08-25-2006 21:50
My friend Caden and I were sitting in his 24 prim house, speculating about the fate of the metaverse, and I came up with the following. Does this match your experience? If not, why not?

The Stages of Second Life

1) newbie, too clutzy to have friends and still learning the tech controls

2) meets a friendly social group and gets converted, whether it's clubbing, fur, elves, gor or whateva

3) gets immersed in some clique. high drama, gossip and alliances. fall in love

4) fall OUT of love, have your group break in half, mud slinging and AGONY

5) boredom. learn more about the controls. pretend you're going to start a business. get an alt (or two)

6) more boredom. start talking to newbies

7) leave second life and go back to real life OR start all over again

I'm not sure what the next stage is, I've not done it yet. I suspect that many who survive past step 7 are tied to something inside of SL that is hard to let go of, such as a true friend, a large land investment, or a business. Or have been here so long it's hard to imagine being anywhere else.
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