A few words about the Metaverse Justice Watch

I just spent two hours reading through forums. I must say I am both excited and overwhelmed by the interest the group we started has generated. I must admit I wasn't prepared for this and wish that timezones and RL schedule would have allowed me to respond earlier.

It is true that the way we structured and advertised the group Metaverse Justice Watch and our meetings was very ad-hoc and in some ways pretty poor. But everything was happening very fast the past few days and we were all busy focusing on the issues we try to address.

The Metaverse Justice Watch is nothing more than a few concerned people getting together to lobby for issues such as justice and security for residents. We are not a government nor do we represent the whole population of Second Life. We see us as a group such as Amnesty International or Greenpeace who are concerned with certain issues, try to research those issues and make suggestions and then enter into a dialogue with the government.

There have been a number of incidents in the past that made some of us think "Jesus, Philip! Do you even know about this?". When another such issue came up last week we finally used the search tool in Second Life to find some group that could help us address it. We entered all kindsa keywords to find a group to talk to, from "justice", to "citizen" to "rights" to "watch" to "liberities" to whatever. We spent like half an hour finding people whom we could talk to about this. We asked around, among our friends and no such group seemed to exist. So we made our own.

Since the issues we are concerned about are pretty serious things we initially invited friends and competitors and people we knew deeply cared about Second Life and had a lot at risk. But from the very start we made the group we created free signup. And we announced it to everybody who took the time to be present at the last town hall meeting. Are you concerned about the issues our group is trying to address? Do you consider yourself a serious stakeholder in Second Life? Then join us!

Do you consider other issues more important? Or do you think our approach is ineffective, corrupt or otherwise bad? Then make your own group! Work on the issues, lobby, present them to the decision makers! You can be constructive as part of our group or in your own group. In either case being constructive is always very cool

At some point I was cited for saying that we consider ourselves "stakeholders" rather than "players" or "tourists". This is true. "Stake", however, is not just defined by land or money. Having a huge financial investment at risk in Second Life is certainly one type of stake. But, as I mentioned earlier, there are also things such as "emotional capital" or "social capital" that people invest in a world. For example if you are in love with another person whom you only know in Second Life you have a tremendeous amount of emotional stake and would be deeply hurt by something like unjustified banning. Second Life, on many levels, is by far more involving and more serious than just a game. And that is what we are concerned about: that people deeply depend on this place socially, financially or emotionally but have no rights and don't enjoy justice, security, fairness.

This very serious attitute that we have is different and might even be conflicting with somebody who merely sees Second Life as a game. If you are here as a visitor, player, tourist or any other way that does not make you in any way dependent on this medium, then you might have a different outlook on some issues than we have. Most likely you just wouldn't really care. Or you may be fundamentally opposed to SL featuring "serious" stuff like rules, resident marriages, the ability to convert L$ <> US$ and so on. In that case we encourage you to make your own group and bring forward your own suggestions. Maybe we will see a lobby group for "casual players" in Second Life? Or the "Just for fun!" lobby?

Lets all be constructive and look forward. The SL community is very diverse, which is actually a nice thing. We should all recognize and appreciate each other's efforts to make Second Life a better place. Everybody should have a right to make suggestions and stand up for the issues he/she is worried about. The Metaverse Justice Watch is one such effort. Hopefully we will see more!

I hereby grant you the title of Knight of the Social Order of THE CITIZENS COMMITTEE FOR CONCERNED CITIZENS.

I applaud your initiative, if I don't necessarily agree with all of your stances. Please realize that if we react agressively to this, we (well some) are merely doing so from the standpoint of whatever investment we each have in SL. People are, in fact, mobilizing in their own way to have another voice heard.

The dialogue is the important thing and, if nothing else, you have struck a nerve and gotten people thinking.

I think the thing many involved in the MJW are failing to realize is that anyone with a vested interest (social, economic, or otherwise) in SL are no different than anyone else. This is a company running a service for people, and everyone is an equal customer, no matter how much time or money you put in. Everyone is a stakeholder, and we are all subject to the EULA SL provides.

Just a couple pennies from my head,
Marcus

I mean this post very seriously, thus the lack of always clearly used to denote joking in my posts.

I'm emotionally invested in SL—not sure how that can be measured—but I'd like to clarify I also see myself as a tourist with friends and people I admire who are large landholders, some of them the biggest landholders in SL.

I agree with Gabe, and in futurethought, I'm fascinated to see what we'll all be thinking of—and doing—a few months on the relevant topics from now.

I also believe it's important to see all the humor, because maybe some people have fear and the laughs help them diffuse that. I wouldn't cast it off, as absurd as it may seem at times, as long as someone is willing to explain where they're coming from.

Always hungry for more info here... thanks for the take, Anshe!

