Have you found a sense of community in Second Life that has enriched your life?

[Brouka]

Yes, indeed it has.

In RL, I have high-functioning Autism (Asperger's) which affects my ability to socialize well. While that does not stop me from getting out and meeting people in the real world, I am often felt alienated because of my inability to recognize facial expressions and tones of voice, which often causes me to misunderstand things or respond the wrong way. A speech problem of mine also does not help.

In Second Life, however, people can communicate via writing. There are no expressions or tones of voice I have to try to understand; it is all emoted, which makes it much easier for me. ( /me smiles.) I also do not have to speak verbally, so it makes communication much faster and easier...for me at least. This has helped enable me to meet more people, build up genuine friendships, and have a blast roleplaying. Second Life helps provide me with a social life, albeit a virtual one, and I am enjoying it thoroughly...though, perhaps, a bit TOO much; I fear I might have become addicted to it now!

[Usil Bailey]

Yes I have,,The RHN (Resident Help Network)....

This made becomming a Second Life Mentor easy for so many. It Helped span language barriers and time zones.

Allowing so many residents to help others at so many levels.

 

    I got asked  'Why I Mentor" She wanted to know,,,,,
I stopped and wen't silent for a few moments,,,I wanted her to understand. I told This
girl now 7 months old who came to me not for help but to show me her second life.

                   I Said to her,,,,, 'All you have to do is look in a mirror',,,,

And then I teleported away:) ,,,,she understands now. She Im'ed me and
thanked me and said 'You made a difference in my life'.

I've heard many ask 'Why do it? You don't get Paid for it',,,,,,They will never understand,,,:

I got Paid today.
                                   Usil Bailey
                                                     Mentor,,,Grid Wide:

[Adrea McKay]

I've been away from SL for a while, but back in the day, I was a member of an okiya (geisha-run tea house) known as yorokeikoku.  Admittedly, this was more of a Japanese-inspired escort service than an actual geisha house; but the people there embraced the geisha ideal of living (at least in Second Life) a life of art.  Matching ideas at the okiya, many of us took on projects more ambitious than they would have done otherwise, driven by the interest of friends and co-workers.  Most of the friends I still retain were met there.

Although the okiya folded due to financial matters, it was the gateway to a wealth of galleries, musical recitals and other creative venues.  Around each of these is a group of dedicants, adding and changing with their ideas - to say nothing of the individuals willing to help with building, scripting, etc. (an artform in itself).  Each of these communities adds to the appeal of the world as a whole, and has wooed me back after a far-too-long time away.

[Pussycat Catnap]

I'm a little listless right now.

I joined because in 2006 I was a part of the 3D art community. But then I left.

I came back one day when bored, in 2009. Quickly discovered the Neko meme and tried to find a community there. But there really isn't one. Neko is like an identity, but not a community.

I've had and have friends here and there - but never found what I would call a community. Every group I feel a sense of kinship with dislikes some part of my identity or another group I feel kinship with...

Its kind of hard to find your place when your a Rastafarian-Christian feral-Neko/cat-furry deeply spiritual left wing military veteran nudist of multi-racial background with a PhD and a history of having been homeless who find no sin in sexual liberation but does not engage in SL-Romance despite being poly-amorous yet monogamously committed in RL.

- we've all got long lists like that I suspect, but for many people some of my entries are polar opposites.

 

SL is a quirky place, where I can have an assortment of friends, and find social company often, though not often enough - but it has not shaped out to be a place where I could find community.

That, despite my over-riding political ideology being best described as 'Communitarianism'.

- Maybe I'm just setting the bar too high...

 

[BothamFidor]

Oh, and by the way, Communism failed.

Fidor

[Jo Yardley]

No it didn't.

[JeanneAnne]

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BothamFidor wrote:

Oh, and by the way, Communism failed.

Fidor

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Repeated often enough, the sheep begin bleating it.

Jeanne

[Sy Beck]

"Chinese Communism" - Propping up Western Capitalism for 20 yrs and counting!

[JeanneAnne]

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Sy Beck wrote:

"Chinese Communism" - Propping up Western Capitalism for 20 yrs and counting!

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LoL When Capitalist apologists want to trash China for its civil rights record, it's because China is "Communist."

But point out the fact that China owns most of the "free world's" sovereign debt, has enjoyed unparalleled economic growth and is rapidly buying up the world's prime farmland and other natural resources, it's because China "isn't really" Communist!

LMAO at the bleating sheep!!

Good post! Comrade..

