IMVU Dances
imvu-dances
imvu dancing girls
IMVU is not for kids
IMVU isn’t for kids. I say this as a mother and a former kid. As much as we don’t want to admit it when we’re young there is a time and place for things and this isn’t the place for kids. There are so many ways kids can chat and talk to their real friends this is just the wrong place for them. I don’t like to talk to people who say they’re 18. (people under 18 usually say they’re 18, not into their 20s)
They really need to be like 21 or more to even start to feel comfortable. And even then you’ll often get more drama. So my advice is to err on the side of caution. I probably don’t need to say that to most of the readers here but just in case, please for your own good as well as theirs this is one rule you really shouldn’t ever break for any reason. I can do a lot of fun things on here but this is a serious no no and bad for everyone.
The image above and the chat below (or on the post page if you’re looking at this on the home page) is an actual conversation I had today where someone said she was 14. When this happens just urge them as politely and sincerely not to do this. I don’t know that there’s really anything more we can do except to each do the right thing. This site is also for adults only but I still try to keep it Rated R, and use passwords if something is too strong. If you think I’ve shown too much in some area please let me know and I’ll try to do better. We can all have fun and enjoy this but have an obligation to at least try to minimize the corruption.
What is IMVU?
IMVU is hard to describe because it’s so diverse. It’s like trying to describe the internet to someone that doesn’t understand computers. And the amazing diversity means that it’s a lot of different things to different people. So unlike most of the other things which I write about and and let people respond a little bit to, I think this ultimately requires the input of a variety of people to be even partially complete.
I will start it off with a few things but it’s intentionally not thorough so there’s room for more contributions. I’m going to give this post a special link in the right column so it can be added to or accessed any time. You don’t even have to give a name or email address to respond. Just share a thought or two about what IMVU is to you. Anything that seems at all related will be accepted.
IMVU is:
…a virtual world that lets you be anything you want to be.(Kait)
…like High School except with no rules or teachers. (Kait)
…a safe way to meet people and be sexy. (Kait)
…all about relationships. (Kait)
…the internet that your mother warned you about. (Kait)
…more than an addicting game, but less than real life. (Kait)
…shopping heaven, with low prices and unlimited closet space. (Morgan)
…a great place to hang out and be with friends I’m closer to than real life. (Morgan)
…virtual reality, kind of the predecessor to the holodeck. (Quid)
…a way to live and star in your own romantic comedy. (Quid)
…what you make of it. (Quid)
…limited only by your imagination. (Quid)
…unfortunately half full of people who lack imagination, or common decency and are only here for sex. But the girls aren’t that bad. (Quid & Kait)
…gives you back what you put into it and then some. (Quid)
…addicting. (Kait)
…only limited by your imagination, (or other people’s imagination.) (Kait)
…whatever you want it to be. (Kait)
The Sleep Deprived Capital of the World
No explanation of or discussion of IMVU would be complete without pointing out an odd characteristic that you might not expect or realize until you’ve been here for a little while. IMVU is 24 hours and used around the world so as the saying goes, it’s 5:00 somewhere. On IMVU it’s also 5am somewhere too. And no matter what the time of day, over 85% of the people participants either are or will be sleep deprived in the morning.
There seems something about IMVU and the way it uses a different part of your brain that you don’t usually use which wakes you up. This along with the fun and attractiveness or addictiveness of IMVU, allows you to go for hours and stay up later than a pot full of coffee. With repetitive use this naturally causes Sleep Deprivation. This in turn causes me to drink more caffeinated drinks which in turn keeps me up at night even longer creating a vicious cycle.
I don’t know, maybe I’m just projecting my own lack of will power and trying to make excuses for myself. There is no statistic like the one above. I made that up of course. So let’s take a poll. Please vote on whether you have sleep deprivation because of IMVU in the poll below.
What an Amazing Variety
One of the most amazing things about IMVU is the variety of people and things you’ll meet and activities available for you. You never know what will happen in here from day to day or even hour to hour.
