Is it wrong to break into people's houses?

[Bunky Snowbear]

I'm currently walking across the SL grid, from the southwest to the northeast corner. So far I've walked 130+ sims. Yay!

But I have a moral conumdrum. If an area of a sim has ban lines or a auto-boot security system, it is clear strangers are not welcome. But if an area is unsecured and unoccupied (ie, noone around to ask), is it ok to explore the area and/or break into a house and have a bath? Any thoughts on this issue of travel etiquette would be appreciated.

 

You can follow my progress at http://bunkysend2end.blogspot.com/ if you wish to do so

[Dante Tucker]

If in doubt just go around.

I have found opinion on this varies. Many people would love for you to explore their homes even if they are not there. To others it is the end of the world and will result in a week long drama fest.

[Aimee Weber]

My gut says yes, it's fine (or, no ... it's not wrong.) There are some folks who are territorial in a "git-off-mah-land" kind of way, but when you see them, just make a hasty exit and be on your way.

 

In the olden days I used to relentlessly abuse seldom-tended land for my little building projects. This was before LL implemented better land management tools. :smileywink:

[Drake1 Nightfire]

 

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Bunky Snowbear wrote:

I'm currently walking across the SL grid, from the southwest to the northeast corner. So far I've walked 130+ sims. Yay!

But I have a moral conumdrum. If an area of a sim has ban lines or a auto-boot security system, it is clear strangers are not welcome. But if an area is unsecured and unoccupied (ie, noone around to ask), is it ok to explore the area and/or break into a house and have a bath? Any thoughts on this issue of travel etiquette would be appreciated.

 

You can follow my progress at

http://bunkysend2end.blogspot.com/

if you wish to do so

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No, it is considered very bad form to use others items without permission. Imagine how you would feel if you logged in and found a stranger in your bed taking a "nap" or bathing in your tub. Personally I would stay out of others private homes / yards.

 

[Janelle Darkstone]

Dress like the UPS guy.

(Anyone else hanging around my doorstep better have a good reason for being there or they get to meet the dog.)

[Bunky Snowbear]

Ahh, but how do I know they are private if they have no barriers? Surely if people were concerned about trespassers, they would install security.

[Dante Tucker]

It's impossible to know how private they consider their land. Never make assumptions, even if banlines are off and the doors are open.

I find people are very welcoming, and don't care. But not always....

[Sidnella Riler]

I leave my land always with no security, specially because it has a lot of water and lot of boats would get caught while crossing or sailing around in Blake Sea, and it is very annoying to try move with vehicles and get banned, but many people will close their parcels, they have the right to of course, but then again, what are they protecting their properties for? no point if you ask me

It is very interesting that you have walked so many sims

[Willow Danube]

I was wondering about you the other day if you had passed by my house. Told you before that you are welcome to wash your tired feet at my little pool in front of my house and have a shisha or two in my house. :smileyvery-happy:

Anyway, for me if I don't want anyone to come into my house, I'll have the door locked. However, I don't lock my door and anyone who wants to use the place as a resting place or to snoop around.. be my guest. I haven't got anything to hide..

In fact, I think I'm going to follow Nancy's and post my SLurL in amana's thread for anyone to use.

@Drake and Janelle - LOVE the Badges!

[Relm Foxdale]

If it were my house, well...if the security didn't get you, the hornets would. If my security were off and I weren't there, I'd have an issue with people being it, but odds are, I'd never know, so...

[Kelinda]

If the houses are unoccupied how do you know people own them? Maybe a fish owns the house or a dog or a cat and they would love someone with thumbs to come in and help with things they can't do. Maybe a big corporation owns the house and they are hoping people come in and try the house out so they can do marketing research. Well.... you never know it could be true. :smileytongue:

[Tristan Avedon]

If it looks like someone's home, avoid it. 

Granted, a smart homeowner would install a security system to warn you, but still...better to err on the side of caution. 

Cheers! 

[EnCore Mayne]

first, let me congratulate you on initiating this journey Bunky. your trek, as you have discovered, will put your avatar into situations and circumstances that require some modicum of thought on your player's part. encountering someone else's unsecured property leaves you with your current dilemma. unfortunately, as you'll begin to understand, SL is populated by all manner of strange societies, cliques, and alliances with little or no known code by which you can judiciously follow. so, this is not actually a moral issue but one more befitting an ethical or personal travail. thank you for allowing me to add my opinion.

as you will see by the current crop of answers each account/user has their own precautionary tales regarding their reaction to your daring revelation. as far as it concerns my own understanding of how SL works i would enjoy anyone availing themselves of anything i have left out on my land. i kinda take that into consideration when i build. if SL was designed to remove all my prims when i log out it'd be a mighty useless place to wander.

there are many ways to restrict the use of your property by anyone other than your self or your group. allowing use by anyone is a choice. enjoy your freedom. see where it takes you. hahahaha. good luck.

