Do AFK avatars drive new residents away?

[Ayashe Ninetails]

39 minutes ago, EliseAnne85 said:

To me, those are more short  term AFK.  I did the above as a human avatar also.  That's why I say the Dinkie scene is different - when an event is happening anyways.  However, I'm asking about long term AFK, such as hours or mostly all the avatars are AFK and this is what a newbie stumbles upon and finds for a group gathering.  This thread is about newbies.

While I think Philip Rosedale designed SL to be like RL in that there really is no guide to real life, we have a lot to figure out ourselves and so is SL.  But, some times that just doesn't always work.  Gacha was a kind of "scene" I miss because it was fast paced, never sleepy.  Those were the days for me as a human.   

 

They're not necessarily short-term AFK. Working in Blender or Photoshop can take hours in a single session. Some people log in from work and are always somewhat AFK throughout the entire day. Some leave their avatars logged in for days at a time or longer. But I was mostly responding to the OP and her experiences at London (which is a pretty nice sim - so I'd lean toward the chatting and/or photography angle if I saw avies standing around AFK there, or maybe they just parked themselves there since it's a nice place to just chill).

I can answer as both a newbie (when I first arrived in SL in 2005) and a long-timer - AFK avies have been a thing since I first landed in SL. Since I don't often message complete strangers UNLESS I find something compelling in their profile or avatar to chat about, it didn't have any effect on my personal enjoyment of the platform. I discovered shopping and avatar creation very early on (like day 1, lol) and that was enough for me to stick around! I later got into building and animation, so I had my own little AFK routine going on (between SL and external programs).

It also didn't really surprise me much as I'd come in from a pretty popular MMO at the time where people were allllllways standing around idle for hours - likely roleplaying in IMs, playing the auction house, or yapping in guild chat. It's not really unique to SL, but SL might be the only place I've hung out online that didn't use an auto-AFK kick system (the alternative in places that are NOT SL is you'd be able to tell who was/wasn't AFK by whether or not they were running into a wall or constantly jumping). 😂

Edited December 13, 2022 by Ayashe Ninetails
It's too early for grammar

[BelindaN]

10 hours ago, SorachaNicEoghain said:

That could be it. I was at a club recently and nobody was dancing. It was like a scene from a Westworld warehouse 😂

Club 511?

[Resi Pfeffer]

Just now, BelindaN said:

Club 511?

Its pretty much the same in the PEAK club. 5-10 people dance (mostly the ones close to the DJ) and the remaining 70 folks just stand motionless.
But if its their way to go clubbing and party hard, why not... that still doesnt prevent me and my friends to do breakdance to house music if we are in the mood for.

[BelindaN]

As I've said before, I've been to 511 maybe three times now. It's always rammed with avis standing. Hardly any dancing or local. It's a really odd environment. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[EliseAnne85]

6 minutes ago, Ayashe Ninetails said:

Working in Blender or Photoshop can take hours in a single session.

I work in my programs from my home because it's challenging.  I teleport home when an event is done.  I need to concentrate on my work, as it's rather intense in my experience, working 20+ hours on one texture at times which would translate to about $500 dollars if real time work.

I seem to remember, back in the days of SL's beginnings, the avi's would hunch over, with our head hanging...or did we have to use an "away" feature.  I can't remember back that far.  

As far as newbies and improvement of new first impression, it's probably all over the map.

I had some chats at London City.  I have no complaints as it was friendly and not the usual 'come to my place' type of IM from 3-day old avi's that happen more in clubs, in my experience.  

[ChinRey]

On 12/13/2022 at 2:05 AM, SorachaNicEoghain said:

So on a scale of 1 to 10 where, 1 = AFK avatars are a pestilence to 10 = AFK is awesome!

...

Where are you on this scale?

I'd say about 3-4 - that is definitely not a positive but hardly a serious problem either - on average but depending on the situation it can be anywhere on the scale.

 

Edited December 14, 2022 by ChinRey

[Nick0678]

17 minutes ago, EliseAnne85 said:

But, they are not there, so I won't take that assignment.  

Technically SL is a chat application with 3D. they will get the message,

may not reply if they don't care about it which is fine, they don't have to.

[Ayashe Ninetails]

1 minute ago, EliseAnne85 said:

I work in my programs from my home because it's challenging.  I teleport home when an event is done.  I need to concentrate on my work, as it's rather intense in my experience, working 20+ hours on one texture at times which would translate to about $500 dollars if real time work.

