Self-imposed rules in SL - do you have any?

yes


i never said i followed them

I admire your audacity

My rules concerning SL bleed into RL.

I buy lots of lindens, but make rules to spend less in RL to make up for it. I only buy clothes for my avi these days, not for my RL self, lol. I'd eventually like to make a few lindens, but would be stressed out and would not be "following my bliss," a term used by Joseph Campbell for following your dreams, if I were starting from scratch.

I want to be sure to follow my bliss in SL -- Oh! there we go, that's an SL rule for me.

Before too much longer, I'll need to make some additional serious RL rules to limit my SL time, so that my family and work time don't get ignored too much!

-Fo

I keep my attachments bare-bones, with limited prims and efficient textures. I also make sure that the scripts in the attachments are limited, and aren't lag monsters.

I still think LL should instate per-avatar attachment prim limits. I've seen some avatars wearing more prims than the entire build on the parcel they are on.

Also my biggest self-imposed rule is to not treat the game too seriously. This isn't real life, it's second life.

I never say anything in chat or in IM that could come back to bite me in the ass. Who knows who's looking!

- Buying Lindens: eh, if I need to. It's not very often. I don't agree with the "never, ever cash in" rule, though. If everyone followed that SL would be gone in a few months.

- Don't ask strangers to treat me as anything other than the real me, possibly with knowledge of things I've made. Anything else is role-play, and they might not want to join in.

- Don't get up any hopes.

Exactly so. I am happy to reward gifted content creators, too.

My #1 rule in SL is modelled on Kant's categorical imperative: Always act like you want to see someone else act in the self same situation.

In interacting with others I always try to be polite, yet clear. If I need something done (e.g. as a landlord), I ask for it clearly and politely, explaining the rationale. This seems to work in almost all cases.

Enjoy SL, but try not to Fsck it up for anyone else.
Same as RL, really.

More specifically:

I don't litter.
I don't fill chat with spam.
I don't lag out busy areas.
I don't fuss about money - L$1000 = cheap supermarket sandwich, RL. If you can earn it in-world, great. If not, feed the economy.

I try to make my builds attractive, and my terraforming natural.
I help those who seem to need it (but I *will* burn anyone who is taking the piss).
ASL is your business, until I know you better.

I simply try very very hard to treat everyone I meet in SL [and RL too] thesame way I would hope to be treated in the same situation. No matter what they look like, nomatter what theysay, there is aREAL human being sitting behind that other keyboard somewhere and that human being has feelings, emotions, hopes and dreams.

I hope everyone I meet comes away feeling just a little bit better about themselves.

I havemet so many truly WONDERFUL people that way too!!

Relative newbie here and for the most part my experiences in SL have been very positive. Yes there has been the odd bizarre and creepy moment. But those times are thankfully the exception rather than the rule (knock on wood). Anyway my primary purpose in SL is to have fun and push some boundaries I wouldn’t dare push in RL. I am open to talking to virtually anyone who wants to initiate conversation with me (and it’s not uncommon for myself to initiate dialogue with another resident) and as long as the person is respectful of our mutual rights here in SL I will do my best not to judge them and who knows we may just go on to become good friends. You can never have too many friends (well all those online/offline messages can get daunting … but you hopefully get my drift about having friends in this SL world)

Until I pick up some building and/or scripting skills and start producing things people want to buy (and this may never happen … time will tell) I will remain a low wage SL resident and because of this I choose to contribute my own RL money into my SL account. I am close to the point where I have a large enough wardrobe to not be thinking I need to buy more clothes. But at the same time, I enjoy shopping for that next cute outfit to wear out clubbing or the casual outfit needed for every other time in SL (what can I say I like to shop). I am a RL adult and I know what I can and can’t afford. Plus recently I decided to take a leap of faith, did some research and I became a SL land owner last night. Time will tell as to whether or not this was a wise decision, but I am very happy with my newly acquired home (on an island estate) and yes I will be bringing in more RL money so that I can furnish this property to my SL tastes. I have picked up tons of freebee furniture, but most of what I have seen so far does not match my vision of how I want my SL place to look. So I will continue the quest to find free stuff where I can and purchase it when I can’t find the free version. I do this for myself as I believe it will bring greater satisfaction to my SL experience. But I also do this because I am hoping that I can also provide a place for my SL friends to visit, feel at home, chill and have some fun. The people I consider real SL friends will always be welcome in my SL home even when I’m not there.

