Why this is the case is subject to some debate in the official forum. While it would be dangerous to blame any single factor for the decline anyway,the parallel between the implementation of LL’s more unpopular policies couldn’t be clearer. At the start of 2009, concurrency was on a high, as the Alphaville Herald shows. However, the start of that year saw what many took to be the final bait-and-switch tacttic in the OpenSpace fiasco, to be followed later in the year by the Adult Change debacle, which was at best handled with a certain degree of outright incompetence by Linden Lab, and so on.
While things did rally a little at the end of the year, the downward trend continued throughout 2010, rallying briefly at the start of 2011 – mostly likely because of a combination of it being the holiday season (and people collectively the world over having more time to log-in) and hopes for the platform rising as a result of the announcement that Rod Humble had been appointed the new CEO.
However, Linden Lab aren’t solely to blame for the decline. much has happened to change the landscape of virtual worlds over the last 2-3 years. Blue Mars pitched up (albeit briefly) and carried a lot of attention away from Second Life – some of which is now drifting back). More importantly, OpenSim Grids started to show signs of maturity and stability. Some of these have become very attractive to SL content creators as being new and exciting markets in which to plunge; as a result of new content becoming available elsewhere, there has been a trend for people to start splitting their time between Second Life and other similar grids such as InWorldz that are now readily available. These other grids are also themselves more attractive to users because their pricing models significantly undercut Linden Lab’s own; whether such prices are sustainable as such platforms grow is debatable – but it cannot be denied that the absurdly high prices charged by LL for server space is limiting SL’s ability to grow, and is indicative that there does need to be a re-emphasis / re-alignments of LL’s revenue streams.
As well as spending more time elsewhere, or whatever reasons (and yes, it’s easy to point the finger and say, “I’m only in X because LL [fill in the blank]”, even when such a statement is not entirely accurate), the users of SL also share in some of the blame: this is a world that exists because we imagine it and create it – yet we seem to be failing ourselves in creating the kind of compelling content that once existed in SL.
What this decline does again demonstrate is that there needs to be a re-evaluation of the LL/ user relationship. If the downward spiral is to be halted, the Lab and the user community need to work more closely together, both in creating a stable, vibrant economy and in the promotion of Second Life to a wider audience. I don’t wish to appear to be blowing my own trumpet here – but the fact is that observations made in post such as Tell Me A Story… and Business, Growth and Collaboration aren’t exactly rocket science – and many SL commentators are saying more-or-less the same things in their own ways.
Stopping the decline is going to take a concerted effort – and no single thing is going to reverse it: not bouncing bewbs, not a revamped new user experience and certainly not mesh; nor is simply taking potshots at LL and blaming them for everything. Second Life is a boat we’re all sitting in together – Lab and users.
It would be nice if we could all start rowing together under the guidance of Coxswain Humble.
On the 16th March, Linden Lab pushed a new version of Viewer 2 into a Development release. Version 2.6.1.223988 has two modes associated with it: “Advanced” – the Viewer we are all now familiar with, and “Basic” – a version with a trimmed-down feature-set designed to get new users familiar with the Viewer and UI.
I downloaded a copy of the Viewer (thanks, Ann!), and took it for a spin. Here’s what I found.
Installation and Start-up
Installation is as you’d expect from a Second Life Viewer: simple and direct. Given this is a Development copy, it goes into its own folder, but be warned: the Viewer appears to use the same folders for caches, etc., as the Release version.
On starting the Viewer however, there is an immediate difference: the splash screen now has an additional button, which allows you to set the default mode of the Viewer – either BASIC or ADVANCED, with the former selected by default following installation.
The new Mode button
Toggling between the two modes is a little clumsy: you have to select the alternate mode, then quit the Viewer (you are prompted to do so) before manually re-starting. This shouldn’t be too much of an issue for those moving up from Basic to Advanced, but it would still be nice to see the re-start handled automatically: confirm your wish to quit and have the Viewer resume without you having to go find the icon and clicking on it once more.
The User Interface
Once the Viewer is started, things get interesting. For a start, there is no menu bar at the top of the screen, nor are there any options available to display one, or the Favourites bar by right-clicking up there. Instead, there is just the address bar and the media play / pause button and the volume control.
There is also no Sidebar.
The button bar at the bottom of the screen also demonstrates noticeable differences. The familiar chat box, Gesture and View buttons are there, everything else is somewhat different.
The Basic Mode Button bar
Replacing Speak (the Basic Mode does not support Voice), Move and Snapshot buttons, the new user has a range of function-specific buttons:
Destinations
Opens up a full-width window across the bottom of the UI, displaying all the major destination categories, thus:
The Destination window
Click on a category, and a new set of options is displayed, complete with a Browser-analogous “back” option to get back to preceding views. Clicking on an actual destination will teleport the user there – something that is potentially a little disconcerting the first time it happens, as there is no pop-up to warn the users as to what is about to happen; the screen simply blanks to the black teleport screen. Given there is no World Map or search function, the Destination button is pretty much the only way of getting around the Grid with the Basic mode.
