Reporter looking for SL players re: "identity tourism"

[Jenifer Cabassoun]

Hello Cecilia.   My life has changed dramatically since joining Second Life.   Originally from England , I am now living in Spain with the man who partnered me in Second Life.  Of course there is much more to the story.

        My avatar name is Jenifer Cabassoun.

[DukeVan Acker]

Hi, I'm an ESL professor in "real life", who went into SL to give his students a new way to practice language, and ended up teaching (and researching) SL residents instead.  It's been more than 6 years now, and it will end up being my dissertation research.  There's a lot going on educationwise in SL that doesn't get press.  Drop me a line if you're interested in hearing more.

Jean-Paul DuQuette
Associate professor
Kansai Gaidai University
Osaka, Japan

djgizmoe@yahoo.com

[Amie Kaestner]

Hello Cecilia,

I'm a 40-year-old man with poor personal hygiene and enabled agoraphobia. My hobbies include programming, numismatism and storing my bodily fluids in jars.

In SL I'm tightly intertwined with a group of diaper furs and am the adoptive father of four of them, one of which who was recently aquitted for manslaughter.

[LlewLlwyd]

---

DukeVan Acker wrote:

Hi, I'm an ASL professor in "real life",

---

FIFY!

***You're teaching American, not English if you use "practice" as a verb***

[LlewLlwyd]

BEFORE any non-shills decide to share their experiences with Cecilia, they might like to read a similar hatchet job she has already done:

"Inside the Tragic, Obsessive World of Video Game Addicts"

[Note that Cecilia's understanding of technology is such that she thinks "Celeron" is a brand of PC, and other groups she has character-assassinated include "Gay Libertarian Gun Nuts" and "Third Wave Feminists in Dungeons & Dragons"]

***She did call Second Life a game, didn't she***

[mysticchannel]

Hello I am Mystic Channel

 I would love to help you. In the last year Second  Life Has made me reinvent my self. Held me out when my rl worl crashed and burned. And L like the Phoinex came out of the ashes in rl and sl so any help I can give you let me know.

[Madelaine McMasters]

---

Dillon Levenque wrote:

Maybe the way the question was asked; something in the phrasing.

---

I've figured it out. It's not the way the question was asked, it's where the question was asked... at the top of LL's Facebook page.

So, it's not that the question resonates with the silent majority, it's that the vocal minority of us here in the forum are ignorant of a much larger world.

;-).

[Madelaine McMasters]

---

LlewLlwyd wrote:

---

Dillon Levenque wrote:

Astonishing. A rather unusual OP request which, after a brief delay, gets six responses in less than an hour's time, each one of them reporting the most incredible effects, and each from someone who has almost never, or in fact never, posted here before.

I'd never really been aware that so many people with such incredible stories lurked here, just hoping that someday someone would come along and ask the question they so want to answer.

 

Edit: make that seven responses; one was in progress while I typed.

---

IN

the trade it's called the "Beggar's Cap" technique.

As any busker will tell you, if you salt your "tip jar" with some shiny it makes a significant difference in encouraging potential donors of small change. It's a known psychological phenomenon that people feel enabled if others have already appeared to demonstrate public participation, however ridiculous the act might be.

***Ethically, of course, it's frowned upon, but even bull-headed fact-checking journalists worry less about morality than mendacity***

---

It's not the Beggar's Cap technique at all. As any mad bag lady might tell you, It's the "Facebook" technique.

[LlewLlwyd]

---

Madelaine McMasters wrote:

---

Dillon Levenque wrote:

Maybe the way the question was asked; something in the phrasing.

---

I've figured it out. It's not the

way

the question was asked, it's where the question was asked... at the top of LL's

Facebook

 page.

So, it's not that the question resonates with the silent majority, it's that the vocal minority of us here in the forum are ignorant of a much larger world.

;-).

---

GREAT!

***Fresh meat***

[LlewLlwyd]

---

Madelaine McMasters wrote:

---

LlewLlwyd wrote:

---

Dillon Levenque wrote:

Astonishing. A rather unusual OP request which, after a brief delay, gets six responses in less than an hour's time, each one of them reporting the most incredible effects, and each from someone who has almost never, or in fact never, posted here before.

I'd never really been aware that so many people with such incredible stories lurked here, just hoping that someday someone would come along and ask the question they so want to answer.

 

Edit: make that seven responses; one was in progress while I typed.

---

IN

the trade it's called the "Beggar's Cap" technique.

As any busker will tell you, if you salt your "tip jar" with some shiny it makes a significant difference in encouraging potential donors of small change. It's a known psychological phenomenon that people feel enabled if others have already appeared to demonstrate public participation, however ridiculous the act might be.

***Ethically, of course, it's frowned upon, but even bull-headed fact-checking journalists worry less about morality than mendacity***

---

It's not the Beggar's Cap technique at all. As any mad bag lady might tell you, It's the "

Facebook

" technique.

---

WHERE do you think that beggar Zuck learned his marketing techniques?

***It's all in the timeline***

[Mandrake Doomdale]

I'm getting married in RL. While I didn't meet my fiancee in SL, I have FOUR friends from the SL metaverse that are invited to the wedding and planning to attend.

[Perrie Juran]

---

Madelaine McMasters wrote:

---

Dillon Levenque wrote:

Maybe the way the question was asked; something in the phrasing.

---

I've figured it out. It's not the

way

the question was asked, it's where the question was asked... at the top of LL's

Facebook

 page.

So, it's not that the question resonates with the silent majority, it's that the vocal minority of us here in the forum are ignorant of a much larger world.

;-).

---

Considering that it is on Facebook this could be a justifiable case of Ignorance being Bliss.

[Pamela Galli]

---

Madelaine McMasters wrote:

---

Dillon Levenque wrote:

Maybe the way the question was asked; something in the phrasing.

---

I've figured it out. It's not the

way

the question was asked, it's where the question was asked... at the top of LL's

Facebook

 page.

So, it's not that the question resonates with the silent majority, it's that the vocal minority of us here in the forum are ignorant of a much larger world.

;-).

---

Ah yes, that was Tweeted, too.  No clue how those comments wind up as forum posts tho.

[LlewLlwyd]

---

Pamela Galli wrote:

 No clue how those comments wind up as forum posts tho.

---

BOTH anti-social networking posts included a link to the forum thread.

***Maybe we could have some fun with that device in the future . . . before they disable it, that is***

[Jed Luckless]

As a result of my music career in SL, I have adopted a completely new identiy IRL. There are many people in my life now who only know me as Jed. Even my mom and dad call me Jed now. Many aspects of my life are divided between the Jed identify and my previously existing, real life identity (ie, music & art vs. business & job). There are benefits and drawbacks to this approach which I would be happy to discuss.

You can learn more about me at www.jedluckless.com and I can be reached at jed.luckless@gmail.com if you would like to discuss further.

Thanks for your interest in our wonderful world of SL!

-Jammin' Jed

[RavenSkye Waverider]

I dont think it's a hatche job. Are you referring to the story itself? It's one of many issues with a lot of people who are extrremely addicted to gaming. I know some that are to Second Life too.

 

It's just one of many.

[LlewLlwyd]

---

RavenSkye Waverider wrote:

 It's one of many issues with a lot of people who are extrremely addicted to gaming. I know some that are to Second Life too.

---

SURELY not . . .

***and judging by the tenor of previous articles, this one will surely not focus on the sensationally demented in SL; will it?***

[Madelaine McMasters]

---

Pamela Galli wrote:

---

Madelaine McMasters wrote:

---

Dillon Levenque wrote:

Maybe the way the question was asked; something in the phrasing.

---

I've figured it out. It's not the

way

the question was asked, it's where the question was asked... at the top of LL's

Facebook

 page.

So, it's not that the question resonates with the silent majority, it's that the vocal minority of us here in the forum are ignorant of a much larger world.

;-).

---

Ah yes, that was Tweeted, too.  No clue how those comments wind up as forum posts tho.

---

I don't know about Twitter, but the Facebook post asking for responses links to the OP. So that part is orchestrated. That explains the "flood" of activity from people who've never posted here before. Some of them have been in SL longer than you (2007) or me (2008). It's not that these people are allies/alts of the OP who popped up in support of something in an attempt to garner attention, it's that they saw something on a page that gets far more attention than the forums, and that page pointed them here.

The forums are not on most people's radar. It doesn't bother me to discover that the world I inhabit may be inconsequential to most. That's been the case since I was born. And let this be a lesson to us, or at least me. What appears suspicious may simply be the result of our own ignorance.

I find it helpful to remind myself that Hanlon's Razor, "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity (I think "ignorance" would be a better term)." doesn't require the ignorance to be someone else's.

;-).

[LlewLlwyd]

MALICE is preferable by far to stupidity, in my estimation.

***And when it comes to the Fourth Estate, they probably tie for first place***

[Carna Soulstar]

Hi i have 2 toons on second life my life was greatly inpacted as i met my future Husband there ,I was English He was American so we lived 3000 Miles away we became friends and had a love affair eventually 3 years later we decided to meet i came across to America he proposed and im still here !Would never have happened without second life .

[cecianasta]

Hello everyone,

Thank you so much for reaching out. It's incredible that SL has had such a positive effect on so many of you. I have been DMing with a few members of this forum and have found people with whom to speak. 

Again, I appreciate everyone's input. Thank you for your help.

Best,
Cecilia

[Dillon Levenque]

---

Madelaine McMasters wrote:

---

Pamela Galli wrote:

---

Madelaine McMasters wrote:

---

Dillon Levenque wrote:

Maybe the way the question was asked; something in the phrasing.

---

I've figured it out. It's not the

way

the question was asked, it's where the question was asked... at the top of LL's

Facebook

 page.

So, it's not that the question resonates with the silent majority, it's that the vocal minority of us here in the forum are ignorant of a much larger world.

;-).

---

Ah yes, that was Tweeted, too.  No clue how those comments wind up as forum posts tho.

---

I don't know about Twitter, but the Facebook post asking for responses links to the OP. So that part is orchestrated. That explains the "flood" of activity from people who've never posted here before. Some of them have been in SL longer than you (2007) or me (2008). It's not that these people are allies/alts of the OP who popped up in support of something in an attempt to garner attention, it's that they saw something on a page that gets far more attention than the forums, and that page pointed them here.

The forums are not on most people's radar. It doesn't bother me to discover that the world I inhabit may be inconsequential to most. That's been the case since I was born. And let this be a lesson to us, or at least me. What appears suspicious may simply be the result of our own ignorance.

I find it helpful to remind myself that

Hanlon's Razor

, "

Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity (I think "ignorance" would be a better term)." doesn't require the ignorance to be someone else's.

;-).

---

 

After reading your Facebook link hypothesis and checking a few profiles, I kind of think you're right (and you know I hate when that happens). Instead of a carefully planned and arranged post blitz, it was a fairly normal response to a post in a place many times more well-read than this forum.

If that's true, it actually means that the kinds of things we very occasionally see here (successful SL to RL romance, for example) may be much more widespread than we think. That the kinds of life improvements we sometimes imagine SL making possible actually ARE being made possible, possibly in great numbers. That's pretty cool, isn't it?

[Pamela Galli]

---

Madelaine McMasters wrote:

---

Pamela Galli wrote:

---

Madelaine McMasters wrote:

---

Dillon Levenque wrote:

Maybe the way the question was asked; something in the phrasing.

---

I've figured it out. It's not the

way

the question was asked, it's where the question was asked... at the top of LL's

Facebook

 page.

So, it's not that the question resonates with the silent majority, it's that the vocal minority of us here in the forum are ignorant of a much larger world.

;-).

---

Ah yes, that was Tweeted, too.  No clue how those comments wind up as forum posts tho.

---

I don't know about Twitter, but the Facebook post asking for responses links to the OP. So that part is orchestrated. That explains the "flood" of activity from people who've never posted here before. Some of them have been in SL longer than you (2007) or me (2008). It's not that these people are allies/alts of the OP who popped up in support of something in an attempt to garner attention, it's that they saw something on a page that gets far more attention than the forums, and that page pointed them here.

The forums are not on most people's radar. It doesn't bother me to discover that the world I inhabit may be inconsequential to most. That's been the case since I was born. And let this be a lesson to us, or at least me. What appears suspicious may simply be the result of our own ignorance.

I find it helpful to remind myself that

Hanlon's Razor

, "

Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity (I think "ignorance" would be a better term)." doesn't require the ignorance to be someone else's.

;-).

---

I dont think anyone was accusing them of malice, but commenting on the odd uniformity and source of the posts. 

 

[LlewLlwyd]

---

Dillon Levenque wrote:

 

If that's true, it actually means that the kinds of things we very occasionally see here (successful SL to RL romance, for example) may be much more widespread than we think. That the kinds of life improvements we sometimes imagine SL making possible actually ARE being made possible, possibly in great numbers. That's pretty cool, isn't it?

---

YOU don't really expect those who - for some reason - have continued to play, after divorce, serial relationship break up or whatever life disimprovements that SL engenders, to rush to self-publicise their victim status in response to the yellow press's invitation, do you? And of course, those who have been terminally shamed, who have been rendered unable to communicate, been made homeless or taken their own lives as a consequence of playing SL are not going to be reading Facebook or Twitter feeds in order to reveal to VICE the life-changing identity tourist activities that brought about their fall.

[Come to think of it, they are probably relating a mixture of their experiences and lies on Jerry Springer. Except the dead ones, that is.]

***On a net basis, I reckon SL has probably ruined tens - at least - more lives than it has improved***

[Derek Torvalar]

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Peter Gray>>>>Xiola suggested to this person to undertake this.

Especially considering the timing of the "Share your Educational experiences' post with the VWBPE.