Back when I was making things, I'd just fire up the programs wherever I happened to be. Home, sandbox, out dancing, friend's place, whatever. I wasn't too picky about it. I'm open to IMs most of the time if not all, so if someone messaged me, I'd respond either way and carry on chatting while doing whatever I was doing. I'd only make it a point to tp home first if I wanted to concentrate on something.

 

3 minutes ago, EliseAnne85 said:

I seem to remember, back in the days of SL's beginnings, the avi's would hunch over, with our head hanging...or did we have to use an "away" feature.  I can't remember back that far.  

Yup, I remember that! I think it's a toggle now, but I'm not even sure. But I don't think SL kicked you fully out...or maybe it did at some point? Can't remember. Either way, AFK was always a thing - it's just more attractive these days where we don't half fall over. 😂

[Nick0678]

8 minutes ago, BelindaN said:

As I've said before, I've been to 511 maybe three times now. It's always rammed with avis standing. Hardly any dancing or local. It's a really odd environment.

511 is a place where people go to hook up, the dancing poles are usually occupied but anyone can hop on them and dance if they feel like it.

Send someone there a "hello i like you" message, you will get a reply.

[EliseAnne85]

7 minutes ago, Ayashe Ninetails said:

But I don't think SL kicked you fully out...or maybe it did at some point?

Okay, in the old days if an avi was afk, it slumped us over with our head hanging forward.  I think they took it away because it was an ugly sight.  lol

As to whether we got kicked for being an avi with our head hanging towards the ground, I can't remember either.  

[Ayashe Ninetails]

2 minutes ago, EliseAnne85 said:

Okay, in the old days if an avi was afk, it slumped us over with our head hanging forward.  I think they took it away because it was an ugly sight.  lol

As to whether we got kicked for being an avi with our head hanging towards the ground, I can't remember either.  

Lmao yes! If anything was going to frighten newbies away, it was that. Luckily, that's not a thing anymore. 😂

[Rowan Amore]

27 minutes ago, BelindaN said:

As I've said before, I've been to 511 maybe three times now. It's always rammed with avis standing. Hardly any dancing or local. It's a really odd environment. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This has been how it has been in most clubs since 2009.  Unless there is a DJ or host who actively engages, then it's quiet.  Adult clubs especially.  When I was fairly new, Lars was a popular adult place.  If they had a DJ, local chat.  If not, it was rare to see people chit chatting in local.

It's not a new phenomenon.  And, there has always been those people who TP in and declare everyone is a bot.

[EliseAnne85]

8 minutes ago, Ayashe Ninetails said:

Lmao yes! If anything was going to frighten newbies away, it was that. Luckily, that's not a thing anymore. 😂

Frightening, yes!  And, I seem to remember it happened within 10 minutes or less.   It didn't take long for one's avi head to start hanging either.  lolol  I don't know what they were thinking back then.  

People do come on the internet for fast engagement nowadays and maybe even more so than we did all those years ago.  But, I still think Philip Rosedale threw us all in here to make our own SL happen because that is the way it is in the real world is unless you are born into a family business for example.  Either we would make a SL for ourselves, or we wouldn't.  Entering a group place and finding one's self lonely as a newbie or even an oldbie when on a social platform is a bit of an odd take though on SL, as many people coming from a game with a goal, do not get SL.  The goal is to make your own SL.  There are real groups but I've been out of the human loop for awhile now.  Gacha was the last big human group I was involved in.  What is occurring in London City today may not be what I experienced several years ago also.  

[Rowan Amore]

FYI, we're all human.  

[Nick0678]

24 minutes ago, Rowan Amore said:

...  Adult clubs especially.  When I was fairly new, Lars was a popular adult place. ...  If not, it was rare to see people chit chatting in local.

It's not a new phenomenon.  And, there has always been those people who TP in and declare everyone is a bot.

Exactly. if the description says "swin***, bdsm, dancers, strippers, freelance , cage ,fu**, s*x, adult"

and you think it's a perfect place to visit and have some casual local chat then might as well take a Tesla for oil change.

511 isn't the place to be for that.. these days it is a little bit more active due to Wold Cup but seriously it isn't.

Look at the avatars or profiles, find one you like, send a PM, hook up and have fun or simply make a new friend, sometimes enemy.

That's mostly about it.

Edited December 13, 2022 by Nick0678

[EliseAnne85]

1 hour ago, Rowan Amore said:

FYI, we're all human.  

I mean human visually.  The Dinkie and Tiny scene is just different.  Put on a flying dragon avatar and you will see what I mean.  The two scenes are very different.

