DalNiente

With three different light sources i'm shocked it came out so well. Hope you guys had a good weekend.

Before signing up I followed second life since it’s inception. Various friends found themselves in this virtual world. From a residential architect who used second life as a means to visualize/stylize their works to people who found their place among different furry communities. When I finally had the means I joined myself not to find myself but I wanted to see the foundations of second life for myself, were all the stories true? Second life has a draw/allure that other social games don’t, good and bad.

I believe adult content is more of a perceived problem than the actual problem. One of the main themes in the letter to the community about the new terms of service is the cost of digital storage, which would indicate perhaps smugmug, inc. might have some sort of financial issue. I’ve been curious about how Flicker has been advertised and the means of monetization though ads both on and off site. When turning off ad blocker I still don’t see many advertisements from other companies. They seem infrequent. The ads I see for the company point more towards Smugmug’s which revolves around printing and hosting portfolio websites rather than Flicker. All that being said Smugmug still makes 10 – 25 million in revenue a year. The passionate discussion about adult content is coming from the user base. Mainly free accounts. People are losing their ability to post content and it’s understandably quite upsetting. You make some excellent points about moderate content @Cristiano but for creators who make more risque clothing moderation seems to be “odd” some ads contain a percentage of nudity and remain safe while I’ve seen people have issues with a bare male chest (belleza, legacy, ect) being “safe”. Several people are of the opinion that Flicker is cleaning up it’s image not only to be more profitable but maybe they plan on selling that part of their business or merging with another social media giant. @Rowan mentioned people posting things which violated TOS such as adult gifs, webms, and mp4 files but perhaps there is a lot of content which moderation isn’t catching, which falls in various gray areas concerning law. Thus banning adult content for free accounts makes moderation “easier”. If we knew what the actual issues were I feel like we could have a proper conversation. Discussing these new rules are like poking at a raw wound. We only read text and without context we can easily take something the wrong way and see it as a personal slight. No matter what sort of content you make it’s a finical and emotional investment no matter how silly it might sound. And that’s not to say this isn’t a proper conversation but some creators are going to have to retool what they do or find greener pastures. I can’t see a plus for Flicker as a whole or “pro accounts” as you mention but time will tell. Excellent post.

Thank you HorseMommy. Not sure i'll ever get the beanie to fit 100% but I did my best.

Tinkering with Black Dragon.

I'm assuming it's April 1st since people are urging users to not upload anything that day because of the new changes. Moderation also seems a bit more active than usual with even pro members complaining about getting some of their content removed, at least on my feed. Hopefully there will be a bit of a grace period.

After looking into various other communities on Flicker I have to wonder once the adult content is locked behind paid accounts how Flicker as a whole will be marketed and who they are trying to target. Noteworthy photographers generally use other means of social media for exposure, Flicker is just another place to store and get exposure through various communities but some don’t opt for pro accounts. I don’t see Flicker advertised very often and with these new terms of service I don’t see very many new users showing up and buying up pro accounts given the price. It will be interesting to see what happens both short and long term. A few people here have speculated that these changes might mean they are looking to sell it off but with everything mentioned above I’d be curious as to who’d invest in it. Passionate replies and emotions on this topic will be hard to understand for some on the outside looking in. @Kat Kassner mentioned social connections and friendships and that’s why this loss is so personal to users. Flicker or second life photography is an investment of time and money. Even the most basic of blog photos has a story behind it, even if it’s only known to the person who uploaded it. But fond memories don’t pay the bills. It cost money to maintain a vast amount of storage. Rown is totally correct and if it stings to read it… the truth isn’t always the easiest to hear or what we want to hear. Personally I needed to accept that over my needs as a “free” user. I’m still unsure of where my work will end up since I do a little bit of everything. In the end I hope we all find a new home to have others enjoy our works. During my time on Flicker I exceeded any expectation I might have had and I’m thankful I had that chance. Good luck artists/photographers.

In various interviews both written and those on video, Facebook’s metaverse seems to revolve around being a consumer with a heavy focus on in world shopping over basic socialization. While you can have a custom avatar, meet new people, and visit various social events there is always a big emphasis on Real Life brands. It comes off as a virtual Amazon market place rather than a social experiment. Worlds 3D, Second Life, IMVU, are unique when it comes to it’s user base and how it’s shaped the overall experience. Facebook’s Metaverse they want the brands to do that for you. What a nightmare that would be.

Would we be able to peek at their profiles first? While an avatar can look attractive be it a Monster, Human, or Furry that perceived beauty can only be skin deep. You might see a stunning avatar but they might have a bunch of social requirements listed in their profile to even get a reaction from them. It can also depend on where a person visits or the groups of people that might hang around such a sim. I’ve found its really a mixed bag.

