December 19, 2007 by Nobody Fugazi
Posted in
I'm in Facebook - my real life avatar, anyway - and I've been getting requests to join a group that is lobbying to have Second Life residents to have their own network.
On the face of it, there are many benefits to this: A combination of Facebook and Second Life definitely extends group capabilities for communication - for example, a group of avatars/human beings could avoid having a group in Second Life altogether and simply have a group in Facebook which has all the trappings of the Internet. Each individual can have images that they capture and upload in facebook, and they could even share SLUrls with the 'post a link' ability. Video, text, and resources can be shared quite easily without having the group limitations of Second Life. Formatted documents, instead of the shoddy notecards, would allow for more group efforts. This is a great way to do things, and frankly I am a little surprised that more people aren't doing it. Still, Facebook has some odd ideas on limiting people who join. I know one person - a real person - who couldn't believe that her name was real - and yet 'Timeless Prototype' seems to have been accepted.
But does it deserve its own network on Facebook? I wonder. Is it a region? No, not unless you bit into the land metaphor of Linden Lab hook, line and sinker. Is it an economy? Yes and no - when the US dollar declined, the U.S. dollar did not (interesting, huh?) and it is tied to the Linden dollar. Does everyone in Second Life 'coexist'? In very loose ways, yes - and in very exact ways, no.
It might be interesting to have real names of bank owners and business owners on Facebook in Second Life groups - giving people a better idea of who, in fact, is who. Just a thought.
I'm not certain what to think of it - but I do know that Facebook does offer a reasonable means of connecting groups of less technically inclined people. Whether it does or not is really entirely up to the obscure and poorly defined 'Second Life community' which contains the geeks, the average users, and everything in between.
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Awful Idea!
I fail to understand how this is a good thing for most avatars. While I understand it would/could be voluntary, I have no desire or need to connect my RL and SL avatars ... none. I do tech consulting in RL, so in theory I could link the RL avatar with the SL and get something going, but I don't want that. It won't be a boon to business, as most people are not in SL for business they are in SL for entertainment. In SL I run a business renting spots around my sandbox and selling items in my store, but it is for SL not RL.
I do nothing in game that would cause me any problems. But what if Bob in accounting is a BSDM loving furry, that may be a problem. Just like people have been fired for blogs, myspace, facebook, etc, people will be fired in RL for being goreans, furries, into bdsm, an alien, in to Star Trek rp, an escort, a stripper, or a pirate? Is there a real need to connect the two through something like Facebook? Is it not easier to just do the connection yourself? Would we want people to be able to connect our Warlock in WoW to our Facebook? is there a problem in Anonymity?
As soon as the link to our RL is complete and we are all no longer our SL Avatar but our RL Avatar, all of the magic is Second Life is lost, the freedom of action is gone, the evils, of prejudice of race, religion, nationality, disability, social class, income, and just general biases will return. How is this a good thing? How does it make our Second Life a better place?
Arthur Fermi
Fermi Sandbox & University
www.fermidesigns.com
Bob in Accounting...
isn't having a gun held to his head saying he has to use it... it is voluntary.
Besides, Bob could have two avatars. One for his BDSM furry cavortations, and one for his business. Granted, this may be difficult for Bob - we know how Bob is - but there's no reason for Bob to get up in arms about the whole thing. Its up to him.
That said, 'Timeless Prototype' isn't a real person - and said avatar is on Facebook (and LinkedIn) without a real name. Granted, he's not trying to run a bank - but it demonstrates that anonymity can exist on Facebook as well.
I think we worry too much about the things that are options for people. Do we honestly think so little of people that we believe that they cannot handle their own options?
Second Life Consultant
Forced to use
No, he isnt' forced to use it, and having alts is a pain, I have some for testing. But, its like voice, I have people who don't want to chat any more, it must be voice, but for me voice is a problem, it makes my world noisy, so there will be a social preasure to use it. Again, outside of business uses (a legit reason) what purpose would it serve? what is the benefit, there are so many things in SL that need to be fixed, done and supported, why add another thing?
Yes i know that LL doesn't need to do anything about this ... yet .. but soon enough this will be come an issue and it will take a priority over stability.
Arthur Fermi
Fermi Sandbox & University
www.fermidesigns.com
November should Not of been quiet
Well Arthur, your SL World is definitely getting less noisy , with or without sound On.
Sadly
That is very disappointing too :( My sandbox is most fun when I have 20 people building in it, and I do have voice enabled on my land ... its jsut not for me, well at least not to often.
The failure of LL to create a stable grid is bad for all of us. The hope is that they are moving on the right track.
Arthur Fermi
Fermi Sandbox & University
www.fermidesigns.com
That's entertainment
This will become an issue for LL if they believe that they are losing out to social networking platforms and as some of those platforms are getting into the 3D business, LL need to keep a very close eye on this.
Game and Networking
I guess one should focus on what you are, are you social networking, or are you a 3d virtual world? so few companies can be good and and be everything.
