Community advice needed

[TheDarkhand]

Hello,  second life forum community.

I a newer play and a first-time landowner, I opened a sniper city/live music event 1/2 sim. I never owned or operated a public environment. Sorry, I struggle for words to explain my sim www.riotstreetfighter.com will explain it better.

I would love some advice on how to attract staff and users to my sim, I tried adds and DJing small events I posted on events. I have had 2 "Best in combat look" contest board events. So far so slow, today I have a tribute band and "Grand Opening" day going on all day today. I looking for any advice anyone is willing to offer, I am thick-skinned and take criticism well so do not hold back.

[Pixie Kobichenko]

You have a niche market, even if it is a little broad- but killing monsters & music.  

You are not however, unique.  Looooots of music venues.  Lots of RP/game regions.  

Just tough it out, and wait to build up your group members.

[Zeta Vandyke]

When doing music events, you generally attract followers of that specific artist. So the more "famous" an artist you hire, the more people wil follow up to the event. This is nice to attract people during the event, but they will most likely just be there for the music/event, and not come back to the region afterwards.

I would try to think of events/games that are based around what your place is about. I have no experience with it, but maybe certain games, tournaments, or set up a league with other combat sims? 

I can imagine something like an SL combat league, having regions host their own team that visit all the other places and yours for combat league games. Just something that comes to mind

[Alwin Alcott]

just my few cents..  most starting clubs depend on the groups tied to the dj's, not their own, if a starting club works with starting dj''s it will be often a long road to get a steady visitorcount.
 

Edited July 12, 2019 by Alwin Alcott

[TheDarkhand]

That part is so hard, attracting entertainment performers with a following to my dead sim.

My first event was with a DJ that been around for many years and had a good-sized group. The night of the event he did not show up and removed himself from my group without a single heads up.

I can not blame him as it was an empty sim and who wants to DJ a party to a sim owner in an empty sim.

I wish I could figure out how you attract established DJs in a new sim.

Edited July 12, 2019 by TheDarkhand

[Bitsy Buccaneer]

Aren't there motor cycle clubs and other groups which battle each other sometimes? I'm extrapolating from things I've read in the forums so I may well have gotten it wrong. Anyway, you could offer your build as a location for them to fight each other. Then they could have a party after

Just a thought in case it's of any use or sparks better ideas.

[bigmoe Whitfield]

if us non humans can come over (I'm cute, walk on 2 legs and speak english and have a fluffy tail :3 )  and check the place out, we can help draw the crowds in.  

[Polenth Yue]

What are you doing to advertise the sim? Are you involved in any other communities? If the answer to that is you're not doing much and you don't know anyone, it's going to be a slow and painful process. If I held an opening party somewhere, I'd invite people I know to make a starting crowd.

[Cindy Evanier]

"Build it and they will come"  rarely happens in SL.   |You have to work hard to get yourself known and attract people.  

Some ideas off the top of my head;

get a flickr group going, share pictures to destinations flickr groups.You will have to search them out

Maybe offer a contest for bloggers to take pictures of the sim and get the word spread that way

Offer rez rights for bloggers to use your region as a backdrop to pictures and ask that in return they tag your region in the picture

Search out destinations bloggers and invite them to write  piece on your region.

Sent an application to SL destinations guide

 

 

[Buttacwup Float]

I think the most successful regions are ones where the owner/creator already has a group in mind to be there. If you and your friends are already there even a few hours each day then when others pop in they see a community that is active. If its just you (and I am not saying it is, just in general) then its very hard to get those random folks who pop in to stay. Empty is the death of venues. You might try focusing the events and activities around a very narrow time. Find 3 or 4 or so other friends to be there each day at that time with you to give the place some life. Find some newer DJs willing to play even to an empty room just to get started and slowly grow their groups if needed. I also wouldn't worry so much on gimics...best in X contests etc. I think they draw in people interested in the prize, not your region. You end up just giving away money you could use to do other things. 

Oh and you don't have the SLUrl to your venue in your forum signature, or the post... make it easy for people to get to what you are talking about.

[Selene Gregoire]

Another region based on combat/violence? No thank you. There's more than enough violence in the real world and combat sims in SL are a dime a dozen. 

Maybe focus less on combat and more on social interactions?