Also, the Dinkies and Tinies of the Shire have their own sims.  For one reason, tinies have to have a special animation for them to work.  Plus, they are vastly different scenes altogether.  Since Dinkies and tinies are tiny in the real sense, we often make things small, so there are no seats for the biggie human avatars.  We are separated for practical reasons that cannot be helped at times.

Edited December 13, 2022 by EliseAnne85

[Ayashe Ninetails]

3 minutes ago, EliseAnne85 said:

Frightening, yes!  And, I seem to remember it happened within 10 minutes or less.   It didn't take long for one's avi head to start hanging either.  lolol  I don't know what they were thinking back then. 

Lol, yes. Now I see there are options to customize whether you show AFK at all and whether or not you get logged out. 

 

5 minutes ago, EliseAnne85 said:

Entering a group place and finding one's self lonely as a newbie or even an oldbie when on a social platform is a bit of an odd take though on SL, as many people coming from a game with a goal, do not get SL. 

Maybe? Maybe not. I think a lot depends on where they're coming from exactly. For example, if you come from a huge social MMO where chat is always lively and people are swarming all over, yeah, SL's silent avatars and quiet local chat might seem a bit weird. But if you come from a sandbox/building game background (Sims, Minecraft, Valheim, etc.), chances are, you're more interested in the design tools and learning how to make things here - maybe a combat sim or two, as well. You're already used to making up your own goals, so that's not too new, either. In my own example, I came from a big social MMO/guild, but I HATED my characters' appearance and limited armor options, so when I came to SL, I immediately got hooked on avatar customization and shopping.

And of course, there are tons of non-gamers who come here to do all sorts of things, so they get involved with a variety of activities pretty early. Funny enough, when I meet newbies, they never complain about not being able to socialize or people being AFK. But they DO tell me their frustrations with not being able to get dressed or customize their avatars to their liking. That's always been a huge roadblock (and I still struggle with that from time to time myself, and I change appearance constantly, ugh!).

[JeromFranzic]

25 minutes ago, EliseAnne85 said:

I mean human visually.  The Dinkie and Tiny scene is just different.  Put on a flying dragon avatar and you will see what I mean.  The two scenes are very different.

Also, the Dinkies and Tinies of the Shire have their own sims.  For one reason, tinies have to have a special animation for them to work.  Plus, they are vastly different scenes altogether.  Since Dinkies and tinies are tiny in the real sense, we often make things small, so there are no seats for the biggie avatars.  We are separated for practical reasons that cannot be helped at times.

Thanks.

Figured this out the hard way... sort of... got myself a Dinkie ginger in Open Sim recently and it's the same situation there. It's fun, but I have to pace myself sometimes. Takes a bit longer to reach stuff elsewhere but in the Dinkie/Tiny sims it's a treat.

Here I am as a Dinkie in Open Sim. 

ETA: as far as the OP's question, nah, the AFK people have never really bothered me. I'll take NPCs over them for sure LOL... plenty of NPCs in Open Sim! As long as my primary tool is a laptop for living in SL, you'll likely never see me in AFK mode. 

 

 

Edited December 13, 2022 by JeromFranzic

[Stephanie Misfit]

I sometimes AFK for hours. I work in Photoshop and do all kinds of stuff in other windows, and sometimes forget I am in SL completely and go for a nap. Usually I do this on my own sim but I have been known to AFK in public places too. I'd say it's my prerogative to do so unless the sim I am in has some kind of anti AFK system. For me, SL is just another application I have open on my PC, I don't feel that by having it running I am obligated to be sociable.

[Rowan Amore]

1 hour ago, EliseAnne85 said:

I mean human visually.  The Dinkie and Tiny scene is just different.  Put on a flying dragon avatar and you will see what I mean.  The two scenes are very different.

Also, the Dinkies and Tinies of the Shire have their own sims.  For one reason, tinies have to have a special animation for them to work.  Plus, they are vastly different scenes altogether.  Since Dinkies and tinies are tiny in the real sense, we often make things small, so there are no seats for the biggie human avatars.  We are separated for practical reasons that cannot be helped at times.

My point being, we all have the same emotions and fears and phobias and whatnot.  I'm sure there are non-human avatars that simply are too anxious to chat in local or IM a stranger.  How you represent yourself in SL doesn't really change who you are and how you will engage with others.  If I were a dinkie, I'd still be the one standing, reading profiles and IMing a random person whose profile I found interesting.  I honestly rarely see dinkies out and about ANYWHERE so maybe some of them strap on a human avatar when going out to different places.  Still, doesn't change WHO you are.

[Rowan Amore]

6 minutes ago, Stephanie Misfit said:

I don't feel that by having it running I am obligated to be sociable.

