Popular Places tab goes, but the Places tab remains

OK, let's look at this.

If all the places already passed the standards requirements, what would it HURT to allow people to purchase these slots?

At least then everyone would stand a chance at getting featured.

(Well, except for x-rated places.)

I really just don't see what is so fantastically special about one hair place compared to scads of other hair places that they should get all the customers routed to them.

I think the real high road, though, can best be achieved by limiting places spotlighted to non-profit ones, which will also serve any purpose of spotlighting interesting places to aid in possible user retention, without being unfair to other resident businesses.

coco

Pretty much agree with this, highlighting one business over another is not good practice. Events, non profit, debates, education all have valid reasons for being in there but to highlight one store over another is not the role LL should be taking.

However if they do take that route then it's absolutely correct that paid spots should be available.

Well, I was thinking of such things, but I don't know which of NCI or Shelter or ASL (whatever that is) are for-profit and which aren't.

I believe anyone who wants to be showcased can forego profiting from it.

If you want to make a profit, forget the free advertising. Simple as that. That's how it generally works in the real world.


It's not going to be that much better if they do rotate it frequently. There are a LOT of hair places in SL, for example.

In fact, I can see all KINDS of headaches for the Lindens in this. Why haven't you spotlighted me? What do we have to do to get in this thing, anyway? Etc. etc.

And - again - what the heck are they doing showcasing BUSINESSES in the first place?

It is not their business to make some businesses profitable at the expense of others.

That is a rigged game, period.



I agree, they should keep places. For one thing, they are cheaper than classifieds. I know several wonderful (and spotlight-worthy, lol) businesses that don't use Classifieds at all.

Have the Lindens talked of getting rid of Places?

coco

Edit: For myself, I almost always shop from the Classified and the Places tabs; never the All, unless I'm looking for something extremely specific, like a particular texture.

I think a lot of people are assuming that the showcase DOES NOT update and that the same stores or locations will be featured OVER AND OVER. It seems a lot of people are assuming that classified driven showcase is something inevitable. What I'm saying is this showcase hasn't even shown up yet and you're squeezing the grapes! All we have right now is grape juice! (or gripe juice) It takes some time to make wine. Let's let this age for a bit.

Um, that can be gamed though, in the same way that any search engine can be gamed (and yes, separately from optimizing for it). Alt picks? Irrelevant keywords?

NCI is not-for-profit. So is the Shelter, and I believe, ASL (Academy of Second Learning). My point was that even showcasing not-for-profits has its problems.

I also suspect that showcasing of not-for-profits will be related to participation in the upcoming LL Endorsement program for resident help groups. And I still have some serious misgivings about that program's final form. I hope that Blue Linden will address all of them (as he seemed open to during his office hours), but if LL runs with the initial proposal, I suspect that NCI (and many other groups) will take a pass.

The "it" I am talking about is parcel acquisition dates.

I just went back and re-read the SL Blog post, "Second Life Showcase, Popular Places and the Future of Traffic". As far as I can tell, they are not talking about getting rid of the Places tab. So my concern about that appears to be misplaced (or at least premature).

No, not on the blog anyway. I think this is all just speculation and the like.

Parcel Acquisition Date can be gamed, too. Just find someone that's owned the same land for ages and pay them through the roof to rent it. It is harder to game, sure--but it can be gamed.

They won't be getting rid of places, that would be total madness.

Maybe so. In which case maybe the lottery idea would be best.

It would, however, get rid of the problem of giving some stores a lot of free advertising.

If anyone deserves free adversing, it is the non-profits.

The non-profits are, after all, not going to profit directly from being picked out for special treatment, as the for-profit businesses will.

coco

It is not something that can be artificially produced, like traffic. And it's not egregious on the eyes, like ~~AAA!!!!!11111.

Lesser of evils, that is all I am saying.

Showcase will only serve those who are *in* with the LL editors. For us little guys trying to break into the fashion world, this just knocks us down yet another notch. The only sales we get as it is are from newbies who stumble across our shops while wandering around.


I can tell you who will get featured in the showcase from the fashion world. Can you name them? I bet you can. *sigh*

I really, really believe Linden Lab really wants to discourage anyone but their "choice pets" from selling anything in world. Sure, we're welcome to create as long as we give it away for free.....

I think it would actually lessen the chance of being featured considerably. Have you seen what people are paying to be on the first page of classifieds? I'd like to be up there. Who wouldn't? But there's no way I'm taking out a second mortgage to get there. It's insane. Exactly the same thing will happen to paid placements for Showcase, if they add them. They will be way beyond the means of 99.9% of residents, and those that could afford it don't really need to be there by simple virtue of being able to afford it in the first place.

Please don't start this nonsense again. It's incredibly insulting to anyone who does happen to be featured by implying that the only reason they got there is some kind of inside connection. If you got a promotion in your place of employment would you think it acceptable for anyone to imply that you only got it because you slept with your boss?

I am at a complete loss to understand why some people really do want to keep the Places tab. If it were removed tomorrow, traffic bots and most camping would be gone the next day, which is something that many, perhaps most, people here want. A superior Places search already exists, so, apart from Cristalle's statement that some places are not being listed in the new Places search, the only reason I can't think of is that some people just don't want to do an extra 2 clicks. So how about this...

Keep the Places tab, but put the new search into it, with Places selected and no option to change it.

Yep, this would be a very fair option. Worked at Busy Ben's and the other Linden shopping locations.

Like I said, I'm not crazy about that plan. I just consider it preferable for people to buy their advertising and exposure than to wait at the pleasure of the powers-that-be for it.

I prefer limiting the Showcase to non-profit entities, or scotching the idea altogether.

coco

Chip, if this were a workplace, and I had been hired along with the others by a supervisor, and one of them got a raise, then I would be happy for them. However, this is not a workplace, and we are not being evaluated by a supervisor on our products and performance. There is an "old dominion" in the fashion industry in SL. You may not realize it, because you haven't had to try to break into it. This is not a workplace, so your analogy, although very thought provoking, does not work here.

Danielle, you're right in a sense, but I don't think it works the way you think it does. There is very definitely an established "old guard" so to speak in SL fashion, but it isn't LL that defines who that is. It's SL's residents. It's simply the way fashion and fads work. When you're competing against something that's "in" it can be very hard to get noticed. I know this because I've been competing in that market for four years now. It doesn't matter who has the best products or the best service. What matters is who gets the word of mouth. But take heart because most of the designers who are in that old guard right now haven't been around forever and they started out competing against the older old guard. Even if you manage to get "in" there's no guarantee that you're going to stay that way. None of it has anything to do with inside connections at LL. It never has. If there are taste makers in SL it has a lot more to do with the fashion blogs than anything LL does, has done, or will do.

Chip, well said! I hear you. Now, the next question, you got any friends in the fashion blog industry? Do they like chocolate? I can send some fedex hah

Seriously, thank you for your response. I feared it would get all flamey and stuff. I'm glad we didnt

Danielle, when the "big boys" have locked you out of their club house the true entrepreneur builds their own club house and recruits all the people locked out the other club house.

Think "independent film"
Think "independent music"
Think "independent fashion designers"

But, it has no relevance to the quality of the person's goods at all. You may as well make it based on the AV's born date.

Hehe, I wish I did. I very rarely get blogged, but then again I don't go out of my way to try. I'm just too lazy to send out review copies, or just plain don't think to do it.