Bureaucracy (a.k.a. Red Tape!!!)

This is both a question and some comments.

I have been enjoying SL since January this year. Somehow I got the notion when I first came this would be a different experience with regard to "getting things done" than from RL. It turns out this is not the case at all.

Bureaucracy, as in RL, is the norm in SL. Yes, it is even promoted here. If you ask a question for help with anything you are flooding with 20 questions or given advice you already know after having been here a couple of weeks.

While I do enjoy the opportunity to learn "new things" in SL just bear in mind that asking for help from almost anyone across the grand void of "Etherspace" is like talking to a RL politician. Never forget that and never pretend otherwise.

An example, the word "click" is often used to answer questions you may have about how to achieve some action. Notice, the word "left" or "right" is almost always left out. Vaguery is common here. While there is nothing actually wrong with discovery in my ideal world "the next guy/gal" gets to "stand on my shoulders" so they get a chance to see just a little bit farther than I can. Ok, enough of my soapbox.

Once again, here is a question regarding my rights on land I own. Why can't I remove any/all junk on land I paid and continue to pay for regardless of who owns it or left it behind???

With all due respect but not much adoration so far,

Webster Morris

P.S. Please don't be shy about sending an IM or email.

Hello Webster. I remember seeing you in world when you had grasses coming into your land. I am sorry you are having a hard time finding answers to issues you have in SL. I think that when you ask for help and get 20 questions in return, it is an attempt for the person helping you to understand the issue you are having. As you have found, there can be many complexities that can effect things around us. I do not think the return questions are an attempt to befuddle you, they are more likely an attempt to understand your specific situation.

I will try to answer your question about management of objects on your land. If an object belonging to someone else is on your land, you can remove it. You can do this two ways. You can right click directly on it and choose More, then Return or Delete. You can also open the About Land tool, by right clicking the ground or in the World menu at the top of the screen, and go to the object detail. Object detail allows you to see how many objects are on your land and who the owners are. You can return everything belonging to others with a single click here. If you need to be selective about what needs to be returned, click the refresh button near the bottom and review the names of people on the list. You can then click on the single name and return the selected objects belonging to that person.

Now, I think this is the part you are most interested in knowing. Sometimes you find things that are in your land and you can not return. In order for an object to be ON your land, the center mass of that object must be within your property boundaries. It is just how the mechanics of the process work. A single object will only register being on one piece of land. So, an object can be on the neighboring land and also be in your property boundary. It can physically be in two plots, but the system will only recognize it as being on one of them, based on the positioning of the object and where the center of it is located.

This condition is usually an oversight. Your neighbor simply did not take enough care to make sure their objects were completely in their land when they placed them. They may not even know this has happened and that you are upset about it. The best plan of action is to talk to the owner of the object about the situation. If an attempt at having the owner correct the problem fails, then you can either choose to report abuse with the help menu or contact an in world Liaison for assistance.

I hope this answers your questions Webster. If you have more questions about things in SL, while in world, use the Help menu and ask Live Help.