Boycott SLExchange! Redux

From another thread.

Ulrika.. cross posts happen.

If you notice, I went back and edited my post based on the newest information. Perhaps you would like to do that too?

Seriously, we have nothing to discuss.

Surreal

Ulrika Zugzwang
Hectoring Bully

fitting.

You stepped into a situation, blurred the scene with vagueries, harrassed harangued and vehemently persuaded people to take your decided action.

Your abrassiveness has gone a long way to damage Merwan and a lot of SL businesses.

A better, and more civil action would have been to inform us with the facts as soon as you could and not demand people jump on your band wagon. Clearly there are other options.

Finally you have realised this (maybe, it could just be public that pressure is the reason for your retraction and not a sudden growth of common sense), but the damage you have done cannot be undone.

People are remembered for their behavior, and I hope you have learned something about yourself in the last few days.

I will be making a decision as to my course of action soon, but it will have nothing to do with you or your demands over the last few days. It wil be based on the facts that you repeatedly failed to present in lieu of convincing people to follow your course using only opinion as a foundation.

As I stated earlier, clearly there are many options, it is egotistical to think your opinion is the right one. The fact that you have stepped back from the boycott does not change the fact you towed the line for it for several days. I find it amusing that even after Merwan stated he did not want boycott action you quoted that post in it's entirety as a platform to continue pressing your idea for a boycott.

I find my above words both civil and rational, and I am still far too angry at you to let you off so easy, so, in closing I would like to add; I think you are an annoying pissant gobshite smacktard and I hope you shut up or go away forever.

I agree with that, Surreal... the entire situation has put a black eye on Second Life, IMO. Your wors were not an attack, merely a call for her to change her words.

(Hey I just think it's cool someone knows good things about me. I didn't think anyone knew who the heck I was around here!)

I DO hope this whole situation comes to an amicable conclusion, but there is one person who is seemingly taking the high road, and the other is not showing their face any more. What can the former person expect if they remain totally silent? Or are they remaining silent because they know they're hands been called and they have nothing!?

...sigh...

Hehehe Aaron, Yeah I agree with Surreal about the cool thingie... but, I'm still skeptical... you are from Ohio after all *checks cool ratings for Ohio*

Ferran, although Ulrika has been out of order with these threads there are a couple of things I feel differently about in your post:



Actually the vast majority of the damage has been done by SLExchange themselves. First with Apotheus' post here on the 18th then the subsequent brick wall of silence and lack of clarification. Ulrika's posts may have been damaging to a certain extent but it is a small part of this.



Merwan has stated that he doesn't want a boycott and, in his most recent post, has said that he's not trying to influence people. I find this second point confusing made, as it was, on a post that clearly laid entire blame for the situation on Apotheus and went to great lengths to show that it's Apotheus' action (or inaction) that causes this to continue. It even makes it clear what the source of the 'blackmail' issue is. Saying he's not trying to influence people then making such a post against Apotheus is a conflict of positions. In addition I notice that Merwan has re-posted the same message twice on two different boards on SLExchange's forum - these do not appear to be the actions of somebody who is "not trying to influence people" and I'd suggest has done his cause more damage than good. Merwan appears to be playing the forum now, publicly challenging Apotheus based on what have obviously been private discussions between the two.

I cannot say that I blame Merwan for going so public on this, as it appears that he's getting nowhere privately, but to pretend that by posting publicly he's not trying to influence people is tenuous to say the least.

I am with Surreal here.

Ulrika once again prooves that she is one fanatic, destructive radical who is willing to accept any amount of collateral damage on her quest of become admired leader and promoting herself as revolutionary hero. What is this about? Help Merwan by ignore his own words? Help community by destroy one service? Bring justice by judging somebody without trial? No, this is wanna-be revolutionary hero, high judge, priestess and dictator Ulrika pulling off her self-promotional rubbish once again.

Ulrika, you are acting here completely without mandate. You are trying play judge and jury and executioner at same time. You are biased since we all know how you have always been against SLExchange, even before problem of Merwan. Your idea of "moral" and "ethics" is pushing your self-promotional agenda with you posing as leader while ignore everyone else. You don't call for meeting of people to discuss situation and possibly make joined judgement after Apo and Merwan get chance to present their view. You don't attempt any kind of constructive resolution. You hear rumor, heresay and accusations and immediately take one baseball club and start smash windows.

