Linden Adds Guide to Other Users Online in SL's New Login Screen - User Growth to Follow?

Linden Lab has a new update to the SL viewer and the general user experience, and it includes a feature I've been wanting to see forever (well, at least since May 2010): A guide not just to SL's pretty places (probably unpopulated), but locations where actual in-world users actually are. And here that feature finally is:

As I noted last year, Habbo Hotel has a similar feature, and it's a fairly important part to Habbo's growth and retention of new users. Now when a new SL user launches the client, they'll have a list of places where they can instantly join lots of people. To be sure, this isn't a perfect solution: It'll often mean a lot of noobs showing up to an increasingly laggier lagfest, or noobs showing up where they're not necessarily welcome. But it's a start, it's a start. As a couple academics reported, when it comes to predicting which new SL user will stay, chat is the key variable: Not making money, not creating content, not exploring the world per se, but active chat -- the number of fellow Residents a new user talked with, over a longer period of time. Cross your fingers, we're about to see if that insight translates into user growth.

Comments

[Danielle]

Inviting people to visit full regions (40 avatars) is not very wise. Either people cannot get in at all (since it's full), or they will be lagged to death. Populated but not so full areas (10-20 avatars) might be a better idea.

[Hitomi Tiponi]

Danielle is right - I am hoping that the selected destinations can be tailored to the class (as identified by the Viewer) of machine you have. That would be better.

But it is a good and welcome improvement.

[Senban Babii]

On You Tube there's a function where you can add something to your "watch later" list. Why not add something similar to SL? They show you some cool places and allow you to either visit them now by clicking a SLurl or adding the SLurl to a "visit later" list. Just a thought anyway.

But imagine you have the above hot places suggestions but a sim is full. By adding it to the "visit later" list, it means you don't simply forget it in the meantime.

[Melissa Yeuxdoux]

That is a neat idea (ditto for Senban's idea of remembering places for later). I'd like to be able to specify interests and have that influence the display, or if that's not feasible, at least have the display include some indication of the sorts of things that happen, or, better still, are underway at the regions shown.

[Orca Flotta]

Oh my, oh my oh my :(
We (the Leeward Cruising Club) often (twice weekly actually) have aftercruise parties with around 20 avies, all the time in different, often not very spectacular, and more private, places. Little places that we chose as destination for a cruise. Kinda insiderish it is. And the fun is in getting there by boat, not just TPing in. So it's more like a private function.
Now sending a bunch of totally ignorant n00bs over there would spoil the party for everyfriggingbody!!!
Another goofy idea by the LL goofballs with their stupid geeky heads full of social networking nonsense. They should rather see to manage the grid better.

[Orca Flotta]

To make it absolutely clear:

the LAST THING SL needs right now is more users!

They aren't even capable of keeping the existing users happy. So, dear labbers, föck "the grow" and just do your jobs! The userbase will grow automatically if ppl find worthwile things to do and a smoothly working infrastructure, not by luring them in with some cheapo marketing tricks.

[Arcadia Codesmith]

It's a great idea, not just for new users but for anybody looking for something to do.

It may attract a certain number of the clueless... but cluelessness is curable with a touch of kindness and patience.

It amused me that "Lesbian Paradise" popped up on the list last night. It might be a good idea to allow venues to voluntarily opt out, if they'd rather not participate.

[Ann Otoole InSL]

Perhaps LL needs to limit where people go by gpu class. Given SLv2 is so incapable of dealing with large numbers of avis. (40+ crash in 60 seconds).

Class 0 not allowed in a region with over 4 avis (5 max)
Class 1 not allowed in a region with over 9 avis (10 max)
Class 2 not allowed in a region with over 19 (20 max)

Class 3+ can go anywhere. However when over 40 avis are present recommend they uninstall SLv2 and use Phoenix or any v1.x viewer instead since that is pretty much all that works reliably with 40+ avatars. I.e.; if you use Phoenix and go to sims with 40+ guess what? Hardly anyone is using a LL viewer. There is a reason for that. V2 can't render very well. Serious defects. V1 can render whatever is thrown at it.

If you want to go to popular locations you buy a super computer or use Phoenix. End of story.

[TriJin]

I see this is going shake up the old problem of bot-camping for traffic numbers. The avatar count should be based on the number of avatars on the ground <=100meters.

... and why is it only on the login screen?

I see more use of this in the Destination Search Page where 99% of new people go to find out where to visit. Do they expect people to logout and log back in just to visit the next "hottest" place?

Also.... Region Ratings from users should be used for a rough gauge as to the coolness of the place. Most overpopulated areas with 20+ avatars are a OOC Drama Fest. Not a great start for that brand new explorer who is expecting to see some cool 3d community.

Just my 3.142 cents.

[Eli Schlegal]

Orca Flotta said "it's more like a private function."
It make be "like" a private function, but unless you are paying for the land and make the land private... it's not. It sounds to me like you are role playing Lifestyles of the Rich And Famous on public Linden owned land... or even worse squatting on land that someone else pays for.

[Gwyneth Llewelyn]

Hah! I'd charge for having a venue listed on the SL Viewer's login page! It is, after all, prime space for advertising, as I have long defended.

In that case, camping and 'bots would matter little — deep pockets would be the key ;) Of course, this would also mean that most things on the login screen would be shops, but... is that such a bad idea? After all, the economy in SL is still one of its most appealing features...

And LL could be "nice" and have a lottery for the poor venues who cannot afford to pay to advertise on the login screen...

There are lots of possibilities here, after over a year of misusing (ignoring?) that valuable space. Next on the list: use the teleport "black screen of death" as a source for advertising/information as well.

[Arcadia Codesmith]

I think I just threw up in my mouth a little...

Oh no, wait, that was just a response to "rich people win". Carry on.

[Nalates Urriah]

The wisdom of sending people to a region with 40 people already there is probably lacking.

I can see a new user trying to figure out why he can't get into the region. Anyone think that will enhance player retention?

Once the visitor count goes over 35 the location should probably be rotated out. Some place with 15 or so people then rotated in.

[Orca Flotta]

Eli wrote: "It sounds to me like you are role playing Lifestyles of the Rich And Famous on public Linden owned land"

No, it's not. Parcels we're going to are mostly owned by members of the club, who make them available as LCC outposts. After all we need a switchable stream for the DJ and a considerable amount of available prims for being able to enter the destination with our boats.
Still our gatherings are purpose bound and of no use for unsuspecting n00bs who just drop in because they see a larger number of blobs in the essentially dead worldmap.
Now imagine we'd pop up in this new thingy :/

PS: Yes, famous we are. Even infamous. But rich? I doubt that. Just a big group, one of many, in the huge SL sailing community. And well organized ;)