Does Second Life Exist Outside of Second Life Anymore?

Community is a sign that love is possible in a materialistic world where people so often either ignore or fight each other. It is a sign that we don't need a lot of money to be happy--in fact, the opposite. 

Jean Vanier

Recently, I’ve stopped for a moment to catch my breath.  (Significant Other says it’s about time.)

Real Life’s (RL) been busy.  (Don’t ask!)

I haven’t been in Second Life (SL) as much as I usually am and when I am, I’m

running around like the proverbial chicken with its head cut off.  (I’ll ignore Significant Other’s observation about what else is new.)

Not being able to get inworld and wander about as is my usual wont, I looked around in RL for signs of SL. 

I have to say that I was a little disappointed by what I found or more aptly didn’t find.

Let me tell you about it!

I used my usual tools for doing searches on the Internet, Twitter and Google.

On Twitter there wasn’t as much as I expected.

Yes, there were tweets.  Mostly sporadic one offs with no underlying themes were want I came across.  I didn’t see the epic tweet storms that seem to accompany other activities in the Twitterverse.  (Finally got to use that word in a sentence!)

Google was even more disappointing.

Once, I got past the Linden Lab and other official results, and then places like Wikipedia, the  search engine results tended to go back in time pretty quickly.  Again, no big themes or issues.

Overall, there wasn’t as much original work about SL on the Internet as I’d expected

or remembered from years past.  There seems to be a dropping off underway.

Maybe the search algorithms are to blame but something else seems to be afoot.

I know there’s good content out there still from others not to mention myself. But, you have to know where to look for it. 

Could the SL community be circling the wagons and retreating inworld?

I’ve noted before that big builds seem to be going away inworld maybe the same is true of original content on the Web. 

Or, could people just be getting tired?

Could Sansar be distracting people?

I don’t know but the content is missing!

Not to be all doom and gloom, Wagner James Au’s New World Notes, Inara Pey’s Living in a Modem World, and Caroline’s Second Life Advenures (The latter is NSFW so be careful where you access it form!) still post quality stories regularly and are well worth following. 

Please like, reshare, and comment on their work!  (Mine too please should you have a mind to do so!)

Or, how about being a guest blogger yourself?  If the others won’t have you then I will!

If you know of good SL bloggers and I haven’t listed them here then please send their links to me and I’ll help give them a shout out!

Many thanks!

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!

Achieving One Million Hits on My Second Life Blog!

 Only those who attempt the absurd can achieve the impossible.

Albert Einstein

         

          Be forewarned – This story is a brag!

          Yes, it’s about me!

          Why shouldn’t it be?  After all, it’s my blog!  (Significant Other’s eyes rolls while asking why should this be any different from any of my other brags, er, stories.)  

          What’s the big deal?

          Well, I’ll tell you!  (Significant Other threatens to leave the room if I don’t get to the point.)

          My blog went over the one million hits mark at about midnight SLT on Sunday, April 24, 2016!  (Significant Other wouldn’t let me stay up to see it happen and insisted that I go to bed.  No, Significant Other isn’t my mother.) 

          In just over five years of blogging about Second Life (SL), I’ve managed to hit this goal.  Yes, some have done it quicker, but most don’t get anywhere near this mark at all!  

          How’d I do this?

          You mean besides writing over three hundred blog posts?  

          First, my blog of choice here is Google’s Blogger.  While I’ve since moved onto WordPress in Real Life (RL), Blogger is a very safe way to start blogging, is free, and is plugged into the Google family of products.  

          I did have some false starts along the way.

          CNN iReports unceremoniously dumped their SL community onto the street not long after I’d started there and I had to scramble to find a replacement.  That’s where Blogger came in.  (I’ll bet CNN iReports wishes they had this traffic going to their site!)

          I initially posted inworld distributing links to my weekly stories via notecards until I discovered social media.  

