Make Your Voice Heard on the Dissolution of Jade and Torley's Partnership

I'm reaching out to the community and asking you to share your voice through the attached survey regarding a decision made by Linden Lab when they recently hired Torley. What makes Torley such a brilliant part of this community, and such a perfect person to step into this new challenge in supporting us now as a Linden, is the fact that she has this great, passionate heart and pours it into absolutely everything she touches. One of those things is Jade Lily.

I was stunned when I noticed that these two are no longer officially partnered, and understand that this is on the request of Linden Lab as Torley became part of their team. While part of me understands that they may be concerned about the potential for the community to perceive a Linden staff member being partnered with an SL civilian as conflict of interest, the greater part of me is just plain floored.

Were Torley to go to work for an employer and be asked to dissolve her relationship with her existing RL partner, there would be outrage, and well there should be. This is a relationship that has existed since November 12, 2004, and should not be diminished or dismissed by a policy that seems nothing less than tremendously short-sighted.

There is nothing conventional about SL. As a social technology, it's changing significant parts of people's real lives. How could it possibly make sense to apply archaic thinking in such a pioneering place? If this is about forging new trails, let it be completely. I trust in Torley's ability to perform her new tasks without bias or any less resolve than she would have without this new title. She's a person of tremendous integrity, as is her partner, Jade, who has also shaped this community in significant ways. Because of Jade, the Relay for Life remains a true milestone within this community's ability to capture real world organizations and events and extend their efficacy here. These two people, more than anyone I know, completely embody the spirit of all that is well within our community.

So, I'm asking my peers to join me in demonstrating our support of their union, officially, asking Linden Lab to reconsider their decision. Torley and Jade will be marrying on Valentine's Day, and that partnership should be recognized completely, and honoured in their profile titles as well. Please share your voice by participating in the attached poll. Your vote remains anonymous, though I invite those of you who wish to share specific thoughts to also reply in this thread.

Philip, this is an opportunity to show the first world that the pioneering core of your vision and efforts is exactly that. Please don't tarnish it with old school thinking now.

Please know that what I have posted here was not solicited by Torley or Jade. I am reaching out of my own accord because I am one of many people who has the highest regard for these two members of our community, and it would be wrong to stand silent.


With deepest respect,

Sue.

They're getting remarried at the Valentine's Day ceremony.

Yes, but this has not changed Linden Lab's position on their partnering. They are still not allowed to have official partner status.

I'm hoping that this will help influence them to rethink this decision.

Thanks, Cory.

Sue.

I see the dissolution of Torley and Jade's partnership as one symptom of a greater problem with Linden Lab. Basically The Lindens seem to have a policy of listening and complying with an infinitely small but furiously loud minority. I suspect this poll will reveal a tremendous amount of support for Torley and Jade's partner status but the few opposed will make a nightmare for LL with endless claims of favoritism and doom-and-gloom hyperbole.

It's just a box in the profile with a name in it, and it doesn't even do anything beyond that.

It's not like LL is telling them to [meanphilipvoice]"NEVER TALK OR BE NEAR EACH OTHER AGAIN!"[/meanphilipvoice]

I can't find the link to the rules for employees... maybe someone else has it.

How many people really care about fake breakups of fake relationships online?

*puts hand down*


Do any of you people have your own business to mind? Damn

Right on. I was operating under the assumption that their participation in the Linden wedding ceremony meant they were gonna be back to the partner status.

Personally, if I was in their position, all that would matter to me is that I was with the person, Partner field in my profile or not. And I'm the kind of person that gets uber-pissed if someone starts asking questions about my relationship that really isn't any of their business, so I wouldn't take a public survey about how the community thinks my relationship should be displayed very well. Again, just me.

I'm for whatever they want to do, but it really isn't my business either way.

yes, it's a bit weak that they had to dissolve their partnership.
In any case involving Jade Lily, Torley could just not participate in the discussion/issue.

I voted yes.

coco

I find this comment to be incredibly insulting to people who may view this differently, Aimee.

Jade Lily kicked my puppy. I demand that Linden Lab create an unbiased tribunal to adjudicate on my behalf!

