Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style
Miss Metaverse Manners wasn't as prevalent on NWN in 2013 as she was in 2012, but that doesn't mean she didn't have quite a few posts of sound virtual world etiquette and advice. My favorite of the lot, however, is some simple advice that anyone leaving reviews on the Second Life Marketplace (or elsewhere) should take to heart. It's not just Miss Metaverse Manners' best post of 2013-- It might be one of her most important posts ever.
It's appallingly common for customers to leave 1-star reviews on items because of things that are thoroughly beyond the creator's control. Failed deliveries, their own failure to read the item description, even plain old user error in operating whatever it is they've bought. Marketplace reviews are not a good way to contact a designer about a possible problem, and they're an even worse way to get that problem resolved. It seems simple enough, but even if you think your grievances are on point I have three key tips for all you would-be reviewers. Read them for yourself here.
I see bad 1-star ratings all the time. I have 2 myself on some freebie scripts from foolish people who couldn't read the notecard that was delivered (that contained the script - no longer have to do that now thanks to direct delivery).
Anytime I've bought something that has an 'idiot review' on it, I try to leave a detailed use-based review to offset the 'I gave this a 1-star because I wore it and couldn't figure out that you don't "wear" your house, but have to rez it' review...
We need a way to knock out such foolish reviews.
The system could also use something to incentivise reviewing. Like maybe LLs giving people a 1% rebate, to a max of 10L, if they review something, and letting people review anything SL can find a copy of in their inventory.
- It would be in LLs interest to pay that rebate, because it would drive UP sales.
But, on the other hand, I have no love for Marketplace surviving until and unless it stops hurting land occupancy.
(And I think a simple solution would be to only allow MP to list for sale items that are inworld, set for sale, and on land not protected by banlines. And for which scripted land ejection functions would not function within 20m of any item in the same parcel that is listed on Marketplace. Do these things, and land in SL would recover in a matter of weeks, while absentee sellers would poof out of the listings.)
Posted by: Pussycat Catnap | Thursday, December 26, 2013 at 03:03 PM