Is BOTs traffic gaming SERIOUSLY breaking Second Life search?

[Profaitchikenz Haiku]

My personal approach has always been to use the name of the parcel and the landmark text description plus the picture to work out it it's something I should like to visit. So those who go by the numbers are those who can't be bothered reading, or can't wait for the landmark picture to finish loading?

There are some clever use of bots in a few sims where they utter odd bits of chat to try and set the ambience, I've nothing against them really.

[Tari Landar]

2 minutes ago, Luna Bliss said:

Quite a few do socialize at these places though, but even if these 'fishing people' aren't socializing the game is still providing far more value than bots do, as these people are earning money and/or enjoying playing the game. So this adds value to SL overall.

I didn't say they don't add value to SL overall, they very much do.  I enjoyed them quite a bit myself, I know how valuable they can be. 

What I said is they have the same effect on the traffic of the location as unmanned avs do (which also includes avs often called bots but not actually slated as registered bots).

In that regard they have the same effect on traffic....not value for sl, but traffic numbers. So if one breaks it, they both do. 

[Solar Legion]

3 minutes ago, Profaitchikenz Haiku said:

I guess I'm with you on that then.

Oh, very creative use of colouring to match point to response. Colour me inspired.

I'll occasionally do that coloring trick when responding to a post that has several questions within it - both when I remember to and when those questions are related to each other in some way.

Despite severe visual impairment, I find doing such is a neat method for organizing responses to such questions.

[Luna Bliss]

Just now, Solar Legion said:

As stated earlier in the thread, I'll look at the Place name and Description before even so much as glancing at the Traffic - a step I only take if looking for some new place to shop.

Yes, but you aren't a newer person and more likely to be my customer, so what you do is pretty irrelevant (for my purposes).

Tests have shown that people usually click higher on a list first (yes there are tests for every freaking thing).  And after that, people only have time to check so many places and usually find what they want within a few clicks... so if you're down on a list you're at a severe disadvantage.

[Tari Landar]

2 minutes ago, Solar Legion said:

Much the same and such a use is one of the incredibly few use cases for Traffic as any sort of useful metric.

As stated earlier in the thread, I'll look at the Place name and Description before even so much as glancing at the Traffic - a step I only take if looking for some new place to shop.

Yeah I look at their descriptions and such too paying little to no attention to traffic numbers, because I know what sorts of things can inflate them, and how. I'm more interested in WHAT is there, really. But, that's just my approach. 

[Rowan Amore]

I don't think I have ever used classified ads when searching for an item.

[Solar Legion]

That's nice Luna. Such tests simply confirm that people - in general - are becoming more and more easily led around by the nose/enamored with absolutely irrelevant/trivial things.

[Profaitchikenz Haiku]

Just now, Luna Bliss said:

Yes, but you aren't a newer person

Ok, I get it now. Are there enough brand new people joining that this is worthy of concern? I have to say most of the "new" people I've encountered the past few weeks have turned out to be old accounts who'd lost or forgotten their login details and decided to do a fresh start. They'll be wise to the traffic thing one would think.

[Silent Mistwalker]

5 minutes ago, Rowan Amore said:

I don't think I have ever used classified ads when searching for an item.

I don't used Classifieds either. There's a perfectly good catalog of stores somewhere called the Marketplace and then I just search for the store name or avatar name to find an inworld store. I run across a lot of other good stores that way just cruising through [the region] looking for certain ones.

Edited March 3, 2021 by Silent Mistwalker

[RunawayBunny]

3 minutes ago, Rowan Amore said:

I don't think I have ever used classified ads when searching for an item.

Those ads very expensive and from my experience only new players click them while trying figure out how search actually works.

Perhaps LL can do a rework on them make it relevant. Just a suggestion

[Luna Bliss]

3 minutes ago, Solar Legion said:

That's nice Luna. Such tests simply confirm that people - in general - are becoming more and more easily led around by the nose/enamored with absolutely irrelevant/trivial things.

One thing I learned was to not pay attention to advice on a forum, and that's why I've earned so much money here doing what I love...

 

[Solar Legion]

3 minutes ago, Profaitchikenz Haiku said:

My personal approach has always been to use the name of the parcel and the landmark text description plus the picture to work out it it's something I should like to visit. So those who go by the numbers are those who can't be bothered reading, or can't wait for the landmark picture to finish loading?

There are some clever use of bots in a few sims where they utter odd bits of chat to try and set the ambience, I've nothing against them really.

Answering the question first: Pretty much, I am afraid.

I make no attempts to disguise my disdain for such a way of doing things - as rather clearly evidenced in this very thread - and marvel at how casually people just ... roll with such trends.

That last bit in your above post is - truthfully - the best use for such scripted agents and likely another part of why Linden Lab treats them the way they do. They should be treated the exact same way as that type of NPC! That is even part of the intent behind Animesh "objects" that resemble and behave like people/avatars!

I dearly wish more would actually use both Bots/Scripted agents and Animesh "objects" as such.

