Top Picks abuse

As one of the builders of one of the new top picks I can tell you that there is no Linden involvement in the project. Heck, we never knew they knew about us. We were beyond surprised to find ourselves added to the list, and how they stumbled across us we have no idea.

Our goal was simple, to take a store beyond what a store could be and make it a total environment. Thank you Lindens for recognizing our efforts.

KX

Yeah, this one's definitely a Linden!

Who else would feel the need to deny so strongly?

Hmmmmmmmmm scratches chin and reads on...

hehehe

Hey Lindin Lab, where's my paycheck???

Have you visited my place?

It's more than just a store. I don't think I'd be on Top Picks if it were just a storefront with my avatars in it. I've put a lot of effort in making it a place that's cool to visit and experience. Only a small portion of it has items for sale.

Stop by sometime. You don't have to buy anything.

Check out the view of the city from the top of the Space Needle

Top Picks only gets rotated as often as Lindens get around to it. It's just the stuff they think is cool. There are no specific rules to it.

Doesn't this belong in the Classifieds considering Linden's policy on the EVIL Commercialism?

Funny, I heard the same thing except it was the Tri-Lateral Commission and not Linden Alts.

deleted to protect the innocent

I've also submitted Dark Life on Several occasions and I was suprised to get no response, not even a "not at this time" ... NOTHING! bah!

We initially added Top Picks to the directory with the idea that it would help newcomers find interesting or helpful places. Think of it like the staff picks at Barnes and Noble. (I have no idea how often those are updated.) At first we rotated the picks among different staff, and more recently as different people see new places we've added them and taken others off that have been on for a while.

You're right though, there isn't a specific system for choosing when to update, nor are there any selection criteria beyond "wow, this is a cool place that newbies might enjoy". Plus being in the top picks has often been viewed as free advertising. So with the next patch we'll take the top picks off the finder and look for some other ways to introduce newbies to interesting SL places.

Hehe.

That'll learn y'all to moan about a feature

Eek! No kidding!

I suggest listing plots with the most shiny objects!!

Yeah, I'm kidding

Just point them to the sandboxes, that is where some cool stuff is made, I think. (Usually.)

i haven't posted very clearly. i apologize.

to me, top picks seem like getting your picture and event notice published in the local paper. well it's more like seeing it published in the new york times. ll have in no way obligated themselves to maintain an evolving list of current picks based on any specific process of selection. it's a cutesy extra bonus that includes your build if you're either lucky or smoozy enough.

there are plenty of ways to advertise your inworld attractions without having to rely on the luck of the draw.

robin posted while i was typing. i agree. if it's a thorn in the community's side, drop it in file thirteen and be done with it.

Quick! Destroy your place and make a sandbox!

Alt Bukowski

There was the idea in the past to make a directory of some kind, but now that the world is so large that task is daunting. I was thinking that advertising in the search directory could be without charge, or categorized differently.

I really like the idea of member nomination of great builds to be featured in lieu of top picks, with weekly rotation and limitation on frequency of listing.

Unfortunately, member nomination of great builds could become more about someone's personal popularity. Mediocrity could also rule, the listings could be more about what most people find acceptable than what pushes the boundaries in sometimes uncomfortable ways. Cheese pizza v. pizza with interesting toppings.

I like the idea of "personal picks" because sometimes they're kind of quirky and different. Principle of mediocrity or popularity won't apply so much. But I've also heard that long-time SL members influenced Lindens about who and what to pick, because the Lindens don't have time to get around the world much anymore.

What about randomly selecting residents and Lindens who've been inworld for more than three months, say, and letting them do a "personal picks"? Anything but their own builds, parcels, or places that carry their products?

I really like that idea. Add to it a limitation on the frequency of inclusion on the list, plus a weekly change in rotation, and thats a winning idea!

Aww. Is that your way of saying happy holidays Korg? It made sense to me and no, I won't grant your self centered wish. You're stuck with me. Would you like peanuts or pretzels sir?

Good deal, I suggest for this new "listing" that stores, scenery, fun places, etc be listed equally, and they be rotated frequently (ie bi-monthly). This would give each build an equal chance at showing newcomers to SL what they contribute to the community. It would also give newcomers new and fresh builds to enjoy. Perhaps the old voting machines could stirke a use once more, with MXL-RPC LL could have us SLers vote by clicking a voting station to be submitted to the new listing. A new list with clear guidelines and implementation is just what is needed. Thanks.

Then we could have something that could REALLY be gamed instead of stuff that the Lindens think is nifty.

Well that cant be true 100% of the time because our build was listed for I guess a few weeks. In fact katykiwi was next to us at the time and told us, hehe.. Otherwise we might have never known.

*Waves at katykiwi & Vade

Doh!

~Ulrika~

*waves at CrazyMonkey*

I am really bummed to hear that the Linden Tops Picks is going to be removed. This is one of the few places inworld where we all get a glimpse at what the Lindens find interesting, helpful, fun, etc. And it's something that they can do at their own pace as they find time to explore and encounter areas in their travels. Much like our own personal picks.

I would hope that the concerns about visibility, fairness and up-to-date info could be taken care of by adding some sort of new listing that was in addition to the Linden Top Picks - using whatever automatic or random resident pick procedure they deem necessary. Maybe this new list could replace the Top Picks tab in the Finder and the Linden's Top Picks can be available via a button under the Places tab or perhaps rolled into the web site somewhere.

p.s. I just had a wild hair... maybe someone named Dallas has already suggested this... it would be cool if they just displayed some random resident's Top Pick List each day/week (after checking for any mature content that might not be appropriate for a public display).