Do you all think that Second Life is less sociable now than before?

[Kiera Clutterbuck]

On 7/30/2022 at 2:57 PM, Coffee Pancake said:

There is also the point that old school forums are a dying internet breed.

Sad to hear. Do you know why they are a dying internet breed?

[Coffee Pancake]

4 minutes ago, Kiera Clutterbuck said:

Sad to hear. Do you know why they are a dying internet breed?

Someone in marketing decided parasocial dopamine driven advertiser money was more important.

So instead of advancement in group social tooling that requires a time investment from users to integrate, we have TikTok. A service so perfect it's actually harmful to neuro divergent people. 

 

Discord is IRC, Reddit is Usenet.

[Kiera Clutterbuck]

3 minutes ago, Coffee Pancake said:

Someone in marketing decided parasocial dopamine driven advertiser money was more important.

So instead of advancement in group social tooling that requires a time investment from users to integrate, we have TikTok. A service so perfect it's actually harmful to neuro divergent people. 

 

Discord is IRC, Reddit is Usenet.

It's almost like the "powers that be" (not in some conspiracy sense) don't want people to truly connect and form relationships anymore.

[Love Zhaoying]

3 minutes ago, Kiera Clutterbuck said:

It's almost like the "powers that be" (not in some conspiracy sense) don't want people to truly connect and form relationships anymore.

That would force people to go to or create platforms where they CAN connect!  I hope that doesn't happen.

[Coffee Pancake]

Just now, Kiera Clutterbuck said:

It's almost like the "powers that be" (not in some conspiracy sense) don't want people to truly connect and form relationships anymore.

I don't think it's a clear conspiracy, even though that is the end effect.

It's a bit like Second Life, in the moment it was the place to be .. but that moment has slipped further away and now we're in world where we can't necessarily compete with the intensity of experience on offer elsewhere .. tying neatly in with why our demographic is older.

This intensity defect is responsible for the sense that SL is less social. Other (actually less) social places can get a bigger hit with less effort, and the demographic that best responds to that are younger.

The only option we have to combat this with SL is to advance the platform, find ways to deliver a more intense and engaging experience that adds to the social capability we have.

 

A good example would be client side physics and scripting. We get a huge boost in responsiveness, enough that we could feasibly build games in SL. They would run like gack and perform terribly, but they would be responsive games none the less. (and before anyone freaks out, there would of course be no requirement to play said games, just like almost no one plays the "games" we have).

This also has the side effect that a huge source of SL's jankyness goes away. Benefiting everything else we do on the platform.

The cost .. every scripted vehicle and physics toy breaks and needs to be remade. Offset that shocking loss of content with the sudden surge in creative activity to replace everything with shiny new toys.

You might not think your current car/horse/boat as being too bad, but if we had the client side physics and scripting make games, your next car/horse/boat would be mind blowing .. even if all you did with it was putter about mainland.

[Seicher Rae]

On 6/19/2022 at 4:38 PM, Guku Aabye said:

Do you all think that Second Life is less sociable with people now than before?  Or do you all think that it's more sociable now with people? 

Less. More so by the year.

[Guku Aabye]

On 7/17/2022 at 2:38 AM, Gabriel Isodo said:

Secondlife is definitively not friendly for me

I open my account many years ago. When I started playing again, I had to relearn all. I didn't find anybody who helpt me. I think people assume that I am old then I know all.

The most difficult part is not technical part (how to create an avatar) but social. When you talk to people the ratio of answer tend to decrease. (When I start talking with 10 people how many answer I have ).

And when you got an answer, I try to make sentences with verbs etc... and I receive one word. like good or hi or ok

If I don't ask question and say something (not a question) I have no interaction. Usualy I try to make a conversation with the minimum of question. Because I think questions can be aggressives.

I also notice that if I don't start a conversation I don't talk to anybody

What is your ratio of you start a conversation and somebody else. For me it should be 9.5/10

Having conversation is not having a friend. For me friend is someone who talk with you, and help you and have fun with you.

 

I understand that some people is not in front of keyboard but for me they don't play. when I am online I am 100% online. I don't let my avatar and go away. I don't like that for other I usualy don't do that. I think it is rude.

 

I notice that the 'presence' varie.

an other idicator I invent is how long I wait. if it is 5 seconds it is normal but sometime sI wait many minutes to get answer.

