Posting more than once in events is considered spam - please clarify

I don't really understand where the confusion lies with this subject.

Last Saturday, some events were posted four or five times to the events list. They weren't at different times, they didn't have different hosts, they weren't different events...it was the same event, posted four or five times.

I read the rules to mean that each person has a limit to the number of events they can host, and each place has a limit to the number of similar events it can have posted, but in general you shouldn't post the same event, same time, same place more than once to the events calendar.

If someone is employing hosts, then it should be the hosts who post their events to the list, really, so that people know who the host is.

On the whole, I would assume that the Lindens simply want to avoid the events list becoming cluttered by repeat postings of the same event, not postings of different ones with the same venue.
Cali

I really think LL should be careful about disciplining people for this. Last week I held two tournaments of my game on the same day: same event, same host, two different times (about 5 hours apart). What if I had decided to do them back to back, one at 5:30 and one at 7:00? Am I subject to being AR'd and disciplined for having the same event twice in a row? Cause that's what it sounds like.

No you are not allowed to do this. You will get a SPAM citation.

No you are not allowed to do this, you end up with a SPAM citation.

I am in such agreement with Luthien Unsung. Same thing happened to me. However I only posted once. I got the same notice. I am quite confused as well! I dont appreciate this kind of response for events when there are so many other issues within Second Life..

I do not believe this answers the original question in this thread.

If that's the case, that's just idiotic. You can't hold the same event twice in the same day?

Nope, apparently it is spam.

Not exactly. The messages we're getting from Linden seem like Contradiction-City.

Jesse Linden replied to my hotline post:



I'm still really confused by this response. Is more than one post of the same event per day OK or No? If it is OK, at what point does it become not OK?

Is it just commercial events that repeats are a problem for? What if I want to post 24 1-hour posts of Line-Dancing, but use different hosts & make subtle changes to the wording of the event. Is that OK? Such as:

1:00pm - Line Dancing with Bob
2:00pm - Line Dancing with Steve
3:00pm - Line Dancing with Jane
4:00pm - Line Dancing with Bill
5:00pm - Line Dancing with Tom
6:00pm - Line Dancing with Fred
7:00pm - Line Dancing with Todd
8:00pm - Line Dancing with Chryssie
(repeat to fill 24 hours)

What ever happened to the 5-posts per parcel per day rule? Is that gone?

Torley/Jesse - help us see the light!

Hi! Well, I own The Sex club in Belmondo, and Stacey Sugar has an adult movie vendor in my mall, and I want to rent one and play it all weekend because it is a 3 day rental. I would like to "spam" the event 5 times for 3 hours each and have another host spam it for the remainder of the time each day on the events calandar so people loging in will be able to see the free movie showing on the dance floor screen.

However, what am I going to do? I am not going to rent it? No, I am not going to risk getting suspended or baned by LL. I can't advertize showing it all weekend. Who looses?

Lovepeace Languish.

The example Keiki Lemieux cites earlier is fine. I've actually wanted to attend Wizardry myself!

No need for scary speculation... makes everyone worse off.

To that: there are some acccounts in this thread which aren't accurate, and private disciplinary matters should be emailed about to [email=abuse@secondlife.com]abuse@secondlife.com[/email].

Lovepeace, what you describe sounds like it'd be better in Classifieds, but if you have more details about what exactly you'd like to do--and if you're really going to be present with the other host during the entire listed duration of said postings, please notify us ahead of time and email [email=events@secondlife.com]events@secondlife.com[/email] with your plans so we're well-informed and can communicate about it.

As for what Travis said--those are great points! "CLOTHING SALE" was used as an example because it's generally hostless (a conclusion arrived at via experience), but not always.

Linden Lab should know if there's going to be a 24-hour Line Dancing marathon in advance. That sounds like something special. Such a thing is only theoretical today, but using the given example, while extremely unusual, each host should post their designated hour or to otherwise clearly be indicated as the host in the Description, y'all be there to engage the boots & spurs... and let's get dancin'! So it seems alright. Let me know when this actually does happen *please*.

Having no host leading the event on a parcel easily disqualifies an event.

However, since "Line Dancing" could also say "Tringo" or "Building 101", similar situations do arise on the Events calendar today, and are allowed. To emphasize: you've got a host there to help out, you've got a good crowd, it's a group activity, it's fun! AND IT'S ALLOWED.

And yeah, I heard the wild rumors that Torse Jr. had turned robot and was gonna crack down on the Shelter: NOT TRUE!

I don't know of a "5-posts per parcel per day rule". It's not stated in the Event Posting Rules either. However, there is this:



So it's a "5 posts per person per day rule", and YES, using alts to circumvent that is not allowed. Be simple, be clean, be honest. It says that on the rules too:



Each event gets taken into context, too: strange as it sounds (this is Second Life after all), I've seen Event names that don't match their descriptions. In the spirit of a "Come Learn About Second Life!" header matched with a "COME BUY VIRTUAL CAR PARTS NOW!!!" writeup. Bizarre. :\

There isn't some complex equation for this. We're alive, with meaningful rituals and social behavior!

If we're in doubt, we like to come have a look for ourselves, ask questions, and maybe even participate. I know I do, because events are about experiences.

Hope this sheds a little light on it.

Have a great, eventful day full of wondrous happenings. =^_^=

Let's bring up the very real example that happens quite often. A club has an event which last 3 hours and lists the event as three separate events at 7, 8 & 9. I know for a fact that clubs have been hit with a spam warning for this. The events had live hosts, in fact there are usually several employees on hand to run the event and the events were deleted and the poster warned.

