Female Winslet

Yes, I did the math and figured out what it would be using a linear progression. I like the idea too, but it’s a bit silly. So it would have to be something other than linear. That said, I still think the idea of some increase makes sense for people paying more land. I’m just not sure of how much of an increase.

No, I am not. That would be silly. Your math assumes a linear relationship between dollars paid in and stipend received. I believe I have already covered that this is not necessarily a suggestion for a linear increase like that. It's a suggestion that stipend should increase as one pays more and more in tier. I have made no suggestion about how much stipend should increase with tier payments. I'm suggesting it makes sense to have *some* increase, but not specifying how much of an increase.

Communities can be very loose and don't really need to come together for projects and such. I certainly do get how being surrounded by vast amounts of abandoned land would make community hard to find. But . . . I dunno. I guess I am just hopeful. I can say that I expected my invitation to decorate some of my land for the holidays to produce very little participation and perhaps some accusations of just being too lazy and/or cheap to decorate my own land for the season. But the reaction has been quite the opposite. Lots of people leaving items and telling me stories behind them. People building some big things. People just coming and walking around to look at it. And lots of people saying that this exercise means something to them. It's not based on a region. I suppose it's an example of Alyona Su's point about interests being what brings people together instead of geography. But I dare say there are some community building possibilities here. I don't think I'm breaking any community norms by saying you're welcome to check it out and see. It's here. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Koss/87/89/119 -- and, in keeping with the idea behind it, all are welcome to participate as well. Instructions are on the parcel. I have my largest parcels in the Snow Lands suncontinent. I like it partly because there seems to still be a fair sized number of active users there instead of being surrounded by only abandoned land. And people seem to have done a fair job of keeping it free of too much visual pollution, at least in the areas I frequent. But I'd like to do more of this sort of thing. I'm already thinking of doing the Christmas thing again next year. And my long term plans include acquiring more land in the snow lands. I don't think I have the right parcel for this yet, but I am thinking maybe a community center of some sort? As a free space for people to hold parties and events? And, of course, I would probably donate some of my own DJing to the cause for some events to help it get going. Gotta think about how best to do this to make griefers and such manageable.

And more tier you'd have to pay on those regions. Even if it was linear--and I don't know whether it would be--you'd still never make enough to offset tier payments. But I do see what you mean about large land holders owning a lot. I had trouble deciphering Klytyna's post, but I think she is suggesting those who purchase private islands would be excluded from receiving a stipend. I don't see why. My whole point is premium membership and tier being kinda the same thing. I.e., the more you pay in, the more you get back. So I don't see why private region owners would not get the same.

Simple. LL doesn’t earn much directly, if anything, from land sales. The earning comes from people paying tier. More land purchased = higher tier payment. Which would seem to be highly desirable from LL’s perspective.

I’m sure I cannot be the first time person to think about this, so I apologize if this has been discussed to death and I am just missing it. I pay a certain fee to be a premium member. In exchange, LL gives me a small amount of tier (1024 m) and a small stipend of $300L per week. In my case, I also pay a monthly fee for quite a bit more than 1024 m of land because that small amount of tier did it’s job and got me hooked on how much fun land ownership can be. But that additional payment provides me with nothing in terms of additional stipend. I’ve been reading about the economics and business’s model of SL. It seems that most of the money is made by land tier. That makes sense given that land tier provides a predictable monthly income whereas Linden purchases are sporadic, irregular, small bits of income. So wouldn’t it make sense to link Linden income to tier to encourage people to buy up more land instead of saving funds for more less profitable Linden purchases? I can only speak for myself, of course, but if I had a correspondingly greater stipend because of how much I pay in tier, I would instantly buy up even more land and bump myself up to the next level of monthly tier. As it is, I hold on to real life funds to buy Lindens now and then instead of using the money on more land purchases.