I started using Facebook to reach out to other SL residents until I got dumped by them in one of their purges. (No hard feelings, my offer to interview Mark Zuckerberg still stands!  And, even in the world of Facebook, a million hits is a big number which I bet they’d rather have than their competitors.)    

          Eventually, I started using Twitter and that’s when my traffic started to really pick up.  Adding Google+ helped.  Using Hootsuite, a social media account manager, allowed me to automate.  Twitter’s recent change in their timeline algorithm has set me back some but I’m working on some new ideas.  Keep an eye out for new social media channels and content!

          It hasn’t been easy!  (Not to complain!)

          I’ve posted weekly with only one exception over the last five years.  (Significant Other has been great about letting me build this posting routine into our lives.)  Thinking up new story ideas and researching them is harder than writing the stories.  

          But, I feel good about my progress!  (Significant Other says, “Enough already!”)

          There have been many other SL bogs that posted a few stories and then went dark.  (Sadly, some of these had excellent content.) Some post only once a year.  Others post regularly but get no traffic because they don’t do any promotion.  

          I’ve survived!

          A few observations about SL blogging after one million hits.

          First, this is only anecdotal, but SL social media activity seems to have been declining as if late.  I’m unsure if this has to do with less posting by writers or social media’s move away from organic growth to paid ads.  

          Next, many SL bloggers seem to be either posting less or stopping altogether.  I’m not sure why.  Could interest in SL be fading?  

          Finally, the next big thing in SL is sorely needed to revive interest in blogging and social media about this very important virtual world.  

          Now, I’d like to thank all who of you who made my achievement possible!

          I’m sure it was more than my three loyal readers doing this!  (You know who you are and not to worry!  I won’t out you!)  

          And, no, I didn’t hit this goal by reading my own posts!  (Sheesh, not even Significant Other accused me of that!)  

          I’d like to thank L’il Sis and her posse at First UCC for being the first to congratulate me in public for hitting this goal!  

          Then, to all those inworld who let me tell their stories to you, my readers! 

          I’m in your debt and will always cherish our time together!   

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!          

I Get Results with Social Media and Second Life!

 Human relationships used to be easy: you had friends, boy- or girlfriends, parents, children, and landlords. Now, thanks to social media, it's all gone sideways.

Susan Orlean

  

          My regular, faithful readers (Both of you know whom you are and I’m grateful even if you do insist on secrecy comparable to the U.S. Witness Protection Program.) may recall my earlier request for Second Life (SL) residents to use social media to keep the community alive beyond the Grid in case the Grid should ever happen to go away. 

          I went out into the world of social media.

          I started tweeting. 

          Got bumped out of Facebook.     

          Took up Google+ and went into the Avatar Social Network. 

          I got results!  (Significant Other looks shocked too.)

          Hits on my blog increased.  (I now average over 30K monthly.  Has to me more than just my two faithful readers despite what Significant Other says.)

          I’ve met people via these social media apps and with several I’ve become friends inworld.

          This story is about one of these people, Takio Minakuro. Who said shortly after we’d met inworld, “Why not a story about me?”

          Yes, Takio, why not? 

          And this is your story.

          As I said, I met Takio via Twitter.  She favored and retweeted my tweets which led to our following one another (I forget who followed whom first.).  This is in turn led to us conversing via tweets and one thing led to another and we became friends in SL.  (Takio goes by Dr. Takio inworld.) Pretty much how folks in Real Life (RL) meet via Twitter.

          Takio has been inworld since 2009 after learning about SL from friends.  She was active until 2011 when she took a break.  Takio’s self-employed in RL and works long hours.

          Then in December 2013, Takio had a skiing accident in RL which prevented her from working but did allow her more time inworld and she’s been enjoying herself there ever since.

          Her store, Tokyo Girl Avatar, which deals in shapes and skins opened this past January.  (It’s interesting how many creative types in SL got started because of enforced down time due to illness or accident.) 

