Hosts in SL (rock) clubs

[Vaughn Highwater]

I'm a DJ on SL and have DJed in various rock clubs. I've seen and worked with a lot of differents hosts. What surprises me all the time again is how little a lot of them do. I don't want to start a rant but I would like to share my view on what the job description "host" should include and start a friendly discussion.

The situation as I see it "as is":

- They welcome every guest and sometimes ask how they are. Unfortunately some use the same line (like "Hey NAME, welcome to CLUBNAME!") with everyone. Would you feel welcome and personally treasured seeing the host says the exact same thing to everyone?

- More often then not they use more standard gestures you've seen a thousand times and also more often than not they use more guestures than actually do real talking

- Many write in capital letters all the time. I can understand this for info standard like "PLEASE HIT THE VOTE BOX IF YOU ENJOY YOUR TIME HERE" or "PLEASE SHOW THE DJ/CLUB SOME APPRECIATION AND TIP THEM FOR THEIR WORK" but in a normal talk it looks very impersonal and like shouting. In my opinion if someone has to use capital letters when talking to specific people in the chat they just aren't able to connect enough. Lower case works for everyone else in the chat (if the host doesn't spam the chat with frequent and large gestures).

- Most hosts seem to be more reactive than proactive. They comment on what is said and also join conversations. But the difference between a normal chatter and a host is that the host is supposed to get a conversation going when it's too quiet.

- Hosts actually giving it a try to start a conversation use standards like "hey, how are you today?" or "Nice shoes, Sally". The idea to try and get the chat going is very nice. But why use something where "I'm good" and "thx" is usually a quick and single short answer that gets nothing going? A host should be more creative :).

- Words like OMG, WOW, AWESOME, AMAZING, SEXY etc. are sooo overused that they are totally devalued. Most hosts use them and when everyone says the same it doesn't set them or anything they do appart from anyone and anything else. And me, personally, I'm bored to death by it.

- Telling people in a club to tip the DJ or donate to the club every 10-15 minutes looks a lot like begging to me. In my opinion once per hour should be enough.

- Notices mostly look the same in every club. Rarely do I see a host giving it her personal touch and when they write "KICK ASS TUNES!" in the "What:" field that tells me exactly nothing.

I know one single host I really love watching and working with. She barely uses any gestures, writes notices people actually WANT to read because they're hillarious, involves everyone in the chat and really gets a talk going and is so funny herself a lot of people come to watch her and not necessarily listen to the DJ.

This is my personal opionion on the topic and maybe it's just my mentality that I think hosts should be less generic. I'm looking forward on your points of view :)

[Alicia Sautereau]

This is the reason i hardly go any where as it all came down to chat spam and restarded hosts, i just popin to see if i like the music and grab the url for winamp
Some times i`ll just send a tip directly to the dj if i liked the set as i find the club taking a percentage (also for hosts) rather lame, for them 1000 more clubs heh

I once said it in local and started to say the truth about hosts as the club started to go down the drain, P69, ofcourse the host requested the owner to shut me up, wich she didn`t had the guts to do and sent a manager to do it, funny enough, he agreed with me but was forced to tell me to shutup

a month later the club was gone, awsome job guys, told you so...

[Hermione Lefevre]

Bad hosts can make your club go down, had it many times that I arrive and get ignored...well then its my turn to ignore that place :-)

Not everyone can do the job, just wiggling you butt and let your boobs hang out isnt enough, it takes an outgoing and fun personality, someone who really makes you feel welcome and smile :-)

[Syo Emerald]

The bad hosts you describe match other problems of the virtual club and entertainment scene. You have bad DJs, bad dancers, bad escorts and even more bad owners and managers. But most don't want advice, even if you say it trough a flower and wrap your arguments into a sugercoat. A simple "How about..." and they are like "NO! I know what I'm doing mehmehmeh...!"

[Hermione Lefevre]

Best answer then Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee lol

[ImaTest1488314069]

---

Vaughn Highwater wrote:

I'm a DJ on SL and have DJed in various rock clubs. I've seen and worked with a lot of differents hosts. What surprises me all the time again is how little a lot of them do. I don't want to start a rant but I would like to share my view on what the job description "host" should include and start a friendly discussion.