I’m wondering if others feel like I do that one big advantage of mainland is the opportunity to build community? If so, then how to go about building that community and promoting a feeling of togetherness among land owners and renters? Some things I like to do: When I have a party at my land, invite the neighbors even if I don’t know them. Invite friends to buy up land and become my neighbors. Right now I have a large chunk of my own land setup as an open community holiday celebration. Again, I invited anyone who owns land anywhere near mine. And I set out notecard givers near the public road and other spots where people enter with invitations for all to participate. My land has no security orbs and no ban lines. Visitors, when seen, are greeted and welcomed. I also opt for PG furniture to discourage certain misuses of my land, if you get my drift. I try not to create ugly stuff that would ruin the experience for others. I’m looking for other suggestions and hoping to maybe start a conversation about how to promote a sense of community. Thoughts?

The LL TOS does recognize that nudity is not in and of itself sexual. But it is not clear about that where child avatars are concerned. There is also a little matter of federal law. You can find the Citizen's Guide to U.S. Federal Law on Child Pornography here: https://www.justice.gov/criminal-ceos/citizens-guide-us-federal-law-child-pornography Among other things, it addresses the very question you raised about whether nudity is sexual: Notably, the legal definition of sexually explicit conduct does not require that an image depict a child engaging in sexual activity. A picture of a naked child may constitute illegal child pornography if it is sufficiently sexually suggestive. So yes, just depicting naked children can be illegal if it's suggestive enough and I'm not sure what is suggestive enough. Are you? There's also no exception for digital depictions of simulated children, particularly high quality ones. Visual depictions include photographs, videos, digital or computer generated images indistinguishable from an actual minor, and images created, adapted, or modified, but appear to depict an identifiable, actual minor. Undeveloped film, undeveloped videotape, and electronically stored data that can be converted into a visual image of child pornography are also deemed illegal visual depictions under federal law. High resolution images of quality mesh avatars anyone? See why I'm concerned?

So I am looking for the wisdom of the group here. I got invited to join a community on an M rated sim and eagerly did so because it seemed like a fun group. But after having been there a couple of times I noticed that the sim very commonly has child avatars, including some extremely young ones, wandering about and dancing completely nude. I left the area, left the group for that community, and have warned some others that this fun group has a dark side. To me this seems uncomfortably close to kiddie porn which is, of course, a crime to view or possess. So the question for the group is this . . . am I overreacting? Should I just dismiss it as something that makes me uncomfortable? Or do I need to do something serious about this?

If you can't understand the difference between defining a word and forcing an identity on someone then, with all due respect, I think you are the one who has the problem, not me. Hey, the furry fandom doesn't really have any rules. If you want to have your own private definition of terms, go for it and have fun! Might make conversations with you kinda confusing, but hey, enjoy! I don't think there's any point in discussing with you any further, so I'm done.

No I didn’t. I’m actually the one who originally said being a furry is a matter of self identification.

And I’ve said the same many times. In fact, in the very post that you are responding to, I said: So basically I have repeatedly said the opposite of what you’re accusing me of saying.

I once sent an avatar maker a nice congratulations on his fabulous furry avatar. I got a reply back that said it wasn’t a furry avatar. It was a feral. Then he showed up as a horse and we had a nice conversation. A conversation between a snow leopard and a horse. I have friends who have found ways of using the general lack of knowledge about ferales being furries to their advantage. Hmmmm... according to wikifur, the /fur/ channel is deleted. Dunno. Weird.

Well, the guidelines were not satire. They really do ban furry content. They really do allow neko content. They really do have that as an example for how to tell the difference. You can see for yourself here: https://7chan.org/news.php?p=faq My discussion of it, however, may have been a bit tongue in cheek. Although, well, I really don’t think there is a clear dividing line between furry and neko.

Hmmmmm, I agree with you. So what about this one--which I had to see if it is allowed per tos and I think it is? 7chan appa Apparently 7chan bans furry content, but not neko content. This is (I am not making this up) their official guide for distinguishing between furry and neko. I guess if they had to come up with something like this, that shows how hard it is to tell the difference and how little difference there is between the two.

I think I saw that at FurtheMore.

Wait . . . are you suggesting that random internet memes are not a reliable source of facts? What about this one? It's definitive, right? I mean look at how cute the images are! Can't have images that cute unless you are 100% accurate and really know your stuff! No sirree!

I think you win the thread! hehehehe!

