Mickey Vandeverre

Do you ever wonder if Ralph is one of your buds? I do. I chat with some people now and then that have different concepts than I do. You gotta wonder if Ralph is one of your buds.

Would wager that without all those marketplace links and pics showing up so high in a google search...you might not have many sign-ups at all to talk about. Evidently you don't track hits on your product blog or check your product images in google image search. Almost all of my product blog hits came from a google image search or a generic non-SL-related keyword phrase in the last 2 days.

I hate Facebook! Where did you get the idea I like Facebook? I've got a huge whopping store inworld so I can cater to both styles. I personally love to shop inworld when a sculpty tree is not broadsiding my head upon entry. Huh?

You can compete on that level with proper marketing. You can compete on any level with proper marketing.

That marketing skill is not a bad skill to learn while you're here. People can drag that with them all over the web for all kinds of other stuff. eta: you can gain a ton of ground here with some marketing. it's getting a bit trickier now....with your identity/brand showing up in google attached to a LL web page...that directs your marketing efforts a bit out of your hands. but discovering some work-arounds for that too. Gotta keep moving!

Thanks, Madeliefste - that helps a lot. will study a bit further, and be ready to go! Very pleased to hear that you will be offering this - was getting a bit nervous about Blender! On your question...I would actually use both options. Sometimes you need to add a quick piece to a set, say for instance I designed a bar set with 35 pieces and need a martini real quick to throw in...then the templates would work great. But if I were making a special serving tray that highlighted the martini in a particular type of glass design, then the ability to take it into a program and work it that way would be great. But we're all very different in our needs! Ask Ralph.

My generic response to those who are disheartened: Yeah...it's disheartening when you're sittin' in your downtown store twiddlin' your thumbs and you realize that everyone has gone to the burbs to shop in the mall, and you realize that you didn't plan properly. Yeah...it's disheartening when you're sittin' in your mall store twiddlin' your thumbs and you realize that everyone has started shopping on the world wide web, and you realize that you didn't plan properly. Yeah...it's disheartening when you're sittin' at your laptop twiddlin' your thumbs, designing a fancy web site, and you realize that everyone is blogging now and using social media, and pre-designed shopping sites with all the perks and SEO already in place, and you realize that you didn't plan properly. Lay all that disheartenment on your customers who want the latest convenience...that you failed to accommodate...add some distress and drama... and well....maybe you will feel better.

You should start another thread for that, because this ain't the thread. You are way off topic. You start another thread, and I'll give you an earful.

Fantastic! thanks, Mylar

on the floral pattern....we could make our own pattern right? These might sound like stupid questions, but.... would we need to take that mesh object to a program like Blender to apply our own pattern? because Blender is scary. or could we do our own floral pattern in Gimp - then apply it with another program? do we do all that before bringing inworld? do the pieces of the Fan have to be put together in a program before bringing inworld? on the shadowing...is that a separate function that you add on top of your rose fabric? or do you need to make your rose fabric already have the shadows?

Marketplace offers convenience, so all those customers can purchase the outfit they need to wear to that special event, within minutes...rather than having the customer tool around inworld for two hours to a bunch of sculpty-laden malls that hit you with a giant tree covering your whole body, that won't rez for 15 minutes. They purchase their outfit while they are sitting at their physical world office desk....then they are good to go when they arrive inworld...and can move on to that event and enjoy themselves...rather than getting frazzled with the above shopping experience and missing the event entirely. (just one of a zillion examples)

Thanks for explanation, Mylar. Sounds doable!

Good grief, Ralph! Who are you tell someone who has a fantastically marketed niche and offers a valuable service that they are not contributing to the economy or the community? Get a grip, dude. Madeliefste is my idol on proper marketing! I purchase sculpties all the time to use in products. Will assume others do. It's like going to the unfinished wood store in physical world and purchasing an unfinished wood cabinet, then getting out your paints or stains and creating your own piece. Or like a seamstress purchasing a bolt of fabric, then creating a dress. No reason someone has to learn woodworking or fabric weaving in order to make something.

Glad to hear you are going to offer these - love your stuff! I have no tech lingo to ask correctly, but it seems that a mesh object has to be textured before bringing into SL? like with a program? which programs? That would be 1st question. Will you be sending the mesh object via email or something? after we purchase it? it sounds like you can't do that. When we bring it inworld - will we need to be one of those who took that test thing to bring mesh in? I can't ask the questions with the right wording, but I do know how to make things - not sure how I figured that out! I'm not sure about textured templates - prefer to do those myself, I think. Otherwise your object is going to look like everyone else's. Plus, whole point is to design with your own textures. But with mesh, it appears to be more complicated than just slapping on a texture. Right?

