Be quiet! Don't talk in chat! Don't dance!

So it's wrong to use open chat, is it?

I was showing a friend The Particle Laboratory in Teal. There are various things to see there, a cave to walk through, a firework show, a scripted "fortune teller" who gives answears (random of course, but still funny).

When I first came there last year, the person showing me around took me to a place with a cascade of different light animations. He started a dance and throwed me a free dance too. It was funny to watch how my avatar danced in the different light effects. I thought it was a common thing to do.

So last night I was there again. Me and my new friend were laughing and talking in open chat as we usually do.

I showed him around and when we came to the room with light effects I started a dance and said something like : "Come on, start a dance you too, LOL", and he replied, "Oh wait I have to take pictures" and I was replying with "LOL" again when I was dancing.

Then suddenly three avatars who were sitting there started to comment us, in a sarcastic way. "This isn't a club you know" "Take your stupid chat to IM's, this is a place for peace and tranquility" and other snippy remarks. I have to admit that I was replying: "This isn't your SL you know" "I didn't see a sign where it says that chat isn't allowed" and they said they should mute us. I said fine and they continued commenting. I asked if they needed help to find "mute".

Then it was more personal remarks, how I looked and that it was a cheap dance. That didn't bother me, I was dressed well enough to go walking in RL for that matter, in a kneelong jeans skirt and a modest top. And the dance was a Sine Wave. So I didn't feel cheap or that I had something to be ashamed for regarding to appearance.

It wasn't like we came in there naked and started to make out. Or spammed with enormous Hooowwwlllzzz. We were just in a good mood, throwing some lol's and danced (BIG offence). They even said something about tasteless new people, when one of them was from february with no payment info.

If they had said first: "Please don't talk in chat here, we are enjoying the silence" my reply would be a quick "Sorry, of course we will be quiet". Instead I felt attacked and became hostile back. But hello... if the owner of the place meant it to be silent, a sign at the entrance would help?

I have seen it more and more... there is a new "Taste Police" in SL that are quick to jump on female avatars that are using open chat easy, funny, perhaps stupid or childish as they see it. And if they don't drive off their target quick, the gloves come off and they get ugly.

No wonder SL are so quiet. People are buried in IM's and are closed into their own bubble. Kind of sad. SL, the big silence.

Take it easy yo

They were trying to

Don't sound like they were an especially peaceful or tranquil lot.

Huh. Have never been there myself, but from what I know it's actually a place of learning, not of tranquility.

Actually, I like your answers to them. I wouldn't have been half as witty. ^^

I love that Teal place! I should visit again soon, sorries you had a bad time there.
It is one of those place you tend to stay 'ahh'.
Those ppls should have chilled knowing you would eventually moved along w/o having to gone all personal.
"Taste Police"
I swear for as many ppls that say SL is a friendly place, I see less and less of it and I speed teleport all over and stay random, so it's all over, to me to other ppls.

Hey sweetie, my best friend! You didn't have a good day yesterday did you??

Seems to me that more and more people on SL are becoming posessive of the places they visit often, making newcomers feel unwelcome and as if they are intruding, makes a lot of people not enjoy their SL experience.

This kind of behaviour is rude, simply saying, "Could you please not talk in open chat, I'm enjoying the peace and quiet" would have been enough, no need to get abusive about it.

Maybe we should go back there tonight and throw a huge party

Yes it seems many are getting upset at the use of public places by the rest of the public a lot more lately.

The best thing to do is mute them, and if they go out of their way to annoy AR them for harassment (yeah I said AR them and add to the perceived heavy burden, but it gets the point across and LL will at least correct the bad behavior of the jerks)

Sounds like you were harassed for no good reason. I don't know the place, and I've only your word for what happened, but it sounds like they were being a bunch of jerks. Best not to react the way you did and stir things up, but from what you said they were the ones ruining the peace and good vibes of the place.

If I'm somewhere in SL and get accused of breaking the rules, and I'm not sure of my position, I usually politely ask where I can see the rules I'm breaking. Unless the person doing the telling is obviously an owner/officer of the place in question. If I still think I'm in the right and I'm getting a lot of hassle, I might even send a polite note to the sim owner asking for clarification. If things get really ugly, I mute, AR and leave, knowing there's always another day.

I'm one of the people who go straight to IM when exploring, in case of idiots like this, or in case I am ruining it for others. Doesn't stop me dancing around though lol.