I definitely do. Talking animal = anthro animal even if it walks around on four legs. Or, to invoke Kurrel the Raven again (because I like that song): If it talks like a person and flies like a bird, Then it's still a furry even though it sounds absurd. Talking bird = a furry even though it flies around like a regular bird. And one favorite furry movie of mine is the 2016 version of The Jungle Book. Lots of walking talking feral type animals. Also, see the furry spectrum meme I posted earlier. In which cat (but still a furry) is the furthest to the right. I personally spend most of my time in SL bouncing between "Very furry" and "cat" levels of the meme.

And also there are herps. And weres. And others I know I'm forgetting. And they all fit within the larger category of "Furry." That's why you go to a furcon or a meet and you see all those dragons and dinosaurs and birds and stuff. Go to a furclub in SL and you also see tons of them too. Mammals are most popular. But we're a pretty inclusive bunch. We don't throw people out for having feathers. Yes, it has been that way for decades. Now, if you or someone you know doesn't want to identify as furries, that's fine. But by no means does the term, as usually used by those of us in the fandom, exclude those with scales, feathers, etc. I thought I was being so silly that this would be obvious, so I didn't plan on explaining it. But here goes. There is actually no such thing as the Federal Furry Administration, no such thing as a furry license, and no such thing as the furry licensing exam. That was a joke. I guess I should warn you that the Amalgamated Furry Union Local 272 that represents furries in negotiation with management is also a joke, as is the collective bargaining agreement. The union and the collective bargaining do not exist. I guess I should feel proud that my dignity is so great that I can be accused of pretentious silliness. Talk about peak cat. But on a more serious point, you might want to draw your attention to . . . . ❤️

Gee willikers. I didn't know humans had cats ears and tails. But then again, I passed the furry licensing exam. I do *not* have a human license. So it is entirely possible that humans started growing those things and I didn't know. I am but a simple snow leopard and not very knowledgeable about hoomans. Wait . . . just the previous line you drew a distinction based on neko's being humans and therefore not animals. Now, in the very next sentence, you say humans are animals. This is way too confusing for a simple snep like me. On a more serious note . . . being a furry is a matter of self-identification. If you say you're not, you're not. In SL there are plenty of furries with human avatars and plenty of non-furs with furry avatars. No biggy and no one is looking to force you to identify as one.

BZZZZZZZZZT! Keep studying for the furry licensing exam. Furries are anthro animals. No requirement to have fur. In the immortal words of Kurrel the Raven: First off, what's furry? That's an easy thing to tell: It's an animal that happens to be human as well. In technical terms we call it anthropomorphics, But it's easy to explain without all the linguistics; If it walks like a person but meows like a cat, You've got yourself a furry - it's as simple as that! If it talks like a person and flies like a bird, Then it's still a furry even though it sounds absurd. 'Cause even though birds have feathers and not fur, Mammals are the commonest type of furry in the world So the word comes from them. Even starting with a fly, You'll end up with a furry no matter how hard you try. Fur not required. :-) But I do draw the line at vegetables. Leave asparagus out long enough and it will be furry. That is different from being a furry.

Simple. An anthro animal. There are no rules as to how much animal or how much human. The fandom, as a whole, doesn't have a lot of rules, so things like that are left kind of ambiguous and undefined. I know this stuff because I have a furry license. You learn it when you study for the Federal Furry Administration's furry licensing exam. ?

Actually, I thought most people would be surprised to learn that being a furry requires licensure . . . .

Licensed professional rl con-going, furry radio show hosting, furry art collector furry here. I would say that this . . . . . . . is exactly why nekos basically would fit the definition of a furry. To paraphrase Kurrel the Raven, to make a furry, you take your favorite animal and mix a human to it. Doesn't matter that we've got more human in nekos. Nekos just have more of the human ingredient. There is also this lovely meme: Of course memes are just memes, but this one kinda illustrates that there really isn't a bright line between furry and neko. And I certainly do know some folks who self-identify as furries who might be described as nekos in appearance. With that said, actually being a furry or not is a matter of identification. And I know that lots of tinies do not like to be called furries even though so many of them are tiny anthropomorphic animals. I see nekos the same way. They may not like to be called furries and that's fine. But the dividing line between neko and furry is kinda arbitrary and I see no reason why nekos could not be considered furries except for their own personal dislike.