Omg They Did It!

Exactly. That's what I was wondering about in my earlier post, and you said it so well with all the points you made.

It could lead to a sort of Neverland syndrome.

*gasps*
10,001-prim can of physics-enabled, particle-emitting worms... with listeners on all channels!

Such divisiveness does not bode well for unity in this virtual world -- but it is still a world. I understand the need for splitting due to legalities and all that.

However, I can't shut the door on this one until I see how it runs in action. I'm just thankful Robin posted a heads-up about this so we can discuss in the meantime, leading up to that Town Hall(s).

One thing that would crack me up is: finding out who the Grid Jr.'s Kex would be. I'd laugh so hard at that... provided I ever got a peek, of course. She'd be like a mini-me of you!




Totally how I feel. Will it be a longterm success or a fizzled-out experiment, or something else? Time will tell . . .

Well, now we know where most of the $8 million in funding will be going to...

That's right, babysitting the kids.

Seriously though, how is Linden Lab, a small company that's already overstretched, expecting to not only provide a SEPARATE grid for kids, but also supervise them? Kids have raging hormones, anger problems, and other social adjustment issues. Is Linden Lab prepared to deal with the sheer immaturity that will go along with this? And come down harshly on the offenders? AND keep the software development going?

How long until LLab gets a lawsuit over some angry parent's inability to manage their brood?

How long until the first "mature" content comes into the Grid?

How will you prevent adults from preying on the kids?

How will you manage any sort of transition between the "normal" grid and the "kid" grid? Ie when a kid turns 18, will he have to leave the kid grid? Will he get to keep his stuff? How will that work?

How in Sam Hell are you going to keep the peace? It's going to be barely contained anarchy.

What will the pricing be? Teens have less spendable income than adults; they won't be paying 195/month for Sim ownership, I'll tell you that much. Even 15/month is stretching it.

If you have to cut the pricing, how will it be profitable, especially since you'll have to at least double your Liason force just to keep the monsters in line?

Can Linden Lab provide for two grids at once? Two versions at once? Two problem areas at once?

Bah.

This sucks.

LF

Hope they add an 'A/S/L' quick button

I would hope that it would be treated pretty much as it is in the Real World. As much as I wished I could have skipped school or had the offenders expelled for this behavior when I was young, no such luck. It'll be a jungle in there, but I doubt it will be any different from the jungle the teens are already used to. And given the platform, my guess is that the nerds and the geeks will be the top dogs and harrass or grief the jocks and cheerleaders

separate and totally isolated grid: who cares

equipping the client to handle two separate grids is easy, they already do this with the preview releases

I don't know if it would be wise to give them accounts on this forum though

Good Point



Heh heh. You have a point there too, Lisse

I find it amazing that a company that is finding it so difficult to keep their customer support responsive is taking on the huge burden of a teenage grid. They have technical problems coming out of their ears, bugs coming out of their noses, and unanswered bug and support reports filling up their pants - and these people really think that by having a new grid full of teenagers is going to make this situation any better? I already feel that the liasons are stretched to bursting point.

I know one thing for certain. If when this is launches we see yet a further drop in customer service or stability there's going to be a lot of unhappy people around here.

I guess we now know the caveats of the funding, which kind of makes a mockery of some of the things that Philip Linden said. Which again goes to prove how he just tells you what you want to hear, in wonderful flowery marketing speak, whilst not actually telling you the truth but not actually lying. Smashing.

Exactly. Untapped market, now tapped.

Cha-Ching!

I REALLY hope they plan on growing ther staff proportionately, although the musings of self gov't by top Lindens seems to indicate otherwise. I REALLY hope they don't plan on splitting existing Linden's duties between here and teentown.

Of course they won't grow their staff proportionately, and certainly not as quickly as needed. They'll have to split duties between the two, otherwise they'd need a whole new set of Lindens which, er, isn't going to happen is it. Look at the employment page on the LL site, there's only 1 Liason spot going, for International Liason. You'd think that if they're going to be beefing up their Liasons for the new grid, they'd be advertising the positions already, don't you.....

