Cybin Monde

August 30, 2011

Great job, Pooky!!

This is a great, simple look into SL! Very organic feeling in presentation and flow, explaining a myriad of possibilities with an internationally spicy soundtrack. Really enjoyable to watch and makes me want to get back in there more often. It would make a great commercial in an advert campaign.

Until after now...

March 4, 2011

Wow! That's about 3 things that were addressed within the space of these comments! Smilies were formatted better (Thank you!), an Off Topic forum was created (many kudos for that one) and new RSS feeds were added. Great work LL!

For those looking for Status Updates, Tickets or Live Chat links, try the help/Contact Support sections.

The Status Updates window is on the front page of the Help section, while the Ticket and Live Chat options are clickable text links on the Contact Support page. So, while they do exist, they could be better integrated into the whole. For instance, having Tickets and Live Chat as links in the Help drop-down menu, with Live Chat leading to a page about Premium Accounts if you have Basic and would like to use Live Chat.

Status Updates should also have a spot on the right hand side of the Blogs front page, perhaps between the Blogs and Announcements panels?

March 2, 2011

Welcome back, everyone!

The new place looks pretty nice! A little rough around the edges, but that's to be expected for any new forum application. I'm sure some functions and features will get tweaked as time goes on, as the community gives feedback about it's collective preferences and needs. For instance, i would love to see the hover-text preview of threads.

I haven't actually been to the forums yet, but i'm interested to see what my forum avatar looks like now.. not to mention having fun with updating it using those cool new backgrounds! I have to admit, they look great and seem like fun to use (except for the whole image issues thing, but here again... i wouldn't be surprised to see this addressed in some manner (maybe Linden Research starts their own SL-centric picture hosting site, maybe they branch off and make their own SL-centric social si... oh. Well, it could happen. ).

Before i head to the forums, i wanted to draw attention to something. I must say, i think this was a very wise, and appreciated, decision on the part of Linden Lab:

Share Blog Posts and Knowledge Base Articles: If you find an interesting blog post or Knowledge Base article, then you can now share that information on Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks. Other kinds of content, such as user-generated comments, Forum posts, etc., will not have this functionality available.

(Bolding mine)

It really does seem like we're seeing a renewal going on. (I know there is some debate over who is responsible for whatever directions have been taken, but ultimately... it's LL that's taken them, regardless.) The presentation of this site is beefed up in some areas, scaled down in others... and while some things could be improved, it's a pleasant experience overall. Adding to the somewhat "new image" that it seems LL is going for; this crisp, clean site goes some distance to represent that, i believe.

Hiya, Torley!! *waves*

ETA: Is it possible the formatting for the smilies could be adjusted at all? Not sure if that's possible, but they hover so high up there and take up a bunch of space to their right. Seems weird for them to have so much "real estate".

February 3, 2011

Awesome to see you interacting so thoroughly with, and for, the community! It means a lot to see you come back into these comments so long after this was initially posted!

I just wanted to mention the Jira i had started, as the topics Fredrik brought up are specifically mentioned as "Opt-In for all profile widgets" instead of dealing with whether they should be web based or asking for a complete removal of certain items. This isn't to say other Jiras dealing with those topics are off-base, just that it's nice to get these things sectioned off on a "per issue" basis. (For instance, i haven't tried them, but opening a web page to view a profile from in-world seems a bit backwards)

Anywho, my Jira, in case you (or anyone) was interested:

Allow Residents to Opt-In to any and all profile widgets

February 3, 2011

Thank you for this information, Fredrik! While we'll still want widgets to be optional as well, this is certainly a marked improvement in the right direction! Hopefully this information will be posted in a new blog post soon? It seems important enough to have more attention than being buried here in the comments.

I see some people saying that this isn't enough or asking how this could have been based on our feedback. First, no it isn't everything we have wished and hoped for... but let's not overlook the progress that has been made! This comment from Fredrik shows us that they are indeed listening and working to make improvements based on our feedback where they can.

Please keep in mind that "based on feedback" doesn't mean they heard what we said and followed it to the letter. It means they went through all of the feedback and made some decisions based on what we had said. There have been several points being made and several changes requested. The overall message that LL got from us was that we were concerned about privacy matters. So, they made progress towards providing more privacy. It's a couple steps forward, but haranguing against them for not living up to our every request all at once (or for past issues) does not promote a positive, forward-moving environment.