 

Then my friendly indicator is :

- time to wait an answer

- answer ration

- who start conversation. More it is you more it is not friendly (9.5/10 for me)

But it is fun to make this statistics. I will update them and tell you the new metrics. What are your indicators to measure friendlyness ?

Well, I know when I first started Second Life people seem more sociable than they are now. And I do message people to start a conversation up. And then ask if they would like to be friends after a while in a conversation. Then we add each other.  And the next day you try to message them they either won't respond to you, or they say they are busy. I am not saying everyone is like that. But you do have some people that are and won't respond to you at all. Or are busy all the time.  Like when I first started Second Life you had people messaging you and wanted to see if you wanted to hang out while you're hanging out with others. Now it just seems everyone doesn't want to do that as much in Second Life anymore. But I know it will come back the socializing like it used to be in Second Life. 

[Guku Aabye]

13 minutes ago, Seicher Rae said:

Less. More so by the year.

Yes, I agree. But you can still find some people that want to hang out like back in the day what Second Life was back then. I can sometimes find some people to hang out with. Not like it was though. Like I said on here before. Like back in the day, you would be hanging out with some people then all of a sudden you get messages from others on your friends list asking you to hang out with them as well. And it's like what happen to that part of Second Life?  Oh, sure you can still find people to hang out with but not like it was. But I do believe the people in Second Life will be socializing again. Like it was

[Persephone Emerald]

18 minutes ago, Guku Aabye said:

Well, I know when I first started Second Life people seem more sociable than they are now. And I do message people to start a conversation up. And then ask if they would like to be friends after a while in a conversation. Then we add each other.  And the next day you try to message them they either won't respond to you, or they say they are busy. I am not saying everyone is like that. But you do have some people that are and won't respond to you at all. Or are busy all the time.  Like when I first started Second Life you had people messaging you and wanted to see if you wanted to hang out while you're hanging out with others. Now it just seems everyone doesn't want to do that as much in Second Life anymore. But I know it will come back the socializing like it used to be in Second Life. 

Maybe we need to put badges on our profiles that label us a social, mostly social, mostly not social, or not social? 

I'm sometimes in a mood to help newbies or be social, but I'm often not in a mood to be social. Don't try to make me be social when I don't want to be, and don't irritate me with IMs when I'm having a serious discussion with someone else. If I say I'm busy or don't respond, leave me be. You and every other person who doesn't really know me in RL doesn't get to decide I should be friendly and sociable when I don't want to be friendly and sociable.

See my Oscar the Grouch post above.

Edited August 5, 2022 by Persephone Emerald

[Guku Aabye]

On 7/17/2022 at 11:20 AM, Sid Nagy said:

With SL I have the feeling, that I've seen it all, been there, done that.
The first few years I had many friends and contacts in SL, but one after another called it a day and never logged in again, and I never really bothered to make new ones. The still active persons on my friends list can be counted easily with one hand. And there is nobody else to blame but me, myself and I that it happened.
I seldom go out to explore or to an event.
One can't expect people to knock on your door.
I use 99% of my SL time business related, although I will not run away if someone starts a chat.

If there are more people in SL with a similar story as I have, than yes, SL has become a bit less Sociable over the years.
And that there are less real noobs these days doesn't help either I guess. Long term people tend get settled within their own groups of friends IMHO.
 

I Agee with you that long term people tend get settled within their own groups of friends. But I am very sociable and I am always looking to hang out with people. And it just gets frustrating sometimes when people don't want to hang out like they use to like it was back in the day. I mean you could log in Second Life back in the day and get messages from people on your friends list. Now it's like maybe you might get one message from someone or a few and that's about it. Or no one messages you at all when you log in. But before you would get messages and hang out with people. I do believe it will come back to Second Life like it used to be

[Guku Aabye]

3 minutes ago, Persephone Emerald said:

Maybe we need to put badges on our profiles that label us a social, mostly social, mostly not social, or not social? 

I'm sometimes in a mood to help newbies or be social, but I'm often not in a mood to be social. Don't try to make me be social when I don't want to be, and don't irritate me with IMs when I'm having a serious discussion with someone else. If I say I'm busy or don't respond, leave me be. You and every other person who doesn't really know me in RL doesn't get to decide I should be friendly and sociable when I don't want to be friendly and sociable.

See my Oscar the Grouch post above.

Oh, I agree with you on that. But then why be added on a friends list if you don't want to hang out then or your too busy to hang out?

