Invisible Mode

That's right, invisible mode. We already have Online, Offline, Busy and AFK... all that's needed is an "invisible" setting.

And why, you may ask, would the Lindens want to add what is effectively a barrier to further communication in SL?

Simple: As I'm sure many of you do as well, I get a lot of IMs. Pretty much solid IMs from the time I log on to the time I log off. "Sorry, I'm busy" doesn't help. Surprisingly, "I don't like you; go to hell" actually leads to more IMs, not less. Now, this is all well and good, (yay, communication!) but it's very inconvenient when I'm trying to work on something. In fact, right now, it's so annoying that I'm having to work around SL, working on a project for someone.

It would be much better if I could choose whether or not to show up as "Online". Yes, I can go "busy" and not see the IMs, but people invariably send them anyway. Or show up to where I'm working on things if they're one of the few people with my calling card. (Sorry, guys, but you do.)

I hate to say it, but I'm actually forced to admit that there might be something to an offline mode. In the interim, "invisible" would certainly suffice.

As I see it, we'd still be in-world, able to move around, appearing to others... we just wouldn't be in the "Online" list, and if we logged on in "Invisible" mode, there would be no accompanying alert on anyone's screen.

Do the Lindens already have this in god mode? I'm positive I've seen Lindens who didn't show up in "Online" but who were in-world. However, I've talked to one of the developers who seemed pretty skeptical about the whole thing. My suggestion that perhaps he was simply not told about the feature was not appreciated.

YES!

Please, please, please, please do this.

Catherine, I don't know. Thats going to make stalking you so much more difficult.

Seriously, yes, there should be a way to just come in quietly, do your work, and not have to hurt anyone's feelings because you dont want to chat. And sometimes thats just about impossible in SL.

Consider some sort of invisible mode, please.

uhuh. yeah.

Again, yes, this is needed, and its been pointed out so many times now.

- Offline To Everyone

- Offline To Everyone Except These People (folder Calling Card group option)

- Offline only to these people (same as above but reverse)

- Offline/Online to this person (calling card option)

A good example is how the new Yahoo IM preview works, where you can do exactly what I describe above, you can appear offline/online to a group only, and/or to an individual person, or to everyone.

Being offline/invisible could, make you unable to be tracked via calling card, your calling card would show "offline", not appear online on the Find feature, your green dot doesn't show up on the map or mini-map if on your own property (this is controversial though and hasn't been agree in in past mentionings). However you would of course still be visible to someone who was right infront of you.

The dot on the map isn't in online indicator - its more of a social group slash sim load indicator. A veteran 'Dot Hunter' since I started in Dec 02 I can say with fair certainty that when using the dots on the map to find people to talk with, you look for groups of dots, not the single person.

I personally also think its time calling cards were gone entirely. I think they should be replaced, and I'm not sure with what. That is another discussion though.

I agree with an 'invisible mode' and an 'always visible to' list and an 'always invisible to' list. Invisible mode should merely act like you are offline - 'Offline' in the find menu, in calling card lists and group lists. IMs sent to you should go through to you - but they should also generate the 'This person is offline' messages someone always gets when they send to someone offline. With the new email reply to IM feature you could still pretend to be offline even when chatting with someone! As long as you took your time between responses.

I feel invisible more than 3/4 of the time anyway.

Bel pointed out with it being hard to stalk the one that is invisible, I think it would make it easier for the invisible to stalk others. Not a good thing. Maybe it could be an option for when you are on your own land only, if you leave your plot you become visible to all.

You just need to teach your friends to respect your space when you need it.

But the sooo few friends I have will think I'm snotty just because I don't want to be bothered by their petty... um .. er, I mean, just because i happen to be busy at the moment.

Seriously, I would rather not have to hurt anyone's feelings by just standing their ignoring them. Some times I come into Second life specifically to work on a vision or something. OK, most of the time. I don't want people to think that I don't like them because I'm involved in my work. I have enough of that in first life.

I get what you're saying, Loki, but I don't understand what real advantage that could give the stalker. It seems to me that creating an alt account and using it to get to know the mark would be the best way to scam-- wait... stalking, not a con job. Right, right.

But my point is the same: assuming I'm a stalker, what can I do to a user with invisible mode that I couldn't do now?

I suppose if you didn't show up on the map, it might give you some advantage... but if you're already going to abuse ToS, why not just script a chat bug and tap the conversation?

As for your suggestion, it's not my friends that are the problem. It's all the people who want to argue about something I said on the forums ("You said ATI sucks! I'm going to kill myself now!" or beg for money or get me to help them with their "Hello Avatar!" script.

Because you don't need a calling card to IM someone, it becomes quite the problem when word gets around that you're known for being helpful.

Im not a sophisticated stalker, I guess. I never really considered the possibilities. It just seems that a dotless player flying around would not be a good thing.

I dont have a problem with having an invisible mode really. I was just thinking it ought to be restricted to the users land. If the invisible mode is needed to do work privately, there should be no need to be flying around in that mode.

Personally, I don't see a need to remove the dot from the map. It seems like extra work for little benefit.

I guess the biggest hurdle to overcome would be making it so the Lindens themselves could see invisible users. There would obviously be logs, but it'd be inconvient without a way to see at a glance within the SL client itself.

Call me jaded, but if people don't have the courtesy to recognize BUSY and act accordingly, they probably deserve to be ignored.

Or, could be the price of fame, Catherine. Your beneficence to the SL community has some liabilities unfortunately. Be mediocre at what you do, and those IMs will stop

The dotless feature isn't a big need, but it was a option braught up to prevent people from "dot hunting" you, I.e. you appear offline in the find, but yet theres a dot at your place, hey lets go investigate!

So thats why I suggested dotlessness only works on your own land (you still appear offline in the find no matter where you go). Of course if you really still wanted privacy you'd of course have to still go up the sky or some sort because they could still find you on land.

The only reason I could see why LL doesn't put this in is it kind of ruines the whole "you're there" thing, like someone sees you infront of them, but your calling card says your offline, what?! I'm confused! I don't understand! How can you be not online but infront of me?! WHAT?! Then again those people should be smacked, and most people know what Invisible Mode is from messengers.

One thing that could be anoying is ghosting with invisible, example, your friend is invisible, to everyone, but they're hanging out with you, then they get kicked offline and ghost, since their card showed them offline to begin with, you sit there talking to a ghost for an hour.

But thats a minor thing for a good feature.

I don't think it'd be that much trouble for God Mode to see offline people. I'm betting they already having invso mode themselves and can see eachother.

Oh and scaners would still of course pick you up.

I think some people are missing Catherine's point here. It's not about stalking or about going into "busy" mode. The reason for an invisible mode is for you to be able to get on SL and enjoy it (building, scripting, going to strip clubs, whatever you like) without 20 people sending you IMs asking you about forum posts or telling you that you're cute or asking to help beta test a script.
"Busy" mode just doesn't do enough to get across that you'd just like to enjoy SL in peace without being pestered. I'm nowhere near the status of people like Catherine who were here nearly a year before I even heard about SL, but already there are certain people who IM me as soon as they see me show up online. I'd like the option to play and explore without those people asking me questions they think are legitimate and without having to hurt their feelings. (and without having some kind of "alt" account)

I fully support this as long as we also get the opposite, or "visible mode", where we show up as online and we're visible on the map even when we're offline.

Ack, my stalking days are over!

There was a time that I would have needed this... IMs would flood in.. people asking for help.. I was busy..

These days I am lost in a the suffle, an obscure reference that none recognize..

Enjoy the glory while you can, C.O...