In the future, everyone will have their own event for fifteen minutes

[Qie Niangao]

Apparently there are brand new shopping events to cash-in on the holidays, starting with Hallowe'en.

My first reaction: "Just what we need. Like we didn't have enough shopping events." There are so many now, even the most popular are pretty easy to get into (after a short time effectively empty) and yet creators manage to package enough items that each event still has stuff somebody apparently buys.

Then I realized that at this rate, there doesn't appear to be any limit to event proliferation. It's clear some event organizers are individually responsible for multiple events, so could we reach a point where there are literally more events than shoppers?

Or are we there already?

I think there are now enough shopping events that each shopper deserves their very own event.

My event has eligibility rules very specific to my personal shopping habits. (No girl stuff. No tattoos, no piercings, no shapes, no no-mod anything. No backdrops. Furniture, plants, and especially vehicles must have fully functional LoDs.) Everybody's event has different rules, and sharing them makes it more efficient for the merchants to choose which events to supply.

To make it efficient, we can automate the event set-up process, so we just issue the "event now" offer and agent software for all the merchants tender any recent offers that satisfy our specific eligibility criteria. We can blacklist merchants that spam or violate the criteria, and rank them by our interest and buying history.

…

Now, let me ask: How do we make Marketplace do this for us?

[Love Zhaoying]

2 minutes ago, Qie Niangao said:

Now, let me ask: How do we make Marketplace do this for us?

..file a JIRA with a Feature Request?

Edited October 2, 2023 by Love Zhaoying

[Alwin Alcott]

18 minutes ago, Qie Niangao said:

 

Now, let me ask: How do we make Marketplace do this for us?

by re-designing it, and let it function as any other respectable webstore. ( and not the joke what is is since many years)

Edited October 2, 2023 by Alwin Alcott

[Qie Niangao]

1 minute ago, Love Zhaoying said:

..file a JIRA with a Feature Request?

It's a conceptually huge feature. The existing Marketplace catalog has nowhere near enough information to satisfy even my own simple criteria, let alone a useful subset of everybody's individual dream events, changing as new categories of content (PBR anyone?) emerge on the market.

So how might it be done, practically?

First, there's a reservoir of resources merchants currently invest in centralized events, fitting-out kiosks etc. Maybe some of those resources can be redirected to best match shopper event criteria and customize presentations to appeal to those shoppers' specific interests and buying history.

But the merchants don't need to do that matching by hand for each shopper event; rather they need to invest time and effort instructing AI to do it for them, for their specific products.

The future of online commerce is all about making that AI both precise and easy to use.

[ValKalAstra]

23 minutes ago, Qie Niangao said:

Now, let me ask: How do we make Marketplace do this for us?

We could have event days where the search actually works. That'd be like a whole sudden shopping event in itself. Can switch it on and off to give that dopamine rush. Petty snark aside:

I think it's a natural consequence of the marketplace being a bit of an advertisement black hole. Creators look for other ways to sell. Events bring in more people. Thus creators seek events. Events then become very selective about who they let in or are expensive to participate in. Thus the need for another event is born, restarting the cycle.

Personally I don't mind the quantity of events if they'd stick to a theme. Say an event  about cute fashion probably shouldn't have beat up, bruised and abused, crying girls for ads and maybe a Science Fiction event could look into whether medieval clothing is a good fit.

Okay maybe I'm still a bit snarky. Yah the amount of events is getting a bit silly but I can kind of see why it happens. It's a symptom of another sickness, that of a lack of discoverability. So I doubt we need events for the marketplace (ain't lazy Sunday doing that, BTW?) but rather much improved discoverability.

Edited October 2, 2023 by ValKalAstra

[AmeliaJ08]

Marketplace needs expanded with a lot more information required for each item. I know there is hidden keyword metadata but they're sometimes not used effectively and you end up quite often searching descriptions (which are sometimes inaccurate, not often but sometimes) instead.

