Auction Courtesy. Your Thoughts

[LyricaBlues Resident]

(04-02-2015 11:24 PM)Winter Phoenix Wrote:  
Without the social, its just business.

And business is dull.

Perhaps someone should invent a 'business only' auctions,
where friendly stuff is minimized and its strictly timed out.

Those who just want to sell a cat and get the hell out can do so
without having to hang out with a bunch of people they don't want to.

Myself, I prefer to say " HEYYYY WHATS UP!"
and chat the cats with other feline enthusiasts.

Lots of folks cant get out much, and this is their only place to socialize.

So that auction may one of the few places where they get a chance
to visit others who share the same interests.

I wouldn't want to interfere with that ability, so...

Promote a business only auction for those who want such a thing.

I totally agree! and my auctions are nothing if not fun social times spent with friends. I was referring to IMs that distract and have nothing to do with the auctions. I feel like people pay their panel fees to have their cats sold. Local chatter is fun! and we can still keep track of whats going on in the auction. But its different when its Im after Im after Im.

---

(04-03-2015 04:02 AM)khloe Wyx Wrote:  I dearly love auctions and the chance to see what is "NEW" out there. It does get distracting to see reams of chat as a kitten is being presented or the BID gets lost amongst a sea of chat lines. I use a simple "Hello everyone" or "thank you". and turn back to listening to the Auctioneer.

And i have that "KINJA blood" so sometimes I just sit quietly and plot my BID. Truly love your auctions. They are well timed, full of information, and you do wonderfully presenting each kitten and its uniqueness.

aww thanks! I do like to do more than just sell...its time spent with friends enjoying what we share in common - breeding! And yeah, i love seeing you at the auctions!

---

(04-04-2015 03:40 AM)Mizaki Resident Wrote:  My personal opinion is that it is very nice to see an active auction with people interacting. It is plain boring to just listen to the auctioneer rant on about traits without some personal feel and interaction with their patrons. I don't find it an issue if my panel is up and people are chatting away. A good auctioneer is always capable of steering the auction in the direction they want too anyways I know a few who are good at it.

Hi, and yes! my auctions are very interactive! I wouldnt want it any other way because I often learn as much from my patrons as i try to offer them. I was referring to trying to concentrate on an auction while fielding numerous IMs.

---

(04-06-2015 04:32 PM)Arwen Swordthain Wrote:  Personally I have not noticed any of this so called rudeness at auctions, I find them to be very social events, yes sometimes local chat gets a little off course and away from cats but its my experience that the auctioneer can refocus attention easily.
I have fond memories of Mizakis auctions and the amount of laughter there always was from her as well as from the people attending her auctions.
As for IM's I have a lot of friends that are not in KittyCats! are we saying they must not message us during auctions? I frequently chat with other auction goers in IM and have yet to find it distracts me or be tlod by them that it is distracting, to my non kittycats friends I say I'm at an auction, they know this means they are not my main focus at that time.
Local chat cannot be controlled by one person nor can you tell people if they can IM each other, if people don't like it they should take it up with the person distracting them directly. We are all adults after all.
I have heard auctioneers including you Pretty, greet latecomers in voice, I think thats a good thing it welcomes people. In reality there will always be latecomers for whatever reason so unless you want to ban anyone arriving after you Call out the first panel you are going to get people greeting them.
Auctions are social events and are fluid and uncontrollable, just go with the flow and have fun, Auctions start late, auctions over run, people arrive late, people leave early and chat rarely stays focussed on one topic, such is human nature.
The most important reason any of us are here is to have fun, if buying and selling our cats stops being fun we will stop doing it.

LOL omg! I think the main point of my question is being overlooked.. Yes, my auctions are very social and we have a blast and we joke and kid around. But my main concern, raised by patrons who later comment that they were distracted but dont want to be rude by telling the persistent IM'ers that they are there for an auction. As you just said, I do greet and chat and thats as it should be. Its an auction, not library lol. I arrive late to some auctions and when greeted by several, i simple return a greeting to "all" at first. I feel funny about interrupting a panel when this is That cat's time to shine, not mine. Thats all that I do when i arrive. To each his own, but I raised the question based not just on my own spin on this, but on the feedback i get from patrons and how I feel when barraged with IMs when I am there for an auction. My friends can chat me up, and they do, but unless its important i rather concentrate in the cats that i am interested in and not miss bids because of a chatty friend.

---

(04-04-2015 10:08 PM)Nocshadue Balbozar Wrote:  I've been to auctions in the past where a timer was actually set per panel and it was dismal. NO talk was allowed in local once the auction began, not even comments or questions about the cat being sold. There were a lot of no sales as not enough time was given for potential buyers to really consider whether to bid or not, or get into their own pedigree to check on a potential partner etc, and those that did sell went for the opening bid and many were worth much more. I never went back. That was a while ago and it's not around anymore.