*Sees Torley in one of the chairs*

OMG UNFAIR

Just to be clear, I asked permission before posting this note. My intention was not to do this without their knowing, nor to further inflame.

Yes, people can continue to cultivate a relationship without the official label attached, but I am standing on principle. This was a choice made by Linden Lab, and sets a precedent that seems entirely out of step with a forward-thinking business.

If the want to be partners the shall be partners.. what else..

/Tina

I can understand the principle of a forward thinking company not dictating their employee's personal lives, but in other companies you don't run around with a nametag on that tells your customers who you're dating. Its not like they're prohibiting them to be together, they're just removing a potential for bs on the part of residents that freak out over that sort of thing (omg you're dating a LINDEN wtf).

I can see LL's point, and I can see Torley & Jade's point (if their point is that they want to have the partner status resumed). I guess my point is that its between them.

Lindens have dated residents in the past. It was simply either "on" their alt account, or otherwise not publically listed in their profile. Generally speaking it was kept on the downlow, as most mature relationships are.

I don't really see how listing Jade in Torley's profile would be a relationship deal-breaker; just make it a private issue, and it all goes away. They can still be them, and the company can still be the company without the community asploding.

Otherwise, if/when/how someone has a problem with Jade (unlikely, but let's think precedence here, for the future), and takes their case to the Lindens, who rule in favor of Jade, the forums will be on fire with cries of favoritism, and everyone's favorite harpies will be on the top of the world decrying the fascist dictatorship of the FIC/LLab partnership, and won't someone think of the oppressed newbies.

LLab's policy isn't "don't date anyone that plays SL or your face is fired", you just can't have those types of relationships on an "official" account. Torley doesn't have another account, true, but that was her choice.

I can see all their points, too. But mainly I think, yes. The situation of Torley is already an anomaly; most Lindens have alts. I really don't see how anyone is deprived of anything by allowing these people to be "officially married," lol, i.e., in that space on their pages. If anything, there is more transparency.

It seems like such a small matter to allow them this, and unnecessarily punitive otherwise.

coco

Exactly my opinion! And it's kinda telling too how often some people change that name in their profile.

Torley and Jade are longterm partners in my books, and a name in the profile box doesn't change that view one bit. And I support them being partners!

IMO, either take that stuff totally off the profile or let Lindens and residents have "official" partnerships too! FGS just take it off! How hard is it to type under "about" in your profile "My partner is Joe Doe" if you really want the world to know who you're with.

It takes alot of naivety to think that Lindens don't have inworld relationships or flings or whatever. And IMO they have ALL the right to do so and it's none of our f'ing business anyway!

And since Drako is back, let me shout: ONE LOVE!

I prefer transparency. If someone were to join today and kick Jade's puppy, and there was some sort of convening body to resolve a dispute, not being aware of the relationship is unfair to that new resident. Consequently, if anyone wishes to publically announce such a relationship, for the good of all, it should be permitted afaic.

Threads that are addressed to a single individual or group are inappropriate on the forums, I'd like to ask everyone who wants to address the issue of Lindens with Resident Partners to please bring the discussion back to the overall topic, instead of focusing on one particular case.

I don’t think LL has any business poking their noses into the personal lives of their employees and subscribers. The only exception to this would be that they had solid information of impropriety and felt they had to investigate the matter.

The dissolution of a partnership means nothing, if they are allowing any couple to be wed in SL. In other words looks good on paper but means nothing. So I don’t see the point of them dissolving the partnership.


Cat

Why is there a poll about this?

The poll appears at the top of the page, Lo.

Because numbers can take the temperature of the community in a way that shows support -- or not -- independant of emotion. A thread like this is inevitably charged with all kinds of energy, good and bad, and that can make it harder to get the true pulse of the issue.

The poll was a simple invitation to show where you stand on this issue. The visual cue gives an immediate indication of where the support lies, which I hope will in turn compel Linden Lab to reconsider their decision.

As for people believing that it's no one else's business, I disagree. A precedent has been set that has an impact on more than just these two people. Turning and looking the other way when an injustice has been done may be the easy thing to do, but it's not the right thing to do.

I don't think LL should allow official partnerships between employees and customers.
LL did the right thing here IMO.
I like both Torley and Jade, and this is no reflection as to how I feel about them.