Flicker has a thriving adult community outside Second Life content and I’ve been curious where they are going to end up. I’ve seen people say the Second Life user base is small (on Flicker) but I believe it’s a lot larger than people think. There seems to be some crossover with other communities and they seem to be in panic mode too. While they toss out various websites which might allow them to post there isn’t a “good’ one in terms of what Flicker had to offer. I'm considering trying it. So far i've been testing Pixiv and DeviantArt. Pixiv seems more welcoming when it comes to moderate/adult content but it's geared towards artists (it started as a Japanese site for artists) but it also pairs well with other social media. DeviantArt i'm more or less using as storage and posting safe/moderate things just in case something happens to my Flicker account, however there are existing second life tags there and there seems to be some sort of community. Alternative sites seem to have good aspects but lack others. Trial and error is going to be a little frustrating.

You make an excellent point. My posts on this topic have been centered around the important of community and trying to stick together no matter what type of art we chose to make. We all have a passion for photography and love to share our personal view of Second Life. Fracturing the community because of new rules is one thing but fracturing because groups play the blame game is worse. And thank you for following. I'm such an amateur i'd call it more of a hobby than an art. Your work is something though.

Even if it doesn't work out at least you are branching out and trying new things while people search for a welcoming community. Community is my biggest concern. I've seen people bicker at one another over not understanding the new terms of service. Blaming people who make adult content. Ect. Fracturing really hurts overall visibility and the ability to connect with others in world. It hurts the SL community as a whole. Advertising, self promotion, and many other things. It sucks, they really isn't a better way to put it.

Sometimes seasoned residents never grow out of being a newbie. If you ever need help cashing a check in another currency... Perfect seems like such a strange term to use for this discussion but on a personal level we are all drawn towards what we like/desire on ourselves or on others.

Some people tend to think even these topics are too personal to discuss. Every encounter is a unique social experience good or bad and plenty of users have unique reasons for using Second Life as a social medium. I 100% agree with Rowan that a lie isn't anything but a lie. @Kalegthepsionicist are you saying that people who are "pretending" and I use this term very lightly as not to offend, are "pretending" to be something they might or might not be is role playing? If so i'm not quite sure that term fits here. Everyone has their reasons and while it's deception to some it's a means of coping for another. While that doesn't excuse malicious intent it does not mean everyone is constantly playing a role so to speak. Sorry if that sounds confusing.

Sometimes it's not to much the places you visit rather it's the people you know. Even in a months time the club and shopping landscape can change drastically. What kind of clubs do you like to visit or places you like to see?

BRON, Deadwool, Contraption and Riot. Check out the stores together so you can learn and each other's taste. Who knows what you might come up with. But everyone has listed excellent events and stores so far.

What male body is your friend using? Knowing this will help people give you ideas and suggestions. Casual outfits can be rather versatile depending on the users taste in clothing.

I don’t mind advice or helpful tips with something I might have overlooked. Yet when it comes to a full makeover down to the shape those people want to create an avatar “they” would enjoying seeing. It’s interesting reading other users experience with this sort of thing but it’s a bit like build a bear but with people. Surrounding yourself in people who fit their beauty standards for both men and women. First it’s the look and then maybe other things. “Have you considered this”. A creepy version of “making friends” in the most literal sense.

While it might not seem like a "raw" photo the conditions/lighting turned it into an interesting selfie

In my experience, a hesitation or reluctance to approach an interesting avatar is usually based around a single bad experience. Imagine being a new player or someone looking to branch out as they message someone who tickles their fancy with a simple “hello” or an inquiry as to where they purchased their clothing (especially if they haven’t viewed their profile prior to first contact) only to discover they have insulted a six thousand year old vampire princess who heads up a family of elite ninja kitsune who finds greetings such as “hi” or “hello” insulting as they demand at least a small novel’s worth of creative writing to even begin speaking to them. You’d be hesitant to speak with others in the future after you were taught the way of the blade. From the vantage point of the so called perfect avatar perhaps years in second life with various similar experiences, drama, or something that causes a social stress ends up leaving people very jaded with odd expectations for the community at large. I have spent this amount of currency while training in the mountains on scared linden lands to create perfection thus you should treat me with more or a special kind of respect. That mindset can keep others out of various role playing communities given they want you to have this many years and be this eloquent with various languages and know the lore which is a two thousand word essay which was written onto a note-card. It’s odd in a such a social game we’ve created so many personal barriers within our minds that it ends up causing us to be less social. (not to mention social nuances concerning language barriers, interpreted context, regional mannerisms, ect ect ect)

I think what you are seeing Colleen are the five stages of grief of various users. The blog post about the new terms of service isn’t the most eloquent of documents and until changes are implemented or something new occurs, regular users wait with baited breath to see what will happen. I’d assume the second life community also makes up a larger portion of the flicker community than one might think. Some engage in real life photography. While they might be unaffected you still have large adult communities within flicker who don’t use second life that share moderate/restricted content. To date (it’s only be a day) I’ve not seen any groups trying to engage with Flicker’s staff outside protest pictures so I’m wondering how they will respond to the backlash or if they will ignore it. Still, good luck in your endeavors Colleen. Once we have a clearer date of the when and how I guess I’ll be deleting my moderate/restricted content as well.

It's from Dura (Dura - U115)