From: someone
I’m here to let you know you about Westland Village a private community.
I suppose that the concept of an SL 'gated community' was simply a matter of time. While I will not stand in the way of your right to construct such a community, I do wish to raise some considerations that may shed doubt on the wisdom in its construction.
From: someone
I was motivated to develop Westland Village after seeing griefers and immense skyscrapers ruining the beautiful SL landscape.
While I can sympathize with your apparent anger at buildings you might classify eyesores, with your lack of patience for individuals who act disrespectfully toward others, and for your seeming lack of faith in the ability of a global SL community to fairly consider these problems, I do not empathize. I still meet these problems with tolerance. It seems to me that some may accept actions, even if motivated by intolerance, as justifiable, so I'll continue.
From: someone
1.) Westland Village is a community for people who are sick of griefers, and people who like to spoil your SL experience. If you fit this description, you are not welcome here in Westland Village.
Despite the fact that the central tenet seems to be
lack of welcome rather than the nearly unconditional inclusion I currently enjoy of fellow ST'ers, my main concern here is practicality. How, pray tell, do you discern between a griefer and a non-griefer? Surveys of intent? Loyalty oaths? Knowing the right people? First offense? First
rumored offense? It seems apparent to me that the practicality of selecting members and enforcing your selective welcome will be at least problematic even if it doesn't have moral ramifications.
From: someone
2.) Houses can be as wide as your lot, but the height cannot be over 25 Meters.
3.) No more than 1 house lot!
4.) Only Homes may be built, there is a business development in the making for business’s interested in working in Westland Village.
5.) Attractive homes only! No big boxes, or anything of that nature. Ex. Skyscrapers, tall boxes etc.
Zoning is, of course, an acceptable responsibility of a community. It makes little sense to have "Wanda's Late Night Nickel Arcade" next to the "Toys R Us". However, the more restrictive these zoning standards become, the more united the consensus must become, and the more homogenous your citizens must be. There are inherant dangers to groupthink, the most venomous of which are stagnation and unwillingness to entertain dissent.
From: someone
6.) No distasteful, or offensive material may be shown outside or inside your house! Second Life rules apply.
Oh dear! If you continue with this plan, you might at least change this one! What is distasteful? Whom must material offend? If you restrict material within homes - a Big Brother intrusion into the houses of your community, will it be by word of neighbor or by camera search? If outside appearances are restricted only, what constitutes "outside"? Can windows be peeped in? What if concerned neighbors use their cameras to look inside your home? Can they report you?
And what do you mean by 'Second Life rules apply'? By this do you mean that these rules are to be taken such that they do not countermand global restrictions, but do restrict global rights? It seems to me that this new set of rules communicates not respect for the body of SL rules, but rather that they are being suffered as an inadequate, or at least incomplete, attempt at maintaining order. Given the short time that these rules have been in effect, and the fact that they are still being established, ought you not dedicate your voice to their development? Isn't it a bit too early to say, "The rules of the outside world are static and threatening. We need more rules for our protection."?
I hope I have at least raised some concerns that will help you tailor your idea to SL citizens. And I hope that those considering membership will also keep in mind what liberties they must sacrifice in order to be so protected. I personally will not be joining. I will continue to suffer griefers, pornography, and eyesore buildings, but also my faith in all SL-ers to mediate such problems, not to mention my right to respectfully speak and respectfully build as I see fit. If you were to build a
non-private zoned town of mutally respecful citizens, I would most certainly wear clothes when I visited.
Radical Kohne Kato
Member: Leftists, Liberals and Lunatics
