[It's so disheartening]

I know the feeling that you are experiencing, Phil.  I, and others, feel it too.  That sense that SL is cooling off or somehow diminishing as we watch.  Regardless of what the numbers say about concurrency, I know that I just don't run into the same numbers of folks as I used to.  I don't think any one issue caused this phenomenon.  It's easy to hold up one particular issue and say "this is what caused it."  The fact is that enough people loved what SL is (or was) enough to shrug off any one issue.  SL could have survived the marketplace, or linden homes, or the zindra thing, or anything else.  All of them combined, however, I think was enough to cause the equlibrium to shift.  A tipping point has been reached and SL is going to irrevocably change.

 

There are some who seem pleased by this, others are disheartened.  Personally, I think it is a bit sad to see the old world turn into whatever it is going to turn into.  I think that SL is going to become more of a set of disjointed locations instead of a cohesive "world".

 

The "old SL" that many of us loved so dearly is already dead.  What this place will become will remain to be seen.  I may like it.  I may not.  If I like what this place becomes I will stay.  Who knows.  I may enjoy what SL becomes a great deal.  I have already started to adapt.  I've changed a few habits, really reduced some activities,  but I am still meeting fun people and I am still having an enjoyable time.  But, no matter now much I like or dislike what SL becomes, I will always miss the way it once was here.  

 

It was nice.  I miss it.

[Threats From a Linden??? Maybe????]

Dude, 

The absolute fastest way to lose an account forever is to claim to be a linden when one isn't.  AR this fool and attach copies of the chat or IM log.

 

[how to post a Griefing and abuse]

Valerie provided you with a good link as far as abuse reporting goes.  If you use public sandboxes, you will need that info.  Most sandboxes will get a visit from griefers sooner or later.  By all means, report them.  It's the only real recourse you have and sooner or later, if enough complaints get filed, LL will eventually deal with the griefer.  Problem is that it is far too easy to make free, anonymous accounts here and some folks have a hobby out of dealing grief here.  Some have raised it to almost an artform.

I would advise against "shooting back" at them especially if they are running in packs like that.  It is a known trick for griefers to draw someone else into a TOS violation (claiming self defense won't cut it) and then file abuse reports on their victim.  Remember there are several of them so they can file multiple reports...

The best thing to do when a sandbox gets infested with griefers is to simply file the AR and move on to another sandbox.  There are many many sandboxes in SL.  Find several that you like and if one has a griefer problem, move on to the next one for your building happiness.  Look around for a few nice ones.

If you are just building and do not require the use of scripts in your project, many sandboxes have scripts disabled.  This prevents griefers from using most of their tools.

["Reserved Rights"]

You are correct.  It is a load of "beep".

Those disclaimers in the profile mean absolutely nothing.  If they break the TOS, you can AR them regardless.

[how to make stuff to sell]

That's a pretty open-ended question.

The best answer I can think of to "How to make stuff to sell" is...learn stuff.

Most items are a combination of scripts, textures, and a "build".  There are also sounds and animations.  Particles are sort of a hybrid of scripts and textures but are almost a separate field in and of themselves.  

Most people tend to specialize in one of these areas but most develop skills in at least a couple of these fields.  Pick one and start studying it.  Find one that you enjoy messing about with and start making things to satisfy wants and needs that you have during your travels in SL.

If you wanted or needed what you made and you enjoy using your creation, there is a fair bet that others would want it as well.

I often see questions like this and I always say that if your goal is to make money, you will be much better off doing that in the real world and then using the money you make there to buy lindens.  Make stuff here because you enjoy it.  The chances of you making real money (or any money at all) selling stuff isn't really all that good.

[Honorary Rank]

I think we should make a distinction between reputation and rank.  One's reputation here on the forum, or anywhere else for that matter, is determined for the most part by history.  Someone regularly makes valuable contributions and after awhile their reputation improves.  I know that when I am scanning through a thread and I see certain people's names I will stop and pay attention.  

