I have been an active participant in SL for quite some time now. Yes, this is my alt!! As an educator in rl, I initially used sl as an extended platform for teaching, only to find it a dismal failure due to the lack of communication, customer support and lack of responsiveness from LL. I personally had paid for a full sim, as did my institution. Both have been given up due to the issues noted above.
I personally do not understand, or agree with, the push toward using other social networks outside sl. In fact, part of what is taught at many universities is to avoid such sites due to the various security failures found there in the past.
I am also very familiar with many corporate entities that "extremely discourage" (saying that as nicely as I can) their employees from using Facebook. As for Twitter - I personally find it annoying and too time consuming to spend any time or effort following it.
Sl is sl!! Anything pertaining to sl should be noted by something sponsored by LL or on the SL website. If meeting up with the proper Linden is an issue, why doesn't each Linden create a blog or forum they are responsible for? There is no need for office hours there! Feedback from clients does not have to be published, but could be reviewed and addressed. I know I would like to either get an email or an inworld notice of changes, hints, and tips and not have to chase around trying to find what's new, or for an answer to a question.
I have been following the communities, events and destinations recommended on the website and have found most to be a terrible disappointment. A few destinations I visited were nothing but shopping areas with nothing to do but browse. My interest in visiting a destination is for interaction. learning something new and entertainment, not necessarily shopping. I would be interested to know how these destinations and events are selected. It does not appear that the client base has any input here.
The move to close the teen grid and allow teens to the mainland has also been an extremely bad decision from my experience. There has not been a single incident when I have been online (unless on a private friends sim) where I have not met someone underage on a sim where they do not belong. This has not only affected my interaction with others, but has limited where I am willing to go in sl.
I see so much wasted effort by LL being put into a viewer that does not work, and into what would appear to many as, finding new ways to hide facts and cover their backside. How many times have the TOS changed in the past few years? How many versions of failing viewers have been released? How much has customer support or new user assistance been degraded?
I truly liked sl as it was in the past. It wasn't perfect, but there was potential. All the new bells and whistles are great ideas, but I don't believe LL is able to manage them effectively. I would like to believe that LL will do as they said some months back and "get back to basics." Fix the search function, forget viewer 2, improve customer service, and concentrate on creating a "stable" environment that can be enjoyed and useful.
At the end of the day LL needs to accept the fact that yes, they have the power to do as they chose, but it's the customer/client they are there to provide the service for. Ignoring client input can only cause sl to fail. It's only a matter of time before there is a new and better "world." Will LL begin to actively listen then?