Plus, Rodvik mentioned in the comments in his blog post that the very things being mentioned as not being paid attention to were just brought up today (by Fredrik) at a meeting with an eye towards what they can do about it. The point is, we're moving forward and i'm glad to see it!

January 21, 2011

Welcome Rodvik!
(officially)

Between the information in the original blog post about you joining the Lab and the exploration and immersion you've expressed here, i'm looking forward to what visions you'll imbue Second Life with. You're previous personal works gave me the initial smile on my face, especially the explanation at the bottom of The Marriage (which i read after playing the game ). The recent socializing, building, exploring and scripting you've been involved in are encouraging to see, as well.

Something that will probably be harder and harder to do is to spend time in-world. As more and more functions and details come under your purvue, you'll have less time for just enjoying the world. I think it's a common "issue" for Lindens.. the first few months are filled with wonder and you really want to get in there and let people know that you care, that you want to do whatever you can to provide a better experience for them. As time moves on, you get weighed under work and all the side things that creep in.

While there are many good suggestions, i would like to add one more. Remember to make that time to go in-world. Don't let that excitement and fervor be dimmed by workloads (or stongly worded blog comments, which i'm sure you've seen or will see later). That magic that you feel at the beginning never leaves the world, it's always there.. you just have to actively keep it in sight.

Welcome again! Good to have you here... have fun and be well!

/bow

January 20, 2011

Fredrik, thank you for your repsonse. It's always great to have feedback within the blog comments, clarifying points while calling for additional feedback.

I went back and added an addendum to the bottom of my Jira (https://jira.secondlife.com/browse/WEB-3543) defining that I am talking about giving Residents the option as to whether the widget/button is shown on their profile. The function being available is a good thing.

I explain it better in my Jira.

January 20, 2011

You're welcome, Luc. And thanks for the vote!

January 20, 2011

Please, Lindens! Make it so the users themselves are able to control how and where their profiles are visible and accessible!

- Luc -

Allow Residents to Opt-In to any and all profile widgets

January 20, 2011

If they want to go square, then any Snapshot used will be squished. That really is not acceptable. Someone needs - if they are going to keep the AR to 1:1, to allow some simple editing program to select the square from the rectangular Snapshot. That would solve ALL squishing forever. Done.

And they already have that option available in Jira. I actually just uploaded an avatar picture for it and had the cropping box to use on the pic before finalizing it. Seems like it should be simple enough to port that function over, no?

OH! I forgot to add.. the inability to drop inventory on a profile is going to be a significant annoyance, as that's the main method i ever used to give inventory to someone. It would be awesome if that function could be returned to profiles!

January 20, 2011

First, the addition of a "Favorite Landmarks" login option is awesome! I'm sure it will see plenty of use and be a welsome addition to login options. (I love the concept of "options"!)

Second, i don't know much about technical things, but it sounds like the new decompression should be a solid step forward. I hope we get to see some metrics on that in a future post!

And now, of course, the widgets. Ugh.

They would be great additions, if they were Opt-In and not No-Opt-At-All. Although, they do offer a proof of concept and i would be interested to see what other widgets we may be able to utilize in our profiles! Well, as long as they were optional and not required/forced.

As a matter of fact, i've even made my own Jira for this. To those reading along, this is NOT a duplicate of any existing Jira on this issue. There were two types dealing with this, "get rid of it" and "allow us to opt-out"; however, i did not see any which requested an "Opt-In" option. This is the angle i took, please feel free to read the whole thing (and vote!):

Allow Residents to Opt-In to any and all profile widgets

Excerpt:

The request of this Jira is to change the application of widgets in profiles to something more in line with the basic philosophy of Second Life. The idea that we can each craft our own experience to be the expression we wish it to be, to convey. Where we are used to having options for almost any feature offered to us.

Edit:

Just wanted to pimp this never-voted-on Jira of mine while i'm here:

Show current Credit Card in Account Summary

January 16, 2011

A lot of great advancements here! I'm surprised the group limit being raised isn't being hailed as the beginning of a new era of awesomeness or something, after having been clamored after for several years now. Even still, i'm sure there will be many people thrilled at the new group limits.

