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Q & A with LadyBunny...
Creating a Popular Community World
Now that the Atmosphere Player has been officially released there will be more users than ever looking to build special interest worlds as gathering places for like minded people. So, to help builders in their quest to make their world popular among users, we thought we would ask LadyBunny, our premiere Atmo socialite and trivia hostess to share her thoughts with us on the subject.
AtmoWire: Prior to finding Atmosphere you were a regular user of Active Worlds and have also looked at a number of other online 3D programs. Comparatively, what do you see as Atmosphere's strengths and weaknesses?
LadyBunny: The most strength Atmosphere has, is the willingness of the Adobe Atmosphere programmers to take an active part in the past two years with the beta testers. You just don't see that in most 3d programs. They were always there listening and actually using ideas the beta testers had. So in a way, many people contributed to this program other than the Adobe team. If you were a beta tester you felt this was as much your baby as theirs.
Another strength is once you buy the builder and create your websites and worlds, the 3d chat becomes the community in which it is designed for. The free player, unlimited creative freedom and using your own server to host the worlds are excellent. A huge strength has been the willingness of many who gave so much help in the forums and websites geared to Atmosphere by the sharing of tutorials, objects and avatars freely given, the link sites to other Atmosphere users, and tips.
The weakness I see compared to other 3d chat programs are worlds cloning and stats page problems. The biggest weakness lies within the search engines. When you type in 3d chat or 3d worlds, Adobe Atmosphere should come up as the #1 site.
AtmoWire: What are some of the top issues a builder should consider when creating a social, community oriented world?
LadyBunny: For first time users of any new program such as a 3d chat, they should enter the world and have some sort of simple explanation as to how to use to the browser. An example of this was in Homeworld. When you landed you saw a sign that explained what you needed to do as a user. The "landing spot" should be attractive and pleasing to the eye, not busy. Depending on the world, offer an assortment of avatars, after all this is 3d world. They want to see the world and to be an avatar.
Make the landing world smaller, then teleports to other areas or worlds are good. Use of space depends on the download the user has to load, if its too big it is not attractive. Get them hooked then show off your better builds by using the portals to other worlds. A good example of this was the first Homeworld. Music or anything exciting is good to make the new user say WOW!
"...a little bit of Southern Hospitality.
You have to get them there, be nice,
then keep them coming back."
AtmoWire: What sort of events/activities help attract people to the world?
LadyBunny: That would depend on the website. An art site for example should attract people only if upon entering it hooks them by what they first see. First impressions are a must in a 3d world. Any event taking place in the world should be easily found on search pages.
If you were searching for tools and a 3d world pops up in search sites, you better have some cool tools when they land there or you will lose them. So content in the world will attract people as well as the event itself.
AtmoWire: What are some big mistakes you have seen people make in the past that have caused people to stop visiting a world.
LadyBunny: One big mistake is lack of information, lack of excitement and lack of content. I have seen huge worlds that were exciting only to be empty because there are just so many cute houses and buildings and streets you can look at. One room worlds can be as exciting as a huge world with hundreds of objects if the content is pleasing to the viewer. If you can get the new user involved in the world that's another strong point.
In Atmosphere the content of the website you have the world embedded in is going to be a huge factor to get people inside your creation. Placing a live person or info content is very helpful to the new user. People tend to not like rules, so rules on behavior etc were one of the factors that hurt a lot of worlds I have seen. Depending on the content and rating etc, you can decide how that is used in your world. I call a landing spot a little bit of Southern Hospitality. You have to get them there, be nice, then keep them coming back.
AtmoWire: What types of worlds have been most successful at attracting crowds and why? Do people seem to prefer places that have certain elements of reality to them, or are somewhat surreal worlds just as popular?
LadyBunny: Worlds with a theme are very successful. Worlds with active chat are very popular in 3d chat. An empty world is nice to see but to be able to chat with the creator or other users is a success. In active 3d chats, people tend to gather in worlds like bars and pubs for casual chat or in specified worlds such as teen world, over 20 world, over 30 world, etc much like any chat program. Special occasion worlds such as a Christmas, Birthday, Wedding, etc, have been successful also, and yearly events and projects are attended by many in the 3d communities such as Consortium Conferences Avatars 96 thru present. http://www.ccon.org/events/
AtmoWire: After a world is complete, what can a builder do to encourage regular visitors? Any advise on how to attract people who may be unfamiliar with atmo but share the same interests as others who frequent their world?
LadyBunny: An Atmo world embedded on an active site with user friendly help (remember not all of us are programmers and web designers) should draw visitors. Join web rings and send in your sites to every 3d chat online discussion group you can find. There are plenty of ways to draw a crowd.
Keeping them in your world depends on the excitement and content. Most people that are unfamiliar with a 3d chat find it exciting and then ask, what else is there to do? Make sure you have something else for them to do whether it be portals to other worlds, content in world so exciting they want to come back, or a nice sky to sit and look at and think, wow I love this 3d world! Once hooked they will always want more. You have to provide them with more in the form of more worlds links or even advice on how they could make a world. Many become so excited they want to learn to build also.
AtmoWire: It is often said about real life gatherings that a party is only as good as its guests. Do you have any suggestions for promoting good guest etiquette, and dealing with unpleasant visitors (trolls)?
LadyBunny: Chat moderators are well known in other 3d chats. Some are good, some are bad. It has been my experience that in worlds with no moderation the thrill to empress with bad chat is often lost fast. Depending on the content of the world I would say that is up to the creator. As in any new experience a new user will have a lot of questions, and with the proper signs or help they will feel comfortable upon entering your world. The whole idea of making these worlds on these sites is to draw people there, be careful how you treat them, they are your guest as in your house, you make them feel unwelcome they won't be back.
AtmoWire: Any other advise or comments you would like to share?
LadyBunny: I hope each world made by all the beta testers over the last two years will continue to excite and thrill new users and draw many new 3d users into this very special community of 3d artist and designers for the web. I remember the first 3d chat and the very first person who spoke to me in that chat. That was a lasting impression. The first build I ever made was one of the most exciting things I had ever created. The first texture I ever made was my first original piece of art , the first backdrop I made was really exciting and the first avatar I made was sorta sad to look at but it was mine :) 3d has come a long ways over the last few years and I hope it continues to grow.
LadyBunny's website can be found at http://www.lb.thelightfoots.org/lb/atmosphere/forumlounge3dchat.html
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