Here for Socializing - Is that Enough for You too?

I'm here for the people. But i haven't been here 6 months yet, so it can change. What I don't like, is the "downtalking" of people who don't build or script or get land. Some of us contribute by spending time and money in SL, visiting your sims and buying your stuff.

I have a job RL, so my time spent in SL has a limit. I see the money i use here as a way to buy me more time. Instead of working for hours to make me an outfit, I can buy it and have extra time to spend with people. What I use on a glossy magazine in RL can get me tons of stuff SL, and mix and match it in a more fun way. I buy maybe 1 magazine in a month now, instead of 1-2 a week before SL. Actually i save money on SL!

When it comes to land, all that griefing and problems just scare me away.

I would hope builders don't 'downtalk' to those who just want to socialise, if everyone built then who would be buying? We all have different reasons for being here and different amounts of time available.

I do build, but I also buy off others for my personal needs. Looked at a skybox I want to buy my alt yesterday. It's 6k and yes I could build it myself, but happy to buy the creators style and save me time for business and pleasure. Also helps keep the economy going round

/me waves back to Sally, Keely and everyone.

I've heard others say what you just said Bradley about generally those who only chat, fade away. I was very interested when the LL statistics came out about the ages of users. I'd go on to suggest that whilst the younger intake come in, look around, play a while just waiting for the next best thing, a lot of the older, myself included, who have started to find the challenge of new technology getting a little harder, are happy to sit back and become more of a watcher than a doer, hence are happy to pretend to be the barman at the clubhouse, virtually reliving (or reviving even!) a younger, more social RL?

That leaves the middle-uns supplying content and services for us all

Good point. At risk of generalizing I think there's validity to what you are saying. It does seem that younger residents leave more quickly. Many that I run into initially seem to want to get rich quickly. YES, I am generalizing here.

I also changed the wording on my previous post. The last paragraph originally was saying the exact oppsosite of what I wanted it to.

I'm one of those people who would not even have tried SL, if it wasn't for the creative outlet it gives me to design and build new experiences.

I mainly do this with prims, textures and scripts, while other build their experiences with fantasy roles, outfits and avatars, social events, friends, lovers, families, etc. etc.

The people who stay, are all builders in SL.

That´s just so beautifully said!

Just for the record for others, I was generalising too

That did throw me a little LOL

Can't argue with that ..... don't want to .... not going to!

I am here to socialize. I do get the building bug at times, but it is secondary to the friends I have made.

I wasn't sure why I came here at first except curiousity. Now, it's totally to socialize. Although, at the moment, it's also to create a "home". But, that fits into the socializing, since I felt the need to have a nest to bring people into. I finally got tired of not having roots here. I'm in the design business in RL, so creating a home is was a natural thing to eventually aspire to.

I came here to have fun, and that's why I've stay. I like to explore, fly about in one of my machaines. I love having a house that I can redecorate at the drop of a hat, or a wardrobe bigger than ANYTHING I could have in RL. I like socializing, but not in the sense that Iam out there running from club to club, with a gazillion friends. My friends list is short, and I enjoy the company of those on it. Some on that list are especially dear to me, they can probably be called the reason why I stay. Building stuff is of no importance to me, I'm learning things as I need or want, if I do build anything that's a bonus.

Wow! I hope you take time away from your prims, scripts and textures to do some more writing like that.

Put that way, are we not *all* builders in RL, as human beings going through life?

I'm interpreting the original question as asking... which is more important to user retention: Creative expression or Socialization?

For the folks who joined Second Life 3+ years ago and beyond, I think the former (creative expression) was the most important thing that kept folks here.

But that's all changed. Second Life wasn't much more than a small village 3+ years ago. The primary folks it attracted back then were creative folks - and many of them would not have stuck around had it not been for the posibilities here.

Today, the majority of folks who join Second Life aren't creative geniuses. (Myself included). Certainly, creative folks continue to join & continue to create the content that makes our world interesting. Without socialization, however - I doubt many new residents would stay long enough to enjoy those interesting things.

I'm speaking from experience here. Our *fundimental* mission at the Shelter, is the socialization of new residents. It's my belief that if you can connect someone to a social network early on, and make it easy for them to find friends like themselves - their likelyhood of staying in Second Life past the 6-week mark is much greater than the posibilities offered with any creative toolsets.... many of which, new users wouldn't even figure out how to use in the first place had they not had friends to convince them to stick it out long enough to really learn what our world has to offer.

Both types need each other. Socializers need places to socialize, and things to make it enjoyable, and artisits and builders need someone to share their works with.

I actually don't get to socialize very much as RL stuff keeps me from being on SL as much as I would like. I have 2 small re-sell shops, with some things that I've also made, and I'm currently learning to make more. I didn't think I was creative at all, but I've found that SL has brought out a creativity that I wasn't aware of, and that I can't really satisfy in RL due to financial restraints. I can satisfy that side of myself without spending tons of money and time. Also, I first came in because my RL husband was playing....and well....I kind of wanted to "keep an eye" on things. But it also gives us a different way to spend time together. Instead of spending every single night in front of the TV, we can do other things together after the kids go to bed......without even leaving the house.