User:Robin Linden/OH Summary 21 August 2007

21 August Office Hours Minutes 11:00A - 12:00P PDT Ambleside (110, 6, 26)

Attendees: Aargle Zymurgy Akasha Voom Astarte Artaud Ciarin Laval Darla Catteneo Dnate Mars Dimitrio Lewis Jessica Holyoke Laetizia Coronet Lamorna Proctor Moonshadow Blackadder Robin Linden Tao Takashi

1) Robin updates the group on search and advertising within search LL is making great progress on updating the search functionality in SL. A question has come up around how classified ads work within the context of an “all” search.

Looking for feedback from residents on several points:

a) You will still be able to look at the classifieds separately, but you might also choose

    to search “all”.  If so, then what would residents expect to see regarding paid
    classifieds?
         “I can see where this is coming from – would you exclude premium members
          from ads like for example Network54?”
         “You’ll cripple the classified market if you separate them.”

b) How would you feel about seeing ads in search which are for non-SL items?

    (Essentially if RL things are found with SL things.)
	“do it like Google and have them in a separate space”
         “SL is meant for SL for me”
         “I am not sure about the RL stuff”
         “makes no sense to me, especially if you’d leave SL then to look at them”
         “but beside the UI issues I think it would make no sense for me”
         “…will be looked at like LL selling out to the corporations again”

c) If you searched for shoes, on the left you’d get everything in SL that’s related to

     shoes.
         “Is there room on the screen to fit everything neatly?”

It generally seems that residents are more concerned about RL ads ads showing up at all than about how classified ads get treated.

2) Robin asks if anyone would object to having their SLURLs turning up in Google searches, and if residents would pay (Google, not LL) for that? A variety of comments follow that range from pro to con, and a request that the Google accept L$. Residents generally like the idea of Google being in SL. Might generate new business.

3) Robin asks if using top picks is a good way to give search returns priority. (Things that show up in profile picks get ranked higher in search returns…) There will likely be several factors in deciding search return priority.

4) Other comments: would like less expensive classifieds--maybe SL yellow pages?; maybe white pages for resident search, by profession, etc.

5) Next week: let’s make a list of all the cool, small features we’d love to see (in search) We can make a list of things that aren’t in the UI, and Robin can give it to Ben.

6) Suggested topics for next week: currency exchange, client to support joystick movement