Is Paying for Links in Profile Picks Cheating?

Well firstly I agree that LL has a LOT of explaining to do, because to an objective outsider it seems that the volume of BOTS is used unashamedly to bump up registered and concurrent user stats for the purposes of marketing and PR. These type of scripted entities would be relatively straightforward to identify and "kill" if not at least be deducted from the afore mentioned stats.

As to the rigour which you yourself apply to ethical considerations, I'm not as crass as to quiz you on how you rate on what I can only say is the very sensitive Slingometer of morality.

All I would say is that such an approach as you appear to take seems slightly naive if not childish.

So the person who pays another avatar in SL to publicise their business, is equally as reprehensible as the Director who is convicted of corporate manslaughter?

Phil Deacons is as despicable as the manager who orders the pumping of toxic waste into drinking water, or the director who raids his employee's pension fund for his own uses?

You're entitled to your stance, but obviously most people would be entitled to their somewhat less charitable opinion of your opinion.

PS.

I'm going to duck out of this thread now as it seems be of no real value.

However I look forward to the day in RL when salesman no longer exist, because society deems the hiring of such a "cheat" and the managers who stoop to such unethical behaviour are publically flogged for crimes against humanity.

Of course I am as despicable as the manager who orders the pumping of toxic waste into drinking water, or the director who raids his employee's pension fund for his own uses, Atticus. It goes without saying. I'm genuinely "morally bankrupt", a thief and a liar, as you can learn from other threads here. With that sort of rap sheet, who wouldn't be just as despicable as that manager or director?

Phil... have you ever thought of a career in politics?
sounds like youre tailormade to at least run for senate in the most 1st world countries..

Hi peeps

This is my 1st post, so don't shoot me!

I have been reading this thread with interest. I can only offer an opinion from my perspective. My friends and I spend a large amounts of time fashion shopping in SL, that is what we enjoy doing as well as clubbing! None of us are creators and i don't think any of us are showing signs of wanting to be.
Firstly, the shops we find are from all parts of Search system or recommended creators with good reviews on Fashion blogs.
We have seen shops that offer these Picks payments as well as using campers or robots which honestly doesn't influence our shopping habits. Our shopping habits are dictated by quality of product, nothing more and nothing less.
On this basis, i think far to much stink is made of the use of these gadgets, it really boils down to content and value for money. If our group are the norm, then i can only assume that the overiding majority of consumers or shoppers really don't care of business practices either way. The quality of product is what really counts to me in my humble opinion.
What does make me extremely angry and frustrated however, is when someone list a product which they do not sell. That really wastes peoples time.

Again,please go easy on me!

I might just consider that - you're dead right

Welcome to the forum, Sarah, and thank you for your views. I don't think you'll be jumped on - and I hope I'm not proved wrong.

As history learns, she is probably going to be accused to be either your or my friend, or being payed by us. Everybody not sharing our view, must be somehow related to us, isn't that what the last few weeks show?

As a matter of fact, Sarah shows exactly what has been said all along: the average shopper does not care about picks and/or bots, but just wants to find what they are looking for. Using false keywords and product descriptions is what breaks search really, because you get lured into a shop that does not even sell what you were looking for. Picks and bots, mixes with good parcel and item descriptions, only make sure they find what they want. And no matter whether you find it ethical or not, they do not break search, no matter how some of you seem to want to give people that impression.

Actually Sarah shows how she shops, not anyone else.

You are making an assumption on the thousands of other shoppers following the same philosophy if they are aware of the search manipulation tools and methods.

One could argue my shopping habits are the norm, but there are thousands that may be different.

Till you poll them all, you don't know.

And bots do affect the grid as a whole, when they restrict logins... I sincerely doubt they will log off their bots to allow a person to log in.

One also finds after time in SL, it's more fun tracking down the smaller retailers who may have at least something you think is really amazing. I put outfits together, shoes/boots from one retailer/ pants, shirts, jackets, hats etc from other retailers, so finding the right type of item from a smaller retailer is much for fun for me.

Yes, they've done that recently, but I'm hoping that they have learned not to do it. I don't think they will.

I agree with that, Mort, except that Sarah is one of a group of friends, and, since they talk with each other, I'm sure she speaks for all of them. A few average users popping in to post a view doesn't mean that all average users share it. What we have seen though, is that none of the average users that have popped in come down on either side. They have said that don't care one way or the other. It can't be assumed that all average users think like that, but with each new one who posts, it does tend to look a bit that way.

Mort. Get it out of your head that logging traffic bots out will make room for real people. You are probably the only one left who still tries to push that fallacy - and after one of your own tried and tested it, and found that it's not true. You do come out with some strange ideas, such as the system needs to poll each avatar to check where it is.

And It's still a small number she speaks for Phil.

And I have tested it as well, accessing an open sim with a std client and several bot clients.

The only lesser impact was asset requests. All the rest were the same as a standard avatar.

Isn't that what I said, Mort?

So have I Mort, and you are wrong.

There are no "slots" for avatars, and logging bots out won't free any up.

Mort. Please don't keep on with the technical side of SL because what you write is so outlandish as to be ridiculous. It's best to leave such considerations to those who at least have technical experience, and are more likely to imagine how things really are.

did I say slots phil, I said they place the same load on the server as any other avatar.

The server restricts logins based on load, removal of bots reduces the load on the login server and network backbone.

I would suggest Sarah is the majority....very much so.
I run a mall that is the size of 1/2 a sim and has 120 vending spots...i work some of the time overthere. I see people arriving there 24/7 ......what experiences do you have of shoppers? My Mall has one 1 picks board....its not hidden, it can be seen by all vendors
and visitors alike. The mall is nearly always full with Vendors....some of which belong to the most well known brands in SL. How unethical that they should stay and make profits, because my Picks might be helping them do so.

Yes you did say "slots" Mort - in the other thread. And in this one you talked about logging bots out to allow room for people to get in. I naturally assumed you were still on about your "slots" idea because it sounded exactly like it. But I'll put it another way. There is no "room" for avs, Mort. Logging some out will not allow others to take their places.

As for the load on the login servers, it occurs at varying numbers of concurrent logins, and logging bots out won't allow people to get in. When logins are restricted due to heavy load on the login servers, what exactly is that load? It occurs at varying numbers of logins, so it isn't that a limit has been reached. So what exactly is it?

non sequitur.

Mine or theirs?

I think that's what I was saying Briana, in that I don't see how anyone can logically hold one view with the other.

Or am I being particularly dense? Which I admit is possible..

Your World, Your Imagination.

There are no morals in sl

Pep (only Terms of Service)

It's a free for all I admit, except apparently where Bots and Pics are concerned.

Cheat on your RL wife.. good Lad!

Pay Neville Noob L$10 to put your shop in his Pics.. you morally bankrupt Bast*rd!

lol- that's putting things into perspective!

Hi Sarh 78