Blaze Borgin

From what I've heard, LL has no plans to allow users to tell the difference between teens and adults, other than just saying youre a teen in chat.

For me SL and RL is the same ( I know it aint for most BUT) Just reading up on me or anyone else .. anyone can see that I am a 44 year old women, met my husband in SL ( and no sex lol).. was cooler in RL actually.We have 4 kids soon turning 15, 16, 17 and 18 at home (from our prev marriages). All wanting to use SL. This is a little off topic, but I would just like to point out. SL is very close to RL, save one major difference. You can do anything you want in SL except for physical interaction with other humans. I'm not exactly sure how you can live without that.

This Saturday, 4pm SLT at the club in Eutopia.

I was actually on the main grid for about a week when i first started SL (I thought SL only had one grid and got transferred to the TG when i told someone i was 14 ) It's not just 13 year olds on the main grid. I ran into a few 10 and 11 year olds openly talking on mic in some vampire roleplay area. It's bad enough their registration process was broken back then, but now it's still broken and on top of that, they're letting us in the main grid with no real sense of security.

Again, I will admit that I am a Teen. I haven't officially logged in for a few months, and I'm glad I haven't! The Teens are acting out. LL is avoiding them. Every grid has at least 50 spinning, flashing signs up that say "SAVE TSL!!!!!!!!!!". These things are flooding sandboxes, all 15,000 availible prims. I can't find anywhere to build! With LL pulling all this ******** off, no-one can build anywhere except their own private sandboxes. The kids playing army are attempting to "Train" in the sandboxes aren't able to use the sandboxes, and they shouldn't be anyway. I'm not happy about this either. In fact, I'm not happy with much of SL at all! I've been trying to build replicas of Video Game levels so I can try to make some money (they're in high demand on TG), I place the giant building, and it only loads about 50 prims out of a 200+ prim multi-object! My little chat group that turned into an army (not by me) is unable to do ANYTHING at all! This ******** that LL pulled off is forcing teens to do stupid things. They've been diverting everything to saving TSL, which they barely use BTW, and refusing to let anyone else do anything! They've been crowding the TG more than normal, creating more lag! Yeah the paradox scripts in those SAVE TSL signs are getting a bit annoying, though i think you're over exaggerating it. I mean, even when the protesting was in full swing, the only places that had signs were in the 5 hour Lewis sandbox, the weapons testing sandbox and and 2 of the sandbox islands. Even then, they were in a small number. You just had to build in an empty space or move to a different sandbox. That being said, yes this is a really broken idea. I honestly hope linden labs is sticking to their beliefs that "the content filters currently in place should be enough." It's nowhere near enough.

Yeah, if i can make it. I'll probably post the chatlog on my blog too.

I just logged inworld got a notice from one of the major event groups on the Teen Grid. Apparently Terrence Linden is coming in to talk to us about the merge. I suppose it would be a good a time as any to ask him for some specifics on the safety measures (if any).

Well look at what's happened. It seems Linden Labs has ignored us yet again. They begin by ignoring residents who are against the merge in general. Now they are ignoring those who are suggesting ways of making it safer. I read on a resident blog that, in an interview with Terrence Linden, he said that none of us teen users will have a label that says "Teen" in the profile or anywhere else for that matter. Good job linden labs, you just made it that much easier for a teen to fall to one of the many predators online. Looks like now, we're in the dark when it comes to knowing about who we interact with inworld. Edit: This is not a reply to AlyaNeissa Magic, I hit the wrong reply button. my bad.

Huh... it still hasn't snowed here. Oh well, nothing wrong with adding a little white to my rezzable home lol. Thanks for the video Torley, you gave me some good ideas

Wynochee, All of us have seen products we have been buying for years discontinued. We have seen tv shows we liked cancelled. We have seen restaurants we liked change their menu or close down. The company has apparently made the decision that the costs of keeping you as a customer outweigh the benefits. Whatever you think your business was worth to LL, they seem to think it was not worth what it cost them. They have announced that they are going to open Second Life to teens. If you don't like it, you can leave. Period. The main issue here is that none of the examples you listed above compromise the liability and well-being of the patrons involved. Provided that Second Life does not take the proper precautions in merging the two communities into one, in the long term, Second Life may very well fall into ruin with quite a few residents paying the cost.I suppose I can't FULLY understand an adult's point of view on this, but I can still try. Second Life began as a virtual world for adults, who did not sign up to deal with teenagers or have their safety from liability in a legal case compromised. If they leave, where else can they go?

