AliceOneders

Charolotte Caxton wrote: You do make a good point along with the caveat that it only is a matter of concern if unused accounts burden the system. I also have no idea how the technical aspect of that works. My reply to your very well worded and thought out post would be to say, even if we narrow it down to the immersionists who can not access the internet in any way during those three years, is one avatar deletion worth it? How did I know you were going to ask that? The pragmatist in me is inclined to say yes, if the resources freed would benefit the existing (and future) community enough to outweigh the the costs of the sacrifice, then it would be worth it. But in RL I don't support capital punishment, so there's my first conflict. And from what I've gathered, given how valuable oftentimes immersionists are to maintaining the SL community while active (as well as how interwoven their identity is to SL), they'd be the last accounts you'd want to accidentally or otherwise delete from SL because both the community and those individuals would likely be disproportionately affected. So thinking about it more in-depth given the questions you asked I've got to say it would really depend upon the situation and what alternatives were available. I don't have a simple answer for you, except to say I can understand why one would try to preserve all accounts despite the costs.

Charolotte Caxton wrote: While your arguments seem sound, I can think of a few instances where a three year absence might not be in the control of the avatar's operator. It would be a shame if one were detained, hospitalized, drafted, volunteering or in an internship to come back after their time served to find out that their beloved avatar was purged and being operated in name by some stranger. It would be horrible. I can see your point, especially if that resident is an immersionist. If Second Life is seen as another life, then to destroy all those lives by a cold purge could almost be considered a kind of genocide. However, as has been noted all over these forums there are many, many accounts opened that are abandoned within even a short time frame. That has got to put an enormous burden on LL servers over time if even a fraction of those avatars is kept in the system because the owners simply forget to cancel their accounts. I understand that keeping all those accounts open would be ideal, but is it a feasible one? Maybe such a purge could be considered more like a biotic crisis - three years of stagnation and a world-wide disaster comes and those lives are unfortunately taken, just like in nature in RL. It is so easy to get online nowadays (library computers, smart phones, internet coffee houses, etc.) that even if one is away from his main computer - troops stationed overseas in third-world countries can get onto the web to place Skype calls with their family, for instance - a resident can log in not necessarily to go in-world, but to check out the forums or my.secondlife.com, to keep up with relationships made in-world. There are ways to maintain an active account that don't require an in-world presence and don't require a computer with SL installed. With the examples you gave, only someone incarcerated or in an extremely debilitated condition in the hospital would likely not have access to the internet in some form. I'm sure there are other examples I'm omitting, but if we narrow to immersionists, then narrow further to those who would not have internet access at all within three years, I think we're talking about a very slim subgroup of inactive accounts. Ideals are fantastic, but compromise has its place too regardless of which world we're talking about. Of course my argument only holds if those avatars are truly burdening the servers. If they're not, or are reasonably burdensome, then they should remain untouched.

Gavin Hird wrote: If you need to recycle names, purge the user DB of anyone who has not been logged in say for more than 3 years I think if Linden Labs chooses to bring back a last names list, this would be an excellent idea. I never understood why they don't purge accounts after a certain time period. I'd think this would help free up server space as well as names. I'd guess SL is significantly different than it was 3 years ago, so wouldn't it actually be better for the resident to start over (esp. if mesh, etc. become the new norm) rather than go back to an account that'd in essence have to be "renewed" in almost every respect anyway? It would also make residents more conscious of the fact that engagement inworld is LL's goal. Of course RL can and does interfere with SL and some people just don't have time for SL when certain life events happen, but if a resident truly had significant assets stored in SL would he actually abandon them for greater than 3 years? And if all SL residents are made aware that this is occurring, I think that would greatly minimize the chance that someone would think an old friend had reappeared after such a long time. And even if that was not the case, if that person was a good friend they'd probably be able to tell within a few minutes of interacting that it was not the same person. Given how easy it is to use search to find people, it wouldn't be too difficult for a user to locate old friends if he did have to start over. It would also encourage him to find new places and engage with other people. I've also heard of griefers taking old avatars out of several year hibernations to engage in griefing activities. I see few drawbacks to such a purge. In fact, even separated from the naming issue I could see why it might be useful to do on LL's part.

