The Chosen Ones Have Been Announced

I hope that LL don't think these 8 individuals can speak for all of us.

This was a bad idea, badly implemented, with the wrong people chosen to do the wrong things at the wrong time, for the wrong reasons.

Lewis

Congrats my old friend Pham!

Congrats to al others to (of course)...

Have fun...

/Tina

Here's a preview of the selected 7
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e298/bladyblue/488abda4.jpg

Have something to dbring to VIEWS? Please post here http://forums.secondlife.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=1090828

so I take it you think this is a bad idea ?


mind explaining why you feel this way?

oh I know.

its easy to say something is a bad idea quite the opposite to rationally explain why you think it is so.

Easy.

The people chosen to 'represent us' cannot possibly represent the entire spectrum of the SL community. There are howling ommissions in groups NOT represented - including people like me, who are not here just to make money.

Veteran players with lots of money and experience cannot possibly grasp how newer players such as myself feel trying to 'make it' against all the odds.

The money that I pay each month towards the costs of maintaining SL are, indirectly, contributing to special treatment for a group of 8 players - and the costs involved in entertaining them.

Second Life is perfectly capable of hosting this event in-world, and if the Linden's don't think their product is up to the standard required to host something this unimportant, how do they plan to sell it to corporations to do the same thing?

Hosting the event at Linden HQ automatically means that the vast majority of players - including those such as myself who are overseas - are excluded, when hosting this in-world would have not only saved money and hassle but opened it up to all.

What could be game-changing decisions will be the result of this meeting, and are you prepared to trust these 8 people (who I don't even know) to shape the future of SL? I certainly am not. Nothing personal, but I just have nothing to go on.

These people may be known to some players here, but I would like to know exactly what 'special qualities' they have that made them the chosen ones. Being well known for something does not automatically qualify you as an 'expert' in anything else.


Those are a few that spring to mind initially, I'm sure there are more.

Lewis

I know them only because they were here for a VERY long time, and were very influential/famous in SecondLife's progress. Guess they still are. Either way I trust them. They've played SL long enough to know all the ins and outs of it.

So? Doesn't mean they're in touch with things now, just continuing to be successful in whatever it is they might do



One thing I have learnt in SL is don't trust anyone until they have given you reasons to. I don't think any of us can really know everything there is to know about SL either because so much of it is uncharted territory. How many of them are here for fun, and not profit, for example? Do they know what it's like to try and be successful and run something now that we've lost most of the provided incentives to run anything non-commercial? Do they know how difficult it can be to compete against all the combined mall/casino/*.ingo lagfests there are?

No, I didn't think so. So where's my invite?

Lewis

My guess is yes? No idea. I think a few of those on the list have had their own businesses on here. And if LindenLabs is looking forward to making SecondLife a more business oriented platform, instead of just a game, these people should do fine. Either way, LL rarely listens to our complaints here on the forums (aside from the Asl LL sections), so why should they listen to whatever those 8 say?

It is this insistence on promoting the commercial side of SL, to the exclusion of everything else, that is the main reason why what seems like 95% of the people who have ever signed up don't play any more.

SL has so much more potential beyond 'make money' - yet they repeat the same tired old "you can be as successful as anshe" mantra with the glazed over eyes.

If LL are serious about promoting their game as a 'business platform' then I think they need to spend a lot more time fixing bugs, protecting content ownership, making everything more stable and secure, and removing the abilities of griefers to bring the whole grid down for hours on end by simply setting off one fairly simple scripted item.

And, of course, if they don't have the confidence in their 'platform' to host this event in it, but rely on trustworthy old-fashioned reality, then why should anyone else take it seriously? The whole idea is so wrong on so many levels - but not entirely unexpected given LL's penchant for dumbness.

Lewis

Easy Lewis, when they need input from the terminally bitter - I'm sure they'll come 'round. The list is certainly long enough, lol.

I heard you and newfie were going to have the 'bittercon' - is that still on? Or did you guys argue over the location (ie, each others respective back yards.)?

Keep us informed!

Considering those people are REALLY old by SL standards, and thus had to deal with SL bugs for years (much more than you have I'm sure), I wouldn't be surprised if that's the first thing they complain to LL about when they get there.

I have no idea what you are referring to.

Unfortunately a dose of reality and truth can often be seen as 'bitter' by those who don't understand how things actually are.

Lewis

yay Salazar!

I think you are missing something critical. Linden Lab chose these people to fit with it's timing and reasons. Evidently it fits one of their business goals. You are judging it from your point of view, which obviously isn't the same as LL's.

You seem to assume that the segment of their customers that you represent is the primary one. For all we know, that segment is minor and eventually will be phased out in favor of some other business focus. LL could be headed towards licensing and letting 3rd parties run grids, or towards corporate use, or some other purpose we know little about.

For once we agree.

But by excluding so many other markets, then they're doing themselves - and us - a disservice.

The single-minded promotion of "make money" will undoubtedly be the downfall of SL, because not everyone has the capability to make money, and all the other things that people could possibly do here are not attracting people because they aren't being promoted.

No business ever reaches its full potential by ignoring so many available and untapped markets. LL have to diversify in the ways they attract people here, otherwise SL will stagnate and die. Signups mean nothing - its retention that's important, and that is not happening.

Lewis

Yeah, that's what people keep saying about every change LL has made for the last... what, three or four years?

Think of it this way. Few people pay $10 us a month, great.
One corporation rents out a single sim to have their meeting on for $3000 for a week? Even better.

Not saying that's what will happen, or that it's what LL is planning for, but quantity of customers does not equal quality. And, sadly for most of us, corporations and large businesses are the ones with the large amounts of $$$, not us.

Enjoy the ride.

It doesn't really matter who they select, someone's going to bitch about it and feel left out, or point and scream "conspiracy".

Don't forget to scroll down for Prokofy's comments for a good example of what I mean. Some things never change

Hey, I know, why doesn't LL invite all 250,000 of us to a confab and name us ALL to an advisory capacity? We know that only 5,000 will show up (the rest are alts anyway) but that way nobody can cry about being left out.

ooh Stella Costello is going to San Fran as well. Another yay!

Except it becomes particularly difficult for those blessed with not living in the USA.

Hence the reason that an in-world meeting is by far the best solution for everyone who is serious about wanting to help - instead of just wanting a free jolly.

Lewis

You know, I'm just REALLY curious about this.

Lewish, which 8 people would YOU trust enough to pick to go to LL to represent SL?

OOOOHH!! Pick me!! Pick me!!


(sorry I just had to feel smart and TRY to post here)

Well, not really sure why any corporation would want to rent out a sim for meeting when even LL chooses to hold theirs _out_ of their own 'platform' ... quite a way to send a pretty clear signal what the maker thinks of their own product.

(and your other posts above)

There is no substitute for a face to face meeting. Why do you think so many people spend so much time in airplanes still... even though we have video conferencing and other options available?

I'm not sure why you sound shocked and outraged... has Linden Lab ever given you the impression that they're a fair and unbiased democratic organization?

They're a business. They have every right to be as arbitrary or random in this matter as they like.

If they think they'll get better feedback from these people... on how SecondLife can be BETTER in the areas that Linden Lab has already stated was their priority, then great... good for them for seeking outside input.

Of course, the chances of you or I getting picked would be much higher if all they wanted was a bunch of whiny gasbags.

Seriously... your objections make you sound more like a sore loser and less like a concerned citizen.

--
I'll just sit here and quietly envy them their visit and hope we see some good come from it.