The situation as I see it "as is":

- They welcome every guest and sometimes ask how they are. Unfortunately some use the same line (like "Hey NAME, welcome to CLUBNAME!") with everyone. Would you feel welcome and personally treasured seeing the host says the exact same thing to everyone?

- More often then not they use more standard gestures you've seen a thousand times and also more often than not they use more guestures than actually do real talking

- Many write in capital letters all the time. I can understand this for info standard like "PLEASE HIT THE VOTE BOX IF YOU ENJOY YOUR TIME HERE" or "PLEASE SHOW THE DJ/CLUB SOME APPRECIATION AND TIP THEM FOR THEIR WORK" but in a normal talk it looks very impersonal and like shouting. In my opinion if someone has to use capital letters when talking to specific people in the chat they just aren't able to connect enough. Lower case works for everyone else in the chat (if the host doesn't spam the chat with frequent and large gestures).

- Most hosts seem to be more reactive than proactive. They comment on what is said and also join conversations. But the difference between a normal chatter and a host is that the host is supposed to get a conversation going when it's too quiet.

- Hosts actually giving it a try to start a conversation use standards like "hey, how are you today?" or "Nice shoes, Sally". The idea to try and get the chat going is very nice. But why use something where "I'm good" and "thx" is usually a quick and single short answer that gets nothing going? A host should be more creative

.

- Words like OMG, WOW, AWESOME, AMAZING, SEXY etc. are sooo overused that they are totally devalued. Most hosts use them and when everyone says the same it doesn't set them or anything they do appart from anyone and anything else. And me, personally, I'm bored to death by it.

- Telling people in a club to tip the DJ or donate to the club every 10-15 minutes looks a lot like begging to me. In my opinion once per hour should be enough.

- Notices mostly look the same in every club. Rarely do I see a host giving it her personal touch and when they write "KICK ASS TUNES!" in the "What:" field that tells me exactly nothing.

I know one single host I really love watching and working with and that's SixHunny Manga. She barely uses any gestures, writes notices people actually WANT to read because they're hillarious, involves everyone in the chat and really gets a talk going and is so funny herself a lot of people come to watch her and not necessarily listen to the DJ.

This is my personal opionion on the topic and maybe it's just my mentality that I think hosts should be less generic. I'm looking forward on your points of view

---

You have some very valid points.

Your message almost seemed like the entire point is wrapped up in a pretty little bow by name dropping. Sort of loses it's effect when you do that, or at least it will, to some. I've seen it a million times on the forums. As fantastic of a host as this person may be, general discussions should be lept general. I'd leave that tid-bit out and save the personal thank yous and accolades for, well, more personal means like an IM to the person.

As for your points on hosts, I feel the same about a lot of DJs. They do some of the very same things, worse even. Many Djs don't actually address the audience at all, or very rarely. Assuming you've got a decent DJ and not just a playlist DJ up there. Interacting with the audience is a role all staff ought to be playing. Many will say that DJs already have a job and a role and cannot interract with the audience while also working. I disagree. I've done it, though it's a lot more fun in rl than in sl. People just don't quite expect the same caliber in sl as they do in rl. .

Dancers, management, other staff, etc... they're all responsible for guests having a good time. Or, at least, partially responsible. It's not often you'll find any club where they're all doing all they can, or all they should, at all times. I am also very overly critical of the entertainment industry in sl, most especially DJs. Ok, not critical,. I'm just a cynical ass who can't be pleased by 99% of the so called DJs in sl.

So, as a DJ, can you tell me what you do to entertain your guests, other than play music? That question sounds loaded, and a lot more cynical than it ought to. But you've perked my interest ever so slightly. Do you chat in local with all the guessts consistently, or only occasionaly? Do you engage them on mic while spinning? Do you play a playlist you've pre-selected before beginning your set, adding in only requests? When asked for requests, do you make them more than the standard"oh so and so would like to hear" or "so and so would like to dedicate such and such to this and that"? Do you make guests feel welcome? Do you encourage your fellow employees and help them better perform their duties? Because when they perform theirs, you're better able to perform yours. You sort of work hand in hand. Do you do a lot of "don't forget to tip" on air?(even once an hour to many can be seen as begging). What do you do, to make your sets so unique that you deserve more than every other DJ in sl gets? You seem(and I will agree, as it's very true) to be finding that many hosts are pretty cookie cutter. So what do you bring to the table that would make a host say "damn, I can do better than this"? Not that anyone expects you ought to. Anyone, but me, of course.