Edited July 12, 2019 by Selene Gregoire
dime not dim although I suppose dimes can be dim

[Bree Giffen]

Find your target audience and check out where they are in world (your competition). Hang out with them. Listen and learn. Improve your sim and then make sure to get the word out. 

[Adam Spark]

On 7/12/2019 at 5:58 AM, TheDarkhand said:

That part is so hard, attracting entertainment performers with a following to my dead sim.

My first event was with a DJ that been around for many years and had a good-sized group. The night of the event he did not show up and removed himself from my group without a single heads up.

I can not blame him as it was an empty sim and who wants to DJ a party to a sim owner in an empty sim.

I wish I could figure out how you attract established DJs in a new sim.

A DJ worth half his weight wouldn't do this, you can blame him and you do not want him.

It bugs me to no end when DJs think they are too good for you. Any performer worth anything will keep a commitment provided the venue promoted the event and held up their end of the bargain.

The "easiest" (yet still hard) way to populate a dead sim is to surround yourself with like-minded people before venturing into it and go into business WITH people. Send invites. Post to Second Life events calendar (every venue should do this and it annoys me as a live performer manager when they don't). Use social media if you have it. Build a clientele one regular at a time. Because they won't come in groups.  If a DJ draws 20, they are there to hear the DJ. You might find one who will take a group invite or grab a LM to your venue....on a good day.

Be prepared to be your own staff for a while - and even when you have staff, you remain the face of the venue. Do not think a venue can run itself because you have staff. Most hosts just want Ls and don't put the work in to benefit the venue because they don't pay the bills. They just care about getting their tips, for the most part. Hire, because you must, but be careful not to let them run the place. If you are lucky enough to get a few regulars who you are confident care about the place, recruit their help instead.

When recruiting DJs, be thorough about introducing your location to them. If they are like-minded, they might take a vested interest and be less likely to worry about low crowds. Consider giving them a tour. Show the performers you are serious.

Running a location in Second Life is hard. From one venue owner to another, I wish you the best of luck @TheDarkhand

Edited July 16, 2019 by Adam Spark

[Mollymews]

i think that as you are in the Awareness building phase then

as it also seems you have a budget of L$ to play with then I would go with some free-to-play guns that pay some L$. People will come and play the games to earn L$

if not free-to-play L$ directly, then use the free-to-play gun to score credits to buy the gun/ammo that do pay off scores in L$. Like it might take 600 or 1000 worth of credits to get the 299L pay-to-play gun. It might also mean that credits have to be used to buy ammo, so is how it might need 1000 credits altogether to get the pay gun, which I assume requires pay ammo also

basically if do have a pay-to-play gun and no ammo and no L$, then can use the free-to-play gun to earn some ammo credits for the pay-to-play gun

 

[Lindal Kidd]

See my blog post, "Ads, Ads, Ads!"

[LysippeAriti]

Sneaking an Ad into a forum question is a start I suppose........  🙂

[TheDarkhand]

On 7/12/2019 at 4:21 PM, Selene Gregoire said:

Another region based on combat/violence? No thank you. There's more than enough violence in the real world and combat sims in SL are a dime a dozen. 

Maybe focus less on combat and more on social interactions?

it's not a combat sim built on violence, it's a sniper city you make long range hard target shots to win L$, there no combat system or meter only a sniper gun you can buy, the reloading is free you must search out the reload stations and try not to get killed by one of the many traps, getting killed only sends you back to the main teleport location meaning you will have to make your way threw the city and under ground to claim bullet clips in order to shoot targets and win L$ per shot.Lets not forget what social media done for the world int e past 3 years, it's used to orcastrait and plan violent attacks on people also help spread fake news daily around the world.

Edited July 19, 2019 by TheDarkhand

[Selene Gregoire]

11 minutes ago, TheDarkhand said:

it's not a combat sim built on violence, it's a sniper city you make long range hard target shots to win L$, there no combat system or meter only a sniper gun you can buy, the reloading is free you must search out the reload stations and try not to get killed by one of the many traps, getting killed only sends you back to the main teleport location meaning you will have to make your way threw the city and under ground to claim bullet clips in order to shoot targets and win L$ per shot.Lets not forget what social media done for the world int e past 3 years, it's used to orcastrait and plan violent attacks on people also help spread fake news daily around the world.

Sniping is violence. That region is based on violence. Full stop.