Oh, she’s done it this time! Strawberry Singh has challenged us to blog our SL pet peeves! The instructions are:

Meme instructions: Share your top five SL pet peeves. Don’t forget to link your post in the comments so I can come read!

I really do share Berry’s pet peeves, so instead of duplicating hers, I’m going to post my 6-10 pet peeves (although these are not necessarily in order).

6. People saying they are bored in Second Life. Seriously? Have you checked the Destination Guide? Told people your interests and asked for recommendations? Tried playing Map Roulette (where you open your map and randomly hop to a sim to check it out)? Had a conversation that doesn’t include the words, “Second Life is a bore”? If you’re bored in Second Life, I believe the problem is probably that you are boring. And if all else fails, may I direct you to that little red X in the top right corner of your viewer?

7. Designers who don’t offer demos at sales events. This is going to be a long one.

A skin designer once commented, when asked about not having a demo at a sales event (paraphrased), “I’m not going to bother to make a demo for a skin that’s not full price. You can either buy it or not. I’m not going to lose sleep if you don’t.” Then why are you participating in a sales event? Whether you’re paying 99L or 1000L + for a skin, it reflects the essence of who you are. Not all skins work with all shapes. Not all skins are of high quality (seams, shading, etc that aren’t usually seen in a vendor ad). And while the cost may be a fraction of a full-price skin, sales events are an opportunity to reach an audience that might not venture into your shop otherwise. Maybe that particular skin doesn’t quite work, but if after trying a demo, one might like something about it and head off to your store to try demos of your full-priced skins – and purchase one. Maybe they won’t, but at least you’ve generated more traffic and found a potential future customer. But because of the personal nature of a skin, I’ll never buy one without having the opportunity to try it on.

Then there’s mesh clothing. Yes, the vendor ad may say “Five Sizes” or “Standard Sizing Included”, but not all mesh is created equally. How an item is rigged is paramount to a good fit, even if you are using standard sizing. I HATE having a part of an alpha showing, even when standing still. And if your five sizes aren’t standard, please at least note that on your ad. I’ve bought more than one mesh item blindly, assuming the sizes were standard, only to find completely different fits. I normally wear an XS or S for skirts and pants. I bought one skirt at a sales event, and I was lucky to squeeze into a Large!

I’m not a designer, but it can’t be that difficult to add a “demo” layer to a texture and allow your customers the opportunity to judge your work before paying for it. If it fits well, you have possibly earned a steady customer. If not, well, at least you’ve offered your potential clientele an opportunity to discover this before having the disappointment of spending their money on something that immediately goes into the trash. Oh…and not to mention the bad publicity derived when that customer tells all their friends not to shop at your store because the items aren’t worth it.

I’m more than willing to pay full price for quality items and I often find new designers at sales events. But if I don’t have a chance to try on your work when I first discover you, I certainly won’t be bothering to grab a LM and head to your shop to check it out.

8. Vendor ads where you can’t tell what is being sold. I love artistic photos. I try to create them myself. But if I’m making a purchase, I want to know what the heck I’m buying! This is another sales event pet peeve primarily, particularly with designers I’m unfamiliar with. Your photo may be a masterful creation, but how do I know what you’re trying to sell me if your ad doesn’t focus on the item in question? Please, include (legible) text on your ad that tells me what is for sale, the permissions and price. This is especially important if you use a vendor system that doesn’t even allow you to check perms or often see the full description of the item when you click “Pay”. If I think you’re selling a skirt and end up with a set of nipple rings, I’m gonna be mightily ticked off!

9. Griefers. OK, this is probably a bit obvious. But I really hate when I’m working (I host at a rock club) and some idiot decides it will be fun to TP in and set off a script bomb to crash the sim or someone starts spouting a racial or abusive diatribe in local chat. However, I must admit that I do get a not-so-small bit of satisfaction from firing up Air Peep and booting them off the sim. No snorkel or flippers included for the landing 😀

10. People who don’t take “No” for an answer. Hey, I’m polite by nature. I was raised that way. But there are certain times when I say no to a request (usually from some guy who hasn’t read my profile – see Berry’s Pet Peeve #2). I’m in a relationship in Second Life, although not partnered, but the information is in my profile. I don’t dance with anyone else, and I explain this if asked. I don’t want to hear your cheesy pick up lines. If I say no, no matter how nicely, I mean NO. Polite can quickly turn to firm and if pushed hard enough, you really don’t want to go keyboard-to-keyboard with me when it comes to a war of words *bats eyelashes and smiles sweetly*

So, if you disagree with any of my pet peeves (or even if you agree), let me know in the comments. And make sure you check out Berry’s post comments (link above) to see other SL pet peeves that might have been missed!

Now, I’m off to enjoy a cup of drama with a side order of controversy 😉

Credits:
Top/shorts: *P&P* Mesh Softer Side of Country (Prim & Pixel Easter Hunt – over)
Skin: [:T:] Helena / powder (red) :: 09
Hair: >TRUTH< Gabriel – marmalade
Necklace: EarthStones Tumbled Stones Necklace – Nature Walk
Eyes: Amacci Gaze Eyes – Ocean Blue
Eyelashes: Amacci – Eyelash Tattoo 6

Pose: .ploom. Danger – includes handcuffs (Pose Fair)
Pose prop: Decoy & Exposeur – Thought Bubble: Bloody Knife (Gatcha prize – Pose Fair)