A gripe with the VMK

[Danaans]

I have one issue about VMK and that is the “boot” practice. I know there is a reason for it, (I read the small blurb in the help menu) but I question the integrity (or lack of it) in the people using it. In the VMK there are a lot of kids, and a lot of teenagers, and lately I have seen and talked to a lot of them, younger as well as older -- who were booted by other players, just out of meanness or spite. I did manage to contact a moderator on this subject and was told that the private rooms are private and the individual has the right to boot people. The moderator told me that the children then should pick and choose and avoid these people. Well I have problem with that. If the person doesn’t want people to visit -- then they should not have a public room. Maybe I’m just being a parent, or maybe I’m just defending the underdog, but I don’t understand the whole reasoning behind having a boot feature.

 

[PrincessDonnaT]

Well I don't agree with booting a person for no reason as long as that person behaves and is not rude to the other ppl in the room...
For example one time I had a few friends in my room just chatting about things and this player comes in and for no reason calls one of my friends a "beach" and then proceeds to ask me to take off my "close".
I would say in that instance the boot was a handy tool.

 

[NJ Mike]

person 1 -Anyone have magic for trade?

person 2 -sorry this is not a trade room, it says that in the room description.

person 1 -i know but i want magic

person 2 -sorry dude, not trading, nobody here is. This is just a room for friends to hang out, and maybe make a few new ones.

person 1 -you are mean, give me your magic

person 2 -no, sorry, please try a trade room, you will have better luck there

person 1 -no i want magic
(walks over to another person) are you trading magic?

person 2 -sorry but you were told this is not a trade room

person 1 -Well i will just wait for somebody to come in who has magic to trade


3-2-1===================> BOOT

yeah, it kind of goes like that. Show of hands from those who have had the same or similar situations? Shouldnt have to make my room private. Everyone is welcome, as long as they can behave, and/or at least read, and/or can take a hint if they couldnt read.

so yes, the boot feature has a place in vmk, and can be useful.

 

[ekmdisney]

Had to use it to, for that very reason. I was in one of my storage rooms, and this guy comes in saying that if I gave him my 3 star fireworks magic he would be my boyfriend....BOOT!

 

[Adventuredaz]

You didn't take that offer?

 

[ekmdisney]

Nope, sure didn't. And he couldn't understand why I didn't want to do the trade. I mean come on...he wuz poor! He had to have it! He wuz poor!

 

[DementedRiku]

The boot button seems like a win-win situation. You can boot people that are being rude or DISrepectful, or if somebody has the ignorance to boot you for fun....you know never to go in that room or speak to that person again. The boot weeds out the annoying and....lol....poor people surrounding VMK!

 

[Danaans]

I can understand that if someone is rude or annoying, they should be shown the door; I do just not understand why the power lies in the individual. If the person has a right to bounce people, then why have the alert button or moderators -- to call for help. Just handle it yourself. Case in point I have been booted myself for asking a question of a person in the room. "Hi your room is nice." Apparently I didn't fit in. And was booted, by the room owner (who incidentally, right after this incident happened -- disappeared, along with the rooms) I also have talked to others who tell me that there is indeed some dark sides to this game.(Gee -- like real life) I myself have been asked all kinds of annoying things...such as "are you taken?" "Trade with me" all kinds of nonsense while I was wondering around. And I didn’t boot them, I ignored them. While Booting people in the VMK may work, I am wondering if it’s not fostering cruelty or meanness in some individuals.

 

[DementedRiku]

One thing is VMK staff have limited amount of people on at one time. If staff were the "booters" of the game they would be constantly getting calls saying "This guy wants to be my boyfriend! And is sitting in MY aladdin chair!"

People do indeed abuse the boot button. How does that affect us? Are we all going to sign up for psychiatry because one virtual kid booted us from a room? I might!

VMK is NOTHING like real life and that's why it affects me none. There will always be annoying things allowed but we must take the high road and be a good role-model for other players! Nuff said...

 

[Chedstro]

Ok, here is my take on the "boot" feature, for what it's worth. I have a personal policy of not booting unless there is a flagrant violation of vmk values. I have tried "report" and been told just to "ignore." So, I use "boot" to get rid of truly annoying people who have chosen to ignore repeated requests to stop what they are doing.

The exception, in my case, is if my room is full and there are Dis people on my friends list waiting to get in. In that case, I will boot strangers and sometimes clones. It is simply a matter of personal choice.