Honestly don't know how they figure out which features are best. Everyone using SL is so different. Entirely different. Probably more different than you will ever find using a service. (because of the nature of the use) I'm watching who is using it, and my hunches of who would embrace it right away are entirely off. If it caused a divide...probably just due to lack of communication on how to use it, how it works, and what option it defaults to. Considering the sensitivity of why a good portion of people love SL...a default to OFF should always be the case. I think I sort of have a grasp on what people are seeing now - but still not real sure. Some explanation on that right upfront would have helped a ton. As hard core Twitter user...not so sure it will add anything, except a time suck. But....there are topics and events which I cannot continually promote on a twitter feed, all day long... that are very specific to SL....that could certainly be dropped into the feed inworld. An instance would be today....free panties...I can't really plug those to a world wide twitter base every day, and still keep the base. But in SL....hell yeah....everyone wants free panties. no? Same thing on events. You can attach a LM to those feed blurbs - or a Slurl - invaluable - and that always tripped me up on twitter, as it was many extra steps. Plus, plugging an event on twitter for SL only...yeah it goes to a ton of people, but it really needs to get to my store group or friends instead. And they are not using twitter. I have some active users of the feed on my friends list. (not many yet) I see them responding to people I've never met before...and there is a new possible contact right away. Wasn't able to see their stuff on twitter, as the info feeds a bit differently there, and you miss it. You can track a feed, and meet all kinds of new people. It meanders out forever, by clicking on names. Many seem to have the feed open for now. I was hoping that I could send event information to my store group there, without sending notices...but doesn't look like those who are on friends' list will be using it. just yet. Am surprised at some of the old timers who are running with it. Probably hard to determine on something like this exactly how it's going to pan out until you flip the switch, but I think that most people just want that OFF option in place before the switch was flipped. If they can combine this in as a group feature somehow - I think it will rev up some people's stores, events, etc. Big Time. Indigo Mertel had a blog post the other day with suggestions there. Make this function as a group-related feature....amazing opportunities there. Pretty much what we've been begging for.

Dartagan - I'm curious...are you going to be using the new feature? When you were commenting on the old users...did you have in mind that they were opposed to the new feature? or that they were going to use it big time? I'm watching who is taking advantage of it, and it is very interesting!

If you have any kind of success at all, or if you deal with many people...you will come across someone who will be a problem. Maybe several. It can get quite awkward and downright scary. I'm not sure what name you are using now. If it is your real name ....zip your lips forever. Don't say a word. As it is already picked up in google search, just from this thread. Whatever name you choose for virtual world...it will appear in google, just as it is right now. If you use same name for facebook or google+ it will direct them toward your efforts there. Once you choose that name, you are trackable across the Internet. Whether you have a successful business or not. Years ago, that was not necessarily an issue in this particular virtual world, as the google search did not pick up your forum postings or your profiles. Even not using forum is no longer the answer to laying low...as your profile is now web based.

there are tons of articles huge dilemma past few weeks, for those who branded over the years with an avatar name or pseudonym. And it's not just about business and "branding" it's about a personal use name as well. I really don't know what the answer is...been contemplating this week. If you become tied to a virtual world name, then the virtual world's promotion ties to that. But you need a name that will mesh both worlds...if that's what you have planned. It's tricky, and I don't have an answer. Because of the posture and tone that Google+ is setting on the web...it's a really important consideration. Entities follow the big boy's lead.

You should probably drop whatever you're doing today, and visit the Google+ articles on pseudonym controversy. Lots to think about there, in which way the web is headed. Getting really tricky on using avatar names and/or pseudonyms on the Internet now. If your business is going to mesh both worlds, you've got to figure this out in advance before you start on all your marketing and branding. Not saying use real name at all...but appears in order to use all Internet services, you need to have a handle that looks somewhat normal and blends in.

You build your inworld business reputation with whatever name you start with. If you're bringing in a physical world business, perhaps real world name is necessary. Those seem to be rare. Can't think of one of the top of my head, except for corporation style. If you do business with real world name in SL - you are attaching all SL promotion to that real world name, and it can be extremely limiting for your real world business. Particularly limiting if you go on to other things....which one does. Frequently.

not safe at all. and I could list 100 reasons. currently, SL marketing is busting out your avatar names for promotion...so you just handed over your real life name to be heavily promoted via SL attachment.... for who knows how long in a google search.

I'm not sure about that. On Twitter - I know that they made a choice to use it. On these profiles - not so sure they made a choice. On Twitter, you reach the world. For artists, musicians, venue owners, universities, fund raisers, etc. Twitter or Facebook or Google+ best choice. This tool is very limited. Great for small circles to chit-chit.

Maybe the concern is that people were not sure if there was an OFF button. My gut reaction was that a rather large group of people who had not met before were going to be chit-chatting all kinds of stuff on the stream! Was a little queasy about that! Seems that most on my list have it turned off. Or haven't discovered it just yet. I see a Remove and Hide button for posts now - this is good thing.

I just did a search for your name to see if anything showed on your page, and your profile is not appearing at all. Did you set your profile not to show? Does that apply to inworld too?

Hi Perrie - not sure if you are responding to me or Rockridge - that was my quote. Yep, that's great idea - got that all set up - it all worked dandy until they let loose on the profile pages. But I see why they did that now.