Rabid's Rant: Git the hell offa my grass!

[Rabid Cheetah]

Introducing:  Rabid's Rant!

Tonight's episode concerns how to set your land's access level to prevent unwanted guests (as opposed to leaving it public and then throwing a hissy fit if someone dares to walk on your precious pixels).

If you have created an interesting place, perhaps with an interesting geography, interesting buildings, interesting objects...does it not stand to reason that the casual passerby might ALSO find it interesting?  Perhaps they think maybe you are selling something, or the event you are holding is open to all, or you're actually one of the normal folks who doesn't throw a fit over having to interact with others in a Massively Muliplayer ONLINE Game?

Now, why on earth would they think that?  Isn't it obvious that your land is your own private little F**nest for you and your furry-mermaid hybrid vampire Japanese schoolgirl loveslave?

Well...NO!  It's NOT so obvious.  And that's the point of this post.

If you fail to set your land access as private, and additionaly do nothing with your land description to indicate that you don't want visitors, then YES, Virgina, by definition you are saying it's ok for folks to wander onto your lot and check out your cool stuff.  If you don't take their presence as a compliment to your leet building skillz, then it is your responsibility to make it clear to folks AHEAD OF TIME that you'd prefer not to have visitors.

The solution is simple:  Click on your land, click on About Land, click on Acess, uncheck Allow Public Access, set access to group and/or create a list of Allowed Residents, and PRESTO!  No more awkward moments of screaming "Yew kids get offa my lawn!" while hiking up your pants and pressing the Banned For Life button.

Don't like looking at ugly ban lines?  Fine.  No one likes that in their viewere when they are going to take pictures.  So tell me, do you have your viewer set to always show property lines and owners, or do you toggle these on and off as the need warrants?  You can't do that for ban lines, too?  Really, folks will not be able to go to your land regardless of whether or not they can see ban lines or not.  You've done your part, it's now up to them to figure out why they keep bumping up against the borders of your land with a loud thunking sound.

Another key thing to do is to make sure your description clearly indicates that your land is private.  If you leave it with the original description from when you bought it, then of course folks are going to show up looking to buy your land.  Here's an example of a description that fails to indicate that the land is private, follwed by an updated description to make it clear the land is off limits to outsiders:

"Name:  Cheetah's Delight
Description:  Located at the edge of the world on Second Life's eastern-most mainland continent, this is the perfect place to watch the sun and moon rise from the murky depths of the Endless Ocean."

"Name:  Cheetah's Delight -- Private Property
Description:  My OTHER lands are public;  This is my PRIVATE HOME for friends ONLY.  Located at the edge of the world on Second Life's eastern-most mainland continent, this is the perfect place to watch the sun and moon rise from the murky depths of the Endless Ocean."

Now, I know that there will be folks who will say yeah but would you REALLY just walk into someone's home in real life...

No.  Of course not.  SO LONG AS YOU KNEW IT WAS THEIR HOME.  That's the key thing.  I don't think it's a good analogy to imagine unwelcome guests walking in to various suburban households and sitting down for dinner.  Well, unless you are an Occupy Suburbia nut case.  A BETTER anaolgy would be a downtown area, because let's face it:  At least on The Mainland, you have no idea if a given plot of land is a store, a home, or whatever.  So, if someone lived downtown, in the heart of a commerical area, lots of little shops, some of the shops even have a room in the back to sleep in (and yes, in real life, I really do have a friend who owns a shop that is also her apartment), and there is nothing to indicate that it's a private home, such as, oh, I dunno...putting up a sign, or LOCKING THE F***ING DOOR...then YEAH -- people ARE going to walk in, thinking you sell Pokemon cards or whatever.

So please, people:  Use the same common sense here in the game that you would in real life.  And above all, realize that for every experienced player that you tick off enough to type up a post such as this, you've probably ticked off a dozen or so potential new players that have said "F*** this!  I'm gonna go play WoW..."