Three points about situations like this.

First, the calendar is very bad when it comes to people wanting to find out what's going on at the moment. If you have an event that goes from 7-10, anyone perusing the calendar at 8:15 is a lot less likely to notice the 7pm listing. That's why people multi-list the same event every hour or every two hours. The calendar should be upgraded to do 1 or more of the following:

1. Events which are currently happening should be highlighted differently on the calendar so people can easily tell that an event is still going on.
   
2. When someone clicks on "upcoming" it should include all events that are currently happening, not just ones that start in the future.
   
3. When someone clicks on "upcoming" it should at least include events which started within the last half hour. So if I check upcoming at 8:15, I'll get everything starting at 8pm on.
   
4. An added option should be able to specify a time and it lists all events from that time forward, sort of like "upcoming" but where you choose the time.

Second, where do we draw the line? This policy isn't going to clear up the events list, it's going to make people a little more creative when listing events, so that 7-11 might be the hosted hours for a club and instead of listing the same event four times, the poster will list

1. 7-8 Meet and Greet at Club Bling!
   
2. 8-9 Live DJ playing Music at Club Bling!
   
3. 9-10 Best in Bling Contest at Club Bling!
   
4. 10-11 After party at Club Bling!

Will this be that much better?

Third, there are plenty of locations that have hosted games all day long. What is so wrong about listing 5 Tringo events for the same day if they are genuinly events with hosts, etc? This sounds mighty subjective to me.

^ AHHH! Some of what you mention has been fixed in 1.9.1. Specifically, events-in-progress WILL be shown in the Upcoming listing. I know about that one too for awhile. This was done in response to Resis and certain Lindens asking for it.



As a Tringo player, I don't see a problem with that. You got it yourself: "genuinly events with hosts". Indeed, as I've posted before, on the calendar, you'll see these present yesterday, today, etc.

That's good news.



So why was my friend AR'd and her events taken down when arguably there is little difference between listing the Tringo 5 times in the same day and announcing hosted times at a club 5 times?

Sorry, Torley, I doubt you were the one who warned my friend, and you are wonderful about solving problems, but I don't feel like your reasonable responses have much to do with how LL is actually enforcing this rule.

Are you ABSOLUTELY SURE you can post in the events the same event 5 x a day?
ie, 2am, 6am, 12pm, 6pm and 11pm? running three hours a time? The exact same event? properly hosted yadda yadda yadda? And not get booted off for SPAM?
I am sorry i just want to make doubly certain that is what you are saying

Thanks for the clarifications, Torley!

Here's what I'm taking away from this discussion:

-If any crackdown is going on, its only intended to be on the "Hostless" variety of events that belong as classified ads.

-Repeated events are OK as long as they have a host present

-The only current restriction on the number of events that can be posted is by Avatar, not by parcel or venue.


Incidentally, if you're interested in where all this started from, travel back in time with me to a year ago, when Linden held their first Inworld Events Discussion.

Okay so next time I post my events - the SAME event 5x over 24 hours I then can be assured that I will not receive another SPAM warning for "SPAMMING" the events calendar..

Thank you for the feedback everyone, much appreciated.

Not all hosts are the same, we have an older group that typically plays when one host is there and a furry group that plays when our other host is there...so it isn't the same event in their eyes.

Category... Games
Has Host...Yes

If it isn't listed under games then I would consider it against the rules...use the tabs for specific events...

I have owned Club Akasha for over 1 year now. We have events as well as some general club nights. I have always tried to cater to people during different hours as well as the fact that if someone is looking for an event that is going on at 8PM, they are not likely to scroll to 6PM to find it! Therefore we listed at 6PM, 7PM and 8PM usually. Only 3 postings.

Well recently my club manager received an email stating she was reported for SPAM and ALL of our listings were dumped. ALL OF THEM. How this is fair or makes sense is beyond me.

We have events and further I always have a host and staff at my event. Even our general club times is a music event in which case we feature various music artist etc and it last more then 1 hour.

I think someone really screwed up here. I went into the listings and found several people that had listed the same thing over and over. Postings their fricking camping chairs etc. WTF? This makes sense? yet those of us that are posting legit events are going to get reported as spammers??? And after we have done the same thing for over a year now???

Please Linden explain this one and also explain what is it that we are allowed to post now as to meet these new terms and how do we target or let ppl know of events that are happening past our 1 posting?

Yes however even though I have hosts, etc - all of our listings were removed and my club manager was suspended from posting..so is it safe to say she will be removed from this status now? and we can go back to doing what is being stated as proper and within your rules?

i think Linden's finally set someone loose on the events calendar due to all the bitching in forums. Granted, some of the whining is grounded as there are many events that are clearly classifieds or are just ads for a club that has camping chairs and no actual event or host/ess present. But it seems whoever they let loose just deleted, warned and suspended haphazardly.

It was wrong to suspend Trin's club Akasha employee from posting a legitimate event. They dont spam the events calendar all day long, they merely post the nightly events which run 2 or three hours. I frequent the club and can verify that there is more than one hostess present on any given night. New people find the club via events listing and comment quite often on how friendly everyone is and friendships are made all the time there. I understand the spirit to crack down on abusers, but I think it will take someone who actually puts forth a geniune effort and cares about what they are doing as they review the calander and not some snarling approach and an itchy delete finger.

I think the On-Going addition to the Events calendar in 1,9 is a wonderful idea. Kudos on that.