Tari Landar

Brummund Thorkveld wrote: Kenbro Utu wrote: So you want the Marketplace to start setting price limits for merchants? No. A seller wants to sell a 32 prim sofa at L$800, that is their business. There was a lot of stuff on MP that was set at a decent price at the time, but a few years later, wouldn't be worth that much. IMHO it wouldn't be unreasonable for sellers to review their listings every few years. But it is unreasonable to suggest we get to dictate what "value" or "worth" actually is, as relevant to others' creations. There are plenty of things I would never buy because my personal definition, for me, of that item's value does not meet it's price. That does not however mean, it's actually overpriced. The same goes for underpriced. What some people think is valuable, others may not. Neither is wholely right, or wrong. We're only right when it applies to us and our opinions.

I don't think I will ever understand how, or why, they do things, to be honest. Of all the staff at the lab, I think the commerce team annoys me the most. Not that I'm a huge advocate for bashing the lab, generally they do plenty of things right, too(in my experience anyway). It's just that they've had so much time to fix some of these issues, and I believe some of the fixes would be quite easy. I realize not everything can be fixed overnight. Some things might never be fixed. But they're really going downhill a lot more than I expected. Probably more than many expected. It's starting to get to the point that a lot more merchants are upset and being monetarily punished by the lack of...I'm not sure what word to use here so I'll just say action, from the commerce team. I'm far from a fan girl, by any means, lol. I did have faith that them saying "this is on our to do list" actually meant it would probably get done though. Terrible assumption on my part. It's a good thing the benefits of having an MP store outweigh the bad, for me, for now anyway. I've had perfectly pg things flagged as adult. There was one set I never did figure out what keyword, or what word in the description was setting off that flag. It was a set of glow products. I never did relist that either, this just reminded me I probably should. If you look at some of the previous threads about this, you can see exactly how obscure some of their naughty words really are. Things like plain numbers(numbers that represent nothing, really) are even liable to set it off. Absolutely no rhyme or reason. I think, if I'm recalling correctly as this was a while back, someone got flagged for using the number 5 once.

You know, I never had this glitch until about three weeks ago, I think it was. Somewhere around there, as I was migrating my remaining mb items to dd. I checked my store and low and behold my item count had jumped dramatically. Now I know I'm not always here...or there...entirely. But I am fairly certain I didn't create listings in my sleep, or while I was in the hospital. I had roughly 40 extra products in my store. Some matched my product names, but with different text in the listing and different pictures. Some didn't match squat. All had text and pics that did not match one another. Many didn't actually take you to a product, just the home page. Thankfully, well, maybe poor choice of wording, but I had already read about this issue since it's been going on for ages. So I knew it was a glitch and not something I did, or something someone else did to me. I just kind of sat on that information for a bit. Now those listings are gone. I don't know why they're gone, I didn't report it. I should have, but at the time I was kind of busy with rl. I'm not so sure most merchants are that lucky though. I know a lot still have those messed up listings that either go to unrelated products, or in the case of the majority, nowhere but the main page of MP. So if you see them, you can still report them, but I wouldn't count on it being fixed anytime soon from the looks of it.

Their whole secret list of naughty words has been a huge thorn since they took over xstreet. It's extremely annoying. I agree wholeheartedly they need a better system. I also believe that while they encourage us to flag things-and they've done that a lot-they really need to pay closer attention to WHAT is being flagged, and why. Sometimes, I think they do. I only think that because there have been things I know were flagged, that were removed. I don't normally flag other people's stuff. It's actually quite rare. On the listings I have flagged (2), it's been because of something pretty serious. I think now, though, a lot of things that get flagged never really get looked at by the person removing them. I know what the commerce team has said about it, I just don't believe them. They have said they always look at the reports and determine if something should be removed. I just don't believe they actually do in many cases. I think they either skim or just click a pretty little remove option without checking. I'm sure it's not the case for all flagged listings, but I do believe it happens with most these days. It never used to be, ok maybe never is a bad word choice, but it wasn't as bad as it is now. I don't believe they pulled things as often as they do now. I think they paid much more attention at one time. There are always going to be trigger happy people that flag for no reason, or just to be annoying. Which is why we need people that will actually check those reports carefully, and the listings carefully, before taking any removal action. I had something flagged once, and I darn well know it wasn't because the commerce team happened across it by accident. Imo them monitoring the MP in that way is above and beyond their idea of what their job entails. It was during that "mad style" promotional thing. A cheapo hat I sell got flagged because, according to the "we've removed your listing" message, I had that phrase in my keywords and my product didn't fit the promotion. I actually did not use that phrase, anywhere. The hat's name has mad in it. People were getting trigger happy during that debacle because they didn't agree with certain products falling under that particular tag. In some cases, probably a valid complaint. But there were a TON of things removed and flagged that didn't even have the phrase in keywords. My best guess is once people got riled up about others using that phrase, which they didn't believe the merchants should use, they just started searching the term "mad" and flagging willy nilly. If you search the forum you'll find the thread(s) discussing it. Was a nasty debacle, imo.

