EliseAnne85

Right, this I get. The Official Scripted Agent Policy doesn't give much info regarding traffic & scripted agents.

One of the Linden moles said that scripted agents do NOT add to the traffic count? I thought it was one of the pro-bot debaters who said that. Well, the OFFICIAL Scripted Agent Policy says that scripted agents DO add to the traffic count. Therefore, a clean sweap, as Coffee suggested, may be necessary. Or those who have large amounts of traffic bots will not turn on deny_bots then; and, if they rent homes, that would leave the renters open to the bots if the land owner does not turn on deny_bots.

I just wanted to make something clear *because* I could have sworn someone in this thread said SCRIPTED AGENTS *do NOT* add to the traffic count. Yes, they DO! I don't know why someone would say that and it not be challenged in this thread - because, again, yes scripted agents add to the traffic count. From the LL Official Scripted Agent Policy: Traffic is a numerical metric calculated for every parcel of land in-world. We can summarize this score as the cumulative minutes spent on the parcel by all visitors to the parcel on the previous day (Pacific Time, US). For details, see Guidelines for creating search listings in the Knowledge Base. In calculating traffic scores, the number of visitors includes Scripted Agents. This has led to people using Scripted Agents to increase traffic scores and boost search rankings unfairly. https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Linden_Lab_Official:Scripted_Agent_Policy?_gl=1*enmj4*_ga*NzU3NTE0ODc3LjE2NzgyODc3MTQ.*_ga_T7G7P6DCEC*MTY4MDUzNjIwNi4xNzQuMS4xNjgwNTM3MTUzLjUzLjAuMA..*_fplc*TUY4dDNtRUVGeXk4UU13dFllJTJCSlMzTzlOeVUwVXZFT2RvNDEzeWRHTnJUMiUyRjJDRk15Q1JjWkM4cHpJQlhIWFhQWDBzekRMMFVtVWFsR1JyVXhMb0xWRG05NjdxQ3FVdXNtU0dlUjduV29YRlBsRyUyRkVWNDVqcHU0elglMkZZQlElM0QlM0Q.

I didn't see that you gave me an answer but I suspect if there is a work-around, it's currently a secret. I was just wondering why it wasn't addressed as saying something like "there may be a workaround" rather than deny_bots.

There isn't really a "ban all bots" crowd. I asked how can one separate the bad bots from the good bots *without deny_bots and received no answer. Why no answer, is it a secret? lol

I believe he's talking about the future when quantum computers become mainstream. When that happens, *nothing old code* will work anymore. I'd assume. I heard a few years ago, quantum computers could be mainstream by 2025. I haven't read much about it lately though.

People do care about that. The question I have though is how does SL get rid of the bad ones (bots) while keeping the good ones (bots) other than deny_bots and start over with new, let's say, registered bots.

Well, you can keep trying but if content in a virtual world has to be broken, it was probably seen as best for the whole of the virtual world itself. Technologies come and go. Looking towards bettering bots is a good idea, imo, because things have changed in the world of AI. It might end up a complete do-over due to technology advancing. SL Business' will have to adapt. I felt you were protesting because you are putting a lot of effort into this discussion for days; when, in truth, LL really has it's own plan we can't know of until they tell us. You, of course, can keep debating. I honestly wasn't trying to silence you. It's just that I've been there with my own business in SL and I know it's all a risk because LL ultimately owns everything. We are sub-licensees.

The thing is we don't know the whole story and LL may not have a choice because they know something that we don't. As far as all content, it ultimately belongs to LL to do with as they please. We risk having a business here. As a builder, I lost my sculpty business to mesh. And, now me and eithers are facing losing our mesh business to PBR. And, while it's difficult to "embrace the suck" of how ever-changing virtual worlds work, we still took the risk. Some do well, others break even, and some will be underwater as virtual worlds change. I know a few who just got done with their mesh store for some of these newest bodies and the endless hours of work that went into that because they did not know about PBR. They could end up underwater or have to redo everything. But, I'm really just sayin' LL may have no other choice, and those with current bots may have to to retire those. You can protest all you want but LL may not even be listening and their decision is made.

Well, it's not safe to put real life information for all to see. Most people write something along of the lines of "If I get to know you a bit, I might share some of my real life with you" rather than just writing all their personal information in the 1st Life area for everyone to see. And, they'd still have a choice to share with whomever in private as per their choice. It's just my .02 cents worth opinion on writing one's real life info out on a SL profile. I view it as not safe but that doesn't mean one could not do it in private as people meet in rl after meeting on sl. I'm sayin' it's better to share rl info cautiously not write it all out there.

The problem with the 1st Life tab could be newer generations. The newer generations are growing up putting real life info on Social Media. It is not a good idea but they may not necessarily know that since it's how they have grown up. I think getting rid of the 1st Life area is not a bad idea. Just my .02 cents worth.

Yep, me too. SL is an extension of me, a real person, even though I am a child-like domestic cat in SL. My best friend in SL is also a domestic child-like cat in SL. She sent me the picture below. The picture is saying come down the road of SL with me. *tears up* There are parts of our real being we are sharing here in SL. What I share with her offline in any other social media or website should be up to us.

