Who owns auction times?

[Arwen Swordthain]

Ownership of auction time slots has always been a contentious issue, there will always be people that think the auctioneers should own them and others that say the sims do, but in reality as Tad said, no one actually "owns" a time, the auctioneers & sim owners work together for the most part to ensure good auction coverage for all time zones with minimal overlap and in my opinion thats how it should be. A community working together to ensure everyone gets the best possible results.
From what I have seen over the years most issues arise when an auctioneer takes a break and after a few weeks its noticed that the time slot has no auction so someone else moves into it, then the first auctioneer decides to return and is upset that their slot has been "stolen". Of course this is where communication is key, anyone looking to auction should be sure to cat to other auctioneers and sim owners and if they are looking at a recently vacated slot just check it really is free with the previous auctioneer to use it. Of course saying I'll be back in 3 months is no guarantee that a new person won't go ahead anyway but as with anything keeping the lines of communicattion open is always the best way to resolve isuues, along with keeping any conflicts between those involved and not opening it up to everyone on the forum. For the record I'm not refering to this thread with that comment. A thread like this seeking a general clarification is part of the conversation and therefore valuable.

In response to Minx's comments about why people don't attend auctions I'd like to say that for information purposes a thread might be helpful. I used to attend a lot more auctions than I currently do and stopped for several reasons, some RL related, some SL related and none actually related to the auctioneers themselves. It could be helpful for auctioneers and sim owners alike to be aware of why people don't go, reasons are many and varied from spam to lag to annoying local chat during auctions to just simply not having time.

[Kikii Littlepaws]

In a dispute over an auction time slot, whether it is between auctioneer and sim, or auctioneer and auctioneer, the bottom line is, the one who "owns" the time is the one who keeps the patrons. It doesn't really matter who started first, or if the auctioneer brought the time slot to the sim, it doesn't matter if one auctioneer gave up the slot for a month, a year - all that matters is where loyalties lie. Even patrons who consider both friends will wind up choosing one over the other.

Truth is, while no one "owns" time, the auction "belongs" to the patrons - since it's they who make it or break it. "Fairness", "consideration", "compromise", "respect" and even a belief that we are meant to be a *community* - these things don't *really* factor in. The auctioneer who keeps the patrons wins, and is therefore "awarded" the time slot by community "vote" so to speak.

It's a hard, cold realization to have to come to, if you happen to be the "loser".

[Mirsoul Resident]

Having been around auctions for quite some time...as long as I can remember the slot moved with the auctioneer. If for what ever reason the auctioneer was not happy at a sim, they would simply move to another. If the auctioneer quit or left auctioning then the spot was up for grabs. There has also always been an unspoken agreement among auctioneers that there would be no overlapping of auctions, however I do realize this is probably "old guard" stuff and to some it may not matter. But with all the auctions, is there really even a reason to overlap them?

There will always be competition between sims, which can at times create it's own form of drama. There is also competition between breeders, buyers and yes even auctioneers; it is inevitable and will always be a part of any business (virtual or real). Competition can be friendly, goofy and all in good fun, or it can be serious and callous. I prefer Friendly, but I also realize that is not always possible either.

[Navaar Morningstar]

(06-08-2018 12:36 AM)Minx Diabolito Wrote:  Hello! I just wanted to make a comment about this tho I won't say much because it will take away from the subject of this thread and is probably for another thread altogether

"I don't think people realize how often auctions are happening or where". I cannot speak for people in general but of all of the people I know involved in cats, most of us are fully aware of auctions and feel there are too many auctions overall, but most of all there are a number of factors that put people off attending. I will give one example - auctioneers can do a lot of spamming and not caring if you don't want the mass IM and TPs. So, if we don't go, we minimise the chance of that. Unfortunately because it is so rife and long-standing, it tars those who don't do it with the same brush a lot of the time. It also puts me off even putting my own cats for sale or renting a panel because I really don't come to SL to get the heck spammed out of me =/

So maybe an interesting question to also ask is "I don't think some auctioneers realize why even though people are often very aware of auctions, they are choosing not to attend". But I think this can be a different thread for anyone interested in this question to create.

Hugs to all =)

Minx - I think that is indeed a great topic for another thread. I've heard the comment that there are too many auctions numerous times but I'm not sure the number of auctions has really changed significantly in the past few years. Granted, there may be many more auctions now than at the beginning, but I think the numbers been fairly stable for a while. What I have seen happen is the auctioneers and auction names change so frequently that it appears there are a large number of auctions going on.

As far as the spamming goes, yeah it can be a lot sometimes. Personally, if someone says don't include me in mass TPs, I do try to honor that. There are ways to reduce the amount of spamming the auctioneer does - patrons can (and should) advertise their kitties. Those that do tend to have better luck at the auctions in selling their cats. Another topic that would make a great thread.

Thanks for your input!

[phoenixfire01 Resident]

I haven't really commented on things like this in a while but just wanted to put across my way of thinking on this issues. I have been in KittyCatS! for over 5 years. I've been an Auction Assistant and a Patron. I have been to Auctions on many sims past and present. I've seen conflicts of various kinds regarding Auction time slots but here's my thinking.

I will agree with Tadd that NO-ONE owns a time slot. It simply doesn't work that way. People take RESPONSIBILITY for a time slot. A Sim takes responsibility to provide an area (land) for the Auction to be built on and the prims required for the decor, the tech and the cats. The Auctioneer takes responsibility for selling the panels, selling the cats, bringing in the punters (buyers/sellers) making sure it all goes as smoothly as possible. Sellers take responsibility for providing the cat that meets the rules, following the instructions of the Auctioneer so the cat can be spammed, being present for the Auction etc. Even buyers take responsibility for buying the cats promptly they win the bid on, removing said cat etc.

I think OWN is the the wrong word, I think it's more taking RESPONSIBILITY and for the majority of it, it's the Auctioneers Responsibility.