Why is Relay for Life Advertising on Adfarms?

Oh come on now. Your brand new, only 2 posts into the forums and your already sure you know how this world and community works and what types of in world advertising is effective? Most *new* players don't jump into the forums and sl ready to debate a single topic that would take a good amount of time in world to have any real understanding of.


Cough*bullshit alt* couch

I said im new to the forum NERD

Ah ok. New to the forum but an old time idiot when it comes to understanding how our community feels as a majority about this type of business. Thanks for clearing that up for me.

It is essential that people boycott any business using ad farms - but only, of course, when it has been established that they really _are_, since some ad farmers are known to use the names of entirely unconnected businesses to make themselves look legitimate.

In this case, given that RFL is a very worthy cause and all, I wouldn't publicise the issue unless RFL really _did_ subscribe to this "service" and refuse to take the ads down - if they've just made a mistake or had something mis-sold to them then the negative publicity might be harmful. I'm sure it's a misunderstanding, or, worse, an ad farmer with even fewer scruples than usual.

lol speak for yourself. a few loosers on a forum doesnt make a majority. there are how many million sl users right now?

get over it. adspace is here to stay

Hi, Cythera.

Ads in SL are a terrible investment, as I'm sure you're aware. Unfortunately, RL companies aren't always aware of the reputation the adfarmers and their towers have, and can be duped (for a little while).

Con artists and extortionists. That's what you ad-farmers are. Bad cess to you.

I clicked on the ads to report back so no one else would have to (wouldn't want everyone to have to give the adfarm traffic in order to check this)- they appear to be valid. The notecards handed out were created by the RFL coordinators.

I haven't heard back from the people I contacted last night yet - but I have heard from someone else on the RFL team, who told me that they haven't been online and that he will make sure that the proper people receive the information. I'm headed out for the day, so I won't be back until early evening SL time, but will let you know then if I hear anything else.

"adfarms work"

I'm not even going to quote that through the system, as it shows an incredible lack of buisness sense.

Adfarms work, yes, to extort the less knowledged, and the less patient. For the effect of advertising buisness; no, they do not work. Concidering the overwelming majority of paying residents detest adfarms, who can the ads target? Free accounts? While I have nothing against the Free Accounts in SL (I wish they were verified, but not charged a fee), they have no income to speak of.

I have yet to see any worthy buisness use the adfarms. To date, not a single buisness "advertising" on them is worth even the time spent to TP to their store. Occationally, a new Resident, who doesn't know better, will put up an ad with an adfarm. These never last as the buisness realises that the ads aren't doing a thing, and they take them down. Chaulking them up to lost overhead.

So the armchair advertisers can claim that the adfarms "work" for advertising all they want. I challenge anyone to show me a single, successfull SL buisness that uses them.

As fro RFL, I hope it is an adfarmer using the ad without RFL's knowledge. One, I respect what RFL does, and Two, it is fraud in the to use non-profit organizations such as RFL, or Salvation Army to gain profit. Judges look very harshly on those that do such when the court cases come before them.

~Jessy

This is NOT from any RFL representatives. At least I would certainly hope not. No one from PR or Marketing has or would approve this. Relay will handle the ads. IF they are from a legitimate source then they shall be talked to. Relay for life is certainly a legitimate cause. It is embarrassing for us to have us displayed this way. Please, do NOT let RFL suffer because someone is trying to use this cause to further their own ambitions. Stay with the legitimate causes. Sponser us the way we have always been sponsered. Again, my apologies for someones lack of integrity. Everyone in Second Life has been more than generous with whatever has been asked of them. We do not need ad farms to further our cause. Cancer speaks for itself. The ACS/RFL Chairs will be notified about this, I am not sure what we can do about it. But you can rest assured we will try to get them taken down. DO NOT Donate to anything but a legetimate kiosk or business sponsering RFL.


Thank you,
Jez Bailey,
PR/Marketing RFL

If someone would like to contact me about this feel free to message me - Jezebel Bailey - in 2nd life or email me at [email]Jezzie.Bailey@gmail.com[/email].

