Randomness

All I have is my word.

2009-09-27T07:37:00.000-07:00

You know life can be funny sometimes, as many people can attest I have been going through a rough patch lately. and it seems that the harder i try the more things just get messed up. I truly am retarded when it come to hings like that I don't understand the less is more approach its never my style it feels unnatural to me. but there comes a time where you just have to accept things as they are no matter how unnatural things are.

I have to accept some things in life and just move on, and this blog is going to be the first step in it, and its out there for the world to see. I am an ass, I acted like one and I continue to act like one. It has cause me to mess up some pretty important things in life like friendships, and just in general my relationships with many people that I consider important. I truly regret this, I have lost good close friends, burned bridges that will never be repaired, and I think about that often and it is a very very sore issue with me cause its so totally unlike me, but its what i have become. I despise me because of it!

I know I have to change my ways, and even when do, yes when not if, it wont change the past or even make up for it. I understand that. I hope the people I have hurt will see that I regret my actions and the outcomes and would do anything to right all the wrongs i caused. All i can do is ask for forgiveness and hope they will forgive me, Some may cut me totally out, some may be work friends, and some may keep me at an arms lengths. and i know i deserve that.

I have been told that I am a good guy, and that i am very special to people after the get to know me but that I am a hard person to get to know and that I don't let people in easily. but once I do they are friends for life, and that's why it pains me so when i do something soo idiotic to lose these people cause I take my friends very very seriously. I am loyal to the end. no mater what people do to me if they were once my friend they will always be my friend. and some of the really close ones I hope I can work my way back..

to wrap this up, I just want to say I am really and truly sorry and i regret everything. And to the people I have affected the most I hope you realize that, its the truth and its something i have been living with everyday.

The Hunt is On!!

2009-06-01T08:37:00.000-07:00

Its seems today you can't go any where with out running it to some kind of hunt, from small in store hunts to the massive grid wide ones, while the are all awesome in there own way, everyone has the same issues. 95% of the hunt gifts are geared towards the female population, the exception to this rule is the Make Him over hunt going on right now. Even though I know most of the gifts are going to be for the ladies I still do them, which brings me to my first request, Label your gift, is it so hard to say if its for a male, female, or unisex? Knowing how bloated ones inventory can get it would sure help in filtering out the stuff that isn't for us. The next thing that drives me bonkers, is boxing the item up twice, its already in the hunt box does it need to be in its own box? Its time consuming to do the hunt, and then you have to spend even more time opening boxes come on work with us a little! I would love to see a picture included in the gift so we know what we are getting and what it looks like instead of having to try it on. I can honestly say there has been some funny moments as I try on an gift that's not meant for me. So while the hunts are awesome and are a lot of fun, I can honestly say most stuff just sits in my inventory, until someone tells me hey you need to look at that. cause with so many hunts there's no time for everything else associated with it. So with a little help I'm sure these hunts will be much more of a success and get products in front of the right people.

Well I gotta run, I have a hunt to finish!

Handle With Care!

2009-05-08T20:21:00.000-07:00

Ok, i have been pondering and pondering something for a while now, as you may all know, considering i doubt many people will see this rambling, but none the less I am going to get it off my chest, I am a Dancer (Aka Stripper) and a Dj and part of the job requirement is to umm well you know, get naked. Yet, All Sl males are stricken with the same problem, Ken Dollitis, Yup that's right we are all rezzed in to his big world with out one very important part, that umm well actually makes us MEN. Unlike the ladies of SL our skins do not Come with all the goods already included, So We have to go out and actually BUY the part that we soo need. When it comes to a purchase like this I don't think there is a Male alive that will go with a lesser model, Load that thing up, Make it do everything imaginable. And that right there is the Issue at hand, Us men that have these parts that can do more things than the Starship Enterprise. So as the night progressed and I get closer and closer to that point, I just know its going to happen, its just one of those things you know. So I lose that last article of Clothing and I start the count down. and it never seems to fail. up pops that Message. SO & SO has touched your part. WTF?

I mean really, yes its out there for all to see and yes you may be dying to know what it can do. But did i miss the Sign that says Go ahead and Feel me up? How about a nice dinner first? Or at least Talk to me and say "hi, nice part..." but nooo these are the ones that are in the back quiet all night. waiting to pounce.. yes there are settings and yes there's nothing they can do with it but just the thought that they think its ok to grab it and use it is beyond me. its it there way of getting my attention? well oh course you will get it.. YOU HAVE MY PART IN YOUR HAND! but that doesn't mean anything but me thinking you are a little forward, and not really interested in me.. if that's the case let me give you the Landmark for the Store where I bought it and you can go get one yourself to play with. just leave mine alone!! yes admire it, just drool over it, but until you really know me. leave your hands off it. Its Mine I payed hard earned lindens for it.. No go get your own....