[Randall Ahren]

I see now why you went with Rabid Cheetah. Let me see if I correctly understand the motivation for your post. You entered onto someone's parcel and they ejected you and now you're angry? I believe that is one of the achievements in SL. Congratz, you've just leveled up.

Rabid Cheetah in RL: Should I kill something or have a cup of tea?

CC Attribution for Photo

[Charolotte Caxton]

Charolotte Caxton sweeps off her Welcome mat

Ban lines are sooo tacky

but I agree, you can turn their visibility off. win win!

[Rabid Cheetah]

No, it's been a repeated theme lately.  maybe 50% of folks don't have a problem with neighbors stopping by to say high, or potential neighbors doing so prior to buying land.  It's the other half that are irritating.  I just think that if folks would set their software to the access level the software is designed to set it to, a whole lot of hard feelings could be avoided.

 

A few examples:  Spending more than a month building in an area by The Great Wall, developing a friendship with a neighbor, who's happy that the area is finally regaining the Asian feel that it had many years ago.  The place is still empty as far as residents who actually log in.  Then a few new neighbors move in, after seeing what the first neighbor and I did with the place,and even add Asian-themed design features simillar to ours.  Contact is made, and everyone is friendly.  Then some folks who's house has been in the area for a while suddenly show up one night, and have a little party, outside, on their lawn.  I figure it's some sort of event, there haven't been this many people total in the region over the last few months, let alone all at the same time.  I check just before stepping onto their lawn that it's set to public access, nothing to indicate that it's private.  But to get there, you need to fly over a land that IS private, unrealted to these folks, so instead of just strolling over you have no choice but to descend from the sky.  Before I can even say hello, WAMMM!  The ban hammer comes down, with no talking whatsoever.  WTF, did I walk in on a drug deal or something?

Then looking around at some underwater abandoned land, it's a steal, but just want to see what the surrounding area is like.  A nice home next to it, very big, open area on the patio with a bunch of Thanksgiving stuff...No one is around, I walk over a bit to see what kind of place it is...and suddenly the owner appears out of nowhere, asks what I'm doing there, and when I explain, after just one sentence to him, WAMMM!  Now with him ,we did talk a bit about it afterwards so it's all good.

Still, I maintain that if folks don't want others showing up, why on earth do they set their access to public?  See my original post.

 

And lol, yes, it WAS called a rant...and I DO feel better.  Love the pic!  :womanvery-happy:

 

I't's not like I was making a pest of myself, sticking around for half an hour farting every thirty seconds or screaming for payouts (any other former players of The Sims Online remeber stuff like that?)  We're talking five seconds on the first example, maybe a minute on the second one.  At the very least, put up a fence or something lol  Freaking out like there's suddenly a terrorist on your land is a bit of an over-reaction, is all I'm sayin'...

[Rabid Cheetah]

Welcome mats!  Yes, those would be cool.  Will have to search that in the Market Place.

 

I think it just comes down to a level of civility.  A simple, "Oh, hello.  We're kind of having a private party at the moment.  Maybe I'll stop over at your place when I have the time" is a lot better than having a coniption and instantly adding someone to a ban list.  Heck, there's more clicks involved in doing that than simply unchecking the public access button.  :womanvery-happy:

[Randall Ahren]

Whenever someone bans me from their land, I immediately institute a retaliatory ban of them from my parcels. It's the same at the international level. When one country expels the ambassador of another, the other country must do a retaliatory expulsion of the first country's ambassador. The next step is annoying builds, big flashing for sale signs, adboards, particle spam, and breedable animals.  

[Amethyst Jetaime]

You make a lot of assumptions that aren't true imho.

I didn't come to SL to play a massively multiplayer online game and interact with anyone that just pops in.  I came and I stay for other reasons entirely.  Along the way, I've met people that I like, who have become my friends and that I choose to interact with.  My friends and neighbors are welcome on my property.  But they are not likely to drop in unannounced any more than they'd do that in RL.  I like my privacy at home or in my work area for lots of reasons other than your assumptions that its sex. I know a lot of people that  feel this way also.