Some days I have an amazingly sexy adventure, sometimes its just consoling a friend or cuddling and sharing intimacy. And other times we just talk and laugh. Some times it’s a mixture of all the different aspects. To me I think it’s important to have all of those things and it’s amazing how quickly things can evolve in here too.
You will meet and get to know a huge variety of people from all over the world. You’ll also be able to do an amazing variety of activities in the most imaginative settings too. You can explore a castle, chat with a demons, flirt with scantily clad women, windsurf on a beach resort, get a job as a stripper, fight with pirates, dance with vampires or just about anything else you can think of, all without much expense, risk or effort.
Why are we here?
Why are we here? (on IMVU)
To feel sexy
As an escape
To have a social life
For intimacy
For great sex
Because of friends
To live out (role play) or just experiment with fantasies you can’t do in real life.
To meet someone special that you connect with internally (not me)
To recover from trauma (not me)
For me I just wanted to feel sexy in a safe way that wouldn’t hurt my marriage or family. The first thing that surprised me was the level of intimacy. It’s certainly not what I expected in the beginning.
The next surprisingly powerful thing is kind of related to the intimacy and that’s the friendships. The friendships aren’t based on intimacy but rather seem to develop for the same reasons. Some how it all seems to end up about relationships in a sense.
I have to add that Holly has also done a great job of teaching me the value of experimentation in here to the point that I’m always seeking out new and exciting things in here, of which there certainly seems to be no shortage of.
So I’m not here for just one of the reasons above but a mixture which I think I think is probably true for most people too. Whatever your reason or reasons I hope you stay and enjoy it as much as I do.
If you think I missed something in the list above leave a comment or contact me in imvu.
Don’t Friend too Fast
Even if you’re new PLEASE don’t Add people as Friends too fast. It’s tempting to do this when you’re new and don’t have any friends yet. But trust me, it turns people off and really doesn’t help much just to fill it up with acquaintances.
You also have to realize that with IMVU Friends, it’s quality not quantity that really matters. That’s because having a huge list of acquaintances makes it harder to see your real friends and doesn’t change how many actual friends you have or make you any more popular. And if you were referred to them by someone or are friending them for a reason (like you enjoy this site), ALWAYS send them a note too or it looks like a random request which is worse than making random chat requests.
Even if you’re new only friend people that were at least friendly with and talked to. By the way, this also points out why you should be friendly toward new people. It’s much easier to make friends with new people than it is more established people. On the other hand having even just one good established friend in here can be a huge asset too. It’s also worth noting that if you are new, your best and strongest friendships are often with new people that you can relate to.
You’ve out grown your old default room
Please don’t invite people or your friends to the original default room that came with your IMVU account. It’s like wearing the default head and outfit. It’s OK if you’re a week or two old in here, but it makes you look like a noob even more than a guest_ name. It’s like the big default head you started with. It’s there to learn and practice on but you’ve out grown that so change your default.
When you invite someone especially if you don’t know them, they are looking around quickly at everything, looking for clues as to whether you’re worth staying and talking to. And the default room is one of the most obvious red flags and makes me want to leave almost immediately. Almost nobody interesting or good in here ever invites people to the default room. The good new is that it’s super easy to change in just a few seconds.
Here are the simple steps to change your default room.
1. Simply Open “My Room” from your home page.
2. Then click on your room inventory button in the bottom bar, to see your room options.
3. Click on the Room Info button in the top right corner of the room you want to use for your default.
4. Click on the link that appears that says Set as Default.
It’s also a good idea not to use a really big room with too much furniture that takes too long to load. You can always jump to a bigger room afterwards. I do like to have a comfortable place to sit and even more important that the room is interesting.
“Don’t Cross The Streams…”
The world of IMVU is very powerful and in my case I’m happily married with a family, and if it crossed over it would definitely hurt my real life world. Not to mention that it suddenly becomes cheating. Even just having a conversation and talking about it can make me feel like I want to and suddenly it turns from fun and games into poison. This is an amazing place. But crossing the streams would be bad…
Try to imagine all life as we know it, stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light! Total Protonic reversal. Okay, that’s bad. Important safety tip… Don’t cross the streams.
