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Nov 1, 2001, 4:15am

Greetings all:)

To follow into a new post from a previous thread, and I believe its worthy
of a new post, lets look at the whole issue of the Universe server message
and its use/abuse.

Lets look at the feature vote on blocking telegrams.. quoted from AWCOM's
own pages...

This feature refers to the ability to control who can and who cannot send
you telegrams. Currently, any citizen can send you a telegram, as many times
as they like, whether you want to receive them or not. Oddly, some people
find this annoying. :)

well what is the universe server message, other than a broadband telegram,
which AWCOM themselves agree can be annoying, and this way you dont even
have the ability to delete it without reading it??

The main difference here is that we have selective telegrams from only one
user direct to the screens of EVERY user, on multiple occaisions.

When you buy a world license, its to allow you to build a world within that
universe.. it allows you to set an ambiance and feel for the world by
object, by avatar, by web page, by world log in message.

NOW however, it also allows that to be blown away before the world even
loads by some trite message spammed into your world pointing people to
another website external to the world, or worse asking them to visit another
world.

What is the difference between that and say AWCOM force loading a web page
into the browser BEFORE your worlds web page has loaded.

Why would I pay for a world that I have no control over?

The world server pages say :--

In addition, as a World Server owner you will be able to customize many
aspects of your world like lighting, fog, backdrops, avatars, objects, and
much more. You will also have full control over user functions like
building, public speaking, and who may visit your world.

Well actually now I dont. I have no ability to block advertsing or visits
to my visitors from AWCOM sending every person a message when they enter.

I dont have the ability to put a bot in AW ground zero, or an AW bingo world
and whisper to every entrant.. hey visit my world for technical support,
or hi, why dont you contact me if you wish to buy your own world.. so why
should AWCOM reserve the right to do similar to my world thats paid for and
helping to support them.

I have no problem with emergency messages such as .. we have a problem,
all the worlds will be coming down for 5 minutes in 10 minutes time please
log out.

But I have a serious problem with.... Visit these pages for the latest
features, or Visit our new world, or why not buy your own world, or any
other similar advertising message that could be run just as easilly by a
board in the standard arrival worlds.

If someones already world hopping, they either know about the help pages and
latest feature pages, or they dont need to know about them. If they have a
problem in my world.. I will tell them and if needed will send them to the
help pages, I DONT want advertising crud splattered on everyones screen when
they enter my world, and telling people to drop out of my website into
awcoms website in my world is advertising, and destroying whatever ambiance
I am trying to establish in my world.

I firmly believe the use this has been put to demonstrates why a worldowner
should have the right on the world options screen to BLOCK the universe
server message if they wish to prevent the abuse that has already been shown
in the use of this message.

As an aside, this abuse of the universe server message has to be the best
reason ever to show why giving people the ability to mass telegram would
probably be the MOST hated feature ever developed, where it to happen.

Yours sincerely

Moria.

Nov 1, 2001, 5:06am

IMO it is not as bad as you describe it.

The universe message comes up only once, not with every world
you visit. So usually it is brought to you in the world you
already have choosen to be your home place in AW.
For new visitors that is always the universe default start
world, not one of the private ones.

It is disturbing like all advertizing but it does (did) not
really do damage.

--
"_
|
/\
\ /
__/ /_

Nov 1, 2001, 5:31am

I have to agree with you Moria and thanks for saying it so nicely. The Spam
type messages should be limited to AWCOM's worlds and not the privately
owned ones. I honestly thought that was how it was going to work anyway.
People pay for private and commercial worlds. Many try to make extra money
from them in one way or another. Pulling people out of those worlds to
AWCOM's worlds is not right at all. It is a good idea for them within their
worlds to communicate and let people know of their events. Also, is a great
way for world owners through the AWEC or something to promote events.

There should be at the VERY least the world option to turn it off like you
suggested. I don't think it should have to be a world option though but
should only go to their worlds period. Yes, a warning message of server
problems etc enmass to all worlds would be helpful but should not be used as
an excuse/reason to keep all worlds getting these messages. OH, and this is
'feature' is added before privacy/green checkmark off/ mute someone from
gramming you is??