The other work looks impressive as well. The region crossing improvements look good, although i haven't really tested it myself. It does seem that there has been a noticable difference for several people in these comments, which is great to hear!

I'm very interested to see how the new group chat pans out. From what i've been reading and from what i can gather, it seems like it should be a massive improvement over the current system. Kudos and good luck!

-

For everyone who is pointing out how there are profiles which would not be lawfully decent for teenagers to see.. here's the thing, they're currently existing against the ToS. All profiles are supposed to be limited to PG content only. Anything more "adult" than that is against the ToS, an AR-able offense and something which can have consequences against one's account. To argue that children shouldn't be here because there are adult profiles is sound; however, those profiles should not exist as such to begin with.

What this points out clearly, is what many of us have known would be a good idea and asked to have for a while now - the ability to have rated (G/M/A) profiles. This would lighten the burden on support in that people could just set their profile rating and no longer have to worry about if the profile meets PG standards. Not to mention bringing in a much easier way to make sure profiles are not unlawfully accessible to the under-18 crowd. It just makes sense. If there's a continent for all Adult rated material, why shouldn't that extend to our profiles?

-

Lastly, the Facebook/Twitter/etc. content.. is not a "bad thing". While many of us may not want to participate in it, having that extended functionality will appeal to some people. Which is in line with part of what SL is about.. creating an existence of your own creation. Just because you or i like something, or dislike it, doesn't mean the same goes for everyone. Not even the loudest voices/crowds in the forums and blogs could claim to speak for everyone... many times less so, actually.

All of that being said...

Ciaran wrote:

Why are you giving Facebook the time of day when they quite clearly don't embrace the concept of Second Life? You guys should be leading, not following.

Cybin Monde likes this.

December 24, 2010

Greetings and welcome to Second Life and Linden Lab, Mr. Humble! From what I've seen, it should be great to have you here.

I went and checked out all 3 of the games listed in the OP, also reading the explanations given. The information within the description for "The Marriage" was quite impressive and it gives me high hopes for what you'll accomplish here. (Not to mention the oft-ignored work you did with Create! A sizable feather in your cap when considering your role here.)

Have fun exploring and learning the world!

Until after now,
Cybin

December 16, 2010

Sorry to see you leaving, Jack. Thank you SO much for all you've done throughout the years! (And for putting up with all my questions and inquiries about last names/region names, lol)

I'm sure whoever takes over where you left off will do a decent job, but there will never be another Jack. You're name is immortalized for very good reason. The best of luck and wishes for your future endeavors, which, no matter what or where it is, I'm sure you'll be a welcome addition providing excellence and substantial productivity.

I want to express this better, but I'm at a loss for words. Be well and I hope to see you around the grid sometime.

Until after now,
Cybin

November 20, 2010

I just wanted to say it's very sad to see an era passing. I really cannot believe that last names are now an artifact of history, nor can i believe that LL thought it would be a good idea to cut registration down to one name with the last name, Resident, forced onto the account.

I have my isues with Display Names, as i also can see some of the good they can provide. Honestly though, registration should be allowing a First/Last scheme to persist. It would have been much better to allow people to choose whether they wanted the last name "Resident", giving the option to replace "Resident" with something of their own creation.

The Fisrt/Last scheme which many of us have grown accustomed to is a part of your identity in SL. Yes, i am aware that one can create the illusion of a First/Last name by using a Display Name, but it's not really a First and Last name... it's just pretend and could be changed on a whim, which ends up losing the uniqueness of a true First/Last name.

There are plenty of advantages to Display Names; unfortunately, we're already seeing negative side-effects (such as popular names (like "Prokofy") or business' (such as "Ravenglass") being registered by non-related persons) which seems like it'll be a popular new griefing tool. (Yes, i know profiles will show those with the last name "resident", but that doesn't explain if the owner of those properties registered the new name(s) or if it's an unrelated person)

With Display Names and the new single username, people have been given more options. Sadly, this also took away options that a large portion of the community enjoys. So, in order to please those who would enjoy Display Names, was it necessary to take away such an endearingly popular naming scheme? Couldn't we have just been able to create two names? Or even given the option to use a space or a period in the single username?

