Official Linden Blog just informed us that Linden Lab launched a new web-site SecondLifeGrid.net,
a resource for businesses, organizations and educators for creating a successful virtual presence on the Second Life Grid platform.
Ok, that doesn't tell much.
Basically, it is stuff for techs, organizations and business. There are programs, source code, API's, resources and what_can_you_do_in_SL stuff. Nothing wrong there. Linden Lab actually needed a site like that. But, because of
Second Life is the showcase virtual world WHERE end users can create an infinite variety of content and participate in a robust virtual economy, free of traditional social and technological restrictions. The Second Life Grid is WHAT makes Second Life possible: a service platform that provides scalable server infrastructure, highly detailed and configurable features, field-proven customer service tools, and a massive existing base of end users and user-created content that can be leveraged in your own virtual world offering.
on the front page of SLGrid.net, the blog post got critics like Cocoanut Koala's:
Ooooh, good to know that we’re not really on the GRID anymore.We’re just part of the WHERE. We’re the “massive existing base of end users and user-created content” that can be “leveraged” by the REAL people on the REAL grid (you know, the real-world companies, businesses, educational institutions, etc.) for their own purposes.
And good to know that they will be getting all the WHAT, not us. I wonder what all the WHAT goodies are that are in store for them?
The following is my benevolent two cents addressed to the Lindens…
First, GRID in the second life (and beyond) is some kind of a holy term. Residents are sensitive to the use of it. It has literally metaphysical meaning. Yes, it is by large your merit, but that makes you even more responsible for the future uses of the term.
Second, there is nothing wrong with making a new web-site for technology that goes beneath what we know as second life. But, for grid's sake, when you publish things like this double check what you wrote. Then get in the role of somebody who will read it, not common resident but the most venomous of your commenters. And after that read it as a common resident. Sincerely. And see if anything is poking eyes or scratching the skin. If it is, polish it, don't just throw it on the blog.
It is called good public relations. Good public relations are very important for the business. They are even more important than your addressing the big companies and RL media. Especially if your business is dependant on the residents. This happens over and over again. At least every two months we have an announcement which provokes comments like above and blog posts that will follow this time too. Neither you or we don't need that. Let's fix that communications for the benefit of all of us. Shall we? Thanks.
Both images taken from SecondLifeGrid.net
I don’t think this is a result of miscommunication or poor internal controls in LL’s PR department. No, I think all this – the Grid site, Nipplegate, Robin’s blog post – are all straight from the Linden id.
Residents are a dirty, distasteful raw material to be exploited – much like crude oil. The Lindens wank to that “Capitol Hill-Second Life” banner.
And they *cannot see* that they can’t have both – they can’t keep us around to exploit our eyeballs for advertisers if they keep treating us with complete contempt.
Well, all LL needs to do is to say anything at all, such as, in this example, a simple and completely innocuous explanation of the difference between the hardware/software technologies (”the grid”) and what’s made with them (SL), and someone like Cocoanut Koala will come along and completely distort and twist it, and read into it a bunch of shit that isn’t there and isn’t even remotely implied by what is there. That being the case, what good would it do for them to the kind of review you say? No matter what they post, it will be responded to by Cocoanut Koala and the like in the very same fashion it was. LL didn’t say anything of the things Cocoanut Koala attributes to them, but that doesn’t some Cocoanut Koala from acting like the did. If you’re going to get exactly the same criticism no matter what you say, people will “read between the lines” whatever bile they wish to insert there, there’s no point.
I agree that no matter what and how Lindens say there will be those who will read between the lines and trash them. But, on your question “what good would it do for them to the kind of review you say” I must answer: a lot! As we agree this post is rather harmless one. I’ll stick to the oppinion that grid is the term that has the meaning above one company’s technology, but it doesn’t deserve trashing like we saw.
It is not about one post, it is about the complete experience of company’s relationship with its community. We all know, you, me, Lindens, that there is a problem in how the most of the residents feel about their status compared to business which comes in second life. It is other question in which measure that feeling is based on facts, but if Lindens know the situation then why poking people in their eyes?
This post is harmless but many of them were not. I will admit that when I see Robin’s post my first thought is “Oh no, what now?” And when I see Daniel’s I know I will have to rant in a couple of minutes. And Lindens are aware of the bad reactions some issues can provoke. So why are they doing it that way? Why being rude?
In this state of SL community, slight rudeness will be interpreted as an attack, and there are residents who will respond with counter-attack. Not that I want to defend that behaviour, I want to point on the ill state in the community. And I really think it is Lindens who should offer a hand first.