My own frequent experience is that if someone I don't know, other than a newb, drops/barges in without invitation or permission then 99% of the time they are a squatter, a griefer, rude and/or up to no good.  If someone comes by and asks politely if its OK, then I'll generally say yes.  If a newb stumbles in, then I take the time to explain its private and that they should not go onto private property without being invited.  I may even chat with them awhile.

I don't agree that you can't figure out the difference between public and private property.   If there is a sign indicating its a shop or other public venue or it is in search , then its public.  If there is no sign and its not in search, then I for one would assume its private property  It makes no difference if its a 'home' or any other kind of build.  Its still private.

I also don't agree that it is up to the landowner to put up ban lines or put up with any drop-ins.  Lots of estates and landlords forbid the use of ban lines or even security, but also say in their covenant that you can't wander where you please anytime you please.  No one has an absolute right to go onto property that is not their own other than by invitation or because it is a public venue.  Even then, the owner has a right to boot you if they want to, for any reason they feel like it. 

Common sense includes common courtesy.   Check before you go on property that you are not familiar with,  If people are there, IM them and ask them if they'd mind the company.  If its private, and you didn't have the courtesy to ask, then don't be upset if you get the boot.

[Melita Magic]

So, OP, you want the entire population of SL to conform to your whim because you can't stay off other people's property? Do you have a Goldilocks complex by any chance? By gum  you're going to eat their porridge and if they didn't want you to they should have a security guard posted at the front door?

You mention having to fly over other parcels to get where you are going. Well if everyone takes your advice and installs ban lines or security orbs (most of which are set to all of 5 seconds, when people do use them -  which is against TOS, pretty sure), then your trip will be made a lot more difficult.

This is not The Sims Online. That game went out of business. Maybe there was a reason for that: Such as, couldn't do anything without actually working real time within the game, to 'earn' the chance to; couldn't bring earnings out; and not everyone is a freaking extrovert. We do not all want people up our backside 24 hours a day.

People's homes are their private retreats. Yes, it's real because it's paid for, and for some it's their RL escape from all their daily pressures - sometimes that even includes dealing with other people all day. Their entitlement, their demands, their rants. It seems as if you just want to do anything you want anywhere.

I will say that it's nice that you at least check the land description - many do not. I know for a fact that some people use my house for logging in and out; rather than put up ban lines/orbs and punishing anyone trying to just stroll or fly past, I simply made it clear in my land description not to use the interior of the house. People still do. Know what? Can't control everything, least of all, other people.

But if you traipse into someone's home, virtual or not, like a hungry Goldilocks, then don't be shocked when they bare their fangs at you. Be happy they didn't set you on fire as well.

Love,

Melita

 

[Ceka Cianci]

i think it's every users responsability to realize the platform they are in..just because a door is not locked doesn't mean enter here.

SL would look like crap with a lot of DO NOT ENTER signs all over the place..it would look like add farms were back lol

we shouldn't have to lock our places down..

search makes your place open to the public..not land settings..

i don't have a problem with people coming in my yard and looking around or camming in..but i don't like being in my house and strangers popping in sitting next to me on my couch while i am relaxing..

when i am not there i don't care about that either..but if someone wants to look around and i am there..it's not my job to IM them..it's thier responsability to ask if it's ok if they look around..

thats only respecting someones place..then maybe there would not be all the jumpy people getting upset..

i know that if i were walking down my street and seen someones front door wide open..it's not giving me the right to go in sit on their couch and eat all their posicles while watching thier tv..

i would end up shot or in jail  lol

[Maelstrom Janus]

Security orbs are a legitimised griefing tool no more or less...they bend sl rules and allow the owner to get away with something they'd be open to being reported for if they did it anywhere else in sl... If you dont want people on your land ask em to leave - if they dont leave ban 'em..the tools are there without disrupting everyone.

If someone is on your land when youre not there what does it matter - providing they dont leave a mass of clutter. If they do return their items a piece at a time and then ban em. They wont do it again.

