As a follow-up to my rant about my treatment at the hands or typing fingers of AnneJoy Paine (the owner / designer for "aDiva couture" in Second Life), an anonymous person pointed me to doing a Google search on her. Wowee! I found a number of references to AnneJoy as either an outright content thief or certainly, a blatant copier.
Both Nicky Ree and Blaze Columbia filed DMCA actions against AnneJoy. In Nicky Ree's case, Linden Lab forced the takedown of a number of outfits from the aDiva store. I don't know what happened with Blaze Columbia. Here are two linkies that compare the works.
Blaze Columbia vs. AnneJoy Paine
Nicky Ree vs. AnneJoy Paine
I wonder if her slavish minions know the history here? What makes it more interesting is that I own one of Blaze's gowns he says was copied, "Celestial" (and it's gorgeous), plus I'm pretty sure I have Nicky Ree's "Julia" dress somewhere in inventory.
DISCLAIMER - I'm not implying in any way that AnneJoy is engaged in any sort of copying now. I wouldn't know.
October 7, 2010
October 2, 2010
How not to treat a customer in Second Life
Warning -- this is a rant about something that happened to me in Second Life today.
I don't like writing blog posts like this because it can come across as petty sniping. However, I'm soooo annoyed with how I was treated by well-known designer, AnneJoy Paine (aDiva couture), that I had to say something.
First, to be clear, AnneJoy is a very good designer. I have bought several of her outfits AND even paid the $250L to belong to her group. I also blogged about one of her outfits that I won last year during Halloween (read Blood Red Bitch). So this is in no way any dissing of her design skills. Rather, it's how she treats a customer who dares to question her in any way.
Today, AnneJoy sent out a group gift -- a cute mini-dress with matching garter stockings called "Virtue & Vice". Here's the outfit as it comes from the box. As you can see, the stockings end well above the ankle. Normally, when I see garter belts and stockings, I think stilettos or pumps. Which made me wonder, hmm, how should you wear this?
Running through my inventory, I tried almost every boot imaginable. All the ankle boots were too short and showed the skin. All the calf boots just looked clunky.
So, being curious, I went into the aDiva couture Grou Chat and asked a simple question...here it is from my chat log:
Right when I said "forget it", AnneJoy kicked me out her group but chat continued to run and I picked up the one last snarky line from her. In between all of this were comments from group members varying from "you're wonderful Anne" to a couple that told Anne to lighten up. I also got two private IMs both saying they thought Anne had gone over the top and one saying I was wrong to criticize a freebie. However, when I told them I had been booted from the group, all expressed outrage. Remember, you have to pay $250L to belong to aDiva couture in the first place.
So here's the real issue. Does a pixel clothing designer really believe she is so good that she can never take a customer comment without acting like she's been personally insulted? Or is it insecurity? I have dealt with many designers and yes, I design clothes too. Virtually ALL of them treat customer comments as valuable feedback -- in fact I can't remember EVER having a response like this from any other creator. They either take the time to explain why they did something the way they did or the tell me it was a good idea or suggestion. But not AnneJoy. Sad because her designs are generally quite good.
Now as to the stockings, YES, you can connect the garter portion to the foot by using the underwear layer and the socks layers together. I've done it myself and I have several pairs of pixel pantyhose. :) Even if my design was a freebie, I think I would still make it versatile enough to allow for boots OR heels.
Oh and I finally found some boots in my inventory that looked "right" with the outfit so to be 100% fair, here's the end result. Pretty cute huh?
P.S. If you think I was wrong here, let me know. I welcome honest criticism. :)
Does "aDiva" mean arrogance or are you simply a Paine?
I don't like writing blog posts like this because it can come across as petty sniping. However, I'm soooo annoyed with how I was treated by well-known designer, AnneJoy Paine (aDiva couture), that I had to say something.
First, to be clear, AnneJoy is a very good designer. I have bought several of her outfits AND even paid the $250L to belong to her group. I also blogged about one of her outfits that I won last year during Halloween (read Blood Red Bitch). So this is in no way any dissing of her design skills. Rather, it's how she treats a customer who dares to question her in any way.
Running through my inventory, I tried almost every boot imaginable. All the ankle boots were too short and showed the skin. All the calf boots just looked clunky.
