Emergency Cheese Order...We're Drowning In Whine!

Back in early May 2006, Jesse Linden of Linden Labs and Second Life posted a warning to the players of the popular online meeting place to stop spamming their events calendar with non-events. You see, just like the regular web, the metaverse is just as susceptable to spamming to certain types of listings.

His request was for people to stop posting the same event over and over, by posting only a different time. He also warned people to stop posting events that had no host, ie yard sales with no one running them, and for the commercial advertisements to cease on the events calendar as well.

Well, apparently there are still quite a few people who don't get it, and keep on posting repetitive junk to the events calendar. So today Jesse Linden posted yet another warning as a first step before starting to charge players for event listings.

This has led to the wambulances arriving on scene protesting even the thought of having to pay for listing an event. These folks have it within their power to keep the events listings free by simpling stopping the idiocy of posting the same event over and over or posting non-events, such as commercial products, with the thin disguise of calling it a "product launch".

They are going to have to come around, or be prepared to deal with the consequences which seem to be quite clearly stated. I guarantee that none of them would be happy if the game stopped tomorrow. I believe that most of these folks doth protest because their properties just aren't interesting enough to attract people on their own merits.

I've seen lots of places in Second Life. Some are very, very interesting. And I'm sure that I've earned some pretty good dwell for some of the owners of these places by touring their properties.

But some of them have also been downright putrid. Folks, if I can't make heads or tails of where I'm supposed to go, or can't see a clearly defined purpose to your property, the very next thing I do is plan another teleport. No amount of event post spamming will keep me on your property if you don't have interesting content.

If you think releasing a new product is an event, then you are either out of touch with reality or are quite aware that you are bending the definition of the word. Either way, you are the exact type of person that should be paying to post events.

And don't pretend you haven't seen...

Tringo 1pm
Tringo 2pm
Tringo 3pm
Tringo 4pm
Tringo 5pm
Tringo 6pm
Tringo 7pm
etc...


Folks if it's an event that you are splitting into seperate hours just so you can have multiple postings on the events listings then you are gaming the system and it's you're fault that this policy is being considered.

Yes read it again...they are still only considering...it's a warning. Relax...and stop trying to beat the system. Post real events.

Many of the violators are demanding that Linden Labs state their rules more clearly. This is, in my opinion, a stall tactic worthy of a lawyer. The rules have already been spelled out with a simplicity a child could understand. When Linden Labs decline to treat it like an episode of Sesame Street, brought to you by the letters W, G and the number 5, the violators will claim that Linden Labs never told them the rules.

No action was taken today by Jesse Linden short of a warning. It's up to the players to decide what happens with this. If Linden Labs does go ahead and charge for event listings, they will have done so with just cause.

When or if it happens, there will be much shouting and screaming on the Second Life forums as there always is anytime a policy is changed. The complaints will be from the same folks as are gaming the event listings today. A lot of them are playing on free accounts which gives nothing back to Linden Labs to improve the community.

If it happens, it'll have been deserved and Linden Labs will have another stream to try to get profitable with. The future of Second Life probably depends on it.