Banned by off-world content....

You can hide avatars with invisi prims. However, they only work like a two-way mirror. If someone cames through them, they can see you.

something happens here???

where`s the pie?!?!?!

i know, but that`s pointless with the cam unlike hiding it server side

You could just put invisi prims over your nether regions so that there is an empty space where they used to be, in order to preserve your dignity. That would be grotesque though.

might aswell suggest to just buy an sim for privacy and close it when wanted, wanna tell chris the bad news?

Some more tools would be nice.

I'm trying to think of something like a website or forum, which are usually the kind of comparisons people draw when trying to avoid an emotional debate about SL as a world, just thinking of it as a platform.

What the land bans do, right now, is a little like a forum where in the closed sections, you can still go in and read the topic titles, if not the whole discussions. Not a really private sub-forum at all. I think people would welcome something that makes a parcel truly private. Something as simple as "don't send any prim or avatar information from this parcel to the client unless" option on the server from the land tools settings. As land owner you can choose to have that option set or not. It would reduce the impact on the sim of all those security scanning devices, lower the bandwidth usage of the servers, reduce the strain on client graphics processing and people would be able to fly around over an (albeit emptier) landscape without being interfered with by ban-lines.

You could have ban-lines like now, also. It would just be another option. The visible/invisible system would work on the same lists as current ban-line access.

I wonder, if you paid for a small website and the server company refused to allow you to password access protect a sub-forum (or install the software to allow that), and instead told you that you'd have to sign up to their $300 per month plan for a dedicated web server, wouldn't you just go somewhere else for your hosting?

I ban people I don't like. But my main reason for doing this is that my home is currently above my store, and my store of course is in my profile. I dunno, I think I like the feeling that I may have pre-empted stupid comments enough that I feel it's worth it =)

I visited Caledon the other day (time wise you were in bed Desmond, or at least should have been and reread your covenant.

In fairness it is a pretty good model of tolerance and respect towards other avatars it bears out what you have said before, insomuch as set reasonable standards and most folk rise to them. In my property owning days in SL I only had good reason to ban one person, except when I was involved in a sensitive build when there was a blanket ban for all until the build was complete.

Some of the best advice you gave ever was to let the sun set on any virtual dispute and wait for a new day when you may see things in a different light. I have actually carried that over into first life.

Of course on the main grid you do get issues that do not apply to private island estates but I think that might be a Sim by Sim problem (resource consuming etc) rather than personal targeted attacks.

Just my few lindens worth

To put it simply: Caledon isn't a target. Kudos to Desmond for selecting a theme & fostering an environment that just doesn't attract griefers.

Perhaps if we all did that (chose themes that weren't attractive to griefers) we wouldn't have to worry about griefing & bannings. Of course, its possible to have too much of a good thing; if the entire grid emulated Caledon, it might not be as unique of a place

If you cater to newbies, furries, goreans, gays, BDSM, age-players, gamblers, or any other subgroup or persona that might be 'hated' by others... you're going to have a much greater chance of being a target than, say, a Victorian Steampunk sim, or Joe Avatar's residential home (unless Joe is a furry or a gorean, of course )

In my mind, we can either choose to have a grid devoid of anything controversial or disliked (and not very attractive to griefers), or we can accept the fact that combining an ecclectic universe with anonymity inevitably creates griefer honeypots - and unfortunately, bans.

Actually, we are, but it doesn't enter into the 'ban or not ban' conversation much.

We also have tons of groups traditionally hated by griefers: furries, gay, child avatars, and people new to the grid. Mostly furs, I'd say - if you highlighted the fur-controlled land in Caledon on a map, you'd have enough sims to make a small continent just from that.

What happens is this: we'll occasionally get people taking down our sims such that they won't come back up. As part of an organised griefing attempt involving not just Caledon, but anyone who dares to be well known enough.

This has happened recently. According to *very* good sources we had two regions hit, as part of a griefing act that took down twenty regions in various locations around the grid.

But no amount of banning would keep throwaway alt griefers out of Caledon without killing the country. We are a micronation of commerce and visitors, and without open borders we'd turn into a residential wasteland. The merchants need us to be open to survive.

Also, by the time I get on the concierge channel to note the regional issues there are already Lindens on it, recovering the regions. Regions taken down hard are a priority for them I guess.

* * * * *

I can see where NCI and the Shelter would have a different set of issues - lots of new players who simply haven't been around and don't know history. It's a different situation.

But if you have a known region and you've casually ejected or banned several hundred people in your history, a few percent are going to take it *very* personally. Above and beyond the usual levels of griefing, now you'll have a neverending war on your hands.

So sure, griefing can be serious - if someone truly hits you hard, sic the FBI or whomever on them. If not, and it's just some silly thing, relax and share the lulz.