Oh and as for untapped market. I'd have to say that the people with the greatest spending power are the people they already have here. Teenagers aren't really going to have the spending power, so any investment will get a lower return per person, on average, I'm sure.

You haven't seem how permissive my best friend (or many others I know) is with his kids as far as spending on the net goes. He pays for games (multiples) for them 6 months at a time. I would surmise my roomie represenst a small fraction of permissive parents and LL realizes that. To some parents its cheaper and less intrusive than a babysitter to just turn over the card...

I voted "who cares" (rhetorically of course as I believe was intended).

two reason I suppose:

1. They are apparently getting their own grid

2. They're everywhere in RL and it's not hard to avoid them there, so I think I will barely notice them if they come into SL anyway.

Oh yes, I'm not saying that such parents don't exist and don't exist in fairly large numbers for that matter. But, when you think about the monthly costs of SecondLife, this is actually very expensive and on-going. Do you think most teens will want to own land? I wonder. I also wonder whether Liason costs will also be higher, which might also create a different angle on the accounts of this. I could certainly see a teenage SL taking a disproportionate amount of Liason time.

Agreed on all points.

On a side note; what is it with folks who get all riled up about the majority not wanting kids on the main grid?

I have heard things like:

*age is not a measure of maturity* Sorry, but it is to a point.

*I have met some kids that are more mature than adults* That may be, but, does that mean open the floodgates?

So, if you want to perpetuate this *some kids are more mature than adults* line of thinking, think about this: Does that mean we should toss out the driving age?
The drinking age? Maybe we should just outlaw the words teen, child, kid etc.? That would make it fair right? Sorry, it's not fair, for a reason. There are rules in society, there always have been, and a lot of them pertain(ed) to children. You see represssion, I see protection, for BOTH adults and children.

Lindens,

PLEASE KEEP THEM OFF THESE FORUMS!

OMG!!!!!!

even younger are coming to SL!!!

/invalid_link.html

Look, Ben! Now you have a place to go be with those of your own kind!

God, I hope not!

I think so, Brain... but this time YOU put the trousers on the chimp!

I really wish they would wait at least a year to do this.
If it affects the forums drastically, or takes too much Linden attention away from our grid, then I am sooo outta here.
Now we see why LL is pushing for player run government.

Maturity is of no concern for me ; SL is my toy, and creating a kid version will at best remove resources from our version, and at worst bring LL down in lawsuits.

I wouldn't like LL to crash and burn and SL to disapear. I would be pissed. So, these 13yr old may be uber mature, who cares, the problem is they are minors and will be let loose in a world of theirs where they can create _anything_ I doubt that in teens games online like TSO you find dildos or particle-jizz squirting penis ; but unless LL find a way to somehow restrict builds, the teen SL will have all that and that will be material for lawsuits.

Yes, of course they will want to sneak onto the other side. Have you ever known a kid who doesn't want to do things or go places (s)he isn't allowed to do or go? I know i did! But I also know they are getting bored pretty fast these days, and will start to grief. In their grid and in ours.

I think this is real bad.

Agreed.

It also shows LL doesn't give a toss about us. Not so long ago there was a discussion here on this, and a vast majority said, no kids. Lindens said, well, it's just a thought we are playing with, so not to worry. LL is just the same as our present day politicians: only interested in taking our money and untrustworthy.

If Sl doesn't grow it will die . We have a very small user base. LL never said don't worry we have no plans to do this.

They played down the anxiety that was evident in that thread. You can't tell me they didn't had this planned already at that time (only a couple of weeks ago).

I'm sure they had it planned over a year ago...they would be fools if they didn't. Without a growing user base they won't last. Sure the grid grows daily but not enough to sustain SL over time. Everyone fears the children gettinng on our grid ...I have news for you they already are. The bigger fear should be keeping adults off of their grid and keeping them out of these forums.

I don't want children on our grid but I realize that SL is a business and if they dont grow we will be the ultimate loser.