Carole Franizzi

Darrius Gothly wrote: Imnotgoing Sideways wrote: You can have a free avatar, but, you can't have a premium account for free. I'm well aware of this. I could always post with any of my 13 free accounts to prove that point. Every single one of those accounts are subject to my personal responsibility to stay out of situations which may get me banned. ()y Maybe I missed something but .. this isn't about being banned .. this is about being taken hostage because the OP didn't pay the yearly Premium fee. My point being, if you only have paid accounts then it makes sense to cut someone off totally for non-payment. But when you provide free accounts, it makes more sense to reduce someone to "Free Account" status until they pay again. No, you're not missing something. It's several other posters who are missing the point entirely.

Nathaniel Flores wrote: The people saying "well you should have downgraded, then, there's a place on the website to do that", while factually correct, are missing the point. An avatar can be had for free by anyone that signs up. There is therefore no monetary value assigned to having an avatar account, and therefore no valid reason the avatar account should ever be held or frozen for 'nonpayment'. A "premium" membership for Second Life confers certain benefits: The ability to own land in your own name, supposedly better access to customer support (for all the good that did the OP), and a periodic L$ stipend. Carole wrote: This thread caught my eye and left me wondering, not for the first time, why certain companies jump through hoops trying to attract new clients whilst letting old, faithful ones slip through their fingers. What you replied to this poor soul is exactly spot on and it's why all the "tsk, tsk, you should have read the fine print/paid up/been more careful" type replies are missing the mark totally. Don't you love when smarty-pants, know-it-all posters get caught out for not having read the "fine print" of the OP, or perhaps in this case, simply not for not having understood the concept behind the issue? Well done you for doing the catching out! Avatar accounts are free. There is no charge connected with SL unless YOU opt for a paying account with "privileges" - therefore the non-payment of the account should cause a lack of those privileges and nothing more. Ishtara, I think, gave an example of a contract with a phone company as being something similar - it isn't though - this case is more as if you decide to contribute to your local park by making a donation and become one of their official "sponsors" or supporters and when you don't pay one year you find yourself banned from what was a free service open to the general public. That's why it's so appalling. These people really do need to take a long close look at how they treat existing customers.

I wonder if you've been using the updated official viewer. I have and have had the same problem as yourself, which only got resolved by using a third party viewer or an older version of the official one. Actually, I tell a fib - the problem isn't identical - I see me perfectly normal - it's the others who see me looking stunted. Exactly what I look like I had to dicover through photos people took of me with their viewer. I see you've been given suggestions as to how to resolve it and I'll be curious to hear if any of them work as I personally tried them all and none of them worked. I posted this issue in the questions bit of the forums and got a reply from Venus who very kindly has sent me a folder of stuff to try on - I haven't logged since so I haven't had a chance to see if that solves the issue but I'll let you know (and pass on the folder to you) if it does. More than one of my friends mentioned that they'd seen several episodes of stunted avies over the last few days so I'm wondering if it isn't a bug in the latest update of the viewer. If it is, it's quite a big one as basically it stops you from playing (unless you use a third party viewer, which is pretty ironic). Hope Venus is reading this as I couldnt figure out how to send a reply to her in the questions section in order to thank her - THANKS VENUS!!!!

Not entirely sure what the question was, if there was one. Seems you're dissatisfied with shapes, in a generic sense. I can't say I feel too limited. I make my own - bought only one in my entire time here only because I fell in love with a face and when I tried to make the shape for that particular skin, I was forced to admit defeat. Just couldn't get it looking the same. Apart from that episode, a series of tweaking interventions usually gets me where I want to go - plus I think the right AO makes all the difference - it softens the body and creates movement and curves. One look? Oh no, me neither. That would be like asking me to eat the same thing day after day while surrounded by dish after dish of scrumptious food. And, since the avatar goes hand in hand with the "lifestyle", a change of avatar look is a way of experiencing SL from a completely new point of view.

Oddest thing. I see myself with my usual handmade shape and others see me wearing a small, skinny shape which looks a bit like the default one - I've seen photos of what everyone else is seeing and that's what it looks like. i've tried wearing other shapes, doing a character test, clearing cache, disintalling the viewer (official latest version) and re-installing. The only thing that works is...not use the official viewer... I'm stumped. Any ideas? Worth filing a bug report about, do you reckon? The thing is, a couple of friends said they'd seen several similar episodes over the last few days, so there's a chance it's not just me. I actually like the official viewer - it's a bit of a shame I can't play SL unless I use a thrid party one, though.

You can buy the animation overiders in shops all over SL - check search for some names. I'm sure you can get free ones too but obviously they'll not be as sophisticated as bought ones. That thing of the clothes reappaering ahppens to me too but it's just a temporary effect (usually).

Jonty Bluebird wrote: I was wondering if there any schools or organisations out there which sign up 13-15 year olds to there own private estates? Particularly using SL Reg API (http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Registration_API). I work for a youth cancer charity and we are in the middle of designing an estate for this age group, but of course to fit in with SL's Terms of Service the 13-15 year olds must be linked to our estate and sign up through our own web site using the SL Reg API, so I was wondering if it is possible to see some example of how other organisation are using this form of sign up? I must have misunderstood quite drammatically. I believed that when LL closed the Teen Grid, they allowed only 15 (or was it 16?) plus teens to join SL. I didn't realise there were loop-holes which allowed even younger children to join. You learn something every day.