[Maelstrom Janus]

Having said that who needs ban lines...nowadays you dont even have to be crossing a sim boundary to crash...enter a full parcel or even simply enter a different parcel in a vehicle and you stand a higher chance of being crashed out than at most times in the last four years.....

[Melita Magic]

---

Ceka Cianci wrote:

i know that if i were walking down my street and seen someones front door wide open..it's not giving me the right to go in sit on their couch and eat all their posicles while watching thier tv..

---

hehe, nicely put

[Rabid Cheetah]

Thanks all for the feedback.  Again, I'm not going into folks' places and eating their popsicles.  Or demanding to use everything anywhere.  Or going to estates with special rules -- this is only on Mainland.  I'm just wandering over, and before I even have a chance to type hello, or immediately after I type hello, the instant ban starts.  I'm not trying to dictate how other people should play.  I'm trying to UNDERSTAND how they play, why they don't use the software the way it is designed.  Leaving the land access set to public implies folks can come over for a neighborly chit chat.

 

I guess my biggest beef is I'm opposed to the extremist attitudes.  The assumption that a friendly stranger who hasn't even had a chance to say hello is "obviously" a griefer.  Don't bother to try to find out or talk to them -- Just ban 'em.

 

And sorry, Ahern, that goes for those of us subjected to bans, too.  I'd also be opposed to instantly adopting the attitude of retaliation, and putting them on my ban lists.  lol I don't HAVE a ban list.  Even people I've parted ways with can still come on over to my public places.  (My one little spot where I, too, don't want just anyone poppin' in while I'm chillin' on the couch, I use the software the way it was intended to be used and set it for private so no one can suddenly drop in) I much prefer, to extend your international analogy, to first attempt diplomacy before droppin' a nuke down their throats.  Find out why they are acting that way.  Can we come to a consensus?  That's so much better than instantly putting up a giant statue of Bart Simpson mooning them.

 

A good example of chatting to folks would be the very first time I got banned.  It was a huge, region-wide parcel that WAS open to all...but they had a shrine of some sort with a giant gong you could click on.  Silly me, I figured it would be fun to click the gong.  The Japanese owner suddenly banned me.  After talking, I found out what a faux pas I'd commited, as it was apparently disrespectful to her ancenstors to just walk up to a gong by her shrine and start banging it.  I in turn sent her some stuff from wikipedia about gongs, how they are often used to announce someone's arrival, and even a link to what we Americans think of when we see a gong:  Yes, The Gong Show.

 

After talking things out, we developed understanding of each others' cultures, the ban was lifted, friendship ensued, and I could hear Hank Hill's Asian neighbor sayin' "Universe in harmony."  :womanvery-happy:

 

Sadly, she dissapeared from the game entirely a few months latter.  I'll never know if she died in the tsunami.  :womansurprised:  But while she was there, I learned something, she learned something, and we avoided a grief-war.

 

If I get banned, I try to understand...and state MY views...and if that doesn't work, I just move on.  The OP would be part of that process of attempting to understand, and state my views on the subject.  Now, if the vast majority of players differ in their view, perhaps LL should change the UI.  Because IMHO, it's not the decision to pay $L30 to list a place that makes it public -- it's using the software as it's currently designed to allow public access that makes a parcel public.  Perhaps this is a design flaw, or perhaps folks should realize what the software does (yes, I've spoken to many who didn't know they had that option).  I don't know.

 

Perhaps the OP should be expanded to a broader topic, about the breakdown of communication.

 

P.S. lol of course I know not everyone is doing the nasty.  Some folks just want to chil.  My writting style sometimes includes sarcasm and humor.  Sorry if that part rubbed folks the wrong way.

 

P.S.S.  Yes I know some folks don't see SL as a MMORPG.  I'm not so sure cloistering into little enclaves across the grid is going to bring in the new people and/or former subscribers that this, sorry to use ther term, GAME, needs to remain fiscally sound.  But that, too, is a much broader topic than my OP, and already being discussed in varous forms across other threads...