Voice chat...I refuse to use it...am I a terrible person?

What happens in RL stays in RL; what happens in SL stays in SL. Lots of people adopt that principle. Many have good reasons to; all have an absolute right to.

Trouble is, adding voice inescapably punches that much of a hole in one's barrier between RL and SL. If you don't want that hole punched - for whatever reason - you don't use voice. (I personally don't mind using voice, and never consider demanding it of others.)

I presume 98.6% of this controversy revolves around cybersex, and whether your partner is "really" of the gender, age group, or whatever they claim. Some people don't care. Some care a lot - I am one of those and that is a main reason why I have never even considered cybersex (plus, I'm happily married and don't need it). But if someone doesn't want to use voice, that is their right. Deal with it. (And if someone is pressuring you to use voice when you don't want to, they're not a friend and should not be treated like anything other than a high-pressure salesman - meaning, deal with it.)

You're not very nice. But that is beside the point...

Firstly, I wasn't talking about voice technology--I was referring to an uploaded sound that's tied to a gesture...two totally different things.

Secondly, I never said these people will 'not experience SL that well...", you said that. It's all subjective, I understand this.

And what do you know about my voice? You don't know, I might be able to serenade a Ferret on coke to sleep.

You prove my point precisely, thank you.

I understand your concern. I really do.

But my voice clips are nothing like those. I have very professional phrases that suite a specific situation perfectly. That's all. I've only received kudos by my presentation and timing.

As long as you don't reproduce fart noises and activate them during key notes...

if that penguin leaves any pie, i'll have some thanks

eip niugnep

Oh God yes. Gesture Missing from Database is a error message I don't mind seeing.....

I use voice on my land only for few reasons:

1) Some places are annoying hearing people talking
2) I was griefed at a place and realized while filing the report that I had no electronic trail via IMs for the report.
3) I like the mystery of not knowing how someone sounds lol

As for someone else not using voice, there could be multitude of reasons. I know many who are playing as a female or male who are in RL the opposite gender. It is too personal for some, maybe some ofthe reasons I stated above etc. It is a personal choice that's all

Uhmmm what the penguins leave, you don't want......

Perhaps its a blessing? With the foul and abusive language I've seen some use in Chat and IM's, I am thankful that some don't or can't use voice. Not ever wishing to hear the RL voice behind such, this makes it no secret why I choose not to use voice.

So, earlier in this thread I mentioned how against voice I am, for all the reasons everyone else has stated, plus I'm also having a problem with one of my vocal cords and I'm currently being tested to find out what's going on with it. I've gone from having what people always considere a pretty sexy voice, to having a gravely one and literally running out of breath and losing my voice in mid sentence at times. Blah. Talk about not being good for any kind of role play I kind of sound like a female Kermit the Frog at times.

Having said that, the other day I found myself being strongly coherced into using it. I was at a lecture, and at the end of it, one of the other "students" and I had struck up a personal conversation which she wanted to discuss further. She asked me to "meet her on the beach" of the sim and we proceeded to TP over there.

Well, when I arrived, I found myself amongst other members of this group. Now, I had no intention of chatting with any of these people, but of course, wanted to be pleasant and at least say hello, introduce myself, etc. This is a group of spiritually minded people, so being pleasant was a necessity - not like I could be my normal RL self and barge in there and ignore them and just talk with the person I wanted to see, not in that setting anyway since it was so small and intimate.

It was instantly obvious all of them were using voice. They asked me if I was voice capable, I said yes however, I did not enjoy using it, let alone my computer had "issues" with it (this is true) and if I enabled it, most likely they wouldn't be happy with the outcome.

But, they insisted. So, I bit the bullet and went ahead with their request. In the meantime, the other women and I proceeded to begin our private chat and I wasn't paying much attention to what was happening with the voice. But I begin to hear a lot of heavy breathing, coughing, foreign languages (to me of course), and this high pitched whining noise - lots of feedback. All of this only serving to remind me just why I dislike using the voice so much.

Suddenly, I hear somebody yelling at ME, "Elora! Turn down your voice!" And maybe some other sort of non-spiritual things.

Duh! It was ME causing the feedback and whining!

Well serves them right. I did warn them it was going to be a problem if I turned mine on, but they had to have their way. I didn't even want to talk to them, it was just this other women I wanted to converse with.

That's it for me. For now on, it remains off, unless I'm at some lecture where the person speaking needs it. Good thing I personally type like the wind.

so youre canadian then.

Elora,

Once you get used to voice, and are familiar with not only how to set it up properly, but etiquette as well...you won't run into this ever again. It takes a little getting used to...but once you have it down, there shouldn't be any drama or controversy.

And you must also try and remember this: a jerk is a jerk is a jerk.

I like voice, but I can take or leave it. I can only use it at certain times anyway as its bad enough for those around me at home with the keyboard tap..tap..tapping away! Without me chatting away to a monitor as well!

If a person does not voice in world, that does not bother me in the slightest and if someone tries to talk /type me into voicing when I don't want to.. I say very earnestly; "I am going to trust you with this okay.. but this is the reason I can't voice. I am a 45 stone Greek trucker called Dave" they usually give up then!