In addition, Takio is actively involved with roleplaying in Japan Hospital where she roleplays as a GYN OB doctor.  She believes she is the first woman medical doctor inworld.  I don’t know about that but Takio does want to serve as a role model for young women who aspire to being medical doctors in RL. 

As if that’s not enough, Takio also has a partner and children inworld as well.  (I get tired just writing this.)  

Takio believes that both emotions and friends are important.  For her, SL is everything that she cannot have in RL as she puts it.  I think many of us have similar views.

Our interview took place in her home inworld which doubles as her medical office.  A standalone, German style house which is located in a small town.  (How do I know it’s German style?  I read and I’ve been to Germany!)

The home’s interior is spacious with a large living room, a bedroom, and two rooms for her medical practice.  The décor is Japanese and Western.  Pictures of her SL family are around the living area. 

The medical offices, which include an examination room and a patient’s room, include the latest and greatest medical devices inworld.  All of which are very expensive.  (After the last several years of listening to US politicians and media talk about healthcare costs, why am I not surprised?)

Takio is a gracious hostess and answers all my questions frankly.

My takeaway is this.

Social media, Twitter in particular, is a highly effective way to expand your circle of friends in SL.  Takio is a highly experienced and accomplished resident and, yet, she stepped out into Twitter “to find people in SL” as she puts it.

Takio is a longtime resident inworld with an active social life divided between her family and friends not to mention her profession, and she’s been using social media apps to broaden her community inworld.  Overall, she has 380+ friends in SL.  I’d say she’s been successful!

Hopefully, social media in conjunction with SL will permit the community to expand beyond the Grid and possibly outlast SL itself. 

I’d like to thank Takio for taking the time to meet with me for her very candid interview and for becoming friends with me inworld.  Her flickr page can be found here.

We both hope to meet others in SL through social media and to continue to grow our circle of friends?

Care to join us?

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!

More about Social Media in Second Life

 

Google+ is the gym of social networking: We all join, but nobody actually uses it.

Anonymous

 

         

          I start this week’s story with an announcement.

          (Significant Other looks apprehensive.)

          Going forward I’ll no longer use Facebook for my blog posts.

          (Significant Other rolls eyes, shrugs, and leaves me to my ramblings.)

          Why?  You may ask.  (Even if you don’t ask I’m going to tell you.)

          I grew tired of wondering if I was within the rules for being there.  When web initially joined Facebook, after a review of the guidelines, I felt that it was appropriate for him to be there.  After all, how many people with pen names were already enrolled?  (Answer, a lot!)

web exists solely as a virtual avatar in the Metaverse.  That’s it.  He does not have a driver’s license, a passport, or a Social Security number.  He wanders the highways and byways of Second Life (SL) and has aspirations someday to visit Inworldz and go chase orcs in World of Warcraft.  When he retires, he may run a little gold farming operation there.

          My point in telling you this is that you’ll never meet him standing next to you in Starbucks or being interviewed on cable TV. 

          So when Facebook asked for a “real” name, I pulled the plug on web in Facebook.  Yes, I know.  It sounds heartless.  But, remember this.  If I do this right web will be running around long after I’m gone. (Significant Other returns venting displeasure about talk of my demise.)  There is no other “real” identity for web.

          The brand is web not me.  Changing a name would only confuse everyone and violate the one condition that Significant Other gave me when I began this little adventure of mine three years ago.

          That was I keep SL and Real Life (RL) separate.  Significant Other didn’t want SL showing up at the front door one evening.  (Nothing against anyone inworld but Significant Other has enough issues dealing with my RL friends and I’d rather not push my luck.)

          So, Facebook and I (web) part company.

          It’s their loss. 

          Like many I’m not sure why Facebook has this policy.  Pseudonyms and anonymous writers have a long and storied history in literature and journalism.  There are simple and safe ways to associate a “real” person with an avatar and still protect the privacy of the former.  Still, Facebook makes the rules and it’s their bat and ball.