Now I have so much to still learn in the SL world, so please take what I am about to say with a grain of salt. But I do believe that I have walked around part of the block in my brief SL lifetime. So when I see someone struggling (usually trying to figure out how to dance etc, etc, etc) I try to help them with what I have learned so far (you know the blind leading the blind) and to date I have appeared to have befriended a few good people because of this policy. Just as a more experienced SL friend mentioned to me and helped me as I was fresh off the new born presses, she said “you’ll get it”, the same thing will apply to those who are even younger than myself.

Finally, when I joined SL I told myself there was a definite line between my RL and my SL. I am wise enough, mature enough and experienced enough in RL to know the difference between RL and SL. The vast majority of the women I have met (some of whom I have befriended) have not bothered to ask about my RL and only a small minority of the men have crossed that line asking me some pretty dumb questions about my RL without even trying to get to know me as a SL resident. Now in RL I am not old, I am not young, I am not ugly and not fat. But I am nowhere as cute as my SL avatar. Yet some men see my SL avatar and immediately assume I’m something that I am not. Give it a break guys. Just as in RL, play your cards smart and you may end up with a prize (and hopefully a friend) but I am here in SL to have fun and I am not looking for a RL relationship through SL. If I want a RL relationship, I will attempt to find it in RL and I suggest people do the same.

In closing while I too have been hit with some technical Linden related issues, I am learning what I can and can’t control. My RL economic survival is not dependent on my SL and I try not to worry when the Lindens shut me down because of some technical glitch. There is no bug free software in the world (even NASA has it’s bugs) and the positive experiences I have had so far outweigh the negative technical issues (of course tomorrow is Wednesday … upgrade day right … I just may be eating my words 24 hours from now). Hopefully we will cross paths one day and I promise I will do my best not to judge you. Hopefully you will return the favor and I promise you that I won’t have any strings attached from my end of our potential SL friendships.

Sincerely
JNK

No prejudice.
Period.

Peace,
Valerie

1) Only buy L$ for donations to in-world non-profits.
2) No "partnering"
3) I don't care if you know my real name, email, etc.
4) Be thinner and kinder than in RL.

I never edit my appearance in public. This feels like dressing to me. It is being self absorbed. A good lake bottom somewhere is the more polite solution, I think.

I turn around and leave an area that spams me with a long notecard full of rules. I understand the need for some rules, but why was there a need to hit me with them? If you like telling people how to behave, I'm not sure I want to be your patron. If you've experienced a lot of problems and need to spam your rules, I'm not sure I like your clientele. Either way, you won't get my Linden Love as they call it. Take an example from the NCI areas. They have a simple set of unintimidating rules posted discretely you can click on for clarification.

I do not fill up the world with particles, noise, or chat gestures that draw ascii pictures so no one else can see. (The exception being the occasional places like the Virtual Festival that seem to encourage particles, but even then I try to keep them small.)

Whenever possible, I thank the people who have built places for me to explore or events to attend.

I enjoy the grand social experiment that is Second Life.

I'm sure there will be more self imposed rules as I gain more experience.
Weston

My only rule, which I try to remember, is that a male av is never fully dressed until he "detaches".

But roses are another story

My ex still has the one I gave her as far as I know.