Heh.. I wouldn't really call the Teen Grid a "fine" place to be.

Well of course. I'm actually surprised that this whole project even went this far considering all of the negative reactions.

So basically you're saying it's ok for people to have no idea about who they're talking to. You don't think it would be a little safer knowing who's who? Yes teens will have a brand on them showing that they're underage, but adults will have one too. This is not giving out a phone number or an adress, it's giving out a fair notice. (Anyone coming in contact with a teen may find out eventually anyways) This helps keep residents one step ahead to avoid any future complications.

Well of course. I never said I feel Linden Labs is going to fully protect us, I just said that they will obviously do something to protect us, though that something may not be enough at all. I'm not for the merge, I'm for the merge done right. And I don't doubt many adults are opposing this because to protect us and avoid liability.

And you think that I don't know that do you? Of course I understand how you feel about this. Currently, you have no say in whether or not you should accept the new burden that LL is placing upon each and every one of your shoulders. Of course no one would want that. You signed up for an adults only world. We signed up for a teen only world. There are teens opposed to this change because of what they hear goes on in the mature and even PG regions intertwined with eachother. You are opposed to it because of what you hear and see happening with most teenage residents. Several people do not want to go through with this. I do not expect anyone to welcome us. I do not expect a giant "WELCOME TO MAIN GRID TEENS" banner above a huge cake. I simply feel that a few of the thoughts of what is going to happen to the main grid now are being exaggerated. We are not going to infest your grid like rats carrying the black plague. We are not going to be running wild griefing every last region there is. We are not going to run up to every single adult we see saying "WANNA DO TEH SECKS." There are those of us who take this virtual world seriously. We create content, we have discussions and we use it for what it's meant for (within the TOS and community standards) We are not seeking to sweep across your world and let our presence be known. We would simply like to blend in with the population. No I do not think that this is fair for either party to be thrust into a new world with even more rules and restrictions, especially for adults who will be hit the hardest by this change. No I do not think it's fair that you now have to be careful with what you say in a public area. No I do not feel that Linden Labs is taking enough proper measures to do this change right (Seriously, the haven't outlined any new addons like teen/adult tags or added filters inworld and in the marketplace) nor do I feel that they fully understand the severity of the consequences that could happen. I do have my faith that they will at least do SOMETHING to protect minors, but at the same time it probably will not be enough anyways. I'm not asking for love. I'm asking that some of the predictions should not be exaggerated. You don't all like being stereotyped as sadistic and sex obsessed degenerates since many of you are sensible adults correct? Those of us who actually take this virtual world seriously do not like to be stereotyped as gremlins acting and protesting in self-interest out to destroy your world. If you do run into me inworld in January, feel free to mute me. Add me on the ban list for any of your PG parcels (that is if you actually do run into me, which may be unlikely). I do not expect love, I just expect some rasonable assumptions.

"This is not a question. This is an announcement." An announcement posted on a public forum for all residents both teen and adult to express their opinions and worries about this change (and what a risky change it is)

One does not need a verified account to buy or rent land from in world estate businesses. Of course one does not need age verification to purchase land. One, however, does needs verification to access any region in second life. If what you're saying is true, that unverified residents on the main grid can currently access mature parcels, I'm sure that linden labs will have some shread of common sense to disable that and not rely on registration info. If they do, well then, that is a pretty major problem. Have you even been to sites outside of SL with teens and adults both using it? It's usually a large group of 14 year olds ruling the place. If this really turns out like I think it will, then I hope someone will build us adults a new virtual world somewhere for adult people only, like SL always was before. I'm assuming I may have been to sites like that, however they were geared more to those 13-15 in the first place. The thing is, here, the total second life population is in the millions correct? The number of transferring residents will be in the couple hundreds. The total number of regions on the agni grid is around 30 000 with the majority being adult and moderate. Please tell me how, in any way, we will be ruling this place and overtaking all of the PG regions, even with new members signing up.

This simply means the following: 1. all G rated land is going to be taken over by the teens. Taken over seems like a little bit of an exaggeration. The main grid gets a traffic of 60 000 or more per day from what I've heard. Only about 100-200 teens are transferring and I doubt many more will be registering afterwards. 2. All Mature rated land is going to be taken over by 16-17 years old (no one knows they're not 18 yet on mature land - age verification is only required on adult rated land) I doubt that Linden Labs would allow any means for new residents to access mature land unverified. If they do, then... well... score another one for their list of screw-ups I guess.

