Lindens talk back

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I love Torley's response to this Answers thread.

How would you like it if someone came to your place of work and told you that you are a horrible worker, you slack off, you don't care about your job, you don't listen to your customers and that in general - you just SUCK! I don't think any of us would like it, though i'm sure there are some out there (besides the Lindens) who actually have that happen to them at work, for which I am sorry.

Point being, remember that not only are there real people behind the other resident accounts, but also behind the LL accounts. Telling someone that they are lousy at the job they have spent years in training for is bound to sting a little, no matter how thick skinned they are.

Just my quiet little 2L *waves to Torley*

What is it they say about pearls and swine?


Seriously, thanks for this.

"DEAD LINDEN WALKING"

Torley was the best decision LL has made lately, has a much better idea of how to interact with the mortals.

"Amongst Lindens, I'm kind of a John Coffey-type character, because when Residents radiate pain from broken things, I really feel it. I absorb a lot of that agony."

I've noticed that about Torley.

coco

<3 TORLEY

P2

As someone who manages a set of forums elsewhere myself, I can appreciate the kind of job Torley has to do in keeping an eye on the forums here...and when that's combined with her role as what seems to be "unofficial LL spokesperson," it's a wonder she hasn't collapsed under the load. Yet she handles it with aplomb, and with her own distinctive style and grace notes that make her such an entertaining and informative read. LL, whatever you're paying her, it's not enough!

(Incidentally, I'm not negative about the inventory changes...probably because I didn't have enough time to become used to the "old way" it worked. The new way looks like a net positive to me, even if there are refinements that can be applied.)

heh, Torley is teh awsome . And it was a good response.

This is exactly why LL has to be quiet on a lot of things. The most vocal on the forums will almost always be the complainers who never let lack of knowledge get in the way of forming a strong opinion which is nearly always negative.

I doubt if many here know just how much work is put in by the typical Linden each day.

The OP has obviously never worked in the complaints department anywhere. In a very real sense, that is exactly what these forums are - the LL complaints department.

Ah yes, fun times that. Imagine trying to tell an irate customer that his laptop computer, which he sent in for repairs 3 months ago, has just been forwarded to the central repair centre in Belgium, and it will likely be another month if not more before he sees it again.

I like Torley, I like the enthusiasm that Torley has always had. But, from where I'm sitting, Torley in this Linden role is simply a means of dstraction - a kind of "we're listening, we're talking with the community, we're acknowledging things" position.

But that's where the Torley Effect ends as the backup simply isn't there and so Torley continues to get, and deflect, the flack.

That's not Torley's fault and judging from the terseness and a sense of impatience that seems to be creeping into the responses, it's a position that looks like it's getting harder and harder to do. I don't envy Torley being in that position at all and LL not offering the backup, in actually actioning what Torley so conscientiously catalogues, makes the position pretty untenable in my opinion and I fear that Torley will end up bearing the brunt unfairly.

As to what the OP "obviously" has or hasnt done- try asking her before you make such a definative statement re someone you probably dont even know. I have the Pleasure of knowing jeanette very well and the honor of calling her my friend and my biz partner, she rarely posts in the forums and only when she has something clear to bring up.

As to the assertion that the forums are the SL complaint dept, if that is all you think they are, please, I urge you to think harder, look deeper read more, for IMHO you are missing out on a great deal of whats here.

Torely, is a god send in many ways, she is the human face on the corp entity, she is one of us and one of them, the gap between the resi's and the man so to speak. I for one want to say TY Torley well done.

Finally as to the new inventory, I have one tiny request, please, put back the show all button, it will make it all so much easier

Well at least Torley doesn't ban you from using Live Help
like someone else I could, but won't mention.

Sam

I stand by my assertion that that is what the forums are - a complaints department. That isn't their sole raison d7etre of course, but it is a very important one. The suggestions part is a prime example of teh concept - give your customers a place to vent, let them think they are having an effect (whether they are or not is immaterial to the concept of a complaints department), and the psychological salve that this venting provides allows the core business to continue working without distractions.

I'm not saying that Torley is doing something wrong or that she is bad at her job. I think she does it quite well. But I don't really believe anything we say on these forums or anything that Torley passes on from us is taken too seriously unless it has an immediate financial impact on LL.

I'm simply taking the ribbon from your eyes and showing you another function of these forums.

Wow, I leave for work and come back to find a thread I started alive and well!

Warda, no, I have not worked in a complaint department per se, but I have worked in several management positions which usually entailed dealing with the customer who is unsatisfied in some way.

In part, I do agree that the forums are a place to come and voice our opinions on the service we receive and our displeasure at times. My point is, as human beings, there is no need to go from:

"The service/product I purchased doesn't live up to the expectations I had when I bought it...."

to:

"Your company and everything they do sucks!"

Yea, there are people who feel the need to vent to a complaint department or in the forums. Personally, I tend to believe it comes from frustration they experience in daily life, and that particular event was the "straw" so to speak. The forums are okay for that, as we all have bad days. My original post was directed towards those people who always seem to be negative and never have anything good to say about SL. My question to them has to be, "Why are you still here?"