I'm not sure if this applies, since it's for the forums... but my biggest rule is to not post anything on the forums unless it's positive (or I have a quesiton, of course.)
Inworld, my rules are:
Try to give others the benefit of the doubt, especially newer residents. Naked newbie does not always equal griefer, and although I've had my share of prim-appendage toting "suitors", I've also helped a number of (often rather embarassed) people figure out their sometimes daunting inventory to find the clothing they accidentally took off.
Try to be as helpful as possible, without being overbearing or bossy. I'll happily answer questions that are asked directly to me, and I try my HARDEST not to butt in with unwanted advice.
Build for the fun of it, not for financial gain. I'm pretty anti-social, and usually spend my time cloistered in my garden, building for fun. I have yet to sell anything I've ever made, and I could care less if I do.
And, most importantly, have FUN. If SL gets too stressful for me (and no longer fun), I hit alt-F4 and go read a book.

And.. not really a response to the question, but a comment... I've really enjoyed reading everyone else's replies to this thread; I also noticed a number of first time posters, so thank you especially for sharing.
Cheers!
-Tabi

This is a good question!

. I don't go underwater to edit my appearance, because my clothes would get all wet! But I do generally go into my bedroom to change clothes or edit appearance.

. When I finish a house, I clean up my inventory. I keep it to under 6,000, which isn't easy considering all my clothes, shoes, and textures, and gets harder after every house!

. I take care of every customer's need or request right away. I don't get many of these, and it's usually pretty easy. But even if it is a hard case - such as people who speak a different language who don't understand teleporters or Rez-Faux or something - I just devote the time it takes, right then, even if it's an hour or more, so they can end up happy with their purchases. Cause if they aren't happy with their purchases, and have them set up the way they want, then there wouldn't be much reason for me to create them in the first place, would there? Ditto friends' needs or requests.

. I keep forums separate from game, and all game politics separate from my enjoyment with my ingame work and friends.

. I go at my game as I would any other hobby - scrapbooking, cooking, painting - in a creative mode, with enjoyment as my prime reason for being there.

. I almost never AR people, and don't really believe in muting them (at least, it's never necessary for me, but then, I'm not running a big venue or something).

. I never bought money except once, when I needed to test the system, but am immensely grateful for those who do! lol

. I'm always happy to meet new people, whether or not I'm working on something - in other words, I'm never "too busy," as I rarely have any but self-imposed deadlines anyhow.

. Like the others in this thread, I'm careful to pick up after myself, and try not to do anything on my lot that might annoy neighbors.

. I try not to bore my husband too much with SL stories.

coco

Don't agree? That's all right. It's not a 'rule everyone should follow'. It's the fact that my RL budget has no room for a game that I have to pay for. I've been online for many years and I know how easy it is to pay out money you don't have for an online experience.

I'm not here to make a killing; I just need to have SL pay for itself or I can't afford to be here. I knew that in advance, and this rule keeps me safe.

It's not a matter of agreeing with me, as I expect everyone to do what they want to do, and I do what I have to.

Yep. I don't play with 'scared money', what I put in is considered my entertainment expenditures. I don't smoke, don't really drink, don't waste £500 or so a shot on Jimmy Choo shoes, don't do drugs ... well, am ADDICTED to spicy food but that's not a crime is it?

I am myself on here. I try to be nice to people, if I don't like something in SL then I keep the hell away from it and don't moan.

I try not to be TOO nice, but I am nice so what can I do eh?

My avatar has my personality, shame I don't have my avatar's figure!

Seems like a lot of people only use money they earn in-game, but I'm with you. To each their own, of course, but for me SL is entertainment, so I don't mind paying for it a little. I do limit how much I can spend here. I often swap linden for real-life things. Say, instead of paying about $5 to rent a movie, I'll buy $5 worth of Linden and get more than the 2 hours worth of entertainment I'd have gotten from the movie. If people can support themselves with money they make in-world, that's great, but as I don't build too much or sell anything, and will not camp, buying L is my only way to make Linden....well, I do rent out real estate, but that's as a hobby, not to make cash. I only charge a little over what it costs me to pay the tier, and that's so I regain the money I initially spent on purchasing the land (which will not happen for a loooooong time).

