Second Life is what happens when you give small-town America a blank canvas ...

Me thinks you need to get out and explore more of SL. I think you are basing your premise on a overly generalized stereotype, and that you may be quite surprised at the amazing diversity available in SL.

Let me amend that to small-town ANYWHERE.

coco

The original poster seemed to indicate that there was a negative connotation to small town America, and I've noticed a similar trend among people from the east and west coast. As someone born and raised in the heartland of the country, I do take some offense to the insinuation that SL would be better off without me.

Not at all.

I grew up in Sydney, which is THE big city in Australia... but I sure felt like I was from Hicksville when I lived in San Francisco.

About as far as I can throw a boulder twice my weight.

SL Frapper shows that people are from all over the place, with major concentrations of people around major cities.


I say this without reading most of this thread because the initial premise is ridiculous.

Besides when I was a party going youth, we used to just use wharehouses, skate parks, open fields, under bridges or wherever else we could kick in a window and find some power or set up a generator.

If you just take time to speak to people and explore some you would see how diverse SL truly is. It encompasses small town, big city, young and old for all parts of the world.

Dead Rat, Utah is the dead rat capital of Utah. Its a sprawling metropolis of 30, and has many worthy attractions, such as the Dead Rat Humongo Ball of Tinfoil, which dozens visit every year. Its the home of the Deat Rat Philharmonic, and a minor league baseball team called the Voles.

Dead Rat also has a rich and varied nightlife. It is the home of the Rat's Nest, a huge black box club with seisure inducing lighting and a 150 watt sound system. Dancing in place is popular here, but the main attraction is the sitting. Dozens drive in from the tri-county area to sit in the Nest's Very Comfy Chairs. Rumor has it that through the mysterious powers of The Dark Side, you actually leave with more money in your pockets than you came in with. The owners of the Rat's Nest are now actively pursuing a lawsuit with Viacom. Rat's Nest Management, LLC has charged MTV with IP theft.

Dead Rat is a fine, wholesome place to live, full of God fearing, wholesome people. Not just regular God fearing people, but people who fear God so much, they sneak into church, and jump 12 feet when outsiders use His name in vain.

Dead Rat, Utah: So awesome, even Medium Sized City Britans will love it.

=)

where ever you grew up, I think I was just around the corner. generator parties r0x0red

Give me a break, I know for a FACT there are cities between the coasts. I saw them as I drove from the east coast to the left coast and back. Most of the coasts are small towns, by the way -- in fact, I'm typing from one right now.

I'm sorry, but why does that website start up with a great big map of the 48 states? More US-centricism; grr!

(edit: Having said that, I'm impressed to note that one Noko Vox has admitted to living across the road from my former college in Crewe.)

Interesting that you refer to SLers as residents of "small-town" America... on the M2 staff, we have several people from England, one from Spain, one from Italy and one from Turkey. I think they would have a problem being referred to in such a manner.

On a positive note, I could see it as complimentary: a "global village" with people from all over the physical world but feeling close together in SL (even as the grid grows), and the fact America is really quite a melting pot of people from all over the world... even in some small towns! So it's wonderful we can be here.

I've been impressed with what I've seen of the Metaverse Messenger so far, actually - it's well-written and readable by someone with only a passing interest in the happenings around SL such as me. So, well done!

I work in an RL newsroom

Might have something to do with the fact that LL is a US company with something like 90% US subscribers.

Regardless... no matter where you centered the map, whoever isn't in the center would bitch about it.

No, it's because Frapper is based on Google Maps, and that's its default map setting. Don't bitch at LL, biutch at Google, if you must. http://maps.google.com

P2

OH NOES GOOGLE IS US CENTRIC? SAY IT AIN'T SO!

i am ms. small town America, and i want my blank canvas back.

You win the prize... danke.

When I type in that address, it results in a map of the UK.

Go figure, as you Americans are fond of saying.

That's interesting... Google does localize based on your ip address. I know when I'm in Canada and I type google.com it takes me to google.ca. My guess then is that Frappr just localizes to the U.S.

I didn't create Frappr, we just piggy back off the service so we can see where each other live. There are a number of shortcomings for sure, although the project team at Frappr is working hard to make improvements. I'd be more than interested to hear of a better service we can use to learn about and bring together members of the community (rather than trying to divide it).

I'm not being entirely serious here (especially with regard to Americans!), but I do think there's a point that having the Frappr map default to the US is quite misleading when so many SL members are outside it.

Having said that, the Google map system only includes meaningful data for the US, UK and Ireland - so anyone outside those three countries gets the rather insulting "Invalid City, please try again" when adding the place they live!

Well, I think the precise reason is Google probably shows you the area you live at, based on IP. The Frapper map server is in the US, I suspect, so likely that's the reason.

"Everyone is meant to be equal"? Huh, where is that written? Even if you started people off 'equal' in wealth they'd soon be unequal due to different skills, personalities and ambitions. People are not equal, they never were and they never will be.

SL is meant to be a virtual world where the occupants make of it what they will. If you feel "too much emphasis" is placed on RL wealth then it's the people that came here that make it that way...not SL itself, it's just an engine.

If you were to try and force it to be other than what it is then you'd be forcing your will on the majority AGAINST their will...hardly something I approve of.