Subject: Ongoing Abuse of Second Life Traffic Rankings – Request for Linden Lab Intervention | ✨ Feature Requests

Subject: Ongoing Abuse of Second Life Traffic Rankings – Request for Linden Lab Intervention

Bridget Hammill

Subject: Ongoing Abuse of Second Life Traffic Rankings – Request for Linden Lab Intervention
I am once again contacting Linden Lab regarding the ongoing manipulation of traffic rankings by clubs using bots and alternate accounts to artificially inflate their numbers.
This has become an increasingly frustrating situation for those of us who operate legitimate businesses in Second Life and work hard to attract actual visitors.
For well over a year, I have watched clubs such as Sweethearts engage in what appears to be deliberate traffic manipulation. Now, The Purring Place appears to be doing the same thing. Some clubs are so blatant about this practice that large numbers of avatars are parked on platforms above their venues for no apparent purpose other than generating traffic.
The consequences are very real. These inflated numbers push these establishments higher in search results while legitimate clubs, whose traffic comes from actual visitors, are pushed farther down. This creates an unfair competitive environment and undermines the credibility of Second Life's search system.
What troubles me just as much as the practice itself is the apparent lack of enforcement. I have submitted abuse reports repeatedly, yet the situation continues. I have reached the point where I no longer believe filing another in-world abuse report will accomplish anything.
I have invested years of my time, effort, and personal finances into building a successful venue in Second Life. I am not asking for special treatment or an advantage over anyone else. I am simply asking that all clubs be held to the same standards and that traffic rankings reflect genuine activity rather than artificially generated numbers.
Why should those who follow the rules be placed at a disadvantage while those who appear to manipulate the system continue to benefit?
I am asking Linden Lab to take this problem seriously, investigate these practices, and provide meaningful enforcement. At the very least, I would appreciate an explanation of what is being done to protect legitimate businesses from this type of manipulation.
I care deeply about Second Life and the community we have built here. That is precisely why I refuse to simply accept this as the way things are.
Thank you for your attention. I sincerely hope this concern will finally receive the consideration it deserves.
Bridget Hammill
Owner, Muddy's Music Café & Radio

4 hours ago

Constance Finchy

Scripted agents should not contribute to traffic! They aren't real! :D

Candi266 Resident

I agree with you 100% Bridget i am going on 13years as a club owner and is struggling badly, i go other places to see what they are doing to get the vips in and when i go there no one is in the club but 25 avatar in sky standing a platform. it is very disappointing to see this why i am doing my best to get more to attend. I have done contest but alts come in 3-4 at a time . I may not make it 14 years. i hope something happens

JW58 Resident

I fully support this effort to put an end to the grossly unfair practice of using bots to boost attendance rankings. Management at these clubs should be ashamed of themselves. Play fair, or don't play at all.

Immortalus Blessed

Bots are such an ugly representation of actual traffic. Some clubs genuinely work hard to bring in traffic and keep them. When bots are allowed to bring up traffic numbers it voids the efforts of legit clubs. If I'm searching for a club and go to an empty place because the numbers are high it's disappointing. This is misleading for the consumer.

Doug Delorean

I to am firmly against the use of bots to artificially inflate population numbers, traffic statistics, or the appearance of activity, whether in Second Life (SL) or on any other online platform.If Linden Lab wants Second Life's social venues to thrive, its traffic system needs to reflect actual human participation.

Doktur Shepherd

I agree with Bridget.
I operate venues in Second Life, and yes, I use bots. They perform legitimate functions, including hosting and helping manage the venues. I do not use them to inflate traffic numbers, nor do I want them counted as genuine visitors.
I have absolutely no objection to bots being used for legitimate purposes. But an automated avatar standing in a club for 24 hours is not the same as a real person visiting, socializing, dancing, and participating in the community.
Linden Lab already has rules against traffic manipulation. The problem is that those rules need to be enforced effectively.
Properly registered bots should never contribute to traffic rankings, and unregistered bots should not be allowed to bypass that exclusion. The same goes for alternate accounts deliberately parked somewhere to manipulate the numbers.
I would also like to see Linden Lab distinguish actual human visitors from automated avatars in its popularity indicators. A venue with 15 genuine visitors should not appear less popular than one with 40 parked avatars.
This isn't about banning bots or punishing clubs that use automation. It's about creating a level playing field.
Count people, not programs. Reward real communities, not artificially manufactured crowds.
If Linden Lab wants Second Life's social venues to thrive, its traffic system needs to reflect actual human participation.
Doktur Shepherd
Phat Cats

MorganKaine Resident

This kind of "getting ahead" never had been right and never will be. It's long past time that it should be abolished.

Dia Dufaux

The unfair practice of any club using bots and alts to artificially inflate their traffic, is under fair and linden labs should ban it. If linden labs are viewing these messages. Please reply with a response.

Life Suki

The problem of bots goes far beyond fake traffic and unfair rankings. It destroys trust and authenticity!!!.

Softail Silvercloud

I feel that the use of bots for anything in SL should be banned...its unfair to the everyday people that us SL. Here are a couple of the reasons that they shouldnt be allowed...
• Traffic Manipulation: Second Life uses "Traffic" as a metric to rank popular places in the search directory. When club owners use bots (often called "camping bots") to artificially inflate these numbers, they push smaller, organic venues lower in search results, making it difficult for genuine communities to be discovered.
• Contest and Voting Fraud: Many clubs and events host contests (like "Best in Casual Wear") with Linden Dollar (L$) prizes. Using bots to multi-vote or rig these contests drains resources from genuine creators and frustrates honest participants.
• Server Strain and Lag: Regions have strict avatar limits. When a venue is packed with script-heavy bots, it creates significant lag and can physically prevent actual human players from entering the region to enjoy the space.
Please Linden Labs rethink your use of these bots....I have lost because of someone using a bot to up their votes....it cost me the election...the numbers for club participation are not real anymore...they are padded...you go to a club that is on the top of the list and find no one there...yet they are number 1 or 2...Not fair to those of us that pay our dues in SL....
Softail

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