16 wrote: accepted. thanks. I stop whining now is quite clear. the policy says accept it or don't use the service. so thats it. oh! well Oh I don't mind whining, personally. I actually find it amusing to be honest. Well, rather, amusing that others think people shouldn't be able to whine. I think everyone does. I think everyone whines and complains about all kinds of things. Sometimes they're things we possibly could change. Sometimes we simply choose not to change them. Sometimes they're things we can't. I'm all for letting people whine, so long as they're not harming others by doing it. We all need an outlet from time to time. When threads start to bug me, cuz I've seen a million and one just like it, I usually stop reading them. It helps a lot with eliminating that feeling. But shhh, don't tell anyone, its my great great great great grandpappy's nephew's uncle's brother's thrice removed dog's pet goat's front left paw's sekrit...they might be upset if I share. I only posted that because yours happened to be the last post I saw that questioned whether or not they should be able to use the ads, in the manner they're being used. Quite a few people have said the same thing, or similar. Which, in fact, they can do, and we let them, just by being here. That said...no part of the TOS says we have to like it.

16 wrote: Phil Deakins wrote: Users of the site don't have any vested interest at all in the site. Apart from those things, it's self-evident that what a website owner does with the site is nobody's business but his/hers/its. yes we do. when we log into the site on our account then what we do is shown to a 3rd party. why this is of interest to us is that it changes the longstanding understanding of the linden policy. that they will not share our information with others without our permission it is ok for linden to change this policy. and it is of interest to us. and people can express their views. whether that is: I like. I hate it. I don't care people complain about things they don't like. whine. yell. scream. is ok to do this and to say that its wrong. like wrong for them/me/whoever. and to whine that is somehow going to make the planet fall into the sun even don't need a rational reason to dislike, love or hate even. is emotional this. we not machines. so is ok to get upset about whatever vent and mouth off. at the policy change 16, I think you, and quite a few others, need to actually read the TOS. I'm not saying that to be a smartass, but it's actually spelled out very specifically what they can, can't and will and will not do, with regard to third parties. https://secondlife.com/corporate/privacy.php?lang=en-US#privacy3 It's near the bottom Third Party Advertisements Linden Lab participates in ad and/or affiliate networks operated by various third party companies. These companies collect and may use certain anonymous information about your visits to our Websites as a function of referring Internet traffic to our Websites. We do not permit these companies to collect any personal information about you, such as your name, address, or email address; however, we do permit these companies to collect your IP address. These companies may set and use cookies, web beacons, pixels, or other technologies to collect anonymous information about your visits to our Websites, and may otherwise aggregate, analyze and anonymize that data. If you seek information about these specialized advertising technologies, the Network Advertising Initiative offers useful information about Internet advertising companies (also called "ad networks" or "network advertisers"), including information about how to opt-out of their information collection. ETA: The last known revision of this privacy policy... Date of last revision: October 11, 2011 So this is far from new.

I don't wear 99.9% of the mesh I try on. Why? Because my body isn't only a couple numbers off on some of those sliders. Some areas of my body will fit one size, while others fit another. It's annoying. Especially with things like tops, and dresses. I have the shape I have because I like it. I created it to the proportions I wanted. The only person that got any input on how my body was going to look is my hubby. And the reason he got input is because I actually value his opinion. I'm not saying that to be snarky yo creators, because I do value them a lot, but I don't value their opinion on how my body should look. Much in the same way that I don't buy certain types of clothing because it's just not me. It's not my taste, it's not who I am, it's not a look I identify with. That opinion is also why I don't wear pre-made shapes. So it's not a knock on them as much as it is a choice to be the av I want to be, not the av someone else wants me to be. Hopefully that makes sense. That's how I feel about mesh. I feel even more strongly about mesh because such a vast majority of creators use those same "standard" sizes that they really are missing out on a large, imo, number of people who would love to own their stuff. I'd buy more mesh if more sizes were available, or at least, different ones. Some of it is so very well made and beautiful, but it looks fugly on me because I'm not standard. I actually have personal issues with that word, so, it will probably come off a lot more aggressive sounding than it should. I don't believe there should be a standard when it comes to sizes in sl. Because I believe sl to be a very unique place, and the unique nature of the people, the atmosphere, the general feel is what drew me back to sl in 2008, and kept me here, after leaving twice before(in 04 and 06). There's just something so, I don't know, awesome I suppose, about seeing individuality and unique styles, unique body styles even, I just like it. Even styles that might make me giggle because I'd never in a million years try that myself. I still think it's kinda cool to see them. Mesh standard sizing, does take a bit of that away. I'd be lying if I said I enjoyed even the thought of that, much less the actual act. I really don't think the majority of sl will fit in the the standard sizes without having to adjust certain sliders more than a few numbers. I really don't. I don't buy the whole "we asked and got about 700 replies..this is what people want". When the daily concurrency is over 40k(whether or not you think this is a huge number, is irrelevant) 700 people is really a tiny drop in the bucket. Yet this is the answer people give when asked "where the heck did the standard sizes come from". They always say "the majority gave their numbers". Well, no, they didn't. You asked a specific set of people, in specific circles, and got answers that, frankly, are actually quite close to one another. I'd love to see all the responses that were given, All the measurements people sent in. I am willing to bet a lot of them were pretty darn close to one another, if not the same. I have friends in the fashion industry, including some who make mesh and use these standard sizes too, I have friends in those fashion circles, I have friends in the modeling industry that all responded to this(and I know their measurements, as some of them have been my test dummies for creations) and there IS a typical body type among them. But if you go out into the rest of sl, outside of those specific places.....there isn't a typical anything. I know that was long. I am not trying to knock creators. I think they do a fine job actually, superb even, in most cases. I think a lot of them cater to the standard sizes because some people started that trend and now a lot of the people that buy mesh expect those specific standard sizes, because they've already altered their shape(s) to fit them. I feel bad for people who want to buy mesh, want to wear mesh, or will in the future, but can't because it's just not made for them. I also feel bad for mesh creators that go out of the "standard norm" realm. Maybe feel bad isn't really the right term, because I guess I feel bad more for the creators than anything. As they're missing out on the rest of the market. I see some mesh that is absolutely stunning. But I can't wear it. Why? Because I have boobs that aren't mesh(and no I'm not buying mesh boobs, I like the ones I have, lol), and are as close to mimmicking my rl chest as I can get in sl. When I've tried to wear mesh, I have to change the slider more than a couple numbers, in fact, changing their entire shape. That's not my chest anymore, that's some other person's idea of what a person wearing a size(insert whatever size) should be, in the chest area. Then I have to adjust some other sliders, usually more than a few numbers too. Then I get frustrated and give up. Just because my face doesn't change, or some other sliders don't change, does not in any way mean I still look the same. My overall shape, is me, that's how I look. Changing any of them, especially more than a few numbers, alters the way I look. Some people are cool with it, don't mind, even create shapes specifically for mesh. I think that's great, for them. For me...mesh is just not an option. At least not until I can master it myself...and mesh and I have been squabbling for some time now, so it'll be a while before I figure that one out But I love my non mesh clothes anyway, so it's all good. I feel bad for men too because I've seen some of the men's standard sizes and, well, they're just as bad. Hubby wears absolutely no mesh, and I don't blame him. I guess we're just not standard people

When I see the threads about the ads..this pops into my head And when i read this thread..which to my surprise I actually read in it's entirety, this popped into my head Neither is helpful....but both make me giggle anyway. Hey, I never claimed I had anything constructive to add

Awesome pics Thanks for sharing them! Marigold, I am betting that a lot of people with really old original rez dates have probably done the same thing I did. I first signed up for sl in 2004, but I didn't hang around too long. I came back some time later and decided I was going to stick around a little longer but wanted a different name. Made a new account, transferred some things, and never went back to the other. I stopped coming in to sl for a couple years while one of my kiddos was really sick. In 2008 I made this av, got what I wanted off the old account and never looked back. Both of the old accounts have since been deleted from sl. One I closed, and the other was closed by the lab quite a while ago. I run into a lot of people who originally came to sl in 04-05-06, with pretty much the same story. They joined, eventually got bored and left, then later came back.

Sephina Frostbite wrote: I dont think its fair to put non gimp/photoshop photos to compete with ones that have it. How can you compare? Doesnt really make it fair game. Well I wish the contest lots of entries! I've seen some really awesome photography people have taken inworld without even using windlight settings. I've also seen some really crappy photo editing done out of world, lol. Both from seasoned photographers and less experienced ones So, I wouldn't really call it unfair. Heck the right windlight alone can make just about any photographer seem professional, and nearly any photo look absolutely amazing.

I don't get very many emails confirming orders at all. Not sure why. But I have seen the same delay between sales and actually receiving the transaction on my page.

Porky Gorky wrote: Tari Landar wrote: Are you saying we're not? I'm of the belief that at some point, we all have our dumb moments.I sure as heck do, and I read instructions, quite thoroughly. I still sometimes need something that spells things out for me a bit more clear. Even if it's been posted or explained a milllion times by a million other people. I probably wouldn't have chosen the words for dummys, either. But that doesn't mean anytime it's used it was intended to be offensive and nothing more. Of course we don't all share the same sense of humor, so it may not be funny to some. It's certainly not worthy of the attack it got, though. That was a tad over the top. I mean if we're going to complain about something being offensive, I'm pretty sure that being offensive with our complaining isn't going to accomplish the goal any quicker either. The whole tit for tat thing is a bit silly once we've reached adulthood. My kids can't even get away with that, lol. I don't think focusing on that one word was really all that important. But, I can't decide for others what is and isn't. So I don't think there's anything wrong with being offended, but I do believe there's a much better way of conveying that. When a person is referred to as a dummy, it is the equivalent of calling them stupid or mentally retarded. If you want to publicly admit you are a dummy then that is your prerogative. If you think the mods should leave offensive thread titles in the forum then that is your prerogative. Just because you are not offended by a word does not mean others should not be offended. Just because you do not think others should challenge the use of the word through discussion, does not mean I cannot. Not much offends me but due to personal circumstance the use of the world "dummy" or the equivalent word "retard" greatly offends me. If you don't want to see me complain about it then I suggest you direct your eyes somewhere else because it is going to go on until this thread title changes or until the thread dies.. I did say I can understand why some people are offended by it, even if I am not. I didn't get the impression I bolded up there at all. Me not getting that impression doesn't mean others will view it the same as I. But hoenstly I think your comparison, at least part of it, is pretty darn harsh and a bit more offensive than the word dummy. You used a phrase I would never associate with that word and frankly really don't like the fact that people use it to describe something offensive at all. Again, just my opinion, and I don't feel others must always share mine. You're as free to use the words you want to describe something, as much as the next person. But, as you said, you shouldn't be surprised when people challenge that. I also didn't say you shouldn't complain at all, or challenge terminology people choose. I said there is always a better way to do it. I don't think being offensive in kind will accomplish much. It rarely ever does.

That coaster used to be for sale. At least if it's the one I am thinking of. I'm not inworld right this moment to check. If it's no longer for sale there may be a reason for it. However if you go to marketplace, and go to the recreation and entertainment section, there is a whole section for amusement and theme park type stuff. You might find a rollercoaster or two there.

Jadeclaw Denfu wrote: Tari Landar wrote: "lt has died, is dying, and will die....for those that allow it." Well, LL can do its part to prevent SL from dying: 1.: Act on ALL Abuse Reports in less than 2 hours. 2.: Crack down hard on griefers. 3.: Clean out and police the Welcome Areas. the depravity going on in e.g. Ahern is absolutely unacceptable. ( http://community.secondlife.com/t5/General-Discussion-Forum/So-out-of-sheer-fact-that-I-was-completely-bored/td-p/1950799 ) Sure there's lots they can do. There's lots we can do to ensure our sl is as much fun as we can possibly muster too. I never said sl didn't need improving. I face the same kinds of issues as most other people do, have a lot of the same concerns and a lot of the same desires as far as how the lab does things. I don't have to let the things I dislike trump the things I like though. Which is what I choose to do. Some people don't share that idea, for whatever reason. I respect that. Maybe their bads do outweigh their goods. In that case, it's probably best for them that their sl "die". Right now, it's not best for me. I'm guessing it's probably not best for most people still here, or else they wouldn't be ...edited to fix my terrible spelling lol

Porky Gorky wrote: Rya Nitely wrote: some people are just mean, what you can you do? Not implying that merchants are Dummy's would be as good a place as any for the OP to start. Are you saying we're not? I'm of the belief that at some point, we all have our dumb moments.I sure as heck do, and I read instructions, quite thoroughly. I still sometimes need something that spells things out for me a bit more clear. Even if it's been posted or explained a milllion times by a million other people. I probably wouldn't have chosen the words for dummys, either. But that doesn't mean anytime it's used it was intended to be offensive and nothing more. Of course we don't all share the same sense of humor, so it may not be funny to some. It's certainly not worthy of the attack it got, though. That was a tad over the top. I mean if we're going to complain about something being offensive, I'm pretty sure that being offensive with our complaining isn't going to accomplish the goal any quicker either. The whole tit for tat thing is a bit silly once we've reached adulthood. My kids can't even get away with that, lol. I don't think focusing on that one word was really all that important. But, I can't decide for others what is and isn't. So I don't think there's anything wrong with being offended, but I do believe there's a much better way of conveying that.

Sl has died, is dying, and will die....for those that allow it. For everyone else, it hasn't, it isn't and it won't, until they reach that point in their lives. The logistics and specifics of it all cannot be universally defined, imo. Much as people try there is no one size fits all answer. People only know how they feel, what they see, what they've heard or read. We can make guesses, and we can make predictions.....Or....and this is what I prefer...we can continue on enjoying the moments we like as much as we can, not enjoying the less pleasant aspects, and generally making our sl what we want it to be in the best way(s) we know how. That's what I've done since 2008 when I came here for good, and what I intend to do until the day I leave for good. Don't much care what others do. Their sl is theirs, mine is mine, and I really, really like mine

Firestorm also has the option to use the beta grid. At the bottom of the firestorm login page you see(mine is based on using the phoenix look/setup, so the buttons may look different, or say something different, with other skins..but the functionality is still there) username, password, log in button, default settings option(mine's set to phoenix but you also have firestorm, v3 and hybrid as well), start at(you can select last location, home, or type in a location), and finally log onto grid(this is where you would select the beta grid) Now I don't know if you have to, prior to seeing that grid option, enable something in preferences or anything like that. But I honestly don't remember doing so. I don't remember having to do so back when I used phoenix either. So it may be on by default. If it's not...someone please correct me.

I have issues with a lot of mesh too. I don't hate it, man that's a strong word, but I can't say I like it entirely either. Not one single standard size actually fits my shape, without me needing to edit myself. Not always a huge issue, sometimes it's something minor, sometimes not. That's why i love demo items, actually that's the only reason I love some demo items, haha. I can test things out before paying. So that's kind of cool. I have some mesh hair, and I have seen a lot of mesh hair, that does resemble playdough or clay, just like some system or sculpt hair. Just because some creators can make something, and make it very well, doesn't mean everyone can. But, and this is a big one, that doesn't negate the fact that some people are really good at it. Some products do really look fantastic. However the same applies to nearly everything in sl. Some people can, some people can't, yet we all try. Sometimes our stuff sucks. Sometimes it just doesn't meet the quality or standards others have. Sometimes it's not really what they wanted. Sometimes we're stuck in our own ideals we don't listen to what others say when they offer a critique. It happens. That's life. I very seldomly wear any mesh clothes now. Because it's a pain in my rump to keep changing my appearance to suit the clothes. I'm one of the people that thinks I should'n't have to do that, lol. Whether my opinion is right or wrong for others, it's right for me. So I am very picky about mesh. It does make finding an item that's fabulous all the better though. Knowing they do exist, and there are things that fit my taste and needs, is sometimes enough for me to keep looking. Other times, I get frustrated and give up my search, lol. I see nothing wrong with venting about a dislike. Sure you could just not buy it, not look at it, not discuss it. But again the same can be said for a lot of things we see on this forum. We could hush and not verbalize our concerns. In doing that, though, we eliminate at least some, of the potential for having a better product created. That's my long way of saying all of the "so don't buy it" responses kind of read silly, to me. Because you could just as easily have not read the thread, or responded. So if we're free to respond, people ought to be free to express their thoughts and opinions even if they don't mesh with ours. Pun, totally intended.

If it helps you any, I got that message too and I finally migrated a few days ago so I no longer have any magic boxes. I'm thinkin it's just one of those letting us know sorts of message.

I don't know if we'll ever have something so super awesome it makes me go..... :womansurprised: well, more than I already do, because I'm easily amused, and amazed But it would be pretty cool. I do know it's possible and we have the potential. That's probably because I remember when avs looked more like claymation though. It was the whole package, nto just the avmesh in general. So..I too hope...but I don't necessarily know with any amount of certainty.

Charli Infinity wrote: majority are wearing those that's why they're the best seller Man I shouldn't even be here today.. Sorry, had to randomly say that...back on point.. I do believe that what others might be trying to say, and perhaps arne't conveying it in a way you'll understand, is that what appears to be best seller today on the mp does not necessarily represent as large of a majority as you believe it might. Wow that was a huge run on sentence there. Go me. What is best seller today, may not be best seller tomorrow. In fact, I know that's the case because I frequently do searches on mp for all sorts of things, and the best selling is forever changing. Yes some will remain for a bit, maybe forever, but not all will. Aside from that the Mp only represents a teeny tiny piece, portion, grouping, I'm not sure what word I'm supposed to use here....of sl. The stuff that comes up as best selling on mp, might be worse selling, if you add in sales from inworld. So what looks to be in one place, probably isn't in another. This is especially true for mp vs inworld. In can only say this with any amount of confidence because I've done a lot of leg work in both areas. I've done a lot of searching. I've done a lot of ... dear god let me please just look away...as well as dear god that's gorgeous. Does that make it any clearer? Probably not, I'm awful at explaining things sometimes. Or maybe you just want to vent about something you dislike. In which case, you really don't need an explanation at all. And that's cool too. For me. Probably not for others, but I don't speak for them, just me. I do occasionally find it ironic some things are listed as best selling on the mp when I've done all kinds of research and leg work and stuch only to find that those best sellers are actually a lot harder to come by randomly inworld. One would think that not to be the case, but it surely is. At least for a lot of things I've searched. Of course fashion isn't one of those things, so I could be talking out my butt on that one too, hard to say. Or I could be a figment of your imagination and not really here...Ok, I'm a figment of my own imagination and I like pretending I'm not here...And I like my pain meds when they kick in..air stops hurting..Yes, air hurts, it's touching me and won't leave me alone.

Charli Infinity wrote: that is very long. sounds like sl is a big part in you rl. A big part.... eh, that's tough to say. There are times it can play a large part and there are times it doesn't. It just depends entirely on what's going on, as well as why. But the same could be said of any time one would spend time online. Regardless of the platform we choose to use. Long before sl was even a twinkle in the eye of its creator, there were communities online. There were places one could find solace. There were places one could find friends. There were places one could find a new hobby. There were places one could find people of like mind. Really, I could go on. Sl is far from the first place that could, or can, provide those things I listed, so very far. It just so happens that those, among many, many other things, are things I happen to like about sl. I like lots of stuff about sl. I just wanted to share with you some positive things, because you said that you've never seen them. Sl is so much more to so many. I'm not really sure why everyone posting, including yourself, is so very fixated on a look. Or why what others think of someone who participates in sl is so very important. But I do know that you're not alone in caring about it. Many people care what others think, they just won't admit it. I know I've told people about sl and gotten the same reaction. I know I've read what people have to say about sl. I know there was a time I cared an awful lot more about what others thought too. I just don't anymore, not as much anyway. The reason I don't care anymore, is because I've come to see that sl truly is so very much more than that narrow minded way of thinking. Sl is more than it appears to be. So even if all I could find was "tacky", sorry I had to use that word for a second, I happen to know that isn't all sl is, can be, or will be. That's why it doesn't bother me. The good, for me, outweighs any amount of bad, including what others might think or say, or else I wouldn't still be here after all this time.

Dresden Ceriano wrote: And here I thought my post was going to be too long. After they read yours, they won't have the energy to read mind... foiled again. ...Dres (jk *hugs*) Lmao, I know. I can be terrible sometimes, hehe

Charli Infinity wrote: I haven't heard any good news about SL in a while. Can you tell me some? this is a real question. I want to know some more positive things that are happening to SL. Is it as dead as what I've heard? I'll share some good with you. Fair warning this will be very long. I'm giving some back story too. Also, these things pertain to me, people I know personally, or people I've come across in my years here in sl. So, this may or may not be something others would, or will ever, see. I just wanted to share some good with you. So you'll be able to say you've heard some I first joined sl a very long time ago. 2004 to be exact. I actually hated it and although I tried, repeatedly, to like it. It just didn't click with me at the time. I had other hobbies and also some games I enjoyed better. So, I left. In 2005 I tried again, after a bit I found I enjoyed it a little more, but I didn't like the name my av had. I made a new av, and transferred to her the things I could. That av stuck around for about a year, on and off. But then, life took some turns and, bobs your uncle, I left sl again. Fast forward to 2008. I was very active in a certain online game and had made so many wonderful friends(including my amazingly awesome hubby). However our game was to be shut down....UGH, right? Yeah, so we slowly migrated to sl, a place many of my friends had already joined ages ago. I created a new name(this one) and again transferred everything from my still very much noobish av, to my very noobish av. Fast forward a little more, but still 2008. I grew quite fond of sl, more than I'd ever imagined I could. It still stumps me to this day. All the while I'd heard things about sl, and very few were super positive. But there came a time when I figured most of those opinions were probably coming from people who really didn't spend time in sl and may not even know there is a whole bunch more out there beyond what they believed sl to be all about. Now, as for the good..Here are a few things Friends-Sl is not alone in this, but, I would be lying if I said one couldn't possibly meet friends in sl that they'd never meet outside of sl. A lot of online platforms have a way of doing this. It's not always positive, no, but it's often more positive than negative. Sl can help provide the true introvert something they desperately need, but may not seek out given their nature. It provides a bit of a comfort buffer if you will. It gives us a certain level of anonymity if we need it, while still allowing us to explore and test our own social limits. In this way, sl can aid to providing someone with more friends than they'll know what to do with. Social aspect-Whether you, I or another person ever really uses it for that, it's still very much a valid use. It can provide a platform that other places, sites, programs even, cannot provide. It can allow someone on one end of the Earth the ability to connect with someone else on the opposite end. Now I don't know about you, but I find that fascinating. ok, I find it awesome, I'll say it, it's awesome. Love-Despite what some think, the internet is capable of helping someone find their soulmate. I don't give a rat's left nut if anyone else believes that's not possible. I very much know it is. Personal anecdote...I met my hubby online. We've been together ages. I did not meet him in sl, but sl has played a very large role in our relationship, as it were. For all kinds of reasons. Most are a bit too personal to share openly. Although we did not, and do not, need sl to be together, I would be lying if I said it played no role at all. It was very much the glue that helped us stick together when rl trials and tribulations threatened our chance at happiness, and a long, amazingly wonderful life together. Again, a bit personal to go into details, but, there you have it. Causes-Also a very personal thing for me. But I am a cancer survivor. I was diagnosed just before my birthday in 1993. I was given my all clear in March 1995. Not as long of a battle as many have, but it was long enough to me, and despite remission has been on-going ever since. I was just a young teen at the time and already going through what some deem to be the roughest years of our younger days. So, yes, it was hell. However after I came here, and actually stayed, I found that The American Cancer Society has a huge presence here. It was like fate! Ok, fate for me, not for others. It is so amazing to be able to help with causes very near and dear to me. Sometimes all I want in the world is to be able to provide all the financial needs some of my favorite charities have...yet I cannot do this, try as I might. Sometimes, I can't help financially at all. It really breaks my heart. There are many such charities I have supported over the years via sl. This is not to say I couldn't or can't do the same in rl. As I very much do. I support any and all that I can, with whatever I am able. But sl allows me to help in ways I can't in rl. I can create things that raise money. I can spread the word even further than I do in rl. I can reach people across the globe and help rally them for causes that so desperately need them. I can find comfort in the arms, ok inboxes, of other survivors or in some cases the arms of people who understand whatever cause it is I am supporting. Relay For Life happens to be a big one for me, not only because I am a survivor but because I lost my daddy to cancer, because of my medical history my children are at great risk, because I have watched many perish at the hands of this devil...so on and so forth. Sl can help provide a way for more to support and help the causes they wish to help, even if they cannot help in rl. It astounds me the sheer will large groups of people, coming together for one cause, posess. Again, not only in sl, also rl, but I won't deny it amazes me in sl too. Support-Recently a very dear friend I have known for a very long time lost her young child. Something very tragic happened, and I won't share details, but suffice it to say, it was bad. Yes she sought help in rl, because she needed, and continues to need, it. But she also looked to the net, because as you're well aware, it's a vast area and much can be learned and gained from exploring it. Her need to find comfort, understanding, someone to just lend an ear(well, more someones as she has a LOT of rl support) took her to various net searches. One she happend to come across was an ad for an sl group. She and I have talked about sl before, but she'd never been interested. We got to talking and one thing lead to another...voila, she's in sl. The first thing we did, after getting her av set up, was find her the group she had found in search. Now I am not her, so I am speaking from the knowledge she's given me. This group has helped her tremendously. She isn't giving up trying to find help, support, a place to vent in rl, with their sl counterpart. The sl counterpart just adds to her resources. I find that to be important. Never a bad thing. Ability-That should be self explantory, but it's not I am betting. A lot of people the world over have limited capabilities. It doesn't matter why, how, when, what, etc.. what matters is giving them the best possible resources and outlets. Sl can provide them with that. Someone homebound may be lonely, or generally just bored, so sl becomes a good place for them.(though I am sure there are other sites that can too). Someone who cannot speak, can "speak" in sl via text or text to speech program. Yes, they can do that other places on the net and in other programs or platforms too. That doesn't negate the fact that sl can give them this. Some people have varying levels of disability. Again the logistics surrounding it don't really matter. What matters is that sl can give them a platform or outlet rl cannot. One very well known creator I happen to know in rl. She's disabled in rl, extremely(her words, not mine). There are only a few people who know this. Yet, she pumps out some of the most creative things I have ever seen, and makes a very large rl income from it. All without having to be the elephant in the room, so to speak. What she makes in sl, gets turned around and used to pay her extensive medical bills as well as help provide things for other families going through what she does, in rl. There aren't many places that can provide her with the things and abilities sl provides her. They are very much few and far between. So, sl shines on that one and definitely takes home the gold. OK that was long enough. I lost my train of thought for the next one anyway. I do hope you can see past the physical, the assumptions put before you by others and all the things you so very much dislike about sl. I hope this, because sl is so very much more than meets the eye. It's hard to understand that without really getting to know sl. You can't do that via the marketplace. You can't do that via the search inworld, either. No, it can easily take mountains of work to see these things. I assure you, they are there. Sl is more than just appearance of avatars. Yes, first impressions can mean a lot and often our likes and dislikes in rl will transfer with us no matter where we go. But that doesn't mean the world of sl ends with just those likes and dislikes of ours. In fact I like to look at sl as neverending. For every thing I dislike, there are probably ten to twenty that I love. Now if I had been answering you way back when, I might agree wholeheartedly. But now that I have been here, and experienced so much, I can fully say that what you seem to be seeing is a minority of what sl really is...to me. We don't all have to share the same opinions, and frankly that would be boring. But it's not too late to go out and find more. See what else is out there. Look past your likes and dislikes as far as attire and actions are concerned.

Sl was awesome... So I joined Sl is still awesome.. So I stay