My Avatar
Opens up a full-width window in much the same way as Destinations, but this one featuring a range of avatar looks, defined both in terms of ethnicity and dress style
The My Avatar window
Clicking on an avatar option will automatically drive the user’s appearance and clothing to change to the selected option – again, a very clean, easy way for new users to quickly change their look and style to something they are happier with. Given there is no way to edit appearance, or get to any form of Inventory, it is also the only way to change an avatar’s appearance.
People
Opens up a compact form of the People tab from the more familiar Viewer 2 sidebar. Most of the functionality here is the same as for the full Viewer, other than the options found under the Tools “cogwheel” icon. This has been simplified to have only the View Profile, Add Friend, IM, Teleport and Block, Report and Zoom In options.
Profile
Opens up the Viewer Browser to display the avatar’s profile.
How To
This is potentially the most useful button for new users, and is well-presented for what it does. As the name implies, it presents a series of what I’d call “cue cards” on how to perform basic tasks: walking, talking, starting an IM, flying, changing the user’s view, using the keyboard to change the view, and using the Destination and Avatar buttons.
Options can either be paged through using the intuitive “>” and “<” buttons, or by clicking on the top menu and selecting an option from the drop-down list.
Two of the How To button “cue cards”
In-world Interactions
In terms of in-world interactions, the Basic Mode of the Viewer functions pretty much as with the “full” Viewer, but with a reduced option set; as one might expect, there are no options to build or edit objects, for example. However, there are also some nice touches: left-click on the centre of another avatar, for example, and a blue dot is displayed. Release the mouse button and your avatar walks directly to them (although this can cause a few bumps and shoves if the route is not clear between the two avatars!).
Right-clicking on another avatar displays a simplified menu, comprising View Profile, Add Friend and IM, and the Block, Report and Zoom In options. Simply pointing at another avatar displays the familiar name pop-up and “information” symbol that in turn leads to their “mini-Profile” and IM / Profile / options buttons.
Similarly, right-clicking on an object provides a four-function menu comprising: Sit Here, Stand Up, Zoom In and Touch. The last displays any menu associated with the object (providing the menu is contained in the root prim, obviously).
One further thing that is glaringly absent from the Basic mode UI and in-world interactions, is that the user has no ability to either purchase Linden Dollars or make purchases. Given this is designed to be a basic introduction to Second Life, one can understand why such options have been left out. However, while “Shopping” itself is not included as a category in the Destination options, the new user isn’t going to travel far before they do encounter opportunities to buy things – and the fact that they can’t using the Basic mode could see it being abandoned before it has served its purpose.
Impressions and Thoughts
As a first-cut “introductory” Viewer, the Basic mode is not that bad; it offers what is essentially a point-and-click approach to finding your way around in-world – something that pundits have been crying out for – while at the same time presenting a relatively clean and easy-to-follow user interface that will help the new user gain familiarity with the basic functionality of the Viewer as a whole.
The Destinations button is particularly useful in getting new users out and about, again given there is now search or world map; while the avatar button makes it relatively easy to change looks – albeit it with shape as well.
However, while the How To button and “cue cards” have been well laid-out, one cannot help but think they would benefit from a few more items: how to jump, a quick explanation of left and right clicking on objects, etc., just for those that are nervous about simply diving in and click all over the place. Similar, a brief overview of common terms would not go amiss: what is a Profile? What is the “cogwheel” button? What does “Report” mean? And “Block”? “How do I unblock someone I blocked by mistake?”
Another concern is that while the Basic mode is very good as a first look, the step up to the “full” version of the Viewer is nevertheless huge. It would be useful if, on first detecting the mode has been changed, the Viewer itself could direct the use to the Quick Start Guide and offer the new user a smoother transition from Basic to Advanced modes. This would be invaluable, given the fact that core elements of functioning in Second Life – inventory, search – are completely absent from the Basic mode, and as such, liable to leave the user somewhat confused.
Finally, and given the recent RedZone situation, and the fact that devices like it are still very much in operation in-world, one would prefer to see the Viewer start-up in either Basic or Advanced modes with the media turned off – together with a How To “cue card” on how to turn it on. It would also be nice to see the Media Filter included as a part of the Basic Viewer, again with a simple “cue card” guide.
These points aside, the Basic mode is a good first step for users entering Second Life for the first time. Even the lack of any ability to buy things can be forgiven, despite my earlier reservations; it provides enough impetus for people to find their feet in SL and get the basics under their belt. Certainly, given this is only a first look, there doubtless can and will be opportunities to tweak it as people coming into SL are exposed to it, in order to ensure it does adequately meet the needs of new users.
