SL must move beyond the Techi Wiki culture

HOW DARE YOU!

No it didn't. Branding does not mean squat if the product misses all expectations. Starbucks would not exist if their coffee tasted like Maxwell House.

The "content creators" at Starbucks have formulated coffee that appeals to the gourmet consumer. The marketing/sales people have figured out how to package it. And their leadership has made sure that it has gone off with the fewest snags.

I encourage anyone to watch the Tweaks Coffee episode of South Park complete with Underpants Gnomes. Harbucks comes in and runs Tweaks' family coffee shop out of business.

Starbucks coffee tastes like CRAP. I've had good coffee (Jamaica Blue Mountain), and I've had bad coffee (All manner of instant/machine-vended), and I've had coffee all the way in between. Starbucks falls solidly on the "utter and complete crap" end of the scale.

It's marketing and placement, entirely. I know plenty of people who drink Starbucks almost religiosly who actually don't LIKE it.

<thump>

<gets up>

what happened?

I don't understand what you think is "dead on" about Andrew's statement, blaze. That it doesn't matter? Well, sure, it doesn't matter because they don't see it, they indeed tacitly concede that in fact a grouplet has to go on choking the water chute. It's truly amazing.



I'm a person who has invested a lot of time and money in the game. Certainly more than most. Of course, spending money on the game doesn't buy you some automatic influence, but I do take the care to study it, talk to lots of people, and draw conclusions. I care passionately about the way worlds like this go, and what they become.

I utterly reject both your statements, and even Andrew Linden's. Andrew Linden is of course somebody very important, I realize. Not only does he have Linden in his name. I believe I've read he is some kind of top Linden, going to important scholarly conferences and game dev confabs and the like.

But I'm not afraid. Because I know I'm right. I know there are a lot of people who want and need and are interested in a virtual world metaverse space for all kinds of purposes --socializing, business, non-profit work, education, government, etc. And they are going to be stymied in this quest because of a situation that one could call "dog in the manger" I suppose -- the dog does not eat hay, but he won't let others eat it, either.

TSO and SL are to me the grandest inventions of our time. They are akin to the telephone or the Kodak camera, that took communications and preservation of history out of the hands of the elites and empowered ordinary people to talk and record their lives. They revolutionized worlds. This technology is the same in type and feel. Yet in the same way as early communications technology and photographic technology at first remained only in the hands of certain perfectionists (as Johnny Ming so aptly described it), so SL remains in the hands of those who won't let it go, indeed, even sanction a chokehold on it.

I think it is so important that there be the equivalent of a telepone or a camera in our generation which is this 3-D metaverse that I don't want it just kept the private enclave of a few privileged people.

So that's why I'm here fighting this fight as I see it -- which is to enlarge the possibilities of this world to have more diversity of types in it and more fields of human endeavour represented than just the hard technical sciences and the computer graphic arts.

I took seriously Philip's claim to want to increase his game to a million, and even though I know instinctively his server set-up there is held together with a lot of chewing gum and paper clips (referred to my tekkie friend as "a hack", I still think that with the ebay guy's money and some other investments he could grow that server farm into something really important. What I didn't calculate was that like all Good Tsars he has Bad Advisors lol. Of course, often once discovers that the bad advisors reflect the actual persona of the tsar, but in this case, I don't feel Andrew Linden's advice is good -- "don't worry about the tekkie wiki," "there is no tekkie wiki," "the tekki wiki is just Prok blathering, it's all crap, just let him babble and drool on a corner," etc. Of course, Philip -- somebody -- could have sent Andrew out as a shill to tame the community -- I just don't know how the system works there at LL.

The game's too geeky. Everybody knows that. Kex Godel just wants to have geeky fun and not be pressed into some utilitarian service to "the masses" -- and I made exactly that same point before against blaze's carp that the tekkies ought to be producing more effective bling for the peeps.

But by the same token, I think the social pressure on the geeks to become less geeky, that is, to make some way for others and let them in the door and do more to let them have a comfortable experience, is a real existing phenom, and any company would ignore it at their peril.

I did the most basic, rudimentary thing -- that should be done professionally by others who know the business of sociological surveys -- I asked people's RL jobs and RL ages.

