On May 6, 2022, Seraphim tried to get some juicy intel from consumers about home and garden in Second Life with a survey. They claimed it was an opportunity to influence the creators and designers with top-notch info.
But hold up, who were these mysterious creators and designers behind the survey? Were they like some sort of virtual Illuminati?
After taking the survey, I was left scratching my head wondering how the questions would actually influence anything. The questions themselves weren’t bad, but the ranking system they wanted us to use was as pointless as a fish on a bicycle.
And apparently, I wasn’t the only one confused. People were commenting left and right about the strange ranking system, with the same response from Seraphim copied and pasted ad nauseam:
“The purpose of the question is to determine a definite ranking of the items, not an evaluation of each individually. While all aspects are certainly equally considered when purchasing home and garden items, we are curious at what point one aspect of the purchase outweighs the other aspects. All accurate data is valuable in this survey.”
Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure ranking a virtual rose bush over a fake hedgehog is really going to influence any design decisions. But hey, at least we tried, right?
Please rank these items in order of importance to you when purchasing PG items. 1 is most important and 9 least important.
- Animation Quantity
- Animation Quality
- Texture Quality
- Brand Reputation
- Mesh Quality
- Land Impact/Prim Count
- Price
- Customer Service
- LOD (Level of Detail)
Well, well, well, reputation, customer service, price, texture quality, mesh quality, LOD, land impact/prim, and animation quality and quantity, all these things matter when it comes to home and garden in Second Life. But let’s face it, reputation doesn’t always guarantee quality products and services in this virtual world.
And customer service? Well, you won’t know how good it is until you have a problem, and even then, most Second Life residents are too scared to complain, lest they get banned. So, it’s best to keep quiet, right?
Pricing? Ha! There are no standards for pricing in Second Life. You could buy the same thing from different sellers with different price tags. It’s all about individual budgets here. What’s cheap for me might be too expensive for my sister, and vice versa.
Texture quality, mesh quality, LOD, land impact/prim, animation quality, and quantity, they all matter, but it’s all subjective, really. Some brands have set the bar high, and we expect nothing but the best from them. But sometimes, our expectations fall short.
And let’s not forget adult furniture. The same rules apply, with a little extra emphasis on quality animations and quantity. Plus, compatibility with INM, Lovense, Physics, Aeros, and the V, because, well, we all have our preferences, right?
At the end of the day, it all comes down to personal taste and preferences, but as long as the quality is there, we can all be happy campers in Second Life.
Is your preference to have higher LOD/LI items or faster rezzing lower LOD LI items
I would go with LOD and I don ‘t have a fast computer. Can we have both?
How often do you purchase…
Houses
Skyboxes
Bedroom Furniture
Kitchen Furniture
Adult Furniture
Dining Room Furniture
Lounge Furniture
Outdoor Furniture
Small Decor Items
Landscaping Items e.g Trees, Shrubs, Land Forms
Children’s Furniture
Daily, A few times a week, Weekly, A few times a month, Monthly, A few times a year, Annually, I do not purchase these items.
I purchase homes and garden furniture in Second Life with the same frequency as my cravings for a good slice of pizza – when I feel like it and when it looks tempting enough to part with my precious Lindens.
Thinking about your current main home (if you have more than one) What is the Land Impact for your parcel/region?
I have no idea how this question is relevant to improving home and garden content.
When you consider your last few Home and Garden purchases were they… *
- Planned purchases
- Impulse purchases
- I have not made any recent purchases
- Other:
Oh, you know how it goes – I can’t resist the urge to browse and window shop, and before I know it, I’ve added half the store to my shopping cart. But in all seriousness, most of my purchases fall under the impulse category. I mean, who can resist a cute little plant or a cozy looking couch, right?
With relation to impulse purchases specifically. At what amount are you most comfortable impulse shopping?
*An impulse purchase is something you would purchase while seeing it at a store that you didn’t intentionally go to that store to purchase
- <100L
- 100-149L
- 150-199L
- 200-249L
- 250-299L
- 300-399L
- 400-499L
- >500L
My impulsive shopping sprees cover all the bases. I never know what I’ll end up with or how much it’ll set me back, but that’s just part of the thrill, right? With so many events vying for our attention, it’s no wonder my wallet is always in a state of emergency. There’s just too much temptation in Second Life.
- Yes
- No
- Maybe
Oh no, sweetie, I wouldn’t buy any home and garden furniture without trying it out first! Well, unless it’s from a brand I already know and trust. Chez Moi and Loft & Aria are my homies – I’ve bought enough of their stuff to know they won’t disappoint me. But for any other brand, I need to see and touch it before I commit to it. You know what they say, “trust, but verify!”
- Yes
- No
- Maybe
Same as for PG.
Which sources do you regularly use to find information about items to purchase for your home?