Jeanne

[Sy Beck]

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JeanneAnne wrote:

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Sy Beck wrote:

"Chinese Communism" - Propping up Western Capitalism for 20 yrs and counting!

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LoL When Capitalist apologists want to trash China for its civil rights record, it's because China is "Communist."

 

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...and because they have a trashy civil rights record...for the record.  :smileywink:

[JeanneAnne]

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Sy Beck wrote:

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JeanneAnne wrote:

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Sy Beck wrote:

"Chinese Communism" - Propping up Western Capitalism for 20 yrs and counting!

---

LoL When Capitalist apologists want to trash China for its civil rights record, it's because China is "Communist."

 

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...and because they have a trashy civil rights record...for the record.  :smileywink:

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True enough Sy! The Cultural Revolution was horrendous. Tiananmen Square was a national disgrace. But what's this got to do with China having Communist politico-economic policies?

Does Communist China have a history of systematic genocide against its indigenous population, including practicing biological warfare against its native peoples? Does China have a history of importing hundreds of thousands of people from across the sea to be bought and sold as slaves? Trashy civil rights records certainly aren't exclusive to Communist regimes. 

Jeanne

[Pussycat Catnap]

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BothamFidor wrote:

Oh, and by the way, Communism failed.

Fidor

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Who said anything about communism?

I'm a communitarian. Capitalism is potentially failing now because of people who can't tell the difference between any given two very different words.

BTW; if you're an anti-communist, what have you done to back that position? Veteran by any chance? Combat? I've served - by choice, in Asia - to back up my stance against communists. Have you? Or just another armchair conservative there? Back it up, or back off.

Guess what, Car and Cat both start with the same two letters, so maybe you drive your cat and pet your car, but that's not how most of us do it.

 

 

[Voodoo Radek]

YES. I found a sense of community, a lot of communities to be exact. I am a promiscuous person, always going here and there, always changing. I like sail, drive, fly, music, deejaying, arts, zombies, medieval, scifi, build. I know how to relax and admire a good sunset sometimes too; and i would do every at the same time if i could. I have my friends my groups my tastes and my favorites places to hang out with people. Nowadays i am a part of a sandbox staff as mentor.

BUT above all this.. i like to think about SL as a amazing and huge community of passionate residents. -Some of them complaint too much: true, but that is passion too. Most of us have a reason to love this universe, yeah and a lot of reason to become exasperated due its imperfection, but i am almost sure that most of us feel outraged when someone "external" talk **bleep** about our little universe. Thanks for make it possible linden, sometimes we would you get closer to us, but thanks for put the first stone of this nice community.

[JeanneAnne]

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Linden Lab wrote:

Tell everyone about it here!

 

 

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Last night I had a revelation about why a unified sense of community is hard to come by in SL. It is because SL is so overbuilt and everyone is competing so desperately to attract people to their own niche environment in order to garner sufficient funds to pay tier on that environment. If all these people could come together in a common environment, what a community that would be!

I attended a Yule circle with a group of Pagans whom I've made friends with. Afterwards, the priestess who officiated over the ritual invited me to come dance at her cozy little jazz/blues club. It was a nice environment, with good music, a handful of friendly people and good conversation.

Meanwhile, my sister was sending notices reminding of her regular Friday night venue, where she plays 40s Big Band music in a lovely outdoor seaside environment under the stars. Because she is my sister, I left the club I was in to join her. Once again, there was a handful of people, great music, gorgeously lit up surroundings, and interesting friendly conversation.

While dancing, I kept receiving notices inviting me to join a second coven of Witches at their regular Friday night dance, notices from three different Blues clubs that play wonderful music and where I've made friends, and from a couple other venues where there are people I've met and enjoyed chatting with. On top of all this, I was reading group chats and IMs from yet others.

I stayed with my sister until her set was over then went to bed. It occurred to me what fun it would be if all my friends could come together in a common environment. What a community that would be! But that isn't going to happen because each of these groups of friends have their own builds they're committed to and must pay for. Instead of coming together as a larger community, they are in effect competing with one another for traffic, votes and tips. The very nature of SL, under LL's business model, fragments the larger SL community into these little niche pockets, where a small group of regulars are all too apt to fall into cliquishness. This is one reason I feel that SL is far too overbuilt, and I have no interest in building myself. I also have to wonder if it isn't LL's purpose to keep residents divided so that no larger sense of community develops whereby a united front against usurious & dictatorial corporate policy comes to play.

Jeanne