I'm just sayin....

Y'know, when random people drop a notecard on me wanting me to rent from them/advertise with them/hire their agency, etc....one of the first things I do is pull up the profile of the sender and contact people.

Now I know SL is, in a way, about living a second life, away from the societal constraints of RL. And I know that most people basically just want to have some fun and forget about the old mundane 1stL once in a while. But when someone is approaching me on a professional basis, asking me to basically invest my lindens with them. doya think maybe the mommy daddy sissy huggles no drama or I keeel you I love my master don't F with him no body mess with my family bling bling blah blah gangsta crap might make me want to strongly reconsider any leanings toward those investments I might have had?

Opinions please...should a person's profile matter when they are trying to present themselves as a professional? Or should I just live and let live, ignore the profile, and throw lindens at them?

I think that impressions do matter here in SL - in every aspect of it, and not just in the business aspect. So, if a person wants to come across as a business person, s/he probably ought to pay attention to how s/he is seen by others, including in the profile.

Chances that I rent in any mall are almost zero,but if I would consider it, a professional profile is needed. The only way to run a mall successfully, is to work hard on it, and if a profile does not focus on that, chances are big that the person does neither.

Even if they offer me 1 month free of rent, a mall that is not run well,does not justify the time I put into setting up my shop there.

Of course profiles matter. They are the way that you are assessed before interactive contact.

Whether you want to establish commercial or personal relationships your profile and both what you say and *don't* say in it, gives an impression of you that may encourage or deter, both of which might be desirable in appropriate circumstances.

Pep (One avatar for business and one for pleasure should be the minimum in such situations.)

i agree....i dont do biz with those who promise to kick my ass if i make them mad. lol

If I am in a good mood, I just toss the notecard and ignore the sender. If I am feeling mean, I AR for spam. I have never looked at a profile of anyone who has dropped a sales pitch on me any deeper than to find the mute button.

well, understand that I was actually considering the offer for a minute. I get lots I just toss too but I like to read thru them in case it might be something I am actually interested in.

I get two types of note cards about setting up an outlet as malls or such.

1. The people who have sims themed around what I sale. These people actually come to my store, occasionally buy something and feel that my items might fit in with their theme. I keep those for future reference for when I do actually want to open an outlet.

2. Those who have no farking clue what I sell. These tend to be clubs with attached malls or malls that cater to the umm.. more leather/latex* rather than velvet/lace crowds.

How do I find out which is which? I read the note card and I look at the sender's profile. Most of the first group have very professional profiles, while the latter... I'm still trying hard not to scrape my eyes out for having looked at.

* No insult to the leather/latex crowd. It's just that my stuff probably wouldn't fit in at all. Even I occasionally like to wear leather

"live and let live" is a fine concept that should be respected on the grid. I'm sure there are many people who can look past bizarre profiles.

I'm not one of those. Your profile represents you as much as the look of your avatar and your actions. If it looks like it was written by a 12-year old I don't even give that person another glance, be that professionally or otherwise.

BTW, this also goes for individuals who feel that using "U" and other text-speak in a business conversation makes a fine impression. Nor is it terribly professional to meet a prospective client decked out in your latest necko gor slave hooker outfit with the blingy collar. (Well unless you sell necko gor slave hooker wear, of course )

I think it's wise for SL business people to maintain a second avatar for their professional dealings and keep the two ways of life well separated.

If RL dollars are involved, I expect the person on the other end to be professional. I do meet a lot of very professional people by responding to the notecards.....someone you need to connect with, whether you do business with them right away or not. But if it is one of the "mess with me, and mess with my family" style profiles, or has the F word in it, forget it. Mainly because I don't want my store connected with that. In that case, I might respond with helpful information on how to do business.....in the form of a lecture. hehe

I did have to add to my profile a blurb on how to contact for customer service, which does not involve sending in your pimp daddy, your master, your mafia family, or your mommy, because that nonsense was becoming insane.

On the flip side, though.....last week, I suspected that one of my avs was discriminated against because of the groups she has listed on her profile. A rental agent appeared to show some rental houses, and it was very clear that she did NOT want this av in her community, and did everything possible to discourage her. In that case, it does make you stop and think about how you respond to others while doing business, and whether or not you should judge by their profiles and lifestyles. So there are two sides to the coin.

Very well put!
I'm always surprised how there seem to be certain stereotype profiles, like people have been to classes on how to write profiles in 'ikkel-bikkel' or ultra defensive styles!

The cards I get rid of straight away are those in a language other than english...don't get me wrong I fully respect there are people from all over the world in sl, but when my profile is so obviously in english, why send a notecard that I am quite likely to be unable to read without a translator ?

Because of this thread, I added to my profile. Just sayin'

Ima look u up

just kidding with the 'u' by the way lol

Hmm.

A lot of "in context" profiles don't bother me.

It makes sense to paint a nitroused chopper bike sparkly purple with green flames. It's *more* jarring to see a toyota soccer mom mini van painted sparkly purple with green flames. THAT is when my alarms start going off.


For instance, considering the following profiles:

"Hello sirs. I am a most proficient DJ practising the fine arts of Gangsta Rap and Hip Hop. Please verify my hours as six to eight thirty evenings, or leave a note with Penelope at the office, at the following address. I trust that you will find my lyrical selections most compelling, if not, as they say in the industry, downright "phat." Thank you."

Hai, I'm Daisy the Fashion Designer! I just want to invite u to see my new girly girl fashion designs (blush!) and also see me at Death Island, where I compete in total warfare games an fite to the Death! (giggle!) I've got a shield and a nuke that will pwn you all, when I'm not knitting up a storm! Byeee now!

"Hi, I'm a coder, but, I don't have any strong opinions about open source or anything. I just like to code. Well, sometimes. Other times it feels like the most antisocial stuff in the world and I just need to get out and talk to humans for a while, or even just pet my cat. Oh, and I've been doing this for ages, but, nah, I'm not the best guy out there. I'm kinda in the middle of the pack, really."


Any one of these, would be like an elementary school girl toting a quantum physics book. Just sayin!

LOL Desmond.

I get loads of cards and I do actually read them all. If a mall sounds interesting, like it has a theme, I might pop over and check it out. I get lots of invites to functions, esp "international" ones. You never know what might pan out. Only if a card is interesting, will I look at a profile, and I steer away only from the ones that sound like they might have a screw loose. I figure not everyone has perfect profile-writing abilities.

Dude. Can I copy/paste that into my profile?

/me waves at Rubianne........Hi!