Kudos to the team who have been working on it!
If you wish to have a look yourself, the Development version can be found here.
The account belonging to zFire Xue, creator of RedZone, together with at least one of his alts, “theBoris Gothly”, has gone from Second Life.
So to have the contents of zFire’s store. The news came at around midnight, UK time with posts appearing both in the ever-Epic SLU Thread and people Tweeting on the matter as well.
As the news spread, people started heading for the sim where zFire had his shop – and sure enough, the place was empty.
So – is this a cause for celebration? Is the great hoo-haw over and done with?
Well…sadly, no.
Sure, there is some reason to celebrate; RedZone has been the focus of a lot of effort, and deserves a moment of celebration; but the fact remains that at the time of writing:
Certain locations across the grid were apparently still running RedZone
RedZone remained available on SL Marketplace
Others whom seem to be involved with zFire Xue remain active in Second Life – indeed, one such individual ejected the 30-or-so people checking over zFire’s shop…
That the product is still on the Marketplace could be down to nothing more than a delay in getting things sorted over at LL. That those associated with him have not gone could be down to just that – they are associated with him and his device, rather than clearly and unequivocally part and parcel of its creation or a part of selling it directly in-world or via the Marketplace (where zFire Xue used his “TheBoris Gothly” alt). That RedZone devices are still appear to be functioning in-world is again a little confusing: unless purging them from the LL servers is taking time as well.
Assuming that zFire has gone, and that RedZone is to be removed from the Grid and the Marketplace, than there is cause for celebration to a point. However, the media exploit still exists, there are other devices still out there, and so there is still more work to be done.
Addendum 16th March 16:45
A further quick tour of sims known to be using / hiding RedZone showed that none of them caused a media filter alert of any kind that pointed towards the RedZone URL, or anything of suspicious concern.
Elsewhere it is reported that RedZone devices have had scripts pulled from them. Given that RedZone users were previously instructed by zFire to move the scripts from his own device to prims of their own making, this would seem entirely logical: zapping the scripts would be more effective that simply pulling devices tagged with zFire Xue as the creator.
zFire Zue himself went on the warpath prior to his ban from SL (the interview took place on the Saturday prior to him being banned, but was published – ironically – on the day of his ban), and indicated a potential link between himself and the Knights of Mars, a vigilante group that can allegedly – and for a fee – get any user banned from SL. Given his companions are still involved in world, some are speculating on whether this matter has entirely closed with regards to RedZone.
As people await for Linden Lab’s response to the weekend’s revelations around the on-going RedZone Affair, it now seems a new issue is starting to cause concerns.
Darrius Gothly reports that he was recently sanctioned by the moderators of the new Community Platform. The whys and wherefores of the sanction aren’t important. Was is important, and somewhat worrying for people is that rather than simply send him an e-mail warning him of his “violation” of Community Platform rules, the moderator instead uploaded a screenshot of Darrius’ post complete with Darrius’ IP address to a publicly-accessible photo-hosting website.
Again, it matters not whether IP addresses are “public information”; no-one is disputing that. What is of concern to many is that:
The IP address is displayed at all, and can be seen by anyone using the website
The image hosting website’s own ToS itself makes it an offence to display such information
Others who have received similar moderating e-mails have found the same – and they’ve found it relatively easy the use the information supplied in the image URL to poke their way into other photosets on the site itself.
Questions are being asked within the Linden Lab forum – although it is far too early to expect an answer right now. Of those questions, Qie Niangao asks the correct one:
“Umm. A more basic question:
“Why on earth would any moderation action on the provider’s own platform require a screenshot, ever?
“To cite a particular post in communicating with a contributor, embed the text, title, and time of the post. That should be a one-click operation, same as a screenshot, without incurring the overhead of shipping a screenshot out to a cloud service.
“What conceivable value does a screenshot add? Are they trying to show embedded images that may have triggered moderation? (A screenshot is an absurdly bloated way to do that, too, but I’m not sure that’s even what they’re trying to do.)”
Indeed. Why is a screenshot even be necessary, much less a screenshot that must then be uploaded to an external site?
As Qie states, the moderators should have sufficient access to the Platform to be able to cite the relevant details of a violation and e-mail the person responsible directly. And even if a screenshot is required as “evidence” – why not simply attach it to an e-mail to the person responsible?
There really shouldn’t be a need to post such to a public website, as Qie further notes:
“So… how did screenshots get into the moderation workflow? Is that brain-damage inherited from Lithium? or layered on top by LL? or by another third party contractor to LL?
“I mean, once they made the basic mistake of using screenshots at all, then there’s the choice of cloud service to store the bulging bit bags of pixels, and obviously whoever chose this provider wasn’t paying much attention. I just think they shouldn’t have needed such a service in the first place.
