How to build in peace?

I've had a sandbox for women for well over a year now on an island I rent. The griefing and abuse of clearly posted settings seem to have escalated in the last few months. My attempt to solve the problem as best I can has included:

- giving group of wonderful women superheros (heroines?) the Star Sapphires, a home base on the island so they can help patrol in exchange for some land of their own.
- setting up a 24 hrs for $100 sandbox (also on the island)
- setting up a group called Women's Sandbox who are the only ones allowed to access the 1/4 sim and charging a group membership fee every month


I think ban lines are hideous, but I didn't know what else to do to give women a place to build without men (an unfortunate but most often true generalization follows) hogging all the build space, building commercial structures and not tipping the sandbox owner, not picking up their prims when they are done, and verbally harassing what they suppose is a lesbian run sandbox for lesbians?

Ideas? I am tapped out financially so I can't buy custom scripting or expensive security products. I just want to give women a place to learn to build like I had when I was first here and education was subsidized and "Universities, schools and colleges for building" were everywhere in SL.

I'd appreciate your thoughts and advice in this area.

Thanks,

Ana Herzog

You can always set up something like a LandProtector. Give access to only the ones you want, while everyone else gets booted off the island.

I'm a little confused, do you rent the whole sim with 1/4 of it for a sandbox, or do you just rent 1/4 sim?

If you own the entire sim, you can restrict sim access to group only, and requests to join the group must be approved. That way no one sees banlines at all, since you are not on mainland.

As for security products, a quick XStreet search for "orb" under the Security category sorted by price turned up quite a few products under 100L, so you might give them a try.

One thing that comes to mind is get rid of the other sandbox, if it's attracting griefers.

The other ideas seem good, could you elaborate on why they didn't work?

https://uncensored.xstreetsl.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=351764

- That's what I'm using.

You have several options. Easiest and cheapest is simply making the whole island group only.

If you don't or can't do that, security orb is also an easy option. There are simple group security devices out there that simply elect anyone without a tag for as little as 1 linden.

Out of sight is out of mind: set it up on a platform. As I explained in an earlier thread, I have a protected simwide platform and never get bothered. i simply ad those that I allow there. And visitors on the sim on ground level usually don't have any clue it's even there.

That option is an elegant solution.

I hope you can do something with this, despite the fact that this answer comes from a man.

Just kidding.

By setting this place up with the intent of blatantly excluding one group, in this case men, is like begging for griefers. You're asking for trouble and it looks like you're getting it.

I realize this is a place you want to allow multiple builders access, so my situation may not apply. I've heard of griefing in sandboxes but never encountered it. What I do is go to a sandbox that is associated with a SL school (I currently go to I.C.E.), rez my Mystitool sky platform, head up about 650m, set the walls so I'm in an enclosed box, and build away.

I have never yet been bothered by a griefer while building.

Tundra, I know of this sandbox only second-hand (through one of my feminist groups), so I can't confirm Ana's description, although I have no reason to doubt it.

My understanding is that this facility was set up to give women in SL a "safe" place to build, free from harassment; males are excluded not out of principle, but in order to maintain it as a safe and hassle-free environment for women.

The idea of such refuges or "safe areas" is obviously a pretty well established one for women in RL, and there are a few similar refuges (albeit without sandboxes) set up in SL for women who have been stalked or harassed. I don't use sandboxes much myself, so I can't really comment on whether or not a "woman's only" sandbox is necessary. But again, the principle is "defensive," rather than being an aggressive attempt to exclude men for the sake of doing so.

Liam, I confess I am a bit overextended between various lives, blogs, etc. and a bit lazy and I don't want to have to do anything extra like keeping track of builders, adding them etc. That is why I just wanted to charge a monthly fee, delete everyone late the last day of the month and let them add themselves again on the first of the month.

Malia, the Sapphire group is working but there isn't always someone online. The L$100 hasn't had many takers. The ban lines can only be seen by people who don't have access. I hated them when I was on mainland and I really didn't want to set them up on my island.