Creator’s In World Group
Creator’s Facebook
Creator’s Flickr
Creator’s Instagram
Creator’s Website
Home & Garden Flickr Groups
Facebook Advertising Groups
Home and Garden Bloggers & Photographers
Seeing an Item at an Event
Seeing an Item on Seraphim
Seeing an Item on another promotional website
Other Social Media
Second Life Magazine
Word of Mouth or Recommendation
Seeing an Item in world at a destination/photogenic region
Second Life Marketplace
Options for each of the above:
Often
Sometimes
Occasionally
Never
Well, I like to keep things fresh and exciting, so my go-to sources for home decor inspiration are Flickr and Seraphim. I mean, who doesn’t love scrolling through some beautifully curated photos? And of course, I’m always in the know with the groups I’m in, because let’s face it, staying in the loop is key. But hey, sometimes you gotta take a break from your virtual home and go on a little adventure, am I right? That’s when I might spot something I just have to have. And of course, when I need something specific, Marketplace is my trusted sidekick.
When purchasing general furniture how important is…
Fatpack Option
Each item sold separately
Scripted props
HUD based texture options
Not at All
It’s a nice option
Vital
I have no opinion either way
Fatpacks are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get. It’s a nice option if it’s actually cheaper and worth it, but let’s be honest, that’s a rare occurrence. Each item should be able to be purchased separately, no bundling. And if there are props involved, they better be scripted or include the Experience feature. A HUD-based texture system is always a win in my book.
When purchasing adult furniture in Second Life how much do you value the following plug ins?
It’s Not Mine Plug in
Physics Cock Plug In
Lovense Plug In
It’s Not Mine Plug in
Physics Cock Plug In
Not Important
Important
Very Important
No preference
All of them are important and should be included in ALL adult furniture. The only optional one might be Lovense.
How important is seeing furniture, houses or decor in world prior to purchase? Scale 1 to 5
Important as I like to test before purchase and I don’t trust pretty pictures.
How important is a teleporter/experience to assist you find an area in a store? Scale 1 to 5
Not a deal breaker, but making whatever makes my life easier when shopping I’ll take it.
Please rate how important these are in the entrance to a store.
Social media information
Customer Service Information
Giftcards
Blogger Application Information
Store Layout Diagram
Store Policy Information
Group Gifts
New Release Information
I don’t care
Nice to Know
Very Important
What truly makes a store stand out to me is the convenience of having an accessible re-delivery system and links to their social media, particularly Flickr.
Do you buy and decorate your own home or do you rent fully furnished? *
Buy and decorate
Rent Fully Furnished
I don’t use a home in Second Life
I’m a bit of a decorator myself, but my inventory is so packed that it’s overwhelming, so I often end up hiring an interior designer to help me out. It’s a similar story with my estate – only a few of my tenants seem to enjoy decorating their homes, while most of them prefer a pre-decorated home with a few personal touches.
Do you own a Linden Home? *
Yes
No
Yes, I do and it’s empty.
What types of houses would you be interested in purchasing in Second Life
Contemporary
Cottage
Lake House
Medieval
Ranch Style
Colonial
Georgian
Victorian
Asian Influenced
Farmhouse
Other
Very Likely
Possibly
Unlikely
Never
A really nice average size beach house made by Onsu is all I want.
What size houses are you most interested in purchasing *
Small 512-2048 plot
Medium 2048-4096 plot
Large 4096 plot
Family Home
Skyboxes
Size of the plots is not as important as the amount of prims. It also depends on the size of the home.
In conclusion, it seems like this Second Life Home and Garden survey was as useful as a broken teleporter. And as for the questions, they were about as influential as a gnat on an elephant’s backside. But hey, at least a previous blog post might provide some valuable feedback for those who are actually willing to listen.
As for what I would like to tell creators and designers, it’s simple: listen to your customers. Pay attention to their feedback and use it to improve your products. And for goodness sake, make sure you offer demos so we can actually see what we’re getting ourselves into before we hand over our hard-earned Linden dollars.
Alas, it seems many creators and designers may not take into account the opinions and feedback of their audience. So, what advice would you give to creators and designers to better connect with their customers and improve their products? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Thank you!
I was the first to call them out on how stupid their survey was and get a super snippy reply back from one of the co-owners before the other owner came in and tried to smooth things out, I think they thought they were being clever but they weren’t, they don’t seem to understand how surveys, or people for that matter works, but you answered pretty much all questions how I would have if they had given us the opportunity.
Btw, the original page is here, but the survey itself has closed sadly, and you’re right, there was no announcement of winners, not that I would have won since they kindly removed my responses (thanks for that Kes, I’ll keep my opinions private next time)
https://www.seraphimsl.com/2022/05/06/seraphim-home-garden-survey-with-8-chances-to-win-l5000/