Today's Anti-Newbie Protests...

So how are they going? Why don't we discuss how much we hate n00bs here, and how much we don't want new people and new competitors in Second Life?

Second Life: just for the old heads. Right?

It is not an issue of not wanting new users. it's an issue of not wanting new users at any cost, with no verification of age or identity.

HUH?

I have been on since May 06, I have aquired a Private Island, formed an Partnership with a wonderful woman and and been adopted by a large Family in SL. I have spent a ton of L$ in this world. I spend time with my Partner and my Family. I enjoy what I have built in just a short time. I still consider myself a noob. Why would you hate me?

I don't know. A lot of these people just hate n00bs.

It's also an issue of being bored and wanting something to talk about!.

If LL changed the chat font then there'd be people on the forums outraged by it.

"This chat font is going to be the death of me!! It's straining my eyesight and at this rate I wont be able to see in another few months and I'm going to get runover by a truck whilst crossing the road!!!!"

Not the issue, we just dont want the banned, children, throw away alts and griefers in general.

I'm a "n00b" and I've met some folks in-world who are very against the new system. However, they treated me with the same respect they treated "old heads". Gee, maybe it's because I didn't twist their words and intentions by spewing false propaganda against them.

If you find people avoiding you, Sugga, it might not be because of your registration date...it might just be your negative attitude. Temporary negative attitude, I hope?

There were plenty of new people, and thus potential competitors, coming into SL before the registration change occured, and griefers hurt newbies as much as they hurt anyone else. More, in fact, because the newbie hasn't seen much of SL yet and might decide to quit even though, if they'd experienced more, they might have enjoyed it.

There have been grief attacks on Help Island, on the New Citizens Plaza, and on the Sandboxes where new folks are learning and practicing creating things. All of these things hurt new folks.

If folks really wanted to stop people competing they'd encourage the changes. After all, established firms could turn off outside building and scripts on their private little skybox while the potential competition was being shoved 100m away from the item they were editing and then returning to find a mess of prims rezzed over the top of it.

People want SL to be a place for everyone, including new folks, to be able to trust each other and play and experiment freely. And that does require some measure of accountability. After all I'm sure we all know from Penny Arcade what Person + Anonymity + Audience results in.

Sure. This is no doubt exactly why a lot of the older SL subscribers go out of their way to help newbies learn about the world and feel at home. Or at least used to until a portion of those so called noobs turned into alts used to grief or generally be obnoxious. Not that you'd know anything about alts, right?

I love meeting new people in SL. I find it sad that now I feel worried if somneone was born on or after 6/6/06.

Wendel

Why are you purposely misrepresenting the position some of us are taking?

I meet new members every single day -- by the dozens. By and large, they are all good people, some are funny and witty, most are curious. I do everything I can to welcome them, offer advice and give them my standard "welcome to Second Life" folder of landmarks. Some of them end up being on my friends' list.

Long term, I welcome the influx of new blood into SL. What I don't welcome is the way any 12-year old can now create an account in Second Life, download the client and go play on sexballs without his working Mom ever knowing what he's up to. And I'm especially angered when little Johnny gives in to his pre-pubescent homophobia and starts firebombing adult communities because the activities he's seeing make him feel weird in his little tummy.

The issue here isn't with new people. The issue is with the way the Lindens hung us out to dry by implementing these changes without first giving us a way to defend ourselves against the griefers and the kids. The issue is the future of Second Life, something I care very much about, once Jack Thompson or some other crusading morality type hears that little Johnny was in a sex club with a 30 year old woman who sold him an hour of cybersex.

If you want access to our adult communities, I'm sorry, but I want this to work just like it does on the internet: prove that you're over 18 and you will be admitted. No verification will mean no access. That's the way it's going to have to work if SL and the Lindens don't want to feel the heat from child protective services.

That is the actual date this change in registration rules was implemented, right? Surely they must have realised that putting this kind of change in on that date would cause all hell to break loose.

I do not hate Newbies. I happily WELCOME Newbies, provided they are ADULTS and willing to provide some proof of identity! This is supposed to be an environment where adults can interact freely.

Unfortunately, Linden Labs has forsaken all attempts at validating the age and identity of the participants. The only tools they offer us to deal with that problem will only allow us to exclude access to ALL 'unverified' accounts, regardless of the actual age of the Player at the keyboard.

