How Long Have You Been in Second Life?

Time changes everything except something within us which is always surprised by change.

Thomas Hardy

My recent scribblings about my sixth year of blogging about Second Life (SL) have got me thinking about how long I’ve been inworld. 

In total, I’ve spent seven years in SL.  (Took me a while to figure out how to get out of the new arrivals center.  Significant Other mutters something about, “Just like in Real Life (RL)”) During this time, I’ve met a lot of people and been to a lot of places. 

I think this is a respectable length of time.  (Much of it under the watchful eye of Significant Other who does enjoy shoulder surfing during my various misadventures.) When

I prepare my annual look backs in SL, I always feel like I’ve accomplished something.  (Which also includes not getting ejected!) 

As my three loyal readers can attest, this type of soul searching about my time inworld leads me to bigger thoughts.  (This is usually when Significant Other stops shoulder searching and leaves the room.)

My Big Thought this time is how long have others been in SL?

Yes, numbers are reduced regularly by simple disappearances, death in RL, or someone simply coming back as another avatar.  (I’ll ignore Significant Other’s suggestion that they’re simply avoiding me.)

But, despite this turnover, there seems to be a hardcore of SL residents who have been around for quite some time. 

Some have been here from the very beginning, others sometime afterwards, while others just disappeared after attending SL’s tenth anniversary festivities a while back. 

Always, there’s the changing of the guard.

So, yes, there is a cadre of long term residents inworld.  They are individuals or groups either way staying to themselves. 

There doesn’t seem to be any effort to have a group consciousness to try and

influence policies and conditions inworld.  Once upon a time, there may have some such efforts but mainly they’re lost in the mists of time now. 

(Unless of course, Significant Other is correct and there are such groups and they’re simply avoiding me.  Significant Other brightens at this prospect.)

How long have you been in SL?

I’d love to meet you and hear your stories especially those that seem to be lost in the mists! 

So, no matter how long you’ve been inworld, from the very beginning, somewhat later, a recent arrival, or someone who just pops in and out as the urge hits you, please

reach out to me!

Let’s meet, share our experiences, and maybe I’ll get some new stories for my three loyal readers out of this!

Look forward to hearing from you! 

As always, I’m grateful to all inworld for their kindness and time in stopping to talk with a stranger who was passing through their lives. 

My Twitter handle is @webspelunker.  Please feel free to follow me and I’d be happy to follow you.

I can be found on Google+ as webspelunker Ghostraven.

My flickr Photostream is located here.

On Skype I’m webspelunker Ghostraven.

I welcome feedback from readers, please either comment on my blog or e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com . 

            If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life  please click here.

            Open roads and kind fires!

Six Years in Second Life

Time is standing still. We are measuring ourselves by how far we are going.

Debasish Mridha

It’s that time of the year!

No, not when we in the States cough up the dough to pay for the three ring circus that takes place down in Washington, DC.

I’m talking about when I sit down and look back on blogging for another about Second Life (SL).  (Significant Other looks surprised that it’s happened so quickly.)

This has been a difficult year to stay on top of my blogging.

A loss of a loved one in Real Life (RL) took me away for a while last summer.   

Since then, things have been a bit up and down.  But, not to worry, Significant Other and I are fine and the situation is under control.  (Significant Other asks, “Really?” but look relieved.)

There have been accomplishments!

First off, I passed the one million hits mark on my blog!  (And, no, this was not just my three loyal readers hitting my blog every day.  Don’t listen when Significant Other says I thought they asked for too much money.)

Since I wasn’t able to spend as much time as I’d planned originally, I fell back on discussing life inworld.

I blogged about travel, how we spend our time, and are we enjoying ourselves. 

Then there are my old favorites!

Mieville always has an active social life and Route 66 made a recent comeback. 

First UCC is still helping those in RL who need it and called out their pastor, Jerome Newstart, as one of the most interesting people whom I’ve met inworld. 

And, recently, one of SL’s most creative builders just opened two fantastic Star Trek exhibits.

Sadly, I sometimes feel the need to blog about the dark side of SL, like when I wrote about sexual harassment inworld.

Yes, I still have plenty to blog about in SL! 

What do I have to say about SL after six years of writing about it?

SL is alive and well! 

Change may be coming.  Sansar is on the horizon and Facebook recently announced that it’s getting into the virtual world game.  Maybe we’ll see renewed interest in SL. 

I still enjoy SL! 

I have family and friends.  It’s a wonderful place to wander about and marvel about what can be done online.  There are many great people to meet in these wanderings of mine.  SL is somewhere that I’ll be returning to often in the future.  (Believe it or not, Significant Other does enjoy having me near at hand.)

I plan to be exploring inworld and blogging about it for a long time to come!

My thanks to all who read my scribblings, my three loyal readers and all the rest of you!

If I haven’t met you inworld yet, I hope to soon! 

As always, I’m grateful to all inworld for their kindness and time in stopping to talk with a stranger who was passing through their lives. 

My Twitter handle is @webspelunker.  Please feel free to follow me and I’d be happy to follow you.

I can be found on Google+ as webspelunker Ghostraven.

My flickr Photostream is located here.

On Skype I’m webspelunker Ghostraven.

I welcome feedback from readers, please either comment on my blog or e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com . 

            If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life  please click here.

            Open roads and kind fires!