My .02
Casay


[View Quote]

Nov 1, 2001, 11:55am

I think I'm going to have to agree with Ananas on this one. Granted,
spam advertising is annoying, regardless of where it shows up, but it
only shows up once. After that, you never see it again, and if you start
in a place like AWGate or AW GZ, then that Universe message disappears
pretty quickly.

Look at it this way: The only time the Universal message would appear in
a private world would be if someone set that world as their starting
point. Presumably, if that happens, then that person has been to this
world before and is used to whatever "atmosphere" the world contains.
Visitors to the world, however, won't see the Universal message, because
they already saw it when they first logged in somewhere else in the
Universe. Therefore, you don't have to worry about visitors getting
"suckered" into clicking an unwanted link or getting pulled away from
your world, and I would think anyone who was willing to set a private
world as a start world would much rather be there than wherever AWC is
advertising in the Universal message...

Now if only we can get them to limit the Universal message to
*important* things! :P

[View Quote] > I have to agree with you Moria and thanks for saying it so nicely. The Spam
> type messages should be limited to AWCOM's worlds and not the privately
> owned ones. I honestly thought that was how it was going to work anyway.
> People pay for private and commercial worlds. Many try to make extra money
> from them in one way or another. Pulling people out of those worlds to
> AWCOM's worlds is not right at all. It is a good idea for them within their
> worlds to communicate and let people know of their events. Also, is a great
> way for world owners through the AWEC or something to promote events.
>
> There should be at the VERY least the world option to turn it off like you
> suggested. I don't think it should have to be a world option though but
> should only go to their worlds period. Yes, a warning message of server
> problems etc enmass to all worlds would be helpful but should not be used as
> an excuse/reason to keep all worlds getting these messages. OH, and this is
> 'feature' is added before privacy/green checkmark off/ mute someone from
> gramming you is??
>
> My .02
> Casay
>
>
[View Quote] --
Goober King
Spam, any way you look at it, is still spam.
rar1 at acsu.buffalo.edu

Nov 1, 2001, 12:32pm

I have to disagree slightly with you in this case.
The Universe message appears in any world in anytime when the operator changes it.
Andras

[View Quote]

Nov 1, 2001, 3:28pm

yes, that's annoying... just thinkof the AWC using a bot to change it, lets
say every 10 minutes, that would nearly be like being a tourist again...
this wouldn't be a great danger now as Flagg has told everybody that it's
not to be used in a "bad" way, but you never know with Ricky and JP...

KAH

[View Quote]

Nov 1, 2001, 6:13pm

>_< But as of now, its just a message that appears once. And its not bad or
anything, just a little "welcome to ActiveWorlds" thing. And in any world
the owner could use his/her own bot to change the world welcome every 10
minutes. If it does get bad, then we should all complain, but as it is now
its not really something that can be too annoying. I just see the little
"welcome to activeworlds" line pop up once and then it gets replaced with
chat.

And KAH, don't give them any ideas >_< LOL. Not like they all really check
the NGs anyways.
[View Quote]

Nov 1, 2001, 6:53pm

Hello,

I see what everyone has said about this topic, and I will have to agree with
Moria. If you had a lot of people in your world, and a tourist came in
advertising in your personal world's chat with messages about "Trivia in
World X!", would you not get mad and eject him or her? I certainly would.
In this case, AW is being the annoying tourist -- and we are powerless.
Should we let it go just because the almighty AW is the one spamming us?

It was said that if you start your browser in AW or AWGate that the spam
message would go away very quick. If that is the case, couldn't they just
have the message in their own worlds? People pay for worlds because they
want users to enjoy it/ It defeats the entire purpose if AW tries to take
the people away into their own personal worlds.

BC

Nov 1, 2001, 7:42pm

I agree with no spamming in the universal message, but if they were to =
advertise the new client, maybe new pricing's and so forth I would not =
care. For a new AW Client for example, it can make the persons =
experience a lot better...=20

Another thing is, if you purchased your own universe, you too would be =
able to set a universe message, no one has looked at it this way... And =
as a universe owner you would reserve the right to advertise what you =
wish to customers who have purchased worlds from you...
AWCOM owns the AW Universe, they can do what they wish. Although some =
will disagree with some spamming, but it is there sole choice and right!