It sounds like these were total....well, yeah. You handled it better than I would have done lol.

Sometimes a notecard with chatlogs to the landholders can be a little faster than an AR.

Like I always said, if you could reach out & physically punch people online, it'd be a much more polite place.

Now, if you had been, umm, doing the whole sexxors in the local chat, I'd understand the hostility a wee bit. Not that hostility is ever a good thing. Normal chatter in a public place that doesn't have a sign stating it? Go for it.

Sorry that happen sometimes avatars are very human in not the so nice ways....
When I was new and rarely saw anyone and go some place few times I ran into people if they were talking in public chat they were talking amongst themselves and if I tried to be friendly and chatted to them it was like I wasn't there nor did I exist.
I don't know if that was any better.

This confession is not in my best interests: it's going to sound dreadful, it's wrong of me, I'm a bad, bad person for this, but: When I see chat sentences that end in "lol" (or even more so, Forums posts), it instantly reduces my subjective assessment of the person's IQ by about 30 points and makes my Freeze/Eject/Ban finger twitch. Now, I know this is shameful, but that's really how it is. I just expect the LOLing avatar to attach some b0rked orbital weapon that was lame even before H4, or to commence a sequence of inane freebie Gestures.

So, sorry I'm so shallow and all. But I mention it because I doubt I'm the only one.

/me dances around Qie lol'ing

how's my IQ doing?

Actually, it can be pretty bad when it is totally silent. I was shopping the other day with a friend...everything deathlty silent, and next thing I know, this guy send something out describing something he is doing to a girl in IM. Now we didn't say anything, just giggled to our selves as we figured he had typed in the wrong box... (he tp'd out pretty quick) but if the place had been full of chat, I doubt anyone would have noticed.
I'd much rather a place full of chat than a silent place, even if I am trying to sit and be peaceful, I find the chat interesting even if I'm not taking part in it.

Well- I beg to differ- a nice lol well placed says volumes. No one really thinks you are laughing out loud- it is an appreciative comment. I guess I would be one of those whose IQ's just dropped by a good 30 points or more -

To the OP - ridiculous really- unless there is a sign stating no open chat allowed you were correct. And I believe I have been there - I have never seen that sign. Also- screw 'em - they want silence, mute is a good option I was in Apollo once- there were peeps swimming below me while I sat with my llover - I didn't want to "hear" them- I muted them. End of story- no need to be rude to them- I will never meet them again so its not like muting is harmful - gave me peace and that's all i needed.

We all have our pet peeves, don't we?
I do use lol, but only to show when something actually made me laugh on THIS side of the monitor screen. In other words, when I lol, I actually lol
I am, however, an unrepentant abuser of the smiley face!

My IQ assessment goes into action when I hear people use U and R in place of 'you' and 'are' or feel the need to add a Z at the end of certain words.

Goes without saying that HOOOWWWLLLLZZZZZ is pretty much at the bottom of my list of incentives to start a conversation

Brann Snobbypants

Be careful what you wish for..... *ducks*

But that is a good idea. Or it could be a great service. You can send someone to their house, sort of like a "Punch O Gram".

I'm with you. I despise chat speak, and I admit to not investing myself fully in conversations where it shows up. I like the emoticons, I wish there were more here.

I refuse to use LOL or ROFL, instead I'll type out "Hee hee hee" or *laughs*, but I tend to over-use emotes. =>.>=

I've spent a fair amount of time in the Particle Lab and the
feeling I get from the folks who made the Particle, they
wouldn't have any problem with some people enjoying
environment and having a little dance.

I could understand a complaint if someone was working
through the tutorials though...different situation.

Don't take them too seriously. They are not the creators
nor owners of the Lab.

- Infrared

ROFL or ROFLMAO have almost become derisive comments at times. You see it here when people use it to sneer at a post they don't agree with, but can't say anything better to counter it.

If people don't want to hear others using chat, they should mute them, or go to their own land.

As for LOLing and chat speak, I'm with Brann.

Although too much of anything can be a little annoying, being rude to others in a public place, simply because they aren't using SL in the same manner as you, is a bit much. I hear chatter in public RL places, why would it be that different here. If you want to have a conversation, then yes, IMing is best. Chatter, and little comments here and there, is fine in _public_ chat.

I have to quote Novis here. I also wouldn't have been half as witty (quick) as you.