[Hugsy Penguin]

I ride the fence of being both a land owner and an explorer. While I support land owner rights to restrict access to their land, I don't think it's the worst thing in the world to be on someone else's land without their express written permission. If they have a security orb, ban lines, signs, something in the parcel description, or whatnot, then, ok, avoid it. Otherwise, don't worry about it.

 It could very well be that the land owner doesn't care. You could wondering around a bunch of homes that end up being a home seller demo area. Or maybe they're unoccupied rentals where the landlord doesn't mind.

 If the land owner does come along and ask you to leave or ejects you, then just deal with it and move on.

[Drongle McMahon]

For me, the main point of having land and building on it is the hope that other people might enjoy it. So you are  wellcome. The only condition is that you have to be nice to the cats. I guess I might not feel so generous if you took up permanent residence though. On the other hand, I usually don't go inside people's houses unless there is an invitation to do so. (I guess I should put an invitation on mine).

[Marianne McCann]

IMO, if it looks like a home, treat it as you would a first life home. Don't wander in without permission.

[Janelle Darkstone]

@ Willow: Thank you.  :smileytongue:

And @ Bunky: after glancing over your adventures in your blog, I think you have to break into homes and treat yourself to a bath.  Be sure to leave wet towels all scrunched up on the floor.  Also, be sure to rearrange the furniture and replace all the canned goods in the pantry with rolled socks from the sock drawer and vise versa.  Homeowners love that.

[Ian Undercroft]

Personally, I have no problem so long as you show respect if the home owner arrives. I think that at times too much of SL is not generally accessible for no good reason. 

Unfortunately though, over the years I have had the occasional nutter/small time griefer attend at my place and in an attempt to prevent visits by such people I now deny access to those who don't have PIOF and are not adult verified.

The only time strangers visiting caused me to become angry was when I returned home on one occasion to discover a zebra and a woman "having fun" on my bed! 

[Venus Petrov]

I used to leave my property open all the time.  Then, there was a time or two when I rezzed at home to find someone or two in my hot tub.  So, I got an orb and turned it on when I was not at home.  Then, someone or three walked up on my deck while I was home (and changing clothes) without announcing themselves.  Maybe they did not have their mini map up to see my green dot.  So, now my orb is on all of the time  Since I live on a mainland sim corner with water on two sides and a mall nearby, I have lots of drop-ins (my orb tells me).

Two days ago, while I was at home, someone flew onto my deck and stood there as the orb warned her to leave.  She returned two more times.  I asked her in IM why she kept returning and she said because she felt like it. 

I may go back to shutting off my orb when I am not around.  My hut is modest and there is not much they could do to it.  I just do not care to be interrupted when I am home.

[Kidd Krasner]

 

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Bunky Snowbear wrote:

Ahh, but how do I know they are private if they have no barriers? Surely if people were concerned about trespassers, they would install security.

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How do you know they're public if they have no signs, advertisements, classifieds, etc?

There are plenty of places in SL that are actually worth seeking out and visiting, because of interesting or exceptional design, theme, etc.  Merely walking through one parcel at a time seems a most inefficient way to go about things.

[Dogboat Taurog]

do the right thing and ask first,  if you dont get an answer dont go there.

my partner and i don't like security but that doesnt mean we want you on our land.

equate it to RL.

 

 

[Dogboat Taurog]

my partner and i get unwanted unknown visitors "dropping in".

not polite,  but the world is going to hell in a handbasket anyway.

[Jo Yardley]

Treat SL like RL, if you find a place with open doors, no security, you're probably welcome to explore.

If doors are closed and you need to go inside by bypassing doors or if there is security, keep walking.

In our sim we try to be as realistic as possible, we have a city, we have roleplay, we have police.

If you enter a home (all doors of private residences are locked) you can receive a IM asking you not to do so, but if you're unlucky you get a scary big 1920s Police man shouting at you and locking you up for tresspassing

[Bunky Snowbear]

In response to Kidd Krasner "Merely walking through one parcel at a time seems a most inefficient way to go about things."

Sure it is, but that's the whole point. It's the spirit of adventure, surprise, discovery etc that has got me doing what I am doing, and loving it too!

[Jo Yardley]

Lovely idea.

We had a tv show like that some time ago, presenter just got a big red marker, drew a straight line on a map and tried to follow it, going trough houses, crossing rivers, etc, etc.

It is amazing what you discover by just knocking on peoples doors asking if you can walk torugh their homes