Should Linden Research abandon the Linden last name for employees?

I think the use of the Linden last name for employee's may work against the company's interests.

When I deal with customer service reps in the real world, in person, they don't all have nameplates on their desks or at their counter stations with name like "John Penney" or "Sheila Compusa". There's a good chance you will end up knowing what their real name is.

Sharing the same cartoon character last name creates a misleading sense that the LR staff are some kind of unified collective working for a common goal that all share the same views. That might be what they are supposed to be but since they are humans that's not what they are.

Since they are presented as members of a cartoon collective they get treated by users differently than they would if they were presented as real people.


This idea might be started in low key format by using their real name and job title and perhaps a real life picture, on their blogs.

The Linden last name in-world helps to identify them easier.

The benefit of the Linden surname would be that members can spot a LL employee and presumably get assistance if needed. Well, that's the idea in theory but in practice many of the Linden surname entities fail to reply.

Once years ago I was seated in a train compartment in the heat of summer in southern France. The train was stopped because a herd of cows had wandered onto the tracks and refused to move. It was stifling hot.

A nun was seated across from me dressed in full habit robes. She was red faced and clearly suffering from the heat, so I asked why she wore such heavy robes and hood in hot weather. She replied that it served as a beacon, letting others know with one glance that they could come to her as a representative of her faith, and she would assist.

I think that's the idea of a Linden surname, well, at least in theory.

just a note but most Customer Service Reps use a pseudonym for work. using a real name is considered dangerous. creepy stalker people out there and all.

The Linden last name is a great system in my opinion.
They are easily identifiable and there is not a chance of people claiming to be something they are not to anyone that knows better.

Add a line to the avatar text, so Cory Linden would become:
Cory Ondrejka
Linden Staff

Like someone else posted, the over-easy knowledge of RL names may pose a problem to obsessed stalkers (we already saw that in a Drama Record thread a long time ago.)

Also searching for Linden help is a breeze just by searching "Linden" under the Search tab.

- Sam

Except for the fact that they don't all show up because the search results return a limited list, and you can't page to the next set of results.

Hey I don't see why not, since everything else is changing, might as well.


and this is OT but katykiwi your forum avatar eyes are seriously giving me the jibblies....and not the good kind of jibblies like when you see a pretty girl but the bad "holy crap WTF" kind.

Search for "Linden Staff" instead.

Or add an option under the Help menu, "Liaisons".

Cory Ondrejka, Philip Rosedale, Robin Harper and other staff members seem to be able to withstand the risk of having their real names known.

When I was a noob, I asked a Linden if the last name meant that he was a company employee. I asked the question on my 2nd day. Its a very intuitive naming convention that should not be changed.

Having the words "Linden Staff" displayed underneath their name would be pretty clear too.

Speaking of Leviathan, while I was in the preview grid I did a search for L in the map and there was a sim named Leviathan2. It's not there anymore.

i think distinctive sign should be removed alltogether (they should appear as normal residents) , each time i see someone basing his argumentation on a "linden quote" i want to make a murder

Suzanne, you just seem to be reaching in the dark with this one.

The Linden last name is very intuitive for new players, protects the privacy of the employees who wish for it, (the Executive staff isn't anonymous? SHOCKING!)

Can you imagine all the people who'd be going around to the infohubs grifting new residents if we took that away?

QFT and someone pass Suzanne a hand held tetris. She seems bored tonight.

The added line that says "Linden Staff" in a distinctive manner below their names should eliminate that.

The purpose is to try get the Linden staff to be treated with more respect, as if they are real people, instead of being treated like characters in a video game.

Eh, I like the Linden last name. I know who to harrass when things go wrong.
I would like Linden Research to stop calling themselves Linden Lab, it's just not as respectable!

Hee hee. How could I be bored, I'm running Second Life!

I've been quite busy with clearing out several hundred yellow physics enabled spheres from the Cordova sim, so they get returned to their maker's inventory.

When I first arrived I really thought the Lindens were a family. A really big family, like the Du Ponts.

This brings up the color coding idea i remember from before. If we remove the last name linden where gona need some way to syblify they are wstill a staff member. Lindens should have green letters on their name plates above their heads. In Torleys Case, a switch between pink and green for each letter! SL probably isn't setup to allow icons next to your name like on FFXI yet.


Another idea is residents should have colors based upon their reputation. Going from Red (bad) to orange (nuetral) to yellow (posative). But this is a unrelated idea... Just ignore it.

The Linden last name is perfect. Why add clunky lines to their names when you have one unmistable way of making sure the people you are contacting are Linden staff?

Change for the sake of change is a tad silly.

Wendel