One thing for WoW, it is what it is, and is not trying to really reach outside of its core.
Arthur Fermi
Fermi Sandbox & University
www.fermidesigns.com
Interesting
Personally I'd like an SL version of facebook that allowed me to send IM's into and out of the world and invite people to groups from outside the grid but was linked directly to Second Life. I could even have my own mailbox then.
Event announcements, social networking, they'd all improve dramatically from something like this. I could sign up to plenty of inworld update groups and receive them in my facebook like mailbox and no worries about IM limits.
Maybe LL should form some sort of strategic alliance with facebook, that might have potential. I think LL will need to seriously consider this sort of route, Second Life is the world we visit, the grid which they keep banging on about is the wider business model and this could fit into the grid architecture.
Why?
Thank you for an interesting perspective!
Why did I create the group? The first reason was that I find the geographical regional focus of Facebook a bit annoying. Why must the only network you can be a part of be based on your region? It is a flat world, after all. Our local network is also rather boring - I would much rather stay in touch with the Second Life community. I suspect that the top 5 books of the SL Network crowd wouldn't be the Harry Potter/Da Vinci code stuff our local network proudly proclaims as the best.
The second reason was that events are much easier to plan and set up via Facebook, and the "X will be attending Y" notices are a big help. The usual SL way with the note cards and group messages is much less elegant. If you put up an event, you can only select a real geographical location as the event space - which, for example, forces Sophrosyne to schedule Salons in Aachen in Germany (why Aachen, I have no idea - I suspect a leather coat fascination ;-) ).
The third reason was to test the power of community. Grass roots causes via groups have been reasonably successful on FB - the last such example being the dreaded "X is.." user status. Can the SL FB users make their voice heard? (provided they agree with the cause, of course)
And as for the "shift" from SL to FB - I really don't think there is a danger of that. The power of Second Life to connect us is unique (for now) and much greater than the friendship-make-easy Facebook way. But can we not have the best of both worlds?
IYan Writer
Well...
Give you some food for thought - I'm one of the leaders of a group trying to get the 'Caribbean', as a whole, as a network on Facebook. So far, things are not working - but the benefits to people in the Caribbean are definitely there. Especially with [w:CSME] around.
Second Life Consultant
I see
Well, both our problems would be elegantly resolved by Facebook allowing user-generated networks, perhaps based on voting or user percentage. The current system is too limiting - I think we can agree on this.
FWIW, I've joined your group - good luck with the effort.
IYan Writer
Talking out of thin air
Someone invited me to look at something (not SL related) on Facebook recently, and I balked at the amount of potentially sensitive info I was being asked to give away. Can't one do a lot of the same stuff using a blog? I tend to be very picky about accepting files from people unless I know they are in fact someone whose RL phone number and address I have (and have confirmed they are real, not an abandoned hospital in Philly), and in whom I otherwise have some basis for at least minimal trust.
Wouldn't a SL/Facebook link-up sort of run counter to what used to be part of Community Standards regarding exposure of personal information and related privacy concerns?
I appreciate that many of us would like to be in an environment where we actually know something about who we're dealing with, but, unless Facebook has some magic means of proving its members are who they say they are, it seems like an unwise risk to go placing much personal info on the net.
Then again, as my subject header says, having balked at the steps needed to gain access to Facebook, I really don't know much about what it even looks like ;)
Community Standards...
Linden Lab's Community Standards of Second Life are not the Community's Standards of Second Life...
And they don't care too awful much if your privacy/security/interest is put in jeopardy... as long as their bottom line is protected. End Paragraph.
Gaining access to Facebook is no big deal, really. I've known one person who was 'stalked' on Facebook, but that resolved itself pretty quickly. Another person I know has absolutely nothing in her profile other than some vague information, but we keep tabs on each other that way. It is simply a matter of choosing what one wants to reveal about themselves. I live life out in the open, but my closest friends do not - and I respect their privacy by not mentioning them at all.
It requires some thought - and, yes, fear. Fear is a good thing. It is supposed to keep us from doing stupid things...
Second Life Consultant
RL names would boost economy
I'd guess that people would be buying a lot of SL Christmas presents for people if their RL names were being used right now in SL. (Imagine the boost to the economy...wow!!)
I would probably buy some stuff (be funny) to give SL gifts to some RL people I knew in SL.
--------------
something along this these lines....(so many possibilities)
Dear Uncle Charlie,
sorry I can't afford to buy you a RL car for Christmas, so here's my SL car for you.
Would be fun and funnie
Hehe - yup.
I think one of the greatest failures of Second Life is that it doesn't connect family as much. With Facebook, I 'remember' birthdays (even mine). It isn't that Facebook is the cat's meow - it sucks about a lot of things - but there are things to be learned from the strengths.
And those strengths, oddly enough, are similar to Orkut. So are the weaknesses. :-)
Second Life Consultant