Doing business in SL would detract from the fun of it for me. I want to keep it as strictly a place where I come for leisure. Don't want to worry about business or other things here, I already have a job IRL.

Been a really interesting thread .. every once in a while a goldmine like this comes along
I don't create .. well not content that is! I have bought lindens in order to make a home and improve my looks .. and I just can't stop myself playing the sploders or tipping the really cute dancers. Hell, why not? They're puting their time and effort into being nice so reciprocate.

I did mean to get into content creation. Just too busy socialising. So, instead of creating a business, I got a job. Quite good at it really ... just crap at making money at it

Spent an hour the other day with my manager helping a newbie get to grips with SL. Well, she was pleasant and polite, the club quiet. When I logged out I felt better than a thousand lindens would have made me. Curious side-effect: I got the job to pay for my shopping and tipping. Of course, spending my time with my colleagues, I'm not trawling the shops LOL

I live alone now and it's great to have that feeling of belonging.

Some folk reinforce that this is SL not RL. Some reinforce there are real people behind the avatars.

I try to behave how I do IRL.
My alt tries to behave how they wish they could have IRL.
They aren't very far apart.

I know this is a minority opinion but it really bothers me when people sell fine art textures that don't belong to them.

People justify this saying it is 'public domain' but it is not, unless you yourself took the photograph of that piece of art, you have no legal right to sell that picture. As an artist I find that offensive and thus a rule, if only a personal one to not sell 'stolen' art.

Some interesting replies.

I have been around now in SL for nearly 2 years, although not with this current avatar and over the time period that represents my own involvement....

1) I am not adverse to the odd purchase of Linden dollars for amusement and entertainment but any money spent has to be the Linden equal of a micro amount in real life terms, of which I can spend without worry or concern

2) Second Life is not now the only virtual world I am exploring for entertainment value, for example WoW has some stunning virtual scenery. Some examples include Stormwind, The Thousand Needles and Great Lift, and The Gold Coast Road. In other words SL is not the only example of what could be called Web2. People should venture out and travel.

3) Oh yes on from (2) above. Virtual worlds are (for the vast majority of people) entertainment value not business. Don't kid yourself. And to start a successful virtual business that will deliver a worthwhile monetary return in real life will need both talent and capital. By and large the days when somebody can start a good real life business from pocket money are gone. Unless you are prepared to work for worse than 3rd world wages and/or are very lucky

4) On that basis first life business comes both first and last in terms of time commitment. Second Life (and other virtual worlds) comes second.

5) I do not have major hang ups about first life ID (as some do) having both met and spoken to people in real life from here (and other virtual societies) But folks do need to be cautious. If people do met up in real life its best to so in a very public place (for at least the first few times) with a few real life friends in tow.

6) I want nothing to do with pornography or gambling.

Not a comprehensive list but I try to stick to it

1. Unless I'm on a big building project I never let my inventory go above 3K

2. Never bring money in-world unless there is a guaranteed profit

3. Ask neighbours their views on anything I am installing on my land which may affect them

4. Put (3) back up if they don't extend the same courtesy

5. Treat everybody as I would like to be treated

6. Always help a noob a day if possible

Always spend 500 lindens a day. Buy Art. Talk to the artists. Don't trust anyone who is wearing underwear. Be kind to my own Neko species. Don't get photographed in public SL places with rotten hair style. Don't bring Real politics/religious scruples/prejudice into our world. Help newbies when they ask for help. Spend a few hours a month at an infohub to provide some assistance to them as they log-in and walk into walls. Don't take yourself too seriously because you ARE a cartoon. Get tattoos you wouldn't normally choose. Cut down on the number of piercings you have in Real life. Have fun!