BBC Spam

As the title says, the beeb are looking for people for a TV program and are busy spamming everyone they can find and asking them to email someone @bbc.co.uk, Is this allowed?

I got this, and actually chatted with the person in real time in SL. They are on the level.. I don't know if they have permission or not, but their approach has been to find "likely groups" and to join them, group message them and see what happens.

The whole idea behind the spam (to document RL couples meeting for the first time after having met in SL) kind of creeped me out.. I can just envision the "desperate lonely hearts" angle that will be used for this documentary.

And the worst part is, we are bloody paying the licence fee for them to ponce around SL spamming people and making pointless documentaries. Well....i actually refuse to pay my licence fee, but if i did...ooh i'd be livid!

I followed this up too - after all, because a message arrives inside Sl purporting to be from the BBC, doesn't automatically mean that it is - so I mailed one of the named accounts directly, and tagged the mail with my media-industry credentials.

They are entirely on the level - however, they don't communicate very well, and they seemed rather amused by the idea that they had to provide some proof of who they were. Personally, having dealt with both print and TV media in a "subculture context" (6 TV interviews, 2 tabloid spreads, scotched 4 more), I wouldn't volunteer for their piece if it included sex with the entire audience and performer list at "The Brits" - sadly, these people are not to be trusted with your secrets.

If the Beeb are gonna be innovative about this they should shoot the whole show in SL.

And take precautions against flying penises.

It all seems a little jerry springer to me, first meeting shock value, spot the weirdo.

In my case, I recieved 3 of the BBC spams from less than 3 different people in 1 week. I ignored the first 2. When the 3rd arrived, I IM'd the sender back asking for the names of everyone in their BBC group, for the express purpose of muting the whole bunch of them to prevent any further spams.

I recieved an apology IM the next day from a 4th person, with a promise that the BBC spams would stop. I have not recieved any further spammage from them in the last 2 weeks.

I suspect that if people let them know how they feel about the spammage, that perhaps the BBC will back off a bit and consider other opportunities to pursue their story... such as posting in the forum or taking out an SL classified ad (hint, hint... you BBC reporters reading this)

I always thought that people doing studies or documentaries had to get approval from Linden Labs too. Then a Linden would post it in the blog (Or the Announcements forum when it was open.)

Even if I qualified to such, I wouldn't do it, based on the spam alone. It's annoying, even if it's coming from a "big company."

Does anyone have a link to posts in this forum about this documentary that I can read about? Any web articles about it? Or is this all being done in world by persons who refuse to explain who they are?

Technically they do however if LL's reply time to emails about this are as bad as they are to support emails no wonder so many forum posts have popped up recently with unauthorized requests for participation in some project or another.

I'm still waiting for National Geographic to contact me so I can be in their documentary, "Avatars & the Wild Kingdom"

How about the tv reality series "Invention" film a virtual land addict in world? LOL
I haven't gotten BBC spam but I have gotten other types of invites from strangers I don't know who may or may not be in group I am in.

ROFL

I think it's going to be really interesting! My sister Kira Krastins and her boyfriend Nik Yer, both met on sl last year in Avalon, and are now living together!!! The Beeb asked to meet them both today and they have since been short listed for the documentory!!! This way of meeting and even falling in love is unpresidented in human history, and i for one am glad to be riding the crest of the wave of this most brilliant place!!! as regards to the Beeb spam, if it get's them on the telly and other sl'ers it can only be a good thing for all of us! (especially the land holders.....rubs hands in anticipation )