Forum rank is a completely artifical construct that in my opinion has very little weight.  I mean, when I see your name, I make a point to see what you wrote not because you have a little pink bit poking out but because I know from previous experience that what you write, whether I completely agree with it or not, is worth reading.  The "official rank" means little to me.  I mean I may note with some passing interest..."Oh look Knowl got himself an upgrade there." but if you only had a little yellow resident babypoo-smudge I would still stop and read what you wrote because of my past experiences reading your content.

Number of kudos and solutions is just an artificial method of trying to steer the "natural" process of establishing a reputation by LL.  I don't much care for that.  I think that I have the rank of "Cabbage Acanthus" and you have the rank of "Knowl Paine".  Each individual can determine for themselves what those ranks are worth.  People don't need LL's "help" in determining that (or at least the people that I want to spend my time with don't).

We have these ranks being handed out but we have no idea what the exact criteria for assigning them is.  I guess the value we place in them would in no small part depend on the faith we have in the reliability, consistancy, and overall fairness of the group who issues them.  Again it all comes down to reputation. 

One person might not think that LL has the best reputation when it comes to fair equal treatment of all residents and consistent application of their own criteria in all cases.  Someone else may disagree.  As a result they would value the ranks they assign completely differently.  

I do have a few concerns about the concept of membership having its privileges.  Exactly what privileges should an elevated rank have in these forums?  Think carefully about all of the implications of those of higher rank having "privilege" in a forum like this...

A lot of the long term residents seem to enjoy helping others out here, especially the newbies.  I enjoy helping out when I can so much that the fact that I am now doing a lot of LL's customer support for them for free doesn't stop me from stopping by the answers forum and pitching in every now and then.  I would put forward that most of us do this not for some title or privilege or some other "cookie" being doled out by LL but out of goodwill and a sense of community.

With no clear guidelines on how ranks are asigned that's all they are, cookies handed out by LL.  I'm not particularly interested in their cookie.  I'm not here for them.  

You and the others don't need that little pink badge.  Your reputations were established long before those little badges were handed out and worth far more than those little pink stickers will ever be.

 

[School work for Computer Jobs]

I think that reaching out to people who currently work in the field that you are studying is a great idea.  

[Honorary Rank]

Allow me to clarify.  I do not mean that all rank and all status in society is meaningless.  I mean that the rankings assigned in this forum are meaningless.  I believe that the ranks in this forum are meaningless in part because it is unknown exactly how one obtains them.  The fact that we do not know the criteria by which they are assigned does devalue them a bit in my eyes.  Well that and they are forum rankings...(rolls eyes)

To use your RL examples,  people with the "rank" of firefighter, doctor, or police officer meet known criteria of knowledge, skill, and behavior.  When someone says that they "have the rank" of doctor it means something because we all know what obtaining that rank entailed.  We have some sort of reference that we can use to determine its value and relevance to the situation at hand.

Isn't the main thrust of your original post that it seems that some people have rank that is inconsistent with their "accomplishments" here in the forum?  If that is true, then what value do they really have if they ever really had value in the first place?

You say in response to my statements that, "In Membership in SL, as a Resident and guest of a Second Life, I sincerely believe that in that sense all Residents are equal. In accomplishment, I do not believe that all Residents are equal."  Interesting.  Does that imply that you feel that forum rankings are some sort of measurement and acknowledgement of that accomplishment?  If they have any value at all it is only specific to this forum and not SL as a whole.  

Oh, rank in RL society is very important.  There are titles, qualifications, and statuses that I have that I value as much if not more than any of my material possessions.  That is because those "ranks" have real value and clear criteria and are recognized by the society at large.

I just don't feel that LL saying that I am "valued" here in this forum is one of them and any attempt to compare forum rank to the "ranks" of a RL firefighter, police officer, or doctor is even by my admittedly freewheeling standards pushing it a bit.

 

 

 

[why are my blood casks disappering?]

Have you tried retracing your steps?  I misplaced my keys this morning RL and that's how I found them.

 

Have you done all of the standards, checking your trash and lost and found folders?

 

I am most certainly not trying to kill mt.  I don't even know the fellow.

