not fostering community. they destroy.

“At this point I really do have to question the motives of those who have been on the forum long enough to see the HCV debates rage over the years and see nothing change as a result of them. You know better. At a certain point, it simply becomes an excuse for muckraking, or a vain attempt at self-aggrandizing.”

Be of good cheer; the ire of my keyboard wasn’t directed towards you.