Yes, your "ethics" are not like social democrat but like one certain Josef Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili, also known as "Stalin". You are trying ride every wave of frustration, envy, populism and drama in one constant attempt to appoint yourself as leader of one mass movement that you wish would be there, but thank God isn't. Every time you do this you kick real ethics and fairness and justice with your feet.

Maybe as one business girl I am motivated to make profit. But my business ethics tell me do this in fair and honest way and not act on expense of others. However, your greed for public attention and wanna-be leadership knows no limits, is not restraint by ethics and not based on honesty nor fairness. It is one ruthless campaign in which you try profitate at expense of whatever potential scapegoat or target crosses your path, in which any collateral damage is acceptable as long as you think it makes you ride wave of public frustration.

This is why everytime I read you take words "ethics" or "moral" into your mouth I just want spit and vomit.

As for now I think it is time to boycott Ulrika Zugzwang. When time comes the community will decide about SLExchange, after hearing both sides and in consent with Merwan if it is true that he has been damaged. We don't need self-appointed bolshevist leader for this.

Ulrika,

A third thread on the same subject? I don't care if you want to start a war, want to help or hurt anyone, or start a boycott. But, you don't need to be spamming the General forum with the same subject over and over. There are now three threads, all on the same subject. Stick to one thread!

I for one will be Boycotting SLexchange.

Ulrika, I want no part of your self-promotional boycott. Don't quote me in your threads.

In no way a response to the boycotting bandwagon or the village uprising mentality, I have also removed the few items I had for sale at SLEx and have made up my mind to avoid shopping there in the future. It was a convenient service, but there are alternatives. I have heard nothing in defense or explanation from one side of the story and his silence is disconcerting. I just do not feel like I wish to do business with a service that would do the things he is accused of. And since he hasn't even bothered to offer an explanation yet it makes me all the more nervous.

FWIW, I'm not into organized boycotts to the scale that Ulrika takes them. It does NOT require a boycott to educate people. My withdrawl from SLExchange is not because of "the boycott" but because of my own personal convictions when it comes to doing business. My decision is based on morals and not the bandwagon, even more so evident in the fact that I've just cut my SL income by about 80%. Almost all my money came from sales through SLExchange. But no more. An amicable conclusion must be met by all parties in order for me to think about listing there again.

Agreed. I've delisted as well. Not because of Ulrika, not because of some organized boycott, but because I simply have the right not to support something, with my work and creations, that I find to be mysterious, handled poorly, or subject to sudden collapse. I honestly expected SLEX to sweep to further and further heights. Perhaps that isn't true anymore.

That says it all right there. And I am to believe that Ulrika is someone concerned only with justice and eliminating corruption in business, with no thought given to her personal image or public standing? RIGHT

Of course. Because no one can ever try to do anything they think is right or good without there being some ulterior motive.

Actually, I don't see what Ulrika did that was so wrong, other than using Merwan's name. She has every right to feel strongly about an issue and to try to organize an effort to help bring about what she considers justice. As long as she isn't advocating breaking any rules, I don't see why folks would be so down on her about this.

If I find out a local business is doing something very shady, dishonest and/or possibly harmful, I would feel very justified in, after obtaining what facts are available (which thus far condemn Apotheus, even with his own words), organizing a boycott or protest. That's how change comes about in many instances.

I don't advocate lynch mobs, but protests and rightful boycotts I'm all for. Everyone is still free to make up thier own minds, as well as choose what to do, if anything, regarding this situation, as they feel comfortable with.

I really think some folks are being a bit harsh here. But as long as Ferran and Surreal promise to spank me later..it's all good

I believe boycotts are a healthy part of civil society, ever since the first Irish labourers to use the term (named after a British captain who tried to collect too many land taxes) kept the exploiter out of their pubs and other stores. But Ulrika's version of this is based on an arcane and evil ideology responsible for the massacre of millions, and shouldn't be followed. She just hates capitalism, and is temporarily willing to suck up to Merwan ostensibly to make her point on his back.

I am SO impressed that Anshe knows Stalin's patronymic is Vissarionovich. OK, $100 LL if you can also come up with his revolutionary nickname Hey, no peeking on Google.

I really think this is a private matter for this business and while there are trust issues involved, I simply can't get a handle, with all this sturm und drang, what losses are really involved. Did anybody lose their money? Did anybody not get their product? How much money is tied up that isn't moving? Could we get some figures here?