This is part of the reason why I don't go to clubs. I'm too critical when it comes to entertainment in sl, and don't intend to change my ways, either. I expect a lot and most often am left disappointed. I figured that out a long time ago. I still try, but usually still end up leaving just about everywhere in facepalm mode.

[Bronxcheer]

Hey back off!  The dude's got 9 members in his DJ group including himself so he knows his marketing!

[UncommonTruth]

I agree with everything you said. I also agree that DJs usually aren't any better. I can think of one host I would go see just cause she makes me. I can only think of 2 DJs since I've been in SL that make me want to go to their sets for their personality. 

[Jinnywitha Cleanslate]

Hosting is a hard job.  There are some naturally gifted, and others not so.  I believe that all hosts should be told what each place expects of them, and then gently encourage them to follow that guideline.  I love hosting, while I am a Manager - I do a lot of host work too, but a recent industrial accident, which has left me RL struggling, has made me realise that my mood in RL has affected my SL energy, and so recognising my drop in mood and ability to be upbeat, I rely more on our current hosts currently. 

For us - Finding good hosts too is hard.  I find a lot of hosts in clubs I have visited, are reliant on sexual terms - especially when being tipped, which as a mature, but clean in language and behaviour, hangout and club, I often lose hosts because they want to be more sexual in nature as this gets more tips.  We don't spam with overly large gestures, which is a no no in our place, or group notes.  And we've been here for 9yrs now, so we are doing something right.

We operate a completely flexible shift pattern, as we can't afford to pay staff - so I feel I don't have the right to tie them down, but they have their tip jars, and we encourage them to use them.  We have guidelines on spamming and such like - and I just want our staff to have a good night with us, so it doesn't feel like work.  SL is meant to be fun too.  And so far, the hosts that have stayed with us have become more like family, and have become RL friends too, and have been with us for years.  On a side note - if anyone wants to come on over and host, or be taught the basics of good hosting, drop me an IM inworld, and come and hang out.

When artists come and dj or sing for us - I promote them for a week before, and encourage people to tip them, as we have found that the more sexualised SL has become, the harder we have to work for tips as a non-sexual club - and in turn, I hope they will point out our Venue tip jar, and the merchants on the sim, and we ask them to engage with the people coming in, via typing or voice.  This isn't always the case, which is sad, and they walk away with 100% of their tips, while the hosts get little to nothing.  These Djs get 3 chances with us, to help us out.  We've been lucky so far, but good DJs are also hard to find, especially in our type of music selections.

The other issue I've encountered, are people themselves.  I often try and initiate conversation that isn't sexual in our club -  only to get guys trying it on with me, or them going straight into IMs, or I do not get a response at all.  This is fine, and I do my best to engage in main chat, but sometimes people just have their own reasons for not replying.

Either way - I love our club, our staff, and our guests deeply, and am passionate about SL..... and because of the message our staff send out, and our long term guests promote - I hope that we will be around for many years to come.

[MariaLag]

Hi

This topic says everythin I've been thinking of,as I spend the most of my time at Venues(live music). I can't say it's the majority, but at some venues it happens exactly what you said and it's really boring and at least,  the singers are the big attraction. Sometimes I note that the hostess talk, but a "cliquish" talking with their friends in local chat.Though, I need to say that at live shows it must happens less than at clubs,I don't use  to go to clubs,so I don't know.Once I thought about working as a hostess because I love to be at music places,I gave up because I think I would need to make my english better ,just because of everything you said, I don't like this amount of impersonal gestures,I think the hostess needs to be friendly and talk to the guests.