One way to redeem the single username schema would be to add an additional use case. Particularly, creating a single name login which could be used to access all accounts under that login name. You're all familiar with this usage from MMOs where you have your account login, but then pick your character (avatar) from a list. THIS would be a welcome usage of the single username creation, especially if it allowed cross-avatar inventory management (and Preferences settings which allow for "per avatar" or "all avatars" settings).

TL;DR version:

I'm sad to see last names thrown off so unceremoniously.
I'd rather we could create a last name instead of being forced to use Resident.
Griefing of usernames has already started.
Single login access to multiple accounts would be a cool usage.

November 17, 2010

First... I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!! I totally didn't expect to see this when i did my daily checking of the blog, but boy am i pleasantly surprised! CONGRATS! This is a really welcome addition and should break SL out into the wider populace pretty well. Good thing you guys have been working on the infrastructure! (Which has looked like some awesome work being put in)

Now that i've had a chance to breathe...

I'm using SeaMonkey 2.0.10 (on Windows XP) and it worked fine for me. I had to wait for some loading times, sure, but I was able to get in and everything did load. Not bad at all. I'm wondering if there would be more extended controls if you're signed into a registered account, although i suspect it's not a "signed in" thing as much as it is a "pared down so it actually runs in a browser" thing. Either way, this is looking really good and i suspect good things to come from it. (I'm also guessing that the Display Name project made this feasible?)

If there's anything i would look in to, it would be the directions on how to get from the first page through to logging in. I found myself waiting a couple times when i just needed to click somewhere.... which didn't signify it was a clickable space really. Other than that, i dig it. Great way for people to get a taste of SL, or for meetings, live events... and so on.

Thanks!

Until after now...

October 27, 2010

Torley, i think that was the reason given back when my voice held a little more weight, too. Although, honestly, i'm not sure why it couldn't just be added with "Live Chat" in a bigger/more prominent font on the "button" with the paranthetical part in a smaller font, but part of the same button. As such (well, without the font differences):

Live Chat
(Premium/Concierge)

The current behaviour could be used as leverage instead of an obstacle. Or, making a molehill out of a mountain.

As in, Basic accounts would be brought to the default self-help page instead (A note could be made on that page, "Used the Live Chat link? Find out more about Premium accounts here!", as/with a link to Premium FAQ), while Premium/Concierge would flow right through. It also infers the answer to "What support options do I have as a Basic account?".

So, while it may not be able to be implemented for specific accounts, it can be used both as intended and as additional information/marketing at the same time.

Edit: Basic accounts being brought to the self-help page (well, explanation of and links to, that is) is the current behaviour. I double-checked to be sure.

October 26, 2010

Suella, thanks! That's exactly what i was talking about.. i went back and read my comment and realized it wasn't very clear. It sounded like i was talking about an existing link, when what i meant was "the link, which doesn't exist".

Torley, just like Suella illustrated. Currently, you have to click through a time or two to find the link to Live Chat, while just about any other basic support usage has a link from the Help drop-down, chat does not. So, when you said "Where? I don't see it?", that's expected behaviour.

October 26, 2010

Paulo, you may want to read this blog post as it pertains to what you're asking for:

Making Strides to Improve our Customer Support Services

There are some Linden comments further down which go into a bit of detail on what they're talking about, including working on support times and what they mean by "self-help" (it's not just reading material). Torley doesn't work on resolving tickets or in Live Chat, but he can help condense the breadth of the available self-help material so that we have, and can find, the appropriate information. Which is what this is about, working together to make it all easier.

October 25, 2010

Great to see more work towards making Help easier! While i don't have any threads to recommend, I did have an oft-mentioned idea that would help in a small way.

"Live Chat" link in the Help drop-down menu here on the website/Dashboard. Mentioned many times before, i think we've heard "good idea, we'll look into it" from the Linden side, so it may be in the process of being implemented. Figured i'd include it here though, just to be thorough.

End Of Li... er, Until after now

October 14, 2010

I've been watching this Mesh stuff from the sidelines, basically, all along. I finally downloaded the Mesh viewer earlier today. Installed that and a couple (Blender, SketchUp) programs to try out. This is all a new expereince for me and i have to say the possibilities are just awesome.

