[Does the way your avatar look affect forming bonds?]

It definitely makes a difference in whether I want to initiate a chat with them.

I make it a point to compliment people who have obviously put in effort and thought into their avatar, or even if it's just something that takes my fancy. They may or may not want to engage with me beyond that, but so far everyone has been happy to get a compliment.

As others have mentioned, how we present ourselves in SL also communicates our interests and, to some degree, our personality. 

We can't force people to be our friends.. if some wants to set specific parameters on who they will socialise with, that's their call. They'll naturally have a smaller pool to interact with, but if they are happy, good for them. 

[So, the MP went full weeaboo...]

Anime & cosplay has been a thing in SL since I joined in 2008 at least, probably well before. It was just dressup fun.  I named my avie after Akane Tendo, and my friend made me the whole schoolgirl set costume - no nastiness involved. Maybe it's morphed into something else in some circles but people still enjoy some innocent cosplay too 😁

[An interesting question]

Deep thinking takes a lot of effort, while shopping is rather more relaxing if you come to SL to unwind. 

One thing about SL museums.. a lot of them are built just like a real world museum, with little or no exploration or interactivity. If there was a sim where I could walk amongst billions and billions of stars, surf nebulae, and find Carl Sagan quotes along the way, I'd go there a lot. 

[Picture Group?]

hi, my name's Akane and I'm a photo addict... 😁

joined! my timezone's a bit awkward, but if you have insomnia, feel free to give me a shout

 

[Do you talk about SL to your RL family/friends?]

3 hours ago, Eva Knoller said:

This is a topic I am interested to hear other people’s views on: Do you tell poeple outside of SL that you have an account? Apart from my immediate household, I do not. 

If they are interested in virtual worlds, gaming or the like, sure I'll talk about it. It's easier to explain to people who are into similar things.

[Loot Boxes Revisited]

More than once I just wanted a Common and I got a darn Rare 😭

[How does your avatar look today ?]

visiting New Toulouse by moonlight. This place is turning 11 soon. 😃

 

[How does your avatar look today ?]

rebels without a cause.. well, apart from loitering

 

[Conversion starters]

On 2/12/2019 at 3:57 PM, Derekmate said:

OK so there is a topic about lines what you hate. But what about the lines you like to read when somebody say hi to you? 

What should be the next one after heey?

some nice opening lines:

"Good day, milady"

"Excuse me, may I take your picture?" 

"If you hear some strange singing, it's just me..."

[Voice or Text?]

Text only. I think of my avatar as a character with her own story, and a much sexier voice than mine 😎

[The graphics for this game have been terrible for a decade]

40 minutes ago, QuantumIncitement said:

I am a gamer.  Why not make the game fun, more realistic.  Why not upgrade it at least once a year?  Why treat me like a cuck?  I am a gamer, of course I am interested.  I am an addict I cant just quit gaming.  I need a new fix, I want this but why dont they fix it?  Why do you pretend it is good?

My non-coder layman's guess is because it's full of user-created content from 15 years back. Some of it's mine. 😈

[What do YOU do in Second Life?]

On 12/20/2018 at 2:56 PM, HivieHivie said:

What do YOU usually do in Second Life?, what activities do you do on a day to day basis In world?.

I'm new so I'm just finding ideas of what others do in Second Life. 

I went through many phases - newbie explorer, shop owner, combat obsessed samurai wannabe, very bad but determined scripter and builder, roleplayer,  and now I just like decorating, dressing up, and taking pics. I am glad I took photos all along, so I have a record of all the stuff I did. 

[Rudeness in general]

Once a guy unfriended me because I answered his IM with a smiley face. Sometimes people are just weird.😁

[The "We know it so well we think others know it" Thread]

2 minutes ago, Bitsy Buccaneer said:

But wearing the furniture folder is a gas. Try it for yourself if you don't believe me

Houses too. You can be a walking Escher print. Then go dancing ...

[The "We know it so well we think others know it" Thread]

1 hour ago, Lindal Kidd said:

 

• To put something on, right click it in inventory and use ADD.  Using Wear replaces anything else on that attachment point or clothing layer slot with the new item.

