Suicide Girls Redux

A major US import/retail company (266 stores in the US alone) offers a discount to designers and interior decorators. This deal is not dependant on bulk buys. Many other stores offer selective deals to particular groups and professions as well. It's just good business.

So were the SG given this deal purely because of their profession?

So it's not the anomaly I thought it was. I'd still like to know -- because I like knowing things, no other reason -- if there's a process behind it or if it's just random.

This seems like something SL could sell as an additional feature to estate owners, and it's intriguing that they haven't thus far (that I know of).

Obviously, Jonquille, that place is going to go out of business because the pipe fitters union won't shop there until the discount has been extended to them.

They were given this deal because the relationship is mutually beneficial to both parties.

That's business.

Well, having now got home from work, I've had a freer opportunity to look round the SG website. It's even worse than I originally thought.

That kind of content would get me disciplinary action if I was caught looking at it at work. Thankfully, as assistant IT Manager I know our systems, and cache/cookies/history clearing was all I needed to do, there is no other tracking.

Let's also look at the Community Standards:

"Second Life is an adult community, but Mature material is not necessarily appropriate in all areas (see Global Standards below). Content, communication, or behavior which involves intense language or expletives, nudity or sexual content, the depiction of sex or violence, or anything else broadly offensive must be contained within private land in areas rated Mature (M). Names of Residents, objects, places and groups are broadly viewable in Second Life directories and on the Second Life website, and must adhere to PG guidelines. "

Now, as the forums are meant to be "PG" in content, as is anything viewable from anywhere in game - such as search - I don't see any justification whatsoever for this being in the game. So does this mean anyone with the "Suicide" surname is banned from PG areas? They shouldn't appear in search either. Let's not forget the main thing here - they aren't here because they are people who want to play the game, they are porn models - that doesn't fit the "PG" standard either.

Whether you call it porn or erotica...... it does nothing positive for SL whatsoever, and is not going to attract people who are going to benefit the game in any way. I bet you that 99% of the people who come in through this association will stick with the free account, and hang around the sex clubs so they can tell their friends they had sex with a model last night.

Lewis

My guess is that they were given the 'deal' because it makes sense, and it's good business for LL to get their name out there to the niche that SG caters to. They have a decent following, and when they mention being in SL, others will want to check out what they're talking about.

It's a tried and true marketing strategy. Some of the world's most recognized fashion designers send free clothing to celebrities. It's exposure. The money they may lose on that one gown or suit is more than made up for by the exposure they'll get when that celebrity says their name as the designer of their outfit.

Now, if you want to start a campaign to warn the world of the unfairness of LL for giving a special last name to a group as a marketing ploy, that's entirely your decision and your time to waste. But in fairness, you should probably also warn everyone never to buy designer clothes, or shop... well.. anywhere, because it's a widely used strategy.

I would so get an avatar named BetterWith Bukkake just to salute Desolation Jones. I'd pay $100 if LL would let me create that last name and offer it to 150 people.

So what you are saying if someone is not in a sexual act with another person it's not considered porn? lol

That is a very good point, one I got sidetracked from. Thank you.

Ok, now I've calmed down a bit I can see the thing that's more bothersome a bit more.

Sure, that's business - but, it seems, these aren't business accounts. They've been moved to SL just to hang out and be social. They might make some things too, and good for them if they do, but it doesn't appear to have been a condition of the deal.

It is rather perturbing, even worrying, that ordinary social behaviour - in- and out-of-world - is now being judged for business value.

By the same logic, haven't the Mentors and Greeters done for LL by socialising with newcomers? Or even just the friendly people who hang out at the WA? Why shouldn't they get a special deal?

/me whistles appreciatively

Man. Someone is wound up tight. You need to get some... sandwiches. Yes.

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So no, I don't think banning is liable to occur, nor is limiting of folk with the surname of 'Suicide' in posting.

this kind of made me chuckle because one of the Suicide Girls lists her profession on her bio as "cock socket"

Not judging or arguing or anything here. It's just sort of hilarious

They get to use the group title Mentor or Live Helper, and no one else does.

