Webster defines Change as making something different, to alter or give a different position, course or direction. It also says to replace with another or shift from one to another. With this definition, change is ongoing. Nothing happens in life without change.
It has always been my job to look to the future, so see what needs to be done. How can I improve? What would make this or that better? What would bring the maximum benefit? What does the future hold and how can we make sure we are a part of that.?
This is never an easy job. Although this falls squarely on my shoulders, I never make any major moves without the wise counsel of those around me. Those people that are part of my life and part of my support. They have the pleasure of letting me bounce off ideas, brainstorm, rant, cry, laugh and all things that go with being my foundation. One of those tough choices is on my plate now. Although I have known from the start what course I would take, not once was the choice taken lightly.
New York, in both real life and Second Life, is ever changing. Even from day to day massive changes are in play. Some we control, some we just have to stand back and watch. When they are in your control, it is your responsibility to make sure those changes are not only for progress but for the good. If you are doing what is best for the big picture, then you are making the right choices.
This brings me to why I am sending this message today. Over the last year you have seen many changes in New York NYC. From simple tree changes to the massive rebuild we just underwent. Even the name of the sim is different than when we first started in Second Life.
Every single change has been for the betterment of the sim and the people that come here. Every change has contributed to the dynamic of what we experience when we are wandering the streets. As soon as you make one change, you start thinking of the next.
So, here we are, talking about change. What is going to change next? This one is one that I would consider to be a major change.
Many of you know that we honor those lives given in the attacks of 9/11. That was the reason for the start of this sim. Even the original vision of that sim changed before we started building. Things have been added, moved, and removed. People have come and gone. But thru all this, one thing has held true. The sim is about the lives lost that day and how we honor their tragic gift and never forget the sacrifice they made.
We also always have looked to the future and how we can remember those amazing people and yet keep living our lives. None of them would want us to become mired in the mud of a past life but would want us to keep moving forward.
CS Kappler came to me nearly two years ago with his vision of a memorial in Second life, based on his designs he had made in his Real Life. Together we brought that vision to life and grew it, expanded it and made it real. What started as a vision of a simple memorial has grown into a vast community bigger than the one idea.
When he first talked about Celestial Requiem, the array you see in New York NYC, he talks about how it was designed to be mobile, to grow or expand as needed. Even how it was designed to be moved if the time came. It was designed for change and for moving forward. His vision of growth and change are all part of the original design.
We are now making the change to remove the array and make space for progress. The towers, the names, the firehouse, the reading of the names, the honor and memory of that day will still be in place. The Memorial will not be gone, just the face will change.
Over the last few months we have been watching what and who visit New York NYC. We get an overwhelming number of new people daily. It is very reminiscent of the immigrants who founded our country. So what did we do when new people came to our world? We welcomed them. We helped them become acclimated to the new surroundings. We taught them how to operate in the New World to which they came.
No, they are not getting off a boat, but they are arriving into the world oF Second Life not knowing what next. They just have heard of this strange, amazing new world and want to experience it.
They come to New York to find that experience and it is our job to welcome them. To show them how to survive in a world that is new and different and exciting. We have a responsibility to be a gateway to that new life because they are seeking us out and asking for help. We will answer that call.
On April 15th, 2009 we will be removing the array from the sim and replacing it with a Info Center to welcome all those that are “fresh off the boat” and want to learn what next in this new world.
We are currently working on ways for them to learn of all that is possible in Second Life. From how to wear clothing to how to make money. Remember your first few days and how much there was to learn? Did you get naked to get dressed? Did you wear a box on your hand? How about that noob hair? I can’t tell you how bad I used to look!
New York NYC gets an average of 200 unique avatars arriving in the sim on a daily basis. That means 200 chances every day to make someone’s Second Life better. There is no way we can pass that up.
On April 23rd the new Info hub will be in place. The change that is inevitable in all lives will make another notch on its belt. We welcome that notch and we welcome the 200 people a day that visit us.
On behalf of Regent Estates, my staff and all those that visit us daily, I want to thank you for the honor of being able to give back, of being an agent of change and most of all, for the wonderful people I encounter on a daily basis that help me try to make Second Life just a little better.
Thank you all
Melody Regent
Regent Estates