I feel the only time there should be any worry about 13 year olds is if Linden Labs goes through with the suggestion to plan grid field trips for them (Which would then put them at risk). We already know they'll be confined to the one or few sims that a NPO owns. So far, they will have no contact with the world outside of the sim and the only adults, other than guest speakers, are the owners of the organisation. Still, your idea of some sort of tag on teen users is a good idea. Especially for LL, this is a must, unless they are prepared to deal with the rough future ahead of them. I don't think covering each teen avatar in a red glow is that necessary. All we may really need is an extra section in the nametag that says either Teen or Adult. Same in private IM.

The sims in the teen grid are not being shut down. The parrier that's blocking the exit from teen sims to maingrid sims is just going to be expanded to blocking access to mature sims. This was in an update sent out on Daniel Voyager's blog some time in mid October. The Voice of TSL blog doesn't update its info that often.

Well of course I can agree with that, however, your post seemed to center on teens being childish little brats/gremlins, not the severe consequences and impacts that are the result of fundamentalist parents finding out their child was exposed to some sexual innuendo. If that was your primary worry, then by all means, you should have said it. It's a perfectly valid argument. I would agree with it and so would several others. Complaining about "brats" or "gremlins" however, running rampant and ruining your online experience is immature in itself and has no solid basis. To me it seems like an assumption made from watching 2 preschoolers fighting over green playdough, though that's just my opinion. Teens do have common sense, they do have real opinions and they do take this virtual world seriously. To the people here, it's a creative outlet, a job or a relaxing passtime. (I enjoy snapping some photos in an autumn forest at sunset myself.) Fundamentalist parents is a primary worry in the grid merge, and yes I would have been all for your opinion had it been made evident that it was the primary worry in your original post.

Though monitoring would be nice, I really don't think LL would go out of their way to watch over a few hundred teens. The best solution may be to encourage reporting of inappropriate conduct in a PG region. The next question is how many users will actually do that.

Nice to see you're generalizing each individual before anything has happened. Would you like a treat for making such a well thought out message? You're telling me if a 17 year old wants to strike up an intelligent conversation with you, you will toss out an insult and mute him? You're telling me any teen content creator between the age of 16 and 17 will poison your second life and cause it to spiral into a whirlpool of griefing and chaos? You feel that the very presence of a 16 or 17 year old will ruin your experience. Could you please show me your logic in this because, quite frankly, I see none what-so-ever. I don't doubt that there are those teen individuals who act like children, but that does not mean each and every last teenager must fall into that category, nor does it justify it. There are several residents here who have plenty of common sense and actually take this virtual world seriously. They create content, have intelligent discussions and know well enough not to go around griefing every rez zone they come in to. If anything, you may not even recognize some of them, that is if LL doesn't implement an identification system (which they should), as most know that in this new environment, they should behave accordingly. I feel that maybe you should keep in mind that you will be among residents 16 to 17 years of age, far from childhood as far as anyone is concerned. 1-2 years short of legal adulthood in fact. You don't seem to have a problem with those who are 18. Shaving off 2 years would, most likely make NO difference on the behaviour of the individual. I'm not saying that ALL teens verging on adulthood are mature and I'm not saying that the merging of the grids is one of the best ideas in the world either. What I am saying is that there is almost no justification in treating all transferees or new teen members as so called "under age gremlins". in fact, from what I've heard, there are adult residents who also fall into that category. I see no protest messages popping up here about that though. Why? because any resident with a shread of common sense would know to just mute and/or eject these individuals if on their land. No the merge is not the best idea, but at the same time, it will not spell the apocalypse for your virtual life. It may not change anything at all. (I suppose the only thing i can agree on with you is the implementation of profile labels. Yes that is a great idea. Labeling profiles as adult or teen will make it easier to tell the difference between the two and possibly prevent any future legal troubles. If not, well I'm going to be putting an I AM A TEEN message in my autoresponder and maybe be wearing a label on my avatar. I'm not taking any chances.)

Well said. It seems as if Linden Labs is going through with this decision hoping no problems will arise even if all the systems are kept the same.

Well I must say you've got me there. Maybe the best solution to this would just be to create a PG continent. Though, that may not happen unfortunately.