I first tried out Blender, quickly realizing i couldn't just learn how to use it for the first time, as well as make some test object to test in SL. Then i checked out SketchUp. Much easier, even if not quite as advanced as Blender. I made a couple meshes, uploaded and tested out a couple basic things.

I confirmed that i could go inside a hole "pushed" into a mesh with no problem. Although, there is a problem if there an extruded section (i think that's the right term, it made a circular thingy divided into sections, i left 2 sections (of about 12?) visible) over a hole in part of the mesh.. even if i only left a small section of it on the side. It seems the bounding box for it was still there. (Not sure if this is specific to SketchUp)

I never had a problem uploading. Took me a minute to find out what i had to do in order to make it work. Might be cool to add that as a pop-up help screen (basic directions: load, make sphere, apply mesh, make appropriate Edit > Object changes and whatever else) that only comes up the first time you use the upload for it. I also never crashed or had any lag of any kind. Granted, i was in a region with one other person in it and there wasn't a whole lot of stuff around. Still, it went well for me.

(While this is my main account, i also have a small inventory for it. I think i'm still under 3,000 items in my inventory, even after close to 7 years.)

Anyway, thanks for the heads up on this Jack! It was fun checking it out, i'm sure i'll bang on it some more at some point.

October 7, 2010

Hi Maurice! *Waves*

While we won't have a tool for every issue out the gate, we're actively looking for areas to expand the Resident tool set, and inventory tools are definitely on our list of areas to explore.

I'm not certain what you mean about Premium Residents being "murdered," but Premium Residents do not have their inventory purged after several months of delinquency and non-payment.

I just wanted to highlight a couple things you said here, as i know information can quickly be lost in comments (maybe add that info to the OP?). For instance, the inventory purge issue was resolved over a year ago if i'm not mistaken.

And the "tool set". A lot of people seem to be thining that "tool set" is referring to a KB type of addition, while i'm expecting it's actual tools to help resolve issues. (" happening to you? Press this button to fix it!") A few things mentioned as common issues should probably expect a tool for them eventualy. Also, useful for any membership, instead of using Live Chat or a ticket.

As for the "Hey! What? Basics don't matter?!?" comments.. yes, Basics do matter. However, part of the value of a Premium/Concierge account is extended support. Basic accounts do not pay for support directly, regardless of much money they put into other areas of the system. Not to mention, the cost of a Premium account is negligible compared to what you get (practicaly pays for itself with the L$ stipend, after which the cost is under US$2/month, when paid yearly).

Also, Live Chat definitely needs help and is apparently understaffed at the moment. At least that's what i figure is the reason for cutting back the available hours. I'm hoping the new team that's forthcoming (still? yes? i hope!) will provide more comprehensive support than what we've been seeing for awhile with the current non-Linden team.

I'm looking forward to the new self-help tools, as well as the trickle down effect from new internal tools. It sounds like a decent re-focusing so far. Really, the main sticking point with support most people have (from what i've read online) is the value of Live Chat and the timing of tickets... which sounds like both should be getting improved. I hope.

Until after now...

October 4, 2010

The retail heads-up is great! That's an advance notice worth smiling about!

However, the educational/non-profit advance warning is too short. While i agree that doubling the price is a definite hardship for those involved, i don't know what reasoning has gone into this and may be completely logical. The sticking point is more he timing than the pricing (although the pricing is quite a shift).

Basically, the Educational/Non-Profit (mainly Educational) discounts need to be extended until at least June. The best would be if the increases came in either August or September, January is a killer for the reasons already mentioned by many others in these comments.

October 4, 2010

@Cybin Thanks! Of course, part of the problem is since Second Life doesn't do "sharding/instancing", this has led to orientation crowding in the past. And single-player games don't need to worry about that at all. And the Viewer would need better hooks to "read" what your avatar is actually doing. Nonetheless, they're inspiring ideas — if we can come up with more scalable ways, like integrating the web better with 3D.

I've missed "Until after now..."!

@Irene Why? No particular reason against that. But, I think it's tricky if you're watching a video of what you need to do inworld... yet you're on a webpage. There's a conceptual disconnect, but the gap is getting smaller. As I've advocated for why so many Residents have found my video tutorials useful AFTER being inworld for awhile, more should get a lovely first impression upfront, too. Suggestions like yours DO help.