To be honest if anyone is different with me because I don't want to voice... then I wont lose sleep over them!

You Floozie!

Ahh! the famous double, double .. er .. double bluff!!! Interesting!!

But seriously .. would a 45 stone Greek trucker *really* be called Dave .. and not, say .. Dimitri?

Ha ha!

I have now finally figured out how to get my title showing! loud and proud

Seriously the kind that try "force" people to voice really won't think that the name Dave is odd! That would take intelligence sweetie

While funny - that story wont reduce the ammount of people pressuring others to vocie chat,

It will only reinforce stereotypes.


It would actually be more helpful if someone who DOES voice and sounds like a woman - to tell people she was a 45 stone greek trucker named Dave IRL.

You are right, I never even thought of that, but thats so obvious now... I will re-think my plan of action on that one

I will never use voice. I hate talking on the telephone and I don't want to be distracted from my SL experience for the reasons many folks have named (stuttering, awkward pauses, etc.). Also, I live in a house with 4 other people and am usually only on SL when they're sleeping. Talking and having a bunch of other people talking through the computer would be very annoying at midnight. I also enjoy typing and I *finally* got my avatar set up so that the keyboard-typing motion/sound are permanently disabled.

I have less than no desire to do voice.


1. How do you feel about people who flat out refuse to use voice chat? Does it raise questions of trust with you?

Being on of them, I have to say this is a big no for me. What do I care whether someone else doesn't want to share their voice with the rest of the world? It's not a matter of trust, it's a matter of preference. I've been chatting online for years (gawd - over 15 years now!) and have never felt the need to call or netmeet with anyone online. As I said before, I hate talking on the telephone and always have. And after so many years of artfully balancing chat with tv/movie watching, music listening, and other net pursuits (I run 3 business websites, for instance), it would be a distraction to be talking live with someone while I'm doing everything else I do online.



2. Do you think voice chat should be kept out of role play sims, or do you think it can add to the experience?

I don't really have a pref on this. I'm a roleplayer myself, both online and off, so I've done chat-based RP and tabletop. Either way I'm good. However, as outlined above, I'd likely find it more distracting online than helpful.

I love voice actually - in non crowded areas. I like to sit with friends in my SL house and voice chat. But in crowded places, like clubs, then I prefer just Chat or IM's.

I enjoy the sound of the voice of the people I have met so far, both men and women. It just adds to the experience for me.

Would I be offended if someone doesn't want to? Of course not, their experience is just as important as mine. In fact I do not generally ask anyone to voice - you really don't have to much since if they were going to the would have their flashy thingie (lol) lit up above them.

And I don't role play so I can't speak to that.

I usually say 'Hello' in voice AND in text when I meet someone.

After one or two more sentences in text and voice, I can easily gather if they are interested. I never ask either...I just do it, and adapt without judgment.

I tried voice once or twice but either nobody was hearing me or they couldn't understand as nobody replied. Then I got another resident I know to listen and I was breaking up and so no more voice for time being.

Voice chat...I personally have no use use for at this time.
If someone don`t like it , too bad,I can give them a hundred BETTER reasons to take issue with me!

I`ve read some interesting points in the thread

Guy`s wanting to verify that Hottie their checkin...actually is a Female...
Well..that`s easy...get to know her,maybe she`ll tell ya.
If you`re lookin for a quick cyber-fling...whaddya really care then..Looks like a girl...text`s like a girl...and you`ll forget about it by tommorrow anyway.

Skippin out on voice...you lose the experience?.
HAH!!!! You`re experience or Mine?...Cuz mine is goin just the way it should,for better or worse at times...it`s mine to Live and share, and noones gonna make me think I`m missin out, if someone has a Suggetion as to how I may expand on the experience, THAT I can except.

Something about a Lack of creativity? LMAO, Edgar Allen Poe recited by "Pee Wee Herman" that would just Mangle the creativity of one of the most poweful writers I have ever read.


Appropriate to RP?..hmmm..Been to a SIM or two (ooc) I can see how this could be a problem, voices not matching the character, background noize, ooc chatter and such.
Yeah, I see how that would blow the atmosphere to hell.
Personally..I would say, for a new RP SIM,if ya want it, sit with some of your players, and discuss proper etiquette, and enforce it.
For excistinG RP SIMS, maybe vote on it, find out the community view before you thrust it on your people.

People use or don`t use the voice chat. Each there own.
It does annoy me when some of the places I used to go to went Voice,Miss so much possibly interesting conversation, but then,Their choice to use it my choice to go somewhere else.
I may miss some of the people I met, but hey, if they don``t wanns meet up with me somewhere else..OH WELLL.

I do not..and will not have voice at my club, Not tryin to take away from those that use it.
Only offering an environment to those who don`t` want it in a Club...Like myself.
My choice,and those that don`t like it, their choice not to come.

Just throwin my opinion`s out there,if I stepped on any toes, sorry,let me know
I`ll sign your cast.