While you are removing features...

Please remove the ability to im all online users - that is annoyingly invasive, and is being abused.

Agreed. I'm getting SL telemarketing IM's.

I think in this case, the problem is the user, not the system.

As far as I know, you cant IM everyone. You can only IM groups you belong to or a group of your calling cards that you set up. I rarely use this feature, but I would like to be able to do so if the need arises.

Take a look at where this spam is coming from, and cancel your calling card with them or think about leaving the group that it comes from. I have been considering leaving Sexy due to overuse of group IM.

Vin Fiz was set up to find "on the spot" answers to questions group members might have. I dont mind the spam from them, its easy enough to just leave the group IM if I dont have an answer.

Loki,

I don't have a problem with the group IM functionality - I have a problem with being able to IM every online user. The functionality very much does exist - try right clicking on your calling card folder sometime and you will see the option - it has nothing to do with a group.

I vote to keep it.

Before the cries of "Spammer" descend on me, let me explain.

First, I agree that it's a user thing, not a feature problem. Using this to spam should be considered as abuse and dealt with as such.

Have you ever hosted an event, only to find out that there are no Lindens on line to make the announcement? It happens! It's happened to me, once... I didn't announce it myself though, people came anyway... it was at Stage 4, and well, people notice crowds.

I went to an event yesterday. I was curious, so I set an alarm. As far as I could tell, there was no announcement. Other than the hosts and myself, noone attended - although there were Lindens on.

If the organisers had made their own announcement - would you consider this spam? It's a useful feature for when LL is shut down for the night... Let's just learn to use it properly, and 'educate with extreme prjudice' those who abuse it.

Sio

The "IM Online Users" on any calling card folder, including your top level folder, is really "Users who I have a calling card for who are online", not everyone.

I second Siobhan's reasons. My last event the only Linden on was in Busy mode, so I asked Beryl to flex her calling card might and send an announcement out for me. ;)

I don't think this is so bad either because there's a major difference between email spammers and SL spammers:

Email spammers have an infinite number of emails to send from and just can't be blocked....IM spammers in SL can certainly be blocked, and much more.

The major difference is, in SL you can identify the spammer easily. So unlike RL, you can just neg rate them, mute them, or pay them a visit, kill their family, burn down their house and eat their pets.

mmmmmmmmmm....pets........

O.O

Just cancel their calling card and they will never bother you again.

Well, that may not always work Eggy, because some people may take you cancelling their card as an insult. It's happened before. I was confronted by someone for ACCIDENTLY cancelling their calling card, and they were upset until I told them that I meant to cancel another card and didn't realize that I had simply clicked the wrong card.

Even though this may not be that big of a problem and people shouldn't be so petty, just something to think about. The IM's aren't too bad, you can simply close them, and you can also tell them you don't want their conference IM's. But I think this functionality should be kept, as it allows people to announce their events, if they have enough cards, if a Linden is unable to do it.