 

 

[Honorary Rank]

What I think would be really neat is if they actually disclosed all of the criteria for the various ranks.  I am in the "rank is meaningless" camp but it would be quite interesting to see what the formula for assigning ranks actually was or if there is in fact any formula at all.

[Some annoying newbie questions]

Welcome to perhaps the greatest waste of time ever created

 

I can't answer everything in one go but I will try.

 

Prims:  These are the building blocks of SL.  They are the individual pieces of the various buildings, items, jewelry, vehicles, and just about everything else you come across here.  You can only have a limited number of these prims on any given parcel so the number of prims an item has matters.  For example you will see a lot of "low prim" items advertised.  This means that the creator is saying that they are made up of fewer of these building blocks as compared to other items of its type or complexity.

 

Rezz:  This refers to the action of bringing something into the SL world.  Either bringing an item out of your inventory and into the grid where you and others can interact with it,  creating individual prims while building, or even bringing yourself into a particular sim.  "Sorry I can't see you yet.  I just rezzed".  

 

There is a pretty big lexicon of words here and but the "Klingon" does get easier over time.  Posting questions in the "answers" forum is helpful.  Threre are loads of experienced residents that tend to stalk that forum waiting for people to ask for help.  I know this sounds odd, people literally sitting around waiting for someone they don't know to pop by and ask for help, but it makes perfect sense once you've been here awhile.  Remember, these people have been in SL a long time and therefore they don't think same way as you or me so be sure to keep your questions as simple and specific as possible and don't make any sudden moves.

 

Rankings:  The "Recognized Resident" that you see here is your forum ranking and has absolutely no bearing on SL at all.  It also has absolutely no bearing on this forum.  It does reflect on your level of participation here in the forums (number of posts, kudos, questions answered, that sort of thing) but it honestly does not do anything besides that.  You don't get super-secret powers or special access to a secret orgy room or anything.  (as far as you know anyway )

 

With most vehicles or other items you will get a little notecard along with it that will tell you how to operate it.  This is not 100% of the time though.  Almost everything here was made by another resident so there is no guarantees but instructions are usualy provided, especially with stuff that you buy.  

 

Yes, if you rez (see above) a vehicle you can put it back into inventory when you are done.  Or, if the vehicle has copy permissions you can simply delete it and rez another copy when you want to use it again.  I know, I just spoke Klingon again.  A easy way to check is to rez the vehicle, the take it back into your inventory.  If you now have two copies instead of just one, then it is copyable.  You can just delete the copy that you rez.  In your inventory there will be the word "copy" beside the object as well.  If you have only one copy when you take it back then it is not copyable and for the love of pete don't lose it.  If you do lose it be sure to check your trash and lost and found folders.  It will usually turn up there.

 

Random teleporting:  A great way just to look around.  I recommend it highly.  Funny thing about other people... they will get pissed off over the oddest things.  You are going to piss someone off in SL sooner or later.  Don't worry about it too much.  As long as you aren't being a jerk you will get along just fine.  If you wind up somewhere that you aren't welcome then just TP (teleport) somewhere else and keep on trucking.  A good tip is to learn the shortcut keys for teleport home (ctrl-shift-h on most viewers)  Get into a bind and just pop home and regroup.   I do have a warning on random teleports... some things you can never ever unsee...  

 

If you ever have more questions feel free to ask someone.  Most of us are friendly and helpful (almost too friendly... it can get a little creepy)  

[what is happening with SL?]

The official numbers still look good, but who really knows for sure.  I do agree that things aren't what they once were.  A simple stroll through SL will show you that.  Yes, you can still find a nice "club" pretty much exactly like the next club and the one after that but what else is left?

It could just be that people have figured out what works and what doesn't and folks are just following the "forumla" for moderate success just like in RL.  But I definitely feel the same thing that the OP does, a definite waning of enthusaism and interest across the board.

Ask yourself, when was the last time you went exploring, just looking around like we used to?  Do you try to find new places (except when one of your favorites goes out of business)?  How many places do you visit on average per week?  For me, the list is perhaps two or three.  I like most people log on and go to the same spot and just stay there.

