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April Fool!

Indeed! As a member of her group, I received a package, a sample from her new bling line by Eolande Elvehjem from Eolande’s, so curious I tried it on and thought the bling was too strong. Wrote her a comment then read the note which says it is from her new gangsta bling line, so wrote her a note again and apologised, since you know gangsta bling should be super bling. I did however had some doubts as to why suddenly she was creating a line of gangsta bling since like I posted some time ago, I thought her jewelry line to be subdued elegance which is a great thing. I swear I did not see anything else in the notecard. Checked my email and she replied in a friendly way as follows…

[15:23] Eolande Elvehjem: LOL hi Funn- did you read the bottom of the notecard?  *wink*
[15:27] Eolande Elvehjem: (the whole thing was an April fools’ joke)

Oh my, she got me big time. Very red faced but I did like the necklace without the bling. Must send her a note saying thanks and she got me. I wonder was she the only one playing the joke? Must re-read the notecard and shall examine my eyesight!

By the way my post below, the one wher I got kicked out from the Fabulously Free In SL group and land is no April Fool. That’s real and is no laughing matter.

 

All because of moles…

I haven’t log into SL yet but I checked my email and I got the following message …

 

[10:49] Cherlindrea Lamont: After 7 designers complaints and over 20 complaints from freebie hunters in the group, I am left with no choice but to remove you from the group.
[10:49] Cherlindrea Lamont: You have been ejected from ‘Fabulously Free in SL’ by Cherlindrea Lamont.

This is the response to my post here which is a response to my few lines of comments which was hardly harsh in any way in SL via the group. And since I have been ejected I suppose I don’t need to be as polite anymore. First thing first I have nothing against the skin I mentioned, I did mention I like it but found there were 2 moles too many. Essentially that was my comments and I got very upset with the replies so I wrote my post below and got even more upset by the insinuation it carried. Now with this ejection from the group and the land (they have a HQ in SL) I can only say feign your appreciation (if any) and make sure you do it very well because one wrong step, one wrong comment that they do not like which I feel is hardly a criticism that merits such a harsh response, you will be out. And since I am not appreciated and being called not appreciative of the designers’ efforts which is pure nonsense, I will not comment any further than the following. I can’t believe I got kicked out for what I said about moles and I did not even touch on the quality which I am not disputing. An innocent statement  accused of almost a slander, I can only hang my head in shame not for myself but for those who can’t take criticism. I have seen worse and I  have been accused worse during my reviews writing days, with a whole article questioning my integrity and what not but banning someone for a harmless remark takes the cake. As I have stated when I started point2e I will not delete any post against me no matter how harsh and no matter how rude or how pointless, nor will I ban anyone. So here it is, in full glory for you to read. I am really not bothered anymore with what you make of it not because I really don’t care, but because I am really hurt by this one simple gesture. Now I am not just labelled a victim, I can really say I am now a pariah. It is their group, it is their land so I have no right to question their decision but I can and will lament my predicament. And yes, this is the victim me speaking.

Freebie Ettiquette

Recently I bought a $1L skin from Style Your Destiny after reading this post at Fabulously Free In SL. I really liked it, in fact I thought it was great except for the 3 or 4 moles on the face which I thought was a bit too much. So rather innocently I commented on this in the Fabulously Free In SL Group chat and of course the response was defensive of the product, they liked the mole and so on and so forth. Fine. Then one person, Laynie Link or Laynie something wrote back and reminded me about the Freebie ettiquette that can be found in Fabulously Free In SL blog. Now I have read that in passing, I agree with it in principle. Designers are of course not obligated to give free or dollarbies out and so being the one downloading the stuff, I must of course be content and happy with what I got. Some who didn’t like it gave really cruel and childish remarks, some went as far as standing in front of the shop and airing their dissatisfaction. My comment was made innocently but what Laynie brought up struck a nerve in me. More so when I say designers may be giving out freebies to check out market response and designers create products to cater for the market, which is simple economics. But Laynie shot back with who says they cater for the market, and that got me big time. I was writing my reply when my Second Life viewer froze and yanked me out. When I logged back in, I calmed down. Why I should even bother to argue with someone as clueless as that girl/guy/whatever is as mysterious to me as to why I even bother to comment in the first place. She did say we should be grateful for what we got, shouldn’t complain, reciting the mantra from that list of ettiquettes. I checked it again and yes, they’re all there.

 It is merely a guideline. It is not the rule of law. I was kind in my comment, I just said 2 moles too many, which is a sincere feedback to the designer and not some useless pointless crticism meant only to incite, not to encourage. Which is really stupid for the response I got. So it was said if you don’t like it, don’t wear it. So I shot back which is what I am doing exactly!

If you’re a designer and you’re reading this, do you prefer someone to just take your product at face value and use it with no comments? If you like it, of course you must send an IM to the designer and say thanks and why you like it. If you don’t, shouldn’t you have the same right to comment on it in a constructive way? Aren’t designers catering for the market would wish to hear feedback or are these designers so arrogant that they think they set the market and not value opinion? Where is thick skin when you want it?

I was appalled at the idea that I am a beggar. That I should be grateful, take it, shut up and move on. That is not the point of giving a freebie. For me, taking a freebie give me an opportunity to evaluate a product and often time I would buy other colours, other stuff. For others maybe it is their reward for begging I suppose. I am a staunch believer that even if it is a freebie it must be a good freebie, something that represents the quality of your products. Some freebies are just so badly made, it is like a discarded item that the designer just thought to give them free, again to the eager crowd who doesn’t buy, but expects everything free. I don’t like demos either so I appreciate an all out freebie but never take your potential customers for granted. When they wear your freebie, it is free promotion. Like the beautiful free dress from Ivalde. Amazing texture, beautiful design, and I found myself with many others in the same place wearing the same dress, with someone immediately said that was Ivalde. So we are giving them free advertisement.

Funnily enough it is not the designers who are complaining but the freebie hunters who have never paid a single Linden and expect free. For hunters like these of course beggars can’t be choosers. But for individuals like myself and I am sure the creators of the Fabulously Free In SL blog, it is more like a promotion for up and coming designers or an occasional treat for fans of certain high end products. Comments when made sincerely, politely and with reason must be accepted. I cannot agree that just because it is free I must take it at face value and I am sure that is not the designers’ intention too.

Moreover, I paid $1L for it. It is almost free, and I stress the keyword ALMOST so really in the end I did pay money for it. So it is not really free. And even if it is free, an opinion is still a good opinion unless it is made maliciously.

And commenting on 2 moles too many on a face is not made maliciously.

It’s really really hard …

It’s true. My drawing sucks big time, it sucks so much I just don’t feel like humiliating myself by posting a copy here. I have tried and knew how to do it but the design that I originally scanned and posted in here just didn’t work. Then I found so many beautiful wedding gown designs and I felt rather… useless. One bloody simple wedding gown and I still can’t get the top right. Utterly useless. I hope to get a basic done so that I can post a nice on here, to encourage myself. It is just so bloody difficult to draw a straight line and I haven’t even reached the shading and stuff. My aspiration as a SL designer is doomed.