Privacy Update? Please?

LL has been most receptive to listening to my privacy proposals. However, I'd really appreciate an update on where improved privacy controls stand. You see, Linden folk already have improved controls.

While I love what LL is doing with SL overall, their continuing ability to ignore a need that has long been asked for - simply privacy - is astounding. While expanding the world, getting great coverage, and scalability have all been addressed well, here's why I can no longer spend much time under my primary account. (That would be this one.)

I've been accused as being an "LL cheerleader" and "LL apologist" - I hope this thread shows, once again, that I'm impressed by what LL has created, but will be objective when I feel they're falling behind.


To my customers and friends: I'm not ignoring you, for the record, I'm swamped!

Please, Linden Lab, PLEASE. Consider the necessary privacy controls, and consider being anyone who's been in SL for over a year that doesn't have the "Linden privacy controls" you all enjoy.

Look at the number of IM tabs open. Look at the notecards. Look at everything. My main account is becoming less and less usable. I've submitted proposals formally and informally. Please, please, please, make this a top priority. I implore again.

Residents: if you feel the same way, by all means, IM / email Linden Lab. LL: just please, FIX THIS PROBLEM. I'm beyond proposing solutions at this point, I've done that several times. My account is basically unusable for entertainment; only business exists. Okay, I lied two sentences ago, here's one last suggestion: until you get the resources to fix this problem (understood, you're busy!), PLEASE give us the controls Lindens have now. The ability to appear offline in the FIND menu won't hurt anyone as long as the avatar still appear in world and in scans.

Sorry for the weekly rant. I know its getting old. Perhaps a weekly screenshot of my experience, from here on out, will help.

Regards,

-Flip

And the world breathed a sigh, weighed heavily under the burdens of self and friend..... Amen, brother.

I second the motion for privacy, and also ask that the cap in instant message history be removed, it's possible now, to have them stream, I'd think, rather than just 'boom 1 packet' they could come up a few at a time until all are recieved.

You're the second bestest - behind Jennyfur - ever. Thanks for restoring my sanity!

I third the motion.

If you think that's bad, you should see my screen.......

(And yes, I really dislike the variable-width IM tabs too, that just made things a lot harder... ugh!)

I'm sorry about this silence--it hasn't been about "ignoring" it at all, as many know how much I care about this. It gets brought up a lot internally too.

I'm aware not only with this, but features and bug fixes in general, how there is the chasm between the initial words and the final action. The process, which obviously happens to get things done, isn't trotted out in public view like that horse from that J. Lo movie; you know, the one that gets displayed in sections.

Anyhoo...

One thing I should clarify is:



I wish! I would have been the first to jump on it. But, no. *cries harder* There are two things I do to "hide":

1. Go to a Linden private island. This isn't special in and of itself--any Resi with access to a private island not visible from the mainland can do it. You will show as offline if you are not already someone's Friend.
   
2. Remove myself temporarily from the FIND directory as if my account was deactivated. This is a multistep process. I hardly ever do this because it makes people unable to reach me, and I've forgotten to turn it off before.
   

Right now Community Team is coordinating with Development Team @ LL about this. Let me ask my fellow Lindens for what is our progress at latest.

Yes, this would be a breath of fresh air!

/comforts Flipper

For anyone who's new here and needs context, please have a look at these... for example, Flip's alluded-to proposal:
It's a popular vote proposal:
It's also come up on SL Answers a lot; these are three of many times:
And:
O...
etc.

ROFL! If I had been munching on a watermelon while reading this line, I surely would have shot seeds from my nose.

Flip - time to buy a second screen??? - one for the SL and one for AL SL windows?))

/Tina - Have only one.. but large...

I agree with Flip! I have no idea how he manages, but whenever I've bugged his SLB account with a problem he's been real quick to help. Probably just wanted to get rid of my IM window, but I'll pretend it's from good customer service.

Torley needs a raise for being so excellent in these forums, great response.

I've been talked around and now want privacy controls as well (I didnt realise before how I couldn't live without them), so I can go online and not appear visible in Find or be announced in anyones list as as online, so the only way they will know I am on, is if they just so happen walk up to me.

Sounds good to me, make it so LL

Flip you only have 6,000L$ in your account, hit the Lindex

This issue is near & dear to my heart.

I don't know what sort of dev time is involved here - but this is one of those high-visibility (pardon the pun) features that carry a huge amount of PR value & goodwill towards the community.

It only makes logical sense that where you have instant messaging, you have privacy controls. It would be nice if Linden devoted some energy into making this happen sooner rather than later.

There's about two or three hours a day I only really want one person to know I'm on. There's about another ten when I don't mind, but to have those two or three hours uninterrupted when I choose would be bliss. Also, it would be nice when you're contacting someone else to know that at least they have chosen to be contactable, and so you probably aren't picking a bad time.

