Monday, June 14, 2010

A Question of Ethics

In wandering through the Downs, I noticed this small store front. It reads "Haven Rental Office."


On the side of the building is a sign advertising Haven Township. The sign reads: "Explore this unique community! Shop & Land rentals... Steampunk vehicles, Gadgets & more"


On the one hand, promoting Steampunk-themed areas is good business for everyone involved. Indeed, the late Steampunk Resource Centre, just up the road in Caledon Downs, did just that.

On the other hand, promoting rentals in another sim...it's using the Guvnah's own properties to advertise for the competition. Somehow that doesn't seem quite right. I have nothing against Lady Kenyon - I have met her once, during a hunt, and she is a lovely and talented person. And perhaps the Guv is fine with the whole concept. It just seems odd.

Should anyone be curious, Haven Township does have some Steampunk elements, as the Aetheric Power Co. depicted below shows:


I tend to think of it as somewhat later than the traditional Steampunk era (should such a thing exist), which I tend to think of as encompassing the mid-to-late Victorian age, with some Edwardian era thrown in for good measure. The cars and buildings in Haven Township seem a little later than that, though I'll admit to being no expert on the subject.


2 comments:

HeadBurro Antfarm said...

Opfh, that's a bit cheeky and no mistake! Maybe a well-meaning friend of the sim?

p.s. Haven looks nice though.

Rhianon Jameson said...

Cheeky is right! Well, I suppose we don't know all the facts. But there's been a fair amount of chatter on the Caledon group about whether it's proper to advertise an event elsewhere, as drawing people to another sim for an event could eventually cause them to rent there.

I'm with what I perceive to be the majority, that advertising events is fair game - the more the merrier, and it's not "disloyal" to the Guvnah to go to a Steelhead dance any more than it's disloyal to Lunar to mention a Caledon art gallery opening within the confines of Steelhead. But soliciting renters directly...

Ah well. I'm sure it's well-intentioned.