Remember the big projects?  Those large amazing creative endeavors?  How many new ones are there?  How many of the great ones are still left?  Are more being made than are disappearing?  I think we all know the answer.

Personally, I used to use SL as a creative outlet a place to build and create and share and express myself and all of those things that sounded so appealing back then.  Now, I come here to hang out with the few friends I have left and perhaps tinker with some small builds and simple scripted toys but I certainly do not put forth the same "investment" of my time and energy than I used to.  

Why should we when the rug keeps getting pulled from under our feet?  A change in the way scripts are run or a tweak of the physics simulator will render whatever you create diminished or completely useless.  Land policies will arbitrarily change wiping someone out.  Maybe LL will set themselves up in direct competition with you in order to capitalize on a market that you built.  Perhaps someone will file a bogus AR on you and whoever is reviewing them that day has a brain fart or leaps to a conclusion and you get suspended or banned trapping no small ammount of your cash inworld.  Yes, things aren't assured in RL either, laws may change and economies shift there too, but the gravitational constant does not change on a whim. 

Now a person or two has always gotten burned out every now and again.  But this time it seems that it is more than just a few.  This place is a result of the total creative effort of it's residents.  I for one think that we are all getting tired.  If all one wants to do is come here and socialize and go to a "dance club" then they might not see what we are talking about nor care about it if they do.  But those of us who really liked this place and used to marvel at what could be done here may feel differently.

I think a tipping point has been reached and the nature of SL is shifting from what it once was to a rather tepid, sterile, and bland new existance.  How is that going to work out for SL, LL and the rest of us remains to be seen.  But personally, I can tell you that I can only muster up the emotional investment to be mildly curious and am only paying attention out of a detached sense of amusement than any real concern anymore.

In short, enough of us have become disenfranchised from a world that we helped create to lock us into what is most likely a irreversible cycle of disinterest.  This can't be fxed with a new feature.  Even mesh, when and if it comes won't change this.  It wasn't some sparkley nifty new feature that built this place into what it was.  It was the collective enthusiasm of an engaged customer base.  Once that is diminished past a certain critical point, it's over.  Have we reached that point?  I don't know.  

The sad part is that I no longer really care.  

 

 

[AMARETTO Stole over 40000K in horses and I would like sl to do something about this,,these horses]

SL won't involve themselves in a interpersonal customer disupte.  Sorry, it just won't happen.  If the other party broke the TOS somehow then you can try to get LL involved but other than that, LL simply isn't interested in getting in between two residents over a transaction.

Considering the permanent mess they would find themselves in after they started doing that sort of thing, I actually sort of agree with them for once.

Your only real hope of getting those horses back is to contact the other party.  I would recommend trying a less confrontational approach ie changing the word "Stolen"  to "Misplaced" or "lost" .  It might work better that way.

[How can i continue playing SL if someone was banned on my ip?]

The only legitimate thing you could do is move out RL and try again once you were free of your inapporpriate family member.  I am sure that other more convenient, less legitimate, methods (especially if you are unable to move away from the real culprit considering that you and this "family member" are one and the same as is often the case) should be obvious.

 

As far as legitimate official things go, LL once they place an IP ban is very unlikely to reverse it.  You could try to appeal it, but what assurance would they, or the community at large, have that this "family member" wouldn't simply resort to the same behavoir that got all of you banned in the first place?

[Can you tell if someone uses an alt ?]

There is no truly reliable way to identify an alt.  There are a few products that claim to be able to do it but there are far too many false positives for them to be considered remotely accurate and most rely on "questionable" methods that would be best avoided.

 

Many people (including myself) have alts.  I'm willing to bet most people do.  Most of these alts are used for innocent purposes.  If someone is using their alts to break the TOS, LL can rectify the situation (if they can be bothered to do so).  So, if any resident alt or not is breaking the TOS to harass or otherwise grief you, report them.  If you have reasonable cause to think that they are someone's alt, include that along with the supporting information in your abuse report.  

 

The key to this is consistancy.  Every single time that person breaks the TOS, report them.  Proper documentation of such petty injustices is often the best single thing you can do to get a resolution (both in RL and SL).