Another SL Economy Rant

2009-05-07T12:57:00.000-07:00

Before I get started, this blog post is going to be a rant. I apologize in advance, if I tend to jump all over the place with my points. I have ranted about the SL Economy in the past, and this post will reiterate some of those points, as well as touch on other factors.

Disclaimer: The opinions stated here are my own, and should not reflect on any of the other blogs or establishments that I am associated with. I welcome your thoughts, and comments as always.

Here it goes ...

The buzz on the street for a while now, is that Freebies are destroying the SL economy. To be brutally honest, its bullshit! The real life economy, is destroying the SL economy. With the factory closures and job losses, many folks don't have the discretionary or disposable income to spend on game credits or "play money."

I am a freebie blogger and there are many of us. We are dedicated, hard working, passionate about what we do, and we do it because we love it. We do not get paid for what we do, yet we get up early in the morning, and stay up late at night pounding out the blogs for our devoted readers. We faithfully sit at our desks, describing the treasures that we have found, (or in some cases that have been dropped on us.) We are spending OUR leisure time taking pics, showcasing the items, and encouraging others to go to the store where they can be found by providing a LM to that location.

We are bringing the folks of our beloved "game" news and information about the Retail World. Essentially we are providing a service to the Designers and Creators of SL. We are your customers, and your Advertising Campaign Manager.

As stated in HoneyBear's Open Letter to Designers blog post on April 12th, freebies are a sampling of the Creator/Designer's abilities. As a Blogger, I have done my job now its up to the Store owner to get my Reader's attention, money & repeat business if they choose to visit.

There are several ways to achieve this. There are group offerings, special sales, or reasonable everyday prices for the quality of items they offer. To add an element of FUN and to gain traffic to their stores, Merchants have Midnight Madness boards, lucky chairs, prize orbs, and probably many other gimmicks I have not listed.

My wardrobe does not solely consist of all free or dollarbie merchandise. In fact, my inventory is exploding with fabulous, fine quality, and dare I say, some extremely OVERPRICED items that I have purchased during my time on the grid. Admittedly, my inventory also has less than quality items, and not all of those were picked up in my early time in SL.

People are becoming more frugal with their hard earned Lindens. Whether they work for them in SL, or purchase them, they are hard earned! I don't make the spontaneous, irrational purchases I once did. I look for items that can work with some of my favorite clothing items, or be incorporated with my existing SL furniture pieces for my home.

Designers should not feel pressured to offer freebies of their work, if they are not inclined to do so. I would be interested however, to know what low-cost marketing strategy will reach the number of people in-world that the Bloggers reach.

Sure, I suppose these Merchants could write their own blog; but if they are spending time doing that, it will take up valuable time that could be used for creating their merchandise, to make money. I am sure there are venues where they could pay for advertising, but that would cut in to their bottom line as well. There are groups, such as Sexy Shoppers, Fashion Consolidated, and Fashion R US, that reach a number of residents as well.

Which brings me to another point ...

If you are a vendor, and you're using one of these groups to advertise and get the word out about your offerings, here is a suggestion:

Make your notices interesting & fun! Make me want to open the attachment, and learn more about what you have to say - include pics to "WOW" me - make me want to TP to your store to see what else you have, and give you my money.

Sure, its easy to blame freebies, and the Freebie Bloggers for the failure of your business, and sucking the SL economy dry. Why not blame us for global warming, the war in Iraq and the weather while you're at it.

Let's be reasonable.

If you're looking to become a Virtual Millionaire, what you really need to do is improve your skills, move to a new location, rethink your business plan, and give customers what they really want, at affordable prices.

I can't imagine that another avi held a prim gun to your head and demanded that you create. You started creating, because you enjoyed it. If what your doing is not fun or exciting or relaxing for you any more, may I suggest that you stop immediately, and find something that you do enjoy.

Hugs,
Sav

No Transfer Items & Buy vs. Pay

2008-12-27T09:37:00.000-08:00

So ... how many people did the same thing as I did when frantically doing their last minute holiday shopping in SL and purchased a NON-transferable item for your friend or loved one? Don't be shy, raise your hand. Now come on, I know I can't be the ONLY person that did that.

Shop-owners need to post clear signage in their store stating that items are no transfer. Most do, some still do not. WTF am I going to do with men's clothes? ( OK, so I'll probably wear them, but that's not the point I am trying to make here!) I want to buy specific things, and give them as a gift. I didn't want to give a gift card, or I would have purchased one.

And another thing ... Why do we have 2 options for paying for merchandise?

Some shops use buy, others use pay. Why is that? If I am paying my land tier, or tipping a sexy Hooters n' Shooters Dancer, then by all means, the pay option works. The buy option on the other hand allows you to see what you're getting, and often you can see the permissions on those items ... you know, to prevent dumb-dumbs like me from buying no-transfer items.