SL is a virtual social world, so I've been thinking about the proposed changes through this lens. First, regarding newly registered usernames, as a user who joined within the last few months I do think allowing for separate first and last names would encourage more of a sense of community. I also think allowing custom last names would be an improvement over the older system for the user experience, but that's with the caveat that I can only guess at the logistical issues involved with prohibiting certain names, monitoring new ones, etc. on LL's end. Would that spur a ridiculous increase in AR reports if the "prohibited name list" isn't sufficient enough? If they did go that route, something like a suggested name example or two - so a clever one that could never be mistaken for someone's real name in RL - would be useful on the sign up page as a 'nudge' if you will to get new registrants thinking about the range of possibilities for a new name and thus indirectly discouraging them from using a real (or more common) name. Just thinking on the fly, what might be kind of fun about examples like that would be LL reserving those avatar names and employees periodically going among the population decked out in them to see how many residents recognize them. So regarding existing residents who joined after the the first/last name fields were discontinued: just allowing them to add a new last name will likely not address many of the issues involved, especially for those who picked letters and numbers in their username or who picked a series of letters that would not work as a first name. To address the various issues, LL would have to allow those residents to potentially change their entire names. On the other hand, for those who did register with first/last names in a single field - like myself - they'd just need their first and last names separated. The potential problem with this however, especially for those who completely change names, is community disruption. So if LL were to do this, they'd probably only want to offer it as an opt-in, one-time offer for a limited time period, maybe offering it to only limited numbers of users at a time in waves so it is more manageable for both users and LL. This may minimize the disruption but it would still likely be significant, especially for the resident who does make a big change to his name. Since there is an immediate social cost (accompanying a long-term benefit) as well as a cost to LL to offer this change, charging a fee to do it might be understandable. Maybe the size of the fee could be related to the type of change? So just separating a name would cost least, adding a last name would cost more, completely changing an entire name would be most expensive. It seems to me the call for last names is born out of a desire for more cohesive community within SL, which makes me wonder about the "title" idea that Rodvik mentioned. Since there's not been anything outlined, the primary question for me is will the title option inform more than it will confine? In e.g., would someone who considers himself a roleplayer/builder/shopkeeper/race car driver only be recognized by the community as a race car driver because they noticed he won a few races recently? As residents proceed through SL their identities change - will these titles change with those new realities? And will it promote more cut-throat competition rather than community? Will it encourage "gaming" of identities? Now I like games as much as the next person, but the ways in which the rules are fashioned (and followed) can encourage cheating instead of learning and friendly competition / cooperation. So for me the announcement right now just leads to questions. I do appreciate that LL is taking the time to look at this, to hopefully address the needs of the community, but wonder where this might lead given the announcement still seems so cryptic.

Engaging in social media is not an all or nothing proposition. Many people may set up FB or other accounts (not twitter since that platform is chiefly about spreading thoughts and ideas) just to remain connected with old friends or acquaintances they met earlier in life and they are otherwise physically apart from. Many are separated from relatives also; given the mobility of the world population, there are valid reasons for this type of engagement. Also just because one opens up a FB account doesn't mean he broadcasts everything to the world. That's why there are different privacy settings available on those platforms and a user can choose to share as much or as little as he likes. This type of media will not go away unless there is an enormous, widespread abuse of it that becomes recognized by millions of people. I see the main benefit of virtual avatar identites/networking in idea exploration. Not getting pegged down by sterotypes; being able to argue and explore and even inhabit different types of perspectives with fewer consequences. In an internet world where people are constantly allowing themselves to be polarized politically (by only engaging in reinforcing ideas and perspectives - for instance only ever reading the Huffington Post or Drudge Report, etc.), it's a very useful way to wrestle with ideas and words without necessarily having to claim them as one's own or perceived static "identity." This can bring its own set of problems, but that seems to me one of its chief merits. If used in this way, it can lead to a more understanding, less polarized population. The "other" can become "me" and vice versa. So for this reason I'd like to see virtual identity continue to be available to everyone and more widely taken up by the general population. I would hope neither one nor the other would win out as I can see enormous benefits to both.

