Panhandling in SL

Yesterday while I was doing a little building on my new home, I was interrupted not once, not twice, but THREE times by random people who just came up to me and asked for money. One guy said he needed new hair, another said he was poor and homeless (and sure looked like it), and the third was a dork. All of them were boderline n00b avs, and had some neg rates.

Anyone else seen this going on? Is it a common thing, or am I being stalked by someone with a twisted sense of humor?

Lucky for me, we San Franciscans are innoculated by our constant exposure to RL panhandling, so it's easy for me to ignore it. (yes, that's sarcasm)

No you're not alone at all. There's actually some people I've seen that have the rocks to mass IM a group and beg for money. These people need to learn how to earn their money like everyone else... by buying it off GOM.

-Meiyo

I had a Two Truths and One Lie event delayed quite a bit last night by a couple of. . . incidents. The first was with a panhandler.

This guy had put some effort into it though. . . he had a hobo AV, and was carrying a big sign that had been well made to look like a flattened cardboard box with a message in shaky scrawl proclaiming his poverty.

I let it go on for a moment, but when I saw that he intended to continue doing it, event be damned, I let him know that while I couldn't boot him, I could most certainly summon a Linden to do it.

This garnered some applause.

Then on to the second, um, incident which I won't relay here.

Gotta tell you - it's rewarding being a Mentor

He probably could have saved 10L$ by not uploading that texture for the sign, lol.

I don't expeirence much Panhandling because I'm either a hermit hiding doing something, or at the welcome area where they don't know to ask for money yet (or maybe just the times I'm there).

The three places that are most aggravating for me to be panhandled at seem to draw these people like magnets... the Welcome Area, Morris and Cordova sandboxes. I really like messing in the sandboxes tho I have more than enough land of my own to screw around on... but the sandboxes have so often been "home to" panhandlers it's becoming less and less fun and productive for me to try to build there.

Kick the pandhandlers in the butt and tell them to get a job.

I hang around in Raush when I build something huge! That way I can take out my 12 gauge and blast em! This is the way the conversation goes 99% of the time. noob: "I hear you have some money, gimme some!" I say nothing and all they hear (if they have their speakers turned on is) *pump action sound* ... pause... *BANG* This is quite funny when they come back and ask again because they think I didn't heard them *pump action sound* ... pause... *BANG*

I know me and alot of the other clothing designers in SL frequently get requests for free sale items. My favorite is when they ask for a free item with copy and transfer privs (only Linden Labs can give my stuff away with THOSE privs!).

Even more annoying are the tenacious bargainers: "I can't have it for free? I only have 40L, can I just buy the outfit but without the shoes? No? OK how about about 40L for just the top and the gloves? And I will throw in a cabin!"

Normally I cut and paste these people a lecture on how to make money in SL, but it can be very annoying when you get hit by waves of them.

-Aimee

If there was a way to create jobs and apply for jobs built into the client you could refer them to that feature. Until then, tell 'em there are lots of jobs in the forums.

Poor Avs, thanks to George W. e-Bush, SL poverty has shot through the roof while all the virtual tax cuts have gone to the rich AVs.

Vote e-Kerry!!

Sometimes it is almost gratifying that I can't stay in world longer than five minutes. I don't have to put up with all the minors/jerks. I almost dread the arrival in 30 to 45 days of my new comp. I have an Alienware ALX Aurora being built.

It's happened to me a few times. I'm considering scanning some monopoly money and uploading it as a texture so I can hand out "money" to the next stranger in a white Tshirt who asks for it.

Cool Idea. Love it.

Tell them they can get all the L$ they'll ever need, and still have some leftover to sell on GOM if only they'll get themselves a "Sceptre of Philip".

noob : How do I get the Sceptre of Philip
Ace : Well... you have to slay the psychedelic dragon and find the map, just like everyone else
noob : where is the psychedelic dragon?
Ace : the gnomes in Dinglewood can tell you
noob : where's Dinglewood?
Ace : you teleport there after you've found the Key to Salvation
noob : Key to Salvation? what's that?
Ace : Jeez... do I have to tell you EVERTHING? read the forums... you can get all the info you need there
noob : Thnx Ace... you're the greatest

And then they do a forum search for "Key to Salvation", find this post, and walla... they come to realize they'll have to make their L$ the old-fashioned way.

Make kewl stuff, and they will buy.

- Ace

Now that is a great idea!

I always get asked if I have a gun script. and if I say no, then they ask if I have any guns. Usually I just politely say that I don't script and I don't own any guns in SL. They get bored and leave.

I found the psychedelic dragon, those gnomes know their sh*t.

Devlin,

<<I almost dread the arrival in 30 to 45 days of my new comp. I have an Alienware ALX Aurora being built.>>

I can understand your disquiet, Devlin. I'm prepared to do you a favour. Give the computer to me; I'm prepared to help out by dealing with all the personal angst and aggro this will involve. This isn't an offer I'd make to anybody, but for you I'm prepared to make an exception.

I hope you are suitably grateful.

I usually give to pan-handlers and leave them with a challenge.

I give 'em $100L and tell them to go and do great things and return me $10,000L.

I know this person well. Sigh.

I truly distrust the person's sincerity, as one time after recieving a good amount of L-cash in trade for some sound samples someone else gave him a few minutes prior, he said "Off to the ATM's!" and vanished for about an hour or two.... and then returned to beg again.

Thus, I will not give to these ingame beggars, because frankly, who knows, they could be turning those donations into RL street dollars to buy drugs or something?? It sounds silly at first, but think about it; scamming takes many forms...

I would help SL beggars only if L$ did not have real world value. Because I don't want to be funding anyone's lifestyle unless they are truly needy, and for that, there are RL charities. End of story.

I recently had a bad experience -- I tried to be nice to this one fellow and we exchanged calling cards, and then he later proceeded to stalk me around the map in the coming days, showing up in "person" to bug me about L$ when he wasn't IMing me about it. I kept firmly and politely saying "NO" to him until he was begging for -- guess what -- 1 L$! And I declined this too because he was quite rude. I may have helped him out if he hadn't annoyingly and repeatedly droned on about "money, money, money" and if he had been more gracious when I declined. Needless to say, I deleted his calling card. :|

Merwan: That sounds like a parable!

I used to use the same rationale. Then I figured, hell thats what I would do with the money. So I now occasionally flip RL beggars money.

SL beggars get a swift kick in the ass from me. At the very least, I talk them in circles for 20-30 minutes. At the end of the conversation, I note the time wasted begging could have been used doing something productive to earn money. After that I usually let them know I need a test subject for my push guns....doesn't pay but its really fun.......

Yeah, I don't know why they don't come to a Contest event of sorts -- like trivia -- and spend an hour to earn L$. Ah. It's hard to "break on through to the other side" when it comes to conversation like this, sometimes. It it admittedly quite confusing for me.

ROFL!!!

I personally love the beggers. They are so entertaining. one guy asked if they could have my starship for free, and when I said no they offered $100.... for a starship. LOL I said no and he gave me $103. By this time I was rolling around laughing, and I gave him back his money, and he left.

My favorite however is the guy who goes around naked in a barrel!! LOL I'm building in the sand box and "Excuse me Sr. Might you spare some change?" I turned around and laughed my butt off at this sight of this ave. I gave him 1 dollar and he said "God bless you" and humbly turned around and walked away into the sunset with his barrle. ROFL. It was worth it. LOL

I really don't mind the begging so much though. If they start to get to me I just summon a tornado and off to the land of Oz they go.

That's THE LAST TIME I panhandle on your land. And no, it wasn't fun.

But was it good?