I wouldn't fancy building an event from marketplace items for this reason, there's basically no standard metadata so if such a thing to work you'd need to start requiring many more tags. You'd then need some human intervention to verify tags and curate things further as necessary.

As far as events go though... there's so many and they're all so big that I'm surprised they generate much in the way of sales, some are so big you'd need a couple of hours to stop and look at every booth! I do sometimes drop into them but usually only because I know some item from some creator I already know is featured there. I find weekly sales much easier to browse since there's usually a gallery and I can quick scroll to see pictures of things that appeal and then further narrow it down, that said they too suffer from the lack of metadata... it would be nice to be able to filter by body type supported in the case of clothes, for example.

 

Edited October 2, 2023 by AmeliaJ08

[Love Zhaoying]

I could see adding a new feature "similar" to an Event: the "Sale" (special price discount period, not to be confused with "just selling"). Then, add a feature to search for "Sales".

Letting "everyone" have an event could be mitigated with a hierarchy of filters. Assigning each event to a "type", that "event type" would be shown in the Event Search result. The user could then search higher or lower in the Event Type category. Like Marketplace categories.

[Alwin Alcott]

9 minutes ago, AmeliaJ08 said:

. I know there is hidden keyword metadata but they're sometimes not used effectively

funny thing is, even the laziest sellers know how to use it to spam keywords.. it would be a lot better to skip that circus and only use the description/name.
Make it possible to report whole stores, and instant removal of all items. By a second time a life ban for the store account.

[Paul Hexem]

47 minutes ago, Alwin Alcott said:

funny thing is, even the laziest sellers know how to use it to spam keywords.. it would be a lot better to skip that circus and only use the description/name.
Make it possible to report whole stores, and instant removal of all items. By a second time a life ban for the store account.

Reporting stores is something I've complained about several times. Linden Lab really expects us to flag one listing at a time through pages and pages of spam.

They've always treated their residents like unpaid volunteers, but this is one of the situations where it's really egregious. That's hours and hours of work.

 

[Scylla Rhiadra]

I am sure that this is an excellent idea, but I'd give it an up-vote on the basis of the thread title alone. 😀

[Love Zhaoying]

1 minute ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

I am sure that this is an excellent idea, but I'd give it an up-vote on the basis of the thread title alone. 😀

The "Andy Warhol Event" Option?

[Sid Nagy]

Someday someone will come up with a new marketing gimmick, like first the store freebies and the freebie stores, later the hunts and now all those events.
Are hunts still a thing? 
IMHO it will go next level, when events are no longer worth the effort.

Don't ask me what the next step will be, I don't try to find the next new cool thing, and if I would have a great idea, I would not lay my cards on the table here.

Edited October 2, 2023 by Sid Nagy

[diamond Marchant]

8 hours ago, Qie Niangao said:

Apparently there are brand new shopping events to cash-in on the holidays, starting with Hallowe'en.

I am the person that buys the Hallowe'en stuff. Please Sir, I want some more.

[Prokofy Neva]

9 hours ago, Qie Niangao said:

Apparently there are brand new shopping events to cash-in on the holidays, starting with Hallowe'en.

My first reaction: "Just what we need. Like we didn't have enough shopping events." There are so many now, even the most popular are pretty easy to get into (after a short time effectively empty) and yet creators manage to package enough items that each event still has stuff somebody apparently buys.

Then I realized that at this rate, there doesn't appear to be any limit to event proliferation. It's clear some event organizers are individually responsible for multiple events, so could we reach a point where there are literally more events than shoppers?

Or are we there already?

I think there are now enough shopping events that each shopper deserves their very own event.

My event has eligibility rules very specific to my personal shopping habits. (No girl stuff. No tattoos, no piercings, no shapes, no no-mod anything. No backdrops. Furniture, plants, and especially vehicles must have fully functional LoDs.) Everybody's event has different rules, and sharing them makes it more efficient for the merchants to choose which events to supply.

