Second Life's Live Help service (currently called Help Request) is pitched to be removed when the next beta version is applied to the Second Life grid. Robin Linden has just posted to the Linden blog that the Live Help service (as we know it) is to be dismantled, and replaced by other systems.Basically, Live Help has become overwhelmed beyond the ability of the resident volunteers and Linden staffers to maintain it. Robin said, "Despite the extraordinary efforts of some very dedicated volunteers, Help Request has outlived its usefulness by its very nature - it is, sadly, no longer possible to provide the one on one question/answer support that is promised due to the sheer volume of questions coming in."
To anyone who has worked in Live Help within the last twelve months, the sheer volume of questions is no surprise. Even at quiet times, questions often come in much faster than they can be answered, with requests for direct answers for Lindens about simple issues such as "How do I change my appearance" or "How do I sit", or questions that require abilities only available to the outworld support services at Linden Lab's offices.
Robin says that this move will refocus available resources into more effective channels, enabling more people to be helped more effectively, though obviously a lot of this focus will be on self-help resources. The Live Help option is being temporarily replaced with a web-page that will list available help resources, and supplemented some few weeks thereafter with a new system for obtaining live help, the details of which are not yet available.
As a part of the refocus of help resources, a lot of attention is being given to the resident volunteers and new ways and means for them to interact with and assist residents in need. Needless to say this is going to cause a lot of kerfuffle about the sky falling. However Live Help has always been primarily about Second Life residents helping each-other, and it's unlikely that the generous and helpful inclinations of residents are going to change anytime soon.
Live Help as it stands has become increasingly ineffective, despite valiant efforts from resident volunteers. Anything that gives more help for the same resources has got to be welcome rather than burning out the helpers who have been working so hard, day in and day out.
[UPDATE: SignpostMarv Martin provides more details on his blog about the new system, summarized from a meeting between Live Helpers and Blue Linden.]
1. Oh great, now all we have left is the Blog comments and Live Help. With the Blog, Lindens select the subject to discuss, and if you mention something off-topic, you comment is removed. Not to mention any questions you have there will NOT be answered. Then there is the support email, which *EVERYBODY* knows is usually not helpful, and you're lucky to recieve a reply within a week.
Posted at 4:49PM on Apr 10th 2007 by Nimrod Yaffle