“(I’m somewhat less interested in the idea of masking out the IP address before pushing the screenshot; we’re just extra sensitive to IP addresses these days, but in fact none of the information on those screenshots should be hosted on an unsecured site. “Across the street” they’re having fun paging through shot after shot of other companies’ dirty laundry, so you can be sure other companies’ customers are laughing at the SL forums shots, too.)”
Again, whether or not IP addresses can be regarded as “public information”, this seems to be an inordinately crass approach that has been taken in informing people of any forum “wrong doings”. If it is simply a matter that moderators have been improperly trained, then it needs to be addressed fully and properly with the minimum of fuss, and LL need to issue a short statement that the matter has been rectified.
If it is a matter of policy for Linden Lab to handle these matters like this, then it really does call into question as to what the heck is going on in Battery Street – as there is no conceivable reason for matters to be handled this way at all.
Addendum March 14:
In response to concerns raised, Amanda Linden posted the following:
“Hey all, Thanks so much for flagging this. I have let the moderators know that displaying this kind of personal information–in any form–including screenshots–is not acceptable. Please accept my personal apology. We are still working out the kinks re: moderation and greatly appreciate this kind of input. Stay patient with us while we work through the issues and find the right moderation levels–all with the ultimate purpose of having a lively, productive dialogue on Second Life.
“Cheers, Amanda Linden”
Which is good news. However, one hopes that LL actually determine why there was such a failure in basic training of employed / contracted moderators.
Had the moderators been volunteers / users elected to the position who had had insufficient training, fair enough, but the fact remains that full and proper training should have been received by any and all contracted moderators, and LL should have sought to ensure this to be the case. If the moderators are in-house, then LL should have ensured full a proper training ahead of time.
It’s simply beggars belief that someone could send out a warning, yet not know how to attach a screen cap to it.
The last few days have seen some mysterious goings-on around RedZone.
A video emerged that purportedly showed someone closely associated with RedZone taking to his girl friend / another user and boasting about how he was attempting to scam the user names and passwords of RedZone users to see if they could be used to access SL accounts
This video was posted on YouTube some seven months ago, but was only pointed to (apparently anonymously) this week
The video was linked to a number of other videos that appear to have come from the creator of RedZone and a group of friends – channels subscribing to them included “Insanity Productions”, the “company” behind RedZone
Attempts to track the links between videos, etc., were countered by attempts to hide them / take them down from YouTube – almost as if someone were attempting to cover their tracks
Denials and counter-claims were put out by the “RedZone Camp”, citing, among other things, that YouTube and Google themselves had been hacked, that the video was a fake, and that the timestamp on it had been altered
zFire Xue then threw down a public challenge for someone to attempt to hack his computer.
Guess what?
It appears someone did. Some of us were on the epic SLU thread when his system went down – keeping us going for hours in speculation. Today, all became clear when the Alphaville Herald published a confirmation. And it appears some 1.6 million individual IP addresses are held in the database, complete with geolocation tools for pinning them down – pretty much as claimed in the video that surfaced earlier in the week.
And it appears that his activities are not limited to RedZone users; screen shots hint that he may well have been acting against users of his Prim Animation tool as well.
Already the news is spreading – and it is hard to see how “zFire” and his cohorts can wriggle free of this.
The evidence might be faked – but if so, it is rather elaborate, and one might suggest Occam’s Razor be applied to any explanations that try to explain this leak away via convoluted logic.
Certainly, this would not suggest that Linden Lab may well need to take a closer look at precisely what is going on around data harvesting, as information such as this going into the public domain is not going to do the reputation of Second Life – of Linden Lab – a lot of good.
Back when I first commented on RedZone, I asked the users of that system a question:
I’d also like to address any potential user of RedZone on the matter of the tool they are using: if RedZone’s creators are collating information on SL users based on a scripted device you are deploying on your land – how much more information might they be gathering on you each and every time you log into their website?
The media patch that was developed as a result of the RedZone data harvesting tool has moved forward significantly.
First put forward for use in the Phoenix Viewer but already available with the Cool VL and Dolphin Viewers, the patch was recently submitted to the Snowstorm project for Viewer 2 development – and has been accepted and is being worked on.
Further, Oz Linden himself has put forward a JIRA (STORM-1037) that means URLs for media streams should no longer be hidden. This is significant as it means that potentially dubious / invasive media exploits (such as that used by zFire Xue for RedZone) can potentially be more easily identified if they pop-up.
This is a significant step forward and means that, with the forthcoming inclusions of the patch in both Phoenix and Firestorm, the majority of users SL users will have a greater degree of control over what happens within their Viewers, and a vastly improved means of making informed choices about what they wish the Viewer to do on their behalf.
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 