Holly, I love you soo much and probably would break any rule for you no matter what. That’s why it scared me so much, and why it’s so hard to go there. I may not have a great life but I probably shouldn’t mess it up. I know you can relate and really had no intention to hurt anything, but it also made me think that if push came to shove, I could make the wrong choice, because I really do love you.
Handicaps don’t apply
Virtual worlds give people with handicaps a tremendous opportunity to get out and meet people without their handicap. They’re not handicapped here and can have a normal life, if anything can really be considered normal, in the land of the wacky. I know it sounds odd, but in some ways people with a serious handicap often open up more, care more and love more, and are more committed with fewer distractions. The only exception may be blindness, because this is such a visual medium in some ways. But even that isn’t true because it does work on a cell phone, which is entirely text based. So this is a great place for pretty much any type of handicap and is a great thing because it levels the playing field and frees us from physical handicaps.
Helpful Links for Credits
Free Credits:
Earn Credits http://www.imvu.com/earn/credits.php
IMVU movies (US residents only) http://www.imvu.com/movies/
IMVU Toolbar http://www.imvu.com/toolbar/
BUY Credits http://www.imvu.com/store
GIVE Credits http://www.imvu.com/catalog/web_give_av.php
EARN Credits http://www.imvu.com/catalog/web_info.php?section=Info&topic=rewards
Helpful Links for Outfits
My Outfits Panel:
Manage Outfits http://www.imvu.com/outfits/outfit_manage.php
Outfit Challenge http://www.imvu.com/outfits/contest/enter_outfit.php
Helpful Links for Shopping
Shopping:
Catalog http://www.imvu.com/shop/
Catalog Advanced Search http://www.imvu.com/shop/advanced_search.php
Gifts http://www.imvu.com/gifts/
IMVU Bundle Vault http://www.imvu.com/catalog/newsletter/bundles.php
IMVU Deals http://imvudeals.com/promo.php?Mode=Categories
Minimum Coverage Skins (free) http://www.imvu.com/catalog/web_info.php?topic=mature_content_policy_coverage_guideline_products
Wishlist http://www.imvu.com/catalog/wishlist.php
Helpful Links for Developing
Developing:
Creator Homepage and Portal http://www.imvu.com/creators
Developer Reports http://www.imvu.com/catalog/developer_report.php
DMCA http://www.imvu.com/catalog/info/takedownnoticehtm.htm
IMVU Creator Agreement http://www.imvu.com/catalog/web_nda.php
IMVU Derivables http://imvuderivables.imvux.com/
Manage Avatar Badges http://www.imvu.com/catalog/web_manage_badges.php
Peer Review http://www.imvu.com/peer_review/
Previewer http://www.imvu.com/catalog/devtools/devtools_Previewer.php
Shoutouts (Purchasing page) http://www.imvu.com/catalog/web_shoutout_buy.php
Shoutouts (Purchased by you) http://www.imvu.com/catalog/web_shoutout_view.php
Shoutout Ticker http://www.imvu.com/catalog/web_shoutout_ticker.php?update_ticker=1
TOS http://www.imvu.com/catalog/web_info.php?section=Info&topic=terms_of_service
Virtual Goods Content Rating Policy (Mature Content Policy) http://www.imvu.com/catalog/web_info.php?topic=mature_content_policy
Misc Helpful Links
Here are some handy links. Some new, some old, but all together in one handy place.
Managing Badges http://www.imvu.com/catalog/web_manage_badges.php?action=grant-revoke&creator_badge_index=1
Avatar and Signature Tutorial http://www.imvu.com/catalog/modules.php?op=modload&name=phpbb2&file=viewtopic.php&t=162567
BBC FAQ http://www.phpbbdoctor.com/faq.php?mode=bbcode#0
Blocked List http://www.imvu.com/catalog/web_blocked_list.php?delete=17219438
Buying Credits via cell phone or land line http://www.imvu.com/store/phone.php
Client Download History http://www.imvu.com/download.php
Credit Balance Log http://www.imvu.com/catalog/web_credits_balance_log.php
Fan List http://www.imvu.com/catalog/web_fanlist.php?
Groups http://imvu.com/groups/
Help Ticket http://www.imvu.com/catalog/web_help_center.php
Homepage Safe Mode http://www.imvu.com/catalog/web_mypage.php?safemode=1
IMVU Blog http://blog.imvu.com/
IMVU Garage http://www.imvu.com/garage/index.php
IMVU Help http://www.freewebs.com/6wolves6blood6/IMVU%20Fun%26Other/IMVU%20%2D%20Help.html
IMVU technology http://www.imvu.com/catalog/web_info_technology.php
IMVU Tutorials http://www.freewebs.com/6wolves6blood6/IMVU%20Fun%26Other/IMVU%20%2D%20Help.html
Inventory http://www.imvu.com/catalog/web_myinventory.php?loaded=true
Invite Report http://www.imvu.com/catalog/web_invite_view.php
Message Box http://www.imvu.com/catalog/web_messagebox.php
Music Purchase Log http://www.imvu.com/music/web_music_purchase_log.php
Web inventory http://www.imvu.com/catalog/web_inventory.php
People Search http://www.imvu.com/people/
Previous Client Versions http://www.imvu.com/catalog/modules.php?op=modload&name=phpbb2&file=viewtopic.php&t=295374
Public Rooms http://www.imvu.com/rooms/index.php
Set up an Emergency Contact system
One of the biggest dangers with virtual relationships is that even the most powerful and heartfelt relationship can disappear instantly. If you love someone set up an emergency contact. You don’t have to give out your information, but get permission from a safe, real life friend, to give out their email address. And if you’re gone for extended period of time give one or two people here permission to contact that RL friend. Your RL friend can then contact you to see what happened and if you want them to pass anything on to the imvu contacts.
You will probably never need it, but if you were in a car accident or anything unforeseen that put you in the hospital for an extended time, it can be very hard on people not knowing. Life happens and we all have issues. But one of the hardest things to deal with in this virtual arena is the total lack of communication. Don’t put someone you love through that, calling hospitals in your area and not knowing anything.
Why keep your personal information private?
Why keep your personal information private?
While most people keep their Real Life information very private, sometimes it’s tempting to share some of that here. We become very comfortable and share a lot of emotion so it’s natural to feel extremely close to people here. But there’s a reason why Las Vegas uses the slogan, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” It’s because you can’t be free to really have fun in a fantasy way, if it’s going to follow you home and affect your real life. The same thing is true here in IMVU, just like in Las Vegas.
Also remember that, most murders are the result of someone very close to the victim. No matter how close you may feel to someone, and how close you may be right now, virtual relationships can be more fragile than real life relationships so there’s a good chance you will break up. And since most break ups are painful simply because you were so close and loved so deeply, if you have given too much information out a scorned partner with your real life information can cause real damage to the people and things you care about.
So share your emotions, and some general information and background to feel close. But don’t give out real last names, or anything really identifiable. This isn’t Facebook and you don’t want things you do here to be visible in the real world. You will also never regret giving out too little information, but you may very well regret giving out too much.
So what is IMVU all about?
IMVU is an insane place that’s all about chatting, dancing, meeting new people, beautiful sexy cartoons, shopping, sexy clothes, strip clubs, parties of every description, and of course lots of sexiness, all in a reasonably safe virtual way. But the real secret that some people never figure out or that at least takes time to realize, is that under all that, IMVU is really about relationships. My webpage is designed to share both a little about one crazy milf’s perspective on IMVU and the unique Virtual Relationships that grow here.
Virtual relationships can also be amazingly powerful and develop much faster here in this crazy world than in real life, without all of the distractions and nuisances of real life. They seem like they’re built on pure emotion. That makes them grow faster but unfortunately they can also be less stable than real life ones too. Look around a little bit and I hope this is helpful in some small way.
