Well.... Just last night while playing 2 different games (GRAW, Blazing Angels) in four or five rooms, I added 6 new friends to my list (I can click their name at any time to see which games they own and how often they play them).
I spent several hours in fun matches with people coming and going all day long. Almost everyone had a headset and nobody cheated; this was not a new experience for me. I also found it interesting when I ran across another 5-6 people that had just bought X360 yesterday and had not owned Xbox beofre. (They were happy to tell me this because thy were so new to the whole experience) This included a family of mom, dad and son all on the game at the same time. I watched several of the newbies guide the other newbies through the little nuances of adding friends and leaving feedback (using the Live! interface).
They were enthralled by the whole experience.
I think some underestimate the convenience and feature rich factors that a system like Live (and most likely PS Network) offers the general user. People that would NEVER step foot in an online PC game will gladly push that little button to go on live and play.
Edit:
I realize that my experience (which plays itself out like above time and again when I'm on) is just a tiny sample and may not be indicative of growth, but it is a real example. Also, there are plenty of people that can ruin the experience, that's true. some people enjoy messing with other people. Live addresses that with the feedback system which universally restricts you from mtaching up with a certain player when joining games or conversely, matches you with your preferred player. Also there are ZONES that you join in LIVE (Pro, recreation, Family, Undeground) that are also factors in which games you get put into (when you select Quick Game). These features are universal to your Live experience through all of the titles that you play.