 

And, be careful what you are right clicking on. Wearing your whole clothing folder doesn't end well  😭

[Men Not Liking Men: The Shocking Truth about Male-Pattern Loneliness in SL!]

23 hours ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

 

Is this so? I'm sure that many or most men do have some male friends, but is it true that this is much more uncommon in SL than in RL?

And if so, why????

Curious (female) minds want to know!

This is an interesting topic, and I'll add my 2 cents from conversations I have had with male friends, with a social psychologist I know in RL and from my own readings. 

Men tend to gravitate to doing activities together, like strategising, problem solving, building and making things, and achieving proficiency at something. Probably why they like gaming. Women, on the other hand, tend more towards socialising for its own sake, as chatting actually gives us an endorphin rush (actual speech, I am not sure if texting has the same effect). That's not to say in certain settings these tendencies for both sexes are much less prominent. 

In SL, objectives are self-driven, and it's much easier to chat and hang out than get something complex going like an involved game or roleplay or business enterprise. These take a lot of time and effort, and (anecdotally) most people are in SL to chill and relax (which also includes dating and hookups, for those so inclined). 
That's my roundabout hypothesis about why men apparently socialise less with other men in SL - they just don't bump into conducive bonding scenarios as often.

[Retention rate explained]

5 hours ago, Prokofy Neva said:

 These are the SL demographics -- older women, married men who aren't interested in war gaming or hooking up, young people from countries like Poland or Russia or Singapore or even Syria, somewhat new to Internet socializing. 

A minor point of clarification - Singaporeans are extremely active social media users. It is, however, mostly via mobile. 

[So, people can break into your house, while you're home, and engage in a sexual act right in front of you? Is this a thing on SL?]

On 11/20/2018 at 3:28 AM, animats said:

Perhaps setting a parcel to "no flying" should mean "real world mode". Can't fly, can't double-click TP, can't cam and sit. Just like RL. And most games. Game regions would probably select that mode.

I thought Experiences filled the need for sims that wanted more control over the interaction?

[Squeeness]

14 hours ago, Love Zhaoying said:

What is it?

It's a pangolin.

[Squeeness]

Used to watch these in the zoo... according to the keepers they are great escape artists when they grow up

 

[Mods Please]

27 minutes ago, Ceka Cianci said:

Yea,it's usually giblet gravy or sausage gravy..It's all good to me.. I could eat breakfast for every meal of the day..

I make some really good scones and gravy..hehehehe

and then there's clotted cream... 

melted sharp cheddar is good too, baked in...

[OMG, too funny]

there's an interesting video linked on the american civil war museum website: https://acwm.org/collection/flag-collection

ps. I'm not american and have no particular opinion on civil war era flags, I just like history. 

pps. however Gone with the Wind is one of my favourite movies. sorry ☺️

[What are you doing today!? :D]

dressing up for Diwali

and dancing around trees ofc

[OMG, too funny]

2 hours ago, Fionalein said:

Same limited mindsets on both sides

Those wars are a thing of the past you were (for the most part) not involved in them - why would you identify with someone else's achievements? Lack of your own? Sounds like an excuse to avoid some effort ... "Gramps fought in da war so now I can feel proud too" LOL yeah...

War, occupation, economic hardship and struggle for independence is not ancient history in many countries of the world, including where I live. 

Perhaps for a powerful, peaceful, safe and prosperous country the symbolism becomes lost over time. I agree, that is sad. 

[OMG, too funny]

1 hour ago, Fionalein said:

I never understood the identification with something as silly as a flag.... People go all bonkers because someone burns a piece of cloth or drags it through the dirt. Don't you have some real problems? And no, please don't tell me it's all about the values the flag stands for. People identifying with flags and other group allegiance trinkets usually are those that think least about values. With the words of a very known Twittitician : "Sad!"

Why would someone burn it or drag it through the dirt if it's unimportant?

For countries that have been through wars, been occupied, survived through disasters... flags are important.