[Guku Aabye]

On 7/29/2022 at 9:38 PM, DeeVious Dagger said:

I have been is SL for too long lol and it has changed drastically... most not all populated clubs have bots and nobody talks but cliques Back in the day EVERYONE spoke in local. You couldnt even keep up with chat. People were friendlier.. more friend oriented now everything is about hooking up. I dont even answer IMs anymore. If i goto a club I try to dance away from males because if you land next to them they are in your ims hitting on you. I miss old school clubs so much! 

Yes, I remember those days. Now it's like everyone doesn't even want to hang out any more like back in the day of Second Life. Do you think it is because there are less people in Second Life and that's why the socializing isn't there like it used to be?

[Persephone Emerald]

5 minutes ago, Guku Aabye said:

Oh, I agree with you on that. But then why be added on a friends list if you don't want to hang out then or your too busy to hang out?

A friends list can be used in many different ways. It doesn't necessarily mean people I want to hang out with in SL, especially if I have a couple hundred people on my list. I do often tell newbies that I have enough friends on my list when they send me a friend request, but sometimes I friend them and tell them to IM me if they have any problems or questions about SL. That's supposed to help them when they're new. It doesn't mean I want to come to their club set, be their erotic RP partner, or listen to their drunk self sing over their guitar and karaoke machine. 

Edited August 5, 2022 by Persephone Emerald

[Guku Aabye]

On 7/29/2022 at 10:14 PM, MissV82 said:

I so feel this!!! I too miss the old days/clubs. I feel as if people seem to mostly keep to themselves now.

Yes, I agree. But do you think the socializing will come back like it was back in the day of Second Life? 

[Guku Aabye]

2 minutes ago, Persephone Emerald said:

A friends list can be used in many different ways. It doesn't necessarily mean people I want to hang out with in SL, especially if I have a couple hundred people on my list. I do often tell newbies that I have enough friends on my list when they send me a friend request, but sometimes I friend them and tell them to IM me if they have any problems or questions about SL. That's supposed to help them when they're new. It doesn't mean I want to come to their club set, be their erotic RP partner, or listen to their drunk self sing over their guitar and karaoke machine. 

lol. Yeah, true lol

[HeathcliffMontague]

45 minutes ago, Guku Aabye said:

Yes, I agree. But do you think the socializing will come back like it was back in the day of Second Life? 

Maybe. I hope so, but don't really think so anytime soon. Not unless we try, anyway. But you can't force anyone to be more social.

Even in the six years or so I've been here I've noticed a difference. I tend to hang out at the places I know too, and even if I find new places (for me anyway) they tend to be similar. So I guess I'm part of the problem as well.

Dunno. To me it seems to be a combo of people being set in their ways and viewing things through rose-colored glasses. But newbs are coming in, and if I see someone seeming lost, in a field I kwow well, I at least try to reach out at bit.

[Guku Aabye]

On 8/5/2022 at 2:28 PM, HeathcliffMontague said:

Maybe. I hope so, but don't really think so anytime soon. Not unless we try, anyway. But you can't force anyone to be more social.

Even in the six years or so I've been here I've noticed a difference. I tend to hang out at the places I know too, and even if I find new places (for me anyway) they tend to be similar. So I guess I'm part of the problem as well.

Dunno. To me it seems to be a combo of people being set in their ways and viewing things through rose-colored glasses. But newbs are coming in, and if I see someone seeming lost, in a field I kwow well, I at least try to reach out at bit.

I agree with you people getting set in their ways. Oh, I do try to message people, but they are busy half the time. Not all but a lot of people on my friends list are or they don't respond. Sometimes they do but not all of them. Or when I add someone as a friend we talk even after adding. Then the next day you try to message them they either are busy, or they do not respond to you at all.  Like I said I am not saying everyone is like that, but it just seems a lot of people are like that now. Like back when I started Second Life you message someone on your friends list, and they respond and if you ask Did you want to hang out, they would say yes and you go hang out with them. Plus, you would get other people messaging you asking you to hang out with them. Now it's like no one wants to hang out with anyone like that anymore in Second Life. I mean people hang out together but not like how it was back then.

[Katherine Heartsong]

Not sure how "less social" it is since I only dabbled years back and was never here long, but judging from the 20+ avatars that just stand around the fringe at some of the EDM places (Exhale) not moving at all during the busy times, with no one near them, I'll go with less social. Looks like a giant AFK place sometimes.