I am so glad to see that statement - I, and hundreds of people in Caledon (and thousands upon thousands on the grid) have worked with RFL, and never once have they done anything less than classy.

Even though I despise ad farmers - even if they *had* used them... they would still have my support, painful as it might have been.

Adfarm extortion is despicable. Curing cancer: waaay bigger than the adfarm issue. Though it would be a bad, bad fundraising move to be sure, to use ad farms for RFL.

This is also a major reminder - be VERY careful where your $L go - if they do not go to *truly* RFL sanctioned kiosks, you've just given $L to a scammer.

Watch for it, see who the creators of the kiosks are, be very careful.

Glad to hear business is booming for you as you hurt the business and view of every sim you put your eyesore ads on. You must have loved the movie There Will Be Blood. It shows the mentality of people who sacrifice community in the name of free enterprise.

Wow. You really must have hated that move...........you're cross boarding it.

glad i could be of service

...to yourself.

and linden labs

Correct. They are as culpable as you when it comes to not caring about other Mainland residents. It's sickening.

Putting you on ignore. Wish I could do the same to the ugliness you bring into our world.

lol its not your world so get over your self and you hariy fairy hippy views

its a platform provided by linden labs and they make the rules so get stuffed. trying to stiffle entreprnuers just becuase it doesnt suite you and your views. and that goes for you to nerd and all you loosers who think you own the place cos your making money and dont want anyone else getting in on the act.

I, too, am relieved to see the RFL policy statement, and applaud their efforts to have the ads removed.

So I'm really glad it will be hypothetical, but FWIW, I think I otherwise could not have donated to in-world RFL in good conscience. While RL cancer is indeed bigger than SL adfarms, I'm not confident the same can be said for in-world donations. At this point my SL charitable obligations are heavier towards bettering this world--and similarly, RL. In fact, my in-world contributions to RFL are really more about encouraging SL participation by philanthropies than they are about curing cancer--for that, there's the RL checkbook.

Fortunately, that all should be moot now.
...........

That's a good reminder about kiosk integrity. When I chatted with an ACS person last evening, I also mentioned that it will be crucial that the kiosks be "self-prooving." Even if it weren't for this specific adfarm debacle, in-world charities have to make donation mechanisms extra transparent now to address residents' increased skepticism--caused in part by the many scams represented on and by adfarms.

Good morning everyone!

I hope that you all have had your third and fourth cups of coffee...and dug the sand out as well I know I needed a cup after I read this thread, and I dont even drink coffee.

Thank you for bringing this to the attention of us here at SLRFL.
We are looking into this situtation.

It is my guess that our advertising chair was not aware of the extortion behind adfarms. Call me naive, but I didnt even know about them until this thread was forwarded to me.

When SLRFL kicks of this season, we will post here in the forums the creator of of the fundraising vendors and take steps to protect the community from fraudulent scams. Last year we raised around $118,000 for the ACS, and hopefully we can surpass that amount his year

I appreciate your concern in helping us keep SLRFL in good standing with the SL community. Thank you again for bringing it to our attention, I wish you all a wonderful day .

Tayzia Abattoir
SLRFL Teams Chair

Are you saying that these ads _were_ placed with RFL's approval?

Boy, you don't have to scratch this troll's surface much at all to get suppressed hostility from RL unhappiness (since the troll expresses great happiness with SL) gushing out on us displaced targets here in SL. This puppy needs a therapist.

I am not saying that at all Carl. I simply stated that the situation is being looked into and if someone working with SLRFL approved the ads for them to use, then they may not have been aware of the extortion behind Adfarms, just like I was not aware. It was a speculation on my part is all.

Thank you Tayzia and to Jez for taking the time to come on and respond to us. I look forward to hearing the matter has been resolved.

So, if you find they were approved mistakenly by someone in your organization that you WILL have them removed immediately?

That's a rather large expectation isn't it? I'm glad I wasn't terminated for every mistake I made on the jobs I had over the years.