You're... completely missing the point. Linden Lab reaches out to people who control a lot of eyeballs. Says "Check this out. You might like it!" The eyeball mistresses DO like it, and share it with all their eyeballs.

Eyeball mistresses have a good time, eyeballs find a new, cool product, Linden Lab benefits from new exposure. Good stuff.

This makes absolutely no sense. Since when it the word 'suicide' not PG friendly? I must have missed that memo. Its not like the last name is 'SeeMeGetNakedAndKissOtherGirls@www.SuicideGirls.com'... and even if it was, I don't see how THAT is not PG. Just cause you don't like the web site doesn't mean that a word isn't PG.

Regards,

-Flip

I note that the group founder is "Wilder Linden" .... this is the person that came up with the Ebay land sales, correct?

Let's look at the CS again:

"Combating intolerance is a cornerstone of Second Life's Community Standards. Actions that marginalize, belittle, or defame individuals or groups inhibit the satisfying exchange of ideas and diminish the Second Life community as whole."

In other words..... "equal opportunities for all". Kindly explain how favouritism to a particular group is equal opportunities for all.

Content, communication, or behavior which involves intense language or expletives, nudity or sexual content, the depiction of sex or violence, or anything else broadly offensive must be contained within private land in areas rated Mature (M). Names of Residents, objects, places and groups are broadly viewable in Second Life directories and on the Second Life website, and must adhere to PG guidelines.

Anything relating to suicide is broadly offensive to most people, therefore all members of the group should be limited to M land only. The fact that their names appear in the 'broadly viewable' directories is a direct violation of LL's own policy.

Lewis

Um, ok.

But it's easy to see things could go wrong if this strategy continued. Suppose LL get a few more "cool" web communities to join in, and give them a unique flag in-world. Suddenly a big motivation goes out of SL. No matter how much L$ you spend, you can't be as cool as the people with the tags that say they're cool IRL, so why try? Who's going to want you to model their clothes when they can get someone whose tag indicates they're real model? That's publicity! That's business! Tough on you! Hey, where are you going? But I wanted you to give me money! Come baaaaa...

Please, please, don't say that LL want to convert SL into a spectator sport.

Hey, 130,000 SL residents called; they want their nightly activities back.

Seriously, have you looked around you? Get your head out of the sand; a sizable percentage of people around SL are here for sex. Sexsexsexsex. It's the biggest industry on the internet, and it's just as huge here.

Save your igdnignation when SL is afforded to the girls at Meatholes.com, not Suicide Girls.

You're going to shit when someone comes up with the last name Bukkake, aren't you.

Seems to me it's also the SG's way for people to go see their site. Which from the threads I have browsed through has been done already by people who may not have seen the site until now.

It will be interesting to see what/if they actually bring anything to SL or if it was/is a ploy to get people to see them, and not the other way around as SL intended...

I think it's smart of LL, in the fact that now all of us guy-geeks know that somewhere in SL, there really are some damn hot women behind those damn hot women avatars.

Disclaimer: Yes..I know there already are wonderful (and hot) women playing SL, but having internet pin-ups on board will draw in even more horny geeks!

Hmm..now that I think about it, maybe that's not such a good thing...

How can suicide not be PG friendly? Let's prefix "suicide" with "bomber" and see how people like it then, shall we?

Perhaps you're lucky to have experienced life without anyone you know attempting suicide. I had a close friend who, through depression and other things going on in her life, tried to kill herself with pills and alcohol. She phoned me to say "goodbye" as she was starting to feel light-headed. I managed to get out of her where she was, and was able to pass that information to the police and ambulance so they could find her - another 15-20 minutes and they wouldn't have been able to do a thing for her. I drove 70 miles in about 45 minutes, most of it at over 100mph, to get to the hospital to be with her. She pulled through, although suffered some nerve damage from the effects of the pills she took but is thankfully alive today.

You seriously tell me that 'suicide' is harmless fun?

Lewis

Man.

It would suck to be totally uptight about sex.