If I was the owner of an Adult-oriented business, in RL or here in SL, I would not allow anyone to access that business without proof that they are a legal Adult. Before LL dropped their verification from registration, there was at least SOME assurance that anyone in SL was of legal age. And there was at least some reason to believe that a minor who lied and obtained access could effectively be kicked out and not allowed back in. The new rules for admission throw those assurances away. I don't run an adult business in SL myself, but I have friends who do, and I have built Adult attractions for clients. I do NOT want the legal liability for allowing access to minors, just because LL has forsaken that!

As someone who does NOT run any adult-oriented businesses, I will have to be wary of any potential 'customer' who orders goods or services from me and isn't paying cash in advance. Before these changes, I had some reasonable assurance that the Player had a credit card and the ability to pay for what they ordered. I no longer have that assurance, at all.

It's a pity that LL cares more about pumping up raw numbers than it does about keeping children out of Second Life, but that is what is happening. And the real Newbies are going to take the brunt of the bad reactions because of it.

IF anyone else is interested in helping counter the nascent anti-noob movement, there is a counterprotest thread:

/108/56/115924/1.html

I LOVE n00bies! That's why I volunteer and teach! It is very rewarding to help someone learn, but I'll be damn if I wanna mentor naked 15 year old abusers!

Kudos to you Cristiano for the SL Universe protest! May our voices be heard loud & clear!

Please do not feed the trolls - not even new-born hungry ones

Im not looking to protest...I just got a little pissed when i saw this post.

Freyr ... you are NOT a n00b. You're a newb.

Sugga, Fredizzle, CounterProtest.... the issue isn't about new residents. It's about the reckless manner in which Linden Labs have thrown open the doors to Second Life. By doing away with any form of identity verification, they've basically started a countdown to the day when they will be sued over one or any of the following:

1) Minors accessing 'adult' material on the main grid.
2) Minors engaged in cyb0rs3cks with adults on the main grid.
3) Minors engaged in 'escorting' aka virtual prostitution on the main grid.
4) Sexual predators targetting / abusing minors on the main grid.

These are not joke concerns. Lawsuits like the above could be the ruin of Linden Labs and Second Life. So quit your trolling. If you really want to see Second Life last a long time, and I most certainly do, then it's in your interests to see that Linden Labs institutes a rock-solid system of identity verification upon registration. Do you think Sociolotron allows minors to sign up? Hell no! They're smart enough to see the potential fallout. And so should Linden Labs.

Alazarin, I know what the issues are. Really I do, but this post was not about the issues, it was about hating noobs. Not all noobs are bad. Thats why I had to post.

Ain't no hating here. More new residents = more treehouse sales for me But none of that's gonna mean a damn thing if Linden Labs gets sued to oblivion.

I feel really bad Sugga and appologise that we did not explain it clearly enough for you.

We would like to keep SecondLife open and available to everyone. All it takes is one child to be involved in a sexual act and we loose it. You are vocal enough to feel this important so I assume you would like SL to stay?

Please protest, it is your right. You feel that the open system that is now should stay then sit with your real name and let all see that you believe in what you say. Please be polite and respect Philip and Robin's speech no matter if you are for or against. Should be an enlightning time.

It has always been a sad situation that a group is condemed for the actions of a few.
But it is how ever true. If you find one bad raisin your suspicious of the whole box.

My friends and I have always been eager to try and help new players we meet get a good start in SL, directing them to the free areas and cautioning about buying items from older players who are known to sell items that can be had for free etc.

Up untill the change to the registration process I had not encountered that many new avis who's main focus was to cause others grief. A new avi would occasionally find thier way to my land in ther explorations and we would say hi and offer some advice direction etc.

Now it seems more times than a new avi finds thier way to our land and is imediatley abusive or starts to fire weapons and drop prims in the shape fecis etc etc etc.

It does not take long for this to get old. So a avi you don't shows up and imediately you check the res date and then prepare to eject and ban, then you make contact t see what thier intentions are.

So to sum up my feelings here.

I agree the new registration system does nothing to discourage the use of avis as throw away tools for the purpose of being annoying.

As a paying subscriber and land owner I would ex0ect to see LL wanting to ensure my on going participation. Either by providing me with tools I cna use to protect myself and guests on my lands from these unwanted visitors or by taking some minimla safeguards in the registration process to make it more difficult to make and toss away avis.

I personally would prefer not to have to put up red ribbons and block everyone but my access list but I am getting close to thinking that is my only resort to providing a fun area for my friends and I to be.

Smiles and Cookies ot all
Karmi

I can see it now...

"OMG!! The new chat font is devaluating the L$!!"

I have absolutely nothing against new players. We are all noobs at something, so why would I condemn someone for not having the same level of experience as I? We all start somewhere.

The registration process should indeed require a method of age verification.

I'll make little helmets that have the new chat font jumping the shark.