Pics by Peep

I have a friend who belongs to an in-world group called, “I Hide My Groups In My Pants”. I would probably join this group since I hide most of mine, but that would take up one of my precious 42 group slots!

This week, Miss Berry wants to know about the groups we belong to. Since I do hide most of my groups in my profile, I’m going to be a little cautious with this one. Yes, I have been stalked by someone who joined the same groups I was in to discover when I was online. I am grateful to the open group owners who hide the membership from public view. However, that doesn’t stop me from being a groupie junkie!

Here’s the run down on my group membership:

Meme Instructions: Answer the following questions about groups and share some of your favs with us. Don’t forget to leave your link in the comments (of this post)!

1. Have you reached the 42 group limit? Several times! However, I feel a bit claustrophobic if I have all 42 slots filled, so if I get the dreaded “You belong to the maximum number of groups” message, I’ll clear out at least three so I have space for the one I want to join, plus a couple of spares. That way I can join two more groups before getting that icky, sick-to-my-stomach, what-am-I-going-to-drop-NOW feeling. My group list usually hovers between 39-42, occasionally hitting the full mark (I’m currently at 39, having done a recent purge).

2. Do you do a lot of group hopping to keep up with all the groups you want to stay a part of? I have a core of groups I will never leave (unless the group closes, god forbid!). Others I will sacrifice if I need spare slots (see above). I belong to three groups for the club where I work, three land groups, and one for my business I can’t give up. I also belong to quite a few paid groups and those are always the last ones to go. Most of those are to skin or clothing stores. But my tastes do change, so if I am in a group (paid or not) and I either don’t shop there anymore or I just don’t feel I’ve gotten the value I expected from being in that group, I will bite the bullet and ax it if something better comes along.

3. What makes you want to join a group? Outside of the mandatory groups (land and work), the group has to offer me something I love. I try to join the group for the skin I am currently wearing so I am aware of updates and they quite often offer gifts or (even better!) discounts on future purchases. I joined the [PXL] Creations group before I purchased my Jade skins and even with a $250L joining fee, I saved a bundle on the skins and extras I purchased. I prefer receiving discounts in these stores rather than gifts. In my opinion, the gifts are quite often not to my taste or (sadly) they look like the B-side of the creator’s usual offerings. And I love stores that offer credits that are built with each purchase. I’m like a little kid watching my store credits increase with each purchase and Christmas morning comes when I have enough to grab a special item using my balance!

4. A lot of store VIP groups have a group fee which you have to pay to join. How do you feel about paying group fees? I don’t mind paying for a group if I know I can recoup the costs through discounts or credits. I do understand the reasons behind having a group joining fee and I accept them. While I have chat turned off for most of my groups, I know that having a joining fee (particularly a steep one) helps to prevent spam in groups. I also understand the frustration creators must feel when people join a group just long enough to grab a group gift and then immediately drop it. However, if I don’t feel I’m getting value for the joining fee, I will cut my losses and leave the group to make room for something more to my liking.

5. Name a few groups that you are a part of that you feel everyone should look into joining and share your reasons behind that. I’m going to be a little big cagey here for the aforementioned reason. But I have mentioned one group already and I will include a couple that are visible in my profile plus a few that are just too good not to include. And in most cases, it’s gonna cost any would-be stalkers to track me 😉

PXL Creations Female VIPS – Since I now live in my Jade skin, I had to join the VIP group. Yes, it costs 250L for membership, but it’s well worth it for a 10% discount on purchases and there are group gifts available in a special VIP Room. There is a separate group for male VIPS, which I think is a wonderful idea.
Exposeur Gold – One of my favourite pose stores. This group has a 500L joining fee, but it is well worth it for the exclusive gifts available at all times in the store. This isn’t a spammy group and there are occasionally new gifts added.
LumiPro – LumiPro is the lighting and posing system I use for my photography. If you own the product, you should be in this group (free to join). Again, it’s not spammy but they send out occasional notices about upcoming showings of work using LumiPro. I really don’t know how I managed without this system for so long and I’m very excited about an upcoming update! Well worth the investment.
Cheeky Pea VIP – Another group that costs 500L to join, but if you are as much in love with Cheeky Pea as I am, you will do it without hesitation. There are occasional group gifts, heavy discounts on new releases for the first 48 hours and that beloved 15% store credit on purchases *goes to my happy place knowing I currently have over 750L in Cheeky Pea credit*
Breaking The Rules – “Where the Rock is Hot and the Party Never Stops…” This is the club where I work and play. And I offer a discount on my photography services if you are a Rule Breaker!

I wanted to also bring up subscriber groups in this post. I have a love/hate relationship with subscribers. While I love that they don’t take up a group space and I still get updates (and sometimes goodies), I am a bit lazy and if I decide I don’t want to be a member any longer, I have to remember to go to the shop to hit the subscriber again to drop out. And I HATE when people add me to a subscriber I haven’t elected to join, particularly those that don’t have an in-world store. I’ve been added involuntarily to more than one subscriber after making a purchase on Marketplace. One vendor was really nasty with me when I sent a notecard asking to be removed from a subscriber I hadn’t asked to join. I won’t name names, but I’m sure more than one reader has had this experience. Another time I visited a land store while looking for a new place to live and was added automatically to their subscriber. After being spammed two to three times dailly with new land listings, I asked to be removed. I was told I needed to visit the store again and unsubscribe from the subscriber there. Unfortunately, after unsubscribing it seems I was re-added because I had visited the land store! It took about three weeks of back and forth with the owner to finally be successfully removed from their list.

My very favourite subscriber is Hucci. Not spammy, but members are well-informed on new releases and any events in which the store is participating. And awesome group gifts! You need to be a member of the group for a couple of weeks before you can receive group gifts and you can’t grab them from history. Eboni Khan seems to have the right balance between information and gifts to keep a loyal fan base. Oh, and Hucci shares a sim with my other favourite subscriber – Trompe Loeil. How convenient!

And yeah, when I logged in to check on my group numbers, I received a notice from Hucci announcing the new Akita boots for Slink Medium feet. It was fate; I had mentioned the store in my blog AND I was wearing my Slink feet. So it was a sign I had to have the suede fatpack…and a couple of new dresses 😉

Pretty stuff I’m wearing:
Dress: ::HH:: Hucci Langtang Dress S – Orange Crush by Eboni Khan
Boots: ::HH:: Hucci Akita Suede Boots – Collection by Eboni Khan
Necklace & Earrings: [MANDALA]YAKUSHI Jewelry Set ORANGE by Kikunosuke Eel
Bracelet: Burroughs / Eva Bracelet by Antoine Burroughs (NLA)
Hair: TRUTH HAIR Carrie [Roots] – Reds02 by Truth Hawks
Skin: [PXL] Creations [PXL] JADE SK WineLight Lips MEB C2 by Hart
Larsson
Hands: Slink Mesh Hands (av) Casual by Siddean Munro
Hand Appliers: [ PXL ] Creations [ PXL ] Slink Hands Appliers SK
Eyes: Mayfly – Liquid Light Mesh Eyes (Glacial River, w3) by Arkesh Baral
Feet: Slink Mesh Feet (Av Enhance) Medium by Siddean Munro

Poses by aDORKABLE Poses – Stroll Dork Pack by Adorkable Peapod (available on Marketplace only)

Photos shot on location at Hyde Park (home of Trompe Loeil and Hucci Mainstores)