Carole dons her best home-made tie-dye silks and prostrates herself at you feet in gratitude. You are a GENIUS! Now why on earth can't LL include clear instructions on their web pages??? *skips off happily to go shopping*

Thank you very much for the detailed explanation. It was very good of you to spend so much time - sadly, for me, it doesn't seem relevant, as I don't get the limit buy option you mention (can this be only for US clients?). My only option on the page you linked is Market Buy, which allows me only to use my credit card as a payment method...which brings me back to square one...I still have a USD balance which I don't appear to be able to access. It looks like my shopping days are over. I'm finding this pretty bewildering. If, for any reason, LL has had to change its micro-economy system, you'd think they would have supplied clearer infomation and the little trick of "forcing" me to buy USD, without any explanation or warning when I tried to buy Lindens, is more than a little tacky. Again, Darrius, kindest thanks for your time.

If only I knew what a limit buy order was....

The same just happened to me - LL has taken money from my credit card and trasnformed it into US dollars instead of the Lindens I requested and it's now in my USD credit balance (what do I want with USD??? I'm European) which to access I have to open a Paypal account... Not only that, I get charged an extra $1 fee for the transaction!!! I am not at amused. I'll trying phoning (more expense!) but frankly, if LL is trying to convince me NOT to spend a penny more in SL, they're succeeding very nicely.

You won't like this but the trick is to buy mod hair and edit lock by lock. Boring, I know. But it gives you best results and you're not stuck with one style or two. If possible buy mod packs of different shades of the same style. That's what I used to do and I'd set aside the least favourite shade as my "hat" hair.

Mm...dunno. Maybe I'd start by avoiding the forums. Seems to me and the quick glances I've been giving them that they're not exactly a bundle of laughs. I used to get caught up in reading long thread after long thread and had to force myself away and back to constructve activities but now I'm lucky if a thread or two catches my interest for more than a few minutes. PS Why are they all so short?? (And uninspiring?)

Fun? If by "fun" you mean "posts which will act as free positive publicity for SL and free customer service to fellow SLers", I think anywhere in the forums would do.

If that doesn't pull in the punters, I don't know what will.

Hi, Jack. Yes, change is good...it just seems a little...dunno...sterile, maybe? I mean, spam is annoying, without a doubt, but I'm not convinced it's the most irritating thing forumites have to deal with.

Pep wrote: Neutralised? Not completely, Carole! Pep (recommends the use of a proxy to log on, to mitigate the unethical publication of your IP address.) Oh, ta. I'm actually on the move, as it were, so it's not an issue now, but I'll keep that in mind if I "settle". Good to see you. I trust all is well.

Aww! Ima! Thank you so much - pleasure to see you.

Seicher! Hugs and kind thoughts in your direction.

An IMMENSE hug to Canoro. Lovely to read you, my friend.

Quinn Morani wrote: Hi Carole, it's good to see you back. Sadly, you've stumbled onto the very reason behind the observation you made a couple of posts up about old faces disappearing. Many familiar names have been scarce since the new forum came online. Only time will tell if that's a permanent change around here. Every old face I spot is a cause for great pleasure. So sad to think the dynamics of the old forum have been completely neutralised. Delighted to see your name. Truly delighted.

Well, I arrived initially as a way of understanding how VRs worked and to see how they might function from an educational point of view. Got caught up in the visuals and the creative activities they spawned and stuck around. Never quite got into the "life-style" thingy. Always stayed solidly "it's maybe not a game but it certainly isn't reality or a substitute for reality". It may have run its course for me - at least for the time-being - but I have to say, it's been an interesting ride and has stimulated me to go do more creative pursuits in real-life, which I'd rather neglected over the last few years.

Storm! Lovely to see your name too. I'm very, very well and happy these days (having a ball in RL - long may it last!). I hope you are too. Big hug, C.

I'm having a hard time trying to bring to mind a moment in history when censoring and silencing the creative elements in a community had a beneficial effect in the progress of that society. My perplexity with the whole "adult" issue has always had less to do with wanting to allow non-PG content (.e. naughty stuff) specifically and much more to do with NOT hushing up 360° range of expression (unfettered minds going every which way, with some nonsense along the way, but also - and primarily - with the maintaining of fertile land for fertile thought and invention). "Be creative, folks, but mind your language", again, is a message more appropriate to babes in a kindergarten, wrist-deep in finger-paints than in a platform which wouldn't even exist if it were not for grown-up artists, musicians, film-makers, craftsmen, writers (etc., etc., etc.)

I see. Well, last time my words were guided by another I was in infant school and was learning to speak. Maybe somebody can explain to me how gagging the folk who created and maintain your product fits into current marketing stategy theory. To answer your initial question, Mags. I'd rather wade through any amount of spam than be treated like a five-year old by the short-sighted, ungrateful company to which I've given hundreds and hundreds of quid over the last couple of years.