Let's keep it simple people. Keep Sav happy, and the world will be a better place!

SL Economy

2008-11-28T06:27:00.001-08:00

We all know the SL Economy sucks! Sales have slowed for many vendors, shops are closing, and if like me, you are a dancer, our VIPs just aren't opening their wallets like they used to. I have come up with a couple of ideas to remedy the situation.

Free accounts - While the makers of SL have been very generous in not having a time limited free account, this could be hurting the economy. Most game makers have time limited game trials, from a few hours, to 30 days. My suggestion is to limit the time on the free accounts or limit the area in which they can roam on the grid. This might help the griefer situation as well.

Increase the stipend - For people who pay to play the game, how far do you really think L$300 goes in a week? People can't spend money they don't have.

Vendor pricing -uploading textures in to SL costs 10L. So, when vendor charge $L1200 for a pair of boots, that's one helluva profit! Why do they need to cost that much? I understand the time that goes in to making these shoes is several hours, maybe days or even weeks. Why sell 1 pair for 1200, when you could sell hundreds of pairs at $L120. Wouldn't that stimulate the economy?

Many vendors offer freebies, or dollarbies to lure you in to their store. They do this in hopes you'll look around, and spend more money. Do people with free accounts spend money? It's too bad that there isn't a way to limit the access on free or dollarbie items to those who have paid accounts.

Reduce the cost of land tier. So many sims look like ghost towns with vacant spaces and empty stores. Real Estate companies and land owners can't make money on empty plots. Lowering land costs would encourage more people to put up homes, open stores etc. I know of a couple of stores that no longer have a presence in SL, and are selling their inventory on places like onrez and Xstreet (formerly SLX).

I know my ideas aren't perfect, but I'd be interested to see what would happen if some of these ideas were to be implemented.

Anyone have a crystal ball in their inventory?

Shoes and Hair!!

2008-11-05T07:14:00.000-08:00

What is it about these two subjects that get women in SL all gaga. There is not a day that goes by that I don't hear "Hey Such n Such has a Sale" and the ensuing squeals and screams remind me of a boy band concert. Off they go to buy more, stuffing their inventories to the point of obscene numbers. What for, so they can say they got it on sale? Then they will wear it and be happy with it till the next sale comes along and then it will be tucked away,replaced and forgotten. In many ways things are disposable in sl, use them a few time put them away and move on.

Now don't get me wrong, I think the products are amazing, what man doesn't like a pair of sexy boots on a long legged woman, but when does it come to the point where everything starts to look the same? Is there a line to be drawn? Is there such a thing as too much hair or shoes? Can anyone Shed some light on this for me? is there something I am missing? Is it some sort of therapy?

Shopping for Guys is tough!

2008-09-26T15:59:00.000-07:00

Justice & I were recently skin and shape shopping. After several tp's we ended up at KMADD, in the heart of the Mens Fashion Capital.

I was instantly impressed with the selection and presentation of the store. Neat, well organized, great photos showcasing the shapes. In fact the photos were so great, I had a hard time focusing on the shape, and not the overall appearance of the model. (Luckily Justice was there to keep me straight! LOL)

So we looked around, J pointed out a couple shapes he liked. I almost fell out of my chair when I saw the price was $L1000. I was flabbergasted when I realized there were no demos offered!

1k, and NO DEMO?!? WTF!? In my opinion, that's a big chunk of change to "gamble" on a shape.

This got me to thinking:

Q: What if he doesn't like the shape?

Q: Is there a refund or exchange policy?

I looked around the store, and there is a huge sign on the wall, listing their customer service policies.

A: Due to the vast selection of shapes available in their store, they do not offer demos. The do however offer a "Live Demo Service."

Great idea!!

Q: Where's the customer service rep?
A: There isn't one.

KMADD encourages you to IM the creators before you make your purchase with any questions, or concerns you may have. They will demo the shape for you, so you have an idea what the shape actually looks like on an avi. This is a great service, but is the shape going to mesh well with your skin? You will never know, unless you buy it -- because you can't try it.

Why is shopping for guys so difficult and frustrating? Justice has been telling me this for months, and I didn't believe him. I am starting to catch on!

I don't know about you, but as a female, when I am shopping, I want what I want, and I want it now. I don't want to take the time to drop a note to the creator to ask questions ... what if they aren't online, and in a different time zone. You have to wait! I am shopping! I am an impulse buyer! I don't want to wait.

How is this customer service?

Thankfully, after some careful consideration, Justice decided to part with his money, and bought a new shape. He was extremely satisfied, and I am still drooling!

I do need to mention, that not only did Justice get the awesome shape, the box also included a styling card, (so you can achieve the look of the model on the display picture), a bald base (to shape the eyebrows), a freebie box from MADesigns, a pose stand, and height detector. The shapes are copiable, and modifiable, so you can customize your look if you so desire.