So, being curious, I went into the aDiva couture Grou Chat and asked a simple question...here it is from my chat log:
[2010/10/02 15:24] Snickers Snook: Hi the new group gift is yummy but the stockings end above the ankle. Any suggestions for how to wear them? The outfit doesn't look right with boots. ^_^A few suggestions popped up on boots which were fine when AnneJoy herself jumped into the conversation with a small wall of text about how boots would be great and that's what I should do. So then I said....
[2010/10/02 15:29] Snickers Snook: ahh well when I see garter stockings, I always think and feel heels ;)At this point, the conversation took a weird turn with Anne telling me I need to learn about the difficulties of SL and their "templates". Here's the rest of the chat log (for the record, I moved a couple of lines around that were chat delayed on my end).
[2010/10/02 15:30] AnneJoy Paine: and learn about the difficulties of sl and their templates ;)))
[2010/10/02 15:31] Snickers Snook: Well since a stocking layer wasn't included, you could combine the undie and stocking for one continuous set right?
[2010/10/02 15:30] AnneJoy Paine: ;)
[2010/10/02 15:30] AnneJoy Paine: i would suggest
[2010/10/02 15:30] AnneJoy Paine: then
[2010/10/02 15:31] AnneJoy Paine: and you can complain
[2010/10/02 15:31] AnneJoy Paine: as you prefer
[2010/10/02 15:31] AnneJoy Paine: yes
[2010/10/02 15:31] AnneJoy Paine: ;)
[2010/10/02 15:31] Snickers Snook: just a suggestion not a complaint Anne
[2010/10/02 15:31] AnneJoy Paine: ;)))
[2010/10/02 15:32] AnneJoy Paine: i thnk you should start design yourself
[2010/10/02 15:32] AnneJoy Paine: to make things like you want them
[2010/10/02 15:32] AnneJoy Paine: or pay for a gift
[2010/10/02 15:32] Snickers Snook: and I also blog about fashion
[2010/10/02 15:32] Snickers Snook: including your items now & then
[2010/10/02 15:32] Snickers Snook: but I will find something that looks cute in my inventory :)
[2010/10/02 15:32] Snickers Snook: and I've always been very favorable toward them
[2010/10/02 15:33] Snickers Snook: (And yes Anne, I have designed fashion items too)
[2010/10/02 15:33] AnneJoy Paine: i am pretty sure there are lots of designs which are better then mine ;) just try them
[2010/10/02 15:33] Snickers Snook: sigh
[2010/10/02 15:33] Snickers Snook: ok
[2010/10/02 15:33] Snickers Snook: I know when I've hit a sore spot here
[2010/10/02 15:34] AnneJoy Paine: ;)
[2010/10/02 15:36] Snickers Snook: For crying out loud, I made one little comment suggestion -- I've bought many aDiva items full price.
[2010/10/02 15:36] AnneJoy Paine: snickers
[2010/10/02 15:36] AnneJoy Paine: ;)
[2010/10/02 15:36] Snickers Snook: forget it
[2010/10/02 15:39] AnneJoy Paine: yes and save some space for upgrowing designers like Snickers ;)))
Kicked out of the aDiva couture group
Right when I said "forget it", AnneJoy kicked me out her group but chat continued to run and I picked up the one last snarky line from her. In between all of this were comments from group members varying from "you're wonderful Anne" to a couple that told Anne to lighten up. I also got two private IMs both saying they thought Anne had gone over the top and one saying I was wrong to criticize a freebie. However, when I told them I had been booted from the group, all expressed outrage. Remember, you have to pay $250L to belong to aDiva couture in the first place.
So here's the real issue. Does a pixel clothing designer really believe she is so good that she can never take a customer comment without acting like she's been personally insulted? Or is it insecurity? I have dealt with many designers and yes, I design clothes too. Virtually ALL of them treat customer comments as valuable feedback -- in fact I can't remember EVER having a response like this from any other creator. They either take the time to explain why they did something the way they did or the tell me it was a good idea or suggestion. But not AnneJoy. Sad because her designs are generally quite good. Now as to the stockings, YES, you can connect the garter portion to the foot by using the underwear layer and the socks layers together. I've done it myself and I have several pairs of pixel pantyhose. :) Even if my design was a freebie, I think I would still make it versatile enough to allow for boots OR heels.
Oh and I finally found some boots in my inventory that looked "right" with the outfit so to be 100% fair, here's the end result. Pretty cute huh?