I noticed that a few days ago too but forgot about it. Do you know how it works exactly? Is it just automatically on for everyone in that region who changes his or her display name? Does it only show when you change your profile while you're inworld or does it also show when you first login after changing your profile on the web?

Aren't poker games prohibited by the TOS?

Thanks for all the info, GothGirl. I have remained with the V3 viewer because I have been concerned about third-party viewers for those types of reasons. However all those potential exploits are worries. I have a few questions. I was looking back at threads in the archive and found this one from February of last year: http://community.secondlife.com/t5/General-Discussions/GUIDE-Save-the-day-with-proper-network-security/m-p/514577/highlight/true#M254406 Is it still relevant or is it out of date? I am concerned about the streaming media issue, especially since I've been attending art exhibits or sims which use streaming media as part of the presentation. Also pretty much any live performance or club will require that enabled in order to enjoy the music there. I thought I read previously that streaming music was a potential problem also re: revealing an IP address. Given these types of venues are such a large part of SL, I'm wondering why there's not official information about such potential exploits (and workarounds) provided by LL. Or maybe there is but I am unsure of where to look? I've only so far seen these issues appear in the forums. Especially if they are interested in attracting a larger audience who may not be familiar with having to go through such procedures, I'd think this would be a major focus of LL's. I also want to reference this thread: http://community.secondlife.com/t5/General-Discussions/IP-Address-to-Real-Address/td-p/308465/highlight/true/page/9 , especially the last post. How accurate is this assertion? There are so many links in-world to outside web pages - for example if you are interested in roleplay there's always a webpage associated with a roleplay sim, usually referred to in a notecard. Do we potentially have to worry about things like that too? What about unofficial wiki pages about SL? For instance, all the roleplay information is "unofficial" on wiki. Not to mention all the website links on other avatars' profiles to their blogs, etc. For those of you not aware there is an actual virus, or rogue exploit out which can effect the computer, one of them fakes itself as a MicroSoft security program, and takes full control over the computer, which also may contain keyloggers, however an experienced person or someone who knows what they are doing can easily remove and fix their pc without any format needed. Is there any way to find out how something like this specifically can be done so novices can accomplish this should they need to? Many posters have been complaining about the lack of robust features included in Premium membership. I know if part of it included educating and helping protect newer members against many of these issues -- perhaps providing tools, centralized information to do this -- I'd think that would be a large incentive to participate, at least for those who are not already well-versed in these issues. Now I do understand that LL's job is creating and maintaining systems, so perhaps they already have policies in place to help address these issues that the Lab may not see fit to publicly advertise?

I want to begin a quest for Keys to the Collar Which Bridges Worlds. My journey will have two goals: 1) to find the Keys which will release any poor souls attached to the Collar and 2) to destroy the Collar. Any ideas about where to start? Keep in mind this quest needs to be tailored for someone relatively new to SL, so any labors need to be created with that in mind. I am serious about this quest. I would like to start it as soon as possible. Thanks for your help.

I was wondering where that post went yesterday. Thanks for reposting the link, it is much more comprehensive than what the Community Manager posted. I hope Void is able to come back soon. Even if she is frustrated with LL, noobs like myself would really benefit from her return.

