Expanding the Popular Places list

So you've never been to any of the welcome areas, to be spammed by people giving out teleport links to some laggy club or casino, in the hope of getting people over? I have, many times.



Camping has no benefits to anyone, least of all those who live in the same region as somewhere offering it.

If people want money, simply buy it. $5 - less than the cost of a McDonalds meal - will get about L$2200, which will keep them going a long time. It really isn't at all beyond 99% of players who can afford a high spec computer and high speed internet access.

People seem to think that playing SL is a right, not a privilege. I will never get my head round this sense of 'entitlement' that some people have around here when they aren't prepared to invest just a few measly dollars back into the game to offset the costs of them being here.

Broccoli

I have to agree with this completely. If you can afford the equipment it takes to play this game, a few dollars spent on lindens isn't going to break you. How much does it cost a person to leave their computer running for hours and days on end, just to make a couple of bucks? For this, why not just spend a few bucks on lindens and use that time to learn how to make something? Better for everyone in the long run.

And I agree that they shouldn't be doing that, but two wrongs don't make a right. Making a tactical decision to not inform new people about something they might be interested in because you personally don't like it is just as bad.



Yes, it does, it offers access to L$ to newbies who do not want to pay for it. From the point of view of myself, you, and others, the negative effect on Second Life is greater - but you have to bear in mind that new people don't care about Second Life yet. And if they can't get any stake in it, or if they feel that they are treated as just someone who is here to pay so that others don't have to, they won't start caring.



I agree. But there's a bit catch. We - and I mean everyone on the grid - also have a strong interest in marketing Second Life. More users means more money for creators, more space in the market for different creators, and more money for Linden Labs and thus greater security. And as a marketer, you can't demand that a potential customer should go through therapy in order that they'll see how wonderful your product really is, even if it would be generally beneficial to them as well.

If it looks like buying money is something that only "losers" do (which it could well do, given all the external advertising about how Second Life is all about making money), then people will think that, and we won't necessarily have time to correct them. If it looks like a particular market is "sewn up" by existing creators, so nobody who was interested in creating that sort of object should bother beyond Help Island, then we won't necessarily have time to correct them. And that's notwithstanding the fact that people basically don't like being corrected. What do you want to do tonight - do you want to boot up that program where you get to go to a virtual world where people keep telling you you're wrong?

This does not mean that I'm supporting camping; I don't. What I'm trying to say is that a) I don't see it as the place of newbie helpers to filter content on Second Life in any way based on their personal opinions (note personal opinions; filtering by societal opinions - ie, "don't send the newbies to the furry ageplay sim" - are OK ), and b) while your arguments against camping might be true, you need to consider how these ought to be communicated (or even if they can be). If you want people, or especially newbies, to change their views or behaviour they are going to want to know "what is in it for them".

Yes, there needs to be a better popularity metric. I hope LL will find one soon.


Until then, I pop into these camping places, tell the users there that camping actually loses them money (and friends), as the power consumption of an average PC outweighs the net gain in L$ per hour.

And I call them "Coppertops", as those still-bottled Humans in The Matrix are derisively called. All thesee Campers do is power the skewed economic schemes of their masters.

I fail to see the logic in this. I have never once, even in my newbie days thought that only "losers" buy linden. Although, from day one, it appeared to me that sitting around doing nothing for free money was closer to "loser" status than I cared to be. So let me get this straight.. people think they might be a loser for paying for what they use as opposed to collecting the SL equivilent of a welfare check. I don't get it.

I wouldn't say it's a widely held belief, but I've certainly been repeatedly lectured by unverifieds about how dumb and stupid I am for spending money on SL. In contrast, (verified) friends will mention that they feel I'm spending too much, or spending more than they would, but that's not an inherently negative comment.