But I have to disagree or maybe say that Playstation Home is not the only congregation of the disenfranchised. If w have lived then we are bound to be a little beat up and damaged. (See the Velveteen Rabbit for more info on this idea) -- i.e. All people are damaged -some hide it better than others…

People are people everywhere you go- this stuff happens in the Senate and it happens on PSH -this is a true subsection of humanity (caveat here: those that can afford to buy and connect to the internet). Yes our privileged society as a whole has fostered an astounding sense of entitlement that previous generations have not known, and with this comes this sense that something will get done if someone complains loudly enough.

Living in a service based world we are constantly wanting instant compliance and catering. That is a side effect of the Corporation dominated society. Product delivered important? -sort of. Advertisemet important? -yes. Consumerism important? -yes. Yelling and screaming after purchase of said product important? -Not so much, unless it prohibits future consumption…

So whine away belly-achers -nothing will change unless you put your money where your mouth is… If you don’t like Sony then get some chops and move to Second Life or one of the other virtual social networks. Or get a life. LOL.

Me I am a big big BIG proponent of CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. If you are going to complain about something at least have the imagination and where with all to propose some kind of solution along with the complaint. Give them a good idea and see what they do with it.

There is no evil arch enemy and Corporate Empire that needs to be taken down by the rebels -save that for the cantina and make your words on the forum productive so we do have some forum of communication with those that opened the forum to see what we do think.

Riff

As to a source of *useful* information beyond pinned threads, indeed some people have more free time than others. I am one of those with more free time than some others. I don’t recall how long it took me to find the forums but it wasn’t long. Those with free time or enough time will post or read if they see fit. Whether they learn anything or whether their posts are of any use is another matter, usually a matter of opinion.
A former SONY employees who I only remember as Cyd encouraged constructive criticism on the Forums. I agree. I do think there’s time for fun and entertainment… and perhaps even anger (nonconstructive criticism?). SONY can learn from anger also. Trolling is not good imho.

I think of the forums as a part of Home. Opinion rendered. Others would not agree. It’s safe to safe that of those who use Home, a minority post there and don’t often go there.

Home can indeed be enjoyed without reading the forums. It’s my belief however that problems can be solved and improved from going to the forums for both users and SONY itself. We’ll see in the future what SONY thinks. If someone has a better solution, they could always post it in the SONY forums.

As a source of *useful* information goes, beyond the pinned threads, a person has to have a lot more free time than I or anyone with a full time job have in order to sift through the detritus to find anything useful. My first two years in Home were spent in complete ignorance that the forum so much as existed. This lack definitely didn’t dampen my enjoyment of Home, nor did I feel that I was lacking in information that (supposedly) only the forum could provide.

As stated in the article, if instead of allocating funds to stretch already stretched moderation and community management to cover a redundant means to socialize -- as Home already is a place to socialize -- and pare it down; specialize it to cover *just* service and support (under which a community events calendar can be placed). There are plenty of places on the internet where people can “legitimately vent” and make fools of themselves.

In summation, I can think of a few places I would point a new Home user toward, and the official forum isn’t one of them. You only get one chance to make a first impression. Make it a good one.

Moderators read the forums at least they apparently do because I don’t see as much nastiness as there used to be.

If someone has a question or a complaint the SONY Forum is a good place to go and hopefully someone will be listened to either by SONY, developers some of whom are making a nice presence, and users themselves.

So yes the SONY Forum does indeed serve a purpose. We need it unless you have a better solution.

In my opinion, the dogs breakfast is the cat’s meow. <— said to show that I read the article. Woof! Woof! Meow! Meow!

Get rid of it? No. Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.

I dislike the negativity there. Period.

So, why do I go there? I read the threads that have interest for me and might offer help, such as when I bought a club and couldn’t get it “started”. When they turn into flame wars, I bow out. Which means I think your ideas are spot on and I wish Sony would make these changes.