Storm Clarence wrote: This thread is not for the newbies. It is "forum tone" and we, the older residents, set the tone. New people are taken care of on this forum, regardless of the one or two that walk away from their self-inflicted wounds; and regardless of what some other bimbos want to use for ammunition to serve their own purposes. I am a **bleep**ing PICard, period. Like it or not, I am not leaving. I haven't been here for very long but I think you bring a valuable (though sometimes biting) voice to the conversation. I can't imagine anyone would want you to leave. And I just looked up what a PICard is. Does that mean we noobs can be one too? As an aside, I'd speculate that maybe those who *might* have wounds (though I don't know from what) don't have a problem with you or Pep or anyone else in particular as you have very distinctive personas, but it's when those voices are reflected in others, in escalating crescendo, that it makes them wary to engage anyone. I'm just thinking that very few people will choose to engage a roaring lion voluntarily, whether or not the lion roars for a good reason.

And for the record, I'm not looking to grief anyone -- and I never was. OOC: Other than the above statement, I hope everyone realizes I was joking. I'd never consciously subject myself to grief-like activity. Ever. As I said in another thread, I don't want to be anybody's serf. It is fun to RP in the forums, isn't it Peter? After waiting a while, I'm surprised there was no reaction here but that was useful to me. It means my social awkwardness remains well in place. I see that's something I really have to work on. Strangely, sometime after I make a social misstep like this my ears ring -- I wonder why that is?

I might hold off on RPing for a bit longer and take up your suggestion just because I'm so easily swayed. But I have to insert - if Immy likes griefing, what motivation would I have to do it? :-) The best thing about trying to be clever around Immy is that it gives her a reason for showing-off just how much more/better she can do. That really is an education in SL, and usually quite a bit of fun :-) ... You do like Pianos falling on your head and that sort of thing, don't you? As long as it's all in good fun (for everyone involved including myself) I'm willing to try new things in SL once. Since I've never had a piano fall on my head in SL before I couldn't tell you how I'd feel about it beforehand. I'd imagine it'd be jarring for my ava. And for the record, I'm not looking to grief anyone -- and I never was.

PeterCanessa Oh wrote: @OP - Teleport to Kuula sim, home of NCI for help and freebies, to discuss helping, generally chat and have a good place to build and hang-out. Oh - and grief Immy, she enjoys it so much (*ducks*) I might hold off on RPing for a bit longer and take up your suggestion just because I'm so easily swayed. But I have to insert - if Immy likes griefing, what motivation would I have to do it?

Thanks for the welcome, guys. Not sure how to feel about the rickroll link. . . Right now I'm got in mind a more urban RP environment, but I'm open to other RP environments too if they might be a better fit given my limited RP experience. Thanks.

I’ve been lurking here for a while and want to first say how much I’ve appreciated these forums. The frequent posters – even those with scathing commentary – have been endlessly helpful to me. I even appreciate opinions which seem to be off-base at times because they make me realize how important communication is in a virtual world. So thank you for the time you take out of your day to provide assistance to the rest of us. I, for one, appreciate it, even if I’ve never spoken up about it until now. I especially want to thank the builders and scripters who’ve made SL such an amazing place. I’d also like to thank those reading who may have helped me or any of my alts in-world too. You don’t know who I am and I don’t know who you are, but it’s sincerely appreciated. Think of anyone you helped lately and imagine it was me and know that the compliment is warmly given. I’m a noob, so I don’t know how much I can add to the dialogue around here, but I’ll try to give an opinion and ask questions when I can. I just wanted to introduce myself – oh, I haven’t really told you anything about myself yet, have I? I’m so socially bereft sometimes. There are even times when avas think I’m flirting when I’m trying to just appreciate boldness in-world. My wife would tell you that I have extreme difficulty expressing myself sometimes but she finds it endearing. Thank goodness for small favors, eh? Anyhow, I’m a noob, I’ve just been stumbling around (lots of missteps) in a few adult areas and art venues and feeling awed and just a bit intimidated about everything. I have a hard time breaking the ice with others. It’s kind of absurd, really. Any suggestions on how I might try to proceed in-world? I’m open to pretty much anything. I’ve done a little bit of rp, but am nowhere near good at it yet. Looking for a friendly group to rp with, not looking for drama if I can help it. Thanks!