What to do about someone gaming search terms re: marketplace?

[Maryanne Solo]

If you have submitted a report before the forum change, (massive task) and it still hasn't been dealt with, should you wait a bit longer or just bombard LL with the same data. (they did say it would take a while).

The offender insists the problem they created is mine and I am getting just a little annoyed. (before all hell breaks loose).

What do you recommend SL community? or preferably a Linden.

Here is my reply to what is written below. (thx for tyring Suella but I'll still be seeking LL to sort this persons mess out for them).

So Suella you are telling me that because someone is too lazy to spell correctly and because they add the words for a google search - nothing to do with the marketplace, (these are her own written words) - my business of original products suffers by having someones extremely ordinary overpriced stuff appearing at the top of my marketplace shop? Since when is THAT acceptable. (I omit the EXACT search function that produces this result here - and note that the offender has made it known who she is, not me). To make the same *innocent mistake SEVEN times reeks of foul play. (Oh sure we just copy and paste and NEVER bother to check for accuracy do we? THAT makes you unemployable in the real world let alone be well suited for SL business).

I had no idea the Labs would allow someone to grief an innocent party in this fashion, sure call it a simple mistake, but it is flat out griefing to be accurate and If I had known this, I would not have even started with SL. This problem did not exist until this individuals greed got the better of their common sense and they decided to incorporate google search terms, if that isn't gaming the search terms then WHAT IS? I don't use any search term that is not strictly related to the SL marketplace - isn't that how you are supposed to do it?. So for 2 years I have had the same privelige as others expect, which is to go about my business unnafected by griefers until this debacle instigated by greed and lack of everyday skills. 

I will continue to seek LL's help and maybe I might actually use my membership of copyright association in real life to force some common sense here.

Does anyone else suffer from the effect of deliberately gaming the marketplace search terms with completely unrelated (to second life) text included in the terms? If this individual says she has remedied it, why is it still happening?

ps: The items will be repeatedly flagged, tickets + AR's will continue to be submitted until this nonsense is rectified. Dumb down my SL? no way!

09/03/2011. YAY! The recent changes to the marketplace have removed 6 of the 7 offensive items appeariing in my shop because of the search term gaming, Only 1 to go now!!!! (close enough is not good enough though unfortunately). Nevertheless it's a drastic improvement. Was it the marketplace changes or the reporting and flagging? Regardless, It will continue.

[Knowl Paine]

You could continue to expose how the system is being Gamed, if enough people see the problem a remedy could be found.

Inform people as to how it is unfair. State matters of fact. Invite individuals to join your cause. 

Stay in Honor.  

[Suspiria Finucane]

 

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Maryanne Solo wrote:

If you have submitted a report before the forum change, (massive task) and it still hasn't been dealt with, should you wait a bit longer or just bombard LL with the same data. (they did say it would take a while).

The offender insists the problem they created is mine and I am getting just a little annoyed. (before all hell breaks loose).

What do you recommend SL community? or preferably a Linden.

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Hi Maz

 

I'm facing the same dilemma with another kind of system gaming. It's a tough place to be in for sure. Do you publicly expose these violators or sit and wait for the proper justice to be issued (which you really never know).

For now I'm waiting patiently....

[Suella Ember]

You say you 'submitted a report' - does that mean an inworld AR? Or via support ticket?

If this is on the Marketplace, have you used the 'Flag this item' link on the listing in question? That's the best way to get it adressed.

Go to the item in question, use the 'Flag this item' link (on the right of the listing), select 'Spam or disallowed listing practice. from the drop down, then select 'Keyword spam (unrelated keywords that skew search results') from the second drop down.

[Madeliefste Oh]

'Gaming the search terms' is not the right term to use in this case.

What Maryanne is refering to is an item of me that shows up in her marketplace shop. She has been sending me notecards about this inworld, telling me to get out of her shop. I had a look at her problem and then I found I made a typo in one of my listings. I misspelled the world 'silk' into 'slik', what happens to be her shopname.

Though she has not the alone right to use the word 'slik' as a keyword, I could understand she was irritated that my merchandise showed up at her marketplace shop. So I corrected my typo and changed it to the right word 'silk'. I thought this would solve her problem, but it didn't. Despite I cleaned the listings with the typo, they still show up at her marketplace shop. But that is beyond my control. It must be one of the bugs of the marketplace.I advised her to contact the lab for further assistence.

I also told her to have a look at my keywords (with View -> Source) to convince herself that her brandname is no longer a keyword in my listings.

So I have done what I could to help her. AR me or flagging my items on the marketplace won't help to solve the problem. Cause there is nothing to find in my listings that have anything to do with gaming the search terms.

[Void Singer]

having just visited your store (by clicking on the link for slik design after searching your name), I find only your items listed. I find the same when I keword search the store name quoted as when I click the link for the actual store.

however, a keyword search on the word "slik" produces about 6 different merchants, but the keyword (mispelled or not) is NOT going to be acted upon unless you can prove that it is a registered trademark and brand name of your products, and that it is not a common word in another language.

until you can do that, there is almost zero chance that LL will do anything no matter how many tickets or abuse reports you file.

[Suella Ember]

Ah interesting!

Well, give what Madeliefste has said below, it's a none issue. Don't bother flagging her item because LL will (rightly) just ignore it.

Sorry, but can't claim ownership over a keyword Maryanne (unless its a unique registered trademark). It won't appear in your storefront anyway - it would just appear if someone searched on the keyword "slik". Besides which it was clearly just a spelling mistake that Madeliefste has kindly corrected.

What you are proposing would mean that no-one could sell shoes if someone decided to call their brand 'Shoes'! :smileyvery-happy: