MalkaEShan

Polenth-- You're right about the way methods and research is framed, esp considering that my questions are based on (largely academic) preliminary research and acadeic definitions of things like "policing", which obviously if I continue writing about I will have to restructure my entire argument/questions around and discuss flaws in older literature and flaws in it. Unfortunately nothing I write could make a difference as far as whatever literature is out there about this topic because it's not going to be published, and that's assuming I can actually accomplish writing something that does't participate in that cycle even a little bit. Rhonda-- okay, so there are no/minimal "institutional" structured forms of policing as they are generally understood. But people still "deal with" issues in some form. Regarding the question with griefers, I was wondering how people deal with griefers bugging them. If individually and you just block them, does that stop things like when they use intrusive scripts, or do those have to be handled in some other way? I appreciate both of y'all calling out how I framed this and for having taken the time to answer btw.

Bree Giffen wrote: I'm sure your teacher and fellow students will find it entertaining if you show them pictures of your avatar and pictures of you interviewing people in SL. I would try to interview some griefers too for an opposing viewpoint. They have rather interesting avatars. Amusingly enough, I actually am supposed to show my class exactly that as part of the presentation. I'm not sure why you think it will be entertaining, but if it is so I'm sure it will help take off the edge from finals. I appreciate your suggestion about interviewing griefiers-- assuming I can get them to talk to me seriously.

Amethyst Jetaime wrote: How about disclosing your name, university, name of faculty that oversees your research etc and other information the way you are supposed to do BEFORE you ask one thing? Only a very small number of all SL residents ever come to this forum and an even smaller number answer. ANY results you get here are statistically invalid. How about actually logging into SL and doing your own research rather than relying on people in the forum to do your homework? We are not Guinea pigs or people willing to do your work for you. Many of us hold even advance degrees and know how you are supposed to research your papers. Since the paper is not going to be published and simply for a 101 class on ethograpic methods, I am not required to disclose personal details regarding my identity on a public forum where I can be tracked down and further harassed later. Like others, if you are not interested in being part of the research, you are free to not respond. If anyone is interested in more personal details regarding the research before choosing to engage, I would happily respond to messages privately. I have been in doing in-game research, and logged on here just to expand my reach. But thank you for the suggestion.

Hey folks! I'm an anthropology student researching the ways in which "policing" works in SecondLife, both formal and informal. Are moderators and/or land owners considered "police" as far as enforcing their own rules? How have people experiences issues like harassment, spamming, scaming, etc? When you run into issues (harassment, people breaking the ToS, etc) do people generally report it to the landowners or to LL? As for RL police: do they have a significant role in the game? I found some sporadic articles about police from particular countries dealing with issues like pornography and illegal trades being conducted online, but is that common? Please note that should you reply to this thread, your responses will be used in my research. You may however, choose to opt out of a later date. No user(name)s will be named in the paper (will be listed as "Player 1, Player 2", etc), and my paper will not be published or viewed by an audience wider than my Ethnography class. Feel free to ask any other questions you may have regarding my research. If you're interested in being interviewed privately regarding your experiences (so they're not preserved on a public forum like this one and your answers are kept confidential), let me know! I would love to hear from you.