This "it all happened so fast" excuse is getting extremely tiresome.

Whereas many of us see you as a lobbying group, like tobacco industry advocates.

A whole half an hour AND you used keywords? Clearly you've performed your due diligence.

Paraphrase: "We only told a few people about it, but covered our asses by making it open enrollment. And we announced it to anyone who doesn't have a day job in North America. Get behind me or get out of the way!"

Paraphrase: "Even if you don't join our group, we're trying to make sure our system is adopted. So create a group just like ours, and add validity to the process!"

Paraphrase: "I was caught red-handed making a blatantly elitist comment and trying to sway the Lindens with my financial power. I don't really have a good response to that other than to bring up vague ideological ideas like justice and fairness. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

Paraphrase: "We were hoping to sneak this past you."

Paraphrase: "If you don't play SL 10 hours a day, good luck trying to battle us on our own turf. It would be amusing to see you try."

Paraphrase: "I will conclude by making some more vague, optimistic statements about you tourists. Feel better now? I know I do."

Whoever your new ghost writer is, Anshe, they are excellent. Brava!

log at: http://secondthoughts.typepad.com/

Now will the real Anshe please speak up.

Yes I thought that as well Cris.
Anshe, so you mean to tell me the following quote from the PUBLIC chat at the meeting; weren't meant to ingratiate you to the Lindens?

Anshe Chung: Most of us here have invested considerable time, emotional capital, social capital and financial capital in this country
Anshe Chung: This is what we feel makes us stakeholders. More like you and in contrast to e.g. merely tourists, users, consumers, players etc

BTW I think you choose strange bedfellows if you are at all sincere.

B-I-N-G-O!

You win a new car, but unfortunately, the MVW will have to screen you to make sure you are worthy. Can't have half-cocked tourists running wild in the streets tearing up our valuable real estate!

What's the litmus test for a new hummer?

I'm not the only one who wondered?

Ask one business girl escort with fetish for money.

Anshe, there was a recall today and you were voted out as officer. Which mean the majority of the members in this very group do not think you are the right person to be head of a group that claims to be for "justice for the metaverse" .

I think a big part of this would be conflict of interest. Please dont tell me it is because of a broke system, because the majority of people I persnally asked said they voted to have you recalled.

Why would you not at this point step down and just be a member to end these concerns? I agree with many of the points that that group outlined on the agenda to Philip. The fact that you being the figure head, could lead to conflict of interest is my main concern.

Your response is appreciated. Thank you.

From - http://secondthoughts.typepad.com/

"We made a formal agenda by hammering it out for days, we mailed it to him, we requested an audience."

"It took even our more or less like-minded group several days and many many hours to hammer out even a very basic agenda."

Good points Beau...

Anshe you were recalled as founder of your own group in less than 24 hours? Is this true?

If true, please feel to consult with me on the basic how-to of community organizing!


Oh, and Eggy - that's gota be a SL History Wiki entry at the section about SL Groups.


History in the making....

Sounds like those old posts Fizik used to make.

Second Life <7cdc71eb-6421-4262-29ce-1d42f23603bd@im.secondlife.com> to me
1:44 pm (4 hours ago)

Second Life:
The recall election for group Metaverse Justice Watch has ended. Anshe Chung has left the group


Cut directly from my email

And thus, the Justice Watch of the Metaverse is born. Splitters!

I agree with Anshe.

I think you are mixing up equality with "sameness" here. We are all equal citizens, but that does not mean we are all the same.

Obviously if you have a vested interest in the game, then the game is more important to you than it is to some joker that is just here to set off some C-4 and get banned. The people that run the stores and the clubs, the land-barons, the creators, the scripters are alll more important to SL than those that are just "tourists" (to use Anshe's term). That doesn't mean they are better people necessarily or that they should be treated any differently in terms of the laws etc., but they are most definitely "stakeholders" and others most definitely are not.

The term is self defining anyway.

If you think you are as good as the stakeholders because you care about things so much.... well, that makes you a stakeholder too!
(at least by the definitions used here).

I think this is awful if true.

It smells of that same sort of "pack of wild dogs" mentality that chased Prok off the forums.

So Anshe cant win even if she comes up with a good idea? I cant see that anyone else would have recived the same treatment over coming up with such a suggestion as this group.

The idea that Anshe could be turfed simply because she is Anshe and not because of any valid disagreement is disturbing to me. (if that is the case)

Pah-lese.

Prok was banned from the forums... and the only one to blame for that is Prok.

Agreed and if Anshe was to be chased off from anything so easily she wouldn't be where she is at today.

How 'bout we just stop trying to take control of Linden Labs, stop trying to support politics as a means of success, and stop trying to disguise an obvious grab for control as some community-minded effort?