^^THIS 100%

[EliseAnne85]

54 minutes ago, JeromFranzic said:

Takes a bit longer to reach stuff elsewhere but in the Dinkie/Tiny sims it's a treat.

Yes, everything is set up for tiny-sized avatars and we are all mostly animal although maybe not fully animal, not fully human, perhaps a bit of both. Although there are Dinkies/Tinies who have told me they will never be human avatars.   But, what I really wanted to say is that there are a handful of Dinkie/Tiny sims that could comprise probably not even 5% of SL.  The rest is mostly human which can sometimes lead to looking for a needle in a haystack in the "human scene".  The scene for humans seems endless compared to the few Dinkie/Tiny sims.  That can be frustrating, especially if one encounters a lot of afk avi's.  My experience as a newbie was good; I was learning stuff and had helpful people also.  On my first shopping trip in SL as a newbie, after buying my first item, I wore a box.  Someone arrived within about 15 minutes and told me about sandboxes and opening boxes, etc.  Thank goodness because I was stumped at wearing a box.  

[EliseAnne85]

3 hours ago, Rowan Amore said:

My point being, we all have the same emotions and fears and phobias and whatnot.  I'm sure there are non-human avatars that simply are too anxious to chat in local or IM a stranger.  How you represent yourself in SL doesn't really change who you are and how you will engage with others.  If I were a dinkie, I'd still be the one standing, reading profiles and IMing a random person whose profile I found interesting.  I honestly rarely see dinkies out and about ANYWHERE so maybe some of them strap on a human avatar when going out to different places.  Still, doesn't change WHO you are.

I've had Dinkies and Tinies tell me otherwise.  I am way more outgoing myself as a Dinkie.  I feel free being a Dinkie.  I have friends who have told me they are too shy to be human but they are not shy as a Dinkie and I told them that, that they don't appear shy.   Some are still working at it, being a human, little by little.  They have personal things I'd rather not reveal.  Oh, (adding) Dinkies and Tinies have their own sims.  We pretty much stay within those.  I shop as a Dinkie, others see me and seem ok with it.  I am human sometimes.

Edited December 13, 2022 by EliseAnne85

[SorachaNicEoghain]

9 hours ago, BelindaN said:

Club 511?

Emm why yes it was 🤣

 

9 hours ago, Resi Pfeffer said:

Its pretty much the same in the PEAK club. 5-10 people dance (mostly the ones close to the DJ) and the remaining 70 folks just stand motionless.
But if its their way to go clubbing and party hard, why not... that still doesnt prevent me and my friends to do breakdance to house music if we are in the mood for.

I dunno, it kinda creeps me out 🤣. But I love that you go anyway and ignore it.

 

9 hours ago, Nick0678 said:

Technically SL is a chat application with 3D. they will get the message,

may not reply if they don't care about it which is fine, they don't have to.

That's news to me. For me it's a walk in 3D art instalation where you can interact with the other residents if you both want. To each his own I guess. 

 

9 hours ago, EliseAnne85 said:

Okay, in the old days if an avi was afk, it slumped us over with our head hanging forward.  I think they took it away because it was an ugly sight.  lol

As to whether we got kicked for being an avi with our head hanging towards the ground, I can't remember either.  

Maybe if they were automatically teleported home after 30mins of inactivity it would be better than slumping over 🤷‍♀️

 

7 hours ago, Stephanie Misfit said:

I don't feel that by having it running I am obligated to be sociable.

This wasn't the point 😉. You don't have to be social. Just why go afk in a public sim instead of your home. It reminds me of a guy I went to university with who used to sit at the same table with the rest of us in the pub, obviously ignoring everyone by taking out and reading a book; right there at the table 🤣. Finally, someone asked him to go get a seat at a smaller table by himself instead of hogging a space at our table 😆. He was appalled lol. 

[Robberinthemuseum]

I feel I need to chime in here. I see there is some kind of culture difference going on here. We're Irish right? It's rude in Ireland to go to a social place and not be friendly and open towards everyone. But in most other countries, when they go to a bar for example, they don't usually keep switching tables and talking to strangers on the way to and from the bar. They pretty much just hang with friends in a social setting and maybe, just maybe, they'll have a short conversation with a stranger if they aren't trying to hook up. I think maybe you're expecting people to follow Irish social rules in secondlife 🤔. I may be wrong. Please don't be offended. I felt the same way when I joined but then learned secondlife's culture. Also, I noticed you stile the art instalation idea from me. 👀 😘

Edited December 14, 2022 by Robberinthemuseum