A good auctioneer allows for some randomness, has fun, but always steers the auction back on track. I'd say, if you want to sell at a kitty auction, and you want a chance for you cat to sell well, go with the flow. Now if you're getting a lot of unrelated personal IMs, I think a polite "I'm really interesting in the auction right now but would love to chat when it's over." would suffice. I don't think that would offend anyone wanting to chat you up in IM.

I do agree though that if things are getting really out of hand, the auctioneer should take control of the situation. I've only seen things get bad a few time but that was from a group of griefers showing up so it wasn't "kitty people" causing a problem.

I've often showed up late and been greeted in the midst of a panel. The auctioneer usually say hi once I ask what panel they are on, then a few others, but the overall interruption is brief. I also chat in IM with a few friends if I see them, though if they don't reply, or it takes a while for them to reply I don't get bent out of shape and visa versa.

thank you!! You got the spirit of my question! And you reponse shows perfect balance. Thank you, i agree with you wholeheartedly!

[MsMagick Resident]

Ah, I'd say that it's then each person's responsibility to respond to their own IMs as they see fit. If they say, "Sorry, but I'm trying to concentrate on the auction right now. Talk later?" or "Chat after the next two panels?" then hopefully the people IMing them will get a clue.

Sometimes, I'm happy to IM with friends, but it's usually about the cats or how the auction is going, timing for other events we're going to afterward, not just general chit chat.

[Arwen Swordthain]

(04-07-2015 10:04 PM)MsMagick Resident Wrote:  Ah, I'd say that it's then each person's responsibility to respond to their own IMs as they see fit. If they say, "Sorry, but I'm trying to concentrate on the auction right now. Talk later?" or "Chat after the next two panels?" then hopefully the people IMing them will get a clue.

Sometimes, I'm happy to IM with friends, but it's usually about the cats or how the auction is going, timing for other events we're going to afterward, not just general chit chat.

I totally agree and thats what I was trying to say. If someones bothering you in IM you are an adult tell them so. Pretty or any other auctioneer, doesn't need to be bothered having people say oh I was IM'd during your auction, do what she does if you don't want to be bothered by IM's stick the auto response on. My point was its up to individuals to deal with their own IM's if they are distracting them NOT the auctioneer after the event is finished.

[Devilness Chant]

I've never been a big auction goer, but sometimes it's nice to get out and see new kitties and stuff other than wandering markets.

I have had some really bad experiences way back at auctions but I'm sure those auctioneers aren't doing them anymore. Any auctioneer that uses a timer or whatever to quickly get through it is in my opinion awful and shouldn't be doing it if they're in a hurry. I was at an auction long ago that the auctioneer counted down, WHILE ppl were still bidding. I don't remember who they were but hopefully they no longer do them. I can respect an auction that is just business, but not at the expensive of the person trying to make lindens on their kitties.

I was asked to put a kitty in an auction to help fill for an auctioneer friend of a friend. He was awful. He had no clue what he was doing. First he tried to tell me my kitty was a dud. (even though that kitty was one of the rare ones at the time) First he tried to tell me I couldn't put it in. Then he had no clue how traits worked and I had to keep correcting him in chat. All that and he had ppl so confused I took the kitty home.

Last week I was off and went to a few auctions. I've noticed that there are twice as many panels out now. So I guess if you are going to go to auctions you can plan for the long haul. But it is nice to be greeted and see ppl having fun.

With my work schedule I can really only go to one on Sat nights. And I love it! They don't have as many panels as the others but take just as long. lol It's fun, lots of laughs. Everyone is treated like family and can chime in at any time. The kitties are well represented. The auctioneers are dedicated to getting the best prices for each kitty. For me that's what it's all about. Fun, laughs, and good marketing.

[Draco Nacht]

From an long-term auctioneer's perspective, I like a healthy chat. When people are talking and interacting, they're in a good mood and they're generally less nervous about bidding. We can goof and play which makes people want to come back. If Theo and I were in it strictly for the business, we would've burned out a long time ago. It's really the people who come to our auctions that fill us with joy and buoy us to keep going even when the market slacks a bit.

Interactions add so much to auctions. Without them we wouldn't have meatload or suck a pretty cat! That's not the kind of world I want to live in.

But, you know, there are at least ten thousand auctions a week. There is probably one just right for everyone.

[Kayla Woodrunner]

I think IMs during auctions is fine. It is better than chatting and getting off topic in local which I've seen at a couple auctions. Some joking around and comments on the kitty in local is great but personal conversations should be taken to IM. Therefore IM should not be discouraged. My mom has cancer. My friends often ask me for an update. People don't need to know when she is having a bad day or if I'm broke because I quit my job to be there as her caretaker because the meds make her fall down or other side effects. I can say stuff like that in chat to my friends as well as when I got identical tonki twins or found scotty fold finally in an xmas kitty in April. Things that make us happy or sad but not everyone in the audience needs to know.

