Comments on: Because the virtual world is stereotypical, too.

By: lanphuong

lanphuong — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 03:57:20 +0000

Where we tonight shall camp?....The top blogs of the day. the newest report , see and reply me some comments. Thanks.

By: Bree

Bree — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 19:05:02 +0000

As an office manager, I see ads for a virtual receptionist that eliminates the need for a front office worker from time to time, and I asked my boss if she would ever get that because it’s cheaper than paying someone like me. She told me that as long as she’s the boss, she will never have virtual people. She can’t stand automated voices and thinks it would hurt our organization if we didn’t have that personal connection. So there is some sanity in this crazy world.

I don’t do MySpace or Facebook or RPGs, but I have a YouTube account and I’ve been lucky that I only had to delete one nasty comment in the almost two years I’ve had an account. It’s disheartening to see how filthy and degrading others can be from behind a computer desk. There is nothing wrong with having a virtual fantasy life, but when it gets to the point that you would consider becoming harmful and violent simply because you can, or because someone is different from you, it’s time for serious therapy and a reality check.

By: vesta44

vesta44 — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 18:58:12 +0000

We get all kinds of telemarketing calls from those virtual people, and when I hear that it’s not a real person, I hang up (I hang up on real telemarketers too, but that’s a whole ‘nother rant). And I hate calling anywhere that has a virtual person who asks questions you have to answer in order to try and get anything done. My name alone drives that virtual person batshit nuts (it’s Mariellen, one word, pronounced Mary Ellen). When they ask for my first name, and I say it and spell it, as requested, they just keep looping back to ask my first name because it’s sooooooooo unusual that they just can’t figure it out. I end up not answering until they decide they need to connect me with a real person.
There is one virtual person for a bill collector that I love to mess with (I had a roommate who ordered a bunch of stuff in my name, without my knowledge, and then didn’t pay for it, at least, I think that’s what happened, I know I didn’t order anything from that particular company). They can’t pronounce my name correctly when they see it spelled, so when they call and ask for Mahryelena or Mahryellen or Marilyn or whatever incorrect pronunciation they use, I say, nope, sorry no one here by that name, you must have a wrong number. I figure eventually they’ll either get the pronunciation correct or they’ll quit calling.
I’ve never had to deal with a virtual person I could actually see, just the ones on the phone, and that’s frustrating enough. To have to deal with one in a visual way, ick.

By: Sandy

Sandy — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:22:43 +0000

I agree…I had to talk to a virtual person to set up a medical test…A MEDICAL TEST…and I thought I was gonna pull my freakin hair out. All I wanted was a freakin appointment!!!! Quest could not be that freaking busy that they could not set up an appointment for me especially when they charge an arm and a leg and (used to) hire ppl for that purpose anyway!!! ARGH!!!

I don’t play Second Life. I play Warcraft…and definitely people are crazy when they get behind a computer screen. I can’t tell you how many times we (DH and I both play) have been threatened by KIDS just talking trash about who knows what. We just shake our heads.

That doesn’t mean that some people don’t take it too far. Some people with serious mental issues do take online games, especially role play type games) so seriously that they lose themselves and think they are living out the game. I remember not long ago a woman was trying to sue EverQuest because her son (who btw was diagnosed with severe depression and should have been on meds) killed himself because someone was mean to him in the game.

Haters have found easy targets on the online community as they can say what they want when they want and don’t have to suffer the consequences and they know that many people look to online to escape from that kind of treatment already.

That is why I am totally for laws to prevent and punish online bullying/harrasing.

But, back to the virtual people and customer service…They are only doing it not do discriminate (or at least not entirely) they are are doing it so SAVE MONEY. Hell…I mean their tech department can take care of the virtual people without having to hire a ton of people to answer the phones. They probably outsource the tech department anyway so it isn’t like they are paying huge salaries for it…and the virtual people can take a whole lot more calls per hour than the average human.

To be honest…I would rather talk to a live person that I can barely understand than a robot any day.