I for one have only one comment: just install one of your terminals in our mall. I am happy to work with however runs this operation. Maybe Merwan should just split off and make a competing operation if someone could help him with the scripting side or whatever.

I am only posting here as a polite notice, not taking sides in anything. Don't know enough to do so, not my business to do so.

Any time a business has this kind of upheavals and goes public with the matter, regardless of fault or blame both merchants and customers are going to be lost. I am not abandoning SL Exchange... but I did as a cautionary step remove my funds. Nothing personal. You either run the ship right, or it runs into the ground.

We pay SL Exchange 10% of sales (another sales board charges far less) and as a merchant, I need to do business with 100% confidence.

I recommend this issue be resolved ASAP.

I will point out to all concerned, regardless of blame or position... if funds start disappearing (not saying that will happen, but if it does), there could very well be REAL LIFE legal consequenses. SL exchange isn't a "game"... it is an online business with real life laws that apply... both civil and criminal. Anyone involved in unauthorized fund removal could find him/herself facing a class-action lawsuit or even criminal charges (ie, real life jail time). So friendly advice--not from a SL user-- from a RL businessman-- regardless of your position in this matter...keep your noses clean.

someday someone is going to fisrt life sue someone else in sl for us$ and ll is not prepared for that. people sue for value - not currency. doesn't matter if the transaction is in l$ or us$. however, the link between l$ and us$ is going to make the problem even thornier.

and because ll stepped in to be arbitters in more than a few cases, they will get smacked, too

Unfortunately, due to the continued silence on Apotheus part, the lack of notice to the change of TOS, my faith in SLE has waned and I will be joining the many other merchants and removing my listed items from SL Exchange.


Note to Apotheus: you're running a business whether you define it that way or not. Customer confidence in your business is something that cannot and should not be taken lightly. Quick and efficient resolution of an issue that may erode confidence is the key to successfully making it through an issue like this. Clear and open dialogue with your customers is another valuable tool to help keep from losing customer confidence.

I urge you, to resolve this issue and start treating your customers as customers quickly - before the damage to SLE is beyond repair.

Best of luck to you and Merwan.

I am removing my items from SLExchange until this issue is resolved.

Best of luck to everyone involved.

I took the educational campaign in world today. I spent several hours going through the SLExchange website, finding merchants, and sending them note cards. The cards were not accusatory, stated only what is known without speculation, recommended contacting Apotheus, and provided a URL to this thread.

Many people were unaware of what was going on. I received several positive replies with people removing vendors, withdrawing cash, and delisting their items. Most were off line, so I'll keep you updated as I get replies.

I feel the most important part of this is letting people know exactly with whom they are doing business and trusting their money. My hope is that this helps to promote ethical business practices in SL. I feel as a family, we must be held accountable to each other.

~Ulrika~

I'd appreciate it if you sent a follow up notecard making sure that all those you sent to are aware that the people you quoted in your message did not give permission for their quote to be used, or did not know and that their original inclusion does not indicate that they are in favour of the rest of the contents of the notecard. I did not appreciate finding a quote from me, along with many others, on that notecard as it implies I agree with the request being made in the notecard, which I do not. Do not misapropriate my, or other people's, words for your own ends. That is not ethical.

Technically, I think it is both ethical and legal to copy words posted in a public forum. However, I will accommodate you without delay. I've already rewritten the note card several times at different people's requests. In the future, I'll eliminate all quotes and simply provide a list of URLs.

A more valid complaint than using publicly posted quotes is that I might be breaking the ToS by doing what could be perceived as spamming. Thus over the next few days, I'll change my tactics to include note-card dispensers that are set up by existing vendors and public places.

I am open to more suggestions as well. I am very interested in working to promote ethical business practices in SL and would love help.

~Ulrika~

right on david!

i also think that those who are arguing to keep "politics" out of sl are often playing passive politics of maintaining the status quo and their benefits from it. there is no such thing as apolitical, and those who argue for it are out to work you over. those who actually believe it exists are ignorant or naive.

like i said before, i'm out for this boycott in merwans name. i'm in for any boycott against crooked bastards. people must be held accountable for their actions. if this is a boycott of suspected crooked bastards and unetichal business practice, count me in.

i hope apotheus comes clean, and corrects any misdealings, or provides ample evidence that none had taken place. i really think these services are a great addition to sl and would hate to see it dissolved.