BTW, this wasn't to "force" them into revealing their RL info -- that's silly. They are anonymous polls and anyone who wanted to chat about their A/S/L on top of that did so voluntarily, not under duress -- they are grown-ups. What we could see so far is that a lot of people are in their 20s and 30s and in the computer business. But do they represent the entire game population? I actually don't think so, and I'll go you one better -- I don't think they even represent *the other* 20-30 year olds also in the computer/IT sector who don't post here.

What part of supply and demand do you not understand? Marketing and placement does make the sale.

The customer walking in the door does. People have a choice, even after being subjected to marketing brainwashing.

The coffee is worth $5 because people pay $5 for it.

Starbucks is better than any canned coffee in my opinion. But, Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee is great. I like Organic Timor Java too.

As

Content creators don't need a superfluous third party to sell and a superfluous fourth party to market the selling. Without a product, there's nothing to sell, nothing to market.

Mostly the "demand" part, I suppose.

Serioulsy, though. The demand is for "coffee". Any coffee will do for 99% of the market... Most are not at all discriminating.

I maintain, it is nothing innovative about the coffee that makes Starbucks sell. What makes starbucks sell is that people want coffee, and Starbucks is good enough at marketing to convince people that they want Starbucks(TM) coffee. Starbucks could switch to Folger's Instant tommorow and people would keep buying from them as long as they weren't told that it wasn't Starbucks Premium Coffee(TM).

I'd agree with you 100% if it weren't for the fact that the company's leadership played a huge part in figuring out that convenience is just as important as the product itself. It's not just marketing and its not just coffee. In Starbucks case, they offer a convenient, overpriced commodity and people love them for it... maybe not necessarily their coffee or their packaging.

I still don't see, however, where the supposed "innovation" is. There are coffee shops that did everything Starbucks does not prior to Starbucks. Cheaper coffee sometimes, to. And some of them are still around. I normally go to them over a starbucks, if I want coffee. Including being quick and convienient.

Starbucks is the first company to make a chain on nothing but coffee (The muffins are for show. Do not eat them). But they didn't innovate. They just took what was already there and marketed it better.

FWIW, when I wan't "quick and convienient" coffee, and a small local joint isn't found or known, I go to a Tim Hortons. Better coffee, and cheaper, last I checked. Drive through too. And passable (albiet not great) doughnuts to go with it.

You poor, ignorant, deluded fool.

Education and business and a variety of other industries will eventually pick up the virtual domain. As soon as it is all conveniently 'black boxed' and they don't actually have to DO much of anything to do so.

I call it 'AOL syndrome'. AOL created a service where you barely have to know a thing about technology to use it. I'm sure in your world, such a thing is grand indeed. You and those like you have fallen victim to the oldest trick in the book. You've been hoodwinked, son.

You see, there is a multi-billion dollar effort to convince you and those like you that you don't have to understand technology to use it. That, in fact, if technology is truly effective, you will never have to understand it.

Problem is, technology requires maintenance. And maintenance requires.... knowledge.

You're like the guy who never wants to work, but thinks he should be a millionaire because he has 'good ideas'.

No, no, scratch that... you're like the guy who spends his entire life doing the least amount of actual work and the most bitching possible in hopes someone will come along and magically hail you messiah for being able to stitch together half-assed ideas.

You and those like you are THE reason why efficiency and productivity in the workplace is at an all time low. You and those like you are THE reason we're getting hammered economically, why what technology industry we do have is flying overseas as fast as it can go, and why what is out there is bloated, badly written, and poorly supported. You and those like you are THE reason for all of this... because you and those like you are the mind-bogglingly stupid ones who labor under the misconception that you don't have to understand something to do it well.

The ideas you would like to see spread here are demonstrated time and time again not just to fail, but to fail abjectly. You can't even get past your own ignorance in talking about your ideas. They're always some nebulous ivory tower mewling without so much as a shred of anything remotely resembling a plan, a solution, a justification or even some solid evidence that would shore up your inane and consistantly insipid nattering.

The first conclusion that springs to mind is one I posted elsewhere not too very long ago... you're just an attention whore and this is the best vehicle for your fix.

The other is common knowledge, not nearly as kind, and sadly, most likely true.

"I'm not afraid because I know I am right." Good grief. Someone save us from your pathetic attempts at marytrdom. You are, without a doubt, the saddest, sickest thing I have ever encountered on a forum. And honey, that's saying a lot... if only you knew.

cienna quoting porky

you do realize that debating someone who says this is pointless?
they never let the facts get in the way...