Good day

[squashy Beeswing]

I won't mince words.  Most hostesses i've seen/heard in SL are absolutely dreadful.  They seem clueless about what they're supposed to be doing, as are those daft enough to employ them.   Much of the time these so-called hostesses and  'professional' dancers ruin the entire experience with their inane drivel and gesturing.  Sad but true.  :smileyfrustrated: 

ETA: i also agree with the previous comment.  The 'cliqueish talking' is dull and rude. 

[Vaughn Highwater]

I didn't think about name dropping when I mentioned the host above, nor is she actively looking to get many new job offers. But after reading what you wrote, I have to admit from another persons point of view it can really look like name dropping. Therefore I have removed her name in my initial post.

I also welcome your questions, as it is totally valid to ask back "what do you as a DJ do?". The problem lies not solely with hosts.
A lot of DJs have a very bad sound setup and even if there stream quality is ok they often use bad quality youtube rips that sound like crap.And then there are the issues you named.

So, to answer your questions:

- So, as a DJ, can you tell me what you do to entertain your guests, other than play music? That question sounds loaded, and a lot more cynical than it ought to. But you've perked my interest ever so slightly.
* I don't think it's loaded and cynical. When I write about what I miss about hosts it's only fair to ask me what I do as a DJ

- Do you chat in local with all the guessts consistently, or only occasionaly?
* I'd get really bored if I would just let my playlist run through. I always participate in running conversations and try to start one when it's quiet and the host is not help. Of course when it takes a moment to look up a song request I can't focus on local but at least I let the requestee know whether I'll have it up soon or if it could take a moment longer.

- Do you engage them on mic while spinning?
* I love picking up stuff that was said in local when going on mic. If there are only a few people in the club I also greet everyone by name most of the time (not always though, I have bad days, too).

- Do you play a playlist you've pre-selected before beginning your set, adding in only requests?
When I'm not filling in on short notice I always prepare a full playlist before I start DJing and have certain 2-4 song blocks on my mind, so that I can place requests as fitting as possible into the set without the requestee having to wait ages. Placing a fast metal tune directly after a ballade can be fun sometimes but most of the times it's more like a hammer to the head .

- When asked for requests, do you make them more than the standard"oh so and so would like to hear" or "so and so would like to dedicate such and such to this and that"?
* I don't always say more than "NAME-A has a request with a special dedication to his love NAME-B". But when I keep it this short I either don't know much about the people or don't know much about the song to say more. At least I don't go through it as if I was going through a check list and give it the appropriate tone of voice and talking rhythm so it really sounds like a special request.

- Do you make guests feel welcome?
* I think I do. I get very positive reactions from people in the club. Then again, those who don't like something don't always let you know... something everyone should keep in mind.

- Do you encourage your fellow employees and help them better perform their duties? Because when they perform theirs, you're better able to perform yours. You sort of work hand in hand.
* I tried to talk to a couple of hosts in a pretty sugarcoated way and got either pissed off replies or was told they've been doing this for a long time and know what's good. Here and there I tried talking to a manger or owner about the gernral topic and the most positive reply I ever got was "I know, but what can you do? We're just happy to have enough hosts to keep the schedule filled."
DJs seem to be a bit more aproachable, probably because they know I'm a DJ, too. I give them pointers how to sound better and when they use certain phrases to often or just don't talk at all.

- Do you do a lot of "don't forget to tip" on air?(even once an hour to many can be seen as begging).
* If a host does absolutely nothing but shoot some guestures and maybe send a notice at the start and at half time I don't at all. If a host at least tries to be part of local chat I do it once per hour or after she did/said something especially entertaining/funny/interesting. And then I don't standard phrases but make it personal.

- What do you do, to make your sets so unique that you deserve more than every other DJ in sl gets?
* First of I don't do it for the Linden or to get more job offers. If no one tips but the chat was just awesome, funny and entertaining I am one happy camper. My intention is to make people really have fun and I think that can be heard when I am on mic and when I write in local.
Some people just love the music I play but that's always a matter of taste. Another person would say "that's so not my thing". So whether my music is unique and makes me deserve anything is something I can't say "yes" or "no" to.

