A Comparison Between Methods of Communication as it Relates to Successful Growth of Playstation Home
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Home Open Debates
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2:00 PM
The Following Post was submitted by tearsofash
My name is Andrew, and I've been an avid Home user since September 2, 2008. No, I'm not one of those guys that got in because of Qore. I didn't pay to get in, it was a drawing I entered because I downloaded a theme on PSN.
I'm pretty cynical. I've seen the Home culture drastically change time and again. A lot of people give up, and a few stay as Home changed. Initially, there was a decent amount of transparency when Ted the Dog was in charge. We were treated like real people back then. As time went on, that transparency began to fade away.
Most of the Extended Closed Beta members couldn't withstand the barrage of new members. A lot of these new members didn't really know what to expect, but us veterans saw a flip switched. Things were different.
A lot of us saw potential, so we waited with baited breath for the application to evolve as a platform. It began to grow, but it grew lopsided. No one bothered to straighten it out, and things are getting out of hand. Every week, things are released broken. Events are almost always guaranteed to be rescheduled, and the bonus content doesn't show up until much later.
They've appointed Home Community Volunteers to help with events, and to help new members. However, that entire project is shrouded with drama. Many say it is a failed experiment, given the actions of those involved.
The Sony forums are filled with exorbitant amounts of vitriol, and have run off what little interaction we had with the public figures of USA Home.
So what do we do? Any attempt at suggesting Home isn't perfect gets shot down in the forums. With the staff out of town on the forums, the customer-client wall is breaking down. This has to stop.
First, we have to find some way to get the Community Managers something to manage. As it stands, it feels like they are sitting in an ivory tower while we peasants chant for blood. We have to make communication safe again. While it is somewhat gut-wrenching that the "Community Manager" has left the community, it's not really our fault. That's their JOB.
This isn't a blame game. The minute we start to point fingers is when everything stops working again.
I am somewhat conflicted with what sort of attitude to hold in this whole matter. I've seen Home go through a lot of changes. Home Open Debate tries to take a friendlier, more diplomatic approach. Home-Watch sometimes takes a more direct approach, pointing out different issues in home. Sometimes the place has personal attacks. The internet geek in me knows its method can be effective sometimes.
Perhaps I am too cynical to really even be writing here. Over the past few years I've seen tons of groups promising "unity" and trying to make a better Home experience. How many have truly been successful?
I really wish we could all join together, hold hands, and give each other group hugs, but that's never going to happen. I feel that both methods can prove effective. This is an excellent blog, and I look forward to posting more here. However, the other site is also necessary because it opens people's eyes. It says things people would otherwise be too afraid to say. I applaud them for that.
We don't do that here, though. I hope that HOD can prove to people that it is entirely possible to have a respectful conversation between people who don't always get along. There's a lot of stuff I don't like about Home, but without discourse we'll never be able to properly communicate our concerns.
We don't do that here, though. I hope that HOD can prove to people that it is entirely possible to have a respectful conversation between people who don't always get along. There's a lot of stuff I don't like about Home, but without discourse we'll never be able to properly communicate our concerns.
Wow!! Incredibly well said. All I can say is that I agree 100%, "WE" can make this work.
I absolutely 100% agree here. I see these blogs as a great alternative to the forums, in hopes that someone can feel like they can voice their opinion's on Home, without having it instantaneously shoved right back down their throat. I hate to say it, but the official forums at times, from my vantage point anyways, looks more and more like an elementary school playground every single day with it's bullying and drama. I haven't been involved in any of it personally, but I sure have been distancing myself from it more it to avoid the dreaded "drama Llama", lol.