BBB and SL

Just want some input as to an idea for a SL BBB.
This is intended for a poll only not for any flaming.
Yes there would be guidelines.
The BBB would be nonprofit totally unbiased.

the only thing that comes to mind is like that SL escorts thing, eventho its a good idea someone will cry that your bashing their biz

I'm more inclined to have a Better Spelling Bureau.

It wouldn't be used for bashing at all. Only for giving good reveiws, Those that have the stamp would be in a class of there own.

LOL well i need to join the better spelling bureau

I voted unsure. I would love to see something like this in place, but there is two problems - we can't name names in the forums and it would need very strict guidelines on how to file complaints along with how they are processed and posted. I mean, how would you do the list? In game using a clickable prim that gives notecards of the worst offenders? Website? All of the above?

Corept! i is teh worsetet spellier in teh froms!

back to the subject , i guess more details are needed then

Oddly enough I was just talking about this on secondcitizen.com.

I've heard "we need a BBB in SL" so many times, even in the fairly limited time I've been in SL. It never happens. It won't, not on a centralised basis - too open to accusations of bias, too much hard work.

If anyone wants to contribute to that sort of thing they need to do it in an open, collaborative, decentralised way. For instance, I started a group called "Second Life Griefbuild Digest" on Flickr just now, which is there so that anyone can post up pictures of the sort of horrible builds that people put up to get their neighbours to either leave or buy their land. Anyone can look at the pictures and visit the area and make their own minds up.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/92106361@N00/

We need to start doing things like this rather than sit around saying "yeah, a BBB would be great, only I'm not going to start one". Things which build themselves, rather than having to be organised by a committee.

One can name names at forums.secondcitizen.com, forums.sluniverse.com, or forums.sldrama.com.

There is a Google group called sl-consumer-reports , waiting for it's first post at http://groups.google.com/group/sl-consumer-reports .

Aaron Levy is getting a BBB for SL started up at http://slbbb.com that has been going for a few days. I joined up early on - and I'm anxious to see it evolve.

I helped form RATE, a sort of opt-in BBB, some months ago (or years) in SL. The problem was that our own red-tape soon got the better of us. Our goals were so lofty they couldn't possibly be carried out realistically. The meeting where it was decided that we wouldn't even bother checking businesses we gave our seal of apporval to became the last meeting I was involved in, because without checking, what was the point?

A BBB will only add politics and bureacratic duress to our already strained in-world trust system. As such, its not needed.

we need sone thing thts for sure.........1.) makers not supporting their wears, 2.)others stealing content etc etc etc etc etc.bla bla bla...... Owbers just takes us buyers for granted.

Right, because a BBB would ideally tell people when they're being ripped off by resellers.

Back when RATE was in its formative months, I asked multiple times to become RATE-certified. Now that it obviously fell apart, I think this could be a good substitute/solution. That's just a personal opinion, though.

If someone can make something work along the lines of what we were trying for, and other groups have tried for since then, more power to them. I'd certainly offer up my store for perusal, and if it caught on, I'd suggest it to other merchants that I think are trustworthy.

Best of luck with it. Don't let red-tape eat the group!

It was a really good idea - the problem I think was that rather than work on what could be done it tried to work on what at the time couldn't - the group (in my opinion, and I was there from day one) tried to look at too big a picture, and went over the same ground every meeting till red tape and bueracracy dragged it to a standstill.

No slight against anyone involved - sometimes things just work out that way.. sort of ended up like Monty Python's Life of Brian 'this calls for immediate discussion!'

Anyways - the original idea was extremely simple:

Anything that tries to negatively reinforce something in SL is doomed to failure - as there is very little you can do that has 'teeth'... so rather instead you positively reinforce something.

Anyone has an officer of the group go over their store and see that they are in fact selling goods they created or have permission to sell gets a plaque, or 'seal' they can display in their shop. Given enough people participate - and enough people who have already proved themselves in the community as being upstanding, then the seal will become associated with good business practices. People will over time get used to knowing that if they see that - they are not getting ripped off.

Rather than point out who the arseholes are, you point out who the honest people are. And over time the honest people are rewarded by more business.


Simple. If someone else can get such an idea to work - go for it, it was a good idea.

I am not sure how e-bay standardizes its ratings system, but it seems to be universally regarded. Could it be translated and centralized for SL?

I totally agree, Siggy. I'd love to see SLBBB evolve into something like that - though I'm not in any kind of leadership position in it, I've already tried to tie in a discusison like this on their forums. We'll see how it picks up steam.

It has been my experience in life that the BBB only hosts chronic complainers who are too cheap to hire an attorney to address their complaints. They use the BBB as leverage to get something for nothing out of small business owners.

Bitter? Yes,

I still think RATE was an excellent idea. I think what doomed it is the same thing that will plague any similar effort. It takes a great deal of work (unfun drudgerous work) to get something like it up and running and keep it functioning and useful. Who wants to do the work? Everyone has things they'd much rather spend their time doing.

Like eating thai food and farting on trains.

I voted yes because a better rating system is sorely needed. I like eBay's idea. Put a rating next to everyone's username where you see it. You can rate postive, neutral, and negative. Provide feedback and rebuttals.

It has to be in-world, in your face, and easily accessible. Right now, only LL can do that and, unfortunately, it doesn't seem like it will be anytime soon. It will be very difficult to get any third party site to be accepted as the place to place complaints and kudos and check up on ratings.

HP

Exactly!

RATE started out well. But soon my retailers in Galleria City/Skywalk started telling me how a certain member of RATE was trying to force people out of my malls.

RATE just corrupted. I think most of the members in it had great intentions, but all it takes is one bad apple to spoil the barrel.

Briana Dawson