Dear Rod,
Welcome to the world of Second Life – the good, the bad and the occasionally ugly, but also the always-quirky.
I’m glad you’re spending time in-world (incognito, presumably) to get a handle on the strengths and weaknesses here. There is much to laud when it comes to Second Life (although far too many of us, as users / residents tend to forget the good things while rending garments and gnashing teeth), and much that is weak (and in many cases justifies the aforementioned rending and gnashing).
It would be so easy to list out all of the latter and point fingers here and there (as some already have); but by-and-large, I’d like to avoid all of that and simply ask that you do one thing as you explore and move closer to officially starting: please take time to look at the forums (official and otherwise) and ponder the manner in which the Teen Grid / Main Grid merger is being handled.
Now, before any eye rolling occurs – let me say that I’ve nothing against the merger; in difference to many of the doom-laden posts, I actually think it will not cause the kind of upheavals and issues many are predicting.
However, what it is doing, as with other policies of a similar nature that came before it – notably the Adult Policy changes that saw the creation of the Adult Continent, Zindra – is exacerbating a growing rift between Linden Research and its community of users – a rift that one might say is already alarmingly wide.
While fears of Abuse Reports, over-anxious mothers climbing the wall over things “little Timmy” or “little Janey” might see on-screen and so forth may well be over-egging the mix – it cannot be denied that the decision within Linden Research to continue to mix both “G” and “M” (for mature) sims in single Mainland environments *is* a cause of major consternation among users – particularly because what is and is not allowed under the terms of use of each of these sim types is so disparate.
These issues could be so easily resolved through the formation of a “G” rated continent. Indeed, this is something Linden Lab’s own users have been requesting for a very long time – dig down a little and you’ll see it even pre-dates the Adult Policy Change / Zindra farrago that severely damaged the company’s relationship with a large proportion of its user base (and not just those forced to move to Zindra).
The principal ideas behind the development of a “G”-rated continent have never been deniable – although they have always been dismissed in what has always seemed to be an entirely offhanded manner by Linden Lab. However, with the merger now underway, and with you embarking on your journey as the new CEO, I would suggest that the time to openly and honestly review the idea once more has never been better, and if you do nothing else during the first few weeks of your tenure, you’ll give free and full consideration to the major benefits of establishing a G rated Continent:
- It removes all of the angst that residents (rightly or wrongly) feel about the current situation wherein G and M sims are “OK” to be located side-by-side within the Mainland
- It offers teen users a far more enjoyable SL experience, as they can benefit from a contiguous land mass that will enable them to do everything that helps to make Second Life a fun place: they can race cars, they can enjoy large, urban environments, they can ride trains, they can fly aircraft, they can race boats, they can wander and explore well beyond the limitations of “single” 256x256m sims without having to rely on teleporting
- It provides a “cushioned” environment in which those graduating from the “sponsored” sims operated for 13-15 year-olds can find like-minds friends and continue their growth within SL
- It provides a unique (dare I say “captive”?) marketplace for those content creators wishing to specialise in “teen-oriented” goods and services
- It allows for overall better marketing of Second Life to teens, presenting them with a “world” of their own in which they can create – and at the risk of repeating myself – is somewhat better than a hodgepodge of “isolated” sims bordered by lands they see, but to which they are denied access.
There are many other benefits to developing a G-rated continent beyond these. A big issue for Linden Research over the last two years has been the desire to make Second Life a “better, more predictable user experience” – and yet, if one is brutally honest, the company’s repeated and continued refusal to openly consider the merits of a purely G-rated continent has actually done much to undermine this stated goal, and indeed continues to do so.
Right now, with the merger, the nexus of a purely “G” rated continent already exists: the former (or soon-to-be former) Teen Grid. Using this as a basis, Linden Lab has the means to develop a “better, more predictable user experience” for adults and teens alike; not only for the reasons stated above, but also because it does nothing that will hinder the healthy and proper interaction between teens and adults on a daily basis within Second Life.
I appreciate that time is short: the merger is underway: the Teen Grid is closing in January – but the mark of a good CEO is a willingness to hold up a hand and say, “hang on a mo’, I’d like to review this before we go too far,” and I sincerely hope you’ll take a long, hard and unbiased look at the idea, and bear in mind that – with due respect to all at Battery Street – sometimes users *do* have good ideas, and equally, users *can* have a better intuitive understanding of a platform’s needs than those that developed it. There is much to be gained from the idea – and next to nothing to lose.
With kindest and sincere regards,
Inara Pey
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 