To make it efficient, we can automate the event set-up process, so we just issue the "event now" offer and agent software for all the merchants tender any recent offers that satisfy our specific eligibility criteria. We can blacklist merchants that spam or violate the criteria, and rank them by our interest and buying history.

…

Now, let me ask: How do we make Marketplace do this for us?

I see there is such a stampede I better pencil mine in, tentatively called "Fame" (as in "15 minutes of") for my 25th rez day on September 28, 2029.

I'm not going to be as fussy as Qie as to the content and what's more:

o No merchant has to provide a gift; if you do, just take your time and make something nice -- no nose piercings, candles in cages, or balloons.

o No theme -- the theme is about my 15 minutes, not yours.

o Tributes to my wonderfulness over the years are, of course, welcome.

o Full perm models and AI are are permitted; not shut-outs to those who can't make mesh or draw a straight line and therefore use MidJourney

o No Casper Vendors -- set the item to sale directly to avoid lag!

See you all there!

[Sid Nagy]

I donate my 15 minutes of fame to you @Prokofy Neva, so that you can shine 30 minutes.

Don't forget to send me a landmark by then.

Edited October 2, 2023 by Sid Nagy

[Belephannt]

this elephant can haz own event      for meeeeeee ?

[Ceka Cianci]

They should just call them malls instead of events..

[Love Zhaoying]

I write LSL scripts that use Events. Does that count?

[Persephone Emerald]

10 hours ago, Sid Nagy said:

Someday someone will come up with a new marketing gimmick, like first the store freebies and the freebie stores, later the hunts and now all those events.
Are hunts still a thing? 
IMHO it will go next level, when events are no longer worth the effort.

Don't ask me what the next step will be, I don't try to find the next new cool thing, and if I would have a great idea, I would not lay my cards on the table here.

When most people no longer want to leave their home or skybox to go to events, organizers will just send us catalogs from which we can select demos, then buy what we like. 

There will be no need to derez other avatars, no need to endure lag or wait for textures to rez, no need to use teleport hammers or pay for Premium to get a better chance of getting in, no need to teleport to stores, and no need to even get our avatar dressed.

The organizers won't have to pay for or create a special region for events. Creators would still have to pay to be in the catalog, but would probably pay less than they would to have a booth at an event.

[Love Zhaoying]

1 hour ago, Persephone Emerald said:

organizers will just send us catalogs from which we can select demos

At least we won't have to buy toilet paper!

[Polenth Yue]

Now, if you really wanted to annoy people, create a no fly region where people have to bounce on a series of mushrooms in order to reach the vendors (which only work if people are close enough). The really special deals will be in the air, so timing is essential. Only the most worthy bouncers will get the deals.

[Persephone Emerald]

31 minutes ago, Polenth Yue said:

Now, if you really wanted to annoy people, create a no fly region where people have to bounce on a series of mushrooms in order to reach the vendors (which only work if people are close enough). The really special deals will be in the air, so timing is essential. Only the most worthy bouncers will get the deals.

Pleass tell me you make bounce mushrooms. If LL ever gets around to making more interesting houses for Fantasseria, they should make bounce mushrooms an option instead of stairs to the upper floor.  🍄 

[Bree Giffen]

I think I saw the QIEVENT on SeraphimSL!  It says the event runs from 10/2/23 1:00pm to 10/2/23 1:15pm. I missed it. 

[Rat Luv]

I'd like to have an event where bots follow visitors around the store, and every 15 seconds they shout in local, "Can I help you?" "Do you need any help?", "What are you looking for?", until the people TP out 🙂 And the only thing for sale in the store is... a bouncy mushroom 🍄🤾‍♂️

[Prokofy Neva]

On 10/2/2023 at 5:32 PM, Sid Nagy said:

I donate my 15 minutes of fame to you @Prokofy Neva, so that you can shine 30 minutes.

Don't forget to send me a landmark by then.

I hope to live to see the day!