[Why is Second Life so phenomenally user unfriendly?]

I hate to break it to you but this is the user friendly version

I recommend that you simply ask for assistance, like we all did starting out.  For example, many people would be happy to help you out getting your avie set up.

 

To answer your question as to why SL is so user unfriendly, it has to do a lot with options.  The more options that one has to chose from quite often come with the "price" of added complexity.  Most people like SL the way it is (or was anyway).  Attempts to "simplify" the platform would almost certainly remove features and options that most enjoy (after a bit of a learnig curve). 

 

Now, granted, SL could be made easier to use to a certain extent but if taking a few minutes (or hours) learning a new entertaining passtime does not appeal to you, then perhaps this isn't the right thing for you.  Not every passtime is appropriate for every individual.  An attempt to make SL into a place that pleases everyone will instead make it into a place that pleases no one.

 

 

[is there online support to chat live]

It does, but only if you have a premium membership.

If for some reason you do not wish to pay LL for their quality service here by having a premium membership, (I know, unthinkable right?) then the only support you really have is us.

And the knowledge base... between the knowledge base and this forum, you should be able to get most of your questions answered and we won't hang up on you.

 

[What can i buy with my lindens]

If you don't have any idea what you want to buy then don't buy anything.  

 

Let the lindens build up.  Don't worry.  You will see something that you want soon enough.

 

[Did this really happen in Second Life?]

I've heard of this scenario once or twice.  Usually it isn't a RL photo but a RL meet that sets those unlinked prims to physical....

 

Show of hands... Who has been building up in a skybox over a crowded sandbox and set the whole wad to physical?

<raises hand...(it was early in my SL life)>

[where can I go to open a purchased item. Where can I go to rez a purchase?]

Sandboxes are a great place to unpack your goodies.  I recommend searching for sandboxes and then scrolling down to some of the less popular, less crowded ones further down the list.

[Will Linden Labs removed all my rezzed prims on the grid?]

<golf claps>  Very nice....  Haven't seen grey goo for quite some time.  

LL will probably appreciate the heads up.  I recommend saving any scripts you are fond of to text files (cut and paste 'em) and transfer any transerrable goodies that you can because your account is probably in deep doodie.

In the future... it is best to slip a "chat die" script into any experimental items or have a script that de-rezzes the prim if it moves to a region other than the one you are in.  Those two precautions have saved my bacon more than once I can tell you.

I wish you the best of luck with your new account.

[what dose account goes on hold mean]

It means that LL has locked it down, most likely because the believe something is amiss.  C'mon.. tell us what you did

[How can I make 50k on SL.]

I would advise against selling your sole to the devil.  It wil be very hard to enjoy that new skateboard if you do.  

 

[Please help - dispute with gaming site owner- about 30K lindens owed.]

I hate to say it but this issue is just between you and that business owner.  LL won't get involved unless you can find a violation of the TOS, as others have said.  

If you became an annoyance great enough (as you seem to indicate) for her to ban you, then you are banned.  There is nothing anyone besides the person that banned you can do to change that.  If she is a successful business owner and you were thowing around enough lindens to rate a 30,000 linden bonus then she will probably welcome you and your lindens back if you give her any indication that you will be less of a pain in the future.  Just send her a notecard politely explaining how much you pay her and a polite request to be let back to the gaming machines.

Privately, if you are spending that kind of money on the sort of games that are "legal" here in SL, why don't you just take yourself over to one of the online gambling sites because that is what you are doing, gambling.  There are better, more entertaining games, and their games are probably less likely to malfunction since they are not tied to the crapshoot that is SL's stability these days.

Or, if you are spending so much that you are getting a payback of what.. around 120 USD or so you must be really throwing down the cash.  Save it up for a little bit and head over to Vegas (or whatever is its twin wherever you live).  You will have a MUCH better time.

The person that banned you probably did you a favor.

[The resident who provided the previous content, if any, has replaced it with this generic statement.]

Y'know... some might say that if they focused on the quality of service rather than the quantity of sparkley new features, they might be in a better position than they are now.