Edited August 8, 2022 by Katherine Heartsong

[Lysistrata Szapira]

I can't speak for all of SL, but I can definitely say I'm less social. 

I'm a terrible introvert, so I rarely get chatty in IMs.  Sometimes if a stranger IMs me, I kind of panic and log off because I'm just not in the mood for sussing out someone's motivations for IMing me in the first place.  If it's a simple compliment with no intentions of trying to pixel sex me, I will thank the person and move on. 

I hang out at a club on weekends where people tend to be chatty in text, not just gesturbating.  I'll talk then if a topic comes up that interests me.  I like to be a comedian when the opportunity presents itself.   I've had a couple people there send friends requests which I accepted because they're regulars too, but I tend to think people are busy so I don't want to bother them outside the club. It's very rare that I will send a friend request, especially to male avatars as I don't want to give any impression that I'm looking for romance/sex.   I just like group chat more than individual chat, so I don't have to try to carry the conversation.

 

 

Edited August 8, 2022 by Lysistrata Szapira
grammar

[Guku Aabye]

20 hours ago, Katherine Heartsong said:

Not sure how "less social" it is since I only dabbled years back and was never here long, but judging from the 20+ avatars that just stand around the fringe at some of the EDM places (Exhale) not moving at all during the busy times, with no one near them, I'll go with less social. Looks like a giant AFK place sometimes.

That is true a lot of people afk  a lot. But I just think the socializing is not in Second Life like it used to be. I am hoping that one day it will come back

[Guku Aabye]

20 hours ago, Lysistrata Szapira said:

I can't speak for all of SL, but I can definitely say I'm less social. 

I'm a terrible introvert, so I rarely get chatty in IMs.  Sometimes if a stranger IMs me, I kind of panic and log off because I'm just not in the mood for sussing out someone's motivations for IMing me in the first place.  If it's a simple compliment with no intentions of trying to pixel sex me, I will thank the person and move on. 

I hang out at a club on weekends where people tend to be chatty in text, not just gesturbating.  I'll talk then if a topic comes up that interests me.  I like to be a comedian when the opportunity presents itself.   I've had a couple people there send friends requests which I accepted because they're regulars too, but I tend to think people are busy so I don't want to bother them outside the club. It's very rare that I will send a friend request, especially to male avatars as I don't want to give any impression that I'm looking for romance/sex.   I just like group chat more than individual chat, so I don't have to try to carry the conversation.

 

 

Well, there are some people that are less social in Second Life. I understand that some people will be. But for me I am not, and I am very sociable person. That's why it can be frustrating sometimes when people say they are busy or don't respond to you. Second Life used to be where you log in and you get messages from your friends list wanting to hang out and do something with you. But it just seems like it's not like that anymore in Second Life

[colleen Criss]

I have tried clubs, beaches if there is a crowd it seems to me it's all gestures ( that gets old fast) very little local chat so I assume all are in IMs . In appropriate  IMs come and are nicely responded to with a no thank you. A really good DJ/Host duo often try to keep local chat going. I think most chat in voice, skype or discord. So yes less social in that aspect.

[Guku Aabye]

On 8/9/2022 at 7:05 AM, colleen Criss said:

I have tried clubs, beaches if there is a crowd it seems to me it's all gestures ( that gets old fast) very little local chat so I assume all are in IMs . In appropriate  IMs come and are nicely responded to with a no thank you. A really good DJ/Host duo often try to keep local chat going. I think most chat in voice, skype or discord. So yes less social in that aspect.

I agree with you. But I know the socializing will come back some day to Second Life how it used to be. I do think it's coming back slowly. 

[Seicher Rae]

On 8/11/2022 at 4:09 AM, Guku Aabye said:

I agree with you. But I know the socializing will come back some day to Second Life how it used to be. I do think it's coming back slowly. 

Guku, I know you've voiced this several times, that "it is coming back" or will come back. I'm curious, what makes you say that? How have you seen things change?

If you've answered this before, apologies, I haven't read through the entire thread.

[Kalegthepsionicist]

yep people tend to chat IM, for me that is not socialize .

one time we invited but friend only talk in im wth my prtner, what the point I am being there, . LoL. local chat is better to chat, no hide pure friendship.

at another time when talk with friend I invite other friend to jpin but it seem noone like conference, ..

one on one conversation is boreeee.

ypu must think hard to make the comversation

Edited August 13, 2022 by Kalegthepsionicist