 

[Roxane]

I have a teleporter race that I run sometimes. If the room fills up, I have to boot people in the door so the players can teleport back in. I hate to do it, but when I would ask people to leave, I got rude kids saying they didn't have to.

 

[lovethattink]

I was trying to play haunted mansion with a few of my friends yesterday. We had been in a guest room and already decided who was going to be on which team. We were playing boys against girls. We got a game started, then we started to dc like flies. The starter of our game nicely notified other people in the lobby to join the other game that we had already picked teams and he would boot, but people kept joining and he kept booting until we were ready to start. That could be difficult for a little one to understand, but it is really nice to play a game of haunted mansion with a bunch of friends.

 

[Switchfootrules]

I know booting people is rude but if the person comes in and is bothering other people like saying " Will you go out with me?" or " trade me trade me trade me now!" You just ignore them but when the person the annoyer is annoying says BOOT HER!!!!! you gotta do what you gotta do. I mean you would rather loose the annoying people than loose the non annoying person. Am I right?

 

[charliez]

My main problem is with people who boot without warning or cause, such as the following:

1) Going into someone's room (with game or not) and being told "pay or boot".
2) Booting someone from a room without *asking* them first to leave or desist from unwelcome behavior.
3) Booting from a Pirates or HM game without so much as a sorry or explanation. (This goes back to sandbox days - when another kid wants to play with you, be nice even if you don't want to play.)

On the flip side, however, I was very proud of my DD this weekend when we were online together (she on one computer and I on another with other DD) when someone followed her into her room and then started saying mean things to her. She asked the person not to follow her, which they denied doing (how else did they explain being there?), and then asked them not to be mean. The person had earlier sent a friend request, but when they continued saying mean things, my DD booted them and removed them from her friend list.

 

[Danaans]

My main problem is with people who boot without warning or cause, such as the following:

1) Going into someone's room (with game or not) and being told "pay or boot".
2) Booting someone from a room without *asking* them first to leave or desist from unwelcome behavior.
3) Booting from a Pirates or HM game without so much as a sorry or explanation. (This goes back to sandbox days - when another kid wants to play with you, be nice even if you don't want to play.)

On the flip side, however, I was very proud of my DD this weekend when we were online together (she on one computer and I on another with other DD) when someone followed her into her room and then started saying mean things to her. She asked the person not to follow her, which they denied doing (how else did they explain being there?), and then asked them not to be mean. The person had earlier sent a friend request, but when they continued saying mean things, my DD booted them and removed them from her friend list.

My problem exactly. No notice --no reason -- no explaination. While this boot feature may help alot of people get rid of the annoying ones, I'm sure it gets abused -- more than used.

::k I'm off my soapbox:::

 

[VirtuallyMe]

I've seen the boot used for good and evil.

Sometimes you do go into a room and are booted quickly and it seems for no reason- but it could be that the person is trying to run a game, private event etc- and just hadn't changed the room description- or in the case of several of my non-dis friends that have gotten booted in dis rooms- the description of the room never showed because they entered the room using the friend's list- so had no idea it was private function

I have been in rooms where people are getting booted left and right- and it was necessary- you should have seen trying to do the Amazing Race that stated in the description that it was just for certain things- and random people kept coming in- people explained over and over again that there wasn't anything that they could do and that they needed to leave lol but didn't -so boot- then after a while you just start looking at names and if they don't say dis or whatever they get booted on the way in because otherwise you or explaining same thing over and over

I've also seen some rooms with lots of talk going on- where the reason for the boot is explained before but usually the person may not see because so many are talking at once and so fast that the information just scrolls up and it is hard to follow.

I like the boot function- for the reason many have mentioned- those annoying people who just won't take no for an answer or the ones who come in and do mean or just plain odd things in your room that really spoils fun for others.

I have also seen when there are so many people coming in that the poor person who gets booted is booted by accident- and the owner- is going "oops- I feel bad" etc...

The only time that I have ever gotten angry was when my own dh booted me from his room because I said something he didn't like- lol- nothing agains VMK values- he and I just don't agree on somethings- he had no idea that the boot would not allow me back in right away- I was on AIM with one person in the room- who was like "did he just boot you?" I said yes and I am now in my room- soon my room filled up and I made dh sit in the corner lol...