Classified: For Advertising or Commenting or Both?

I've been wrestling with this one for a while.

I've noticed a few people take the opportunity to discuss things in the classifed ads.

I'm wondering if this is the best way to do this, or if maybe I'm being silly or overly sensitive.

I have seen some people advertise other products in another person's ad.

I have seen other comments that could be better expressed in PM's.

But then, if there are comments, it does bump the ad back up.

So what do you think?

I think the far worse situation in the classifieds forum than the occasional discussion that may even get heated is the sheer amount of cheerleading that goes on in that forum, often by the same group of people. I would much rather see the occasional question or comment than a thousand "OMG THAT IS SO HOT I HAVE TO HAVE IT RIGHT NOW IM GOING TO BUY IT AS SOON AS I GET HOME".

Encouragement is one thing - people do create some beautiful and very cool things, but being a sycophant is another, and that forum is about to explode from the weight of fake praise. You can generally set your watch by the predictability of who will appear in certain threads and say the same thing, as if using a macro program.

*claps while cheerleeding* wtg, Cristiano...that is so awesome that you hit that nail exactly on the head!!!! Great work!

*forgot to tell you to insert the sarcasm* lol.

Seriously, you are so right.

I like the cheerleading in the classifieds. To me it exemplifies the spirit of encouragement between creators. Sure, sometimes it's just friends of the creator pumping them up, but just as often it's competitors cheering each other on. I think that's great, and for the life of me can't understand why anyone would be bothered by it. I like to offer words of encouragement to new creators, and from IM's and PM's I've gotten from them I know it's very much appreciated.

Yes I agree - also, sometimes I have a genuine question about a product and am not in world at the time.

I have nothing against cheerleading for each other, for competitors whatever. I will comment on a lot of outfits or creations that are in there if I think they are nice, especially for the up and coming or new designers/content creators.

Maybe its my taste, but I have seen mediocre items have 2 pages of "oh thats so wonderful" comments attached to them as I sit and wonder what is so great about it.

TOTALLY agree, In particular about competitors cheering each other on. Sometimes I feel like friction is on a steady rise in SL's business environment. The kind words we all exchange with each other in these classifieds is a very welcome relief and it makes SL feel more like recreation and less like an irritating job.

My personal preference would be that responses in the Classified areas did not bump the threads. I sometimes deliberately don't say 'Thank you' to the comments that are posted because it can easily be seen as bumping my own threads. But then I feel bad for not saying thank you, because the comments are appreciated (good and bad, if the bad is constructive and not just U R teh lame!) and because I can feel the ghostly hand of my mother smacking me in the back of the head for being rude.

As for posting ads (pics, links, comments, etc etc...) for your own stuff in another person's thread, that's extremely tacky and comes off as very desperate to me.

And people who use someone's classified thread to make shitty comments to them or about them... Those are what I call The Heathers. (Male or female) If they realized how it made them look, and how quickly it can turn people off of them, maybe they wouldn't do it. But Heathers never do realize how they look to others. They're content in the ignorance of thinking being catty is cool and makes them look good. A prime example of ignorance being bliss I guess.

I can understand people wanting to "cheerlead" I usually only comment when I am impressed with something.

I love perusing the Classifieds while I'm at work. If I see something cool in-world, I try to encourage people to post in the Classified.

I also think if someone takes the time to advertise, their thread shouldn't be flooded with things better discussed elsewhere, like PM.

I think that's a great idea. Everyone's thread would get equal time that way.

Amen to this. Allow posting to Classifieds, but take away the ability to bump them, please.

Heh, Jonquille, sometimes I lie awake at night and guiltily ponder any thank-you notes for gifts received that I might have forgotten to send after my wedding... seven years ago.

I have no problem with the cheerleading when it is genuine - but it is so obvious now that so much of it is just bullshit - it detracts from the value of the praise.

Blayze summed up what my problem with it is. False praise is worse than no praise at all. I post to encourage people when it warrants it - but there are some things that just make me go "oh my lord that is awful" - and lo and behold, the same group going "OMG OMG OMG". That is what drives me nuts. I am all for encouraging talent, but I am not for just sucking up to someone and blindly praising.

I have been thinnking the same as Christiano lately.
I will be making clothes very soon and presumably using the classifieds to advertise and I noticed all the cheerleading as well.

Personaly, I tend to comment only if I truly *do* like it or I *am* going to go right there and buy the thing. I assume that others do the same, but I really wonder when I see all the "Woo-hoo's" if this is really the case.

This worries me only becasue if my clothing is well recieved, I guess I can expect the same, but I feel really uncomfortable "returning the favour" of support if it's not genuine.

I feel this will make me look like a bitch or something if people supoprt my work and I don't support theirs. But I dont want to have to lie or spend all my time pumping up the volume on comments.

.

