As the Things To Do group gets bigger (not far off 500 members now..) and continues to get cool reviews and great suggestions from it's members, it's time to make the whole thing just a little more useful.
If you're not familar with the group, think of it this way: A group that suggests 'things to do' to it's members several times a week. Sometimes neat tech demo's, sometimes discussions, new island openings, old islands worth discovering, Things To DO. It's a very cool way to discover Second Life, and make friends in the process.
Building an Auto Update Object?
My friend Eshi Otawara, who built the fabulous EOLUS sim recently is helping me to build out a small place on my plot at Second Mirage (Teleport URL) and I'm looking to produce an object that people can pick up, and freely distribute to friends -- what i'd like to do though, is have an auto update system for it. So each month, there would be a new version containing all the up to date landmarks, and the object would be offered automatically to the owner of the object, whether they picked it up from me, or were given it by anyone.
Is that possible? And more to the point, can you help me?
Suggestions
Im also looking for great suggestions for places the group can visit. THe kinds of things we like to do include:
- Sim openings
- Tech discussions / events
- Cool builds, old or new
- Sights of particular beauty or interest
- See examples here
You can email suggestions, or indeed news tips, stories or anything else at tips@metaversed.com -- that email goes to Caleb and I both, so is a good way to make sure you get one of us!
Thanks everyone.
I've developed a system like that some time ago.
Give me a shout in-world and I'll set up a server like this for you.
If I underestand - you want to build an object, which will have all the Things To Do(TTD) locations in it, and you plan to update it manually each time you have a TTD meeting..
Why would you need that Nick, with the new MetaHUD you can have all the landmarks from TTD events to be tagged and this way. So there is no need to update any object manually, it will do that automatically ( just tag each place with /8 "things to do" and if people will be pressing green hand while on the location - this tag will automatically go up).
All the landmarks are being saved on the Meta Mart servers, so there is no need to manually update locations each time and then update that object each month.
I really hope new MetaHUD will empower Things To Do meetings ( I hate teleporting when I have to find a landmark in my inventory - and metaHUD really solves that problem)
Hope you like the idea Nick...
Robbie Kiama, Meta Mart www.MetaverseMart.com
Well, we could also do that on gridmarker or sloog right?
I'd not do it on Metamart for the same reasons i'd not do it on other services Robbile: Because I want the object to be so simple to obtain, and use that even a 1 day old resident can find fun things to do, and because I want residents to be able to freely transfer the object to one another, so the idea of 'things to do' spreads, and grows -- I also dont want to tie it to a service which may not be around 6mts from now. (im sure that you will be, but i cant guarantee that right?).
See my point? Thanks for the offer though Robbie!
Kri, i'll definately contact you. Thanks!
Though it may be less hassle to start with to just ask ppl to join the group, then pass out the new object each month through the group...
If you're comfortable editing a web page, why not just pass out a HUD that checks the web page each time to see what location it should offer to send people to? I've got a free + all permissions one that does that. If you want to change textures, you can edit the script to display a certain UUID too.
http://www.slexchange.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=...
maybe a HUD could work? Im not sure. A simple object with "right click to open" in big friendly letters on it has to be easier right?
Im very comfortable editing a we page, but im not sure what you mean? Do you mean just posting each thing every day? cos i aleady do that..
I just reread, see what you mean :)
Well ideally i want the entire object, which will eventually have 100's of LM's in it to be offered to ppl whenever a new version is created -- like my mystitool does (hmm... i should talk to mysti..)
It seems the simplest/quickest solution for right now though is to ask ppl to join the group and pass out the object manually to the entire group each month no?
An easy-to-update HUD that lets me scroll landmarks has been on my todo list for a while. I'm tempted to introduce myself to the gridmarker guy.
He's got RSS feeds by tag, and the feed includes the date the site was tagged. So the job needs a HUD that only reads a particular tag, and orders the landmarks by date. Keeping in mind script memory constraints, maybe only have the last 50 landmarks accessable? Maybe add a button to pop their browser over to the webpage if they want the whole list.
With Sloog or Gridmarker you can't really do what you can with the new metaHUD - none of them have Graphical User Interface, which lists landmarks in an easy to understand way and there are many more features on the new HUD that are absolutely new to the industry( for example favorite lists, categories, most visited in 24h, etc..)
You mentioned new users - I guess there is no better way for new users to understand something new, than seeing it show in a graphical way ( I think iPhone does that really well) and our aim with metaHUD was that person who sees it for the first time - understands it instantly( or at least learning curve down to minimum)
And finally metaHUD has been developed for the end user with absolutely no prior experience, so using it to get "things to do" landmarks would be much easier than grabbing a box full of landmarks, then finding them in your inventory, then teleporting there ( IMHO most people are just not up for that )... Instead on metaHUD you can just get them from a 'Things To Do' category and TP there with a single click, all this without going to inventory each time ( which I find extremely discomforting)
All the Technology is already there
Robbie Kiama, Meta Mart www.MetaverseMart.com
Networked Notecard Giver Script
Not everybody likes to get HUDS and wear them; they are annoying and sometimes feel laggy (and actually *are* laggy too I'm told).
I use a script that is a notecard giver that can be automatically updated from a server in one location, and the clients you can put out on multiple sims so that you only make on update on one card in one location. So I have one server and dozens of clients on multiple sims.
The script was made by Static Sprocket when I commissioned it to him a year ago, frustrated with the monopoly that InfoNet in the infohubs had on this simple and useful function of networked notecard givers.
Later, I explained to Ordinal Malaprop the issue of not having feedback such as to deploy the notecard-givers better. She added the functionality of a report to email that tells you avatars and locations who picked up the cards. So now we can have networked, reporting notecard givers *just like the Lindens*.
Pay attention now: this is the only form of mass media in Second Life, other than the group IM, which requires invitation or joining of a group, or the Linden drop-down blue-screen. So it's primitive, but it's what we have for our media empires : )
This is a free, copyable script which I have, but which isn't an instant thing to give to you merely because it requires taking it out of objects, copying it, fixing it up in a new prim or clean script, etc. etc. and I won't be inworld until late tonight but IM me and we'll work it out.
A simple hud with an opt/in opt/out feature to tell a web server database (containing user names or keys) if they want to get pushed whatever info you give out (a monthly notecard?) might meet your needs and give people quick access to the information.
Thanks so much for all the adivice and offers of help everyone!
Right now im leaning toward the simplest solution: Manual monthly update, ask those that want updates to join the group and distribute it though a monthly update group notice. Though im intrigued by Prokofy's idea, and will of course IM!
Im all for simple. though im not discounting anything till iv'e looked at it properly. I got a bunch of help on twitter too!
thanks again
oh, and the new home for TTD is fab, eshi did a really neat job. just search for metaversed under places -- i cant get into sl to get a lm now..