It will be to my everlasting lament that that quote is too long to be a signiture....

"I call it 'AOL syndrome'. AOL created a service where you barely have to know a thing about technology to use it. I'm sure in your world, such a thing is grand indeed. You and those like you have fallen victim to the oldest trick in the book. You've been hoodwinked, son.

You see, there is a multi-billion dollar effort to convince you and those like you that you don't have to understand technology to use it. That, in fact, if technology is truly effective, you will never have to understand it.

Problem is, technology requires maintenance. And maintenance requires.... knowledge. "

I don't have to understand how a TV works to watch one hundreds of hours of my life. And if it needs repair, I take it to a repairman or buy a new one.

I don't have to understand how a car works to drive one every day of my life. And if it needs repair, I take it to a repairman or buy a new one.

I don't have to understand how a washing machine works to get my laundry done. And if it needs repair, I call Sears or buy a new one.

I don't need to be a jack of all trades. I am a specialist in my own field. I don't need to be a specialist in all fields to use the products of all fields.

I don't want to be a jack of all trades, least of all in what I choose for my leisure/entertainment purposes. If the Lindens want more players for this game, they won't get many if they limit to only those who could make a game themselves, and repair it when it breaks.

coco

"I don't have to understand how a TV works to watch one hundreds of hours of my life. And if it needs repair, I take it to a repairman or buy a new one."

Nope, but you do have to know how to turn it on, how to adjust the picture, how to hook it up to your cable box, how to program the remote, how to replace the batteries in the remote, how to use a program guide, how to change the channel, how to adjust the volume...

"I don't have to understand how a car works to drive one every day of my life. And if it needs repair, I take it to a repairman or buy a new one."

I certainly think you have to know how to drive it in order to, er... drive it.

"I don't have to understand how a washing machine works to get my laundry done. And if it needs repair, I call Sears or buy a new one."

I dunno. I put my dirty clothes by the washing machine and yet the machine doesn't load them, clean them, and spit them out folded. I'm not sure what's wrong. Is it broken? Oh, and on a slightly more serious note... I still have no friggin idea what tempature whites or colors are supposed to be set at.

I'm not 'feted', I'm not 'tekki wiki', I'm not 'scripterati' or any other paranoid fantasy this poor, ignorant fool has dreamt up to keep himself in the spotlight. I'm just a new player who finds his brand of self-aggrandizing bullshit disgusting. He is, to my mind, a pimple on the ass of this community.

It has nothing to do with trying to debate him. I know better than anyone just how completely insulated such a personality type is to anything remotely resembling reality.

All of which is a long way of saying that, well, since Porky has appointed himself 'Emperor of All That is Right and Good and Messiah of The Little People', I guess I've taken up the task of being the kid in the crowd who points out the Emperor is wearing no clothes.

For now, anyway. Eventually (actually pretty soon, I suspect), he'll finish his play list and return to the first stanza of the whine and I too, will be bored with him.

But, until then, I can think of no greater service than to follow his every chirp with a reminder of just who and what he is... just in case someone would mistake him (as I did initially) as anything more than an attention whore.

That may be the case, but There are alternative virtual worlds for the less technically savvy.

SL is complex because flexibility is one of it's primary design objectives. It has been simplified a lot over the past year to accommodate the less technically savvy residents, but making things simpler without losing flexibility is a difficult task.

This whole thing seems a bit like a guy showing up late to a semi-formal party and instead of just blending in and enjoying himself, he feels the need to tell everyone they should go home and dress down because he couldn't be bothered to dress up.

Why isn't this obvious to everyone.

yah know it's pretty self evident that he's a nutcase...

he's got a few good ideas (though they are hardly original). sadly, he tries to use those few good points reinforce his self-image as some kind of suuuuuuuper-genius. even more sadly, it's obvious he's smart, but not as smart as he thinks he is.

nor is he as original as he thinks he is. most of his ideas have occured to people in the forums before. though his florid prose does make them much more sensationalist.

so i'm not sure pointing out the emperor has no clothes is all that productive either.

What if the emporer had a butt-plug?

Sorry - just throwing things out there till I finish my shift

Siggy.

maybe that explains his logorhea?

you need to go home.

I can understand that perspective. Eventually, I'm sure I'll find other things to entertain myself.

You're right though... I think he is a complete whack-a-doodle.