Amen Amen too..
It friggin pisses me off i cant build or script something in peace. Or even minimize SL to check a damn website! -.-

*Opens the Windows Magnifier Program* O.o
I never thought i would need this.
I must be going teh blind!

I just recently re-watched that movie, twice, The Cell. very creepy movie. As far as linden processes are concerned, they're currently working on a new version of the SL client so it wouldn't be hard to work this in as it seems the functionality is there.

<sarcasm>Just depends how bogged down they are with thier still growing known issues list. </sarcasm>

I'm reaching a point like this already, and I haven't even begun to sell things. My problem is that I'm too nice. I've accepted too many friendship requests and I'm too nice to break them. I think I'm going to have to start a no-friendship/calling card policy. It's going to break my heart to do so, but I'm quickly approaching the point where I can't build anything because I'm juggling IMs.

But even that step won't stop people from just IMing me from my profile. And when they have a product of mine in theor inventory, I know I'm going to be innundated (unless my stuff doesn't sell. )

So I guess this is my vote for improved privacy/haven controls.

hoookay I second this one. Usually by 10 minutes in, I'm still standing in the same place I was at when I logged in, "working" the IM tabs, saying "sorry, can't right now" to the TP offers, and clicking away items/notecards that are given to me.

I suppose I could "explain" to everyone, but thats a whole lot of explainin' to do. Sometimes I just wanna get work done. And for me, Eltee, Arito and Liam - this has DRASTICALLY slowed down the amount of stuff we can get done on SL.

"Privacy" or "quiet time" controls, I guess, were never considered, because the world started so small. But it's 100x bigger than that now!

However, all of the multi-user BBS software I used in the 80s, and the mucks/mushes I used in the 90s, had built in haven/privacy/DnD/invisibility controls for the common user (not just operators, wizards, admins, etc). It never really killed the feel of the environment, or the socialization. Since the world IS so big now, there will ALWAYS be PLENTY of people who are NOT "haven" or "busy" - and the good thing is, it shows that they're probably willing to talk! This is a _good_ thing!

I -have- said before that Linden has to 'live in world' a little more; Torley, you -do- spend most of your time in world so maybe you get a better view of it, but the coders, the behind the scenes guys, I dont think they quite see it

Privacy controls -and- land controls need to be updated for the 'modern' size of SL, as they're antiquated. There is no quiet hang-out time anymore. There's being your own "message exchange hub" for a bunch of people, or fending off morons whose idea of fun is ruining your day.

1.9.1 is awesome and I'd say run with it. But maybe 1.9.2 should concentrate on "experience" controls; privacy, haven, mutes, busy states, invisibility, 'asylum!', land controls, (plug mainland ban 'changes'!) group controls, better things that will keep people from bothering you in IM, in chat, on land, while working, while hanging out, while eating cake, etc.

Flipper came by to hang out last night and he might as well have not existed. And thats a "damn, damn shame."

Torley, a couple of times when this has come up some Linden has popped up and said that they don't want to make people invisible... and by that they seem to mean that they think people want to have their "green dots" removed from the map, or even have their whole avatar invisible. I don't know where that idea came from, but it's probably doing as much to keep this from happening as everything else put together.

What we need is a "hide online status" option, one that you can turn on or off from preferences so you can do it from the login screen before you log in, or afterwards. It wouldn't stop you from showing up on sensors, it wouldn't hide your green dot on the map, it wouldn't hide your av, it wouldn't hide your label, all it would do is make you show up as "offline" to Friends, IM, Find, Profile, everything in the user interface that identifies you by name as being online to someone who isn't right there in the sim with you.

Even if they made me pay L$10/hour to log on "hidden", I'd be happy.

I'd like this, but for me, it would also be important to not be hidden for selected people, well, mainly one person. I think it needs to be a bit more flexible than simply on or off.

Yeah, but it makes a good start, and people should still be able to talk to you, they just won't realise you're online, except when you look them up in groups, which is the current bug the Linden God Hide currently has, a new technique I've found in hunting lindens. =P

Well the thing is, there's one person I want to always be visible to. I don't want them to have to guess. Without that option, I wouldn't use such a feature, even though otherwise I'd be well up for it. It would be better, to my mind, if while they're overhauling it, they make it as flexible and useful as possible, it's about choices really. I would also think it a good idea to implement such a change as completely as possible, rather than a 'this-will-do-as-a-start' measure that has to be messed with again way too soon.

Can you show me an example of this feature elsewhere? =P I'd rather they implement the simple stuff now and if there's a call for it, expand the functionality to what you're proposing.

Most MMORPGS, MSN, AIM, ICQ (Dunno about other IM services) all offer the ability to be "invisible" and of course if you still want to talk to people you're welcome to you have to initiate the conversation suually so I think such a system may not have been thought of at first for SL understandably, but the great call of people that feel strongly about this is too much for lindens to ignore =P I've yet to see functionality that allows you to be still visible from a person or groups of people.