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Where we come from*****************************
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Part two... I keep asking myself if what I think I see as a direction that Secondlife is going has been obvious all along.... how has it been kept a secret?
From what I can see, The Benevolent Monarchy started to make the Secondlife world into a web based three D chat room long before any, or certainly most of us recognised that direction.
I mentioned last evening that I had read a post concerning the use of voice. I won't relink to the Second Thoughts blog again just now... the details of that post aren't what is important to my hypothesis, the subject of voice use its self is.
If memory serves didn't voice become available in 2008? With all the continuing technical problems involved in a program as massive as ours, why would the company add another layer of difficulty....unless they saw voice as necessary for a new kind of chatroom. The New User Experience {read the end of the Secondlife Mentors, the end of the Help Islands, and viewer 2.ought oh} was supposed to improve the 11% estimated retention rate for new users, it didn't. Anyone that has worked with new users can tell you that the 2.ought oh viewer is more confusing not less... but it is a start towards easier web access... was web access and content streaming {html on a prim} the real goal? When I look back at how Linden Lab hi jacked the old Secondlife Exchange... was that a further method of moving Secondlife to a web based economy separate from in world transactions? There seem to be other problems in our Secondlife experience in these last few months as well. What seems to be very interesting is the way any questions about viewer or inventory problems are handled by Linden Lab when very bright people file jiras. Rather than copy a comment from my post of November 3rd by Wizard Gynoid I'll just link to that, scroll down to comments.
OK, here is the part I find beyond my comprehension.... How has this apparent direction been kept secret? How is it that hundreds of people, many of whom have lost their employment, have remained silent? Or perhaps even more frightening, what if the company really doesn't have any leadership... that there has never been a secret because like a headless snake it has no discernible goal or direction?
It is no secret that the explosive growth of 2007 went static... and that people like Mitch Kapor who have invested upwards of 8 figures want more return on their money. I can understand wanting to set a different goal for Secondlife. I can understand the old saw about devs develop... they create, and then they go and create again, and again. Never mind working out all the details.
I'm interested in answers... not because I'm ready to bail, I can categorically state that I plan on being in Secondlife until they turn off the last server... I am interested in creating a dialog. I'm interested in what you the reader have to say.
For what it's worth
And so it goes
My love to you all, brinda
Namaste
नमस्ते
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Part two... I keep asking myself if what I think I see as a direction that Secondlife is going has been obvious all along.... how has it been kept a secret?
From what I can see, The Benevolent Monarchy started to make the Secondlife world into a web based three D chat room long before any, or certainly most of us recognised that direction.
I mentioned last evening that I had read a post concerning the use of voice. I won't relink to the Second Thoughts blog again just now... the details of that post aren't what is important to my hypothesis, the subject of voice use its self is.
If memory serves didn't voice become available in 2008? With all the continuing technical problems involved in a program as massive as ours, why would the company add another layer of difficulty....unless they saw voice as necessary for a new kind of chatroom. The New User Experience {read the end of the Secondlife Mentors, the end of the Help Islands, and viewer 2.ought oh} was supposed to improve the 11% estimated retention rate for new users, it didn't. Anyone that has worked with new users can tell you that the 2.ought oh viewer is more confusing not less... but it is a start towards easier web access... was web access and content streaming {html on a prim} the real goal? When I look back at how Linden Lab hi jacked the old Secondlife Exchange... was that a further method of moving Secondlife to a web based economy separate from in world transactions? There seem to be other problems in our Secondlife experience in these last few months as well. What seems to be very interesting is the way any questions about viewer or inventory problems are handled by Linden Lab when very bright people file jiras. Rather than copy a comment from my post of November 3rd by Wizard Gynoid I'll just link to that, scroll down to comments.
OK, here is the part I find beyond my comprehension.... How has this apparent direction been kept secret? How is it that hundreds of people, many of whom have lost their employment, have remained silent? Or perhaps even more frightening, what if the company really doesn't have any leadership... that there has never been a secret because like a headless snake it has no discernible goal or direction?
It is no secret that the explosive growth of 2007 went static... and that people like Mitch Kapor who have invested upwards of 8 figures want more return on their money. I can understand wanting to set a different goal for Secondlife. I can understand the old saw about devs develop... they create, and then they go and create again, and again. Never mind working out all the details.
I'm interested in answers... not because I'm ready to bail, I can categorically state that I plan on being in Secondlife until they turn off the last server... I am interested in creating a dialog. I'm interested in what you the reader have to say.
For what it's worth
And so it goes
My love to you all, brinda
Namaste
नमस्ते
I am pretty certain LL know exactly what they are doing.
ReplyDeleteThe current accepted theory of modern business is grow or die.
After the substantial growth of 2007 there was a plateau, and thats where the panic set in. They wanted what it turned out Facebook had, millions upon millions of casual users.... for advertising revenue, sales of 3D goods and the Lindex, of course.
They are working towards an integrated FacebookTwitterAmazon type experience and it doesn't really matter if they lose a few thousand users, the goal justifies the means in their book.
I think running the grid is a pain in the butt for them and they will ditch it to another operator once the advertising income is sufficient.
They have to overcome the problem of inferior client hardware which is why they haven't bothered improving the grid, they would rather make it dumber, but easier to load on an iPhone.
The Myth of 100 Million Users is not dead.
We are collateral damage, the first white mice in the Lab.
soror, I agree totally. What amazes me is why there has never been a current or former employee, or anyone else with proprietory infomation, that has been willing to come out and publicaly state this.
ReplyDeleteIt is getting easier for me to accept all this since the day I read your comment about us being a diaspora destined to populate other worlds.
I don't think there is a plan now, because since June it has felt like events have been taking place with increasing, out of control speed. Personally, I think the money men finally ran out of patience with the 'grand plan' this year and now the chickens have come home to roost for Second Life.
ReplyDeleteLife on the grid is being 'dumbed down' (there is no denying it) in so many ways that is now no longer the place of "Your world, Your imagination" but "Our world, Your money".
The age of the dreamer/builder is coming to an end in Second Life. The age of the mass consumer is just beginning..
Alex... I hope there will always be a group of us that will keep Secondlife alive as we knew it a few years ago... I refuse to stop dreaminig just yet. You know, you are a part of my family here.
ReplyDeleteYesterday my newest resident kain said that almost everywhere she goes now except Benares there is little creating... just chat. There are places and people that enjoy creating content and as my friend Caro has mentioned, there are role play places that allow one to grow intellectualy but there seems to be few ways for new people to find those situations, as well as any pressure to try and learn.
Sadly Kain is right...although I really hate to admit it. The other day I was logged on when I came across a group of new '.Residents' When I asked, they told me they weren't there to build or learn or explore..but for whatever sex they could get.
ReplyDeleteIt emphasised the one thing that Linden Lab has never worked that hard to improve..
Second Life's reputation.
And tonight I hear that the rules on gambling may be relaxed next year. Handy for the new payment processing company 888.com.
Like you, I have an attachment to Second Life (it's what bought me back after all). As I have said before, for me the friendships I have made here will never die & places like Benares, Calas Galadhon, the Scottish Highlands and even Tempura Island still inspire me.
Lately though, I just cannot help but wonder if I'll feel the same way somewhere down the line if the Lab keep progressing Second Life in the direction they are taking...