I am in no way bashing KMADD store, or its designers. They have incredibly, awesome stuff and I strongly suggest that you check out the store - you won't be disappointed with the results. However, as a SL consumer, I believe that things need to be kept simple in order to maximize the shopping experience.

Check out the MAD Image Blog, and when you're in the store, they have a really cool freebie section that is definitely worth a look.

~ S ~

Always Sunny in SL.....

2008-09-17T19:48:00.000-07:00

As I set here on the deck of my Bali inspired house on our tropical Sim, it hits me.. in my year in Sl I don't think I ever visited a winter themed Sim, its seems every where I go is sunny and tropical, Do they exist, do people actually want to hang out in a winter sim? I know Sl is what ever we make it but why the tropical heavy grid? Winter can be fun too can't it? if you know of any cool winter sims let me know.. I would love to check them out...

One Year

2008-09-05T08:30:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend something happened, I turned a year old, doesn't sound like that big of a deal to some but in SL terms its a lifetime, not sure the percentages, I'm betting a small fraction make it to their first rez day. With that in mind I decided to take the time and reflect. I stumbled on to this life totally by accident, notice I said life and not game, and like most I almost cashed it all in with in minutes after I first ducked walked off Help Island.

After a few days I decided to go back and give it one more chance, thinking maybe this time would be different then a few days before. So there I was in those great newbie clothes Standing on some random sim that i tp'd to. I watched the people go by, finally a nice girl name Missy took pity on me threw me 50L and took me shopping. From there we hopped around from club to club for a while and then poof she was gone. No Friendship or nothing she gave me an outfit and showed me where to hang out and the freebie shops. That was it never to be seen again. From those few clubs, none are still in existence, I cut my teeth gaining the knowledge on how to not only survive the thrive in SL.

It was fun, met a lot of nice people, but not really any "friends". From there I started venturing out in to SL just popping here and there. Searching and going hey that looks cool, I know what you are all thinking and yes, I did visit all "THOSE" type places. Then came that fateful night when I typed Hooters in to the search. I had seen someone wearing a hooters shirt so i thought maybe there was a virtual hooters restaurant in SL. Little did I know how my SL was going to change cause of those search results...

Pose Balls

2008-08-24T10:01:00.000-07:00

I was out furniture shopping today, not really looking to buy anything, but I always like to look - and if truth be told, I usually buy. I made my way to an upper scale store - on first glance, it was love at first sight. The furniture had rich tapestries, appeared well put together, & I noticed some great accessories as well, so I excitedly ventured in.

I looked at a couple of living room sets, again, impressed with the patterns, and the over all appearance, but they had pose balls for seating. This is a pet peeve of mine, so I immediately dismissed the thought of purchasing, even though I really liked the set. I continued through the store, found another set that would look great in my living room - again, pose balls! Dammit! Talk about utter disappointment. All of the living room furniture had pose balls! I understand that at one time, this was the only option to get your avatar seated in SL; but now, there are new, improved methods of doing this.

Don't get me wrong, I love the beds with pink & blue pose balls - but that's another story.

While I haven't completely written off the store, due to those great accessories, and wall art. I guess I expect a little more from designers to make their furniture unique, and not static in a world where there are so many choices, when a new store, with better options, is merely a click away.

~ S ~

Game rules?

2008-08-21T16:07:00.001-07:00

We've all read a variety of blog posts debating if SL is a game or something more. We know that we log on to the grid, and there are a variety of events to keep us amused - there are lots of people to meet, an assortment of venues to entertain us , and many other things yet to be experienced. So, is it a game? Where are the rules? How do we know if we win? Does every player follow the same rules? Is there a wild card? Does the avatar with the most Lindens win, or the avatar with the most shoes or toys?

Do the rules change as our avatars evolve? They did for me!

I can honestly say that for me, it happened over night, & without warning. I went from hanging out, shooting someone with a watermelon gun one night, laughing my ass off as I am getting pelleted with couches from a similar style gun to ... butterflies in my stomach, and my heart skipping a beat when that special someone logs on. WTF happened? How did it go from a game to an intense emotional experience?

Have I turned in to one of those people who takes SL too seriously? No! not me ... its a game right?!

~ S ~

Maiden Voyage

2008-08-20T17:04:00.000-07:00

Hello & welcome to our joint effort!

We decided to start blogging. Yay! Its something we both considered doing on our own, then worried about not keeping it up, so by doing this together we hope it will be an interesting adventure for both of us - we can keep each other interested, and post regularly and not turn this into a 3 hour tour. Stay tuned to this space where we will write about random thoughts, cheers, and jeers, pet peeves, cool shit & any other randomness when it comes to the world of Secondlife.

Your thoughts, comments (good ones only) and heaps of praise and gratitude will be appreciated.

Love & Hugs,
S&J