I have complaints about the platform just like everyone else. I agree with Bo that some of the old inventory features should be re-instated. I am constantly keeping an eye on the economy and the real estate market in SL. But the pure infinite potential of SL still to this day (after almost a year and a half as a resident) baffles me and blows my mind every time I think about it. I have a list about a mile long of things I would like to do "some day" in SL and just don't have the time for right now. That's what keeps me here. That's why I log in every day. That's what makes this place worth building.

To all those that are constantly negative, I urge you to look at SL again through a newbie's eyes. What drew you to this amazing platform? What do you want to do today? Because in SL, if you can dream it, you can do it.

I just had to go ROFLMAO when I read your comment there...FYI, yes, I've been complaining lately, but my daily life is just fine, no frustration there. Only frustration comes from inability to play a game I've paid RL money for, to the fullest, because there are bugs preventing me doing things I enjoy in SL. I've tried everything to get someone to say they're looking into this. The final place is in the forums, asking if others have the same problem, and maybe if there were enough people, something might be done? Yes, I am frustrated, asking for someone to do something. I've done all I can, but it is all about the game, not daily life. I've lived with other bugs in game that complicate things, but when they prevent me from doing something, or causing actual monetary loss (lindens, but still...) that's when I stand up and voice my concern.


I love the idea of SL, and try to do what I dream of, unfortunately that's just it; I can't because the platform/game is bugged, and there's nothing I can do about it.

About the original topic, I've seen other people in other forums getting the kind of treatment Torley does in here, unfortunately, she is the shield and teflon to protect the actual people making the decicions, that's her job. It's one of the most ungrateful jobs around there, and dang stressful. Just so she knows, it is nothing personal (not that I have ever said a bad thing about her or any other Linden anyway), she just happens to be the one that has to take it all. I am really sorry for that, and would like to add that we do appreciate her and the difficult job she has, being the "middle(wo)man" btw. us and the company, even if it doesn't always seem that way :/ Can't be easy for her.

Torley, you're doing a great job, don't think we don't appreciate that!

Jeanette, I give you full respect for working in complainst as a amanager, but that is a completely different situation from working in complaints as a grunt. As a manager, you do at least in principle have teh ability to do something other than apologise for a ****y company. As a grunt, all you can do is apologise and explain the present situation, and sometimes not even apologise - I was actually disciplibned in one such job for explaining that my delay on teh phone in responding to the customer was because the database system was so slow (it typically took over a minute to do a simple name search - an eternity when you have an already irate customer on the phone).

Whoa! *offers some rubber balls* Put the face of the person that you like least in the office on one and a "generic" face for the others or however. Whenever something starts annoying you, start bouncing one of the balls - have it represent the person/thing that just annoyed you. If it's a co-worker, keep in mind that if the stress doesn't reduced, you can always throw the ball at the offending party

Been there, done that. Pass the worst on to the manager, because I felt he/she deserved it because they weren't doing their job in the first place. (In this case it wasn't just perception.. most of the worst complaints were because said Manager failed to follow through.)

But seriously, I complain.. a lot. It's a hobby. So, Torley, you might want to add my face to one of those balls! I'll try to be constructive, but usually, I don't have enough info to construct a suggestion, only enough to just post what I've observed.

as some one mentioned and i will say it again in my own way


the hiring of TORLEY is the single best decision ever made at LL.

I have always be told and known that there is no one that is irreplaceable in any work environment. but after reading this and reading many many of TORLEY's posts and blog entries i am very inclined to believe that with in LL that Torley is Irreplaceable.

Many many many thanks to Torley and to all the fine folks who are working to make SL a better place for all to enjoy.

Crucial

This is why i get along with torley so much hehe. Same stuff in common. She understands the big picture and tries to help. But mess with her the wrong way and... XD

This is a brilliant post. I have an incredible amount of respect for Torley, and even more so now with the uneviable position that she is constantly in. I sincerely hope that other people at LL start to lead by the example Torley is setting.

It's a wonder why some Lindens still read the forums. The delivery of some of the complaints lobbed at them really borderlines on "uncivil". It's like watching people in airports when their flights get cancelled. People absolutely wig out.

While there's nothing wrong with expressing displeasure there's a way to do it without being rude and quasi abusive.

I heard someone say Second Life was a game so I'm looking for clues.

Agreed. I much prefer when people are straight-up honest and forthcoming about their intentions, feelings and motives. Even if it means pwning an unruly resident, I'd still prefer a Linden do that to them offering up some canned response and settling.

Not to say that's ever happened to me personally. I just think that in business, you treat your customers with greater respect if you don't try and hide behind the business/customer barrier. Just be honest and forthcoming and you'll earn your customer's loyalty and trust. Even with nothing but the best of intentions, a company can still come off as evil and untrustworthy simply because their business practices are clandestine.

Wait? You mean this is the The 13th Labour cluster for cracking that hash encryption? Crap, I knew I should have turned left in Albuqeurque!