P.S. If you think I was wrong here, let me know. I welcome honest criticism. :)
September 25, 2010
Transaction black hole at Second Life Marketplace
In the push to migrate everything out of XStreet SL to the Second Life Marketplace, some major problems have cropped up. One of the biggest is the lack of a clear trail between the customer's purchase, the delivery of the item and payment of the merchant.
A pJira has been opened on it. https://jira.secondlife.com/browse/WEB-2920.
The problem is all transactions go through an intermediary account - Marketplace Linden. It's similar to how the XStreet SL system worked but the reporting is not right. The transaction ID the customer gets is NOT the same as what happens when the merchant is paid. If you look through the Jira issue, Sassy Romano has done a great job of showing where things get lost.
I know the Linden Lab programmers are working long and hard on SL Marketplace but seriously, it looks to me like the migration has been pushed too fast too soon. While I had the occasional delivery glitches with XStreet SL, I could solve them fairly easily because there was a clear trail between the transaction as reported via email and the Magic box delivery. Now it's sort of all muddled together.
Several merchants are reporting not even seeing the money going into their accounts -- which is very disturbing.
LL, you have to fix this before shutting off XStreet.
A pJira has been opened on it. https://jira.secondlife.com/browse/WEB-2920.
The problem is all transactions go through an intermediary account - Marketplace Linden. It's similar to how the XStreet SL system worked but the reporting is not right. The transaction ID the customer gets is NOT the same as what happens when the merchant is paid. If you look through the Jira issue, Sassy Romano has done a great job of showing where things get lost.
I know the Linden Lab programmers are working long and hard on SL Marketplace but seriously, it looks to me like the migration has been pushed too fast too soon. While I had the occasional delivery glitches with XStreet SL, I could solve them fairly easily because there was a clear trail between the transaction as reported via email and the Magic box delivery. Now it's sort of all muddled together.
Several merchants are reporting not even seeing the money going into their accounts -- which is very disturbing.
LL, you have to fix this before shutting off XStreet.
September 18, 2010
Early Adopters of Facebook
I just got these from a friend (thanks Ben) and they have to be the funniest things I've read in weeks! I don't know who did these originally but kudos to them!
September 10, 2010
New release from Inga Wind - Connie
A sort of 1920's can-can look meets gypsy girl! Whatever you call it, c'est très jolie and it shows once again that Inga really has her design-style firmly on the girly-girl side of fashion.
As far as fitting goes, I had to adjust both the prim skirt (make it a big bigger for my butt) and move the ruffles up. Both simple to do and no stress. As always with Inga's outfits, the textures match perfectly and the blend from system to prims is almost seamless.
NOTE: If you join Inga's inworld group, Connie is yours for $300. Otherwise, it's $450. Outfit comes with matching shoes and the belt is built into the prim skirt. Hair orchid and choker are my own accessories.
NOTE: If you join Inga's inworld group, Connie is yours for $300. Otherwise, it's $450. Outfit comes with matching shoes and the belt is built into the prim skirt. Hair orchid and choker are my own accessories.
September 7, 2010
Emerald Viewer to be blocked from Second Life
As of Wednesday, September 8, 10:00 am, all versions of the Emerald Viewer will be blocked from accessing Second Life. This includes the last release. Read Joe Linden's blog post about it. Anyone logging in to SL or with a valid email contact should have also received direct notice from Linden Lab about the change.
This is truly sad in many respects because Emerald held such promise and was, for a long time, my viewer of choice for building, creating and ♥ playing ♥ in Second Life. However, it does show the limitations of open source projects especially when they are tied to people with shady records in Second Life.
Other options are Imprudence (which I'm using) or Kirstens Viewer (which I like and KirstenLee is awesomeness). If you want the last version of Emerald itself compiled from "known trusted sources" by LordGregGreg Back, the go here.
If you use an official viewer, I'd lean toward Snowglobe or maybe the old SL version 1.23 viewer. While Viewer 2.1 has greatly improved texture loading speed over the old lines, the UI is just so arcane and difficult, it may well lead to short-term insanity. If you feel like being on the bleeding edge, then you can play with Project Snowstorm AKA the Development Viewer which is also available from the SL main viewer download page.
That is all -- back to your regularly scheduled viewer drama my dahlings!
This is truly sad in many respects because Emerald held such promise and was, for a long time, my viewer of choice for building, creating and ♥ playing ♥ in Second Life. However, it does show the limitations of open source projects especially when they are tied to people with shady records in Second Life.