I was in SL for a long time and never made friends. The first friend I made was at auction. Now we are also friends away from auctions. We IM each other a lot, even during auctions. I also think it is in the auctioneers best interest if we do IM each other --- because we get distracted, lol. I have bought several panels I didn't want because I thought we were already on the next panel when I had been chatting with someone. Now that I am not so new to IMing and auctions, I don't make that mistake hardly any more which means I bid half as much (yeah, I did make that mistake a lot in the beginning of IMing, lol). All except 1 of my kittyfriends were made at auction. And yes, we still talk at auctions when I go. Along with the personal chat, there is chat about the cats -- sometimes when one of us decides to bid when we were on the fence before. Also people are more apt to go to auctions when there are people to chat with. Even if people don't buy often at auction, they don't buy at all if they don't go so anything that encourages people to attend auctions should be seen as a good thing.

I think encouraging people to chat is a good thing. It deepens the bonds of friendship, creates a social network and broadens the audience at auctions. It deepens the life in SL -- otherwise we would probably lose interest because staying superficial eventually becomes boring.

[Sanura Snowpaw]

As an auctioneer I encourage people to have fun and get to know about the kitty as well as to ask as many questions they have. I have found in many years of auctioning the more people are having fun the more they bid they are in a good mood, who wants to spend money when bored or upset. Also a fun auction keeps people attention so they tend to stay focused on the auction as well. I have always tried to greet people when they come ESPECIALLY if they are new to my auctions or KittyCatS because I want them to feel very much included! Except my now yearly auction where we get 60+ people at the auction but even then I try to greet everyone once in a while. Without the fun bantering and zany auctioneers and patrons we might not have so many hilarious expressions that years later are still used.

As the auctioneer I do limit my personal IMs to things that concern the auction or from my sellers, there have been times where I have been in my sellers IM's encouraging them. A simple I'm auctioning at the moment can we chat later tends to work well and lets people know I am not ignoring them but am currently busy.

[Jiyulie Resident]

I think a "Hi" to a late comer is welcoming. Because late or not, they are there to patronize, and if a sale goes through, it is business made. Time in auctions are not always limited. It is up to the auctioneer.

A greeting from the auctioneer during the auction, is actually welcoming. They may have accidently stumbled upon the auction. A warm greeting could actually gain you a new customer or client or patron. And I think it is in auction that people can make new friends.

It is true that unrelated IMs are a distraction. In that case, you might want to use Firestorm. You can activate the autoresponse and so you won't be disturbed.

But if all these are still a hassle, you can have an auction that says, only prices allowed in the open chat. No other greetings allowed and no open discussion in the open chat. SO the auction becomes strictly a boring auction with no interaction.

Every auctioneer has a choice to decide their own auction. But every buyer and seller too has a choice to decide on the kind of auction they would like to attend.
So you can choose not to attend an auction you are not comfortable with. If you don't like the way the auctioneer's way, so I think this all voice down to one word, CHOICE.

[Wendi Lavendel]

I always show up late to the Nacht auction because Charles and I have another commitment on the same evening, so we divide our time between the two equally, as we didn't want to neglect one in favour of the other and we do want to attend both. When we tp in, there are always a lot of greetings and stuff back and forth but it never seems to last very long - the Nachts are really good at getting the focus back on the current panel and Charles and I try not to steal the focus of the chat, plus people who have more to say than "hi Wendi/Charles" continue with us in IM rather than the public chat channel. I think it's an effort made by all parties, but particularly for the auctioneers who need to moderate and know when a discussion or greeting has run its course and it's time to get back to the seller's cat, so that every single panel has equal, quality time (regardless of the cat appearing on the panel or the person who owns/bred it). It's one of the many duties of an auctioneer that makes the job about 10 times more work than it actually appears to be...

I wouldn't have the patience to do it myself and admire any auctioneer who can stay educated (know the traits and how they work, know the cats on the panels and their sellers, know their audience and their typical moods, know the market); stay patient, diplomatic, and good-natured in the face of griefing, conflicts and arguments, unrelated IMs, legitimate IMs, and general chaos and silliness; ensure they're spending an equal amount of quality time on every single panel so that every cat has a fair and equal amount of exposure and attention and every participant has a good chance to focus on each cat; keeping everyone happy and entertained; doing all the administrative junk and preparation before and after each auction; all the other stuff I've either forgotten or just don't know about.

[Maxwell Grantly]

I personally find it very easy to focus on the numerical text inputs in the general chat, as bids for the cats, as well as chatting to people at the same time.

An auction time of one hour or so can become a very dull and bland session if people did not type a few words of encouragement to a seller or buyer, a hello to those who arrive late or a complement about a cat that is being sold. If you find the text input distracting, perhaps it may help to remember that the occasional input of "Wow, isn't that a lovely cat" or "I wish I could afford to bid for that" only helps to create interest in the overall bidding process.

Even those frequent "Hello" comments (to the late arrivals) help to create a warm and friendly atmosphere - this helps keep customers present at the auction. If people are happy, they will hang around longer. This can mean that there are more people present (and hopefully bidding) when your cat is up for auction.