Tossing out an idea: Forum "Open House Week"

So here's my idea.

Periodically, maybe every 3-4 months, we hold an "Open House Week" on the forum where anyone interested can post a slurl to their home/property/projects and we can all go on a click-and-visit tour. Any security forcefields are dropped for the week and everyone is open to the idea of allowing perfect strangers to clomp through and track mud in with no advanced notice. Starting on a Sunday and the "tour week" ending that Saturday.

I am a newb so maybe it is an old tired idea, or doesn't work the way I imagine it, or there'd be a complete lack of interest. Or has been done before too many times. Or isn't appropriate for some other reason.

Like most ideas, this one has selfish beginnings -- I just finished fixing up my place, but I'm too new yet to have many (any?) ingame friends so this was the only way I could think of to show off my newbie place ^_^

But I realized I was also suddenly extremely curious to see other people's places who post here on the forums, as well.

Is it something that is appropriate, and that others would also have an interest in?

Might make more sense to solicit interest into joining a group by means of a thread, create proprosals in which people can vote on the tour sites, and then send out the final tour site list as a notecard with embedded landmarks and descriptions via group notification using an attachment.

I invite you to take some snapshots of your spiffed up place and post them in the gallery forum (found under content creation). I want to see. For myself, I make animations, clothes and avatars so there isn't much to see at my studio and I have a store for my presentable stuff.

But it is a good idea and I would go on the tour. For me, the heart of the community is making stuff and showing it off and seeing what other people make.

There was just a tour of homes group formed to meet this sort of demand. "SL parade of Homes" run by Eben Slade. Sadly, I missed the first tour.

I like the unstructured idea of the open house though. Maybe IM Eben and see what formats you can come up with?

You sound like where I'm at, Brash. Although, my place is baaaaaaarely commercial and since I've been baaaarely social in this place I don't know that it would interest people. But I'm making my home a place to hang out just in case. I'm interested in visiting others and their places so who knows? My place is open by default but it could be fun to do a roving kind of thing. Go for it!

EDIT: Hi Nimue! The dance ball's up

Sounds good to me, I'd drop by...

Yes, my idea was more a casual unstructured access that anyone could join in on, not a contest of the "best" showcase places with entry forms and then hurt feelings when someone's place didn't make the cut.

Half the people I'd personally like to go visit, are probably far too shy to enter their places on a "showcase tour" competitive format, but might well decide to impulsively open their doors to some sort of friendly block party type of outing.

I love your idea, Brash!

It's a wonderful way to get to know each other better and get ideas for our own homes at the same time. And I don't think one thread devoted to this every three months would be a horrible inconvenience to non-interested forumites.

as there is no privacy in sl and griefers found me nway

my lil stupid unfinished house (yea i suck at texturing) and just spend a few minutes when can be arsed, http://slurl.com/secondlife/Salin/47/41/23/

I took your advice and made a Gallery thread and even stuck a link in my sig for now, till the "new factor" wears off. (Yah it's nothing very original, but by golly it's MINE ^_^)


But I still think it would be fun to have a special week every so often for just running around checking out each other's places. Oh well, maybe for Christmas season we can ...

And yes yes yes, if I was THAT nosey I could probably just PM someone and ask to see what their places look like, but I am very horridly shy and it is somehow "easier" for me to barge in and poke my nose around their place, if I have special permission and able to do it on my own time/schedule/impulsive spur of the moment type setting.

I dunno Brash, I think it looks like there is a fair bit of intrest here! Sounds like you should start a thread and several of us will just jump in.

**waves at Bodhisatva while dancing a jig at her place** Glad to hear it.

Brash, have you joined or looked up the forum Cartel? It might just be a good starting point .. he says, who's just missed the last three invitations ...... but hey!! I'm online again

What is the forum cartel? I've heard it referred to, but I figured it was some sort of FIC or in-group.

And as for the OP's idea, I think it's great. It would be nice to see what people are up to and maybe put a face to some of the names I see regularly posting.

Hi Suzi, it's the group formed recently by Brenda Archer, Chris Norse and others. We post in-world to try and get social gatherings. Strictly social I point out. We leave forum debate out of it!! It's good fun to meet avatars of people you've already conversed with

Oh I'd love that. Is it an open group?

Ahem. Wrong Brenda. (Although my esteemed namesake is a member )

The Forum cartel is a social group, started as a way for forum readers to meet in world and just hang out. We keep any arguments here on the forum. We have semi regular events, but we like to have just impromptu get togethers whenever someone decides to call one. Other than that there is no real agenda. Membership is open, or you can ask Chris, Zaphod, Colette, or myself for an invite.

Billbo, the best way not to miss a meetup is to have one yourself.

Actually, I am working on a Bowling night for next Tuesday, hopefully at a time convenient to a large portion of the membership.

Count me in! My land is always open, I don't believe in ban lines. My house is hardly "Fully Furnished" yet, but people can drop in when they like. I do tend to lock my doors some times but that is less frequent and more or less a reflex from RL.

Brash, feel free to drop me an IM or Note Card in game if you get something arranged.

I say we have an in-world get together of all the forum regulars! Put a fake face to your fake name!

It should probably be held at a boxing ring...

Or maybe a shooting range.

my dwelling isnt that interesting, i pretty much live in a garage...
but i am up for meeting with peeps.

Wow! After looking at Brash's gallery I may withdraw the offer to show my dump Nice work!

I believe it is Suzi. Contact one of the people mentioned in the post above.

Or just search for it under groups and you should be able to join. If not, I'm going inworld now.

We thought about coming to your place and spending some money, but I guess not.

No need for a boxing ring. When we meet, we're nice to people. We'd even be nice to you.

You can come out tomorrow at 5pm SLT to my Grand Opening! I might be there! Then you can come be nice to me!