- You seem(and I will agree, as it's very true) to be finding that many hosts are pretty cookie cutter. So what do you bring to the table that would make a host say "damn, I can do better than this"? Not that anyone expects you ought to. Anyone, but me, of course.
* I am talkative and personal in local and work on the chat not staying completely quiet. If there is only a handful of people, some deep in IM and some afk there is not much you can do but I am never silent for endless minutes. Actually I asked a host to show me some of the technical stuff like notices and posting events on the SL webite so I can do some hosting myself in the near future.

I invite you to send me a friend request in SL. When I see you online and am DJing I'll let you know so you can judge for yourself and post your findings here I play classic rock, hard rock and some metal in between.

[Numpty Mistwallow]

I've worked as a host, host manager and rock DJ as well as owning clubs and I have to agree with what you say Vaughn, most hosts seem to think their job entails spamming chat with gestures and firing off a greeting gesture or using an auto-greet HUD. Pathetic really. That's the main reason I rarely go near clubs inworld, it's hard to chat when the host fills local with junk gestures and begging messages.

I'm most definitely with you on the notices being humorous, I've seen the same DJ  in the same club have 15 people show for a set with an ordinary "DJ X is playiong, come on over" and over 50 when the notice has been funny. I think the humour piques the persons interest enough to make them TP over, with luck, and talent, the DJ and host will keep them entertained so they don't just TP right back out..

[Amethyst Jetaime]

I agree with much of what you say but lets not stop there.  There is plenty of criticism to go around.

I find most DJ's in clubs to be just someone with some songs they downloaded and a pirated copy of Sam.  They are nowhere near professional.  Half won't crack the mic and of the ones that do,  half of them shouldn't because their voice just doesn't cut it or what they say is just plain lame. They use play lists instead of picking songs as they go following or guiding the mood of the crowd in the club.  A lot don't stick to the advertised genre of the club and will throw in anything that someone requests.  Most also use way too many gestures.  They are quick to friend everybody and anybody just so they can spam you to death about their gigs.

I have no use for dancers period.  Unless your running a strip club they don't add a thing IMO.

The problem is that there are way too many DJ and Host jobs available than true professionals to fill them.  There really is no incentive for a professional quality person to work in a SL Club unless its something they really enjoy.  Everyone expects club employees to do an excellent and professional job even though most are not paid like they would be in RL.  They have to rely on tips and on average are lucky to make the equivalent of $4US for two hours work. Yes it is SL and just a game or social platform for most club goers, so why do they expect RL quality professionals when it is free to get into a club and most tip 100L or less if they tip at all?  People get what they pay for.

 

[Syo Emerald]

I'm not sure, if I can really agree on what you say. If I go to a club, I want to dance. If I want to dance I need music. If I want a voiceconversation I open skype and call a friend. But DJs who are half of their set busy with talking,talking and talking make me roll my eyes. And at the same time quite a big group of them hasn't a voice I want to listen to...or any content to talk about. Its even worse if I can't hear the song till the end, because the DJ feels chatty again. If I want that, I can also turn on a local radiostation.

[Vaughn Highwater]

Nothing is good if done to the uttmost extreme. It's neither good to say nothing because many people at clubs want more than just music and it's just annoying if someone is so in love with hearing himself talk (too often without any substance) that you wanna shout "shut the EFF up". I also hate it when DJs talk into the songs.

[HoppytheWanderer]

Seems pretty spot on. I'll tell it to you from the opposite perspective, what I'm look for as a customer in a club:

1. Club design. It should look good and be it in an appropriate theme for the music generally speaking. The hangout or dance area should be small enough that I can talk to people on the other side without shouting.

2. Gesture spam: If a club is non-stop walls of multiline text gestures flying across my screen I get annoyed pretty quickly and move on. They fill up my screen with garbage and convey absolutely no information in the process.

3. Conversation in locals: There should be some conversation going on at least every few minutes. Places filled with people where no one ever speaks kind of creep me out. If there's not one going on I will often try to start one with some variation of "Hi, how is everyone doing today?". If I don't get a response after a couple of minutes, I will certainly leave.

4. I don't like to hear the DJ on mic every 10 minutes, I just want to hear the music. Take some time and do some announcements or pop in once in a while between songs and talk. I don't like it when a DJ starts talking over a song, doubly so if it's one I like. 