--=20
(Remove "NOSPAM." from my e-mail to reply!)


[View Quote]

Nov 1, 2001, 11:12pm

I definately disagree, as I did in the previous thread. Think of it
this way:

One day, you're holding an event that you've planned for months. You
spent a lot of money on a few citizenships that you're giving away,
and people show up in eager anticipation. Suddenly, the universe
welcome message is changed to "win free worlds in a special edition of
AWBingo!," and everyone leaves.

It could happen :)

[View Quote] Another thing is, if you purchased your own universe, you too would be
able to set a universe message, no one has looked at it this way...
And as a universe owner you would reserve the right to advertise what
you wish to customers who have purchased worlds from you...
AWCOM owns the AW Universe, they can do what they wish. Although some
will disagree with some spamming, but it is there sole choice and
right!

--
(Remove "NOSPAM." from my e-mail to reply!)


[View Quote]

Nov 2, 2001, 1:15am

I disagree again...

If you're organising an event, you are ultimately doing something for =
the community. All you need to do is contact AWCOM and they will 'GIVE' =
you free citizenships to give out, if the event is well worth the time!


--=20
(Remove "NOSPAM." from my e-mail to reply!)


[View Quote]

Nov 2, 2001, 8:49am

Also, I'd like to add that you should NEVER plan an event around Bingo hours
in the first place, ads or no ads. It's deathly popular. ;)

Nornny

[View Quote] If you're organising an event, you are ultimately doing something for the
community. All you need to do is contact AWCOM and they will 'GIVE' you free
citizenships to give out, if the event is well worth the time!


--
(Remove "NOSPAM." from my e-mail to reply!)


[View Quote]

Nov 2, 2001, 4:05pm

no, they have no right to annoy a user that is in a world that they don't
own. Anyway, have you looked at the pricing of Uniservers? you have to be
either a company or have very much money to afford one. if you think it's
their right to decide over private worlds' content you better leave Gor or
you'll be a hypocrite...

KAH

[View Quote] Another thing is, if you purchased your own universe, you too would be able
to set a universe message, no one has looked at it this way... And as a
universe owner you would reserve the right to advertise what you wish to
customers who have purchased worlds from you...
AWCOM owns the AW Universe, they can do what they wish. Although some will
disagree with some spamming, but it is there sole choice and right!

--
(Remove "NOSPAM." from my e-mail to reply!)


[View Quote]

Nov 3, 2001, 2:36pm

[View Quote] In some people's opinions, this might actually defeat the purpose(s) of the
UMS; but it could be made into a world option to ignore it. To me, it seems
fair that if a person pays for a world, then they should have the right to
block the universe messages.

-Shred

Nov 3, 2001, 2:41pm

[View Quote] Forgot to add the last part...

UMS priority, for emergencies and such. Like Moria said, we should be able
to block the uniserver message, but with some kind of priority system only
urgent messages would be displayed.

Nov 3, 2001, 10:19pm

It sort of happened during SW City's 2nd Birthday, way back in February.
Super AWBingo was announced via the world message and nobody showed up for
Paintball that Wednesday night. lol.
--
SW Chris
Eagle Scout, Philosopher, Peacemaker, and... Kung Fu Master?
http://www.winternet.com/~mikelr/flame1.html

[View Quote]

Nov 3, 2001, 10:26pm

Legallistically speaking, I don't see how that's hypocritical. It has
nothing to do with AWC's service agreement saying that they have no control
over the content of purchased worlds and will make no steps to control it.

It's only hypocritical if Anduin Lothario practices and is okay with the
content in the Gor worlds while at the same time supressing similar content
in any other worlds he owns.
--
SW Chris
Eagle Scout, Philosopher, Peacemaker, and... Kung Fu Master?
http://www.winternet.com/~mikelr/flame1.html

[View Quote]

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