Options
If you must have an Emerald clone going forward, then the Phoenix Viewer (http://phoenixviewer.com/) might be a good option. The development team, composed of some Emerald folks with some new members, has promised complete transparency. This is not a guarantee of a drama-less future however. The team is large and the Emerald project has always been very ambitious. So who knows?Other options are Imprudence (which I'm using) or Kirstens Viewer (which I like and KirstenLee is awesomeness). If you want the last version of Emerald itself compiled from "known trusted sources" by LordGregGreg Back, the go here.
If you use an official viewer, I'd lean toward Snowglobe or maybe the old SL version 1.23 viewer. While Viewer 2.1 has greatly improved texture loading speed over the old lines, the UI is just so arcane and difficult, it may well lead to short-term insanity. If you feel like being on the bleeding edge, then you can play with Project Snowstorm AKA the Development Viewer which is also available from the SL main viewer download page.
That is all -- back to your regularly scheduled viewer drama my dahlings!
September 3, 2010
Second Life viewer drama
I think I'm about to go crazy with viewer madness. Can anything be more strange than all the drama unfolding with Emerald? Seriously, I leave SL for a few weeks and return to a warning from Linden Lab about Emerald being non-compliant. WTH??
Running off to the official Emerald website, I found a new version available for download. WTH again! Then I traipse over to the Modular Systems blog, where I found Arabella Steadham's somewhat overwrought poetic note as an end to Emerald (http://blog.modularsystems.sl/2010/09/01/the-end/). Eek.
Then I came across a notecard from one of the groups I belong to in SL which was a quote from Jessica Lyon's final good-byes with her saga about being locked out of the developer site and so on. Uggghh!
I had actually heard rumblings about problems with the Emerald team a few months back so, being a cautious kitty, I installed Imprudence and started playing with it. I dearly missed some of Emerald's features but when push comes to shove, I really do NOT want to risk my password or other nonsense to an untrusted team. Plus, if even half the stories about one of the Emerald devs logging IP info were true, well, you get the picture. :(
Now the latest just came in from another group notice that Jessica is reforming the development team under the name Phoenix! Woohoo! Added drama! Read here!
At least I know one of the names on the Phoenix developer list -- Kitty Barnett. She seems like a good sort. And Lord Greg Greg has promised (really, really) that his days of griefiing are behind him.
OK, so what should a Snickitty do? Like most of you, I think I'll just wait and see. If things work out, so be it. If not, I sure hope Viewer 2 gets its act together because trust is sadly lacking on many fronts. Right now I'm sticking to Imprudence.
UPDATE: OK, please tell me. Why does Jessica Lyon list her name variously as Jessicai Lyon, Jessica Lyon and Jessica Lyons depending on which site you're viewing. On the Phoenix site, she is Jessicai. On the Emerald site she was Jessica Lyons and Lyon. Color her confused? And me too?
Running off to the official Emerald website, I found a new version available for download. WTH again! Then I traipse over to the Modular Systems blog, where I found Arabella Steadham's somewhat overwrought poetic note as an end to Emerald (http://blog.modularsystems.sl/2010/09/01/the-end/). Eek.
Then I came across a notecard from one of the groups I belong to in SL which was a quote from Jessica Lyon's final good-byes with her saga about being locked out of the developer site and so on. Uggghh!
I had actually heard rumblings about problems with the Emerald team a few months back so, being a cautious kitty, I installed Imprudence and started playing with it. I dearly missed some of Emerald's features but when push comes to shove, I really do NOT want to risk my password or other nonsense to an untrusted team. Plus, if even half the stories about one of the Emerald devs logging IP info were true, well, you get the picture. :(
Now the latest just came in from another group notice that Jessica is reforming the development team under the name Phoenix! Woohoo! Added drama! Read here!
At least I know one of the names on the Phoenix developer list -- Kitty Barnett. She seems like a good sort. And Lord Greg Greg has promised (really, really) that his days of griefiing are behind him.
OK, so what should a Snickitty do? Like most of you, I think I'll just wait and see. If things work out, so be it. If not, I sure hope Viewer 2 gets its act together because trust is sadly lacking on many fronts. Right now I'm sticking to Imprudence.
UPDATE: OK, please tell me. Why does Jessica Lyon list her name variously as Jessicai Lyon, Jessica Lyon and Jessica Lyons depending on which site you're viewing. On the Phoenix site, she is Jessicai. On the Emerald site she was Jessica Lyons and Lyon. Color her confused? And me too?
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