You know, these two ideas, and your comments on them, had me thinking of another possible avenue. Instead of having tutorials in-between registration setup, have them available to click through to at the end of the Registration process. Then my idea comes in at that point, as an option.

You can either skip tutorial info altogether, or you can watch Torley Tutorials and/or you can use an interactive web-based tutorial. The interactive tutorial, i'm thinking, could be like a Flash (or whatever) game type thing. An explanation that the tutorial is meant to familiarize new Residents with the basic controls of SL. Move a generic avatar around in a generic setting (not actually SL, just a mock-up), with descriptions of those basic controls.
It could be made to look like the world of SL and like a default avatar so that it relates better once they're in-world (maybe a reminder at the start/end of the video on how to log in to SL proper).

The whole scaling issue you mentioned is why i never really pursued it while i was still there, but i kind of like the mini-game web-tutorial thingy. It may not be in-world, but on the other hand... for new Residents, it could help if they knew the basics before even going in-world (with mention of the Learn The Basics tab that is in the side bar).

Until after now...

October 2, 2010

This post is in response to several posts that come after the initial post i'm replying to. Mostly in response to Wayfinder, but not in any order at times. Anyway, onward...

Homesteads - I agree on pricing, it made no sense to me either. It's the technological need that i know was a monster. While there may not have been a ton of people abusing the original limits, we also have to consider the secondary effects they were having. One island sucking down resources could cripple other related islands as well. It effected other people. There was a need for the technological breakdown, but i agree that the pricing methods were rather bewildering. OpenSpaces were meant to be used as scenery for the most part, maybe a small gathering. That's why they're called "open spaces", because that's what they're intended to be... open spaces of land/water.

You're also right about my "bad deeds/good guy" analogy. It was a poor choice on my part, but it does feel similar to how i view LL. I know the majority of people there are exactly what we would wish them to be, they care and want to see much of the same any of us do. There is just some maverick element to the whole thing that bangs around, with results that at times make no sense... issues where fallout seems not only predictable, but easily staring them in the face, yet still forging ahead with it anyway.

So, it's not that i don't acknowledge the disasters along the way, it's that i see light that could lead to a renewed magic. Recently, it's been a rollercoaster ride. A lot of stormy, doubtful clouds have been throwing out some pretty disturbing bolts of doom. On the other hand... well, further down you ask Apotheus for a list of "profound improvements". I went and took a look at some Release Notes to help me come up with this list:

Mono support
Group Text/Voice Moderation
Ability to change Friend Request message
Ability to drop Inventory on IM names
Ability to "Return All Objects" of a specified resident as an Estate-wide feature
Addition of an "Ignore" button to friendship requests to keep online status private
Over a dozen translations either added or updated
Adult ratings/Zindra (YMMV)
More information in About Land
Ability to choose desired Maturity rating
Allow Dimple/Profile Cut for boxes, cylinders and prisms
Change the default cut increment from 0.05 to 0.025
Multiple attachment points, multiple clothes layers/tattoos - (Viewer 2 only i believe)
Havok 7
New 16+ age limits on the way (again, YMMV)
Mesh on it's way
Snowstorm

(Thanks for that quest, i like doing research .)

And a side note about the "if you hate it, leave" style comments... the discourse here is intelligent, it is not a situation of people just blasting hate. This is the type of conversation that is good to have when things are amiss. Even if you're someone who loves LL and stands by them 100%, you should be able to admit that detrimental decisions have been made by Linden Lab. Not to mention, "if you don't like, there's the door" isn't really a productive way to join a discourse such as the one seen amongst the comments here. But please, do feel free to talk about why you think there is nothing to dislike.

On a different point, i haven't been in-world much over the past 9 months, but i know previous to that the grid was in better shape for a couple years than it had been previously. So, if it's gotten worse since the beginning of this year, my point is moot. Otherwise, i stand by saying that the kinda old days weren't as stable as they are currently. (Not the "old days", because the old old days were fairly decent... i think. Been awhile.)

Ok, i'm off to watch tv or play some games or something.

Be well.

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