The only paranoia I have is in regards to bot armies and that it could have the potential to drive up server space which could drive up user cost were this to happen now or into the future. My profiles are less exciting than watching paint dry. However, invasion of privacy and disturbing the peace in one's SL home was not paranoia, it was invasion of privacy and disturbing the peace in one's own paid for SL home. PIOF was the only tool to stop it, which also has impact to disallow other's visit one's SL home if they also have no PIOF. SL could also have a set up where all avi's have to go home upon log off or restart or both. Just have new accounts where one gets a cheap junk starter box-like home with a few minimal pieces of furniture and a ChatGPT bot to ask 'how to' questions from. Existing or new registered bots could be added to people's 'allow to set here home' and abandoned avi's could be sent to a centralized abandoned homeless resident location. Something like that but my suggestion allows for adjustment, of course, as it's just a basic suggestion not a fully thought out plan. My suggestion's premise of all avi's have a home is to cut down on traffic bots, so only a very small amount of avi's could be added to one's 'allow to set home here', like maybe 1 or 2 extra allowed.

It's possible because unregistered bots or "a steady stream of bots" as you say could have a financial impact on the whole community. That bot army someone might want costs server space but these bad actors don't care and want that server space for free. Each bot should be paid for and registered with LL to avoid anyone making such an army.

Yeah, this recent case has kind of gotten us all caught up in it and it's made me want to bow out several times, too, as many posts go far too much into black and white thinking. The thing is there needs to be some kind of level playing field between bot and resident. The thing is though I don't see why LL couldn't have a special sign up area for PIOF Registered Agents with a reasonable fee.

Well, then you over react on your end, too. I think most people would like to have a happy medium with tools that will work for both the users of bots and those who want to have their space not invaded.

Wouldn't there be a way to do it by them having a different name such as PIOF bot?

No, not really. It's just that there are many in SL who don't read the forum nor how to work everything. It's better to have it have to be set to ON for the general peace of SL.

LL could add another option, PIOF Scripted Agent with a fee or something like that, for those who are running a business in SL via bots.

Well, that's exactly the point? They won't be registering them as scripted agents therefore making all this an effort in futility. Edited 9 minutes ago by Rowan Amore If they don't register them as scripted agents, they probably would not harvest the data and put up a website at least because then they'd out themselves that they are not scripted agents and are therefore not complying with the rules. So, it would reduce "spam" in that sense. Rest of my post is general and not directed to either Scylla nor Rowan specifically: I was wondering about these TERMS in the TOS. Some of them seem to me to be about bots, plus I think the TOS could use some updating about BOTS/Scripted Agents: (ii) Post or transmit unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, or promotional materials, that are in the nature of "junk mail," "spam," "chain letters," "pyramid schemes," or any other form of solicitation that Linden Lab considers to be of such nature (CURRENT BOTS DID THIS - spam, promotion) (iii) Engage in malicious or DISRUPTIVE (CURRENT BOTS WERE DISRUPTIVE) conduct that impedes or interferes with other users' normal use of or enjoyment of the Service; (iv) Use any cheats, mods, hacks, or any other unauthorized techniques or unauthorized third-party software to cheat in any competition or game (BOTS DO THIS - may need update here) that may be offered on the Service, or to otherwise disrupt or modify the Service or the experience of any users on the Service (CURRENT BOTS DID THIS)

Should we plan a get together and try it? ha Anyhow, once SL has a good mobile client, that could the future for some places. 50, 100 plus people, who knows. There are almost 7 billion people on cell phones.

I thought the limit was 90 for a full region, Tessa. At least that's what I was told.

Yeah, Dinkies and Tinies do but they are more like events. Wootstock is coming up in July and it's a 3-day event with live musicians and bands, most of whom are NOT Dinkies or Tinies but human avatar musicians and performers. Join Raglan Shire for event notices. There are lots of events for Dinkies and Tinies, some have been the 90 avatar limit or more, where somehow they join another sim when if it goes over the 90 limit. Definitely not a toxic environment and is suitable for work as mostly G or PG. You can be a human at most of the Dinkie/Tiny events.

Wow, you really do your homework and shop around. Great info! I never liked any of the free heads I got though. I ended up spending on three heads until I finally got the one that I really used a lot. So, I spent probably $60 dollars just getting started with a head. I mean, a head, so it's free, it doesn't mean it's what I want though, and neither were the first two I bought. There were just so many to choose from that I think what made me choose the first two wrongly was I was tired of saying to myself "I can't decide", "I don't know which one", so I finally just said 'the hell with it' and decided to jump in somewhere and just get a head but it didn't work out and neither did the second. The third, finally, hooray! I found something I used every day for a few years. To me that makes the price worth it, if one has the money, is that I got good use out of it and enjoyed it. The sales have been wonderful though from Seraphim to Friday sales to Happy Weekend (I forgot all their exact names). But, I still spend a lot on hair at usually 250 to 350 linden per hair, although I have about 10 hairs I've gotten at the sales also.

I also explained to the OP that the Dinkies and Tinies sims have weekly Bingo. I have never played Bingo. But, she could contact our main group "Small Talk" and ask "Where is the Bingo?!" Also, the OP was discussing how there wasn't the mesh snobbery in old SL. And, there wasn't because we were all Classic Avatars. However, Raglan Shire hasn't changed in probably 19 years, so no one at the Shire cares what avatar you wear. People are even welcome in their Classic avatar there. There are sims she can go to to find Bingo and sims that are free of the human mesh snobbery. The mesh snobbery for some users is tough because it's expensive; probably $80 to $100 to get a head, body, skin, AO, hair and some clothes (if one goes the most popular head/body routes). That's a lot of money for some. But, also some people may just not want to spend that much money on an avatar. Heck, you can even go to the Shire in a free avatar or one you make yourself. Raglan Shire is like old SL of be whatever you want, even be weird, and it's not changed over the course of 19+ years, plus there is almost no mesh there except a chair here or there, no sculpties either, it's built just like it was back in the day.