[Luna Bliss]

4 minutes ago, Profaitchikenz Haiku said:

6 minutes ago, Luna Bliss said:

Yes, but you aren't a newer person

Ok, I get it now. Are there enough brand new people joining that this is worthy of concern? I have to say most of the "new" people I've encountered the past few weeks have turned out to be old accounts who'd lost or forgotten their login details and decided to do a fresh start. They'll be wise to the traffic thing one would think.

I don't know, really.  But I do see that a few garden stores are waaaaaay up at the top of the Places legacy search...perhaps they are on to something.

Personally I stopped trying to increase traffic to my store a long time ago, or even do much marketing really. It left me little time to do what I love, which is to create.

But to your point...I consider someone 3 years and under as new.

[Solar Legion]

Again Luna .... That's nice. You're operating a business and so of course you're going to pay attention to trends and other such things to try and maximize your potential profits.

Unfortunately in the end, such a tactic when applied across society as a whole results in exactly what I have described: People who are more concerned with "popularity" (appearance over substance/usefulness).

[Finite]

14 minutes ago, Profaitchikenz Haiku said:

There are some clever use of bots in a few sims where they utter odd bits of chat to try and set the ambience, I've nothing against them really.

LOL! i was in this cyberpunk sim where one threatened me with a knife if I kept trying to talk to it xD.

Edited March 3, 2021 by Finite

[Solar Legion]

Just now, Finite said:

LOL! i was in this cyberpunk sim where one threatened me with a knife xD.

Now see, this is what I was talking about in an earlier post! Things like this are what should be done with Bots/Scripted Agents and such!

[Luna Bliss]

1 minute ago, Solar Legion said:

Again Luna .... That's nice. You're operating a business and so of course you're going to pay attention to trends and other such things to try and maximize your potential profits.

Unfortunately in the end, such a tactic when applied across society as a whole results in exactly what I have described: People who are more concerned with "popularity" (appearance over substance/usefulness).

To be successful (financially) you need to have good items, comparable to others in your field, and also market well.  Without the latter you sell much less.  Just because someone markets this doesn't mean they have no substance.

[Profaitchikenz Haiku]

2 minutes ago, Finite said:

i was in this cyberpunk sim where one threatened me with a knife if I kept trying to talk to it

To my thinking that's the way to use bots, to draw people into the immersiveness, it makes it a bit more entertaining.

[Luna Bliss]

Thanks @Tari Landar   It just may be worth it to increase my traffic, although so much has gone to the Marketplace this might not help sales much...not enough to make focusing on it worth it.

And @Wili Clip.....send me a free outlay!   I've spoken up enough for you lately to deserve it !   😆

But thinking more... of the hassles under the store with a park and all these misbehaving people....maybe not..

[Rowan Amore]

For what it's worth, if I tp into a region, see a bunch of bots on a platform or people standing around fishing, I leave and never return so put all the traffic building stuff you'd like there.  The only thing it does is to tell me where not to go.

[Luna Bliss]

1 minute ago, Rowan Amore said:

For what it's worth, if I tp into a region, see a bunch of bots on a platform or people standing around fishing, I leave and never return so put all the traffic building stuff you'd like there.  The only thing it does is to tell me where not to go.

Why is that?

[Finite]

6 minutes ago, Luna Bliss said:

Thanks @Tari Landar   It just may be worth it to increase my traffic, although so much has gone to the Marketplace this might not help sales much...not enough to make focusing on it worth it.

Is marketplace really that popular? I feel the longer I have played the game the less I find myself shopping at marketplace. I feel there's a dependency on MP for new players that older players gradually gravitate away from. 

Edited March 3, 2021 by Finite

[Solar Legion]

2 minutes ago, Luna Bliss said:

To be successful (financially) you need to have good items, comparable to others in your field, and also market well.  Without the latter you sell much less.  Just because someone markets this doesn't mean they have no substance.

Breaking my usual rules here and directly quoting you ....

Read what I wrote a bit more carefully and you'll see I was talking about the average, modern person/user and not the merchant when talking about "popularity".

I will however have to vehemently disagree as the more you emphasize/try to cash in on that reaction to such, the less attention is paid to more important details - this happen so frequently that it is practically a rule these days.

There are certainly merchants who manage to be an exception and I personally tend to gravitate to them. I - personally - don't care how trendy your items are or what meaningless buzzwords you use in your descriptions or even what types/styles of items as a whole you tend to sell, I'll pay far more attention to the item itself (assembly, options, compatibility (for clothing/attachments) and such) when deciding on purchasing or not ... or even to bother much with your store as a whole.

[Luna Bliss]

Just now, Finite said:

5 minutes ago, Luna Bliss said:

Thanks @Tari Landar   It just may be worth it to increase my traffic, although so much has gone to the Marketplace this might not help sales much...not enough to make focusing on it worth it.

Is marketplace really that popular? I feel the longer I have played the game the less I find myself shopping at marketplace.

It really is. Most of my sales come from the MP, and others have voiced the same.  There are stores that have no MP presence though...not sure how well they do.

[RunawayBunny]

1 minute ago, Finite said:

Is marketplace really that popular?

I am only using market place for purchases. I will visit in world store if some relevant demo exist (example building demo.)

I can use marketplace while talking with friends or working on something.

Faster and more practical than visiting in world store.