I rent the island. The free sandbox is to gain exposure for various projects of mine plus I think it fills a need, women newbs need a place to learn to build. I just don't want it to be ugly even for newbs. 1/4 of the island is group only. Various other sections have slightly different uses and permissions, so the platform would share whatever perms were set on the land below, but the platform idea is a good one, Benski, and I use it on my other island that I own (i.e. rent from LL rather than a 3rd party) but again I'm lazy and don't want to have to have excel spread sheets of who has paid what for how long.....and actually male avi are allowed in the free sandbox when they are escorted by a woman and they can't build. And I like ideas from everyone even guys, LOL. I'm just a realist who studies behavior and wants to fill a need for a safe place as Scylla said.

Most groups of whatever type are formed with the intent of including "likes" not excluding "differents," Tundra. I've carefully studied the proxemic differences in building patterns between the sexes and they are very real. No hostility is intended.

Pussycat I will check out the product. Thank you.

Czari, your option works for single builders who know enough to rez a workspace or skybox, but many of my visitors are newbies who still walk around with boxes attached.

The group orb that ejects non members may be the simplest. It seems like it might put off folks who attempt to enter and can't without joining a group.

All this is good food for thought. Thanks!

Ana

I do exactly this except at CNWL with the same result.

I have never experienced griefing in sandboxes. However, unless I make a point of finding a spot far away from other AVs, I always have have jerk men hitting on to me. I don't need a sandbox too often, but I would love to find a place with NO men.

Most sandboxes are free so you might have trouble getting people to pay $100 a month. Most people do not build every single day anyway.

Also if your target group member is new people, they are the least likely to have $100 a month. Is there a reason you must charge for the service?

Having a sandbox that is for women only, men only, furries only, etc. is not a bad idea otherwise.

Ditto on the work platform. I have never been bothered when building at 2K meters

I've never been hit on in either of the two sandboxes I have used since I started building, but it might be the "bitch" vibe I put out LOL.
Or it might be b/c I tend to have certain avis that I wear for going to places like sandboxes and BDSM joints that are um....humanoid but a bit scary. Tends to keep the riff-raff away from me as well.
Lastly, if anyone starts burying me with their oversized sh*t, I report them to the sandbox owner (after all, this is on HER land and she explicitly does NOT tolerate nonsense) and she's there quite frequently.
The other one I use from time to time is also part of a builders' group--in my case HAPPY HIPPSTERS (if I'm allowed to say that here...).
Occasionally, if it's something small, I'll build it on my parcel, but I prefer sandboxes b/c if I rez something and lose it, it gets auto-returned to me.

The problem there is you're asking for a community to develop but you don't have the resources to manage and protect it. That's a noble goal, but hard experience seems to be implying that a community left to its own devices will either degenerate or be destroyed.

In your case destruction appears to be the problem. Sadly, there are people who's enjoyment online comes from taking enjoyment away from others.

In the end, the only viable solution will be to more actively manage affairs. That said, it doesn't have to be you doing it. Root through the list of people using your sandbox and pick a team, then using the group tools give them stronger land permissions - let them eject, ban, return objects, and so on. Make it a small team, but an odd number (tie breakers). And make sure they're people you feel are friends, or at least who have judgment you think is as wise if not wiser than your own.

And I do suggest reconsidering the sky platform idea.

I've found someone in my skybox, all on her own, on her second day of SL. Newbies can find that stuff. Builder inclined newbies are even more inclined to find it. You can even use a group only teleporter to get them up to it.

Clever use of security orbs, platforms, and fly on / off on parts of the Sim, along with member only TP pads, can get you control of the building area.


You will lose access to some people by having a group requirement. And in fact I suggest having joining the group be by invite only - with a message of a list of people to IM to get an invite. That will in fact limit even more who is willing to join...
- but those limits might improve quality, and there are invite only groups in SL with more than a few thousand members. Which is to say - once you get the right people, they'll bring their friends.

Nor me, and this has become my MO after a few years of dealing with carp. I know a quiet sandbox I will never reveal, only to the nicest and gentlest female friends. I disappear into the air, and work quietly.

Ana, my suggestion is (hope this works as I'm a bit naive on this, plus don't know how to spell naieave..lol joke)..is it possible to set a lm to one place, on the ground...then make your sandbox on a platform high up? Restrict flying and give the correct lm only to people who you want?

same except I dont bother with walls, but if I'm on a platform in a sandbox, it will be at CNWL