5. I don't really like 'begging'  for tips or whatnot. Just put your tip jars out there where I can find them, make them noticeable so I find them and see them as I'm camming around looking at butts... err, I mean the club decor and I will put stuff in it once in a while. I think it's a good idea to acknowledge a tip if you get one, I don't personally get offended if you forget to but I know others who will and won't tip ever again.

6. Announcements: When I'm looking, and announcement before a set starts up helps me decide if I want to go to the club or do that scripting thing I've been putting off for a while. It should say who the DJ and host are, what time the set starts and ends, what kind of music is playing, any contests you are planning and the prize, the theme if there is one, and preferably one or two selections you might be playing. I don't like half-time ones because they start to get spammy after a while and if the notifications start to get too spammy, they get turned off for that group and at that point, I'm unlikely to know what's going on especially if there's a special event.

 

[Paul Hexem]

Bingo.

 

That's why I stopped. I've got the equipment, the software, and I do it in RL. Then I get treated like no mic WinAmp users, or people on 10 dollar Walmart mics using a stolen copy of SAM, and it's annoying.

 

I wouldn't even mind working just for tips, because I enjoy the reactions of people listening. But when your club can't even bring people in and I have to spam my own group, so I'm not getting paid AND I don't have new listeners... Where's the incentive?

[Syo Emerald]

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Gadget Portal wrote:

Bingo.

 

That's why I stopped. I've got the equipment, the software, and I do it in RL. Then I get treated like no mic WinAmp users, or people on 10 dollar Walmart mics using a stolen copy of SAM, and it's annoying.

 

I wouldn't even mind working just for tips, because I enjoy the reactions of people listening. But when your club can't even bring people in and I have to spam my own group, so I'm not getting paid AND I don't have new listeners... Where's the incentive?

---

And thats why I mentioned that bad clubowners/managers go hand in hand with all of these named problems about club staff. Because: Who choses them? The owner and/or manager, and if they don't do their job good or misjudge situations then this is the result.

If I would run a club or be in the position of a club manager and I would have you for a job interview (another important point, I would have a talk with a person before I hire them) and you would point out your technical advantages and qualifications, I would treat you well and make sure my guests will know that you stand for high quality.

[ImaTest1488314069]

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Syo Emerald wrote:

I'm not sure, if I can really agree on what you say. If I go to a club, I want to dance. If I want to dance I need music. If I want a voiceconversation I open skype and call a friend. But DJs who are half of their set busy with talking,talking and talking make me roll my eyes. And at the same time quite a big group of them hasn't a voice I want to listen to...or any content to talk about. Its even worse if I can't hear the song till the end, because the DJ feels chatty again. If I want that, I can also turn on a local radiostation.

---

I agree, too much chatter during a set can really ruin it. A good DJ does engage the crowd in conversation as well while spinning, without making it seem forced. Even if the crowd doesn't respond back. I do agree no DJ, at least in sl, should be doing more talking than spinning. But if all you want to listen to is music, you don't need a club, or a DJ for that. Then again, if you have a great DJ who knows what they're doing, them interacting with you wouldn't be something you'd find yourself rolling your eyes at or disliking. Therein lies the difference, as most sl DJs, don't know what they're doing, or even how to do the small amount they do manage figuring out, very well.

I am a DJ in rl. Not full time anymore, but I once was. I've also been a DJ in sl, until I decided that most in sl aren't really looking for anyone professional-even if only doing it for fun. So, this is where I take my experience from, primarily. I've been to many a club in sl, like plenty of others, so I can also draw an opinion from that experience too. The two, combined, is where my opinion stems from. Most rl professional DJs that I have come across can't help but be cynical about the sl version. There are plenty of fantastic ones out there, but they are outnumbered, greatly, by the mediocrre or worse bunch. Most scoff at the idea that a DJ is there to play music, and nothing more. Because that's not what they are there for, and it's the rest of sl that has it backwards. Most DJs, while they do have a theme or general list in mind, don't pre-load some program with a ton of music and just sit back and allow it to do the work, with an occasional line or two here and there. If that's what clubs were really aiming for, they'd have no use for a DJ at all.