          I won’t rail against this or start petitions or anything like that.  I have better things to do with my precious time.  I wish Facebook well and would be happy to return if they ever change their policies.

          web moves on!

          (BTW just to show there’s no hard feelings, Mark Zuckerberg is welcome as a guest blogger here anytime!  What?  He did Saturday Night Live!  Why not here?)

          Remember SL is web’s home.  Social media is only how his travels get out to the readers who follow him.  (Which BTW have been increasing steadily as of late.  Either my two loyal readers have been really busy lately or a lot more of you are reading.  Whichever it is, many thanks!)

          So, where do we go from here?

          A while back, I began exploring social media as a fallback for the eventual demise of SL. 

          That work is standing me in good stead now as I use it to find other ways to connect with the virtual world communities out there.

          Presently, there are four applications which I’m either using or reviewing to keep web engaged with his following and to expand it.

          First, I’ve ramped up quickly on Google+.

          Google+ recently dropped its prohibition against avatars.  While I’d like to credit Google for its openmindedness.  I suspect it had more to do with the fact that so many people had avatar email accounts that when Google tried to leverage their email base to grow Google+ they couldn’t escape the avatar issue.  In the end, I think the idea was if you can’t beat ‘em then join ‘em.

          Folks in Google+ are not as intimidated by avatars friending or following them as they are in Facebook.  (Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know what you’re thinking to yourself, some of my best friends are avatars!  But, would you let your sister date one?)

           The Google+ interface has a good feel to it and many prefer it to Facebook’s.  I also like the circle concept in Google+ as well.  It offers more potential for organizing friends and activities.

          Another social network which I’ve begun to use is the Avatar Social Network (ASN) which oddly enough I learned about in Facebook.  ASN is dedicated to being a social network similar to Facebook for residents of all virtual worlds.

          I’ve met the founder of ASN and hope to be able to report back with an interview from him shortly.  ASN makes a point of accepting all and being as helpful as possible.  I can personally speak to the great service of their Help Center.

          My third social tool is Twitter which has been a great way for me to reach out to more virtual residents and stay on top of what’s happening in the Metaverse. One limitation right now is that I can’t automatically post my tweets to Google+, but I’m looking for a workaround.

          Finally, I recently came across a tool called HipChat.  This tool permits seeing one’s friends on line and chatting with them.  Google+’s Hangout feature doesn’t let you know who’s on unless you already have a chat open.  (Or, at least that’s the way it seems to me right now!)

          This is just a quick summary of some of the social media apps I plan on using to maintain and grow my SL network.  I’d to point that all these tools are either free or offer robust free options.

          If you’re wondering how you can help, there are a few things you can do.

          First, I’d be grateful if you’re already members of the communities I’ve just mentioned if you’d connect with me and encourage your friends to do so.  (Hey, ain’t my stories good enough?)  If you’re not a member of these groups consider joining.

          Next, I could use some help in testing and setting up some of these tools.  It’s kinda hard to test a chat function by yourself!  Truthfully, a half dozen or so volunteers would be appreciated.  (We’ll form our own circle!)

          And, when you do either connect or join then comment, contribute, and participate!  There’s a reason it’s called “social” media.  I have to say that I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the number of old friends who either out there before me or came along shortly afterwards.

          That’s it for now! 

          But, there’ll be more to come!

          I do want thank all those who reached out to me after I dropped off of Facebook and expressed concern for my welfare.  I’m deeply touched by all your messages.  I’m fine!  (Significant Other sees to that!)

          And, not to worry, I’ll still be blogging!

          Also, this unexpected and unplanned migration has disrupted my editorial calendar a bit.  I apologize to those whom I was going to follow up with this week.  I’ll be back shortly.

          Anyone who is wondering what to do or needs help with their own personal migration can feel free to reach out to me for help.  If I can’t help then I’ll find someone who can!

          Open roads and safe fires!

          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.

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.