I've always told people to do a few things when dealing with folks in Second Life that are setting off alarms in your head. First and foremost is to do a google search on their name. Second is if they have a blog themselves to post about it and spell out the persons complete name correctly. Tonight while following my own advice and happily about four years ago somebody did the second part to top me off.
It started as I was standing in a, shall we say, a less than savory location in Second Life. You don't have to stretch your imagination to far for that. When the IM's start up from a guy. Here is what he said to me.
[18:16] Rodge Benoir: Potosi...sorry to bother...i'm an sl photographer...you're beautiful...i was wondering if you'd be interested in posing for me
[18:17] Potosi Abonwood: Possibly, I have to be afk for a bit here in a couple minutes but after that I'll be back.
[18:17] Rodge Benoir: ok, i'll explain more...
[18:18] Rodge Benoir: you don't get paid, but you do get copies off all photos...most of the photos will be in lingerie...they won't be used for advertising..they'll be shown to employers when i apply for a job as a photographer
[18:19] Potosi Abonwood: Let me think on that for a few moments.
Letting me think on that roughly means let me fire off your name into google real fast. Came back with a hit to a particular blog post from back in 2009. Here is a link to it:
http://blasphemebaxton.wordpress.com/tag/rodge-benoir/
If you notice it's almost exactly the same. Very slight differences. Almost like he copy/pastes it and has only updated it a tiny bit. He's been using this creepy tactic for over four years now. Also he claims to be a photographer but according to his my.secondlife profile it's been a long time since he's changed his profile picture. Don't know about you but every photographer and wanna be photographer that I've met change their profile pic quite often always looking for something more lovely than the last.
So the conversation thus ends like this:
[18:23] Potosi Abonwood: So you've been using that almost exact same line since 2009?
[18:23] Rodge Benoir: wow, your log goes back that far? and yes, it's quite effective
[18:24] Potosi Abonwood: No my log doesn't go back that far. But google searches do.
[18:24] Rodge Benoir: ah, cool
[18:24] Rodge Benoir: and yes, i have been
Personally I think he gets his jollies from getting pics of ladies in the lingerie and probably tries to get a 'bit more' during the photography 'session'. But finding out wasn't on tonight's plan of activities, got the attention of enough creepy stalkers and don't need to risk another.
If you've ran up on this guy and heard this line leave a comment about it. If you went to pose for him leave a comment on how all that turned out if you would please.