 

[ImaTest1488314069]

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Vaughn Highwater wrote:

Nothing is good if done to the uttmost extreme. It's neither good to say nothing because many people at clubs want more than just music and it's just annoying if someone is so in love with hearing himself talk (too often without any substance) that you wanna shout "shut the EFF up". I also hate it when DJs talk into the songs.

---

I was at a reggae club the other day and that's exactly what I was thinking. The dude kept talking and not even just between songs. He was talking during them too. All I wanted to do was strangle the dude. Apparently I wasn't alone because a few other patrons decided to voice a similar opinion in local, and promptly got booted. Granted they could have worded it better, but they were spot on. Talk about a room killer though. I had been there listening to one DJ and stayed on when that guy started his shift. I couldn't stand it and left after about 25 minutes.

[Paul Hexem]

---

Syo Emerald wrote:

---

Gadget Portal wrote:

Bingo.

 

That's why I stopped. I've got the equipment, the software, and I do it in RL. Then I get treated like no mic WinAmp users, or people on 10 dollar Walmart mics using a stolen copy of SAM, and it's annoying.

 

I wouldn't even mind working just for tips, because I enjoy the reactions of people listening. But when your club can't even bring people in and I have to spam my own group, so I'm not getting paid AND I don't have new listeners... Where's the incentive?

---

And thats why I mentioned that bad clubowners/managers go hand in hand with all of these named problems about club staff. Because: Who choses them? The owner and/or manager, and if they don't do their job good or misjudge situations then this is the result.

If I would run a club or be in the position of a club manager and I would have you for a job interview (another important point, I would have a talk with a person before I hire them) and you would point out your technical advantages and qualifications, I would treat you well and make sure my guests will know that you stand for high quality.

---

Nice to know.

[Dillon Levenque]

I think this is actually a survey, isn't it? The OP presented some opinions/questions and asked for input. The big difference between this and most of the rest is that this OP actually KNOWS SOMETHING about SL. So this survey is getting plenty of responses.

My two Lindens: I visit a limited number of clubs and they all vary somewhat, but I thought about them while reading through this thread and one thing I've noticed (and that hasn't been mentioned) is that clubs/venues that are hosted by owners—as opposed to someone hired for the job—seem to me to always be more fun. Not sure why, maybe just because the owners are more motivated to keep people there. They also tend to do everything they can to make the place inclusive (as in the opposite of cliquish) for the same reason.

I don't care for DJ's or hosts who mic. Microphones are for singers and musicians. Local works just fine for communication; all I want to hear in my headphones is the music.

I don't think dancers, as in apparent club employees/members dancing for show, adds a thing. Dancing is for the guests. I realize in strip clubs they are there for a reason, but that doesn't apply to normal clubs.

Thank you for presenting an actual Second Life survey.

[Amethyst Jetaime]

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Gadget Portal wrote:

Bingo.

 

That's why I stopped. I've got the equipment, the software, and I do it in RL. Then I get treated like no mic WinAmp users, or people on 10 dollar Walmart mics using a stolen copy of SAM, and it's annoying.

 

I wouldn't even mind working just for tips, because I enjoy the reactions of people listening. But when your club can't even bring people in and I have to spam my own group, so I'm not getting paid AND I don't have new listeners... Where's the incentive?

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Exactly.  My partner is a RL DJ and he does a set once in a while  for grins at a club that appreciates it.  Most club owners don't do much to bring people in to the club themselves  They don't pay you but expect you to spam not only your group but everyone you know to get people there (which most people hate), they expect you to put your own money up for contests, and then ,many of them want to take a percentage of what tips you do make, like they are the ones doing you the favor.

[Christin73]

I host and have for a while. Doesnt matter what genra. The job of a host/ess I see is this. A good host or hostess is there to suport the DJ. That means when people come in you welcome them. In your welcome every once in a while let them know who the DJ is. Promote requests and tipping of the DJ as well as Dancers if there are dancers. When I host I am active in local chat. I am constantly/ every 10 minates promoting either Tipping the DJ or letting people know they take requests. A good host is an active host. Just my expierience.