I love that movie though.
A classic!

You know... I agree with you, for the most part, Blayze, and with Cris in his initial post, too. But... I suspect a portion of the "cheerleading" posters are doing it at least in part to bump threads; therefore, taking away the ability to bump while still leaving the ability to make comments on a product would be a good solution, methinks. I definitely think it would be worth a try, Lindens.

I can tell you some of the reasons it bothers me ... and the struggle I have to sort out my feelings, sifting thru what is and is not appropriate.

I'll be up front that there is a certain amount of envy, which I struggle to overcome.

Beyond that .. I wonder if there is something wrong with my work, so that it doesn't get a lot of responses. Or, is it because Im not as social as a lot of people, and dont have tons of friends watching what Im doing. Or is it because the products I make appeal to a smaller, less vocal audience?

Should I try a different writing style in the posts? Are my subject lines just not compelling? Am I not messaging clearly? Am I missing the "call to action" that would get people involved?

Should I be posting more often? Should I be creating more? Should I be targeting posting something new every day?

Or ... Should I care? If my posts get a few viewings and I get a few sales, does it matter?

Do few responses increase the value of those responses ... someone genuinely liked my work enough to comment, as opposed to just responding to be supportive of my effort, regardless of that particular item.

I can't tell you how relieved I was when LL put categories into new products. Now my work doesnt get flushed to obscurity 10 minutes after I put it up.

I hope all of this doesn't sound self-serving or immature. I've tried to address the question in a forthright way.

In the meantime ... go buy my stuff!!!!

I don't know Cris. You are commenting about the sincerity of someone's subjective opinion. Not sure I would go there. I certainly have a few tops (made by others) that are a poor job technically, but have a certain charm that make them my favorite.

Maybe you could start calling people on it?

Aimee: Hey! that's a great top!
Cristiano: You're lying.

What I don't understand is why this is only done for the established creators. You get some less well know people posting about their latest creations and none of these people say a word. Also, I just don't believe they buy most of the items as they suggest; I guess its a self-appreciation group lol.

Alexa

Your post doesn't sound self-serving or immature at all to me. I think those are questions a lot of us have when we don't get a lot of responses.

It used to make me wonder if I should change something about the way I was making items, what I was making, or how I was posting. Now, I simply look at my sales, and I judge the market/popularity that way. There are some people who buy nearly everything I put out, they don't comment on my threads, yet they comment on their friends' threads like clockwork. This obviously doesn't have anything to do with the clothing, since they're buying it. They don't know me personally, so they don't say anything. That's okay with me. I see it for what it is and I don't take it personally.

I don't usually expect a lot of responses because I put out new stuff and post so frequently. People must get tired of seeing my threads every day.

Well it's a fact of life that names you recognize will catch your eye before names you don't. I'm certainly guilty of this. On the other hand I certainly do not have a rule against posting kudos for newcomers. Quite the contrary I have cheered on many new content creators.

That is true to some extent, but I mean a lot of people are making some terrible shit. Do we really need another all black outfit with the belly out? A new mallrat bare midriff top? I mean if people don't like it they shouldn't feel obligated to post that they like something just so someone doesn't feel bad. There have been plenty of new designers lately that have had a lot of positive posts when they have made something good. It is not completely slanted.


Also, if people are bold enough to steal, then post about it in forums, then I don't think people should be forced to turn a bind eye and not comment.


That being said the classifieds should be post only, or new posts should not bump threads, and maybe the post views should be turned off also. This would level the playing field and make posting in forums fair for everyone, not just everyone that rolls with a clique.

A lot of people won't go there - but as you see, people agree with me. I am not going to call someone out on it, except perhaps you. It is something you can recognize if you look hard enough - those people cannot like everything ever made, but you would not know that from looking at the forum. Whatever works for them, I just personally find it irritating and disingenous.

I've never been afraid to say what I think. In the case of the classifieds forum, out of respect, I do think if you don't have something nice to say about the product, to not say anything, and that is what I go by. It's not always easy - the other day someone posted something that took a lot of willpower to say "what the fuck are you people going on about? it looks like it was drawn with crayons". I did not, however, say that Whee, I'm going back to World of Warcraft.

Ooooh kay. Well just so I know what you are talking about, IM me next time I post a complement that you believe to be insincere and tell me why I don't actually like the item I claim to be liking.

Oh I was only kidding about you, you are the portrait of sincerity.

I did - you and Saul make great stuff!

Really - maybe it's not the specific product advertisment as much as it is catching someone's interest enough that they visit your place and look around. I'm still struggling with what exactly to put into the ads that I place (and doing silly things like forgetting to put the location of the product into the ad).

I like the idea of being able to comment in a classified without bumping the ad - that seems fair and keeps people from commenting on a product they have made using their 10 different alts, just to bump the ad up.


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